The first thing that surprised me is that Dragon Age 2 isn’t exactly what you’d call a strict sequel. The events of the first game resonate through the narrative of DA2 as you take control of Hawk and lead him through some of the same plot points, this time told from a different perspective.

A common complaint of the first game was that attacks and spells were lined up using the pause menu before combat, and then the gamer sat back and watched the action unfold without actively having to do anything else. David Silverman, Brand Manager of both Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2, even joked that one Bioware forum member used this time for toilet breaks. The new game has gone some ways to address this issue.

Combat has been further augmented when coming up against larger enemies. Players of Dragon Age: Origins will remember the death blows that could be dealt by warriors and rogues on enemies such as Ogres and Dragons. This has been expanded to include Mages. The example shown involved some magical hands gripping an Ogre’s arms and ripping him apart. Whilst this is a nice visual addition to the game, variation will be key to stopping this from becoming stale in the final build of the game. Hopefully Bioware will take this on board and deliver many different death blows to keep gamers trying different things.

Whilst the pause and assign system from the first game is still present, this has been reimagined to allow a full view of the battlefield with the improved camera controls. However the more significant redesign is with the real time gameplay. Rather than clicking spells or attacks to create a queue, then waiting for each character to perform them, the moves now freeze out whilst spells are being cast. This means that when you click a spell, that spell happens almost immediately. Whilst this sounds like a small change, it has a dramatic effect on the feel of the game.

Combat is now more immediate

The mantra of the sequel, as with any sequel, has been to improve what worked and fix what was broken. It’s clear that Bioware have tried to carry this through into almost every aspect of the new features we’ve been shown. One thing that was irksome in the last game was a tendency to misinterpret your own responses within conversation trees. Whilst this was a minor gripe, the conversation options now have the addition of an emotion wheel; mood pictures that highlight the intent of any given response. So if you want to be aggressive there will be a clear indicator of what the aggressive response will be, shown by red a clenched fist.

Players will also affect the general behaviour of their character through the choices they make. This is a really nice way in which the developers are creating a relatively unique experience depending on the way in which you play the game. The example I was shown involved the sarcastic and jesting responses, as the hero becomes more sarcastic automatically if these dialogue options are chosen consistently.

Dialogue choices are much harder to misinterpret

The visuals have also seen an overhaul with the new improved graphics. Dragon Age 2 looks a lot more stylised than its predecessor with the strange dichotomy of cartoonised visuals mixed with more gruesome fare; slashing darkspawn this time around can actually dismember them as they fall to their deaths. Whilst this sounds like an oxymoron, it really works. And with a good five months of development left before release, visually this game could be really stunning.

An interesting new development for Dragon Age is the way the narrative is told. Rather than the synchronous story of the first game, with events told in order of when they happened over the course of a year or so, Dragon Age 2 is a story told within a story. The opening sees a particularly shady character, Varric, detailing the exploits of the hero to an inquisitive Seeker. The impact of this change was immediately apparent, as Varric’s exaggerations allow more powerful spells and higher damaging attacks throughout the playable section. When told to tell the truth, the game brings the character stats right down to basics and previously omitted characters make an appearance.

Dragon Age: Origins had two stages to levelling up a character; first assigning stats to characters to increase health, strength, agility or intelligence, then selecting new skills, choosing from a fairly static spreadsheet of abilities. Whilst the stat boosts remain, the skill selection has seen something of a reformation as each skill is separated into trees. Unlocks still happen in order, such as weaker fire spells being needed before the higher strength version of that spell can be attained, but you can now augment specific spells by specialising. For example, if you are particularly fond of your Inferno spell, you can use your awarded ability unlock to increase the area of effect, damage it deals or even the duration the spell lasts. Exact details of these specialised unlocks were not given however.

Combat seems to have been improved all round.

I was a big fan of the original title, even on the arguably weaker console version of the game. The wealth of new features and marginally improved visuals seem to be much needed additions to build on the already eminently playable base of Dragon Age: Origins. However, the success of a Bioware RPG hinges on playability alongside a great storyline. Whilst the narrative focus on the hero’s family and the framing of the story within a story bring a different slant to the Bioware RPG canon, I guess we’ll have to wait until the final release for the full verdict. For now, let’s just say that this preview has made this journalist eager to play the full game in March 2011.

– Tom Wallis

So, the blight of the Darkspawn has been dealt with and the Archdemon slain in one of a variety of ways. Yet, no more than six months after the Darkspawn army dispersed from Ferelden, another threat arises to challenge the Grey Wardens. This comes in the form of the Dragon Age: Origins Awakenings DLC/Expansion pack.

You have the choice of either importing your beloved hero from a previous save on Dragon Age: Origins, or creating a new character in the form of an Orlesian Warden.  Of course, should you import a character the content fits around this, your character being renowned and respected for near single-handedly saving Ferelden. Taking the new character route offers different challenges, the Orlesian Warden being treated with distain at first, what with the history of conflict between the two nations. You also get the option of a few more classes for your characters and three new skills.

Vigil's Keep serves as a rather impressive new base of operations.

What is important to note at this stage is that Awakenings isn’t your average DLC. It is on average a 15-20 hour expansion on the original game. For me, this feels rather odd. It certainly isn’t Dragon Age 2, but at the same time it is far lengthier and detailed than most DLC available on the market. Although, you’d probably expect that considering the £20 plus price tag (Or alternatively, 3200 of your Microsoft points) you’d have to lay down.

The content is on the whole a brilliant expansion on the previous game, adding new depths to an already established character or giving you a break to explore a new one. Whatever beginning you choose, you are placed in charge of Vigil’s Keep, which was awarded to the Grey Wardens at the end of Origins. This serves as your new base of operations; a drier, swishier looking base camp if you will. From here you not only get to know the new characters you meet in this pack, but rule the land of Ameranthine as part of the keep as their new Arl.

Anders, the wise-cracking escapee mage is just one of the new companions you'll meet.

The new characters on the whole are a good bunch. Particular favourites being the cat-loving Anders, a mage escaped from The Circle numerous times and Nathaniel Howe; the son of Arl Rendon Howe, who players from the Origins may remember killing not too long ago.

Whilst they may not be your old, beloved characters from Origins, they each add a new personality to the game that you’ll hopefully grow to love. If not, there’s always Oghren, who returns as… well, Oghren.

On the whole the new storyline, now featuring Darkspawn with the gift of speech, are both interesting and motivating. Awakenings offers just as many optional side-quests and companion based missions as you’re willing to take. For me, the moments when I’d return to Vigil’s Keep only to be asked to make decisions as the Arl were especially poignant. To decide whether to cosy up to the loyal nobles of the previous Arl or to aid the more common folk each had pros and cons and neither felt like I’d be particularly safe on my ‘throne’.

What would Dragon Age be without a dragon, eh?

The only dampener for me was just what was Awakenings? It was too expansive to be DLC and yet it certainly wasn’t a full blown sequel. Upon completing it I was left wondering whether I’d bother going back with my other characters from Dragon Age: Origins just to see an extra 15 or so hours of gameplay. It felt like, say, expecting someone to propose to you. You have a wonderful date, a nice dinner and the stars are shining in the sky… then they inform you they’ve called for a taxi home. Brilliant.

Review Round-Up

Graphics: 5/5 The graphics look just as good as Origins, as would be expected for something released so soon after. The new areas to explore range from lush woodland expanses, to the awe of clearing out Vigil’s Keep of Darkspawn in the opening moments.

Sound: 3/5 This gets an extra point added because of the voice acting. I’ve never had too much of a problem with the voice acting in Origins, and the characters in Awakenings are still well voiced; with a special mention to Anders for his dialogue with ‘Sir Pounce-a-lot’. The music however, is quite forgettable on the whole.

Gameplay: 4/5 The gameplay is still as brilliant as Origins. If you loved it before, you’ll love it again. Especially with the new classes allowing for that extra depth in combat.

Longevity: 2/5 This is where it slips a bit. The strange straddling of DLC and full on expansion can lead to confusion over the worth of playing this more than once. Still, if you liked creating new characters in Origins this may not be a problem.

Overall: 3 dragon pups out of 5. If you loved Origins, but can’t be bothered to fork out that much for just an expansion I’d recommend waiting for the price to drop a little. It makes for a brilliant and quite lengthy add-on to the original story, however its identity crisis could be a negative point. It is worth it, however, if you’re a fan; it’s all just dependent on how much expendable cash you’re ok to part with.

Dragon Age Origins Awakening is available to buy in stores and online from prices ranging from £20 upwards for Xbox only. It’s also available for download on Xbox Live for 3200 Microsoft points (£25-ish) or on the Playstation Network for £31

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