Dragon Age 2
It’s been about a year and change since the original title hit store shelves and was quickly consumed en masse by hungry Bioware fans. Using their tried and true formula for game making, Bioware created another hit. Not wanting to spoil the success, they took the easy road and did a little trimming here and there and pushed out a sequel as quickly as possible.
The game picks a little after the last game, with a new hero fleeing his homeland with his family. This time it’s not all about saving the world, and more about saving yourself. Personally, I like this aspect, as the whole “saving the world” fantasy story is getting a bit stale. I often wonder how things are going for the rest of the world while the heroes are on their quest. While I would have liked to see what the effects were on more of the world, it wouldn’t be possible in the amount of time that was spent on this game.
The game plays and feels just like the last one, but with subtle differences that help streamline things. While many have been decrying the game as “dumbed down”, they fail to see that these changes benefited the game greatly. The previous title failed to truly draw me in and, as such, I quit playing. This game, however, I wasn’t able to put down. Everything has a faster pace and is more tightly wound together. Menus and combat seem easier to manage, and I also can’t help but mention the fact that I enjoy the characters far more over all. At the same time, it sucks to see the same areas over and over, and only have one major area to be in. I think the game could have been better had more time been spent on it, but that is just me.
While many people will find the game to be a bit short, I don’t think fans of the first will be disappointed in this one at all; it’s a great game that expands on the previous one nicely. At the same time, it’s hard to think of this game as a complete sequel due to it’s length and content available. I can’t really get behind paying the same amount of money for a smaller game, especially when the DLC needs to be bought.
