Dragon Age II: The Good, The Bad and the Melancholy....

 Let me start off with saying that I am in fact a girl who plays games - from PC/Console to D&D and MERP (Middle Earth Role Play). This is a blog dedicated to the female gamer- and to the games we play. So, without further ado....


DRAGON AGE II:


I was quite excited when I first heard that Dragon Age II would be coming out in in March 2011. I had really enjoyed the original - to the point of extreme (clocking in a grand total of  154 hours of game time on Steam) and wondered what type of things would be explored in the next installment. Would there still be romance options? Would some of the original characters return to do a cameo? Would they change their game play design? Well, yes....but not in the way I expected. I had already read up on how the dungeons were repetitive, the game took a long time to get going and there wasn't enough game play outside the walls of Kirkwall. This prepared me for a game that wasn't as innovative as its predecessor in that regard but it is what I didn't read that surprised me...


I first got my hands on the demo about a week before the game was actually going to be launched. I thought,"why not try it out"....I had heard that Bioware had made some good upgrades since the original and was very curious to see what had changed. As the opening cinematic finished, I was definitely becoming excited; The way they made it into a story was a wonderful idea and the faster combat was a fantastic addition....but when it came to playing the game itself....I wasn't so enthused. I bought the second installment off of steam regardless if the demo had turned out to be...interesting. I try not to "judge a book by its cover".


 First off, the art style had COMPLETELY changed....and to me that was a big bummer. The whole reason why I loved Dragon Age: Origins was because of the art style - It reminded me of Bethesda's Oblivion! I also loved the whimsical aspect DA:O had to it and how it almost reminded me of Lord of the Rings. Everything in that world meshed together seamlessly for me. There is a reason why Tolkien and Oblivion have a unfathomable following - it has a scrupulously derived plot based in pure fantasy and it catered to a niche market. Ever wonder why Dragon Age: Origins did so well - because it hit that very same niche! I later read what the directer of the art department at Bioware had to say about it:


Before, I think Origins was kind of like Death Dealer meets The Hobbit. It was half really “raah, scary” and half really whimsical. We wanted to take it into more of a desolate feel and kind of strip it down to a hot-rod Samurai look. Not only visually, but in terms of the actual storytelling motifs that appear in those movies. The cautionary tale was really appropriate for DA2. (taken from gameinformer online -feature by Jeff Cork on July 23, 2010)


                                                                                                                                                              
I have to say that I am upset about some of this .... Dragon Age IS SUPPOSED TO BE AN ACTION/FANTASY RPG that has MEDIEVAL OVERTONES, and not supposed to be stripped "...down to a HOT-ROD SAMURAI LOOK"! Last time I checked, this was DA2 and not Final Fantasy!! If you have to completely revamp the original characters to make them "fit" into the new art style of the game, then you've gone too far in my books. Might I suggest that a transition period be introduced instead? Use a happy medium instead of going from one extreme to the other? I mean, look at what they did to some of the original characters of DA: O that made an appearance in Dragon Age II. Take Flemeth for instance.What happened? It looks like she went down to LA to get a boob job and a face lift - and don't get me started on her hair! She has completely changed from origins and what all gamers may associate with Flemeth - the witch of the wilds. Another example is that of the Qunari. Why now give them horns and exaggerated animalistic features? Was there something to be gained by doing this - was it just because they wanted the Qunari to look more Menacing than what they appeared to be in DA: O? Don't get me wrong, I do like the horns, but if you start out with no horns then you should either stick with it or "evolve" the horns into the Qunari. Start off with a smaller set of horns and as the game series progresses, allow them to be more outstanding as time goes on. Even if this episode in the DA series is told as a "STORY" (inserted embellishments on actual fact) then why is Varric forced into telling the TRUTH about what happened and why do some of the original characters remain unrecognizable even after he relays the REAL story of what happened? All I am suggesting is that more discretion be made when changing the original characters of the series. 

Another thing that irked me about the recent Dragon Age installment, and probably lots of other girl gamers too, was the lack of emphasis on Romance. I found that very disappointing, because it was one of the best parts for me in Dragon Age: Origins. In the first game, I found it just as exciting to have Alistair (or any other of the main characters) fall in love with my character as it was to fight the dreaded archdeamon. I liked the fact that as a PC (Player Character), you were able to find out all about your love interest through the dialog options, which made the "romance" into a "relationship". I also happen to like the "racier" cut scenes for DA:O - it made the romance more realistic in my opinion. In DA2, I found the back story of the possible love interests' is shorter and not as involved. As I played guy Hawke (because he is REALLY SEXY), I found that the romance options came down to 2 females (excluding Aveline -which is a pity!) and the "flirting" only lasted for a short time before I was able to "bed" them. "Bedding" them in DA2 consists of some slightly raunchy kissing and a small amount of intriguing pillow talk. It no longer relies on how friendly they are with you or how many gifts you give them but if you say the right and scripted pick-up lines; you say the right lines enough, then they will go back to your place. What kind of Romance is that?! I think Bioware wasn't looking at the romance options from a female perspective. You get interested in an NPC, flirting goes on for a while and then you take them back to your place for a "fun" time. Real romances aren't like that, so why should in-game romances be any different?

I also have a bone to pick about the end boss! I felt jipped! I really thought that I would feel a sense of accomplishment after beating the game, but I didn't. At least in Dragon Age: Origins, I felt a sense of pride when I defeated the archdeamon. This boss was just a waste of time....I didn't get the feeling of satisfaction after beating the game that I expect from a heavy hitter like Bioware. If you want to make the game seem more edgy, then start with the end boss...not with changing the art style.


Enough about the cons of Dragon Age II, lets talk about the pros! I LOVE the new combat system! Much faster than its predecessor and a lot more involved action wise - love how bloody and gruesome things are this time around. The special attacks are much more refined and awesome to watch in DA2. I also love the higher resolution textures in this game versus Dragon Age: Origins. It gives a realistic feel to the world, instead of looking like something that might of passed for great graphics 10 years ago. The main character, Hawke (male or female) also has proper conversations now, instead of being the silent mime that Origins had - a very awesome upgrade, I might add. I also liked how my decisions had almost immediate consequences. It gave the story a form of flow that was much more defined than in Origins. I am also very glad to hear that the memorable companion banter is back with a vengeance!! I loved listening to the conversations in DA:O where Morrigan would hit on Sten or how Oghren would make fun of Alistair! I'm very happy to see those types of conversations make an encore in DA2 as well as the cameo appearances and references to my old companions back in Ferelden - A good move on Bioware's part.



Overall, I did enjoy the play through of Dragon Age 2 and it had enough going for it to make me play with some enthusiasm. The combat, tough moral choices and a suave talking main character definitely kept me playing for hours on end! However, I felt as if this game was released too soon and could have used another six months or more to refine the little idiosyncrasies that make Dragon Age unique. It should have also taken on another name...it felt as if it wasn't a TRUE second installment, but a bridge between them. Maybe they should have used the name of their facebook game - Dragon Age: Legends for the title. I feel it would have been a better fit, especially if they wanted to play up the "story telling" aspect of how Hawke rose up the ranks and became the Champion of Kirkwall.  

I give Dragon Age II -  7.5/10