Impressions of Dragon Age 2 [The (not so) Short Version]

Seeing as I am probably the last person in the world that completed Dragon Age: Origins and that I probably have less than merited opinions on it, I figure I may as well add to the cacophony of conflicting opinions on where the series is headed and what the possible changes could be.

I suppose I should just begin by saying what my overall impression is of what's been announced about the game. Generally speaking, I'm truly excited for what the proposed changes will be. A general idea of my thoughts can be found in the Dragon Age 2 discussion of last week's TalkGames podcast, but here are the individual bullet points on what I'm hopeful about and what I'm NOT so hopeful about with Dragon Age 2's announcement

WHAT SOUNDS COOL, DUDE?!

• Improved graphics. I don't believe I'm the only one who believed Dragon Age: Origins looked BAD... and I mean REALLY BAD. I'm never one who gets super worked up over a few rough edges in a game, but considering how character-driven Dragon Age is, and how the lack of convincing character models and poor animations really ruined some heavy moments in the game for me, any improvements are really welcome. Also there are mentions of a new "visual style", hinting at a more stylized game. That's always a good way to go in my book.
• Combat seems to be moving more towards action. This is a point of contention with most who discuss this game, believing it as another sign that the game is becoming more like Mass Effect with swords rather than staying closer to its more archaic and hardcore roots. As someone who likes Mass Effect a lot more as a game, this probably excites me more than anything. I realize because I played the first game on Xbox 360, I may have a different experience than most, but I reiterate my feelings; It may have been EASIER to manage the game's various systems had I used a PC, but I doubt it would have made it more enjoyable.
• The idea of a voiced protagonist and more centralized plot seems like a step in the right direction. Dragon Age: Origins had a fantastic storyline with great characters, but little of that really had anything to do with YOUR character. Sure, you were recognized as the Grey Warden and the leader of the group or whatever, but not having a voice and kinda ineffectually standing to the side whilst all the discussion was standing by didn't really do much to make you feel like a super integral part to the plot. Hopefully that's remedied in the sequel.
• Darker edge? I know this is pretty tricky to pull off without seeming like you're trying too hard, but I thought Dragon Age was supposed to be about DARK Fantasy. Sure, Origins was pretty violent and there were some pretty messed up aspects, but it still felt very much like high fantasy, and therefore at times could be extremely comparable to other already existing franchises. The current screenshots are showing a much more haggard world and a darker overtone, so I hope that Dragon Age 2 actually takes it all the way into dark territory.

WHAT MIGHT BE LAME, BRO?!

• Improved graphics?! If you say so, dudes, because if these early screenshots are any indication, your definition of improved is certainly different from mine. The fist image looks pretty good, but nothing earth shattering. I hope the game looks a lot better in motion or starts looking better as we get closer to release.
• New territory to explore. I guess this is a good thing, but considering how much info. and care was put into Ferelden, placing our hero into a whole new territory could make the game feel considerably different in a way that may be hard to appreciate.
• Lack of variety with the protagonist. It seems that the ability to play as either a warrior, a rogue, or a mage is still intact, but as the protagonist has a set name and back-story, that eliminates one of the interesting things about your main character in DA: O, and that is the origin story. Sure you can make your individual "Hawke" unique through his/her actions, but there is definitely a lot of truth in people's concerns that Hawke is going to be the Commander Shepard of Dragon Age.

As you can see, my concerns are far outweighed by my hopes for this game. I wasn't a huge fan of the first Dragon Age, but I am a fan of Bioware's ability to tell a story and, if the promised changes all come together, this should shape up to be one of the best games of 2011. After all, it's not always bad to try new things.

Speaking of trying new things... that gives me an idea for my next blog. Anyway, if you have any comments on what you just read, or just liked what you saw, just go ahead and leave me a comment. And if you REALLY liked it, go ahead and give me a follow. Until next time...