Two years ago, the video game developer Bioware released a well crafted Role Playing Game "Dragon Age: Origins". A title claimed to be the "spiritual successor" to the legendary RPG Baldur's Gate series. The story featured an epic adventure to save a kingdom from the invasion of a monstrous horde known as the dark spawn, set in the fictional world of Thedas. The first Dragon Age was received with overwhelmingly positive reviews from both critics and users, and won numerous awards for RPG game of the year in 2009. Now, 18 months later. The sequel Dragon Age 2 is released. Game developer Bioware has promised that Dragon Age 2 will be an improvement from Dragon Age: Origins. However, have the promises being delivered in the sequel? This is what I will talk about next.
Since the release of Dragon Age 2, the reviews from the critics have been positive. However, the user review is extremely negative, this is a very strange phenomenon. However, one thing can be certain is almost everyone agrees that Dragon Age 2 is not as good as Dragon Age: Origins. So has Bioware really taken the franchise a step back? Well, let's have a look at this game in detail.
First of all, the story:
The story of Dragon Age 2 is a very interesting one. The entire story takes place over a 10 years period. Where initially the story started at the same time as the event in Dragon Age: Origins. For those who have finished the first Dragon Age game, the player can import their save games into Dragon Age 2, and see impacts of their decisions from the first game take place in Dragon Age 2. The player will be Hawke, a refugee from a village called Lothering, destroyed by the dark spawns during the event from Dragon Age Origins. Hawke took his family, and together they fled to a city in a kingdom across the sea known as Kirkwall. Upon arrival Hawke's family, together with other refugees fleeing from the dark spawn invasion were refused entry into the city. The orders from the authority was to only accept the refugees who they deem can bring contributions to Kirkwall, especially the rich ones. Hawke came from a poor family who were once nobility in Kirkwall. Through special arrangement Hawke managed to get his family into the city, and settled his mother in a slum like district called low town.
I am Hawke!
The city of Kirkwall is divided into several districts, examples including the area infested with low life criminals such as dark town, the area for the rich known as high town, and low town which is the dwelling place for the poor etc.. The design was really good, and the design really reflected the rich and poor disparity and tension in the society of Kirkwall.
The entire story of Dragon Age 2 mainly takes place in the city of Kirkwall, with a few locations outside the city that the player will visit occasionally. The story develops as Hawke rises from a mere refugee to the champion of Kirkwall. Now, this is what I really like about the story of Dragon Age 2. Unlike other games, in Dragon Age 2 you won't be thrown into an epic quest right at the start. Instead, you start as a refugee in a foreign city, where the story unfolds as you try to survive in the city. The story, however will evolve differently according to the decisions made by the player in the game. A lot of times, the choices the player have to make are morally ambiguous, where there is no clear right or wrong. However, all choices will have consequences later on in the game.
Another thing worth mentioning is that, Hawke will meet many characters during the story, and will have many companions. Each of the companions will have their own story and quest, and their unique characters. The results of their quest will also affect how the story evolves, and venturing with them is a very engaging gaming experience, because they will react to all the choices you made during the game, and become either friends or rivals. In my opinion, the companions in Dragon Age 2 are much better than the companions in Dragon Age: Origins.
Hawke doesn't travel alone, he always has mates watching over his back!
During Hawke's time in the city, Hawke will be involved in different political intrigues. These tensions are usually the results of prejudice, bigotry, greed, differences in belief, and sometimes racial tension. As you play the game you will realize that the problems and flaws in the city of Kirkwall are not really that different from the ones in our own world.
Another recurring theme from Dragon Age 2 is the struggle for a society to accept refugees who seek asylums. In the game, the refugees are shunned from entering the city of Kirkwall. They can only be accepted unless they are rich, or can prove themselves to be able to contribute to the city. Further on in the story, the refugees are treated poorly in Kirkwall and are categorized as second class citizens. I wonder if the story writer is trying to send a message behind the story about the way first world countries treat refugees.
Anyway, the story telling in Dragon Age 2 is very unique, but done in a way that is very personal and engaging. Which I think is far superior than the story in Dragon Age: Origins.
Gameplay and design:
The combat system has been renovated, compared to the first Dragon Age game, the combat in Dragon Age 2 is a lot faster. Gone are the "5 seconds to swing a sword" style combat, and in its place the sword actions are now replaced by a series of combo moves that are similar to attack moves in Devil May Cry series. However, Dragon Age 2 is not an action game, the combat still requires the player to employ carefully planned strategies and tactics. Bioware just made the combat in Dragon Age 2 appear more action-packed by changing a few rules in the combat system.
Overall, I think the combat system in Dragon Age 2 is better than its predecessor. I only have two complains about the combat system:
1) The removal of the tactical camera in the PC version, this means the player no longer have the choice to look at the area from the top and make strategic decisions during combat.
2) The blood and gore during the combat is over the top, the bodies of your enemies will just "explode" when they die. I stab my enemy with a puny dagger and their body literally EXPLODED! I mean, what the heck? Come on Bioware, be realistic here...
Ha! You are about to explode because I stabbed you a.. dagger?
The inventory system is a lot more streamlined compared to Dragon Age Origins. Now the inventory menu has different categories: weapon, armor, amulets/rings/belts, potions, and junks. This makes inventory management a lot easier and saves a lot of headaches that were caused by the "dazzling" inventory system in Dragon Age: Origins. But there is one major flaw to the new inventory system, and perhaps the biggest disappoint in Dragon Age 2 is that the player can no longer equip their companions with different armours! This is really lame! I mean, if your Hawke is a warrior and you find a good robe for a wizard, you can't do anything with it but to sell it for cash.. how crap is this!
The character level up system is similar to the first game. Where the player can invest attribute points and skill points when a character levels up. The player will be able to customise the level ups for all of the companions as well. Specialization points are given at level 7 and 14 like in Dragon Age: Origins. Overall, the character level system hasn't been changed much except the introduction of a few new skills.
The player will get to choose either playing as a male or female Hawke. Each gender will have three character classes: warrior, mage and rogue. Each class has its strength and weakness. This has been very well implemented in Dragon Age 2, as the strength and weakness or each class has been greatly emphasized. Each gender is fully voiced, gone is the mute hero from Dragon Age: Origins.
As I mentioned earlier, most of the game takes place inside the city of Kirkwall. Therefore, by the end of the game the player will be relatively familiar with all the locations inside Kirkwall. The city is well designed and feels more lively and populated compared to the cities in Dragon Age: Origins. However, here comes another major flaw of Dragon Age 2. While it is understandable that most locations remain the same in the city, but it is quite outrageous that the maps for the dungeons are re-used all the time! Therefore, almost all the layouts of the dungeons in Dragon Age 2 are identical. I wonder if Bioware rushed the release of Dragon Age 2 and just couldn't be bothered with designing different dungeons.
Graphics:
The graphics in Dragon Age 2 has been improved. It looks really pretty and the character models are lot more detailed like in Mass Effect 2.
Sound and music:
The sound effects are very good, whether it's the clashing of swords or explosions of fireballs. You will have to keep the volume down for this one. The voice acting is really well done and bring the characters to life. The soundtracks are composed by award winning composer Inon Zur (Icewindale 2, Fallout 3, DA:O).
Final score:
Story 9.5/10 - The unique style of story telling in Dragon Age 2 is what sets this game apart from many games. Bioware has fully utilised the dark fantasy world of Dragon Age in this game. The story is about the survival and the rise to power of a refugee in a xenophobic society intolerant of foreigners. The story and settings reflect much of the problems in our own world, where themes such as prejudice, bigotry, greed, freedom, tolerance, oppressions and racial tensions are deeply explored. As a Christian playing this game, it made me think about what God says about these issues. Such as do not oppress the immigrants or refugees (Leviticus 19:33-34, Exodus 22:21, Deuteronomy 27:19 and so on..) and many more. I think the world of Dragon Age is probably what our world have been like in the last few thousand years. The Bible commands us to treat each other with love. It is more than just "acceptance" or being "tolerant", because loving other people is not just merely acknowledging their existence amongst our own. Love is about giving and sharing, and evidently from our own history, giving and sharing has never been one of humanity's strength. In a modern world where tolerance is in high demand, we ought to wonder if tolerance is the solution to the problems in our society according to our post-modern philosophy. Or perhaps, the only and real answer is what has been in the Bible all this time.. love? This is a topic worthy of exploring.
Gameplay and design 8/10 - The revamped gameplay in Dragon Age 2 is welcomed, the combat is more fun and the inventory system is simplified in a good way. But problems such as: the removal of tactical camera, inability to equip armours on companions, over the top blood and gore and the repeated use of dungeons are major annoyances that really hold back the praises to Dragon Age 2.
Graphics 8.5/10 - The graphics in Dragon Age 2 is pretty and has been improved since the first game. However, compared to some major upcoming RPG titles such as Witcher 2 and Skyrim. The graphics of Dragon Age 2 is not on the same standard.
Sound and music 9/10 - The soundtracks are atmospheric, and the sound effects are great.
Violence: Extreme - Too much unrealistic blood and gore! I wonder if the ability to make people explode by stabbing them with a dagger is meant to be a humorous relieve? What was Bioware thinking?
Sex/nudity: Low - Compared to Dragon Age: Origins, the sex scenes has been toned down a lot. In Dragon Age 2, there are only kissing scenes and there are no nudity scenes.
Final verdict 8.7/10 - Dragon Age 2, is a very good game that is worthy of addition to any RPG fan's collection. The story has great values and reflects some of the deepest problems in our own world. However, design flaws such as the repeated use of dungeon and the removal of tactical camera make one wonder if Bioware has rushed the release of the game for more commercial gain. This, is what I think is behind all the outrage and complains from the players across the world. Having said that, Dragon Age 2 is still very epic and will provide between 30~40 hours of gameplay, and it is an extremely engaging experience. A fan of RPG should not miss this one.
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