PC Review: DRAGON AGE II - Highly Entertaining, Largely Polished RPG

Dragon Age 2 still feels like such a complete, industriously-composed experience. It never feels anything less than a labour of love, and with the tight deadlines they must have been under given such a truncated development schedule, the final game's enthralling quality is a colossal achievement. Taking place across roughly a decade, the game places you in the shoes of Hawke, whose humble beginnings we trace as a refugee of the city of Kirkwall, to slowly rising up and becoming a revered Champion, as he tries to wrangle with the power-hungry politicians lurking in the shadows, and do away with the threats around every corner. Within a framed narrative told by Hawke's buddy Varric (who also features in your party throughout), we play out how this all transpired. While Dragon Age 2 is a far more accessible title than Origins in terms of combat - playing more like a real-time beat 'em up, albeit with the ability to pause and strategise if you so wish - fans of the original game should rest easy; the heart and soul of the series has been carefully preserved, crafting an engrossing, epic narrative which caters to a large gamut of gaming tastes. Casual gamers may prefer to hurriedly navigate through the intuitive map menus. rinsing through the various quests speedily and having a not-so-tough time on the "Casual" setting, while the more contemplative, explorative gamers are free to traverse the game's many - if closely situated - locales, and indulge in the wealth of side-quests on offer. What Dragon Age 2 represents is a pragmatic compromise between two very different tastes, and that it is pulled off while retaining a coherent vision is hugely laudable. Yes, it's more blood-soaked and action-based than previously, but it's also got an intelligent, politically-motivated storyline, interesting, funny characters, and manages to pin down the minutiae of player development in meticulous detail, thanks largely to an impressive skill tree, which invites players to rabidly obsess over just about everything about their team. Dragon Age 2 is typically on the easier side of RPGs, sure; a few tough bosses aside, you're directed where to go at almost all times and of the 20 hours it takes to blast through at the lower end, a lot of this is cut-scene based, but it's such a concisely refined experience, keen to cut to the chase while not skimping on intrigue, that its restraint feels admirable. Absent is the grating need as in so many RPGs to trek around for hours locating a trinket or a person; here everything is spelled out in an artful map system, which helpfully lists quests available to you and displays a letter symbol whenever new quests have arrived at your home. Also, there is the ability to switch instantly between night and day cycles, so there's no Shenmue-esque waiting around for ages at a time. With the sheer level of customisation on hand - though dispiritedly the race of your character cannot be changed - it's unsurprising that there are a few nonsensical character interactions; one I noticed was a member of my party inviting me back to their home, and having to go through the motions of "meeting them there" despite still having them in my party. Thankfully you'll probably be having so much fun you won't even care, for a keen regard has been made here to be both intelligent and entertaining; there are campy characters and silly storylines (setting up a female officer with a studly colleague is a good laugh especially, as is the "Red Lantern District"), while the overarching story - essentially one of the Spiritual Left vs the Physical Right - will have you hooked right to its inevitable conclusion. When the dilemma arrives - of which side to take - I was genuinely unsure who to side with, and if this is not the sign of a great game, then what is? On a technical level, Dragon Age isn't going to set the world alight; it looks fair and more than keeps up to the standard of recent RPGs such as Fallout: New Vegas, though more importantly, it is incredibly well optimised for any moderately kitted-out home system. Loading times are unlikely to be an issue, and if your rig has the juice for it, DirectX 11 definitely adds a heft of detail to the environments. Character models are reasonable and the environments look solid, but it's the fantastical magic spells and blood-splatter during cut-scenes that really stick out as stylistic flourishes. Aurally, the game benefits from a strong soundtrack, evoking emotion just when it is needed, though the dialogue is more hit and miss. Voice acting ranges from strong (the Welsh Elf Merrill is especially lovely) to incredibly wooden (Hawke's VA is awfully bland), yet the plot is so involving that the inconsistency does little to detract from it. Combat sound effects are also strong, though you'll fast get irritated by hearing the same soundbytes from your characters repeating over and over in battle. It'll take you at least 20 hours to beat, and on the basis of the side-quests and DLC, can probably take upwards of double that. For an RPG truly devoted to crafting an imaginative story out of the ashes of what can so easily become generic hack-and-slash medieval adventure fare, you need look no further than Dragon Age 2. This is highly addictive gaming, and one of the more accessible RPGs of recent memory, while still likely to please (most of) the rabid die-hards. This review is based off of a full play-through of the Campaign on Normal difficulty (clear time: 25 hours approx). A copy of the game was purchased by OWF. The game was released Friday March 11th for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.