Dragon Age 2 - Catch All

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Website: http://dragonage.bioware.com/da2/

EA has confirmed that Dragon Age II is scheduled to release on the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 in March 2011.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/07/08/dr...

Spoiler Alert: DA:Origins spoilers are to be expected

Not entirely unexpected, really. Still, I look forward to this. I am sadly stuck with just my laptop for now, but once I get my gaming pc back I shall have to pick up some of the DLC for DAO before getting the sequel.

Why can't it be an expansion, boycott etc.

Thirteenth wrote:

Why can't it be an expansion, boycott etc.

I am actually kind of wondering why they need a full-on sequel at this point. I've found the DLC to be lacking. The thing I loved most about Dragon Age was the story of my character, yet most of the DLC is completely external to that. More like spin-offs than actual extra content.

I'm wondering what story arc they want to tell over the series. Putting 'Dragon' in the name of the game makes me think they're the real thing to be concerned about, and the darkspawn in DA:O will turn into another (unwelcome) faction in the world.

I'm interested. I'm hoping for a better, less cliche story. I thought it was the weakest part of Origins, although Awakening started to do interesting things.

I also hope that they tighten up a few mechanics without throwing the baby out with the bathwater, a la Mass Effect.

*edit*

Thanks Jeff Green

*edit again*

Experience the epic sequel to the 2009 Game of the Year from the critically acclaimed makers of Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2. You are one of the few who escaped the destruction of your home. Now, forced to fight for survival in an ever-changing world, you must gather the deadliest of allies, amass fame and fortune, and seal your place in history. This is the story of how the world changed forever. The legend of your Rise to Power begins now.

Key Features:

* Embark upon an all-new adventure that takes place across an entire decade and shapes itself around every decision you make.
* Determine your rise to power from a destitute refugee to the revered champion of the land.
* Think like a general and fight like a Spartan with dynamic new combat mechanics that put you right in the heart of battle whether you are a mage, rogue, or warrior.
* Go deeper into the world of Dragon Age with an entirely new cinematic experience that grabs hold of you from the beginning and never lets go.
* Discover a whole realm rendered in stunning detail with updated graphics and a new visual style.

Hmmm

the key features makes it sound like Fable.

If they take away the awesome combat system from the first and replace it with something Fable-y I will be very disappointed. I love Fable for what it is, and I love Dragon Age for what it is, and I don't need them to try to become one another.

I like how they're using a similar art style to DA:Journeys in the concept art, or were they always doing that for DA:O and I've forgotten.

Yeah, not surprising. Welcoming but not surprising. I like the idea of a decade (decades?)-long story though.

Think like a general and fight like a Spartan with dynamic new combat mechanics that put you right in the heart of battle whether you are a mage, rogue, or warrior.

Madness?

...

THIS. IS. FERELDEN!

Budo wrote:

Yeah, not surprising. Welcoming but not surprising. I like the idea of a decade (decades?)-long story though.

I got the feeling from DA:O that some parts of it were meant to be hurried (getting the sacred ashes for Eamon) and some parts would take ages like marching around the map. I think it would give them more opportunities for the plot and character progression too.

In my role as forum nobody, I declare this thread spoilerful for DA:O.

Farscry wrote:

If they take away the awesome combat system from the first and replace it with something Fable-y I will be very disappointed. I love Fable for what it is, and I love Dragon Age for what it is, and I don't need them to try to become one another. :P

Yeah, if they change the combat it goes from Day 1 to bargain bin instantly. I'm hoping a lot of that is just hyperbole, 'dynamic combat' is marketing speak that gives me chills.

I'm pretty sure that Bioware and EA realise that a lot of Dragon Age's success was due to people wanting the Baldur's Gate spiritual successor though.

The management aspects sounds interesting and I think it's going to be an extension of the Keep mechanics from Awakening.

*edit*

Scratched wrote:

In my role as forum nobody, I declare this thread spoilerful for DA:O.

Fair game, maybe you better put that in the OP. Maybe even thread title.

MrDeVil909 wrote:

I'm pretty sure that Bioware and EA realise that a lot of Dragon Age's success was due to people wanting the Baldur's Gate spiritual successor though.

The management aspects sounds interesting and I think it's going to be an extension of the Keep mechanics from Awakening.

The combat in origins was good, it really needs the lightest touches to make it better. I think the biggest improvement they can make is with the camera, to show exactly what you want to see, to give you a clear impression of the battle/environment, and make the game look impressive.

February 1st? Happy Birthday to Me!

Sounds like there will be more scripted kills; it's a nice idea that they have, jumping on top of an ogre God of War-style, but there's still major room for improvement in the way it's implemented.

Look, it's Bioware. If Dragon Age proved anything, it proved they still had "it". I have no reservations about getting the Limited Edition this time around. I still have at least 1 more playthrough of DA I want to do, and I've always enjoyed their fantasy-style games (NWN1 being the only one that I had trouble with as it wasn't party-based).

Where do I pre-order? Preorder Dragon Age 2 at retailers on July 8, 2010 10:00AM MST:

Will do!

I'm looking forward to a different art style so everything doesn't look like it's from the Lord of the Rings movies.

And having more meaningful choices a la Alpha Protocol (yes, that's now my point of reference for how to do choice properly) would be nice. Origins had its choices, but they felt rather canned to me.

More classes? That'd be cool.

February ... really? Wow.

Edit: Oh, and just so I'm not being totally negative seeming, I bought this on console and pc. I love the first one, but there are certainly areas I'd like to see cleaned up/changed.

Much earlier release than I expected.

And you know what this means: deep discounts on all Dragon Age DLC starting in October!

I hope they fix the PC DLC verification mess.

OK!

Clemenstation wrote:

Much earlier release than I expected.

And you know what this means: deep discounts on all Dragon Age DLC starting in October!

Looks like I'm waiting until October, then.

Let me clarify my thoughts from earlier a little more. Dragon Age was absolutely my favorite game of last year. I consider it my full-on 2009 Game of the Year. It's the best pc rpg I've played since the Infinity Engine classics (the IWD and BG games).

There's some things I'd like to see done better in DA2, but overall, I don't want to see them break it by trying to fix it too much. They really nailed it on the first one, so I have very high hopes for the second, and the only source of my negativity is some of the implications of the buzzspeak in that press release.

I'm sincerely hoping that my fears are completely unfounded.

O_o

When was Dragon Age released? Not even a year ago?

mudbunny wrote:

O_o

When was Dragon Age released? Not even a year ago?

Yeah, but what the media and we tend to forget was the the pc version was to be released in March of 2009, but got held back to release with the console versions (among other reasons I'm sure). And it was pretty clear that the pc version benefited from the polish. So, in a way, it's been over a year and will be close to two years when DA2 comes out ... if it comes out on time.

It's the same reason Awakenings felt like it was rushed or out too early ... in a way, it wasn't.

garion333 wrote:
mudbunny wrote:

O_o

When was Dragon Age released? Not even a year ago?

Yeah, but what the media and we tend to forget was the the pc version was to be released in March of 2009, but got held back to release with the console versions (among other reasons I'm sure). And it was pretty clear that the pc version benefited from the polish. So, in a way, it's been over a year and will be close to two years when DA2 comes out ... if it comes out on time.

It's the same reason Awakenings felt like it was rushed or out too early ... in a way, it wasn't.

Ahh. I never knew that at all.

Thanks!!

Farscry wrote:

Let me clarify my thoughts from earlier a little more. Dragon Age was absolutely my favorite game of last year. I consider it my full-on 2009 Game of the Year. It's the best pc rpg I've played since the Infinity Engine classics (the IWD and BG games).

There's some things I'd like to see done better in DA2, but overall, I don't want to see them break it by trying to fix it too much. They really nailed it on the first one, so I have very high hopes for the second, and the only source of my negativity is some of the implications of the buzzspeak in that press release.

I'm sincerely hoping that my fears are completely unfounded. :D

My perspective to the letter.

I'm probably the only person who felt lukewarm about DA:O, like it was trying to recapture the feeling of Baldur's Gate but felt like it missed the mark in a few areas and it felt like it really didn't bring anything new to the table. That and the ending sucked. Sucked hard.

Nah I didn't like it very much either. It wasn't actively bad like Alpha Protocol but it felt uninspired.

http://kotaku.com/5582435/dragon-age...

Dragon Age 2 thrusts players into the role of Hawke, a penniless refugee who rises to power to become the single most important character in the world of Dragon Age. Known to be a survivor of the Blight and the Champion of Kirkwall, the legend around Hawke's rise to power is shrouded in myth and rumor. Featuring an all-new story spanning 10 years, players will help tell that tale by making tough moral choices, gathering the deadliest of allies, amassing fame and fortune, and sealing their place in history. The way you play will write the story of how the world is changed forever.

Like Mass Effect, you play a set human character, but you can choose your gender.

Scratched wrote:

http://kotaku.com/5582435/dragon-age...

Dragon Age 2 thrusts players into the role of Hawke, a penniless refugee who rises to power to become the single most important character in the world of Dragon Age. Known to be a survivor of the Blight and the Champion of Kirkwall, the legend around Hawke's rise to power is shrouded in myth and rumor. Featuring an all-new story spanning 10 years, players will help tell that tale by making tough moral choices, gathering the deadliest of allies, amassing fame and fortune, and sealing their place in history. The way you play will write the story of how the world is changed forever.

Like Mass Effect, you play a set human character, but you can choose your gender.

Not as psyched about this

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