Dragon Age II review....slightly late

 Promotional banner for the game

On the most basic level, Bioware's Dragon Age 2 exists as a solid roleplaying game. It features a level up system, a loot and equipment system, and of course hours upon hours of gameplay potential. This being said why would one give this game anymore thought than the thousands of competitors in the market? The answer is where many games are content with delivering you "systems" and relying on luck, and possibly a bit of voodoo, to keep your attention, Dragon Age II delivers an amazing story with deep and truly interesting characters.

Existing in the land of Ferelden, the stories and adventures you experience are those of the character known as Hawke. Hawke, the family name of your hero, is truly your own hero. You start by choosing whether you are a male or female, which only affects small parts of the story, then you can proceed to choose a face.

The default male and female faces

 As fascinating as that sound I'll skip ahead to the three classes that you have to choose from. The mighty and valiant Warrior with their strong shield arm and blade or their intimidating greatsword. The cunning and dashing rogue with their arsenal of daggers, bow, and witty remarks. And finally the wise and sagacious mage, with their staves and unbridled control over the forces of magic. All of the classes are fun in their own account, and each have their subtle complexities but there is also a small story tweak depending on your choice.

On to a bit of the more technical aspects of the game, Dragon Age II is visually a beautiful piece of work. From the world that you traverse to all of the people that you will meet, each and every aspect has been rendered just so. Even in all its beauty though it is far from perfect. Be prepared to explore the same bland dungeon again and again.... and well you'll see it quite a few times.

Hawke and some of his companions

Away from the visual aspect, the game manages to bring its world even further to life with amazing audio aspects. With a beautifully composed soundtrack and sound effects so carefully placed the world around you really starts to come alive. Even the city that you will spend a good amount of time in seems to have a breath and voice all its own. But soundtrack and living cities aside, the true auditory achievement of this game rests in the hard work put forward by each voice actor and in their role in bringing each and every character to life. Each character alone has more dialog recorded than most movies do for the entire cast. Each actors portrayal of their character is thoughtfully done and it really does lend to bring an already robust world even more alive.

Like chess....With spiders

In terms of sheer gameplay, Dragon Age II uses four man teams that you painstakingly recruit and assemble the way you want. There is actually a great deal of strategy involved in this aspect, it is kind of like attempting to play a board game but you are only allowed to pick out four spots on the board that you can use, And slightly more violent. You work together picking a collection of companions of different classes to accomplish the major goal, destroy everything in your way. You gain levels and learn new skills to make said destruction easier and in most cases more enjoyable. The game on normal difficulty provides the right amount of challenge, without holding your hand, to enjoy and play through the entire campaign.

Speaking of the campaign, why haven't I mention much on the story? Well truth is it is the kind of story that really does have to be experienced to fully understand. In essence it is a rags to riches tale set in the middle of a war between three factions. It's your role as the dashing and apparently easily bribed hero to be a go between for the three and try and settle things once and for all. Along your journey you will meet an unforgettable cast of characters to help you along the way and maybe even find your love. Each character has their own tale and their own part to play in your story which intertwines to make a truly incredible experience.

So while it is basically just a roleplaying game, this one does have more to offer than just a stats race. With a very approachable gaming system and incredible story to boot, Dragon Age II should be a must play for everyone, hardcore gamer to casual, and if you can't play it's even intriguing enough to watch. However you get your fix, you must experience this one.