Meet my Hawke. The character creator is great except that you can't mod the default faces.
I finished my first play through of Dragon Age 2 on Tuesday, exactly a week after I started playing. I played a female mage and I customized my Hawke's face. I love role playing games. I love dice games and text games and I
really love the RPGs that Bioware has put out in the past. Mass Effect 2 is my jam. I think I have a serious addiction to the game and I'm not planning on doing anything about that anytime soon. Anyway... I enjoy making any character I play "mine". I appreciate any and all customization options that I can get, which I really enjoyed about DA:O. In the first hour of game play in DA2, I was only slightly put off that I wasn't able to choose as much about my Hawke and her background as I would have liked. Every Hawke comes from Lothering in the same way for the same reason. In the first couple minutes, you don't even choose her (I'm gonna stick with the fem pronoun for Hawke, here) looks. It's like Varric's telling the story to the Seeker with how he
wished Hawke looked. While that's an amusing thought, I would have liked to have customized my face before any actual combat.
Ah Varric, my man through and through.
As the game went on, however, the choices I made with my character and my companions really did make me feel like it was my game after all. It's more open ended than other games I've played. You really do have choices, and the choices you make affect everyone... no pressure. You're trying to make your way in the city of Kirkwall and provide for your family. Just so happens that you're (or your family is) an apostate mage at odds with forces beyond your control, and you make your money by fighting thugs and monsters. Everyone needs something all the time, but it doesn't feel like you're doing chores by cleaning up the city. The things you're asked to do by strangers or your companions make sense. There are side quests within side quests, and once you're involved with certain people in the city, you keep seeing them around. The game takes place over 10 years, and it feels like it. Though no one seems to age (except maybe Bodhan), you start to feel the length of time you've spent in the city. You see evidence of the choices you've made everywhere, for better or for worse. I enjoyed that the decisions I was faced with weren't merely black or white. Nearly everything was shades of grey and it really added depth to the city, my character and my companions. Just like IRL, your friends have something to say about the choices you make.
Fenris ALWAYS has something to say about the choices you make.
Relationships in DA2 are definitely more substantial and realistic than they were in DA:O. Used to be, I could woo all my companions with gifts and pander to them to gain universal approval. I was able to maintain positive relationships with both Alistair and Morrigan in DA:O, but if they were my companions in DA2, under the new friendship/rivalry system, that would be near impossible. You have the option to try and romance anyone you want, regardless of gender - which is awesome. I didn't exactly find the romance in DA2 lacking, but I wasn't completely won over, either. My Warden-y and royal love affair with Alistair in Origins was a hard act to follow. Your DA2 companions are their own people with their own agendas. They wear their own clothes and have their own histories that they discuss in hilarious side convos that make the hours you spend walking around Kirkwall and surrounding areas a treat. They make their own choices as well, and some of those choices can be seriously disappointing and friendship-straining. If you want friendships with your companions, you have to take them with you, and you really have to choose your party carefully for each quest. Additionally, you have to know your companions and their desires and choose carefully what to say to them in conversation. I'm sure I've never offended someone so thoroughly until I met Fenris. I have a whole slough of opinions on Anders' character development from Awakening to DA2, but I'll save it for now. I knew people like Anders in college. They weren't mages, but they were just as brooding, resentful, and full of unrest.
Anders' actions got seriously under my skin, which is good. Right and wrong is no longer simple.
I couldn't help noting the similarities and differences between DA2 and DA: Origins, but I don't think they were meant to stand completely apart. For the most part, DA2 is an upgrade, but it's also a completely different game. Your characters are totally different people, which is great. You're a hero in Origins. You have a clear task and everything you do is moving you toward your goal of defeating the blight. You're killing mainly darkspawn: soulless monsters who exist only to destroy everything that is beautiful and wonderful. Getting rid of them is a favor to everyone, and Grey Wardens are the only ones who can end the blight. My Warden is a complete girl scout and savior of worlds. Try to find someone who would say something negative about her, just try... it's impossible (as long as you stay away from Anora).
Isolde: Grey Warden, circle mage, and templar seductress at your service.
In DA2, your journey toward becoming champion and what you do as champion is what you make it. Horrible things happen to Hawke and her companions that can influence your decisions. It isn't a happy story by any means. You have to choose sides, and when you do, you make enemies. You're fighting people for the most part. People who have opinions, history, and who stand for something whether it be good or bad. By the end of the game, Kirkwall was littered with people who would be glad at the news of Hawke's death. I never really felt like a hero in DA2. There was more guilt and heartache associated with my choices, and that was very compelling. Kirkwall is a mess, and like the Seeker implies, a lot of that is directly related to Hawke's presence. My Hawke's moral compass is completely skewed, and her companions don't help for the most part. Several times I found myself wondering what would happen if my Warden and my Champion were to meet. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't get along.
Brotherly love? Tensions rise in the house of Tethras.
Gameplay-wise, there is plenty to compare and contrast. I love that Hawke talks! She's funny and sassy. The female voice actress is great. All of the voice acting is great, really. I was giddy to have Eve Myles as Merrill as my companion. I love Torchwood, and it was like hanging out with Gwen when Merrill was in my party. The combat is fun and beautiful. I took control of Varric quite often just because the sound Bianca makes when she fires is super satisfying. Instead of merely getting past the fighting, I enjoyed it quite a lot. I did miss the puzzley bits that were in DA:O. Prancing through the Fade, the gauntlet, and the little quirky things that gave you crazy rewards were some of the things that made Origins such a great game. I also miss that you couldn't have convos just anywhere with your companions. Alistair professed his love for my Warden in the Deep Roads between driving off hoards of darkspawn... it was rather romantic. I like the new crafting setup. Makes sense that a city girl like the Champion would outsource her healing draughts and rune making. The map has some plus and minus points. I like knowing where I'm going, but I was using the map as a crutch and looking at it waaay too much. I feel like there's less loot, but the loot you find is generally better quality - which is also a plus. You don't pick up a bazillion wolf pelts and crappy armor, and the junk you find is clearly labeled. I never really had a problem with my inventory getting too full, which was a constant headache of mine in Origins. DA2 is more about the choices you make, which I appreciate. In a way, it's more of an RPG than Origins, which has a prescribed ending.
Hard choices show you who your real friends are.
From the first hour of game play to the last, DA2 really did it for me. It's been the only thing on my mind since I started playing, which I think speaks pretty well for the game. Your actions in Origins are not forgotten. Your Warden is mentioned several times by different people, though not too much as to go overboard. There are some well-placed cameo appearances by some favorites. The storytelling mode made for an interesting experience overall. I had only a slight idea of what the final confrontation would be like. The pieces were put together slowly, and made the last battle really exciting. I'm currently in the middle of Act 1 with a fem rogue now, and so far it's been a completely different game. I can't wait to see what will change now that I've gone through it once. We'll see! Overall, I love DA2. It's worth my time and money and I can only see myself becoming more obsessed over time. Which is something that I enjoy. I'd definitely recommend playing through Origins and Awakening first, but I'm also biased. I don't think anyone would miss much by starting with DA2. If anything, it will make you want to go back and play its predecessor games. As you can see, I went screenshot crazy. Here's some more of my favs:
I'll admit that I had tummy butterflies when I saw Alistair again. Even though his face was changed for the worse.
"I'll show you why mages are feared!"
Isabela is definitely a favorite. Here, she calls Aveline "Lady Man-Hands".
Anders and Fenris in the same party = oil and water. You can't win.
Flemeth looked so freaking badass. A drastic change from her crazy hermit routine in Origins. She's more Gandalf in DA2, if Gandalf could turn into a dragon.
