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.
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.
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.
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