Dragon Age 2

This is not a sequel in the common sense.  There is not another archdemon to beat.  In fact, it is much more mundane than the first in the sheer number of trivial pursuits taken up.  Gone are the six different story lines, and you now have one.  Also gone are the abilities to further edit your appearance.  You are to be human, but will you be a warrior, rogue, or mage?  As I am always a warrior, it is not difficulty for me to choose.

Gameplay:
Infinitely smoother and more choreographed than in Origins.  I went back to playing Origins and found myself consistently frustrated at the lack of control provided.  Very linear story line, but it is intriguing and addictive.  The side kicks and relationships built are definitely of interest throughout the game as well.  I kept waiting for the crisis, trying to figure out what it would be at each stage and failing to figure it out until the stage was almost over.  I think, in that way, Origins created an expectation of on major quest ending.  The minor quests were somewhat tedious to get to the one final quest for each segment of life the game covers.

The graphics are as smooth and wonderful in the second version as in the first, no lack of creativity went into this.  Even going into the Deep Roads was an interesting turn of events.  The different appearances of the Dwarves and Elves, however, did take me by surprise originally, as did the change of the darkspawn.  For some reason, I found them less easy to relate to in the first case, and found myself less intimidated by them in the second case.  Part of this no doubt due to the sheer level of repeated interaction with darkspawn found in Origins and Awakening.

Girly Attributes:
The emotions in this game are quite intense at times.  The highs are great, the lows the same, and the stressors are felt throughout.  This makes the game quite attractive from a female perspective.  I can empathize, and want to kick butt whenever someone comes at my sister or anyone on my crew.  On the other hand, the relationships are oddly forced and lack the finesse that the first ones did.  Anders is the only one with whom the relationship is quite similar.  Otherwise, it is much more uncomfortable throughout the game and nothing really happens until the very end, prolonging the repetitive questions until then.

This game is certainly worth a couple of plays to test and determine the different options available, but the options are more finite, and the outcome often the same.  Certain aspects of the game it would have been nice to avoid altogether depending on how the conversations worked out throughout.  At least once, I would have liked to prevented a catastrophe in the game.  Then again, would it have made as powerful a statement if we were able to?