Dragon Age II Previews
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My overriding feeling was that I wanted to protect my sibling, but that my sibling was acting according to their own agenda. Both frustrating and endearing, this epitomises why BioWare is leader among story based RPG developers. There's also a writer, somewhere at BioWare's Edmonton office, who is going to get the dodgy bit of turkey this Christmas and plot revenge.
My overall impression of DAII, having visited BioWare, is that this sequel surpasses my expectations for story, even by BioWare standards. Its content is insightful, original and credible. So, be nice to your family this Christmas, because you never know when you might need someone who's got your back, no matter what.
...and ZAM:
One big problem with Dragon Age: Origins was that, outside of your Mages teaming up to cast Grease + Fireball or Cone of Cold + Stonefist, there was very little tactical cohesion in your group. You essentially picked up as much damage as possible, got a tank to hold the enemy attention, and then you went to town. In Dragon Age 2, Rogues have received a much more "rogue-like" play style change, as they now have access to more mobility-related abilities that allow them to pop around the battlefield, disabling and taking out priority targets.
Mages have also received a neat spell upgrade in the form of the "Brittle" debuff, which allows them to freeze an enemy, allowing your melee teammates to smash them for extra damage. This ultimately translates to your team becoming more cohesive as a whole. In my adventures through the game, I played with a mage, an archer, a warrior and a rogue, and with proper team A.I. setups, it's fun to watch your rogue disappear from the main combat group because she was popping back to help your mages.
