Dragon Age II Previews, Mac Version Bundled With PC Version
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(Dragon Age 2 is on the same disc as the PC [version]. You buy one version, you get both.) Lazin explained that this was a major effort by the Bioware community, as he personally was sick of having to buy games for multiple platforms. Developers like Blizzard have been launching their games simultaneously on both Mac and Windows using hybrid discs for years, but so far Blizzard been the exception, not the rule. It's extremely encouraging that Bioware is beginning to follow suit. For those who don't want to buy a physical copy and plan instead on downloading the game, there are Mac specific download sites that one can download the game from. Curiously, Lazin admits, (There is no Mac Steam version.yet.)
Why the love for the Mac this time around? (I have a Mac at home. There's a lot of us [Mac users] at Bioware these days.) He and others (wanted to have Day One love for Mac fans.) He says its effectively (the same game) to look forward to. The specs for the game are also fairly reasonable, though slightly more demanding than last year's game. Mac users will need a machine with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and at least a Nvidia 9400 graphics card. Lazin demonstrated the game on a new 13-inch MacBook Air, but also claims that a 2008 or 2009 Mac mini or MacBook would be sufficient. On the MacBook Air, there were some frame rate issues, but hey, the game was running. Still, he boasts, (Dragon Age II runs better on the Mac than Dragon Age: Origins.)
Then we head over to Game Revolution for some more Spartan talk:
The story is told through an engaging plot device at some undefined point in the future, a woman has captured a dwarf and forces him to tell the tale of the (champion's) (that's you) rise to power. The dwarf in question is a friend of the champion, and indeed serves as a party member during the game. The woman apparently has need of the champion for her own mysterious ends, and believes that by hearing the story she may find a clue as to his or her current whereabouts.
The story thus unfolds in two ways: through the banter of these two figures in the future, and the flashbacks that comprise the dwarf's recollections of your adventures together. These flashbacks follow our hero's journey from a Blight-fleeing refugee after the events of Origins to a battle-hardened living legend over a period of a decade. How the champion survived, grew strong, and (presumably) where he or she ended up will unfold over the course of the game through both the gameplay and the future-narration. Oh, and for you Bioware nuts yes, the choices you made in your save data for Origins and Awakening will have an impact in the story should you choose to import it.
Before stopping by Destructoid for a third article:
While the basic controls on the PC version remain pretty much the same, the interface has definitely been improved over DA:O. Not only does it look better, but it is also significantly more responsive and simple to navigate. Tasks such as assigning tactics, skill points, and hot keys no longer feel like an exercise in tedium.
Of course, with all of the changes to the controls and interface, many improvements have been made to the way combat is navigated as well. It is immensely more satisfying than in DA:O. BioWare's design philosophy appears to be, (Push a button, something awesome happens,) and that is reflected quite well in DA2. Combat is more akin to what you might experience in an action-RPG now; there is no more awkward shuffling while characters try to get in place to engage in combat. The player can run in, chain combos with their primary attack and use various powers and abilities as they see fit. It is more fluid, intuitive, and dare I say more satisfying than in the original.
