Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 08:44, 13 October 2011

Dragon Age II is a role-playing video game developed by Bioware's Edmonton studios, and published by Electronic Arts. It is the second major game in BioWare's Dragon Age franchise. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Mac OS X on March 8, 2011 in North America, March 10, 2011 in Australia and March 11, 2011 in Europe.

Set in the same mythical world introduced in Dragon Age: Origins, the player assumes the role of Hawke, a human mage, warrior, or rogue who arrives in the city of Kirkwall as a lowly refugee but becomes its legendary champion over a turbulent decade of political and social conflict.

Plot

Set in the mythical world of Thedas, Dragon Age II tells the story of Hawke, who fled the nation of Ferelden during the events of Dragon Age: Origins and traveled across the Waking Sea to the Free Marches and the city of Kawaii as a refugee. Within the span of a decade, Hawke would rise in power and influence to become the legendary "Champion of Kawaii", and the center of events that change the course of Thedas forever. The game focuses on Hawke's rise to power and is framed through flashbacks by one of Hawke's old companions, Varric, who relates the Champion's "true story" to Cassandra Pentaghast, a Seeker of Thedas' religious Chantry. Hawke's companion characters are Fenris (an elf and former slave in the Tevinter Imperium), Merrill (a Dalish elf rejected by her clan), Isabela (a pirate captain stranded in Kirkwall after her ship crashed), Anders (a former Grey Warden and apostate), Aveline Vallen (a Fereldan refugee who becomes a guard), Varric Tethras (a dwarf who maintains a spy network in Kirkwall) Sebastian Vael (a former prince of Starkhaven brought up in Kirkwall's Chantry), and either Carver (Hawke's brother) or Bethany (Hawke's sister). Some companion characters contribute to the storyline in significant ways, such as Anders destroying the Chantry in Kirkwall or Isabela stealing a Qunari artifact which led to the Qunari staying in Kirkwall longer than they had to (thus creating conflict between the Qunari and the people of Kirkwall).

Features

Dragon Age II has a linear action game designed for Call of Duties audience. Romance is forced with every party member in the game. New combat experiences and spells have been added. Dragon Age II is set in a city called Kirkwall located in the region known as Free Marches, which is referenced in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening but not shown. Unlike Origins, Dragon Age II features a fully voiced main character, which is part of the reason the main character's race is fixed, and a new dialogue wheel based on the dialogue system from the Mass Effect series has been added. In addition, races such as the elves, dwarves and qunari have been redesigned. Saved information can be imported from Origins as well as Awakening. This data will affect the background story of Dragon Age II.

Development

Development of Dragon Age II was announced in July 2010 and BioWare's Greg Zeschuk stated when interviewed by Joystiq that "I think one of the key things we're working on in Dragon Age II is the technology. I can confirm that we're doing a lot of work on the Dragon Age engine, and doing a lot of stuff to pump it -- to make it visually super hot."

A trailer for Dragon Age II was released on August 17, 2010, showing some of the new characters and places that Dragon Age II is based on.

Dragon Age II uses an enhanced graphic engine and the controls are more responsive. The combat system is same as the previous game for the PC version but different in console versions, tailored to the strengths of the control pad.

A special feature of Dragon Age II is that the "story" will span a decade. In-game events and dialogues would warrant a longer "run" of years. As the main character moves on year by year, the choices that the player made in the past will affect the present and the future.

The original "dialogue" system is replaced by the "wheel" system previously seen in the Mass Effect series. Unlike its original version, however, the "wheel" will now clearly indicate what tone the main character's response will have (such as anger and flirting).

During the pre-development of the game, Brent Knowles, a veteran lead designer who had been with Bioware for a decade and the central figurehead behind Dragon Age: Origins, decided to resign during the designing process of Dragon Age 2 and eventually left the company, stating “I’m not the same person I was when I started, and BioWare isn’t the same company.” He later went on to clarify his decision to leave, elaborating "I never thought Dragon Age 2 would be a terrible game. It was just that a highly cinematic, action-leaning RPG wasn’t what I wanted to work on. That is all." After playing the game's demo, he praised how polished and immersive it was, but mentioned that its combat had identity issues and did not seem to fit properly into either the action or RPG genre. In an overall assessment he felt that it was a strong title, especially considering the short development cycle, and called the demo "promising", though the amount of changes from the first title in the series seemed excessive to him, citing gameplay issues and the lack of ability to play as another race than human.

By February 11, 2011, the game had gone gold for all platforms and was set for release. On February 22, the demo was released across all platforms.

BioWare released Dragon Age II on March 8, 2011 in North America and March 11 in Europe. Two versions were released: the normal edition and the "Signature Edition", the latter including the Day 1 DLC known as "The Exiled Prince", premium packaging, a download code for the game's soundtrack, and 4 in-game items. The Signature Edition was available for pre-order until January 11, 2011 and was priced the same as the normal edition.

Bonus and downloadable content

Orders placed before January 11, 2011 were automatically upgraded to the Dragon Age II: BioWare Signature Edition, with additional content. Orders placed before March 8 qualify for pre-order bonuses. In an attempt to discourage purchasing used copies of the game, purchasers of a new copy (before or after the release date) receive access to additional features. Further in-game bonuses can be obtained by completing the free Dragon Age II demo, through Penny Arcade, and by signing up to the newsletter. Purchasing the game Dead Space 2 before March 31, 2012 also unlocks a Dead Space themed armor item. Bioware announced that 2 in game items would be unlocked for all users if the total number of demo downloads reached 1 million in the course of one week (which occurred), and that a further and more powerful item would be unlocked if each post on the official Facebook account between February 28 and March 4 received 1 million impressions the day it was posted.

Downloadable content

Exiled Prince

When his family is brutally murdered, leaving Sebastian Vael as the sole surviving heir. Choose to either avenge Sebastian's murdered family and reclaim his title or direct his holy vengeance on your enemies in Kirkwall. Exiled Prince also allows the player to add Sebastian Vael into your party.

Legacy

Released July 26, 2011, Playable from any point in the Dragon Age II campaign, Legacy Tells an untold part of the story of the main protagonist, Hawke. It adds several new locations including a prison constructed by the Grey Wardens, And adds a new powerful class-specific weapon.

The Black Emporium

This DLC is available to people who purchase Dragon Age II new, It adds A Mabari War Hound that will fight at your side, The Mirror of Transformation, which allows the player to change their appearance & stores that sell new magic and crafting ingredients.

Mark Of The Assassin

On September 16, 2011, Bioware announced a new DLC for Dragon Age II, Mark of the Assassin, due for release on October 11, 2011. Mark Of The Assassin adds a new party member: Tallis, an Elf Assassin, voiced by Felicia Day, who is also featured in the Dragon Age: Redemption webseries. With Tallis at your side, you must Infiltrate an Orlesian estate outside Kirkwall and steal a precious relic.

Sequel

Bioware's Creative Development Senior Director Alistair McNally confirmed that the studio was going forward with the third installment in the fantasy RPG series, Dragon Age III. Bioware posted job opportunities, calling for "exceptional environmental artists."

Reception

Review scores

Publication	Score
1Up.com	B+
G4	3/5
Game Informer	7.75/10 8.25/10 (X360/PS3)
GamePro
GameSpot	8.0/10
GameSpy
GameTrailers	9.2/10
IGN	8.5/10
Official Xbox Magazine (US)	9/10
PC Gamer (UK)	94%
PlayStation: The Official Magazine	9/10
VideoGamer.com	7/10
The Escapist

Dragon Age II has received generally positive reviews, holding a Metacritic score of 82/100 (PC version). Yet the site's professional scores and user reviews show a wide disparity, with user scores nearly halved (42/100) relative to their professional counterpart. However, even Critic reviews have been less positive than its predecessor, which holds a Metacritic score of 91/100 (PC version). David Radd from 'Industrygamers' noted that "Dragon Age II has had the most mixed critical reception for a full-retail BioWare product perhaps ever (assuming Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood is not counted)."

PC Gamer UK magazine highly praised Dragon Age II mentioning the improved combat system, dialogue wheel, skill-trees, and solid storytelling as its strong points. The game earned their "Editor's Choice" award and was stated to be, "The best RPG of this decade? Nine more years will tell, but for now, yes." Official Xbox Magazine gave the game a 9 out of 10 mentioning that although it was slightly altered from its predecessor, the game "offers some of the deepest, nerdiest, most worthwhile 40 to 60 hours you'll ever love losing sleep over." Gametrailers gave the game high marks and stated, "Though it doesn't hold a candle to its predecessor when it comes to sheer breadth, Dragon Age II has quite a bit more soul" and that it had "some of the most gratifying RPG combat we've played in a long time."

Not all of the reviewers have praised the changes however. VideoGamer said the game "never progresses beyond the identity issues it had with Origins", criticized the lack of noticeable characters, small area of setting, while adding "simplification of combat doesn't work in the game's favour". Game Informer gave the PC version of the game a score of 7.75 and the console versions an 8.25, criticizing the poorly designed combat system, stating "On all platforms, Dragon Age II caters to an audience that didn’t connect with Origins, while alienating those who did" and "improving the polish doesn’t do much good when the basics still need work".

Eurogamer settled for saying the game is "never quite as great as it could be" but also conclude that it is still a "Satisfying epic", awarding it 8/10 while Gamespot noted that the game suffered from "unnecessary simplification and unfocused storytelling" but still left a strong impression. RPG Site awarded the game 80%, arguing that "the discussion about Dragon Age II doesn't need to be 'is it good?' - It is - but needs to be 'is this what fans wanted from a sequel to Dragon Age: Origins?'", suggesting that is where some of the fan animosity towards the title may arise from.

Dragon Age II's lead designer, Mike Laidlaw, in an interview with Gamespot, addressed the fans' concerns toward the changes in Dragon Age II by stating that Bioware will " continue to tune and capitalize on that 'fusion' between the Origins experience and Dragon Age II". Additionally, he also noted that a return to the more hardcore RPG style of Dragon Age: Origins is unlikely, proclaiming "The big key is to not adjust 180 degrees again, because we've done this."

One million copies of Dragon Age II were sold within two weeks of the launch, faster than Dragon Age: Origins. Within two months of the launch, the game sold-in "over two million copies", meaning that over two million copies have been distributed to retailers. The sales rate of the game has been decreasing fast since its release, selling in later weeks less than what Origins sold in the same numbers of weeks after launch.

In June 2011, in an interview with GameRant.com titled "Fans ‘Were Not Pleased’ with ‘Dragon Age 2′ Says EA", EA Games Label President Frank Gibeau acknowledged the fans' disappointment over the direction Dragon Age 2 took, and proclaimed: "As we think about where we take the franchise next, we’re going to take that into consideration and really engage them”.

Controversies

In March 2011, reports began emerging from consumer-advocacy website Reclaim Your Game that Dragon Age II was being distributed with the controversial DRM software SecuROM, despite assertions from EA that it would not be. Producer Fernando Melo stated that although the game uses software made by the makers of SecuROM, it is a different program completely. "They have the same support site through which is the URL you're seeing." The software is a form of release-date checker, designed to prevent copies of the game from being played before the release date in that territory. The software runs from the disc, and does not install anything on the system. BioWare confirmed that there is no SecuROM DRM in the game and clarified that in the case of downloaded versions, the release date check program's executable deletes itself after having performed the check.

Further issue arose when a player was unable to activate his purchased copy of the game due to being temporarily banned from the BioWare forums for posting "Have you sold your souls to the EA devil?". BioWare's Stanley Woo replied to the user in support of the ban by pointing to sections 9 and 11 of EA's terms of service, which state "EA may terminate access to any online or mobile products and/or EA Services at any time by giving you notice of such termination within the time period specified when you joined the particular EA Service." Woo clearly acknowledged that “These bans can affect access to your game and/or DLC,” adding that players should “consider it an added incentive to follow the rules you say you're going to follow.” Technology news website Ars Technica called the incident a "potentially dangerous precedent, where saying something inflammatory about a developer or publisher could result in the company revoking the player's right to play a game he or she lawfully acquired." When the story was later picked-up by several news websites, EA's Andrew Wong said the entire incident was actually an unforeseen glitch, and that the player's account had been reactivated.

A BioWare employee was caught posing as a consumer on the review site Metacritic. The employee, Chris Hoban, who posted under the name of Avanost gave a score of 10/10 saying "Anything negative you'll see about this game is an overreaction of personal preference." A representative for EA responded after much online controversy saying "Of course the people who make the game vote for their own game. That's how it works in the Oscars, that's how it works in the Grammys and why I'm betting that Barack Obama voted for himself in the last election", though it is unclear if Hoban acted on his own behest or on that of the company.

References

1. ^ "Dragon Age 2, Game Info, Questions". BioWare. EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
2. "Dragon Age 2 review scores roll out". CVG. March 9, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-09.
3. ^ "IGN". IGN. IGN. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
4. Hinkle, David (February 8, 2011). "Dragon Age 2 preview: A shot of adrenaline". Joystiq.com. Retrieved February 24, 2011. While it might appear to run on a new engine, Dragon Age 2 employs an evolved version of Origins' Eclipse engine (now called the Lycium engine internally).
5. GamePro, Issue #286, January 2011. pg. 38-40
6. ^ Plunkett, Luke (2010-07-13). ""Dragon Age 2 Following In Mass Effect's Footsteps"". Kotaku. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
7. "Dragon Age 2 System Requirements". Game-Debate. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
8. Snyders, Oliver (2010-07-20). "Peek behind the scenes of Dragon Age II's development with a keen developer diary". EL33TONLINE. El33t Media CC. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
9. "Hands-On With Dragon Age 2". G4tv.com. G4TV. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
10. "BioWare-Brent Year 10 (Fall 2008 – Summer 2009)". 2008-08-15. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
11. "Dragon Age 2".
12. "Dragon Age 2 Demo".
13. Walker, John (2011-02-11). "Dragon Age II Goes Gold, 55 Mins Of Footage". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Rock Paper Shotgun Ltd. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
14. "Bioware: Dragon Age II Demo". Bioware. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
15. "Unlock Dead Space armor in Dragon Age 2". Retrieved 2011-21-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
16. Kietzmann, Ludwig (2010-10-14). "Dragon Age 2 pre-orders upgraded to 'BioWare Signature Edition'". Joystiq. Weblogs, Inc. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
17. "BioWare | Dragon Age". BioWare. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
18. Chalk, Andy (2011-01-12). "The Dragon Age 2 Preorder Bonus Cavalcade Continues". The Escapist. Themis Group. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
19. "'Dragon Age II' demo downloads provide in-game bonus". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. 2011-02-23. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
20. Goldman, Tom (2010-10-31). "Penny Arcade's Dragon Age 2 Item Only Useful After Death". The Escapist. Themis Group. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
21. "BioWare | Dragon Age". BioWare. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
22. Goldman, Tom (2011-01-21). "Dead Space 2 Bonus Injects Horror Into Dragon Age 2". The Escapist. Themis Group. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
23. "BioWare | Dragon Age". BioWare. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
24. http://dragonage.bioware.com/da2/addon/exiled_prince/
25. http://dragonage.bioware.com/da2/addon/legacy/
26. http://dragonage.bioware.com/da2/info/order/
27. http://dragonage.bioware.com/da2/addon/mota/
28. "Alistair McNally Twitter Page".
29. "Dragon Age III Confirmed, BioWare Now Hiring".
30. "Dragon Age 2 for Playstation 3". GameRankings. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
31. "Dragon Age 2 for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved 2011-05-01.
32. "Dragon Age 2 for Xbox 360". GameRankings. Retrieved 2011-04-22.
33. "Dragon Age II PS3 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
34. "Dragon Age II PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
35. "Dragon Age II Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
36. "Dragon Age 2 Review". 1up.com. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
37. "Dragon Age II Review - Xbox 360". G4. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
38. ^ "Dragon Age II PC Review". Game Informer. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
39. "Dragon Age II Console Review". Game Informer. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
40. "Dragon Age II Review". GamePro. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
41. "Dragon Age II Review". GameSpot. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
42. "Dragon Age II Review". GameSpy. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
43. ^ "Dragon Age II Review". Gametrailers. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
44. "Dragon Age II Review - Xbox 360". IGN. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
45. ^ "Dragon Age 2 Review". Official Xbox Magazine (April 2011). p. 70Template:Inconsistent citations{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
46. ^ McCormick, Rick. "Dragon Age 2 Review". PC Gamer UK. Future Publishing Ltd. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
47. ^ "Dragon Age 2 Review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved March 9, 2011. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |title= at position 13 (help)
48. "Dragon Age II Review". The Escapist. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
49. "Dragon Age 2 Review". {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Text "http://gaminghud.com/review/dragon-age-2-review" ignored (help); Text "publisherGamingHUD" ignored (help)
50. Radd, David (2011-03-21). "Dragon Age 2: Critical Miss?". Industrygamers. industrygamers.com. Retrieved 2011-04-07.
51. Whitehead, Dan (2011-03-08). "Dragon Age II Review". Eurogamer. eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
52. VanOrd, Kevin (2011-03-08). "Dragon Age II Review". Gamespot. gamespot.com. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
53. Donaldson, Alex (2011-03-08). "Dragon Age II Review". RPG Site. rpgsite.net. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
54. http://www.gamespot.com/features/6305575/index.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=picks&tag=picks%3Btitle%3B1
55. M.H. Williams (April 5, 2011). "Mass Effect 2 Offered Free As Dragon Age II Sells 1 Million Units". IndustryGamers.com. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
56. Webster, Andrew (2011-03-11). "Dragon Age II features hated SecuROM, despite previous EA claims". ARSTechnica. arstechnica.com. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
57. Chalk, Andy (2011-03-14). The Escapist "Reclaim Your Game Clarifies Dragon Age 2". The Escapist. Themis Group. Retrieved 2011-03-20. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
58. "Dragon Age II DRM. Answering the SecuROM question".
59. ^ Webster, Andrew (2011-03-12). "Forum user gets banned, loses access to Dragon Age II (Updated)". Ars Technica. Condé Nast Digital. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
60. Senior, Tom (2011-03-11). "Forumite gets Dragon Age 2 ban after asking Bioware if they had "sold their souls to the EA devil"". PCGamer. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
61. McWhertor, Michael (2011-03-12). "Bioware Says Player Ban From Dragon Age II Is A 'Glitch'". Kotaku Australia. Allure Media. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
62. Sterling, Jim (2011-03-16). "BioWare man caught reviewing Dragon Age 2". Retrieved 2011-03-22.
63. Avanost. "Avanost's Profile at MetaCritic". MetaCritic. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 2011-03-22.

External links

• Official website
• Official Facebook page

• 2011 video games
• BioWare games
• Fiction with unreliable narrators
• Mac OS X games
• PlayStation 3 games
• Video games developed in Canada
• Windows games
• Xbox 360 games