14 DAY TRIAL // What we know
Dragon Age 2 is a role-playing game and the second one set in this world, created from the bottom up by BioWare after deciding that it would not set any more games in the traditional Forgotten Realms setting.
BioWare has worried a lot of gamers by suggesting that they aim to make the game more accessible to console gamers and more action-oriented, but recent video footage has shown a more tactical side to combat that can be accessed by those who are interested in it.
The game will tell the story of Hawke, a human who rises from the status of refugee to that of one of the most powerful characters in the world, with the player guiding the way he will develop and evolve as he approaches his goals.
BioWare has revealed a few pieces of information on companions, although none of them stand out like Sten did for the original, but it's not clear exactly what locations the players will visit on Hawke's quest.
Dragon Age 2 is set to be launched on the Xbox 360 from Microsoft, the PlayStation 3 from Sony and the PC on March 8 in North America and three days later in Europe.
Why it matters
Dragon Age 2 could be the video game to revolutionize the way developers, especially for narrative heavy genres, approach the telling of stories.
The glimpses we’ve had of Dragon Age 2 suggest that the main narrator of the game is unreliable and that the actual actions of the player will change the way the story goes, not just at the end of the game when events are recapped, but between sections, making the game more re-playable and creating an experience that is tailored to each specific gamer.
What BioWare delivers might not be as complex as we now think, but the company has a penchant for creating worlds and characters that are engaging and interesting and the small addition of the unreliable narrator can make the game truly special.