dragon age 2

so, i just beat this game. and i'll say... it's awesome. i liked it MORE than any of the Fable series, hell any of the Mass Effect series (I was majorly disappointed by them) & even Oblivion. This is probably THE BEST game I've played since I've returned to gaming. And I'll even call out the original Dragon Age, and it's "expansion". Neither of those really compare to this. And you look at it on paper and you have to ask yourself why? At first glance, this game looked like a loser. Small game world, no access to races previously playable in the game. You spend your entire game in one city, with about 10 different areas, INCLUDING tiny player housing lots which make simply for chat-up spots. Yes, it's nice you own your own house, but of course there's nothing near the scope of customizability in terms of player housing of the likes you might find in a game such as Everquest 2. But... in the end, maybe that's the point. this seems like a game that cuts the fat, makes it more about the story, which there's alot of, and less about "exploring the world." Sure, there is a world to explore, and venturing out of the predictable areas can be rewarding, but this is a conversation driven game. And I like that.

You start off with the option of three classes. Warrior, mage and rogue. I picked the warrior out of habit, but quickly found it SUCKED. Lets just say they've turned warriors into tanks, even in NON MMO games. It's the same reason I stopped playing my EQ paladin. The boredom factor of having no purpose beyond attracting attention and taking a beating. Instead, I re-rolled, and created a rogue. This of course was rediculously awesome. Huge dps and flips galore (ala' EQ-dwarf roll) which instantly had me at a happy place. The gear was a bit weird. You can only upgrade yourself, your party members clothing is defaulted to them. You CAN however give them weapons... There's an augmentation system in the form of Runes, which had a retarded "scavenger hunt" style setup where you would have to click on the obviously sparkly harvestable plant / ore deposit etc. and you'd unlock that ingredient in your home, and at any other rune crafting stations around the game world. There is NO crafting system in this game. Most of the gimmicky little tricks that you find in MMOs are NOT in dragon age 2. They cut the fat, and wanted a simple game, based mostly on the story-driven play they've created. If you're expecting alot, you'll walk away disappointed. If you approach with an open mind, you just might fall in love.