Yesterday came the big announcement that Dragon Age II was in development and some brief details pertaining to the game's setting. Today, keeping with their exclusive preview, Gameinformer has revealed another delectable meal of new information: Five Facts About Hawke in Dragon Age II.
If you weren't already away, Dragon Age II will not feature the character creation system or origin stories of the original game. Instead, players will take the role of Hawke, the featured protagonist of the new sequel. Yes, Dragon Age has made a huge design choice which will bring it more in line with the character driven story of Mass Effect.
Here's the five important facts that Gameinformer thinks you should know:
- Hawke will be a voiced character.
- Hawke is human.
- Hawke didn't just survive the blight...he escaped it.
- Hawke is the Champion of Kirkwall.
- Hawke drives the story.
Just so we're on the same page here, let's go down the list and make see how Hawke compares to Mass Effect's Shepard:
- Hawke and Shepard are both voiced characters, unlike Dragon Age's protagonist who merely bellowed or squeaked depending on the combat situation.
- Hawke and Shepard are both human, allowing you to properly role play your romantic situations, again unlike my Dragon Age dwarf love triangle.
- Hawke and Shepard both have a pre-written origin story, coming from rough beginnings that ultimately helped them become the hero they are today. My dwarf saw his brother murder his father and ultimately returned to his homeland for vengeance.
- Hawke will spend Dragon Age II as the Champion of Kirkwall, much like Shepard spends Mass Effect as a Spectre. Dragon Age was based around your character becoming a Grey Warden, so this point is a stalemate.
- Hawke and Shepard drive the story of their respective games, which, while set in a tumultuous setting, feature their relationship and personal decisions prominently. In the original Dragon Age, you character's relationships and decisions were important, but ultimately the game was about the Blight and creating a defense against impending doom.
Don't get me wrong, I love Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, but I don't want Dragon Age to be similar in any way. The thing that made them both individually successful were their differences, and with these changes I can't help but feel driven to compare them. Of course, the game was only announced yesterday and I'm extrapolating on ideas that may be ill-founded. Sorry, BioWare, I owe you more than that!
Dragon Age II has no announced release date (though rumors swirl about Feb. 11, which seems awfully early to me), but will be coming to PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. Stick with us for continued Dragon Age II coverage going into next week.
Source: Gameinformer