BioWare saw fit to drop an epic new Dragon Age 2 trailer today, chock full of gorgeous gameplay to boot! In 'Rise to Power' we get a very cinematic look at Dragon Age 2's various cast of characters. There's protagonist Hawke, a black haired love interest with a blue bandanna, and a white haired woman who appears quite interested in Hawke's backstory. There's also the expected montage of gory swords and sorcery action that we've come to expect from the franchise.

Check out Dragon Age 2's 'Rise to Power' trailer in all of its bloody glory:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKkFeCV0B6I

Press for Dragon Age 2 has repeatedly purported that Hawke is the most important person in the Dragon Age universe, and that thought continues in this Hawke-centric trailer. As opposed to Dragon Age: Origins where the player and each of the party members had their own unique storylines associated with them, Dragon Age 2 is slimming down the narrative to be focused on this one man. We see Hawke's romantic interest, a woman and man discussing Hawke's past, and a variety of ways Hawke will eviscerate his enemies. It's incredibly intriguing to see the just how much has changed from Origins to Dragon Age 2.

The real story behind this trailer is just how sharp the graphics appear. Whether the trailer is entirely made from gameplay or in-engine cinematics, it's hard not to be impressed with how the game looks. Each character model is very clean and the animations are smooth and believable. It's no secret that Origins suffered from a variety of clipping errors and spell effect issues, or that its animations were often a little too awkward and mechanical. It's nice to see that BioWare is improving the engine, unlike certain other recently released sequels.

Are you excited about Dragon Age 2, Ranters? Would you like BioWare to release more details on the setting of Dragon Age 2, rather than Hawke? Or are you on the Hawke-wagon and can't wait to hear more about him?

Dragon Age 2 is set for release March 8, 2011 for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.