Dragon Age II Preview

If you’re in the market for yet another hands-on impressions piece for BioWare’s Dragon Age sequel, then you need not look any further than Eurogamer.  The rogue is focused on once again, though we also learn more about the improved responsiveness:

Movement’s certainly speedier. This makes the fights feel so immediate and pacy that it’s almost a shock when the cooldowns first kick in. Then, of course, the pleasant micromanaging takes hold as you balance a trio of offensive options (the Rogue’s backstab manoeuvre is particularly good fun) against the time it takes to recharge them. And so you end up flitting between characters when you get bored in order to dish out punishment from another angle. Have at you, etc.

The chatty side of things also been overhauled. The dialogue wheel of Mass Effect has been brought in, trailing with it all the inherent pleasures of watching as your basic conversational choice turns into full-blown speech.

The camera appears to be more cinematically inclined, roving around the players, shifting between close-ups and distance shots. There’s also an artful approach to framing which makes the original game look a little shabby.