Dragon Age II Preview

I hope you didn’t get too cozy with Dragon Age: Origins’ follower approval system, because according to PC Gamer’s new Dragon Age II preview, the sequel won’t make you deal with annoying little details like angry companions.

And that’s one of the most exciting parts of Dragon Age 2: your followers have their own lives. Cassandra, the Orlesian who’s interrogating the narrating King Varic, just wants the important details. It means you’ll be skipping the boring periods, like (and then he spent a year working out and styling his hair.) After these sabbaticals, you’ll find that the world has changed. This way, you can see how your actions have impacted the world around you without waiting for the end cinematic.

They’re also ditching the approval system. You won’t be trying to lobby your companions by saving kittens in front of them; now they’ll agree with you completely, or just stick around as a ‘˜rival’. A rival respects your power and the role you play in the world, but thinks you’re kind of a dick. As a side effect of that, you can’t have an outright evil champion. You’ll have to settle for being ruthless in the pursuit of your ideals.