Dragon Age II - DLC.

Original Release: Mar. 8 - Oct. 11, 2011 for PC, Playstation 3, XBox 360. Version Reviewed: XBox 360, 2011.


INTRODUCTION:

As was the case with Dragon Age: Origins, multiple DLC expansions were released for Dragon Age II. No "Ultimate Edition" was ever released, however; so in this case, all DLC still needs to be purchased and installed separately. A great pity, as the story-based DLC for Dragon Age II ranks among the series' best...

Meet Sebastian Vael, the game's Day One DLC companion.

THE EXILED PRINCE:
Release Date: Mar. 8, 2011

This was Dragon Age II's Day One DLC.  As is too often in the case with Day One expansions, it very much feels as if it should have been part of the core game. The story isn't up to much. Sebastian Vael, a Chantry brother and prince of Starkhaven, turns to Hawke for help when his family is wiped out by mercenaries. What makes this noteworthy is Sebastian himself. Not only is he a full companion, but his unwavering faith in the Chantry and most particularly in Kirkwall's Grand Cleric tie him strongly to the game's overall themes and central conflict. Sebastian receives one quest per Act - and his Act Three quest, combined with his conversations with the Grand Cleric, account for roughly half the total setup the game's ending receives! Given how underdeveloped Act Three feels even with this material, I can only imagine how anemic it plays without it.

Meet Corypheus, an undead Tevinter mage.  He might be important later.

LEGACY:
Release Date: July 11, 2011

Hawke is targeted by Dwarven carta assassins, and the trail leads back to an ancient Grey Warden prison in the Vinmark Wasteland. There, Hawke learns that his/her father assisted the Grey Wardens in sealing away an ancient Darkspawn known as Corypheus, whose servants now seek "the blood of the Hawke" to free him. Those who have played Inquisition will note from the description that it's this DLC that introduces that game's villain.

Beyond that, it's a strong overall piece, offering up a good story and some splendid atmosphere. Gone are the copy + paste dungeons of the main game, replaced by an extensive and genuinely well-designed journey into darkness. The combat is also greatly improved. Instead of facing waves of grunts that pop in out of nowhere, the enemies are genuinely challenging - enough so that you will have to rely on your tactics menus to get through. The final boss battle is frustrating, but also ingeniously designed to defeat players trying to just "brute force" their way through.

Oh, to get the most out of this expansion, make sure to bring your sibling (who, if alive, will be available for this mission), along with Varric and Anders. Though it can be played at any time, I recommend playing in Act Three; if Anders is in the group, the events of the mission support his Act Three character arc - and the equipment you receive will be much stronger if you play at a higher level than at a lower one.

Meet Tallis (Felicia Day).  She's... basically just Felicia Day.

MARK OF THE ASSASSIN:
Release Date: Oct. 26, 2011

Hawke travels to Orlais to assist bubbly thief Tallis (Felicia Day) with a heist. However, not everything about the mission - or, indeed, about Tallis - is as it appears. This brisk caper is the most light-hearted adventure of the set, and it leans perhaps too heavily on the presence of its celebrity guest star.  But despite having long felt that a little Felicia Day goes a long way, I still found Mark of the Assassin to be a lot of fun.  It's divided into three main phases: a hunt, a stealth section, and more traditional dungeon crawling/combat. All are entertaining, and the developers went the extra mile to include side quests for each potential companion. The quests for Aveline and Isabelle are by far the best; most of the rest are fetch-quests.

This wasn't actually planned as the final DLC; a large-scale expansion titled The Exalted March was supposed to round out Dragon Age II while leading directly into Inquisition... but by this point, fan backlash was resulting in disappointing sales, and the final expansion got canceled. Even so, I find it oddly appropriate that the final release for a generally dark and brooding game ended up being a light-hearted adventure. If nothing else, it's nice to see the characters having a good time!


OVERALL:

As fond as I am of Dragon Age II, it is fair to say that it is a very flawed game that falls short of the success of the epics on either side of it. However, it probably has the best DLC of the series. The Exiled Prince helps to offset some of the game's Third Act weaknesses while offering another companion. The two big story DLCs are both very good, offering new and detailed settings and interesting narratives. Both Legacy and Mark of the Assassin offer decent value, with each campaign providing a good 4 hours of gameplay for completists. They also feature the most enjoyable combat of the game; as I stated in my review of the main game, the big issue with Dragon Age II's combat has to do with the way it was executed rather than the actual controls, as the combat in these DLCs is terrific.


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Dragon Age: Origins - DLC.

Original Release: Nov. 3, 2009 - Sept. 7, 2010 for PC, Playstation 3, XBox 360. Version Reviewed: XBox 360, 2010.


INTRODUCTION:

Bioware has become practically synonymous with DLC expansions. Since 2010, all but one of their games has received at least one post-release expansion; Mass Effect: Andromeda is the lone exception, with its planned DLC canceled in favor of a company-wide focus on Anthem.  (Yes, I agree that was a bad trade... though, given the dumpster fire that was reportedly Anthem's development, likely a necessary one.)

This DLC has taken many forms, from extra companions to major story expansions. All of these are in evidence in Dragon Age: Origins. Since all DLC packs were included in the Ultimate Edition, here's a quick rundown of all of the story-based DLC...

Sarcastic Golem Shale arrives to squish enemies. 
And pigeons.  Particularly pigeons.

THE STONE PRISONER
Release Date: Nov. 3, 2009

One of two pieces of "Day One DLC," The Stone Prisoner grants players access to an additional companion: Shale, a Golem with a prickly disposition and a sardonic sense of humor. The DLC offers two brief levels: a small village and a confined bit of the underground Deep Roads, both complete with the requisite Darkspawn and demons to vanquish. Aside from the combat, you're offered a rather aggravating puzzle and an entirely black & white moral choice ("Do I let a demon possess a young girl?  Decisions, decisions...").  

That said, the point of the DLC is the integration of Shale into the game, and the golem is well worth the download.  His banter is some of the most amusing in the game, and Shale's presence greatly elevates one of the main story missions as well.  Also, just as a combat unit, it must be said that his "Quake" ability (stunning enemies in a fairly decent radius) is extremely useful.


WARDEN'S KEEP:
Release Date: Nov. 3, 2009

The other Day One DLC, this is a straightforward exploration of the old Warden's Keep, left abandoned and haunted after a past tyrant expelled the Grey Wardens from Ferelden. It only adds about an hour of gameplay, though there is some decent background lore to be had.

Coming face-to-face with the corpse of King Cailan.

RETURN TO OSTAGAR:
Release Date: Jan. 13, 2010

The most substantial piece of in-game DLC, Return to Ostagar is best played late in the game, as a moment of reflection between the Landsmeet and the final battle. You and your companions return to the site of the death of King Cailan - also the site of Loghain's betrayal of the Grey Wardens. Plenty of Darkspawn fights, but the highlight is simply exploring the ruins of what had been the first stop on your journey. Make sure to include Wynn and whichever Grey Warden is in your party at that point.  As characters who knew the major parties involved and who were present at the battle, they have some excellent commentary.


THE DARKSPAWN CHRONICLES:
Release Date: May 18, 2010

An alternate reality DLC.  The premise is that your Warden died during "The Joining" ceremony at the start of the game. It's really just an excuse to play The Battle of Denerim from the Darkspawn POV, making it an all-combat add-on. Since the combat was my least favorite aspect of the main game, and since this is explicitly non-canonical, I rank it as easily the most expendable expansion, though it still has some amusement value.

A young Leliana, on the eve of her mentor's betrayal...

LELIANA'S SONG
Release Date: July 6, 2010

My personal favorite of this batch, Leliana's Song presents the tale of the bard's betrayal by her mentor/lover, Marjolaine. The first half is fun and sprightly, backed by a jaunty score as Leliana perpetrates mischief on an unsuspecting Denerim at Marjolaine's behest. The second half takes a darker turn, and the music becomes more action-oriented as Leliana seeks her revenge. The tale does not entirely line up with the account Leliana gave in Origins - but it's still a fun story that's well-told, and discrepancies are easily accounted for in that both versions are clearly Leliana relating the tale, one that she outright says changes with each telling.


THE GOLEMS OF AMGARRAK
Release Date: Aug. 10, 2010

Balance being what it is, my favorite Origins DLC is followed by my least favorite. Golems delivers a paper-thin story about rescuing a Dwarf's brother from an ill-fated Deep Roads expedition.  So yes, the whole thing takes place in the Deep Roads, arguably the least visually interesting setting of the game.  The focus is on combat. Unbalanced combat, as you are denied the use of a mage. If your character happens to be a mage, it's no harder than the other add-ons. Otherwise, with healing limited to whatever health poultices you happen to be carrying, it quickly becomes an exercise in frustration.  When you aren't fighting, you'll be running back and forth to flip switches, which is just as interesting as it sounds. I'll allow that the final boss is suitably gruesome, but this is one bit of Dragon Age that I'm unlikely to revisit.

Morrigan finds an ancient Elven mirror...
and sets up a sequel or two.

WITCH HUNT
Release Date: Sept. 7, 2010

The final piece of DLC has your Warden searching for Morrigan, whom you quickly learn is attempting to find and use an Eluvian, a dangerous yet powerful Elven relic. With help from a Dalish elf and a bookish mage, you track Morrigan from the swamps to the Ferelden Circle of Magi, from the Deep Roads to a dragon graveyard. With multiple settings and likable companions, this is briskly-paced and highly enjoyable. The ending reveals few answers, however, acting more as a sequel tease than anything... Though the sequel it's teasing turns out not to be Dragon Age II, but instead Dragon Age: Inquisition...


OVERALL:

These DLC packs are, for the most part, nice additions to an already-robust game. Since it's now a near-certainty that new players will purchase The Ultimate Edition, as it's easier to find than the original bare-bones version of Origins, I can think of no reason not to include these with your playthrough of the main game.  


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Dragon Age: Origins - The Awakening.

Original Release: March 16, 2010 for PC, Playstation 3, XBox 360. Version Reviewed: XBox 360, 2010.


THE PLOT:

It's been six months since The Blight, and Ferelden is rebuilding. The Arl of Amaranthine, once the domain of the treacherous Arl Rendon Howe, has been given to the Grey Wardens, under the direct control of your Warden (the one who stopped the Blight if your character survived and you import a Dragon Age: Origins save; an Orlesian Warden if you didn't).

The Warden Commander arrives at Vigil's Keep, only to find it under attack by Darkspawn. The attack is disturbing for several reasons. The Darkspawn came from within, meaning they broke through from the underground Deep Roads. Their actions were organized and directed, in a way that should be impossible. After battling through the enemy, the Warden Commander discovers their leader: a talking Darkspawn, who is working for a being called "The Architect."

The Warden Commander still must find a way to successfully rule the Arldom, which remains vital for the Grey Wardens' still-fragile reputation. But now this must be balanced against the new threat, particularly as it becomes clear that there are two factions of Darkspawn. It is nothing less than a Darkspawn civil war - with Amaranthine caught in the middle!

The Architect: Savior or Monster?

CHARACTERS:

With one exception, Awakening presents you with an entirely new set of companions. That sole exception would be Oghren, my least favorite Origins companion. Ah, well. He's just as obnoxious in this game, but this time a few of his bits manage to be funny; after being captured, he sees a Darkspawn wearing his armor and carrying his weapons, and throws a tantrum that might be the single best comic moment of the entire series.

Awakening's new companions are often criticized, and I don't fully understand why. Despite the game clocking in at a lean 15 hours, all of them have surprising depth.

I suppose one issue is that much of that depth is so easily missed.  Take the two most notable new characters: Anders, a runaway Circle mage, and Justice, a Fade Spirit given physical form. Both will go on to play a major role in Dragon Age 2, one that's brilliantly foreshadowed here... but only if you have both Justice and Anders in your party at the right points. Their exchanges, both through cutscenes and banter, reveal that while Anders is hyper-aware of the mistreatment of mages, he is mostly happy enough with escaping that situation himself; he even labels the notion of mages breaking away from the Chantry "disastrous." Justice, true to his name, bristles at any hint of iniquity, and feels that Anders has an obligation to help his people. Sadly, these exchanges - and the characterization and future setup contained within - will be missed if you fail to notice certain interact options, or if you just fail to have them in your party in the right times and settings.

Other original characters are less important to the series, but they are still layered individuals. Nathaniel Howe, the son of the unlamented Arl Howe, is initially convinced that his father is being smeared for having sided with Loghain. Use him in your party and speak with him regularly, and Nathaniel will gradually come to accept that Arl Howe was every bit the monster he's made out to be, and will become determined to redeem his family's once-proud name. Sigrun, the Dwarf rogue, is a survivor of a Legion of the Dead unit wiped out by Darkspawn; her sunny personality masks a hefty dose of survivor's guilt. The elf mage Velanna is the least likeable of the new batch, with an anger against humans that has translated into violence; still, if you use her enough, guilt at her actions will start to shine through. Put her in a group with Justice, and he will berate her for her past crimes in a way that hints at the darker turn he will take in the next game.

In short: I cannot find it in myself to agree with the consensus that the Awakening companions are less interesting than the Origins ones. If anything, I think they have more depth - though I suspect the perception is not helped by making the best character moments so easy to miss during a given playthrough.

Anders, a comedy relief wisecracker who loves cats. He
certainly won't leave an indelible mark on history...

GAMEPLAY:

Pretty much identical to Origins, which is hardly a surprise given that it is an expansion released mere months after the main game. One thing to note is the difficulty.,, Namely, that there isn't any. Assuming you import your main character, you're going to start Awakening massively overleveled, allowing you to more or less plow through enemy encounters. I usually play games on "Normal" difficulty, because I like to be engaged by gameplay but I don't enjoy being frustrated. Awakening represents a rare occasion when I would recommend playing on "Hard."


THOUGHTS:

Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening is an expansion that sometimes feels more like a full game. The story is ambitious and the scale, while much smaller than in Origins is still fairly large. However, this is also the source of the game's problems, as it often feels as if the ambition ran into the harsh realities of deadlines and budget. It is notable that Bioware would never attempt such a large-scale expansion to any of their games after this.

The maps are a mixed lot. The haunted Blackmarsh is nicely atmospheric, and leads to a Fade section that's far better-designed and more engaging than the original game's Fade sequence. The Wending Wood, where the player will first encounter Velanna, is large, but also poorly organized; I had to resort to online guides to make sure I actually found all the important and hidden bits there, something I did not have to do with any other setting. Other major maps include the cramped Knotwood Hills, a Deep Roads section that is overlong and uninspired, and the City of Amaranthine - which is nothing but a big circular road, a Chantry, and a handful of buildings.

The effect ends up being one of an epic played out across three rooms and a yard. The ambition is large, but the actual world seems suddenly very small.

A Darkspawn receives orders from "The Mother." 

GLITCHES:

Awakening is glitchy. Yes, glitchier than Anthem or Mass Effect: Andromeda, at least in their current states (I was spared the launch day experience). In the Blackmarsh, I had a boss battle randomly assert itself, even though I hadn't unlocked it yet. I defeated the boss, only to find that I'd been magically transported to where the battle was supposed to happen. With the barrier still up and no way out. Since the game auto-saved after the fight, wiping out my previous auto-save, I was left with no choice but to reload my last manual save. From an hour earlier.

My Warden Commander apparently became a nudist between games. He spawned naked at the start of the game, then stripped and destroyed both his armor and weapons after I used an upgrade potion (good armor and weapons, so I reloaded a save to recover them).  Perhaps The Calling is affecting him early?

Sigrun's companion quest has a bizarre glitch.  Basically, don't explore Amaranthine before you've recruited her.  If you do, you'll very likely start a mission involving the Carta that will lock you out of her quest.  Speaking of dealing with Amarathine's Carta problem: Even after wiping out the entire Carta, the city guards refused to speak to me thereafter, sneering at me for selling out.  To the criminals I just killed.  Um... You're welcome?

The most consequential moment of the game: A
simple conversation between Anders and Justice.

THE ENDING - A FAILURE TO DELIVER:

I've praised the ambition of the game's story, and I stand by that - but the storytelling sometimes feels rushed or even incomplete. The Architect's reasoning behind the opening attack isn't just weak; it actively contradicts what we witnessed during the opening. The ending is also jarringly abrupt, cutting straight from the game's final boss to the title card epilogue, with no tag scene to give emotional closure in between.

It seems clear that the developers' ambition exceeded the time and resources they had available to achieve it. The result is a game that either should have been given more time to be made into a full sequel, or that should have been scaled back so that it could have done fewer things more successfully. It remains well worth playing, an enjoyable experience as well as a vital part of the overall franchise. But in the end, too much ends up feeling too rushed for it to be fully satisfying.


Overall Rating: 5/10.

Dragon Age: Origins DLC

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Dragon Age: Origins.

Original Release: November 3, 2009 for PC, Playstation 3, XBox 360. Version Reviewed: XBox 360, 2009.


THE PLOT:

The Grey Wardens are an order sworn to defend the world of Thedas from Blights, which occur when the normally subterranean Darkspawn emerge under the control of an archdemon to attack the surface world. Only the Grey Wardens possess the unique abilities to kill the archdemon and end the Blight. But it has been four centuries since the last Blight, and the Grey Wardens lack the numbers and respect they once commanded.

Now the Darkspawn have begun invading the surface again, in the southern part of the kingdom of Ferelden. However, Ferelden has only recently gained its independence from the aristocratic Kingdom of Orlais, and when King Cailan discusses requesting aid from the Orlesian Grey Wardens, his ranking general - Teyrn Loghain - becomes convinced that Orlais will use this as an excuse to retake Ferelden, which leads Loghain to drastic action.

Soon Cailan is dead, along with most of the Ferelden Grey Wardens. The remaining Wardens have been branded traitors. Loghain has taken control of the country, though resistance from several nobles has left Ferelden on the brink of civil war.

Leaving only two Grey Warden survivors and those strays they pick up along the way to somehow find enough support to fight back the Darkspawn, destroy the archdemon, and end the Blight!

Alistair, one of the last surviving Grey Wardens,
receives advice from the aged witch, Flemeth

CHARACTERS:

At first glance, most of the characters seem like 2-dimensional types. Over the course of the game, they gradually reveal enough additional depth to emerge as more than just plot pieces. This is particularly true of the game's villain, Loghain, who does several terrible things... but not without well-founded motivations. Ferelden independence is still very new, and Loghain's memories of being all but a slave to the Orlesians burned themselves into him. In one scene, he cries out against the nobles who refuse to support him: "Which of you stood against the Orlesian emperor when his troops flattened your fields and raped your wives?" In another conversation you can potentially unlock, he describes watching Orlesians "beat an old farmer to death with a riding crop.  To this day, I don't know why."

Oddly, none of the actual main companions has as much depth as the villain does, though most of them work well enough.  I genuinely enjoyed all my interactions with spy-turned-Chantry servant Leliana and cynical mage Morrigan. I initially enjoyed Alistair's snark... until it became apparent that underneath his humorous quips was an aggravating tendency toward self-pity. Banter with flirtatious assassin Zevran was fun, and I laughed out loud at the golem Shale's eagerness to "squish" enemies and pigeons with equal zeal.

Less enjoyable was the romance mechanic. At this point in Bioware's history, they had discovered that gamers responded well to romance being woven into the stories.  However, they had yet to actually mark which dialogue options were "flirting." As a result, despite my Dwarf Noble romancing Morrigan, I ended up accidentally triggering a romance with Leliana on two separate occasions. How? By picking dialogue options that amounted to saying that she was a good person. Thus dooming me to lose "approval points" with her when I started a new conversation to "break up" with someone I never intended to be in a relationship with in the first place.

*thunks head on desk*

Good King Cailan meets a very bad end...

GAMEPLAY:

Two items that have less to do with this 2009 game in itself and more to do with returning to an XBox 360 game after having become accustomed to more recent fare: (1) The load times feel veerrry long; (2) The maps, which seemed huge when I first played in 2012, now are startlingly cramped!

Those are just age issues, though - The maps are actually well-structured, maximizing the usable space by building corridors that either twist in and out from a main path or - in the case of one early town you visit and save - involve smart use of vertical architecture.

I am not a fan of Dragon Age: Origins' combat. It's busy, with you basically having to constantly pause to swap between characters, using the radial menus to issue commands and cast spells. Of course, you can let the combat play out in real time and trust your party members' AI to fight; but if you do that, your party members will be reliably stupid and even suicidal. A lot of the time, surviving a tough combat comes down to keeping your mage alive so that he/she can keep healing everyone. That, and never letting more than a second of "real time" to pass before selecting another set of options. It may be tactical, but to my tastes at least it isn't particularly fun.

My origin point for this playthrough:
The Dwarven City of Orzammar.

THOUGHTS:

After Bioware achieved success with Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, and Knights of the Old Republic, the company wisely decided to introduce some original properties. The RPG/martial arts mashup Jade Empire failed to connect with an audience (a crime, as it's a terrific game in its own right). Their other two original titles performed better, however: Mass Effect in 2007 and, of course, Dragon Age.

Dragon Age: Origins is aptly named. Not only is it the first game in a series that has gone on to span three large-scale RPGs and one expansion that almost qualifies as a game in its own right; it also allows players to select one of six unique origin stories. This effectively allows for six playthroughs in which the first 1 - 2 hours will be completely different.  In addition, the origins span different races, locations, and social circumstances, which impact how NPCs react to your character throughout the game. So right from the start, you can see that this is an ambitious title.

The Archdemon. Because in a game called Dragon
Age, you're going to fight at least one dragon.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS...

At each major location your party visits, you will be called upon to make several choices. Some are minor: Will you involve yourself in the plight of a pair of elven lovers - or, potentially, dally with one of the would-be couple yourself? Others have more wide-ranging impact, where a choice can affect the direction of a culture, or even lead to the deaths of innocents.

In many cases, it's clear which choices are morally right and wrong; "good guys" don't generally sell people into slavery, condemn innocents to suffer eternal curses, or encourage massacres. There are a couple of intriguing exceptions, however, in which options will be provided in which all choices have good and bad sides to them.

The best example is the power struggle in the dwarven city of Orzammar. The king has died, and the council is deadlocked over which of two candidates should succeed him. Prince Bhelen is the king's son, and has ambitions to strengthen the city's ties to the surface and to reform the city's rigid caste system. Lord Harrowmont, his rival, is a rigid traditionalist who would isolate the dwarves more than ever before.

This seems like a no-brainer, save for one problem: Character. Harrowmont is a genuinely decent, honorable man. Bhelen is a snake, who likely killed his older brother and possibly his own father to get himself in line for the throne. I played a Dwarven Noble, meaning that I was Bhelen's other brother... and the victim of a frame-up, made to take the blame for his crimes. You get to decide which man takes the throne: A good man whose rule will be disastrous for the city; or a bad man whose ideas are exactly what dwarven society needs to endure. The game doesn't cheat on this choice. Crown Bhelen, and he will instantly show his colors as a tyrant... but the game's epilogue will affirm that his rule is good for the dwarves. Choose Harrowmont, and he will be suitably gracious... but the epilogue will reveal that his rule goes on to be generally chaotic and divisive.

The game cheats on another tough choice. A potential ally's young son has been possessed by a demon, which has inflicted devastation on the castle and the nearby village. You are given two options: Save the boy at the cost of another's life, or kill a child in order to save the village and at the same time end his own suffering. A third option is to travel to the Circle of Magi and bring back help to save the boy without having to sacrifice anyone. This means leaving both castle and village at the demon's mercy for the length of the journey, though, which really should have consequences.

There are no consequences to leaving the village - despite the fact that you'll have to go through several hours of gaming (presumably translating to days for the characters) in order to be in a position to return with magical help. I would give the game so many points if you returned to find the village devastated or the castle's inhabitants slaughtered. Instead, it's as if you had never left. I repeat: a cheat.

Choices do add up across the game. Your decisions will potentially affect the makeup of your army at the climax, as well as the attitude of your companions toward your leadership. Finally, there's an epilogue presented via text cards that reveals the impact of your decisions on the game world - and the potential endings for the various characters and settings are remarkably different depending on the path you choose. More than a decade after release, that remains impressive.

Your forces march to battle.

OVERALL:

The graphics are dated and the combat is clunky, but time has largely been kind to Dragon Age: Origins. The story is typical epic fantasy fare, but the characters are sufficiently well-drawn to bring it to life. The cultures of the various nations, races, and classes are carefully detailed, and a substantial amount of drama is wrung from the ways characters of different backgrounds interact. An elf will be automatically looked down upon; a mage will be regarded with suspicion and fear; a non-magical human will suffer none of those disadvantages. With an impressive voice cast and a superb music score, it remains easy to get swept away.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

Dragon Age: Origins - DLC

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