DragonAge II

 " There are men who struggle against destiny and yet achieve only an early grave, there are men who flee destiny only to have it swallow them whole and there are men who embrace destiny and do not show their fear.These are the ones that change the world forever. - Flemeth."

DragonAge 2, the sequel to the runaway hit DragonAge Origins. The second game in the franchise and the prelude to DragonAge Inquisition.
The game centers around Hawke, a refugee from Fereldan who rises to power in Kirkwall and finally ends up being crowned it's champion who also played a vital role in the on-going war between the Templars and the Mages. The game features radical changes from it's predecessor origins in terms of gameplay, combat mechanism and companion affinity.
The game begins with Varric thethras reciting the tale of the champion to one of the Seeker's of the Chantry Casandra Pentagust.

Unlike origins the player is able to choose only a male or female human with his choice of class being the warrior, mage or rouge. The combat features several improvements with particular interest given to the speed of the gameplay. The game designs feature several changes with visible differences in the darkspawn appearence and attack style. Several variations in the enemies faced are also a welcome change which include those of human, elf and the quanari. The game also let's you choose your in-game lore by either importing a save file from DragonAge Origins or accepting either one of the avaiable pre-built history.

A total of 8 different companions are present in DragonAge II with almost all of them available for romance both for the male and female hawke. Romancing a companion is quite different with dialogues dedicated to romance are available in the dialogue wheel. The tone of your reply is also explicitly provided with a leaf signifying a polite response, a mask for a funny response and a Sword hilt for a aggressive response. Depending on your responses the NPC's around interact with you accordingly. Affinity is also available for each and every companion signifying you either get their friendship or earn their respect as a rival. Affinity affects not only their interaction but also their eagerness to help you in battle.A few prominent faces such as Isabella the pirate queen and Anders the Grey Warden Mage make a return as companions whereas several cameos from characters such as Flemeth, Alistar, Natheniel and several others.

 DLC's again make their mark on DragonAge 2 with exciting new content available along with a new companion. The Exiled Prince gives us a new companion called Sebastian Vettel who is out to avenge his family's death. Next of is Mark Of the Assassin which features a new companion called Tallis a female elf who is out to steal a very rare gem from an Orlesian Duke and is in need of your assistance. And finally Legacy, a vicious carta is out to kill you and ask you track them to their source you uncover a far more sinister secret. All the DLC's are top notch and provide several hours of entertaining gameplay.

Final Verdict, DragonAge II aims high to satisfy the expectations created by DragonAge Origins and doesn't fall short in proving to be a worthy sequel.