jango
03-22-2010, 08:44 PM
http://www.macksites.co.uk/GameBank/Images/daoa/0.jpg
Since Origins got released there have been a few DLCs to enjoy (or tolerate in some cases), but what the game really cried out for was a full expansion. Then finally it arrived, and there were parties in the streets of RPGland and many Origins fans photo-copied their buttocks in celebration as is customary at office parties. But, is it any good? Or is it like a Miley Cyrus track - catchy, but ultimately soul-destroying?
http://www.macksites.co.uk/GameBank/Images/daoa/1.jpg
The background
I should state that my main intention in this review is not to give plot spoilers, or indeed anything else that I feel might ruin your experience if you choose to pick up the game. I have played through Awakening twice, once with my warrior, once with my rogue, and halfway through again with my mage.
Awakening is set 6 months after the Origins story ends, and although you've defeated the Arch Demon, the darkspawn haven't just withered back into their dark spawny holes and as the new Grey Warden commander you have to fix the world .. again. The game starts off in the grounds of what will be your main quest hub and home Vigil's Keep. This becomes the location of many quests (both from individuals and notice boards), crafting, merchants, and also the location of your party members, and is also the place where your storage chest will be. With the level cap being raised you get a really decent idea of how much adventuring you're in store for.
http://www.macksites.co.uk/GameBank/Images/daoa/2.jpg
So, what's new?
There's a lot of significant changes in Awakening compared to the original game, so I'll try and cover some of the main ones.
Crafting
To start with there is a new crafting specialisation called rune-crafting. This enables you to create your own runes, and instead of these just being used in weapons there are new runes for armour too. It basically works by taking two of the lower runes to make one of the higher ones (so for example 2x expert runes will make 1x master rune). This new crafting ability and the new armour runes enable you to really custimise your party's gear, and you'll need all the help you can get. On a slightly lesser level you can also pick up items of heraldry from vendors which enable you to put a nice crest on your shield, although this doesn't add anything special other than a nice picture. There's a heraldry crest for each of the main factions and families in the game from Cousland, Army of the Dead, Antivian and so on. As well as this there are new recipes and plans for existing crafts with more enhanced poultices and potions, and finally they have introduced a stamina potion for those longer fights.
http://www.macksites.co.uk/GameBank/Images/daoa/3.jpg
Classes/skills
There are 6 new specialisations, two for each class and these offer a great deal of flexibility across your party. These are a lot easier to come by than the original game, as most are available from vendors in the form of books. I won't go into the specific classes or their specific abilities because they're a lot of fun, and worth discovering for yourself .. I will say this though, they're VERY good and fun.
Party members
In Awakening you get different party member options, which you can choose to take on or not. As you'll see, there's a return of some old party members and other notable people from Origins, but the new companions bring some really cool aspects mostly due to their own personality and characteristics. As Awakening follows on from Origins the options of which old party members join you, and who else from the original game make an appearance largely depends on how you played the original game. However, these new companions are also aware of that, and their reaction to you will follow suit too. This in itself is one of the many things the expansion gets right - its seemlessness. Naturally, with these new companions there are also new rrelationship opportunities available to you, so you start all over again with your seduction of innocent party members and see where it takes you.
http://www.macksites.co.uk/GameBank/Images/daoa/4.jpg
Enemies & Bosses
The enemies in Awakening are much improved over the original game. They're intelligent, varied, and aggressive all of which makes for some very fun and tough fights along the way. The boss fights also bring a more complex dimension to the game, and are both fun and challenging, as are the occcasional puzzles you run into while questing.
Loot
The loot available in Awakening is really very very nice. As you'd expect from the changes to runes there's a lot of weapons and armour that have slots for you to assign runes in to, but even beyond that the standard items that drop are well worth a look at too. As an example, I upgraded all my main character's gear around 5 times in Awakening despite having played through all of the DLCs and modded scenarios available to me. Nice.
Questing locations
Awakening covers over nine locations on a zone around the size of Fereldon from the original game, and although some areas are a little small others are MASSIVE and offer some inspired game design for you to enjoy. A personal favourite of mine was the Black Marsh as it typified what Awakening is .. new enemies, diverse game play, awesome bosses, cool loot, and a story that just won't quit.
http://www.macksites.co.uk/GameBank/Images/daoa/5.jpg
Awakening in a nutshell
Awakening offers exactly what an expansion should - new stuff, fun stuff, and integrated stuff. The story feels immediate and epic, and the surroundings you find yourself in only add to this in a way that builds on the original game rather than attempts to be distant from it. As with Origins there's great balance between the story, the lore, the action, and humour, and each makes for a really enjoyable experience.
Now, as with the original game there are some annoyances (most of which have been addressed), but they are so slight and minor you hardly notice them. The original game, like this expansion, is so good it over-shadows any downsides, but they are there.
Essentially the original game was around 50-60 hours worth of RPG gold, and Awakening is about 15-20 hours, for around half the price of the original game. However, once you get passed the first zone of Vigil's Keep and the world opens up to you again you soon recollect the emotions you had in the original game .. so much to do, so much to see, and how you do it is totally up to you. This can even be said of your companions in a lot more ways than you'd expect.
http://www.macksites.co.uk/GameBank/Images/daoa/6.jpg
So, in short Awakening is a significantly excellent expansion and makes an already outstanding game even more breath-taking for any self-respecting RPG fan. It offers a lot of new aspects, but manages to maintain its beauty, intensity, and sheer awesomeness right through to the end. This is the best RPG expansion I've seen since the Neverwinter Nights expansion for its diversity, fun-factor, and seemless blending into the original story.
I have rekindled my love FULLY for Bioware after a slightly odd experience with the DLCs .. however now, I want to get naked with them and discuss children. This, like the original game, is a must-have .. without question.
8/10
Seemless, brave, fun .. a great game just got better
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0yh6DX8pZ8
Since Origins got released there have been a few DLCs to enjoy (or tolerate in some cases), but what the game really cried out for was a full expansion. Then finally it arrived, and there were parties in the streets of RPGland and many Origins fans photo-copied their buttocks in celebration as is customary at office parties. But, is it any good? Or is it like a Miley Cyrus track - catchy, but ultimately soul-destroying?
http://www.macksites.co.uk/GameBank/Images/daoa/1.jpg
The background
I should state that my main intention in this review is not to give plot spoilers, or indeed anything else that I feel might ruin your experience if you choose to pick up the game. I have played through Awakening twice, once with my warrior, once with my rogue, and halfway through again with my mage.
Awakening is set 6 months after the Origins story ends, and although you've defeated the Arch Demon, the darkspawn haven't just withered back into their dark spawny holes and as the new Grey Warden commander you have to fix the world .. again. The game starts off in the grounds of what will be your main quest hub and home Vigil's Keep. This becomes the location of many quests (both from individuals and notice boards), crafting, merchants, and also the location of your party members, and is also the place where your storage chest will be. With the level cap being raised you get a really decent idea of how much adventuring you're in store for.
http://www.macksites.co.uk/GameBank/Images/daoa/2.jpg
So, what's new?
There's a lot of significant changes in Awakening compared to the original game, so I'll try and cover some of the main ones.
Crafting
To start with there is a new crafting specialisation called rune-crafting. This enables you to create your own runes, and instead of these just being used in weapons there are new runes for armour too. It basically works by taking two of the lower runes to make one of the higher ones (so for example 2x expert runes will make 1x master rune). This new crafting ability and the new armour runes enable you to really custimise your party's gear, and you'll need all the help you can get. On a slightly lesser level you can also pick up items of heraldry from vendors which enable you to put a nice crest on your shield, although this doesn't add anything special other than a nice picture. There's a heraldry crest for each of the main factions and families in the game from Cousland, Army of the Dead, Antivian and so on. As well as this there are new recipes and plans for existing crafts with more enhanced poultices and potions, and finally they have introduced a stamina potion for those longer fights.
http://www.macksites.co.uk/GameBank/Images/daoa/3.jpg
Classes/skills
There are 6 new specialisations, two for each class and these offer a great deal of flexibility across your party. These are a lot easier to come by than the original game, as most are available from vendors in the form of books. I won't go into the specific classes or their specific abilities because they're a lot of fun, and worth discovering for yourself .. I will say this though, they're VERY good and fun.
Party members
In Awakening you get different party member options, which you can choose to take on or not. As you'll see, there's a return of some old party members and other notable people from Origins, but the new companions bring some really cool aspects mostly due to their own personality and characteristics. As Awakening follows on from Origins the options of which old party members join you, and who else from the original game make an appearance largely depends on how you played the original game. However, these new companions are also aware of that, and their reaction to you will follow suit too. This in itself is one of the many things the expansion gets right - its seemlessness. Naturally, with these new companions there are also new rrelationship opportunities available to you, so you start all over again with your seduction of innocent party members and see where it takes you.
http://www.macksites.co.uk/GameBank/Images/daoa/4.jpg
Enemies & Bosses
The enemies in Awakening are much improved over the original game. They're intelligent, varied, and aggressive all of which makes for some very fun and tough fights along the way. The boss fights also bring a more complex dimension to the game, and are both fun and challenging, as are the occcasional puzzles you run into while questing.
Loot
The loot available in Awakening is really very very nice. As you'd expect from the changes to runes there's a lot of weapons and armour that have slots for you to assign runes in to, but even beyond that the standard items that drop are well worth a look at too. As an example, I upgraded all my main character's gear around 5 times in Awakening despite having played through all of the DLCs and modded scenarios available to me. Nice.
Questing locations
Awakening covers over nine locations on a zone around the size of Fereldon from the original game, and although some areas are a little small others are MASSIVE and offer some inspired game design for you to enjoy. A personal favourite of mine was the Black Marsh as it typified what Awakening is .. new enemies, diverse game play, awesome bosses, cool loot, and a story that just won't quit.
http://www.macksites.co.uk/GameBank/Images/daoa/5.jpg
Awakening in a nutshell
Awakening offers exactly what an expansion should - new stuff, fun stuff, and integrated stuff. The story feels immediate and epic, and the surroundings you find yourself in only add to this in a way that builds on the original game rather than attempts to be distant from it. As with Origins there's great balance between the story, the lore, the action, and humour, and each makes for a really enjoyable experience.
Now, as with the original game there are some annoyances (most of which have been addressed), but they are so slight and minor you hardly notice them. The original game, like this expansion, is so good it over-shadows any downsides, but they are there.
Essentially the original game was around 50-60 hours worth of RPG gold, and Awakening is about 15-20 hours, for around half the price of the original game. However, once you get passed the first zone of Vigil's Keep and the world opens up to you again you soon recollect the emotions you had in the original game .. so much to do, so much to see, and how you do it is totally up to you. This can even be said of your companions in a lot more ways than you'd expect.
http://www.macksites.co.uk/GameBank/Images/daoa/6.jpg
So, in short Awakening is a significantly excellent expansion and makes an already outstanding game even more breath-taking for any self-respecting RPG fan. It offers a lot of new aspects, but manages to maintain its beauty, intensity, and sheer awesomeness right through to the end. This is the best RPG expansion I've seen since the Neverwinter Nights expansion for its diversity, fun-factor, and seemless blending into the original story.
I have rekindled my love FULLY for Bioware after a slightly odd experience with the DLCs .. however now, I want to get naked with them and discuss children. This, like the original game, is a must-have .. without question.
8/10
Seemless, brave, fun .. a great game just got better
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0yh6DX8pZ8