Having unveiled the game to the general public last week, Bioware has now released the first two screens for its upcoming RPG Dragon Age II. The two screenshots, which feature the new protagonist known as Hawke, can be found after the jump. Over the coming weeks, Game Informer will release more information regarding Dragon Age II and will publish a 10-page feature dedicated to the game in their next issue.
Though the art style of the game has changed little with respect to the previous installment in the Dragon Age franchise, the screenshots do show a remarkably higher level of detail that Dragon Age: Origins. Specifically, the character models appear to have undergone a major revision. Though the name and race of Hawke are fixed, Bioware has promised that players will still be customize their characters, select a preferred gender, and chose a specific class for their champion.The screenshots below are taken from Gameinformer.com.
Should make note that the image on the far right wasn’t the original screenshot on Game Informer. They messed with the contrast to make it darker not long after it went up. There’s been a ton of complaints about the screenshots, and I’m on board with them. Looks like a Wii game at the moment.
For me, this is not the “super hot,” the doctors promised. Darkspawn are not black anymore like they were depicted in the game, (even the novels). Sure they can “create lore” to ok it, but it irks me. The crazy abundance of low polygon spiked armor is also a meh for me. Just way too much jagged edges and stuff. I guess that’s their “stylization” though.
I’ll give it more time. However, with release a mere seven months away I think it may be too much to hope that these are actually pre-Alpha screenshots. Hearing from the devs on the BioWare forums that they’re working on a “short development cycle” didn’t really make me feel to good. Personally, I’d rather wait an extra year and get a masterpiece… not to say this game won’t be good regardless.
It just feels like with Awakening and now Dragon Age 2 that they’re rushing the hell out of these games.
P.S. I’m brutal good/bad when it comes to franchises I enjoy from devs I respect.