BioWare Lifts the Lid on Importing Characters into Dragon Age 2

[Logan Westbrook]

BioWare Lifts the Lid on Importing Characters into Dragon Age 2

Your Grey Warden won't be making a return in Dragon Age 2, but that doesn't mean that the decisions you made won't matter.

BioWare hasn't made a huge number of sequels, but when it does make one, it likes to give players the option to import their character from the first game, and have their decisions help shape the new adventure. Dragon Age 2 is a little more challenging however, as you're not playing the same character as you were in the first game.

But that hasn't stopped BioWare, and even though your Grey Warden is off doing something else, like advising a king or being dead, the choices you made will still influence the world of Dragon Age 2. BioWare's Mike Laidlaw explained that players would be able to import the world they shaped in the first Dragon Age into the second, so who they supported in Orzammar or who was on the throne in Ferelden would make a big difference to how the game played. Laidlaw added that BioWare didn't consider the Dragon Age series to be about any single character, but at the same time wanted players to feel like their decisions were important.

Honestly, this isn't much different than what BioWare did with Mass Effect 2. For better or worse, all your decisions are still going to come back and bite you in the behind, except that this time it won't be your character's fault. Obviously, we're going to miss out on role-playing opportunities as NPCs recognize us and maybe even blame us for things, but we're still going to see our handiwork everywhere we go.

Dragon Age 2 [http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Age-2-Pc/dp/B003UF9E0O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1286379326&sr=8-1] is due to be released for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on March 8th in North America and March 11th in Europe.

Source: Now Gamer [http://www.nowgamer.com/features/974/dragon-age-ii-bioware-interview?o=1]



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[Shycte]

Just like in Mass Effect 2 they say? So no effect at all then? How dissapointing.

 

[_Janny_]

What decisions? I don't remember any decisions that would matter that much, except for Morrigan's deal. So if we can't continue with our save. I guess all that work it took to make my character the queen won't really matter. Le sniff.

 

[L4hlborg]

What decisions? I don't remember any decisions that would matter that much, except for Morrigan's deal. So if we can't continue with our save. I guess all that work it took to make my character the queen won't really matter. Le sniff.

Well, your decisions shaped the dwarvern society, the treatment on city elves and shit like that. There could be pretty big changes, depending on what you did.

 

[Jared]

Well, at least its something . I didnt expect to let them keep our characters, but nice to see some changes might take place

 

[Zhukov]

Alright. I guess that works.

I would still prefer to be able to use my old character though.

...

Just like in Mass Effect 2 they say? So no effect at all then? How dissapointing.

I'm smelling a distinct whiff of "waaahh" on that post of yours.

 

[Shycte]

Alright. I guess that works.

I would still prefer to be able to use my old character though.

...

Just like in Mass Effect 2 they say? So no effect at all then? How dissapointing.

I'm smelling a distinct whiff of "waaahh" on that post of yours.

You mean like cry? Because I loved ME2 if that what's your after.

However, your dececions in ME1 didn't really affect your game as much BioWare made it sound. Like the council for example...

 

[mad825]

However, your dececions in ME1 didn't really affect your game as much BioWare made it sound. Like the council for example...

lets see how that goes in ME3 , for the last game in the series Im sure they would at least make all choices have hellish consequences.

 

[Zhukov]

However, your dececions in ME1 didn't really affect your game as much BioWare made it sound. Like the council for example...

I did not keep up with the marketing of ME2, so I cannot comment on what sounds Bioware made.

But you make a fair point. I guess it comes down to them not wanting to put a great deal of effort into content that not all players would see. Whether that qualifies as laziness or efficiency is up for debate.

Personally, I was just happy that I got to see Wrex again.

 

[ike42]

That's kind of lame though, at least in Mass Effect 2 you got character rewards for things like your level and amount of cash in Mass Effect 1.

 

[Lacsapix]

I already knew this?
its good news anyway I worked hard in becoming the ruler of Ferelden so its good to know my warden still gets the fame it deserved!

 

[shintakie10]

I did not keep up with the marketing of ME2, so I cannot comment on what sounds Bioware made.

But you make a fair point. I guess it comes down to them not wanting to put a great deal of effort into content that not all players would see. Whether that qualifies as laziness or efficiency is up for debate.

Personally, I was just happy that I got to see Wrex again.

Eh, they harped pretty hard on the "Your choices could have dire consequences for the galaxy" bit far too much for what actually came around. The biggest galaxy changin decisions you made though had no gameplay impact at all like the council. Yay, I saved the council and nothins changed. Yay I let the council die and now humanity is totally in charge...and once again nothin changed. Dont get me wrong, loved the game, but if you go out and literally say that every decision you make can and will have consequences you get larger expectations than what was actually presented.

Truth be told I expect Dragon Age 2 to be in roughly the same vein. I cant really expect them to go through and actually make hundreds of different scenarios based off of thousands of different variables to make sure every possible decision you made had every possible effect in place, but after seein Mass Effect 2 and then seein them use roughly the same claims they used for Mass Effect 2 I wont be disappointed when a grand total of nothin changes other than these npcs say somethin different and this npc stands in that spot instead of a different npc.

 

[Undead Dragon King]

Dammit. I deleated Dragon Age last week to clear up space on my hard drive. Looks like I'll have to fire it up again about a month before DA 2 comes out. I definitely want to see the continuation.

 

[Zero=Interrupt]

I wish they'd stop showing off the stylized concept art. The in-game models look just like their DA1 forerunners...

 

[Loonerinoes]

Good enough for me!

 

[Woodsey]

Just like in Mass Effect 2 they say? So no effect at all then? How dissapointing.

I saw the effects of plenty of mine.

Dammit. I deleated Dragon Age last week to clear up space on my hard drive. Looks like I'll have to fire it up again about a month before DA 2 comes out. I definitely want to see the continuation.

Your saved games might still be stored.

 

[Irridium]

Just like in Mass Effect 2 they say? So no effect at all then? How dissapointing.

Thats not true! There will be a line of text that mentions it!
...
Ok so still not much will happen...

OT: I read about this a while ago. Sounds interesting, but considering your decisions had little impact going from ME1-2 save for one or two decisions(killing/letting Wrex live in ME1 being one), I'm not too hopeful.

Unless ME3 completely blows me away with how my choices in the first and second effect things overall, I'm still skeptical.

 

[ThreeKneeNick]

What about Awakening? Also after ME2 im not sure this is such a big deal either.

 

[Jake Martinez]

Meh, the only sequel I'm less excited about than this one is the (hopefully to be aborted) Max Payne 3.

My gut feeling about this is that someone in marketing discovered that good old "silent protagonist" isn't as bankable of a merchandising vector as Commander Sheppard and this is the sole real reason why they are making the change.

I'm sure Bioware will make a great game regardless, but I've more or less lost a lot of respect for them because I'm fairly convinced they blew their integrity with this move.

 

[Sarkis]

My gut feeling about this is that someone in marketing discovered that good old "silent protagonist" isn't as bankable of a merchandising vector as Commander Sheppard and this is the sole real reason why they are making the change.

I'm sure Bioware will make a great game regardless, but I've more or less lost a lot of respect for them because I'm fairly convinced they blew their integrity with this move.

Any decision always has the downside, but the advantage to having a voiced character makes it feel like they are an actual character, just one that you control.
As long as everything fits the context I would argue it does raise immersion, even if it does put your imagination to less work, and most people who play RPGs do want to use their imagination a little.