Well, it depends on what path you take to a large degree. I could buy into the rivalmance path, for instance, but that largely concerned issues with not wanting to play anti-mage. But DA2 gets a lot of flak, and I don't think all of it is necessarily deserved. I found the romances far more engaging...well, at least Anders' was. Because of the ultimate finale of the game, his arc is made that much more tragic when he's linked to Hawke.Kahunaburger said:
Anders comes to Kirkwall with the explicit purpose of kick-starting a revolution. He's also sworn off sex and relationships because of his predicament with Justice. A later dialogue makes it clear that he's never actually loved anyone (or at least, never acknowledged that love). Why? Because the Circle uses that knowledge against mages. His very first quest features him killing a former lover, so I think we can safely say Anders wasn't exaggerating on this point, at least.
Enter Hawke. No matter what Hawke's gender, no matter how s/he treats Anders, no matter what his/her choices are, Anders falls in love with Hawke. This is explicit in the Anders romance arc where he states he spent three years aching for Hawke. It also comes up should Hawke pursue another love interest. In the Justice quest, Anders will call Hawke out on his choice of LI and also imply he'd be a better option.
So basically, despite his commitment to his cause, Anders is head-over-heels for Hawke. And because he has possibly the worst luck in Thedas, he meets the love of his life right as he's gearing up to make himself a martyr for the cause of mages. If that isn't dramatic tension, than I don't know what is.
If you pursue the romance arc, you're also treated to gut-wrenching scenes like calling him out about the Justice quest. Some of those lines are the most realistic portrayal of a couple in any video game I've ever played. "Just because you love somebody, that doesn't mean you agree with every decision they make." Gold. And the anguish in Boulton's voice really sells it. The pillow scene with Varric is another clear indication that something bad's on the way.
Actually, that right there is why I really love this path. Most games that give you romance options generally stick to the fluffy, falling-in-love-and-everything-is-golden parts. You get that with Anders. In Act 2. Afterwards, though, you see things start to fall apart. And not because of any lack of love. No, it's pretty evident Anders is still deeply in love. He's just equally committed to his cause, uncommunicative, and secretive. Those might not be the qualities I'd want in a real life paramour, but they're excellent fodder for a tragedy.
The whole thing could have been solved if the two leads just spoke to each other. But they refuse and everything goes to hell. I literally had to step away from the keyboard during the endgame to figure out what my Hawke would do regarding Anders. I haven't felt that type of gut, emotional reaction from a game in a long time. Not even from Origins, which stuck to its wake-up-save-the-world formula pretty hard and ignored the sort of personal moments DA2 reveled in. Origins was an epic, and it was great. DA2 was a personal drama and it made more of an impact on me. And the Anders romance/relationship arc was a huge part of the reason why.
Enter Hawke. No matter what Hawke's gender, no matter how s/he treats Anders, no matter what his/her choices are, Anders falls in love with Hawke. This is explicit in the Anders romance arc where he states he spent three years aching for Hawke. It also comes up should Hawke pursue another love interest. In the Justice quest, Anders will call Hawke out on his choice of LI and also imply he'd be a better option.
So basically, despite his commitment to his cause, Anders is head-over-heels for Hawke. And because he has possibly the worst luck in Thedas, he meets the love of his life right as he's gearing up to make himself a martyr for the cause of mages. If that isn't dramatic tension, than I don't know what is.
If you pursue the romance arc, you're also treated to gut-wrenching scenes like calling him out about the Justice quest. Some of those lines are the most realistic portrayal of a couple in any video game I've ever played. "Just because you love somebody, that doesn't mean you agree with every decision they make." Gold. And the anguish in Boulton's voice really sells it. The pillow scene with Varric is another clear indication that something bad's on the way.
Actually, that right there is why I really love this path. Most games that give you romance options generally stick to the fluffy, falling-in-love-and-everything-is-golden parts. You get that with Anders. In Act 2. Afterwards, though, you see things start to fall apart. And not because of any lack of love. No, it's pretty evident Anders is still deeply in love. He's just equally committed to his cause, uncommunicative, and secretive. Those might not be the qualities I'd want in a real life paramour, but they're excellent fodder for a tragedy.
The whole thing could have been solved if the two leads just spoke to each other. But they refuse and everything goes to hell. I literally had to step away from the keyboard during the endgame to figure out what my Hawke would do regarding Anders. I haven't felt that type of gut, emotional reaction from a game in a long time. Not even from Origins, which stuck to its wake-up-save-the-world formula pretty hard and ignored the sort of personal moments DA2 reveled in. Origins was an epic, and it was great. DA2 was a personal drama and it made more of an impact on me. And the Anders romance/relationship arc was a huge part of the reason why.
