Immediacy is BioWare’s adopted mantra for Dragon Age II. Now dressed up in Mass Effect armour, DA2’s dialogue adopts its stablemate’s mannerisms: a conversation wheel anchors discussions and small blobs of text provide an inkling of what your fully voiced Hawke will say without spelling it out. Best of all, I was able to use my party’s abilities mid-chat to shut up unruly backchatters. Bethany, Hawke’s sister, has access to a fireball. Against a stream of Darkspawn, she and Hawke could stand and discuss the ways they were about to be eaten, or – with a conversation option – she could launch a pre-emptive conflagration and crisp half the incoming force.
Already, Dragon Age II feels more connected and vital than its predecessor, and far less stodgy.
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