On the surface, Dragon Age: Origins Awakening promises an embarrassment of riches for fans of the original epic, including fresh talents, three new skill chains, an expanded roster of party members and more than 500 new items. But while this expansion is better than many of the standalone role players battling for your buck right now, Awakening feels too similar to its predecessor and offers little thats fresh or revolutionary.
For fans of the innovative RPGs developed by BioWare, this is classic stuff. From forcing players to face the consequences of their actions, to a structure which allows you to find many different solutions to the same problem, Awakening deftly expands the Origins experience without losing any of the depth, scale or sense of freedom that the coders are famous for. And with new party members that are every bit as memorable as those in the first game and a clever evolution of the darkspawn story that makes perfect sense in the world of Dragon Age this is a fine way to swash your buckle and keep the Origins spirit alive.
But while theres little actually wrong with Awakening, the game doggedly follows the structure of its predecessor, to the point where youll be convinced youve played through certain challenges before. And while the adventures moral framework and explosive new spells are fun, this is one of the few BioWare quests that doesnt grab you by throat and weave you inextricably into the experience.