Well toss me into the RUINED FOREVER camp. This is terrible sorry, but I love me some old school RPGS. Let me be a friggin elf, I don't need voice acting. God this really annoys me. Well at least the Protagonist has a decent name. This really grinds my gears.
Looking through the Bio Ware forums is like swimming in a sea of Fan Dumb. I have faith in Bio Ware, as they have yet to release a game I don't like. (I haven't had a chance to play any of their PC games, so I'm pretty much going from KOTOR, Jade Empire, ME, and DAO) People will initially be upset about the changes, but I'm sure most will come around and just accept the game for what it is.
^ To be honest, if the changes move the game farther from the topdown/Baldur's Gate formula, I'll be upset. But for now there's nothing suggesting that to be the case, except for a bit of PR talk that's really too vague to mean anything.
I always played as a human so the fact that you can only have a human character doesn't bother me too much. Also, people are acting like its going to be the most linear game ever because of the fact there is only one origin, even though in DAO, you will always end up as a Grey Warden in Ostagar no matter what you do
edited 8th Jul '10 2:32:31 PM by SandwichofTruthiness
I'm a bit annoyed about the lack of origins, but I suspect that the game will branching plot lines to make up for the lost replay value.
If anything, it sounds like they're going the Commander Shepard route for characters this time. This is not necessarily bad, but I can see how it would miff fans of the first Dragon Age.
CHARACTER LIMIT EXCEEDED
Bioware is a pretty solid developer, IMO, so I'm willing to give Dragon Age 2 a try no matter what direction they decide to take with it. My wife, on the other hand... well, I think she's going to be annoyed by not having the chance to play as her beloved dwarf commoner rogue again.
At the very least— for everyone's sake— I hope they retain the ability to play as a female character. Bioware deployed Mr. Fanservice very successfully in the first game, so I hope they don't shoot themselves in the foot by leaving the fangirls in the cold.
^It's been confirmed that Hawke is the PC's surname and can be either gender.
Grr still bugs me, I bet they could easily make it that the name could apply to any race. I mean an elf could be named Hawke(so could a dwarf).
Anyway I still want Jade Empire 2.
Has emotional range
The Final ECW Champion
To be honest, if the changes move the game farther from the topdown/Baldur's Gate formula, I'll be upset.I don't think they'll change the isometric gameplay, they would need to completely revamp the engine for that or get an entirely new one. Unlikely in the already short development cycle.
I have faith in Bio Ware. They haven't failed me yet. Not counting JE's lack of a sequel.
scratching at .8, just hopin'
That doesn't count as failing us so much as denying us.
They DO know we'd pounce on that the second they breathed word of a sequel, right?
^^^ Considering that Bioware has pulled out enormous resources lately and that they aren't apparently shy anymore when it comes to releasing buggy messes I wouldn't be surprised if they still revamped the combat system. 
But jokes aside, I don't think they'll do so, but a large part of the Fan Dumb fandom, thinks that it will be more of an action RPG.. for some reason.
"So our new brave hero will be still fighting darkspawns eh?"
They look more like the ravenous corpses from the first game IMO.
My impression/wild guess is that this game won't really fall strictly into the Mass Effect or Dragon Age Origins model, rather this game will be an RPG based around developing your main character into a great hero of the Land, as opposed to battling a specific threat.
I like what I am hearing so far, the decision to restrict character origin will help with immersion I think, and open the possibility of a long string of games like the ME saga.
DAO served as an introduction to the setting, I think DA 2 is where they really meant to go with it all.
I just hope that there is less focus on fighting Darkspawn. Let's see something else.
Five facts about Hawke in Dragon Age II
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And apparently Play.com already put a couple of super lo-res screenshots in its Dragon Age II page
◊.
edited 9th Jul '10 10:32:08 AM by WUE
So this isn't even a character-driven story so much as a character-centric one. Huh. Could certainly end up interesting but I can see why people might have a problem with that.
^ At least it's something that breaks Bioware's usual formula. While I don't like not being able to choose your race that much, it feels.. refreshing. Of course, I still feel like it's too soon to be either positive or negative towards this game.
Dragon Age II is not about killing an ancient evil or about quelling another blight; Hawke is the driving force behind the narrative. Over the course of the game's 10-year timeline, players' actions and choices will determine Hawke's history, relationships, and regrets...all in service to answering the larger question: Who is the Champion of Kirkwall?
Called it four posts up.
edited 9th Jul '10 12:24:13 PM by Ktotwf
Phones
This seems interesting so far, but I'll withhold my judgment until we get more info. I liked the first Dragon Age, so I hope this one is good too.
Brother
God damn @ Bioware forums. So much complaining when we barely have any info at all?
^ They've apparently already decided that it's an ARPG. And that it won't have same sex romances... that apparently are the most important thing in the first game.