Dragon Age 2 - Preview Roundup

Here's a small collection of Dragon Age 2 previews and an interview with David Gaider for good measure.

Newbreview has a general overview.  Their comments on the original Dragon Age presumably relate to the console version, because this just wasn't my experience:

The first thing that surprised me is that Dragon Age 2 isn’t exactly what you’d call a strict sequel. The events of the first game resonate through the narrative of DA2 as you take control of Hawk and lead him through some of the same plot points, this time told from a different perspective.

A common complaint of the first game was that attacks and spells were lined up using the pause menu before combat, and then the gamer sat back and watched the action unfold without actively having to do anything else. David Silverman, Brand Manager of both Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2, even joked that one Bioware forum member used this time for toilet breaks. The new game has gone some ways to address this issue.

An "All Access" preview video at G4.

GamePro has a hands-on although it reads more like an offline article.  The same amount of content but half the playing time, according to them:

Dragon Age: Origins could take a long damn time to get through. While Drgon Age II will have an equivalent amount of things to do and experience for completists, the average experience is expected to be shorter, more like the playthrough time of Mass Effect 2.

Dealspwn says the PC interface deals with those "confusing" toolbars:

The PC interface looks largely the same too, but with the addition of a couple of fully customisable hotkeys in the bottom right. Instead of having a confusing row of varying health potions and stat replenishment, quick health and quick stamina buttons will map the most readily available potion for the job to the corresponding button. Don’t like how it works? You’ll be able to tailor the buttons to work in the way you want.

...and Bitmob has a two part interview with David Gaider.  Part 1 covers his background and working for BioWare and Part 2 discusses creativity and his Dragon Age novels:

LG: What do you think about the video-game medium and its story telling ability?

DG: Well, it has a lot of limitations that you don’t necessarily deal with in other mediums. Like in a book.

I’ve written a couple of novels now [Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne and Dragon Age: The Calling]. When it comes to a book, I can put down on paper anything that’s in my imagination; however, in a video game, you have physical limitations in technology and of what you can actually show.

Where games are excellent is in the interactive part. You don’t get that in passive entertainment.

In those, you watch a character, but I don‘t think you would identify as strongly as in a game where you’re the one who directs the action. You have agency in a video game, whereas you don't in a movie or a novel. I think that changes the nature of the entertainment substantially, and that’s where the opportunities come in.