Dragon Age 2 - Preview Roundup # 2

A few new things about Dragon Age 2 has popped up, so I'll collect them here.

GameRevolution has a preview although no new info seem to be given except maybe about the combat:

A bit of a fuss has been made over Bioware’s slogan about the combat: “Think like a general, fight like a Spartan.” But it’s more like Origins than anything else, really – you’ll be commanding your party members to take aim at the enemies of your choice, and what we’ve seen of the AI is smart enough to dispatch those enemies effectively. But you will also get your hands dirty in the fast-paced combat with some crazy, 300-esque moves; warriors can make leaping overhead smashes that clear spaces in a hurry, while rogues teleport behind victims in a puff of smoke and backstab them with both hands.

Mike Laidlaw says to news10net that DA2 is as good as BG2

"[Baldur's Gate 2] had characters that were incredibly memorable," Laidlaw tells News10's Game Guys. "Characters like Edwin or Minsc with his crazed crusade against all things evil. And I think that what we deliver with Dragon Age 2 a deeper tactical experience."

And Xbox 360 achievements has written a nice detailed hands-on preview article. They start out in High Town, then they go down into Deep Roads and beyond. They played both as female and as a mage. Here's a snip about the combat when playing as a mage:

As a mage in Dragon Age: Origins, the standard attack was something that you’d only use when you’d run out of mana, but in Dragon Age II, it actually feels like a much more integral part of the combat. A series of button clicks lets Hawke kick out a combo of standard attacks, deftly twirling her staff in the process, making you feel like she’s had some personal training from Bruce Lee himself. Instead of just using it as a last resort, it actually becomes a great tool to link up spells and manage your mana supplies much more effectively. In truth, it does make combat that much easier on the whole, but it seems BioWare has gone to great lengths to balance it up by throwing greater numbers of tougher enemies at you.

Chris Priestly made an Official Warrior Class Discussion thread at the DA2 forums. More info about the warrior class here.

Edit: Added a couple more...

Destructoid:

If you enjoyed playing Dragon Age in a more tactical and methodical fashion, have no fear; BioWare has not done away with any of the strategic elements of combat. I was still able to pause and assign orders or queue up abilities as I saw fit. In fact, this will still be required for some of the more difficult fights, especially on the higher difficulty settings. BioWare has not converted DA2 into a full-blown action-RPG; they've simply made it considerably more fun to pick up and play. I still enjoyed the PC version the most, as the controls and combat felt like a well executed hybrid of modern MMO and old-school RPG.

Dragon Age II is a huge improvement over Dragon Age: Origins in almost every way. As a fan of the first game, I definitely had my fair share of gripes and complaints. I feel like BioWare has really done a fantastic job of listening to the fans and addressing many of the issues that players might have had with the first game. I think it is safe to say that we can expect another hit out of BioWare this March with Dragon Age II.

...and GameSpot has a video interview with Mike Laidlaw.