You'll be able to experience Dragon Age II's new character, new combat, new art direction, and new dialogue system on March 8, 2011, when all three versions of the title hit retail shelves, EA and BioWare jointly revealed this morning at Gamescom.
You could call EA's presentation at Gamescom "a big deal" for developer BioWare. It got the chance to unveil its PS3 version of Mass Effect 2 and its first trailer for Dragon Age II, the follow-up to 2009's Dragon Age: Origins. But in addition to wowing the crowd with the following stunning pre-rendered trailer dubbed "Destiny," it also announced the game's release date. You already knew that part, though.
There's a lot to like about Dragon Age II at first glance. The oilier art style is pleasing to the eye, and as I suspected, goes well with crimson. But on a gameplay-oriented note, it also appears as if DAII will indeed be a much more focused, refined experience similar to that of Mass Effect. The story will focus on lead protagonist Hawke, who you'll control like Commander Shepard in both dialogue and perhaps even combat (if I'm understanding what BioWare is alluding to in regards to DAII's newer combat system). We'll have more on Dragon Age II soon, so stay tuned.