| Dragon Age II | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | BioWare[a] |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Director(s) | Mark Darrah |
| Designer(s) | Mike Laidlaw |
| Programmer(s) | Jacques Lebrun |
| Artist(s) | Matthew Goldman |
| Writer(s) | David Gaider |
| Composer(s) | Inon Zur |
| Series | Dragon Age |
| Engine | Lycium Engine |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Dragon Age II is a 2011 action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts (EA). It is the second major game in the Dragon Age series and the successor to Dragon Age: Origins (2009). Set in the world of Thedas, players assume the role of Hawke, a human mage, rogue, or warrior who arrives in the city of Kirkwall as a lowly refugee, and becomes its legendary champion over a turbulent decade of political and social conflict. In the game, players explore and engage in combat from a third-person perspective. Players encounter various companions, who play major roles in the game's plot and gameplay. Depending on players' decisions and dialogue, a companion will either recognize Hawke as a friend or a rival.
BioWare began the game's development during the production of Origins's expansion pack Awakening. EA gave them only 14 to 16 months to finish the game's development, thus forcing the team to crunch for an extended period and reuse assets. BioWare looked at players' feedback and reviews of Origins, and decided to improve its gameplay, making it more action-oriented. They improved the Eclipse Engine, renaming it Lycium, to enhance the game's visuals and lighting, and accommodate a new art style inspired by movies like Yojimbo and Conan. Mike Laidlaw, David Gaider and Inon Zur returned to their roles as lead designer, writer and composer respectively.
Announced in July 2010, the game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and OS X in March 2011. The game received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its gameplay, companions and writing; although changes to the storytelling structure and the combat system had a more mixed reception. The limited setting and reused assets were widely criticized. It received a more polarized response from players, though more than one million copies were sold in less than two weeks, a faster sales pace than its predecessor. Upon launch, BioWare supported the game with several downloadable content packs. A sequel, Dragon Age: Inquisition was released in November 2014.
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