Dragon Age 2 is a Personal Quest

The fighting cleaves through the battle as effortlessly as a kitchen knife cuts through butter. Such movements are more fluent as my sorceress character carves a path of destruction through the dark spawn.

And that's just the first hour of the game.

This is just a mere glimpse of what is more to come. But the design and controls for the new Dragon Age game marks new territory for exact game playing. It already hit the shelves this week.

It is everything one has been waiting for from the production of Bioware? Yes. It is worth the wait to satisfy the hungers of game playing fanatics? Oh, yes. A big yes.

This is coming from someone who isn't much of a game player. Most games I buy are from certain companies who I know will put out a good product. I ignore everything else stocking up on the shelf. Game playing doesn't interest me that much.

If it’s got the name Bioware on the product, I’m their customer.

Dragon Age 2 is better than just any sequel. It's part of a grander scheme of things as it unfolds into a very satisfying world: you become the author of the game as you dictate what will happen. Your champion influences the events around it. This becomes a chapter of an ongoing saga that feels bigger and better.

For example, my wizard character saves a Magistrate’s ill-stricken son from killing any more elves in the ruins. But the Magistrate has political ambitions when my character threatens to take his son to a court of law where he faces charges. The Magistrate said: “I have great influence in the city of Kirkwall. I will make it very difficult for you to live here.” You better believe it.

I used to become obscenely upset, if childishly angry over popular games such as the Prince of Persia or Resident Evil for their insane control designs. It felt too sluggish and I couldn't get wind of the game without figuring out the control layout. I used to hate these games because of their sucky save spots.

You don't worry about that here in Dragon Age 2. As with its predecessors, you can save whenever the hell you feel like. Not only that, sometimes the game makes an auto-save for you. How nice.

However, the best is yet to come. I always was interested in playing the Mage characters. I've enjoyed the fantasy elements of magic in comic books such as the adult-oriented Hellblazer series starring a street smart, chronic smoking Mage. There's also Marvel's comic sorcerer Dr. Strange or DC's latest addition to sorcery: the Las Vegas styled entertainer and powerful woman magician Zatanna. With fishnet stockings.

Yes, I have a thing for magicians.

So it makes sense for me to play one here. But Dragon Age 2 does one better than the previous. The Mage characters have much better fighting abilities. Not only is the staff used as a source of magic, but the magician can wield it like a weapon. Some of staffs have knife-like edges which can slice an attacking foe in half.

I'm not kidding you.

The Mages kick some real ass this time around.

But it’s the story that's once again the big draw for me. Such complexities is like opening up a long novel from the Lord of the Rings series and digging into it. And you keep peeling away through the plot threads. I've played only through Act one so far and it's laden with great side stories along with major plot points.

The story revolves around a lone survivor and his/her family from the first wave of destruction in the first Dragon Age game. That survivor is Hawke. But here's another clincher in the story: the story unfolds over a ten year period starting from humble beginnings before turning into a champion who makes decision that can alter a war.

There are many controversial decisions you can make in the game. Your companions on the team can either side with your or oppose. They can hate or love you. The choices you make can affect the rest of the game. You are in total control of the game. And that's a personal touch.

It's nice that you’re allowed design your own character, thus lending another personal touch to the game. The story is how you interpret it. I've chosen to create a female Mage with dark, flowing hair and a moonlit pale face who remains a force of good.

However you choose the path of the story is entirely at your own discretion. You can play a rotting, heartless bastard or a gentle warden for good. Whatever you want to play... as a Mage, a rogue or a knight, it's up to you. What matters is how the story evolves and you are taking part of something greater.

It's a huge world in Dragon Age 2. Elves, dwarfs and dragons everywhere. And it's a delight to see that it unfolds with all the right blend of fantasy and sorcery. So lift the red-spilled sword in your hand and run into battle while imagining yourself as the greatest hero Dragon Age has known. It’s a personal journey. And it's quite an blood-letting experience.