Dragon Age II

o many people gave Dragon Age II flack when it came out back in February, but despite some of the drastic differences between the sequel and Origins, it’s grown on me a little bit.  That’s why I was somewhat interested in checking out Legacy, the first major downloadable chapter for the game since its release, which expands on the Hawke’s family storyline.  Is it serviceable for fans of the series?  Yes, but it doesn’t quite go that extra mile like the Mass Effect 2 DLC did.
In the story, Varric, being the fool that he is, fails to fill on some history that Cassandra should’ve known about.  It was mostly for his own convenience, but better to hear it now rather than never, right?  It deals with someone who, in the past, went hunting down members of the Hawke family, mainly the siblings who couldn’t defend for themselves.  Varric manages to track down the source of the threat – a Dwarven crew that’s holed up in a peculiar area off the map – only to find there’s more to the story, something involving the Hawke’s blood itself.

To go any further into detail would spoil the story, so I’ll save those little surprises for those who actually buy the expansion.  Bioware has done a serviceable job making this content fit in with the rest of Dragon Age II’s folklore.  The visuals in this new area, particularly in the dungeon, are very well done, and there’s no shortage of enemies to cut down to size and characters to interact with.  You might even learn a new thing or two as you traverse through these areas, which will take you a few hours to do.
That said, that magic spark is missing from Legacy.  We’re not sure if it was something in the storytelling department, or perhaps a lack of extra oomph to the gameplay, but it almost feels like you’re performing the same old grind that you were in your original run-through of Dragon Age II, rather than going off in an exciting new direction.  See, the Mass Effect 2 DLC didn’t quite go that route, especially Lair of the Shadow Broker.  It introduced a new dynamic that was both captivating and exciting.  With Legacy, that feeling never comes across.
That said, it’s still more serviceable than most useless DLC on the market, thanks to good voice acting, a series of choices that will guide you along your journey, and some strong graphic design that makes the area worth checking out multiple times.  Just don’t expect your world to be shaken to its core.  Where Dragon Age II Legacy could’ve really set out to be something unique, it feels like the same old tale we’ve been reading through.