Great Expansion. More fun than Origins. Read to know why....
Awakening is the expansion to Origins. If you complain that this game is shorter than Origins then i have to tell you that i have never heard of an "Expansion" being longer than the original......
I have a belief that the Downloadable Content or DLCs have really spoilt gaming to some extent especially when it comes to PC gaming. First they charge you and then you get to play it in anticipation only to find out its over in few hours.
Stone Prisoner, Warden's Keep and Return To Ostagar especially were disappointing in this manner. I believe that we must continue to have only Expansions to game rather than DLCs as the DLCs simply kill the hype and joy of a sequel. An expansion on the other hand is like a Teaser to the sequel.
Anyways on to this game, this game has that one aspect in which Origins was weak i.e. the Spells. The spells are very much improved in this game. The new abilities such as Runecrafting are simply additions which could have been in origins.
The story telling as always is really good like Origins. The ending though as not epic is still good. There is also some Graphical improvements in this game. There is more attention given to the lighting. Still incomparable to Mass Effect 2. DA 2 really needs to step up in this department.
However the game's got some serious glitches which prevented me from giving it a 10/10. In origins i had killed Loghain and made myself the king. Alistair was happy and everybody were happy.
In Awakening however, i could see only Queen Annora. If Alistair's sudden disappearance wasn't shocking enough, Loghain's reappearance at the Vigil's Throne made me fall off my chair. How can a dead man be walking?
Overall, there is really not much to this game. If you have never played Origins, don't work hard to get this game (as u will need origins also). If you have played Origins and love it, definitely get this game.
Dragon Age 2 is coming Jan 2011. I really wish they take more time and address some issues and improvise on making an even more Perfect RPG game.