While it won't convert non-fans of the original, those that enjoyed Origins should also enjoy Awakening
GAMEPLAY (8.0) - Awakening adds quite a bit of new content for veterans of Origins. The level cap has been raised, there are many new talents and spells, some new skill chains, hundreds of new items, new party members and a new area of Ferelden to explore. Players can import their character from Origins or start as a new Grey Warden. If an imported Warden is used he or she will retain all of their previous abilities and if a new Warden is created it will start at level 18, so either way the player is going to have a powerful character. Right at the start the player will once again have to deal with the darkspawn, but it is soon discovered that these creatures are a bit different. The leaders are now able to speak and reason, and this new level of intelligence may prove to be the greatest threat yet to the Humans, Dwarves and Elves of Ferelden. As the new Warden Commander it is the player's responsibility to not only battle the darkspawn but to also discover the source of their new abilities.
Awakening follows a similar structure to Origins in that different routes can be taken to complete the main quest, and many of them will add a new member to your party. Some will be disappointed in that most of the original characters from Origins will not be in Awakening, or at least not available as a party member. However, the new party members are quite interesting as well, as is expected from a Bioware game. There will be plenty of decisions to be made that will affect your relationship with your fellow party members, though unlike Origins there isn't any option to have a physical relationship with anyone. There will be additional tough decisions to make as well, such as either concentrating on defending the main keep or sending out troops to protect local farmers, for example. Many of these decisions will have a direct effect on the game and the ending, and there usually is not a clear cut wrong or right solution so it makes for some interesting situations.
The basic combat has not changed from Origins. Though there seems to be opportunities for a calculated, strategic approach to combat, most battles turn out rather chaotic and the general rule of thumb is to take out the enemy mages first and then go after the grunts, all the while hoping that allies will act according to the combat behaviors they were programmed for. While it feels a bit out of control the battles are still enjoyable whether if it's smashing enemies with a powerful warrior or destroying them with fantastic spells from a mage.
PRESENTATION - Basically the same as Origins, which means a bit weak in the graphics (7.5) and strong in the audio (9.0). It was nice to explore new areas and once again the sets are ambitious and varied, but unfortunately the lack of details and textures keeps the scenery from being as impressive as it could have been. Bioware has a reputation for great voicework and Awakening is no exception. Party members will have interesting conversations with each other that gives them more depth and the background music, while not particularly memorable, is of high caliber and befitting the fantasy setting.
VALUE (8.0) - Most players should complete this anywhere from 15 to 20 hours, depending on how thorough they are in completing sidequests. This is not comparable to Origins, or to most other RPGs for that matter. However this is an expansion as opposed to a full sequel and starts at a lower $40 price to reflect that, so overall it's not a bad deal.
SUMMARY - There is really nothing wrong about Awakenings, and as a Bioware product it is better than many other RPGs available. However there is a feeling of missed opportunities. The combat is still too chaotic for those who play it on a console and the graphics continue to look outdated. This is not a game that will convert players that were not fans of Origins. While the story is not as epic as Origins, for an expansion it still provides quite a bit of excitement. Those that are Dragon Age fans will want to play this as long as they keep in mind that this is a case of more of the same, and in this case that's not a bad thing.