I was just watching a trailer for one of the characters you can pick up in Dragon Age: Awakening, “Anders,” and I have to say that I am not at all interested in the expansion. Heck, I even got burnt out on Dragon Age. At one time there were whispers that it may have something to do with my distaste of RPGs, but that is not at all true (anymore).

Really, the game just felt kind of rigid to me. Ok, maybe that’s not a wholly accurate declaration. Maybe what struck me harder was the storyline wasn’t nearly as epic as a quip about the game may imply. Darkspawn, Grey Wardens… Stock fantasy? When King, Syndic and I watched the trailers for the game, featuring hardcore fell-swoop action, I was pumped for a genre-bender of sorts, ala Mass Effect. Instead, it was really Baldur’s Gate. Which is ok, but not what I expected. I mean, kind of just… more of the same?

What really got me though was the DLC. It made the game feel cheap. Like I paid to get equipment… Wait, I did. Penny Arcade did a comic about this when it was still more or less relevant. But more timely is the fact that I can’t justify buying the expansion when I feel like I was already in some way ripped-off. Ripped-off how? Well, you essentially get a set of Warden commander armor for a measly fight or two, and then the blood dragon armor helmet dropped into your inventory. Which, I might add, looked pretty dumb. Suffice to say, the DLC wave is not something I’m fond of. I want the game to be immersing standalone, sans NPCs who reference made up currencies and twenty minute bonus quests that get you a golem. Will Awakening be just more of the same?