Dragon Age 2: Legacy Member Review for the Xbox360

Dragon Age II: Legacy Review
TheDiesel
 

The Hawke family has lived a hard life; battling Qunari, bandits, and other enemies for redemption, fortune, and freedom.  But even while the streets of Kirkwall lay silent, a new trouble threatens the Hawke name.  Can EA's first big Dragon Age II Downloadable Content handle itself like the legendary Hawke?

The Hawke family for months have been terrorized by the Carta, a group of dwarves known for committing gold-related crimes.  After dealing with the harassment for far too long, Hawke and fellow travellers set foot to the Carta's main base to settle their situation once and for all.  When Hawke and company reach the Carta camp, they are not looking for money; an odd situation considering the Carta's main attention.  Hawke soon came to learn that the Carta were Hell bent for the Hawke family's blood, specfically their father's blood: the man who had been dead for years.  As condused as Hawke was, the Carts would not rest until they recieved the Hawke blood, so the battle for the the truth began.

As in Dragon Age II, you'll have your altercations against many foes, including more than the Carta, but in a very linear state.  Dragon Age II is surely known for having fantastic looking levels and backdrops, but having a pace that feels like it holds your hand.  The level design is very linear, only having a few short detours to provide space for sidequests and extra lore for those interested.  Legacy also provides new sets of armor and a customizable, class specfic weapon for Hawke, dubbed, "Hawke's Key".  This new weapon is customizable through unlocking Seals that give Hawke's Key beneficial stat gains like attack speed, health drain, and critical chance to name a few.  The stat bonuses are miniscule but the weapon is aesthetically pleasing and a better overall weapon than most choice early in the game.

Legacy also provides new enemies to fight, including the Alpha versions of the Hurlock and the Genlock.  While these enemies need a little more concentration and strategy to tackle, they are nothing too difficult to take down.  While the Alpha enemies are a nice touch, the end boss to Legacy is the highlight of the downloadable content.  The boss combines teamwork, skill, and proper evasive abilities to best this foe.  But sadly, the highlight of the DLC is the end to a rather short mission, boasting at most a three to four hour quest if you take your time to complete every sidequest and pursue every bit of backstory and lore that Legacy has to offer.

For ten dollars, Legacy provides a nice side journey, along with a good starting weapon for newer characters; but seasoned players will feel this downloadable content is too pricey for how short the mission in total is.  Proceed with caution to tack the Legacy, unless you have the spare coin for it.