When Dragon Age 2 was released last March, it sparked a lot of complaints and controversy amongst the fandom. Within several weeks, the game went from being the highly anticipated sequel of the highly successful "Dragon Age: Origins", to a common find on the "previously enjoyed" racks at stores. Forums erupted with complaints, mostly focused around the much smaller scope of Dragon Age 2 when compared to the abundant quests, large world and expansive plot line of Origins.
Considering that all of Dragon Age 2 takes place within the City of Kirkwall and the surrounding mountain of Sundermount, it is true that the game is - at least geographically - much less expansive than Origins, which took place across the entire kingdom of Ferelden. The game also got rid of elements such as the Chanter's Board and the Mage's Collective, which allowed for an incredibly large amount of quests. However, it is foolish to assume that a smaller scale means less quality; rather then being inferior, Dragon Age 2 is simply a different type of game. Many great games take place within a smaller setting; the critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham Asylum took place entirely within Arkham island, and the classic Silent Hill series was completely contained within the town of Silent Hill. Saying that a game is flawed because it is less expansive is not an accurate statement, as a smaller setting can often add a lot to a game, which I will argue is the case with Dragon Age 2.
