More of the same, kinda
DAO Awakening offered more of the same quest and battle as the original. If you liked DAO, you will like this expansion albeit it offers more of the same on a slimmer scale. Having found DAO a great game - one of the best if not the best D&D-style RPGs, I was pleased with the overall content and story of this expansion. On my system the game downloaded, installed, and played without so much as a hiccup.
Story:
Utilizing the same main/side quest format as the original, DAO Awakening kicks off quickly and progresses quickly to the finish. The same moral choices are offered with consequences to the game and companion stories.
Although the game was fast paced, it felt linear with only minor importance placed on choices - most of that impact felt in companion approval/disapproval - which personally I think there is too much emphasis placed. There was a sense of urgency in the context of NPC/PC dialogue, although I never really felt that urgency given the linear progression - this was after completing all side quests and the main quest.
Most of the side quests were overly simplistic and all too brief - generating very little in the way of adventure and exploration. One in particular I felt was pointless and a waste of time.
Personally I would like to see BioWare move the story towards something other than (solely) preparing for an epic battle with a re-emphasis on the interpersonal relationships developed. This is what made the original such an immersive experience. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with the culminating epic battle, but it was very reminiscent of the original. It would be nice to see a move towards a more personalized storyline as I kept hoping I run into an old romance or do I side quest with old companions. I also wondered if my choices in the original game were going to come back and haunt me. They didn't.
Game Play:
Same controls and function as the original. Easy to play without having to learn a new set of controls (or reset the controls).
There were a few bugs noted. During the final battle I had to wait for the cut scenes to catch up on several occasions, running around looking for new bad guys that hadn't spawned because the cut scene that announces their arrival hadn't played.
The rune crafting add-in was nice, but frustrating. I thought components were a bit over priced and not all components were available. I do not care for crafting components that are subject to a loot spawn and there was one particular set of runes I wanted to craft to the ultimate "Paragon" level but was vexed by the fact that one (and all components are critical) rune I couldn't find in any loot or at any of the vendors. If a craft is really a craft then the components - in this case a "tracing" - should be available from a vendor.
I also found gameplay on the normal setting exceedingly easy. I had no problem battling all opponents without the use of support (NPC armies) and without a single death of my PC. I know I could up the difficultly level, but I found normal difficulty in my first one through of the base game adequate and would have expected more of a challenge in this expansion. Perhaps that comes from knowing tactics better from the outset.
In the end I found the game enjoyable, but not as immersive as the original.
With an advertised 15-25 hours of play time I went another 7-10 hours longer in running all side quests. At 40 bucks, I thought it worth the money. I would happily pay more for a longer, more immersive experience and hope that BioWare will accomodate in the next expansion. The DAO story is long from being complete and I'm ready for more.