Dragon Age II: Mark of the Assassin DLC Reviews
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RipTen, 7.0/10.
I'm not sure I could state that Mark of the Assassin is '˜better' than Legacy. If you enjoy extended dialogue sequences, cameos involving NPC's from the Dragon Age series and bantering with your companions, you'll find MotA is right up your alley. If you prefer a lot of combat, or a gritty story, it probably won't live up to your expectations. It's certainly an improvement over the recycled environments and repetitive wave combat that we saw in Dragon Age II, and a continuation of Legacy's push to remove or cleverly disguise such things.
GamesRadar, 8/10.
Half of Dragon Age is listening and taking part in conversations; when that half is more engaging than most combat scenarios, we really appreciate it. This is absolutely the case with Mark of the Assassin. It doesn't stray dramatically from the established Dragon Age II formula, and it's not perfect, but it's still miles ahead of BioWare's previous DLC offering and a must-have for fans of the game.
Videogame Writers seems to be the only voice of dissent so far, awarding the DLC a mediocre 2.5/5.
The end events also confirm my suspicion that Dragon Age III will take place in Orlais (once BioWare confirms it, that is), and I have a feeling this entire DLC will play a part in the larger picture. But that doesn't make for an interesting or enjoyable DLC. You can scavenge some decent items, but there is not a specific item to the DLC. It feels like a pricy chess move and, frankly, I feel like BioWare wants to ease fans' gripes about the series, but each attempt makes matters worse. Fans of Felicia Day will want to check it out early, but otherwise, I'd recommend waiting for the inevitable bundle.
*There is no way that Dragon Age III shouldn't begin with Hawke, or whomever you are playing, busting open Varric's door and murdering this dumb Chantry tart. Where's your Andraste now, lady?
Finally, fansite BioWareFans gives its own scoreless appraisal of the DLC.
In short, if you already have Legacy, or feel like having a new Dragon Age experience, you won't go wrong with Mark of the Assassin. Overall, the DLC is fun and worth the adventure. However, if you're strapped for cash, then I'd recommend going to Legacy first for your DA2 needs it's a more solid experience with stronger storytelling for the same price.
