I got my first look at the new Dragon Age back at PAX last year and managed to contain my excitement, but just barely.It’s hard to maintain your professionalism when you’re getting a sneak peek at what just may be one of the greatest games of all time.Yes that’s right, I said it, it’s one of the greatest of all time on my personal list. Right up there with GTA IV, Oblivion and Left 4 Dead. I’ve played so much Dragon Age that I’ve frequently fallen asleep with the controller in my hand only to wake up, sometimes hours later and get right back to playing.

I had been avoiding actually playing the demo, because just like a true addiction, I would start to get the withdrawals from not being able to continue on playing.I gave in to the temptation over the weekend and sat down to play, unfettered.(You don’t really get to play unfettered at PAX when you’re working. It’s interview, tap tap on the controller, move on to the next game).This time I would play with no interruptions, no one standing behind me waiting for their turn, no one texting me asking when I was going to the Duke Nukem Booth (thanks Blaster).So I sat down, margarita next to me and began to play.I chose a character I didn’t really play in DAI, a rogue.I’d played with her a little at PAX but this time we would get intimate. Stop thinking all dirty, you know what I mean.

I would have to say the Rogue will without a doubt be my favorite character to play.She reacts and moves like my mind works.Faster than fast, reacting to what’s going on rather than relying completely on strategy.This is how I play every game.Even in MMOs I tend to react to who needs help fighting, keeping the mage safe, backing up the warrior/tank types.It’s a natural role for me and I do it well. Finally there is a game that plays and reacts the way I do. The Rogue is lightening fast, doing damage to many foes at once, only to dance out of their reach, then leap forward onto her unsuspecting target to plunge her blades into their chest.That is just…lovely.The other thing I loved was the new skill trees for selecting your skill sets and abilities.This is much more diverse than before, allowing you to pick and choose what you like, without having to pour points into just one specific area.This was true before, but often I found myself completing a skill set because I simply had no choice.I may have had enough points to choose something else but I couldn’t pick it because I had to have the first power in that set.It appears that now, so long as you have the points and the skill level, you can grab more than a few things.

I did manage to try out the other classes and was equally impressed that they have their strengths and weaknesses and have just as diverse character trees.But what really pulled me in, to the point where I’m going to have say goodbye to you kiddies once I get my hands on a copy, is the story.While you could very well play DAII without the back ground from the previous one, you’ll get much more of a kick out of knowing the lore.After playing a while, my family, who’s watched me play DA over and over, now knows the score and there was a collective gasp at seeing our old frenemy, Flemeth.There was a lot of “Wait didn’t we kill her ooooh, noes!! The demo is over?!!! No no no!!” Bioware has earned a very large piece of the female gamer community’s hearts by not only having fantastic game play, but by giving us a deeply immersive, juicy and yes romantic story we can sink our teeth into. Not to mention a webisode with our favorite girl gamer at large, Felicia Day. It’s proof that you can make a game women AND men love, and it doesn’t have to have Barbie in it. I could gush on, but right now I’m itching to play the demo again. Besides, someone has to stand against the Blight...even in the demo.