Dragon Age II campaign shorter than DA's

Dragon Age II's campaign is shorter than Dragon Age: Origins' – but it's longer than Mass Effect 2's.

That's according to BioWare executive producer Mike Laidlaw, who told PlayStation Universe the fantasy role-playing sequel is beefed up by side quests.

To determine how long the campaign will last, "Take a look at how you play games," he said. "I'd say it's a bit longer than Mass Effect but shorter than Origins."

Dragon Age: Origins' lengthy campaign weighed in at anywhere between 30 and 100 hours, depending on side quests and exploration undertaken by the player.

Side quests will also play an important part in the sequel's campaign, Laidlaw said.

"The game will take longer with side quests. At the same time, you can get through the story quite a bit faster because so much content is off to the side. Mileage will always vary, just take your habits and extrapolate."

Some Dragon Age fans have expressed concern that Dragon Age II offers a "dumbed down" role-playing experience.

In Laidlaw's view, it's a more "aerodynamic" game than the first, but he stopped short of saying it offered a "streamlined experience".

"You won't have to spend a year in character creation," he said.

Last week Laidlaw said gamers shouldn't feel intimidated by the RPG genre – they might not know it, but they already have the necessary skills to jump in and have fun.