Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Edge of Reality
Player(s): Single Player
Genre: RPG, Adventure
Release Date: (NA) November 3, 2009
Platform(s): Xbox 360 (also on PC, PS3)
Rated: Mature
After the major success of Mass Effect, how was BioWare going to bring their great brand of RPG gameplay back to the consoles? Well they answered with Dragon Age: Origins, an RPG of epic proportions that takes everything good about Mass Effect and games like Elder Scrolls and than blends them together.
Dragon Age: Origins begins with a number of origin stories where you choose from species such as a human noble, dalish elf and dwarf. After you have completed your custom-made character’s origin story, you are tossed into the shoes of a special military force known as the Grey Wardens. Your ultimate goal is to save the kingdom from a dark force known as ‘Darkspawn’ which seek to take over the world.
Dragon Age plays a lot like Mass Effect does but as I mentioned earlier it also seems to borrow some elements from Elder Scrolls IV as well. You can explore a very large world, interact with plenty of characters, become romantically involved with your party members and collect codecs which also took place in Mass Effect.
Gameplay is made up of a real-time battle system where you and 3 other party members target an enemy group and start swinging. My only issue with this system is that the game basically just plays itself with you just issuing commands. It’s still entertaining but a little disappointing nonetheless. The graphics also leave a lot to be desired as they really aren’t as good as they could be. Many of the characters and textures appear to be muddy but it’s really not that big of a deal.
As with all RPGs, Dragon Age features many, many hours of gameplay in just the story alone, not to mention the numerous origin stories you can tackle. There is also a ton of side quests that you can do which give you loot and stronger equipment. Another thing that makes a comeback from Mass Effect is the ability to become romantically involved with basically all of the characters who join your party whether it be a male or a female. This has been the source of a bit of controversy but I believe it adds a ton of depth to each character and that is what RPGs are all about.
So aside from the 50-some hours of content available on the disc already, BioWare also plans to add DLC for the game for around 2 years so there is plenty to look forward to as well. If you enjoyed Mass Effect or Elder Scrolls or you just want an RPG that is dark, edgy and mature then Dragon Age: Origins is the game for you. It has a combat system that takes some getting used to but overall it’s a great package and the amount of content you get for the price is well worth it.
Pros:
- Tons of content
- Intriguing, mature and dramatic storyline
- Very deep character development
Cons:
- Combat system is a bit disappointing
- Graphics could be better
- Some of the voice acting is cheesy
One aspect of this game that I enjoy a lot is the banter between character as you are wondering around. Putting different character in your party and just walking around can be hilarious at times or very philosophical( Morrigan and Leliana). I had my reservations about this game despite being a Bioware fan, yet this game delivered more than I expected. In a good way.
Good review, no bias, something we don’t see from some of the other sites.
I haven’t played this game, but I think I’ll go out and get it now… thanks…