by NikoRad

Created on: December 03, 2009

Would you expect anything but a sprawling, epic journey in a game from Bioware, the masters of the adventure game?

Dragon Age: Origins is a game that will eat up hours and hours of your time, provided that you are interested in this genre. I say that because, honestly, Dragon Age doesn't really bring anything new to the table (well, outside of elves that speak with a heavy French accent...) - but I don't say that as an insult in any way. This game takes the best elements of fantasy and the adventure/RPG game genre, and shows a mastery of execution that results in a highly enjoyable gaming experience.

Onto specifics:

General Gameplay

If you've played Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights, you'll be familiar with the mechanics. In a nut shell, you travel across the world's continent via a map system, go through towns and area of interest with the characters. There are hundreds of items and accessories to choose from, and customize with special powers. Find people to join your party, divvy out equipment, and embark on quests that are obtained by going through the plot and talking to characters.

Battle System

Battles happen, a lot (sometimes, too much), so you'll get plenty of practice as you go through. There's a lot of pause-strategize-unpause-pause-restrategize, but it actually makes the battles really challenging. Enemies are normally balanced stronger than you are, so you can't just rely on a pre-meditated strategy for every enemy.

Sure, I have a few complaints, but nothing that seriously detracts from the game (zonky-acting cameras, the 'dead time' at the beginning of a battle where you can't use magic or get things in motion until your character draws their weapons).

Graphics

Graphics are polished and look really good. If you play on a PC, you'll definitely need some juice to run the game with all the pretty 'extras,' but, fortunately, this isn't a game made for computers of the future.

Story Elements / Plot

And what sprawling epic fantasy would be complete without characters standing woodenly in front of one another, having incredibly awkward conversations? (i.e. here's a conversation that I had with a party member - Him - "What can I do for you, kadan?" Me - "I need to talk to you about something you mentioned before." H - "Yes?" M - "Nevermind." H - "Very well.") It's not always horrible, but sometimes the ridiculous conversations just take you out of the game and remind you, these characters are actually just a bunch of 1's and 0's.

Nonetheless, some of the characters' back stories are interesting, and give dimension to the game.

Miscellaneous

The soundtrack is that lush, sweeping kind of music you'd expect from a game like Dragon Age: Origins. Lots of dialogue and reading for any gamers that really enjoy that kind of depth in a game. I remapped some of the keys to more comfortable places on the keyboard. You customize your character in the beginning, something very popular with this genre. At this current time, I have logged about 80 hours - and am not sure if the game is ending soon or not.

One quick note - the game starts off not letting you know very much about the interface and how to get through the beginning part of the game. You get thrown into the water and are told how to float, but not how to swim. I like that aspect, some might be discouraged - if that's the case, don't give up. A great game awaits you if you have the patience to let yourself be immersed in the experience.

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