Dragon Age : Origins (all platforms) Review.

[Fiach]

OK, Firstly, before I get bogged down in review mode, if you ever had any doubts about this game, or were sitting on the fence about getting it.....GET IT!..... now!.... It's OK, we'll sit here and wait for you while you buy it and get it installed.

OK, done? Great, lets move on :)

Next I would like to cover the different platforms, on which Dragon Age : Origins is available.
The definitive version is naturally the PC version, it has the graphics, more camera control and of course, the mods that will follow later by the fan community. The 360 and PS3 have their little foibles, the 360 runs more smoothly, but takes a slight graphics hit (let me emphasise that this is not particularly noticible, the game looks and plays great), the PS3 iteration has slightly better textures, but has a lower framerate and noticible slowdown, when things get busy onscreen.

All new versions of the game come with free downloadable content, to (I guess) try to combat piracy and second hand sales, cannibilisng the games true sales figure. This is a very interesting method and puts the likes of Starforce to shame, with such a positive type of anti piracy re-inforcement, also one of the DLCs includes a top class armour called Dragon armour and there will be a version of it in the upcomong game Mass Effect 2 and the DA:O DLC will also apply to your Mass Effect 2 game profile as well, if you elect to purchase that game too.

The game is made by Bioware, who are probably the most loved of developers for RPG's, with the likes of Baldurs Gate, Planescape : Torment, Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect etc. under their belts, everything they touch exudes quality.

The game.... well this is a game of many halves, The essence of the game is hinted at in the title, Origins, You start off by creating your main character, you can choose between three races, Human, Dwarf and Elf, you can also choose a class (Fighter, Mage or Rogue), plus a background story, to show the origin of your character.

As a mage you have been raised in a closeted tower, an academy for aspiring mages, you get involved in a certain subterfuge, which can play out a number of ways depending on your choices. Or you could choose to play a girl elf raised as a rogue in the city, where you eventually get raped, in the end all the roads lead to a certain denoument, where you get conscripted into an elite fighting unit called The Grey Wardens.

Each of the "origin" scenarios take a few hours to play through, so mathmatically, just the starting section would be the same length as alot of current game releases, but each starting section is excellently done, immersing you in the role of the character you will be playing for the next 60-70 hours. The origins give a huge insight into the politics, racisim and religions that prevail in this fantasy world.

The story is pretty epic, an evil is sweeping the land and the only people capable of combatting it, will be you and the party members you recruit along the way. This band of merry adventurers (for want of a better description) are so well done, you can see the care and attention that has been lavished on this game by its creators, they squabble among each other, fall in love, have their own backstories and quests, there is so much depth added to this game, by their presence, that when you also add in the excellent Voice Acting talent, that really sucks you into the game, you know you are in for a treat.

The depth added by these characters, I suppose is balanced by the lack of depth in the combat mechanics, that is not to say that the combat lacks dpeth per se, but gone are the old fuddy duddy Dungeons and Dragons ruelset editions, to be replaced by a more fluid and ergonomic character developement and control scheme.

I have spent significant time with all the classes , the combat styles for each have significant differences naturally, but, added to the straightforward Mage/Melee/Ranged styles, you can choose extra specializations, to further refine your combat experiance.

The Rogue can become a Bard (gives special combat buffs), Duelist (major defensive moves), Ranger (have pets like wolves/bears etc. to fight at your side).

The Mage can be a (Shapeshifter change in to animals) Blood Mage (use blood spells) Arcane Warrior (use heavy armour and cast spells).

The Warrior can be a Berzerker, a Templar (kinda Paladin), Reaver (kinda anti paladin), they can also use sword and shield or two swords.

All of these can be further refined with different skillsets, like stealing, frost magic, fire magic, backstabbing, archery, traps, poison etc.

Most reviews are giving this game 9/10 and while I agree with that score, I was dismayed to see a review in PSM for 64%, I read the review and they definately played a different game to everyone else, (also I didnt see any DA:O adverts in the magazine, so that may or may not mean something). Although I would agree with the 9/10, I would qualify that by saying that its a genre dependant score. This is a great game, but may be too deep for a casual gamer or for someone dipping their toes in to RPG waters for the first time. There is a "Casual difficulty" setting, which is a fairly easy mode, when coupled with the fact that you can pause combat at will, to issue instructions to your characters, does make it more accessible, But you also need to know how the likes of Strength Willpower and Dexterity will affect the classes you are playing.

Overall, a great story, with some great quests that you can approach differently, to obtain different outcomes, so subsequent playthroughs are almost mandatory, because the quests are so good, you will want to see how they play out, with different approaches.

Fiach : Playing games, so you don't have to.

[PZ]

As always, excellent review, Fiach  :-X

[Art Blade]

Very good, Fiach  :-X Makes me want to dig out Mass Effect again  ;D

[fragger]

Very informative review Fiach (as always), good one :-X

[RedRaven]

Good write up Fiach, will admit to "sitting on the fence" over this one, but have begun to see the same pattern in my self as with FC2. Started with seeing it on a TV advert, being more intrigued by it each time it came on, to seeing it in the shop, picking it up to read the back then replacing it on the shelf thinking to myself "maybe next time".
Its been a long time since i last dipped my fingers in the fantasy genre as i became bored with Morrowind after a couple of days and the D&D inspired games such as Neverwinter Nights etc held my attention for less time than that.
60-70 hours sounds like a bit of deal clincher to me, as good as OFP2 / Modern Warfare 2 can be completed within around 10% of that giving only 1-2 days good honest gaming.
Up-shot of it being its now on the top of my list and look forward to swinging a sword for a change :) 

[Fiach]

Well if you have ever played any RPG and liked it, you will love DAO, I guarantee that.

I have CoD and AC2 sitting on the shelf, I tried to play them and went back to DAO and rolled another characer.

Basically you have this evil called The Blight taking over the land and your job is to secure the help of some very diverse groups of people, so you have the main quest, plus these four race sub-plots, to get each subplot finished, at he end, you will be put in a moral quandry, with no definitive right and wrong way to solve it.

You can choos to start from a number of different races and backgrounds, each with a unique storyline, leading you to join this elite warrior unit called The Grey Wardens. This is based on a couple of books written to provide extra lore and background for this world, which is similar but diffirent to the D&D world, the books are quite good too apparently. Also the combat is not as stodgy as in NWN and the world is more focused than Morrowind.

Aside from all that, you will have a myriad of subquests, generated in each area, plus each party member you acquire, will all have their own story and personal quest.

You can also romance the characters and bed them, using conversations and gifts.

As you travel with your party, they are always bickering and bantering among themselves, with some hilarious audio dialogue, you even get a dog party member if you are a Human Noble, or else through a quest. The dog is awesome, there are things called "Landmark" items (tents, trees etc.) If you make him pee on them, it marks the area as his "territory" and he gets stat boosts in combat there.


There are so many different classes, that you will want to playthrough more than once, just to see how they get on, A Rogue, maybe a Rogue archer or dual wield, how about an assassin, using traps and poisons, maybe you want to be a Bard rogue that gives prty buffs, or a dualist rogue that is defence based and they are just the rogues, you have Melee Templars, Berzerkers, Champions, Mages from many different schools, or a mixx of warrior and mage (Arcane Warrior), there is just so much choice, but you never get bewildered at all.

I'm really having a balst with it.

[JRD]

Very good, Fiach  :-X Makes me want to dig out Mass Effect again  ;D

Hey... I was this close to buy this one on a great fire sale a few days ago!... How about the game Art?

@Fiach... how come you can always come up with great comparisons between XBOX and PS3? Do you have bot consoles and game versions or your friends does and you all share impressions?

[Fiach]

Kind of a mix, I contribute reviews to game magazines, also we discuss them across their different platforms, plus some sites do comparison videos, I tend to use those videos to demonstrate visually as opposed to anecdotally, how the platforms differ.

I have PS3 and 360, I prefer the 360, because I like the controller and also because anything I have seen that is available to both consoles, usually the PS3 is the inferior version.

The exceptions would be those made exclusively for PS3, which so far have proven to have better gfx than titles exclusive to 360, but any cross platform game tends to favour the 360 architecture, due to its similarity to PC's.

[Art Blade]

JRD, the game MassEffect is epic. It's RPG with shooter elements, and there are a lot of aliens. It is a little like the old WingCommander series regarding space travel, a mothership, a crew, but it is different, too. You form a team of three before you go out on a mission, you pick two out of a couple of alien buddies, combining different characteristics of each one (including yourself) to be versatile or combine equal characteristics to have a multiplier effect (like all strong at using weapons, or each one with a different set allowing you to... man. It's hard not to start telling too much lol) Well, it's an adventure, good vs evil, and really nice environments. You can visit different stars, do some side missions, follow the plot, blah blahdiblah. EPIC.  :)

[JRD]

Thanks... I've been thinking about trying RPGs for a change... got Knights of the Old Republic on a sale for $$2,50 but didn't play more than 20 minutes so far
You might want to take a look here

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/masseffect2workingtitle/index.html?tag=result;title;1

Mass Effect 2 out on January 26

Cheers...

[Fiach]

KOTOR is a top class game, on one planet, you will get a chance to recruit HK47 to your team, he is a droid assassin (47 geddit? :)), he is one of the best game characters ever designed..... like ever!

Theres some chick I think Batista is her name, she is part of your crew, when she meets her mother, it was one of the most touching game moments I ever experienced.

KOTOR 2 is good, but not in the same league as 1.

Mass Effect is really good too, alot of people didnt like it, because they thought it was a "shooter" and played it as such.

Mass Effect 2 will use savegame information from your playthrough of Mass Effect 1, to continue your story in some way, I'm not quite sure how, maybe it will use your character creation data in some way.

[Art Blade]

Mass Effect 2 will use savegame information from your playthrough of Mass Effect 1

That is interesting. Thanks for this info  :-X

[RedRaven]

Dragon Age Origins gets its first expansion - D.A.O. Awakening. its out mid march. This is from the official site.


For centuries, the Grey Wardens—the ancient order of guardians, sworn to unite and defend the lands—have been battling the darkspawn forces. Legend spoke that slaying the Archdemon would have put an end to the darkspawn threat for centuries to come, but somehow they remain. You are the Grey Warden Commander and have been entrusted with the duty of rebuilding the order of Grey Wardens and uncovering the secrets of the darkspawn and how they managed to remain. How you choose to rebuild your order, how you resolve the conflict with "The Architect", and how you determine the fate of the darkspawn will be but some of the many complex choices that await and shape your journey as you venture to the new land of Amaranthine.

Sounds interesting.

[Art Blade]

sounds cool  :-X

[GPFontaine]

I completed Dragon Age: Origins Digital Deluxe Edition a few months back and can say that it was a great experience that lasted a full 60 hours for me.

The gameplay was Bioware RPG style from start to finish.  If you have played Mass Effect or Knights of the Old Republic, expect the same controls but with warriors, rogues and mages... so pretty much exactly the same as KOTOR less the light sabers.

The best part about the game was the journey itself.  The story was well developed, had excellent twists but never got so complicated that it was hard to follow.  The characters were all interesting, even the ones you tend not to like.

I played my first campaign on normal difficulty as an elven mage.  In my mind, I expected the well revered Gandalf/Dumbledore welcome that all great mages receive and to be wise and respected like Elrond or Legolas.  Hell I would have been happy to be greeted like Buddy the Elf.  No sir.  I was the racial, cultural, and religious minority of the lands.  Persecuted, chastised, and spit on.  I most certainly did not see that coming.

The pros of the game far outweigh the cons, and it is worth a play through from start to finish.

None the less, now that the journey is over, I have a few complaints.  Like I said, they don't overwhelm the game, but I think they are worth pointing out.

• Item collection in this game is frustrating due to a limited inventory and a huge pool of collectibles
• Second playthroughs, even as a different class aren't as exciting and can get dull very quickly even if you change your attitude in the game choices
• The additional content is much too expensive for the amount of game time it provides
• The game is not an open world game yet it feels very much like it is big enough to be one.  For those who have played Oblivion, the atmosphere is very similar, but each section is separated into zones.  Fast travel works the same exact way, but you have no alternative.
• You cannot go over the top with your characters no matter how much time you invest.  I like to go nutty with my RPGS and max out stats... it just isn't reasonable in this game.
• Monster levels should be set, not based on your progress.

All in all the game is worth the time and money for a full play through.  The story alone will keep you coming back until the very end.

[Art Blade]

I liked that review, thanks a lot GPFontaine  :-X

[PZ]

Excellent mini-review GPFontaine; concise, but very informative  :-X

[PZ]

I ran across this title on the 'net and reviews were good so I browsed Art's list of "Other games" and rediscovered this post.  Although I have not been enthralled with RPG games, the Fallout series got me interested in the genre - will definitely get this title for the PC.

[Fiach]

I hope you enjoy it mate, its definately better than its sequels :)

There would be a caveat for you though, it doesnt play like FO3, you have a party that you control, not just one person, the (slight) micro-management may seem strange at first.

I would suggest you play it on casual, until you get used to the rhythm of the mechanics.

There is some great DLC for the game too.

[PZ]

Sounds like an interesting departure from the type of game I usually play.  Thanks for the info  ;)

[Fiach]

Coupla things occured to me last night mate.

If you find the combat a bit fast paced (and you will in some areas), you can pause the game, give instructions like what attacks to use. heal team members with spells or potions etc.

In the first area, there is a quest, to get something to heal a sick dog, if you do that, the dog will become a member of your team and he is a BEAST! (pardon the pun :)).

With him in your team, most areas have a tree that can be interacted with, if you make him pee on the tree, it marks the area as his territory and gives his stats a bonus.

EDIT : That dog may be DLC, so if there is no quest that could be the reason, sorry for any confusion, but its been a couple of years.

Some people miss this, but in the second area (after the tutorial), you will come to a town with refugees, if you go into the tavern, you will interrupt a fight, if you

Spoiler

Side with the girl, she will join you, shes pretty awesome with a bow.

[PZ]

That's great advice Fiach - thanks  :-X

...that's hilarious about the dog - the game sounds like it is going to be more fun that I thought! 

[Fiach]

This is a wiki on the dog, the site has handy link for other stuff about the game too :)

http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Dog_(Origins)

[PZ]

Wow, is the graphic quality of Dog as good in the game?  If so, that's impressive.  It looks like there is quite a bit of DLC available - do we get it through Steam?

PS: I like the name "Dog" - my wife's toy poodle likes to be called "Dog... the bounty hunter" :-()

[Fiach]

The gfx are very good mate, you can change the dogs name, so go for it :)

The DLC is a mixed bag, one of the games main characters Morrigan gets probably the worst DLC ever created, avoid Witch Hunt. This is a shame, because people bought it, thinking there would be a resolution to her storyline, what happens is you spend a half hour dicking around and she disappears through a portal for no reason, I wanted to kick the cat after playing it  :D

Wardens Keep is very good, Stone Prisoner is good, Return to Ostegar is also good if you play a Warrior as you get some good armour, but only if you want the armour.