DA:O is BioWare’s return to its roots – a dark heroic fantasy game that combines original storytelling techniques with classic roleplaying.
Origin stories are a major feature of the Dragon Age experience. You choose your origin, and from that starting point, your story begins. You play through your character’s early days, defining his or her background and motivation and begin to learn more about the world of Ferelden from your own distinct perspective. Your choice of origin defines how you will view the world and how it views you. Choose a sneaky, disrespected commoner and you will play a story that focuses around subtle skills and careful wordplay. Choose a noble origin and the world will be much more positive and helpful, but those jealous of your status will not be afraid to take what you have, violently if necessary. More will be revealed on these stories soon…
In Dragon Age, your choices change the world and affect the people around you. Certain situations, storylines, and conversation options will change drastically depending on your origin and your motivations.
Bioware goes back to their roots As a huge fan of Baldur's Gate 2, I'm happy that Bioware has finally made another game that recaptures some of the story and gameplay complexity of that classic RPG. No only that, but they managed to do it on the console! An extensive rebalancing effort has made the 360 version just as playable as the PC version despite the different control method. Also, AI triggers for your party members work well in making most encounters hands off, much like the encounters in Final Fantasy XII.
Highly recommended for fans of Bioware and RPGs!
Boomstar(2) on 09, Dec. 2009 19:52 (HKT)
A dark fantasy RPG An amazing incredibly interesting RPG for the hardcore, the amount of time which is needed to complete this game is alot, but tis worth it.
Dragon Age Origins is an amazing experience which anyone who calls them self a gamer needs to experience.
Alphawolfy(1) on 09, Dec. 2009 19:16 (HKT)
Great story, Great gameplay, Awesome RPG! If you are a nostalgic fan of old-style RPGs like Baldur's Gate, you will surely enjoy Bioware's latest masterpiece. And even if you're new to this type of party based, "pausable" combat (like me), I'm quite certain that the story and dialogue will pull you in.
First of all, the story is top-notch, and their are quite a lot of small, interesting choices that you can make. There are 6 origin stories to choose from, and each will have its own little twist, but most importantly provide a background story for you character, and perhaps make parts of the main story a bit more personal.
Of course, the story wouldn't be as interesting if not for the characters. Each of the party members that you can recruit have their own histories, and have different and even conflicting personalities that will shape their opinion of what you do. Instead of a morality bar to show your good/evil status, there is only an approval meter for each party member. When making decisions, you might offend one party member while gaining praise from another! This keeps the dialogue options from being too "black and white" or obvious. As an extra, you have the option of starting romances with some of the party members, and while it is easy to raise approval purely through gifts, it gives some added value to pleasing your comrades.
The combat is also quite satisfying, reminding me of a party dungeon in WoW at times (except you control everyone!). Although it is quite challenging, it is not so hardcore that players new to the genre and combat style will be frustrated too much. While you can do everything in real-time (like WoW), you can also pause the gameplay at any time, and queue up spells or abilities for your party members. This tactical approach makes winning a fight very satisfying due to the difficulty of many of them.
In conclusion, the excellent story, great dialogue, interesting choices (and reactions from party members), satisfying combat, and well-made characters make Dragon Age: Origins an awesome single-player RPG that is very easy to recommend!
Another great Bioware RPG that is not without its flaws. Bioware specialize in story driven RPGs and RPG fans around the world will be familiar with their previous great works like KOTOR, Jade Empire and Mass Effect. Dragon Age: Origins is another great addition to their list of accomplishments although the console versions are not without some significant flaws.
1) The game does not look good despite some great artwork. Textures are dreadful, and some of the environments would not look out of place in a previous generation title.
2) The combat in the console versions has been heavily stripped down in comparison to the PC version. There is no isometric view, which makes accurate spellcasting tricky in indoor areas. You can't queue more than a single action at a time for characters (without spamming on the left trigger). The tactics system (similar to the gambit system in FFXII) is pretty inadequate, which when coupled with the inability to queue more than a single action, makes constant babysitting (especially if you are playing on hard) a necessity.
On a more positive note the story is great, and the game is simply huge. If you are into side quests, you'll find plenty to keep you busy for over 60 hours easily. The game is pretty non-linear in nature and you'll have plenty of opportunity to tackle situations the way you see fit. Unlike one of the previous posters here, I have imported Dragon Age and have had no trouble with the downloadable content. In fact I recommend you get both expansions immediately. The Warden's Keep DLC gives you access to a storage chest which is a necessity (and it's really inexcusable that you need to pay to get something like this), and The Stone Prisoner gives you access to an additional character that's fully integrated into the storyline.
So despite being a pretty lazy PC port, if you're a RPG fan, Dragon Age is definitely worth checking out!
