Dragon Age: Origins (11.2009)
It has been ages since I played a good-old medieval fantasy game that sucked me in and made me want to play it for hours and hours. Dragon Age: Origins is the most memorable game since the Knights of the Old Republic games from the same company, Bioware. What makes this game so memorable you ask? Unlike most other games who fall short in one aspect or another, Dragon Age excels at its in-depth story telling, it has memorable characters, modern graphics, sound, game changing decision making, and a crisp combat system.
When you begin a new game your character is totally customizable, you can select from SIX different origin stories! Your gender and race effect how you identify with the world around you and how NPCs will respond to you. For example, in the game Elf’s have a negative stigmatiscm towards them so when you meet human soldiers they will often look down on you. Your sex also determines how romances will develop with your fellow adventures during the game, additionally, there are characters that swing both ways if you know what I mean. To me that is just awesome for Bioware to include something like that. (watching a male dwarf get it on with a tall male elf, wicked) Lastly your class/status in society effects how people address you, a noble vs. commoner.
You are thrown into a world known as Ferelden where a horde of evil humanoids called the Darkspawn are preparing to lead an invasion. As a new recruit to the Grey Wardens, an organization whos only goal is to eliminate the Darkspawn, you are pitted against this threat and depending on your origin story you have a different reason for joining the Wardens to fight the Darkspawn. This is but the tip of the iceberg as you embark on an adventure into a whole new world with many races, cultures, and viewpoints. The reason this is so exciting is because you need to learn everything there is to know about this world to understand why you are fighting the Darkspawn threat. Not every situation is black and white.
I'm sure he'll be fine...
Your decisions can affect your comrades and cause them to admire what you do or utterly despise it. Sometimes a decision you feel was right may not be interpreted that way by a companion who will expresses their own opinion about the situation.
The graphics in this game are incredible and the only drawback that is worth noting are some random graphical problems but that’s it! You can even move your camera around and zoom in on enemies as your battle them to see the detail put into their features. The sound design is also phenomenal during game play. The clang of swords parrying each other, the whiz of arrows flying past your character, and the wonderful voice acting of your companions brings this game to life. Nothing says that your situation is boring like a companion sighing at one of your remarks or how the action is getting intense as a companion screams a fierce battle cry.
As for the combat in the game, if you have played any other Bioware games it plays the same. You can pause the game at anytime to issue commands to your comrades or if you feel like playing a different perspective you can become one of your allies. If you prefer concentrating on one character, the tactics system allows you to tell you allies to use their techniques in specific situations allowing you to focus on your protagonist. This system is very easy to manage and makes the playability enjoyable but challenging if your not paying attention. The only thing that bothered me was the humongous inventory of your character, not just the fact that no one man/woman could carry that amount of weapons and armour but the fact that you have to sift through a lot of stuff. Provided this makes the experience extremely customizable, it really eats up your game play time looking for a potion or item to complete a quest. However, the codex pages found throughout the world give the player a real feeling of living in the world. They create an environment full of rich history, religion, and culture.
Overall this is one hell of a game and I recommend it to anyone with a love for RPGs and a lot of time on your hands. The story is engrossing and the characters are lovable while you may develop a hatred for your enemies. Dragon Age: Origins is a very rare game that does nearly everything just right.
9 High Fives! out of 10
