You still have yet to try Bioware’s latest success, Dragon Age: Origins? This epic fantasy RPG is available for all three platforms, sorry Wii but you just can’t this type of sexiness. Now imagine the in-depth character development, the critical character interactions that require immediate drastic decisions, the moral conundrums, and the well designed battle system of Mass Effect implemented in a dark fantasy world of Dragons, demons, blood rituals, and more bizarre beasts than you can shake a stick at. That unholy marriage pretty much describes Dragon Age: Origins. Let’s take a look at a few details regarding this addicting game.
DO YOU REALLY WANT TO PISS ME OFF!!
-Story: As the story is fluid and changing, and can vary with decisions you make, the race you’ve selected for your character, or even the type of background your character comes from, I’ll keep it general when it comes to the story. Your custom hero becomes the last of the Grey Wardens in a time when they are needed most. The Grey Wardens are tasked with the dangerous duty of defeating the Dark-spawn and killing the Arch Demon. The Dark-spawn are like monstrous versions of people, and you have to forge alliances in order to combat them in large numbers. Seeing as how this is a Bioware game, you should expect all those sudden choices that will drastically influence the rest of your game. As I learned the hard way, make too many decisions contrary to the beliefs of your party, and they may just turn on you!
-Game-play: The battle system of DA origins is similar to that of Mass Effect or KOTOR, but a little more fast-paced, and bloodier by far. Your attack commands are entered real-time, but you can hit the trigger to pause the action and bring up your menu, giving you a moment to assess the battle and plot your line of attack. You can map skills, attacks, and spells on your X, Y, and B buttons. Your customized control scheme should reflect the role your character plays in battle. A Mage should probably map attack spells to those buttons, as a Warrior should assign melee skills and debuffs to his set up. This game is surprisingly challenging all the way through. When navigating from one location to another, you are vulnerable to random skirmishes on the map that serves as the hub between your camp and the rest of the world. The way battle plays out is greatly affected by the class of your character, your characters development, and the party members you choose to roll with. Remember, you want to pick party members that make up for your weak points. You don’t want to be that squad of archers that gets their shit pushed in by one large troll that rounds a corner and forces a close confrontation, right?
-Setting: Dragon Age: Origins is set in the darkly fantastic world of Ferelden. This magic land is rife with demons, magic, swords, and whores. Yes, whores. Both female and male whores. There are all kinds of creatures to fight and interact with in this game. The world itself adds yet another reason to play this game again, with so many ways to influence things. The addition of extra side quests for various guilds is always a pleasant distraction that yields both loot and levels. Some of these quests even have an impact on the story, adding even more re-playability to this game. If you are truly brave, why don’t you visit the whorehouse and, when prompted for what service you desire, select “Surprise me.” Go on, I dare you.
-Interactions: One of my personal favorite variables in the Bioware formula has always been the interactions between characters, and this game stays true to that tradition. Your party members vary greatly in terms of background, morals, and affiliations. This diversity in cast can lead to some interesting conversations, between you and your party, or even the party member amongst themselves! If you can get two female party members swinging on your nuts, then you can hear them bicker as to who shall prevail and tag that Grey Warden booty. If you play a slightly darker style and roll with a more virtuous set, be prepared to hear them bitch and moan every time you decline to help someone.
-Style: This game felt both new, and pleasantly familiar to me. Though we all know Dragons, Elves, Dwarves, and talking tree-people, Bioware still makes this one feel fresh and exciting. Entertaining banter between characters could take place after a bloody slaughter, and you can still see the blood caked all over you and your party. If you’ve managed to properly spit some game at a member of your party, you can even make out while covered in the blood of your fallen enemies. That’s pretty grim!
I feel that Bioware’s Dragon Age: Origins is a well balanced game that is a must for any RPG fan. With an intriguing tale, sexy graphics, and smooth game-play, this one is sure to please.I see no reason to not give this one a solid 10/10! Be sure to pick your class wisely! What kind of character do you want to make? The way you experience this game can vary greatly with whatever class and race you pick in the beginning. Do you want to freeze people with magic, run every punk ass through with a sword, or sneak about and pick pocket the coin purses the of the less aware? However you decide to play this game, you’ll be sure to have a unique experience that would be difficult to replicate. Oh and several DLC packs add even more depth to this game. Go on and give this game a shot. I mentioned the whore house, right?
Joseph Bryant – SwiftGlassEater
