015 4 With Dragon Age's arrival , the landscape of the cRPG has altered forever and set up a very interesting standard for the next decade .
Until this game arrived , I would've sited Bethesda's Oblivion as the greatest example of the genre and despite my praise of Dragon Age , I would still suggest it's a tie . Why ? Because they are , at heart , very different experiences - both of them astonishing and wonderful in their own right .
OBLIVION ( and it's none too shabby older brother MORROWIND ) , are sandbox games . This means you can literally go anywhere and do whatever you want . And OBLIVION delivered on this promise in a big way . If there was a lake or even an ocean in front of you , you just jumped in . Then you could swim around and check out the fish , the flora and anything else going on down there . Where OBLIVION delivered was on absolute freedom - a near virtual other life experience . It was wonderful , unique and imaginatively designed . OBLIVION , by it's nature ( and this is true of the previous Elder Scrolls games ) was a single character game . You could control one character , and for the most part , they were a loner , taking on dank castles , tunnels and gothic netherworlds as a solo fighter . OBLIVION's limitations were really only story . Since you could travel where ever you wanted on a literally gigantic map , the plots and stories encountered were nicely written but ( much like real life ) small vignettes rather than part of a detailed connected narrative , and because you were on your own , relationships in the plot were mostly superficial .
Enter the Dragon Age . Like Bethesda , Bioware built this game on their own magnificent legacy of stellar cRPG's , most notably the Baldur's Gate series . But this time , they've literally done for cRPG's what ' Lord of the Rings ' did for printed fantasy . They've written a mythical story that is so detailed and compelling , players will want to be in this world for a long time , and I'm talking years from now . You see , the Dragon Age is just beginning ( hence the subtitle ' Origins ' - and anyone who has played over 10 hours of this will know what I mean - Fereldon has become their new home . And with ' Awakenings ' on the horizon , expect more expansions to come .
So what do you get in playing terms that differentiates this from OBLIVION ? Well , most notably , you are controlling a party of up to 4 characters rather than just one , and whilst you have a lot of freedom to travel in this game , there are limits to where you can go . The reason for this is that the game is lifting the level of plot to a transcendent level and some control of the players journeying is necessary to keep you within this story ark . You won't find yourself standing around in a city street wondering what to do as you would in Elder Scrolls , this game keeps moving along like a great movie or novel . Elder Scrolls purposely leaves this up to you and that approach also has it's own charm . Dragon Age privileges story above all else .
Interaction with NPC's and other party members is far superior to the Elder Scrolls games . And quite seriously , the NPC's here are written and performed better than in 90% of motion pictures . It doesn't surprise me as Bioware have always shined in this department , and Dragon Age is their crowning glory in the writing stakes ( so far ) .
You will find yourself making deeply complex decisions with no real clue as to which one will work out best . For example , do you back one contender for the throne or another ? To make matters trickier , members of your party disagree as to what you should do ! Sounds a bit like life , doesn't it ? Well , you wanted to live an alternate reality , so you'll just have to make a decision and bear the consequences . . .
You can have relationships with characters that are lengthy and complex and yes , as many reviewers have pointed out , you can have romantic relationships with other characters ; you can kiss them and even bed them . And yes there are occasional same sex relationships . The most important thing to know about this aspect of the game , is that it is brilliantly written and acted - you are in good hands here with this aspect of the plot . If you are worried about your kids taking this material on , know also that it's never graphic or degrading or immature ( unlike , say the average Brittany Spears music video ) . This aspect of the game definitely strengthens it's role playing power - edging it closer and closer to rivaling the complex dynamics of old school table-top role playing . And it's also where it shows up the Elder Scrolls series for being a bit trite with it's use of NPC's . Many may find Dragon Age's mature approach offensive , but quite honestly , it's done with such great skill and remember , many people found Elvis shaking his ass offensive in the 1950 ' s - but he carried the future with him .
This game is not for the casual gamer . If you want to have some fun shooting Nazi's or Aliens and like having a range of around 8 weapons to choose from , you are seriously out of your depth here - go straight to Uncharted 2 , Demon's Souls or Bioshock - all wonderful games , but Dragon Age is as complex as it gets and that's why it's so much fun to live another life in Fereldon - 4 of them at once in fact . One of the appeals of Dragon Age is that you don't really master it's vast array of combat skills , spells and character interactions until you've played it through in it's entirety ! Then you start again with a new character , say a Mage rather than a fighter , or a human rather than a dwarf and play out an entirely new origin story , this time with some mastery of it's many rules , equipment and skill system .
Unlike almost all other console games ( excepting Elder Scrolls ) , there are dozens of different ways of taking out boss enemies in Dragon Age , and when battling a team of rogues or an army of darkspawn , there are hundreds of different ways of going about it .
Once you truly get into the combat of this game , you'll be queuing up attack spells , special attacks with customized weapons , traps , missile attacks , shapechanging spells , time bomb spells and combat modes for each of your four characters and watching the battleground sizzle with flares , explosions and blood . And until you've battled a high dragon , you haven't lived ( although you'll probably die more than you'd like as well ) . It's something else , but it takes time to discover and time to master . That's why it's so good .
Dragon Age is quite simply nothing short of astonishing . Finally , great writers have made an epic RPG video game . I'll leave it to the other reviewers here to point out the differences between the PC version and the consoles . They all convey the same story , so the experience is largely great no matter the platform . And as for the reviewers complaining about graphics , well , maybe they could have been slightly better , but they are still damn good ; the world and backgrounds in my opinion are equal to Oblivion , but they have more variety ; the character animations are not up to ' Uncharted ' level or ' Demon's Souls ' but both of those games are far less complex in terms of gameplaying . The graphics in Dragon Age add to the game and won't bother you .
If you love story and complex game play , this is the one .
It's opened up a door through which many wonderful games will arrive over the next decade . And those games will finally start to rival movies in their ability to tell epic , complex stories with great actors and great writing for the player who demands sophisticated , imaginative entertainment . If that sounds like you , then you owe it to yourself to experience Bioware's new masterpiece .
050 4 As the title of the review states , Dragon Age is my favorite RPG to date .
I'll provide a summary of my thoughts . If you want a game overview , there are some great ones already written here on Amazon .
I'm playing on a PS3 , am an occasional video game player ( Fable 1 & 2 , Ratchet & Clank , Ultimate Alliance ) , a 43yr old male , and am playing on a 52 Samsung 1080p 240hz LCD TV .
* LOTS of content ( it took me about 60 hrs to finish the first time )
* 3rd person play ( 1st person gives me a headache )
* Free roaming characters ( you get to explore your environment )
* Many character development choices ( looks , type , morality , sexuality )
* Very good graphics
* Like the voice talent ( perhaps hire Jim Ward next time - loved him in Ratchet & Clank )
* Sound effects are nice
* A lot of well thought out details ( ex . blood covered characters after a battle , snarky NPC background dialogs - LOVE Morigan's and Alistar's dry whit )
* Weapons & armor - you have to make definite trade off's on weight , special characteristics etc .
* You have to make a lot of trade off's , like in real life . There are consequences to your actions . Some games give you clear choices , this one not so much . You do have some constants with the story lines but how you get there is a bit up to you . I now like that you can't tell , by a bar , how good / evil your character is .
* My game included the Shale & Blood Armor codes
* Good story lines ( I particularly like that the introductory getting to know how to use your character stage is part of the story and not a series of hokey training exercises )
* I like that treasure is highlighted so it's easier to find
* Powerful opponents have yellow highlighted names . I also like that there is a health bar with each opponent
Areas for improvement :
* Substandard game instructions ( I like to be spoon fed a little when learning a game )
* Doesn't quantify damage from spells , poisons , upgrading talents etc .
* Graphics aren't blu-ray quality ( but as someone said , this game was in development before blu-ray was the standard 1080p format )
* A few audio & video glitches ( I keep the subtitles on so no biggie for missed audio )
* Would like some more D & D style character choices ( limited to mage , warrior , or rogue - main types )
* Bad underwear ( OK , maybe it's a little pervy but seriously , why create characters who can make the sweet love but keep them clothed ? Blood covered OK , Nudity not OK ? )
* Game environment a little shy of Fable 2 ' s ( movement smoothness , character interaction with the game world )
* Weapons & armor - could use a few more elite choices & more special runes
* Having to go to a sub-menu to switch weapons ( ex . switching from bow to sword . Maybe I just haven't discovered how to set up a hot key ? ? ? )
* Would like to be able to set it up so that loose treasure ( like on dead monsters ) could be automatically picked up instead of having to search each corpse
Summary , there is a lot to like about this RPG and those likes FAR out weigh any dislikes . If you're looking for an RPG with a lot of content and good action , then I highly recommend Dragon Age . If Bioware makes some improvements based on the common feedback of players , I might give the next release 5 - Stars .
OK here's my dig at Xbox . The only reason I bought an Xbox & Xbox 360 was because of Fable & Fable 2 . LOVED those games . However , after the ABYSMAL customer service that I received form Xbox / Microsoft trying to get my Xbox 360 & Fable 2 game replaced ( scratched rings in my game disc the weekend I bought the system ) I won't buy another Xbox system . Yep , the scratching is a documented Xbox 360 problem but of course they said it's not their fault . So , unless Lionhead Studios makes Fable 3 for Play Station , I'll be counting on Dragon Age to give me my RPG fix .
057 4 Like most people , I am a huge Bioware fan . Mass Effect in particular was a transcendent experience . Tragically , unbelievably , Dragon Age : Origins is not . In fact , it is surprisingly underwhelming . I'm going to likely get dogpiled for this , but I think the facts speak for themselves .
Simply put , both the graphics and the gameplay feel stale and dated , like something out of the early 2000s . While the cutscenes are impressive , the actual in-game graphics are decidedly not . Even at 720p HD they are oftimes crude and blocky , with pixels - actual pixels - occasionally visible in foliage and grass . Water effects are tame and almost identical to what you'd see in Champions of Norrath or its like on the PS2 . Spell effects are the only place you see the PS3 ' s graphics horsepower in action , and even those are adequate , not amazing . There are numerous HUGE clipping errors , where characters literally walk through one another or objects . During my playthrough of the Dwarf Casteless origin tale , a guard actually walked right through a guy I was talking to in the conversation screen . That should never , ever happen . Sheathed weapons float inches off character's backs , with shields like a foot away . Ever seen a 3 - foot long dagger ? Now I have . Characters hands and appendanges look like plaster marionette hands , often passing through one another without bending , or holding items that float in the air as if the entire hand is fake . It honestly looks like something out of the 1990s .
Character controls are a mess . Instead of smooth , free-flowing fights of the sort you'd see in Mass Effect or even Diablo II , you have robotic movements and cludgy code that forces you to run , rotate in place , trigger an attack , watch the attack go off almost in slow motion , and then wrestle with your controller to figure out whether your character has enough brains to keep fighting on their own , or if you need to button mash . Characters often fail to defend themselves , simply standing there for a round or two before realizing they're being hit . The melee attacks in Mass Effect - a FPS ! - actually work better than the ones in Dragon Age : Origins . Combat messages are also a spammy , ambiance-destroying affair , with damage numbers rapidly spewing from people's heads along with seemingly random status effect messages from things you didn't even realize were happening . It's not uncommon to see things like Miss ! Resisted ! Stunned ! pop up repeatedly even though it's not entirely clear you were even targeted . And god help you if you have multiple damage effects - - instead of adding fire damage , critical etc into one number , you will see each one individually . So if you hit for 24 damage including various separate bonuses , you will instead see a 18 , 2 , 3 , and then a 1 pop up in a row .
The user interface is also extremely frustrating , with an overlapping series of arcane sub-windows that are hard to navigate . Basic RPG staples are gone , like the ability to simply use a healing potion from your inventory . Oh no , that would be too obvious . For example , if a character on your team is KO'd in a fight , he's not dead , but after the fight will get back up with a crippling wound . The only way to heal the wound is with a first aid kit . But you can't just go into inventory and use a kit . Instead , you have to go into the quick wheel menu . But you don't go into inventory from there . Instead , you have to go into the potions menu , and then use it . Because obviously when you have a first aid kit , the first thing you think of is potion . Imagine this sort of logic applied to all equipment and you swiftly get a sense of how frustrating inventory management can - - and will - - get .
Some of the characters themselves are also useless . For my first playthrough , I started as a Dwarf Fighter . Fighters cannot open chests . Just makes sense , right ? The first Rogue I was able to get into my party was almost 7 hours into the game . 7 hours of not being able to open any chest . Moreover , almost every recruit you get for your team is a Fighter , and they're all stronger and better equipped than you are . So basically you should be either a Rogue or a Mage . Rogues are as good as fighters if they are backstabbing , plus they can open chests and the like . Critically , they actually get skill points faster - - every 2 levels compared to 3 for Fighters and Mages . This makes a HUGE difference , and is only mentioned on like page 87 of the manual .
But hey , at least the game has tons of loot and RPG-y goodness , right ? Um , no . 10 hours into the game , my Rogue was still using the same leather armor she started with , because with its set bonus ( what ? ) it was still better than the generic chainmail and other garbage we kept finding . Magic items are oftimes useless - - + 1 willpower , wow - - and there is almost no money to speak of . 10 hours into the game my entire team had less than 4 gold pieces . 4 !
There are numerous other annoyances . Rogues can steal from NPCs , but unless it is money you get no message saying what you stole , just a success message . So every time , you have to go into inventory and try to guess what you got . Did I have 6 healing potions before , or 7 ? Sometimes you steal plot critical items and have no idea about it because there is no message , and the item is hidden in a quest-related submenu instead of general inventory . This happened to me with a stolen key - - I talked to dozens of NPCs looking for it , only to later discover by accident that I had stolen it at some point . Rogues can also disarm traps , but it actually requires a separate animation , and you ALWAYS encounter traps in the middle of a fight . So your character is not only out of the fight trying to disarm traps , but is inevitably getting peppered with arrows the whole time . It's better to just run through the damn things .
Oh , and your life bar ? Don't have one . Each character has a thin red line around part of their character portrait that represents their life . It is almost impossible to see it most of the time . It is extremely easy to get killed simply because you didn't realize the bar was gone , or to waste healing potions on minor injuries because you thought it was gone .
All in all , Dragon Age : Origins feels like an unpolished , old RPG . It is simply not very fun to play . You will find yourself wrestling with the crude , dated inventory and character controls , selling piles of worthless garbage equipment , and rubbing your temples as characters walk through one another or start out of sync talking . My strong recommendation is to rent this game first and see what I'm talking about . If I didn't see Bioware on the cover , I never ever would have thought they were associated with this game .
171 4 I must confess that Dragon Age : Origins was easily my most anticipated game on the PS3 for many months now . And immediately upon release , I played through it again and again . So , it's hard to be wholly balanced in this review , because I simply loved it ( enough so that I already have the platinum trophy - take from that what you will ) .
Dragon Age : Origins is an RPG from the makers of the excellent Mass Effect ( which , unfortunately , never graced the PS3 ) . It is story-driven , and choices made throughout the game can have significant impact on the development of the tale , as well as your party and your view in the world . It's combat engine ( which the developers often refer to by Tactical Pausing ) leaves a lot to be desired , however . Thankfully , the combat encounters are not so numerous as to demolish the great story . But anyway :
The Good :
- Story . The depth of the history of Ferelden ( as well as the rest of the world ) is incredible . Between storied told by your party members and NPCs , as well as the huge codex you build throughout the game , weaves a fantastical tale very reminiscent of Lord of the Rings , but somehow less . . . grating .
- Story development . Throughout the game , your character will make many choices which will affect the development of the story . The end goal is clear : kill the archdemon . This is your goal from the beginning , and the game thankfully doesn't pull a switcheroo , where suddenly you're fighting Zeromus instead of Golbez .
However , the means to an end can be very different , and often disturbing . While building your army , you can play the champion , or the devious strategist . You can play the narcissistic jerk , or the coward . None of these things can change your end goal , but all of them change the playing experience . Moreover , there are multiple story paths themselves which are made manifest ( do you side with elves against werewolves ? Do you slaughter a child instead of wasting time trying to redeem him ? ) . Some choices can actually make party members leave you forever . However , there is a problem with this , as I will explain below .
- Graphics . They're not great when compared to , say , Uncharted 2 , but with a game of this size , they are exceptional . Human characters look reasonable and believable , while cities and landscapes are lush and colorful . In short , the graphics further draw you into the world in which you play .
The Bad :
- Combat . Without a doubt , the most frustrating aspect of this game . Your party will often sit around , waiting for you to make the first attack , and get pummeled by an early spell . Your own character will often fail to strike an enemy because s / he is trying to get a better angle of attack . The powerhouse spells are made useless on higher difficulties , since they will hurt ( and often kill ) your characters as well . This might be OK , except it is a pain to keep your party sane and sensible . For example , a trap might be discovered by your rogue , but that won't stop your warrior from running headlong and setting it off . There are some interesting ideas here ( I was actually pretty excited initially by the inclusion of friendly fire ) , but they are not implemented very well . In short , you don't have enough control of your characters for the type of precision the game demands on even normal difficulty .
- Difficulty . A joke . There are four setting . Casual is a bore . You will never lose a battle . Move to normal , and you will already be struggling . Heaven help you if you try nightmare . Thankfully , you can change difficulty on the fly , but the higher difficulties turn a great , story-driven game into a horrendous battling grind which involves lots of trial and error ( and loss of life ) .
- Party respect . I love the fact that choices can make a lasting impact on the game . But it's very silly when it manifests itself in how a party member likes you . For example , I killed a child in one of my choices , and one of my party members was NOT happy about it . No problem - I just gave him a few bones as gifts ( yes , literally BONES ) , and he was happy again . It just doesn't make sense . If an event doesn't cause a party member to leave you for good , s / he can be mollified by trifling gifts . The suspension of disbelief here is just too great to expect .
Ultimately , the bad points ( particularly combat ) are enough to drop the fun factor by one star . But make no mistake : Dragon Age is a great tale , which has a lot going for it .
177 4 I won't rave about the positive aspects this game has , because many have stated it before me . But . . . . the annoying things prevent this from being a 5 - star game and they are as follows :
1 ) The manual game saves are extremely irritating . You basically have to save your game every two seconds because if you die , you start from the last save point . Normally this wouldn't be a problem , because you would just save before a big battle . But there are many times that you won't even know you're about to enter a big battle until it's too late . I don't kow why they can't just auto-save every ten minutes or so .
2 ) There are a few glitches with the party members appearing where they shouldn't be . Such as , when I used the hold position strategy to try and set up an ambush , then when I begin my conversation with the enemy , my party is just there for some reason . It seems that you can't have conversations alone , the entire party must be present no matter where you actually positioned them .
3 ) One annoying glitch , but really a minor quibble . One of my party members has a full face guard and helmet on , but in every cutscene , his face is fully viewable . It's like they only have one appearance for the cutscenes and they stick with it . Just an annoying oversight .
4 ) The pre-set conversations happen no matter what spells you try , for example . . . . I used the invisibility potion to sneak up to a group of mercenaries , but as soon as the cut scene was supposed to happen , it still did . The dialogue began and paid the fact I was invisible absolutely no mind . Takes a lot of the strategy away when things are so predetermined .
5 ) Most conversations go the way they're determined to go regardless of the answers you give . You feel like your statements are influencing the other NPCs but it's only an illusion , because the talks ALWAYS end the same way regardless .
Overall , very good game and worth playing . I've put about 15 hours in so far and still like it . The combat system and use of weaponary is fairly well done , but it coudl've been a much better game if strategy played a larger role .
188 4 Role playing at it's best ! The story line is wonderful and unfolds nicely , some of the side quests are very involved , almost a game unto themselves . I especially enjoy the character relationship aspect of the roll playing . As you go along your adventures you pick up NPC's who join you in your quest , you can build your relationship with them to be be anything from hate to romantic love . The graphics are wonderful and the dialog is well acted . I recommend this game to all ! !
( The reviewer was compensated for posting this review . However , the opinion stated in the review is that of the reviewer and the reviewer alone . Further , the reviewer independently selected this product to review and has no affiliation with the product maker / distributor , Amazon or the review requester . )
286 4 I picked up Dragon Age PS3 based on a recommendation from someone at GameStop . It has been fun so far but I wanted to mention a few things that quickly got annoying .
1 ) When I ran into Morrigan my mage character had specialized in almost all the same abilities . This did not lead to a good balance and the game quickly got about 5 times harder as I scrambled to separate their specialties in the next few levels . Since the game has no concept of respeccing ( without a mod for PC and never on the console ) you're pretty much kind of screwed or having to gimp the game by putting it to Easy just to get by if you run into bad party balance / planning .
2 ) There is no indication of what a main quest is vs . what a side quest is . It is not always obvious . Oftentimes I'd be following a storyline and it would take me to a new area where I would be locked out of all the side quests I'd started in the previous area but never got to finish . The log would reflect things like The outcome of the wounded mabari was never determined . Well ! @ # $ % & . After this happened for the 2nd time I started to get pissed off as I like to do as many side quests as possible , or at least finish the ones I started before I get unceremoniously locked out of an area . I missed out on at least 2 NPC companions due to this , also .
3 ) No matter how I try to position everyone in the party to maintain some semblance of control before an expected encounter ( such as with Shades ) , the fight ends up still feeling like a total chaotic free-for-all .
4 ) I loved Neverwinter Nights and all the expansions . I never finished Neverwinter Nights 2 because every time I'd pick it up the control scheme would turn me completely off again . I don't know what the hell happened but I don't recall the NWN1 control scheme bothering me nearly as much . The problem in DragonAge , at least on the console version , is that if you play someone like a mage who can easily accumulate a dozen abilities , picking which ability to use in the middle of a fight is a pain in the ass if it's not one of the 3 or so hotbarred abilities . I don't understand why Bioware can't do some UI / UX testing to clean up these terrible interface decisions which mar an otherwise great game .
5 ) I do like being able to set up complex decision trees for party members . I don't like having to purchase new slots to allow more decisions .
6 ) After getting frustrated with the lack of respeccing but wanting so badly to like this game I purchased the Mac version and manually installed the respec mod as there's currently no Mac mod installer ( maybe I should write one , it's not that hard , but it is technical ) . I'm currently going through that with a new mage character ( ugh . . . origin story all over again ) but I haven't gotten to the camp yet so no respeccing yet . . .
7 ) Having thus paid for this game * twice * , I still can only install the Mac / PC version on * one * computer at a time due to their annoying CP scheme .
8 ) I give up trying to bed Morrigan . I'll just watch the youtube video . I'm sure Leiliana is more giving in the sack anyway . > . .
I have mentioned only criticisms but to be honest , everyone else has already mentioned all the good stuff . It's a sweet game with great storyline and dialog but be aware of these criticisms .
300 4 Having played every Bioware game to completion , I'm sad to report that I walked away feeling disappointed by DA . There were several things I did not enjoy about the game , most of which could have been overlooked had the story itself been compelling . Unfortunately this is not the case , and what results is a middling game from one of the industry's best gaming developers .
Story : The world and its history are well thought out and you can spend hours just reading the various books and tomes you find along the way to learn more . This is just as you'd expect from a Bioware title . However this is by far Bioware's least compelling story ( edit : since the original NWN shipped storyline ) to date . I won't reveal / ruin plot details , however the main storyline is really Fantasy RPG 101 type stuff . I'll concede that there's only so much you can do with the genre . Elves , dwarves , kingdoms / worlds in trouble are staples that would be hard to do without .
Another reviewer described the game quite well when s / he said that there is just something missing from Dragon Age Origins . The plot is executed professionally ( no missing parts , or meaningless information ) , yet somehow it never quite gelled together for me in an engaging or interesting way . I'd say it was just me , and maybe it is , but I've seen other reviewers describe the same sense of absence in this game .
The sense of immersion into the world never got off the ground due in part due to the fact that the entire time I felt like I was on rails . Denied the freedom to do any sort of exploring whatsoever . See that small , shallow body of water there ? Nope , you can't walk into it or interact with it in anyway because the game isn't designed to let you do so . Or that modest hill on the horizon . Sorry , there's an invisible wall in your way , and you're not going to be exploring the top of it . This may seem like a silly issue to some , but it reiterates the feeling that you're playing through a definite series of steps .
Adding random encounters or generating monsters in previously cleared areas would also help flesh things out . As it stands , once you've cleared an area there is nothing left to do there . Nothing returns and what's left is barren , unused space . Hardly the stuff of a convincing , fully realized world .
This brings me to another , albeit minor , disappointment . The play style choices , in terms of character choices , really boil down to playing as a selfless defender of the realm , or selfish , self-concerned anti-hero . There really isn't an evil path per-se . This is pretty much in line with how Bioware has approached most of their games since the Baldur's Gate series so I wasn't terribly surprised . Still , I'd love to see Bioware take a chance on creating an environment that allows for more extremes , both good and evil . Then let those choices play out and perhaps really change the outcome of things .
Gameplay :
Level / Skill Advancement - This was one area that I thought was nicely done . Skill trees allow for numerous ways to tweak yourself and your party members play styles . Want to be a healer with some firepower ? You can do that . A ranged weapon fighter ? No problem . Some choices are better than others but in fact most skill choices are perfectly viable so long as you map out the rest of your party correctly . Bioware shows that you don't need 15 different classes to make for interesting and divergent play styles .
Combat - Combat , while not awful , was just not well executed . Party member AI was subpar , and often times members would stall out for a bit before engaging in combat . Even assigning scripts to my party never really seemed like it worked as it should . What's worse , is that often , especially when your party is spread out across a distance , you must jump between each character to determine what exactly is going on . This leaves the character you might want to focus on vulnerable while you flit back and forth while trying to control the flow of battle . This is the result of the camera's field of vision which is just way too limited . Though I understand this is only a problem in the PS3 and 360 editions . The PC allows for greater isometric viewing ranges .
Menus - Using the radial menu is pretty easy to pick up , but really becomes a time-consuming distraction when using it in battle . As you've only got a few hot-keys , you'll be stopping the game frequently , and cycling through two or more radials to select the appropriate skill for the situation . Further slowing down a game that is already somewhat languid . This is especially annoying when it comes to mages who have far more spells than the hot-keys allow for .
Etc : The inventory system leaves something to be desired . My advice , buy every bag you can , as soon as you can . As the group shares inventory space , it fills up quickly . Check the internet for vendors who sell bags so you can plan / know accordingly . Little things like pick-pocketing execution got overlooked . Want to pick a pocket ? Better keep a list of items already in your inventory , otherwise you'll be left guessing what you just lifted off that NPC . You're constantly picking up useless loot as well . No of the items felt especially cool or epic . Bioware still has character mapping issues . With party members frequently getting stuck behind objects during battle .
Finally , graphics . Spells and effects , which Bioware has always done very well , are great . However other aspects are lacking . I'm not a graphics-snob , but really , DA is not nearly up to par with the current consoles . Character models lacked the detail found even in Mass Effect . There was frequent pixelation . Watching NPC's walk-through one another is so last gen .
Frankly I know Bioware is a 5 - star company . While I've rated this a 2 - star game in terms of fun , I feel that within the genre it still performs at least as well if not better than other games out there . Hence the 3 - star overall rating . This speaks as much to the state of affairs in RPG gaming as it does to Dragon Age itself . I'm hopeful future DLC or a sequel can correct some of the mechanical problems , and provide that spark that I couldn't find in this game .
335 4 I am a huge RPG fan , but this PS3 port just did not make the cut . Well hyped and well reviewed , sure - but the PS3 version is buggy beyond compare . The framerate stuttered and polygons flickered until I dropped the resolution from 1080p to 480 . Now that's a problem well ported software should never suffer from on the PS3 . Worse still , several cutscenes froze the game in midstream . Key dialogue during multiple NPC interactions dropped out . By default , the PS3 port connects periodically to EA servers , but when those servers are busy , the game stalls unacceptably . Maybe EA will release a patch in the weeks to come ( I'm writing this review on 1 / 24 / 10 ) , but until such a time comes to pass , I'm going to leave this pricey dud on the shelf .
On the plus side , if you've got a souped up PC , you're probably really going to enjoy Dragon Age . But on the PS3 , you're likely to suffer from blood pressure spikes that take all the fun out of what should have been an amazing ride .
029 4 Being a huge fan of the Baulders Gate , Icewind Dale , and Never Winter Nights Dragon Age was a no brainer for me to get . My only decision was if I wanted it for the PC or our console which is a PS3 . I pre-ordered it to get some extra goodies and ended up going with the PS3 version so I could play on our big old 52 inch HDTV with Polk surround sound .
The character creation screen is very detailed . In fact anyone can try this on the PC as there is a demo out . I spent a good deal of time trying to pick the character class I wanted to play and adjusting the stats . You are given various combinations from the characters background ( which dictates where you start ) , 3 races of Human , Elf , or Dwarf and various classes in Fighter , Rouge , or Mage . While on the surface that might not seem deep , each type has a lot of depth and tiers you can explore . Part of the reason they might have condensed classes is because you are limited to only 4 character slots with your main person always taking up one of them . The hardest part of making up a character here for me was not knowing what characters will come in the future and with what skill sets you might want .
While the game is supposed to be a dark RPG I really did not find it to be so . Sure , you get some tough questions thrown at you and can do some evil things but most games have that these days . Its a good game but I really do not understand why they keep calling it ' dark ' .
Once things get started you will find soon that the game is filled with a lot of dialog and even some well done cut scenes . For the most part you are given a lot of options in how you interact with others in the game . Sometimes though it gets frustrating when you have something specific you want to ask but are not given the option . Each decision you make impacts not only how your party members react and feel about you but also how others in the game will do the same .
It is very important to keep your party happy with you as the more they like you the more loyal they will be ( less chance of them turning on you or leaving ) , it gives them some nice perks , and can open up new quest options . The game is littered with various ' gift ' items which help raise their approval , your conversations with them ( such as taking the time to talk to them ) can if done correctly also increase your approval , and finally your actions and decisions impact their approval .
The game play is pretty straight forward on the surface but has depth . Your 4 characters each have their basic attacks and will use them . You pick your target and go at it with either a hand weapon , a bow , or magic . Once you initiate the attack , the computer runs through the motions until you want to make a change . The depth here is you can set tactics for each character . The system will allow you to put in a number of variables such ' if bad guy x does this , then you do this ' or ' if you have health less than x , then do this ' The combos you can do are massive for all types of situations . You can then prioritize them to your liking . So for example my healer hangs back and heals / buffs my front line . If a player dies she will revive them . If she is attacked she will use a horror spell on the guy and then continue to heal while my fighter has it set to make his priority anyone that has attacked the healer which sends him after the guy now with ' horror ' . As your characters progress the options here get a lot more robust .
The world itself is very detailed . Each map has had a lot of work put into it . Most levels are straight forward where you go from point A to B with various stops / detours along the way . While not as open as some might like , it helps keep things simple so players do not get lost . The loot stashes are also great in the levels because they glow with glitter and make finding loot rather easy so you do not spend a crazy amount of time looking in things .
One of the bad things about the loot however is that there is no place to store it . So if you pick up something there is no putting it back in a box to get it later if you reach your limit or just dropping it on the floor . The game forces you to destroy the item . Also the system for handling your inventory is absurd . A feather takes up as much space as a full plate mail for example . With no storage this really becomes an issue and I found myself sinking tons of money into expanding my backpack just so I can hold my basic stuff .
Another frustrating part of the game is the limit to 4 players . 5 would have made much more sense for the needs of the team but when you are limited to 4 and your main character always taking up one of those slots it leaves you just 3 positions . While some characters might have been interesting or fun to use , they never got used because I filled my needs first which kept me to the same characters most of the time .
Another low point in the game was the world to explore . While looking great with lots of detail you could NOT just go out and explore the world and look for bad guys like in Fallout 3 and other similar games . You could only go to a place of interest and if you have already completed that area and killed everything then those bad guys never come back and your only chance to find a fight is with a random encounter moving from one area to another but even then they are few and far between . So not only does this take the fun out of exploring the world but it also limits your fun having combat , getting more loot , or leveling up . The loot is important since some things cost a crazy amount of money and there is no way else you will ever be able to get the good stuff . It REALLY limits your ability to get the equipment and supplies you need . Leveling is a similar issue . With only 4 slots you need to get your guys some variety so they can play multiple roles , especially your mage . The other bad thing is it reinforces you to not use other players as this would be a great place to take them out for a spin and have some fun .
The final issue I have is the game just screams for coop play . I think this would have been that much better if I could play with friends and then we could work out tactics together .
While I have really enjoyed this game and feel for the most part it is great , the few issues I mentioned keep this great game from being epic . It was worth the purchase for sure and I certainly would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys a fun single player RPG .
002 4 Here we go again . . . Bioware releases another game and I lose another 100 + hours of my life to gaming . After 11 hours of play ( completing 8% of the story ) I thought I'd share a few thoughts in case you're considering purchasing this game .
What's good :
Bioware RPG's always have great stories with deep background and entertaining character interactions . This one does not disappoint . New for this game are multiple character opening stories - - hence the origins in the title . Depending on your class and race , you experience an extended opening that really sets the stage for your character and gives you something to think about . The opening for the mage included two quests to play through and a several difficult decisions to make before it merged with the main story line .
Voice acting is excellent , graphics are good and 1080p ( though nothing like Metal Gear Solid or GTA4 ) . Combat is fast , furious , and just a little out of control - - and exciting .
What's bad :
I had hoped to see the next generation of RPG , but the game's architecture feels like reused modules from other Bioware games . Character gen is from Mass Effect , 3rd person view and movement from KOTOR , inventory mechanics and interface much like Baldur's Gate . It's all competently designed , but feels a little worn . But maybe Bioware is suffering from Pixar Syndrome - if it doesn't outdo itself with each new release it seems plain .
My only real complaint is that character attributes and abilities are not sufficiently explained . The small paper manual says things are explained in detail in the in-game help but that is not the case .
Lastly :
Be aware that this game isn't suitable for kids . It's a mature game with some disturbing subject matter - - that's why Bioware calls it a dark fantasy . Kudos to Bioware for aiming for a serious game , but know what you're buying before putting it on the holiday gift list for your little ones . ( Wait until after they're in bed and have an epic time playing it yourself ! )
004 4 I cannot praise this game enough ! it will be one of those I play again and again !
the size and scope of the game is incredible . when I started off I'd wager I spent two hours learning about my character's background .
you pick one of many origins ( i.e . elf , dwarf , human , etc ) ( I chose Elf Mage )
and then begin with your origin story ( which is like watching a full length movie and so well written the time just flys by )
and then you're tasked with your first quest and the game begins .
this game has more freedom of choice then most , such as make a deal with a demon , or kill it to save a child . ( it offers you Powers Not to kill it )
some of the quests have moral choices that will really pull on your emotions about people and things like power over friendship and the feel you have an impact upon the surrounding world.everything you choose to do has a ripple effect so your action will be known throughout the world . the characters control via one of two ways ,
one is using the hack & slash method though this is harder then hitting pause so you can set all your mages attacks etc .
there's a lot of micromanagement in this but for loot mongers and rpg lovers this will be one of the years ultimate treats I assure you . there seems to be loot everywhere for those that search every area rather thourough . I also must say the amount of DLC available at this time for the collectors edition is amazing . ( non collector edition owners will pay 6.99 and 14.99 for both dlc packs )
the graphics are excellent ( though not mind blowing )
particle effects are wickedly done and the quests are crafted well enough to let you know you have many approaches to each situation
and will pull at your emotions . if you weren't lucky enough to get this collectors edition no worries I know the goodies will be released as DLC to everyone eventually since they listed prices ( wardens keep 6.99 and the stone prisoner 14.99 )
you have many abilities such as settinhg traps , stealing , dual wielding and so much more . while the game may be a bit baldurs gat-ish ) it's the BEST RPG on ps3 without a doubt .
the skill trees are similar to those you've seen in baldurs gate , diablo II and others . another thing is they must have over 200 + voice actors since I have not heard ANY voices repeat .
excellent actors such as Tim Curry , Kate Mulgrew , Claudia Black and more !
an excellent creature variety , large skill trees ,
great loot and D & D style gameplay make this title
one of my all time fav's .
Graphics : Excellent and crispy . not mind blowing but perfect for me 4 1 / 2 stars great spell effects ! excellent creature models and good variety of them .
Sound : the voice work is Top Notch and hundreds of actors
even the crickets put on a great perfomance ! 5 stars !
the sound is a star here , the voice talent is top notch .
Gameplay : the micromanagement might put a few off but most will never let go of the controller since they got the controls so spot on for the ps3 on this title . it's amazing ! 5 stars .
the controls are well mapped to the ps3 controller .
Fun : Yes Yes Yes ! betray a friend or help him in a forbidden quest , help a grey warden or not ? , kill a demon or trust the mouse ? so many choices it's unreal ! want to slay a dragon ? you can !
want to go into dungeons and hack away , you can !
it's a Mature game so some of the things you can do are a tad graphic and as someone reminded me you end every battle absolutely painted in blood .
the game is brilliant what more can I say ? 5 Stars ! !
Overall : the package wraps up nicely into a 5 star Must Have !
the Gods at Bioware have greated the best baldurs gate style game yet ! it's brilliant ! you have to buy it asap if you don't you're missing THE BEST RPG experience of the year and possibly in my lifetime . ( it's Very similar to Baldurs gate Dark Alliance )
this coming from a Hardcore
70 ' s D & D player ! ! !
that's what I'd call an endorsement !
Dragon age origins is the RPG to buy .
006 4 The PS3 version is 17.3% better than the 360 version for 4.2 reasons .
The 360 version is 13.7% better than the PS3 version for 2.4 reasons .
Which version is better for you will be determined by your saving throw .
NO SPOILERS
I picked up both versions . I have two identical TVs , one bedroom , one den , both 50 1080p Panasonic G10s . For this review I put them side by side in the den , PS3 hooked up to one , 360 to the other , and choose the same origin story . I played the PS3 , my wife played the 360 , we both took the day off of work , a Bioware Holiday .
BIOWARE
The Bioware RPG is one of my favorite video game genres . KOTOR 1 is still my favorite story . I played through Mass Effect 7 times . If you like Bioware , you will like Dragon Age .
KOTOR 2 GRAPHICS
Bioware didn't make KOTOR 2 . Until now . Dragon Age's graphics in general look like a last generation game , upconverted to HD . And why should they not ? This game was 5 years in the making . Personally , if I could wave a magic wigglestick , I would magically wish the graphics into the year 2069 , to play in my PS9 in my flying car . Unfortunately , I live in a condo that doesn't allow wigglesticking . So the choice is ( A ) Play the Bioware game . ( B ) Don't play the Bioware game . ( C ) Eat a cup cake . No one plays Bioware games for the graphics . You play for the CYOA storytelling .
6 COMPLETE CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE NOVELS
Dragon Age is 10 Novels long . With 6 unique hero journeys . That can be twisted good or naughty . Warrior . Magic . Thief . Hybrid-Hybrid . Bioware is the only developer on the planet that makes this kind of beautiful uniqueness . This kind of awesomeness only comes around once every few years . Is this flavor of awesomeness perfect ? No . Is amateur pornography perfect ? No . Sometimes the pacing is off , or the dialogue excessive , but it gets the job done . The job is to experience a genuine human story - - even if you're a lesbian elf . Dragon Age is fantastic video game storytelling . And better written than most fantasy novels .
BLOOD SPLATTER OR POTPOURRI ?
I'm going to give Bioware the benefit of the doubt and believe that after battles my characters are splattered with blood and not potpourri . It's hard to tell visually , but I don't think they would censor themselves because this game is , like , totally Mature .
GAY SEX - NO NUDITY
My wife likes lesbian threesomes . In books . In movies . In video games . In our kids ' crayon drawings . She had never played a Bioware game before , but she likes role playing , and I told her Dragon Age has lesbian threesomes . Now , like with most video games , the depiction of sex isn't much more sophisticated visually than taking two barbie dolls and slapping them together . And there's no nudity . Because Bioware understands the genuine human condition - - that people make the special love with their cloths on - - even if you're a bi-sexual dwarf . So if you like realisticly-sized breasts well-covered with beige felt bikinis , then you , my friend , are in for a PG - 13 flavored treat .
CASUAL VS HARDCORE
My wife played on easy , I played on normal . If you're an uber-genius , like me , who enjoys micromanagement , obscure RPG tactics , and general strategery . . . Then prepare to spend a lot of time , with the game paused , in clunky interface menus , because that's how real men play . That's how my grandpappy played his Bioware games , and his grandpappy before him , back when Bioware wasn't even Canadian , when they were still French , and the TVs had 11 screens and were powered by fire - - usually dry hickory . So if you want that kind of authentic gaming experiece , you can have it . But if you just want to enjoy the story , crank that menu to easy , slump back in the couch , and unbuckle your pants for a good time .
PS3 VS 360
Like with all games , it's a choice between graphics vs framerate . The PS3 has slightly better textures , color saturation , contrast level , resolution . The 360 is less pretty but smoother . The PS3 is the supermodel with arthritis . The 360 is a Ukrainian gymnast . You get to choose who you want to take to bed . But since all you're going to do in bed is talk . . . It's not such a big deal . Unless you put two 50 plasmas right next to each other , you're not going to see the difference . I'm going to keep the PS3 version ( because I like the controller better ) and give my 360 copy to my favorite charity FVGFBO that provides fantastic video games for blind orphans .
BUY IT , PLAY IT , LOVE IT
* UPDATE
I have played 115 hours , beaten the game twice , tried three of the six origin stories , watched every sex scene , won every topless hottie boss battle , and found teh secret nipplz . Personally , I feel this is the best Bioware game to date , the best written video game of all time , and a genuine evolution of the Bioware formula . For those of you fleeing in terror from Adult Content , know that , like in real life , bi-sexual dwarf sex is awkward , optional , and over in less than a minute . You can get through the whole game without going hairy .
011 4 In brief : if you like role-playing , and you have a PS3 , this is the game you've been waiting for . Don't hesitate . Get it .
Pros :
+ Role playing for real , here . Your character choices determine who you are and how you start , and your choices really do determine how things turn out , and what other characters think of you .
+ Beautiful graphics . In particular , the character appearance integrates perfectly into the gameplay . That's not just some random body-shape fighting or walking around out there , that's * you * , funky hair , interesting tattoos and all . No one looks weird or distorted either .
+ The automatic notes are the best I've ever seen . Quests are tracked carefully , and where you should be going is easy to figure out . Whole conversations are logged . A Codex keeps information about any new person , place , or thing .
+ Gets going fast . After a brief , skippable movie and personalized intro , you're into the game . No lengthy , boring tutorial .
+ There are a good number of character options , without being overwhelming .
+ Everything is so well done and realistic , it's highly immersive . Just what an RPG should be .
+ No DRM . Instead , each game comes with a unique code you can redeem for bonus equipment , through the Playstation Network . THIS is how anti-piracy should be done . ( Though this hasn't been as big an issue on the PS3 as on the PC . )
Cons ( all pretty minor ! ) :
- Not terribly original , at least as far as I've explored . The movie scenes look straight out of The Lord of the Rings movies . The story is interesting but not amazing . Gameplay is reminiscent of Bioware's D & D based games , like Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights . . . but not exactly .
- Dialogue is mostly played out by actors in real time - - which is great ! - - only stopping on occasion to let you decide what you'll say . But there's no real pause button ! The only way to pause a conversation if you get interrupted is to use the PS button , which is slow , a bit clunky , and not what it's really meant for .
- The cut scenes , while beautiful , are a bit jerky , especially when they first load up .
Neutral :
* Very violent ! Great if you like that sort of thing , not so good if you're squeamish . You're literally blood spattered after a big battle , and stay that way for a while . I imagine the settings can be tweaked , but that's the default .
* Everything is new , if , as I said , not especially original . This can be good or bad depending on how familiar you like your games . I found myself stumped on several occasions wondering what talent to pick or attribute to train , because they're all unfamiliar , and not explained all that well . And so often RPGs promise amazing skills that never turn out to be useful . . . though so far , they all seem well used .
* You must stay in a certain area until you complete certain storyline quests . You cannot wander freely . Some people like that , some people hate it . I'd rather wander freely myself , like Oblivion , but I'm fine with it .
* No multiplayer .
Overall : Really , really pleased with Dragon Age : Origins . I can't come up with a single significant complaint . Unless it becomes horribly buggy , I don't see coming up with one either .
013 4 I approached Dragon Age as a committed Oblivion player looking for another fantasy RPG . Whereas I started out hoping the two games would be quite similar , instead I find myself enjoying the differences . If you like Oblivion , I hope this review helps you decide if you would like Dragon Age . I apologize in advance for the huge review .
Dragon Age isn't like Oblivion in that it isn't truly an open world . Rather , it is a series of environments which you travel between in pursuit of the game's main quest . Within any one environment you may travel freely doing what you wish , but when you're ready to move on you can't necessarily return to a favorite village or camp to stock up on supplies , heal , etc . This raises the stakes somewhat and forces you to make tough tactical choices . And making difficult tactical choices is one of the recurring themes of the game .
Character development is much simpler . You collect experience points to reach new levels , then increase your attributes and skills however you like , so long as it is appropriate for your class . This is of course quite different than Oblivion where you use the skills you favor and level up after you've honed enough skills . If you enjoyed ' working the system ' in Oblivion to create just the perfect character you may find Dragon Age's system to be a bit simplistic . On the other hand , having the simpler system prevents the trivia of character development from interfering with the story .
And the story is very enjoyable . The story ' size ' is probably similar to combining all of the main quests in Oblivion but since they form a single cohesive story it seems much larger . Like an epic story a la Lord of the Rings . Adding to the cinematic feel are the cut scenes and dialog scenes . There aren't really any cut scenes in Oblivion ( okay , maybe one at the end of the main quest ) . They occur frequently in Dragon Age , almost always to move the main quest . They provide the glue that connects the various in-game segments . For example , after your party heads out on the road you may see a cut scene showing a plot being hatched far from you . The dialog scenes are also quite well done . As opposed to the dialogs you have in oblivion where you are looking straight at the face of one of the characters , the look is much smoother , with an over-the-shoulder view that conveys body language , background and shows other characters . The camera will close-in on a character to emphasize certain moments . At other times characters talking to you will strut around while speaking just as they would in a movie or play . Definitely a step up from Oblivion , even if the ' pick an option and see what happens ' approach is recognizable .
One of the real treats in the game is the interactions between characters . Two members of your party will quibble or banter while you are walking along . If you stop and engage one of your party in a dialog you may find out they want to talk about something unexpected . Their background , the quest , your relationship . Again , very different from Oblivion where every conversation with a character is a strictly scripted encounter tied to the current quest . Some of these conversations will even be initiated by others in your party when back at camp . Some are laugh out loud funny . It really contributes to the feeling of being part of a larger story with the other characters .
Combat . This may be the aspect of the game that I have been the slowest to warm to . The major difference - as you will know from reading other reviews - is that you are quasi-controlling a larger party , not just your own character . Playing your own character well isn't enough ; you have to set the tactics of your fellow adventurers if you hope to win any fights . This can be fairly time consuming , and a bit confusing at first . Some things you might want your fellow adventurers to do cannot be programmed . You may switch to controlling any of your party at almost any time , but this can be extremely confusing during combat , so the scripted tactics are your best bet .
That being said , there is a reward to tweaking the tactics and seeing them work in action . Part of the tactical challenge of the game , as is deciding on the best armor / weapons to use . And all multiplied times four characters . Surviving a tough fight - especially after getting it wrong a few times - is rewarding in its own right .
Finally , I'd like to comment on some of the complaints I have read about the PS3 version . I haven't had a single lock-up or glitch at any point in the game , and I've been playing for 40 - plus hours . There is from time to time an extremely brief hesitation during conversations , probably while the game is loaded from disk . Never enough to be annoying and far less troubling than the delays / glitches / hiccups that occur in many games . I'm sorry that others have seen problems , but they certainly are not universal to the game on the PS3 . There * may * have been a time or two where a fellow adventurer just sat there doing nothing , but if so then it was so rare as to not bother me .
So . . . Dragon Age should not be confused with Oblivion , but is an extremely enjoyable game in its own right . I've been playing for several hours a day pretty much every day since I got it . It presents unique challenges , unique rewards and some great story and action .
018 4 Graphics : * * *
It's been said before , and I'll say it again : the graphics aren't what makes this game . I think the playstation 2 could handle graphics close to what this game has . But the graphics aren't really bad either . Just don't expect a visual thrill ride .
Audio / Music : * * *
The audio is decent . The voice actors are on par . No one will be winning any oscars here , but it isn't B movie quality either . I did notice a number of mismatched lip syncing . The music was decent . Nothing to write home about , but it's sufficient to get the job done .
Game play : * * * and a half
The game play is definitely above par . There really weren't any times where I got bored with the game during my 50 hour play through . There are tons of items , and the characters have a lot ways they can be leveled up or upgraded . One of the best things about this game is the part members . You get to chat with the people in your party throughout the game . The characters ' attitudes toward you will change depending on what you say to them . This really added a lot to the game IMHO . When you finish a quest , you get to chat with your party members to break up the pace of things .
Now , the reason I can't give this the last star and a half for game play has to do with a couple things . ( There is no plot spoiler , but some folks consider game player spoilers to be spoilers , so be forewarned , that some game play is revealed ahead . . . ) For starters , there are no random encounters in this game . Monsters do not respawn at all . Once an area is cleared , it never has monsters to fight again , unless a story or quest happens to take place there later on . I felt like that really forced me to move faster through the game than I wanted to . Sometimes it's fun to just stay in an area and unleash a can of whoop a # # , ya know ? Well , too bad , you can't do that here . You just have to keep moving forward .
Another game play problem is that since you can't grind away on monsters , you really only have a certain limited amount of money to spend in the entire game . This made me feel like I couldn't ever spend much money because I never really knew if the next town might have a killer weapon that I wouldn't be able to afford because I couldn't grind monsters in order to save up money . Yes , you can loot people , but that amounts in a really small amount of money . But hey , I don't knock it , it's just that , looting people is far less fun than grinding monsters IMHO .
So to sum it up : the game play has many interesting elements . But just like the original Mario Bros , where the screen scrolled to the side at a set pace and forced you to keep on your toes and move forward , this game is like that as well . I does not allow you to sit back and really savor the monsters in an area . It's a shame , and THE reason why it does not get more than 3.5 stars .
Overall , the game is a 3 star game . I had a lot of fun on my first play through . I highly recommend it for 50 hours of tight and fun game play , but I don't have a whole lot of desire to play it again . Yes , there is lots of replay value in all the choices you can make . There are a number of major game changing decisions to make , and that gives the game nice replay value . But I hate the fact that I know I'll be fighting all the same monsters , in exactly the same numbers , in exactly the same place , all scripted exactly the same way it was before .
Some randomness to the monster encounters would have been great . Try it , you'll like it once !
023 4 Dragon Age Origins won't dazzle people with graphics or some completely original , mind-bending idea ; it will amaze you with the amount of choice the player actually has .
Despite all the advances in gaming , roleplaying often consists of revealing the plot , often via cutscenes , and making the predicable choices . Even really immersive games , like the Final Fantasy series , create the hero for you ; as a player , you're along for a ride . Not so in Dragon Age .
Nothing is black and white , simple cases of right and wrong , good and evil . You'll be expected to make decisions , and I don't think there is a wrong way to play the game . Most of the game revolves around recruiting allies to form an army to stop the invasion of darkspawn ( think a mix between demons and the Middle Earth-esque orc hordes ) . I assumed there would be one route to do so , but you'll quickly find that you don't need to be the knight in shining mail , faultless and lawful , to accomplish your mission .
The NPCs they you recruit to join you have their own goals . Your actions dictate what they think of you , though gifts can be found that enhance their opinion of you . You'll reveal more and more through conversation with the NPCs . . . and they'll talk between themselves , whether you're adventuring in a dangerous locale or just wandering about a city . The conversations are usually interesting , and often reveal more about their goals , likes and dislikes , and they certainly begin to feel like * real * people .
I was hesitant when I read they had implemented romances between your character and the NPCs . Rest assured , it's not pornographic , though the scenes are certainly suggestive ( heavy petting ) , should you pursue one . From what I've read , romances are scripted for Morrigan ( a witch that joins you early in the game , most likely your first NPC mage ) , Alistair ( a knightly warrior with a history as a templar - - witch hunters - - your first companion after the origin story ) , Leiliana ( a rogue with expertise as a bard , sort of the wine and and dancing sort ) , and Zev ( an assassin sent to kill you that surrenders and enters into your service ) . I only played through once and ended up with a challenging romance with Morrigan , but I can't say it wasn't well written and interesting . There are other characters to meet and work with , but that's the four romances written up ( no idea if they are scripted as typical gender relations or can be same-sex ; you can find that out on your own , if so inclined ) .
In terms of mechanics , the game is similar to others of the genre . If you're the curious sort , expect about 70 - 80 hours on the easiest game mode ( casual ) - - exploring the optional side quests and the current download options ( Warden's Keep and the Prisioner of Stone ) . I'm sure the game is longer on higher difficulty , but I haven't completed it yet past my initial play through at casual . Fans of Final Fantasy ( JRPGs ) will like it , but so will more traditional pen and paper / table-top gamers . I've never been a fan of Bethesda's RPGs ( Oblivion / Fallout ) , so was delighted Bioware finally developed something for the PS3 . . . and Dragon Age Origins lives up to its billing .
I think the game has decent replay value , especially if Bioware continues to release downloadable content ( and you are willing to pay for it ) . Given there are a wide variety of ways to play the game ( not just race / class combos , but as a rogue with virtually no moral code to a stern , dauntless knight or a rogue wizard secretly learning blood magic ) AND the new downloads can add several hours ( and new characters / magic ) to your adventure , this seems to be a fantastic value . . . definitely worth adding to your collection .
025 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I've been a huge fan of Bioware and their videogames since they released Star Wars : KOTOR and they seem to get better with each passing game . Though with the exception of Mass Effect , none of their games are really that technically impressive . What brings you into Bioware's RPG games are the stories and characters . This is very much true of Dragon Age Origins .
Like the other Bioware titles , Dragon Age lets you build your character from the ground up ( with a nice character model editor ) . You then choose from three generic classes : Warrior , Mage , or Thief ( there are also specialization classes ) then choose from one of six origin stories ( or general begining / background stories ) . Like most RPG's your character's race and / or background , while interesting , basically sets the feel for your character rather than drastically change the gameplay experience . Aside form how the game starts , your character's race / background really don't effect the game progression . I don't think this is bad thing but is does limit the appeal of replayability somewhat .
When your playing the game the system is VERY much borrowed from KOTOR's realtime-ish combat system . Your battle animations are varied and if you're into hack-and-slashing things ( like I am ) you'll feel right at home ( I personally think it's the most fun i've had playing a Bioware game ) . There is also a wheel pause and play feature that brings up special moves you can pull off in the battlefield . You'll be bringing this up ALOT if you're a magic-user , though thankfully there's a TACTICS system which gives your party AI for combat ( very much like FF12 ' s gambit system ) . There's also ALOT of inventory micromanaging and if you're not into moving things around in your inventory ( like I am ) you'll probably find yourself frustrated alot .
As said before Bioware games are story-heavy and I think this is their heaviest one yet . I love the characters in this game and how the general story plays out and for me this is what keeps me and others coming back to this game . Unfortunatly if you're NOT into story-heavy videogames there's not alot here for you .
My one big complaint with this game is the graphics . Not only does the color scheme seem dull compared to the XBOX360 version , there's the usual clipping errors ( some , but not alot of characters lose their voices or just disappear ) . Don't get me wrong it's not as bad as Fallout 3 was but you will notice .
So like I said before I love this game . I love it for probably the reasons alot of people will hate it . If you love Bioware games like I do with great characters and stories this game is a MUST . If you're not , save your $ $ $ .
026 4 I've been a huge fan of Bioware and their videogames since they released Star Wars : KOTOR and they seem to get better with each passing game . Though with the exception of Mass Effect , none of their games are really that technically impressive . What brings you into Bioware's RPG games are the stories and characters . This is very much true of Dragon Age Origins .
Like the other Bioware titles , Dragon Age lets you build your character from the ground up ( with a nice character model editor ) . You then choose from three generic classes : Warrior , Mage , or Thief ( there are also specialization classes ) then choose from one of six origin stories ( or general begining / background stories ) . Like most RPG's your character's race and / or background , while interesting , basically sets the feel for your character rather than drastically change the gameplay experience . Aside form how the game starts , your character's race / background really don't effect the game progression . I don't think this is bad thing but is does limit the appeal of replayability somewhat .
When your playing the game the system is VERY much borrowed from KOTOR's realtime-ish combat system . Your battle animations are varied and if you're into hack-and-slashing things ( like I am ) you'll feel right at home ( I personally think it's the most fun i've had playing a Bioware game ) . There is also a wheel pause and play feature that brings up special moves you can pull off in the battlefield . You'll be bringing this up ALOT if you're a magic-user , though thankfully there's a TACTICS system which gives your party AI for combat ( very much like FF12 ' s gambit system ) . There's also ALOT of inventory micromanaging and if you're not into moving things around in your inventory ( like I am ) you'll probably find yourself frustrated alot .
As said before Bioware games are story-heavy and I think this is their heaviest one yet . I love the characters in this game and how the general story plays out and for me this is what keeps me and others coming back to this game . Unfortunatly if you're NOT into story-heavy videogames there's not alot here for you .
My one big complaint with this game is the graphics . Not only does the color scheme seem dull compared to the XBOX360 version , there's the usual clipping errors ( some , but not alot of characters lose their voices or just disappear ) . Don't get me wrong it's not as bad as Fallout 3 was but you will notice .
So like I said before I love this game . I love it for probably the reasons alot of people will hate it . If you love Bioware games like I do with great characters and stories this game is a MUST . If you're not , save your $ $ $ .
031 4 Dragon Age has been out for about two months now . I have been playing that long . Not that really anyone cares how long I have been playing , but let that tell you at least one thing . This game is AMAZING .
First off , I would like to address the issues some are talking about the graphics . WHAT ISSUES ? Sure this game may not be necessarily cutting edge , FFXIII graphics , but they are pretty impressive graphics nonetheless . Facial expresions are pretty darn good and the lip-syncing is some of the best I have seen in a game . The vistas are great and expansive and the architecture is impressive by any measure .
Secondly , the gameplay itself . It does require some getting-to-know-you time . Prepare for menu after menu , learning what works and what doesn't , and for some of the harder fights ( looking at YOU Archdemon ) getting to understand the tactics assigning . However , once you get the hang of it , it is pretty straightforward and very immersive .
Thirdly , the attention to detail in this game is VERY impressive . Sure , the relationship bar thing that lets you get in to serious relationships with some of the party characters is great albeit not unique . But , I am talking about nuances . Your party talks among themselves in downtime making for some very entertaining moments even when battles are not erupting . The slightest things sometimes lead to greater moments . Being a jerk to one person can affect whether or not a quest presents itself later . The conversation tree is massive and some things your character can say are absolutely hilarious . That is my point , there are so many fantastic ideas and details merged in to one grand game with a TON of replayability . The characters each have their own personality and motivations . Some are endearing , some are not , but all are memorable and play a crucial role in a wonderfully written story that is fantasy fiction at its best .
The soundtrack is pretty darn good . While I consider it to be the weak link , it is by no means bad .
I literally have 5 games now going at once after my initial playthrough . I have characters ranging from my evil mage to a Boy Scout of a rogue . Each game has been different with different dialogue presenting itself as my characters ' decisions play out . Even though the game has six origins , the nuances YOU can create within those six can be massive , with gender even playing into how the origin stories play out . Which does bring me to the biggest flaw of the game . Because I have so many save files for different characters , the initial load up is a bit slow , but honestly if it was that bad , I would have erased some by now .
It you fancy yourself a role player , action player , a gamer at all this game should be picked up immediately . Bioware has seriously hit paydirt with this game and I can't wait for the next installment . ( I might also add that , as of this review , there are three DLCs two out and one out soon ; adding a decent chunk more to the game itself including another playable character for your party . )
033 4 I rarely review Games - mainly because I'm just a casual player who likes to play now and again and I'm not really up on all of the lingo or high tech stuff . But after getting my laptop and realizing that Baldur's Gate 2 won't play correctly on Windows Vista ( at least for me ) I was devistated . I have played and replayed that game countless times and always enjoyed it .
So then my darling husband gave me this for Christmas ( PS3 version ) and not only am I addicted - but my husband ( who generally only plays games that involve little story and high body counts ) is now fighting me for time to play it .
What do I love ? First of all the story - true D & D style save the world , do major quests , be good or not-so-good , find treasure , fight dragons , talk to all of the people in the town - those types of games just suck me in . The story is a lot of fun if you can get past the fact that most fantasy tales are pretty much the same - an unlikely hero gets thrown in with a band of other unlikely heros and they save the world from some dark force . The music is fantastic , the graphics are Good enough and my favorite part - the characters who join you . I LOVE them .
Because I'm a fast reader - I have always been irritated by games that had VO rather then text dialog , mainly because I read much faster then the person speaking and I want to take the coversations at my speed . This is only the second game where the VO didn't bother me because the VO actors did such a stellar job ( the other game was FF12 ) . This game also meets my requirement of - if my stepson is bleeding can I just set down the controller and apply the bandaid without my character dying or requiring a save point .
As far as difficulty - I'm playing my first run through on Normal and though it says I have 60 hours playing time I would guess I'm closer to 30 because I have been leaving the game on at night . It says I have explored 50% of the world so far and I think I have about half of the armies set up to join me in the battle . . . the fights have been hard but not impossible for me . As a casual gamer I often lose interest in a game if I encounter something that is too difficult , that has yet to happen . And with so many options about what to make my character do , if I have run into a section that is too hard , I just head off to another section until I'm a bit stronger .
I love most of my party members ( I think I have all but one so far , including the free DL character Shale ) and I find myself going back to camp over and over just to talk to them . Also their random bantering while we're out exploring often borders on hilarious . Especially if you have party members who don't particularly get along .
As to the romances - and yes there are inter-party romances that include smooching and possibly taking a party member back to your tent for a little nookie , they are actually quite fun to participate in if you are into the role playing aspect of D & D games . Is there nudity - not in the romance part ( at least not so far and I've had a few people back to my tent ) but some of the creatures you fight appear to be topless so if you have little ones then that's something to keep in mind .
This game is NOT appropriate for young children - and I'm not just talking about the romance aspect . The themes in this game are often dark , and choices that you make and act out can be morally ambiguous . There are also themes of genocide , assassination , murder , cheating , women and children being killed etc . On top of that , the dialogue is very mature - though the F bomb is never dropped , there are conversations about the characters pasts that include discussions of brothels , rape , assassination , views both for and against the church of the land . . . lots of things to make a parent wince if their little one is in the room . I have had to battle to keep my 8 year old away because he just sees me fighting monsters - but it's the themes that make this an adult game .
Also being an open minded individual - I am very proud of Bioware for introducing same sex romances - there is one option for a male / male and one for a female / female . Very rarely do you see that in a game . Don't worry if that kind of thing terrifies you - you have to go looking for it .
Are there any negatives ? Well of course there are - there are a few of the voice actors who I could not understand ( The Werewolves for one ) also I could have really used a little more info on the spells and talents that my characters have - a little advisement perhaps like - This spell does this and affects this many monsters / allies . And perhaps an item list like - this garnet stone serves no purpose other then to sell for money - so I'm not carrying useless things around hoping they have a purpose .
On the whole I will probably still be playing this game 2 - 3 years from now so that I can complete all of the origin stories and try to get all of the endings - for the amount of game play involved this is well worth the money .
036 4 I've been hooked on RPG games for a long , long time . Since back when D & D was X's and O's on a green screen . We've come a long way , baby ! While waiting for the newest offering from the Final Fantasy franchise I picked up a copy of Dragon Age : Origins hoping it would be better than Oblivion . Not only has it not disappointed , it is my newest favorite game of the year . It's got everything an aging boy wants to play hundreds of hours , neglecting family , friends , job an household chores . Buyer beware ! It's addictive . Especially if you have an addictive personality , like I do . Because I'm also an imperfectionist ( someone who always sees what's wrong instead of what's right ) I've played with a dozen different characters but still haven't finished the game . Why ? you may ask . I got the guide after the game and only read it after I was part way through the game . I had to go back to get it right . Depending on your play style , mine is jump right in and blast through blindly , you may wish to get the strategy guide to go with the game . It's not the greatest guide ever written but it sure helps find things my play style misses and makes the game much more enjoyable , rich and multilayered .
The game is huge with loads of excitement , intrigue and fun . With the different character possibilities it's replay value is very high and it helps make the usual hack and slash more interesting . Highly recommended for anyone who has been waiting for a game that you could actually enjoy on the PS3 that's been a blu ray player until this game . My wife hates it !
039 4 I guess I'll start off telling you what's wrong with the game .
First off , the graphics are not great , and the cut-scenes can be a little choppy . They aren't completely bad , but they just aren't as great as most rpg's that you'll find on the ps3 . Second , the menus are kind of clunky and poorly designed . Even if you set it so that you don't have to hold L2 to keep the radial menu open , you still have to hold the analog stick to stay on whatever you're picking . Third , the inventory seemed to fill up rather quickly with items that once I finished the game seemed to have no purpose at all . Fortunately , you can sell these items to merchants , and if you end up finding a use for them later on , you can always buy them back . ( So don't destroy them ) Fourth , the battle speed is slow , and your character feels that he has to say some stupid phrase every time he attacks , and many times it's the same phrase he just said . Fifth , some of the dungeons feel like they were made insanely long just to make the game take longer to beat .
Now that I've got my grievances with this game out of the way , I'll tell you what's right with it .
Firstly , you get to customize your character . You can choose from 3 races , ( elf , dwarf , human ) and 3 classifications ( mage , rogue , warrior ) Also , you get to adjust facial features , add tattoos , change eye , hair , and tattoo color - - pretty much like in Oblivion , except the characters in this game aren't nearly as ugly . Second , there are different levels of difficulty , depending on your particular skill level . Third , you get to make your own choices , and face the consequences of them . Certain actions will cause members of your party to approve or disapprove , and if you get their approval ratings high enough , you will find them more useful , and you may even be treated to a sex scene . Also , your particular ending depends on what choices you make . Fourth , you get to slay dragons , which was my personal favorite part of the game . I'm not sure how many there are , but in my first play-through I killed 3 of them . Fifth , there's a high replay value . After you beat the game the first time , there are still 5 more origin stories waiting to be played . Let me clarify , though , that the origin stories are simply the beginning of the game . After the origin story , ( which is fairly long ) , the plot is the same for each character .
Finally , and most importantly , this game is fun . I enjoyed playing it the first time as a warrior , and I'm enjoying it the second time as a mage . I'd definitely recommend this game to any rpg fan who isn't a fussy perfectionist .
044 4 If you're a fan of involved RPGs which let you control multiple characters in your party , Dragon Age : Origins will provide hundreds of hours of absorbing fun . If you find this type of character development and management tedious , there won't be a quick end in sight for you .
As with most RPGs , you begin by creating your character . You get to choose between female and male . Dwarf , Elf , or Human . Warrior , Rogue , or Mage . The only combination which isn't available is the dwarf mage . For dwarfs and elves , you can also set yourself as a poor or noble . There are different backgrounds for each of these combinations with a back-story to get you started , and occasional later storyline differences are based on who you are .
For example , if you're a noble dwarf , your man-servant / buddy becomes a merchant in the big city and he'll recognize you and give you a great discount . Others do not get this benefit .
The core of the game is that , through whatever starting means , you join the Grey Wardens - a special world defense group who fights evil . There is a giant group of demons rising to flood through the world , and it's the Grey Wardens who stand against it . You have to unite the humans , dwarfs , elves , and mages to fight the enemy . Numerous side missions get you along the quest .
The game is dialogue heavy , with all of it spoken ( although you can read subtitles if you wish ) . You are often provided with responses which range from gently kind to humorous to nasty . Depending on your method of interacting with others , you can bring about ten companions along in your party . Each companion will respond well to a different personality . That being said , there are many times that the multiple dialogue options seem to be shades of gray and give the same results .
Die-hard fans will want to play through the entire game multiple times to see how it rolls out for a poor female elf , vs a noble dwarf warrior , and so on . Each loop through could easily exceed 50 hours or more .
You have about 30 save spots , so there are plenty of locations to keep track of different characters and different paths .
Actions have long term consequences . Something you do early in the game can have an affect 20 hours later in gameplay , so it's not a matter of saving and then just trying path A or path B .
There are downloadable extra missions you can purchase , if their massive amount of content still isn't enough for you .
There are a couple of bugs in the game , which are fairly exploitable , but since this isn't a multiplayer game it only affects how you play vs other friends you might be in competition with .
The graphics are high quality and quite comparable to other games on modern systems . The sound is well done and the dialogue brings life to the characters . Sometimes the conversations were laugh out loud funny . That being said , you have to have an open sense of humor to appreciate some of the scenes . They do borrow from Monty Python and current movies for some of their lines .
The game is generally easy to pick up and play for any gamer who has played these style of games before . They did a good job with combat controls , camera controls and general character leveling .
The one caveat I have is that there is a fair amount of mature content in here - both violent and sexual . You can set your characters up for homosexual or heterosexual relationships , and simulated ( clothed ) sex is shown . This is NOT a game for young teens .
Well recommended for mature gamers .
059 4 Summary of game -
- The Good :
Okay , Dragon's Age story is really good and the voice acting is ok . You get to create players and experience another type of beginning depending on the character you choose , very cool . Lots of customization with your class but you have to do it pretty wisely as being a jack of all trades character is seriously not recommended . The trailers blew me away but the game didnt live up to the standard that it put forth .
- The Bad :
Alright , on PS3 this game has alot of issues because bioware doesnt care about porting to PS3 . So this means there are alot of video issues and glitches . A few in a game is common but there are parts in this game where the screen will go black for an entire section ( happened on my buddies game too ) and gets quite difficult and annoying to continue to play . This will happen frequently and will plague you throughout your jouney . The graphics were sub-par for a game of this generation I was dissapointed on multiple occasions . Sometimes what a game lacks in graphics can be made up in gameplay . In my personal opinion gameplay wasn't that interesting to keep me overlooking all the video issues . I heard though this game plays great on PC , if you were to ever buy it only consider PC , buying it on PS3 will cause you heartache . You will get alot of other stories but this game was built off of hype and it continues with hardcore bioware fans .
- Alternate Suggestion :
I picked up Demon Souls before this game and was really impressed with the graphics and LITERALLY seemless gameplay . This game is 3 player coop or player vs . player which the other is not , and is highly enjoyable , very slim story line though . Beware though , this game is difficult . Because of the difficulty I cannot tell you what the euphoria of beating the bosses is like it is just too amazing . Even more customization than Dragon Age and a combat system that leaves you asking Bioware , what the heck were you thinking ; the combat system in this game is just that great .
072 4 Reviewer Background :
I am a fairly seasoned RPG player . My general favorites are the FF series and Baldur's gate and of course WOW . I do not play as many recent RPGs but generally prefer party-based RPGs rather than individual or MMORPGs ( due to time constraints ) .
Overall :
Great game . Combines the best of BG series ( immersive story ) with the best of FF series ( generally smooth gameplay ) .
Gameplay :
The gameplay on this is quite good . It is important to take some time to learn to use the combat tactics ( similar to FFXII Gambits ) for your support characters , but once you do , fights are relatively smooth and fluid . I prefer to fight in real-time which is nearly impossible in this type of game without something like the tactics they provide . That was my main critique of BG ( frequent pausing during battles to change strategies ) , and it's generally unnecessary if tactics are used properly . The tactics provide a wealth of conditions for which to implement actions which is very nice , but I am not sure why Bioware decided that it would initially limit the number of tactics slots ( similarly in FFXII ) as this really only serves to make the game more choppy for people who prefer to program their characters .
That is not to say that gameplay is perfect on the PS3 , however , as there are generally many more commands than you have buttons on the controller which can cause you to have to enter menus even for simple actions . Sometimes moving right-left on a menu requires using the R2 or L2 button and on a different menu it requires the direction pad . Many of these issues are probably unique to the console versions though . Overall , though , these are minor inconveniences , and pale in comparison to the enjoyment of the game .
Story :
As of right now , I have only played as a Dwarven Noble , but I have to admit that the opening story was almost immediately engrossing and interesting . An excellent way to introduce the gameplay in both an informative and immersive way . Your party members end up showing their character throughout the game through conversations and reactions , and I ended up finding myself liking certain characters over others . Like more or less everyone else has said , the storyline really grabs you from the start .
Customization :
The choice of only 3 classes obscures how much customization is possible . Within each class , there are several different specializations for which to work towards each with a substantially different play style and strengths . I am already planning to replay the game as a number of different class / specialization combinations just to see how they are . Like most RPGs , this game is heavy on details , and the details matter , so be aware that you will spend a fair amount of time optimizing each character's stats / equipment / specializations to have the best performance . To me , that's part of the enjoyment , but it's not for everyone .
084 4 I was frustrated with this game at first because after completing quests in Orzhammar , a glitch ocurred . I have read that this happened to others because if you talk to the wrong characters during those quests , the game will get buggy and you will have to restart . I became very frustrated as by ths time I had already raked in hours of game play , but I played the game though again , this time making sure to also save at many points in case I encountered any trouble and also making sure I only spoke to the correct characters this time .
Suffice to say , I was able to finish the game in two days of almost non-stop playing and was satisfied with it ; I also got the bonus feature quests and am waiting for the next ones to come out . I do like this game ( almost ) as much as Oblivion ; actually , the graphics are much better than Oblivion if I may make note here . The game was relatively short for me in comparison to Oblivion but still worth the price . I would say that both games are just as good as one another in different ways .
My favourite aspect of the game was the rich storytelling and the feeling of immersion that is created by good storytelling . For those jaded folks who prefer cynical stuff , I would not recommend this game , even though there is lots of wry and dark humour in Dragon Age , it will not appeal to those with unsophisticated tastes . It is more likely a game for the true RPG RPG / dark fantasy enthusiasts who is a bit more mature . This isn't a game for kids or people who just like to play shooters .
I also like how one's character can influence the other characters and gain skills all the while , including steamy romance . This is something novel and kind of fun actually , I thought it was interesting and hope to see that again in the upcoming sequels .
100 4 I've finished Dragon Age last night . Log said 42 hrs for me to complete . but probably more like 45 because dying so much during boss battle fights . I really liked the game . One major thing it has over Final Fantasy Series is you don't have to spend some much time trying to level up . In Dragon Age , there is a set amount of enemies you can fight in an area , meaning once you kill them they don't reappear . In FF series , I spend a lot of time just walking around fighting the same enemies to try to level up so I don't get slaughter in the boss fights . In Dragon Age , the only way you can level up more is to do more side quests . I think that's way more fun , then blindly kill the same creatures over and over again .
Also there is I think 5 different beginning ( origins ) . I'll try a few more .
136 4 Dragon Age : Origins is a fantastic RPG . It's graphics are very good ( though they could be better ) , it's soundtrack is catchy and dramatic , the combat system is interactive and programmable ( with gamer-customizable IF / THEN algorythms for all characters ) , but the best criteria is the story .
The Best of it : The story : king is dead , land under seige , guy who killed the king trying to take over . You are an adventurer ( kind of a fantasy version of a jedi . . . no coincidence Bioware also made Star Wars : KOTOR ) called a Grey Warden who has to pretty much fix everything . What makes the story work so well though is the depth of interaction with factions and characters and even your fellow adventurers . The detailed back story and complexity of the politics throughout the game really give it a depth rarely seen in gaming . Top scores for that !
Drawbacks : Very minor : for me , some areas of the story line involved a bit too much running from one place to another to say okay , here's your thing ; very typical of RPGs . The graphics too , while really good , and in some places quite fantastic , felt like they could have been pushed further . Otherwise , fabulous .
Highly recommended . Bioware , keep up the great work .
151 4 Pros : addictive gameplay , leveling and micromanaging system is good , nice choice of different characters and customizability of your group .
Cons : when you are addicted and playing it for a long time , it seems kind of short , on the bright side you can re-play it as a different race ( human , dwarf , elf ) and the storyline changes up a little .
153 4 I simply love the character development and interaction . The story line is great - two friends are playing different characters and there is a surprising difference in the narrative for all three of us .
Graphics 9.0
Gameplay 9.5
Story 10
Replayability 7.5
Sound 8.5
Voice Over 9.5
Customization 8.0
Overall Fun 9.0
The game is more controlled ( more linear ) than Oblivion but generally not as tedious . So much of the depth can be optionally played that the experience of playing the game twice can be quite different . Thank you Bioware and EA for releasing this terrific game . The sequel needs to have local multiplayer . Next in line - - The Last Guardian ! !
167 4 If you've ever played Knights of the Old Republic ( KOTOR ) , then you have a good idea of what to expect in Dragon Age : Origins . Even though KOTOR and Dragon Age : Origins ( DA : O ) take place in completely different worlds , the game mechanics and format of the two games are very similar .
Dragon Age is an RPG in which you control a party of up to four characters to combat a wide variety of enemies and monsters . The combat itself occurs in real-time , although you have the option to pause the game at any time and issue commands to any of your party members . The other main hallmark of Bioware's RPGs is the number of choices ( primarily in dialogue ) you can make throughout the game . While most of these choices do not have lasting importance , there are some which will radically change the path the story takes . Your choices can also affect gameplay , as certain dialogue options may allow you to skip fights completely , while other choices might impact the abilities you have access to or the statistics of your party members .
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Dragon Age is the considerable amount of effort the developers made to making sure that the world appropriately reflects the decisions you make throughout the game . When you start the game you begin in one of six origin stories . In each origin story you meet various characters that you will encounter again later on in the game , and when you meet them for the second time , they remember what you did at the beginning of the game . On the flip side , you will meet characters from the other five origin stories which you did not play , and only after going through their respective origin stories do you get a full appreciation of their part in the story . It's details like this which make this game a lot of fun to play .
The gameplay is also quite entertaining . There are four levels of difficulty , ranging from casual to nightmare , and they are adjustable on the fly . The difficulty has no bearing on any other part of the game , but it lets you set the game at a level which is challenging but not overly so . At the harder levels of difficulty considerable planning and thought is required to succeed , especially in the more challenging encounters , and it is here that the strategic depth of the game really reveals itself . The choices you make outside of combat , such as the equipment you wear and the abilities you choose to learn as you level up , also play a huge role in determining how powerful your party is .
Unfortunately , there are several pretty substantial flaws in this game , which might detract from your enjoyment of the game . Perhaps the most prominent comment on the game are the relatively low quality of the graphics . For a PS3 game , the graphics are indeed subpar , since the game has been in development for five years and is basically a straight port of the PC version of the game . While the developers tried to make the interface of the game accessible for console gamers , it's still obvious that playing with keyboard and mouse on a PC is the easiest way to play the game . Some of the sidequests don't seem to work too well , as some have ambiguous or incorrect instructions .
Nevertheless , the positives of the game outweigh the negatives , and if you are an RPG fan this game is a good buy . It might be preferable to purchase the PC version of the game over the PS3 version ( evidently the PC version doesn't come with SecuROM , which is a huge plus for those who care ) if your computer hardware is reasonably powerful .
169 4 Bought this for the xbox 360 . It is set up great for console playing . I know PC people like the ability to use tactics and such - but I enjoyed the chance to sit back and just hack and slash on a console ( Xbox ) .
What really sets this game apart is the voice acting . You really get into the characters and enjoy the witty dialogue and discussions . Some of the things said by the characters are drop dead funny . And with experienced actors ( Kate Mulgrew , Claudia Black , Tim Russ , etc . ) doing the voicing , you know the usual computer game dead voice work doesn't apply here . I also like that it isn't as dark and dreary as most US games .
Games are getting closer and closer to being seamless movies . This game is such a bridge to a real cinematic experience . Yes , the graphics aren't as good as one would hope ( it shows that this has been in development for 5 + yers ) - but that doesn't detract from the game at all due to the stellar voice work .
I highly recommend this game for that reason - you really get into the characters and their lives / story - they feel so 3 dimensional , which is such a rarity for a computer game .
181 4 I may offer a little different review than most because I'm in my 30 ' s and never really had been into RPG's before .
But I must say , that after about my first hour of Dragon Age Origins , I was hooked . So I have finally finished it after at least 40 + hours of gameplay . I have to assume that 40 + hours they keep track of is in terms of actual gameplay time . I probably put in twice that much in terms of menu's / loading / saving / and on pause - either looking at the map , the quest directions , or going through your inventory of items . So for the money ( $40 ! ) , this is a ridiculously good value .
The ability to create your own character is one of the highlights of any game for me , and this one did a good job on that front . I like that certain choices you make in your character's background / race will help determine your skill sets / attributes .
The gameplay is good . I thought it did a good job of mixing finding things with a fair amount of fighting . I thought the fighting system was pretty easy to understand and pick up right away . I also thought that managing the items in your inventory / backpack was kind of fun too , even if it can be quite time-consuming . At some points , I thought to myself , OK there's just too much stuff to pickup / buy / find / etc !
I also liked that you can turn on the subtitles when viewing the cut-scenes . That way you can read through it a lot faster than if you wait for all of the dialog to finish . The Square button lets you fast forward the scene . So that's a big time saver there .
At times , it felt kind of like an old Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book because certain decisions you make during the game will have impacts later on . At one point , I wound up making a decision , and having one of the party members turn against me , so we had to kill her . So she was obviously , permanently out of my posse .
I liked that I could play it on Casual difficulty , since I don't have thaaaaat much free-time now that I'm a little older . Plus I'm too old to keep trying it over and over again , and too old for throwing my controller all over the room .
Overall , a very great game that sucked me into the story / world / characters . Some of the characters are quite memorable / amusing / funny .
Overall , I really enjoyed this game . So much so , that I'll probably start all over again as a different character to see how it'll play out differently . Highly recommended .
196 4 This game blew me away . I've never owned another Bioware game except for KOTOR , and I didn't really play it much as I was never a huge Star Wars fan . On top of that , I'm generally not big into RPG's either , although I do enjoy fantasy settings like Lord of the Rings etc , and I had played WoW and EQ . So I was a bit skeptical when I ordered this since it really wasn't my style of game , but after seeing such positive reviews about it's story , I had to . I played through on the casual difficulty setting , because I wasn't interested in constant pausing and micro managing my parties tactics . I just wanted to enjoy the story , and enjoy it I did .
I have NEVER played a game that made me care so much about the characters involved . All of your potential party members have great back story and unique personalities that will appeal to certain gamers . Listening to party members bicker , share thoughts and humor really brings life to the game . There actually were moments that made me snicker or crack a smile , something I can't say of any other game that I can remember .
The story itself is amazing . I've seen some people say that there are a lot of stereotypical fantasy settings here , which may be true , but it's rare and it's so well done that you won't care . There are plenty of twists throughout , some you literally will never see coming , and you'll be thinking about decisions you've made long after you turn your PS3 off , because you care so much about everyone involved . The Adult / Dark Fantasy setting works wonders for the game . Death , war , political , social and sexual tie ins give this game a feel that I haven't came across yet ( it doesn't deal with these issues in a childish , over the top GTA way ) .
To close out , if you are on the fence at all , buy this game . The graphics are a tad dated , but hardly as bad as some reviewers say , and the controls on the console are a bit clunky at first ( as with any PC port ) , but they become second nature . If you let yourself get into the game , you will love it .
215 4 We bought a PS3 a few months ago and Dragon Age got the most play time by far . The price dropped $20 when we bought it so we were really happy with the deal . This version does include the DLC ( Downloadable Content ) for free ( which if I had paid $15 for I would have been VERY irritated ) . Gameplay is solid and fun . What's really good , is that the story and gameplay really is different depending on what character you play as , My girlfriend played at the same time as I did and it was interesting to see the differences when we would switch back and forth .
Replay value is good too , although once was enough for me I could see how it could hold up .
247 4 To me this game is like Oblivion and Boulders gate put together ! The only thing I didn't like was how some spells over whelmed the screen and some spells hurt my own team , for example : the tempest ( lightning spell that hurts mass characters ) really hurt alot of characters but lightning was like everywhere , hard to see what was actually going on , but I easily dealt with it considering how much fun this game was , and then you have a spell like the blizzard which was a snow storm that dealt mass damage but also froze me and my own team occasionally .
I wouldn't play twice in a row , but will def play the sequel !
252 4 Dragon Age is a fun game , overall . The basic gist is that you gather a party of adventurers and set off on a quest to defeat the evil darkspawn that are threatening your homeland of Ferelden . Combat is a mix of real-time and turn-based action in which you move around and trigger skills , use items , and cast spells . As you defeat enemies and complete quests you level up to increase your basic stats and gain new skill and spells .
Overall , it's the standard RPG package with a relatively slick design . The story is somewhat overbearing at times , but it is engaging and serves to move you from place to place .
You can have up to four people in your party at one time , and you can switch between them at will to give commands ( you can also pause combat in order to do this ) , but it's unwieldy , and the default behavior of the three characters you're not controlling is less than optimal . As your characters advance , however , they gain tactics slots that can be used to set up behaviors such as what to do when an ally is below x % health . This system takes a little getting used to , but , once you have some better tactics set ( especially tactics related to healing ) , the games steep difficulty goes way down .
The main problem I have with this game , and the problem that earned it 3 instead of 4 stars , is the way Bioware went about handling the Downloadable Content ( DLC ) . The game comes with two codes you can enter to gain access to a new character and a piece of armor which otherwise have to be bought ( and are very expensive considering what they are ) . On the surface this sounds pretty innocuous , but when you think about it , it serves little purpose but to devalue the game to anybody who buys it second hand . The codes eventually expire and are consumed on use , and the characters and armor are non-transferable . Bioware claims that the intent isn't to artificially damage the game's resale value , but it's hard to imagine any legitimate reason for not simply including these two things in the game which were ready at launch .
Worse , the game's inventory system is atrocious . You start out with 70 backpack slots , and each item ( or , in the case of stackable items , each stack ) consumes 1 slot . In a game like this , where you often have to carry multiple gear sets for each character you're using , plus hang on to crafting materials , upgrades , and quest items , you run out of space quickly . You can expand your slots to 120 by buying backpacks from merchants for a steep price , but even this is not adequate as the game progresses , and you'll often find yourself having to trash items , leave them behind , or make constant trips to a merchant to get rid of un-needed junk . And this is where the worst fears of DLC are realized : the Warden's Keep expansion is currently the only way to remedy this problem . When you buy the extra DLC for $7 , you get a short side quest , a few new pieces of gear , and , the only really worthwhile addition , a chest that allows you to store 90 items without having to keep them on your character .
I'm all for DLC that adds value . I would gladly pay a few bucks to extend my experience with a fun game . However , creating a game that requires you to store a large number of items , then providing no workable way to do that without buying additional content is just malicious . Bioware claims there was a chest in the party camp , but it had to be removed before release due to bugs . However , the Warden's Keep DLC was available at launch , and , apparently , the storage there works just fine , so that's a dubious claim at best .
Overall , the game is fun , but the inventory system is a major distraction , and the fact that the only way to fix this basic game feature is to buy add-ons is a slap in the face . It's a good game , but because of the vicious way in which the DLC is used , I'm going to look long and hard at future Bioware purchases .
276 4 Dragon Age is my favorite RPG this generation . As great as Fallout and Borderlands are , the shooting aspect in a RPG is just not for me ( I'll stick with Killzone and COD for my shooting fix ) . I have not played the PC version or 360 version , but everything I have read says both are superior to PS3 .
As usual , there are 100 ' s of reviews with details regarding gameplay , so I will focus on what I have enjoyed thus far . The gameplay allows you to micromanage , build items and potions and get uber detailed in your experience . The dialouge trees actually effect the story and outcome of the game . When it comes to RPG's , I am looking for a casual experience - I loved Fable and Jade Empire , but did not care much for Oblivion . Dragon Age offers the best of both worlds . You can play in a linear fashion and complete the story in a relatively short time , or complete every side quest and log hundreds of hours . It truly is up to you . I set the game to casual for my first play through . There really is not much of a challenge , and Dragon Age plays out more like a book at this level and is not very difficult . The second time through , with a different class ( elf instead of human ) , I upped the difficulty . It still is not overly difficult , but a bit more challenging . The third time through , I plan on playing as a dwarf at the highest difficulty setting . That in itself says a lot about the game . I really look forward to playing through as different classes multiple times . That coupled with DLC and Dragon Age offers some of the largest replayability of any game I have owned .
* * * UPDATE * * *
I have to mention DLC . As expensive as these games are , some people would argue the game should be complete once you make the purchase . I think that's debatable , and DA : O is the perfect example . There have been a couple DLC offerings that were relatively cheap but gave players several hours of play picking up in game and now the Awakening - a forty dollar game within the game is being released . Although the price is high ( and you are probaly close to a hundred dollar investment if you have all of it ) you also have have several hundreds of hours of original material . In a day and age of 10 - 12 hour single player campaigns , this is a great investment if you intend to stick with it . Not only will you get 100 + hours out of the game on purchase , but you can double that with all of the additional material available .
The negatives for me are more of a technical nature . Although the game works fine , the slowdown and frame rate is atrocious . I recently have been playing a lot of PS2 games and find that Dragon Age would be considered top notch at that level , but on PS3 . . . ouch . It is an ugly game . Some of the cut scenes are nice and the player models are pretty good , but this does not look like a next gen game . The silver lining to the cloud is that the game is psuedo-realtime . You issue commands and they are performed , but you can pause at any time to micromanage your team . The sluggish framerate would be more of a problem if combat was based on timing inputs , but in this case , it only serves hinder presentation , and not gameplay .
Dragon Age is very accessable to casual games and hardcore gamers alike . Unlike a game like Demon's Souls , Dragon Age truly can be played with as much detail and difficulty as you like . It is easily the most fun I've had with an RPG this generation .
341 4 This is the second game that I've foolishly bought based on the hype of others . The first one was BlazBlue , which in my opinion , should be used to torture people in Gitmo . Maybe I'm just getting old .
I don't intend to write a scathing review . There are many aspects to this game that are incredible . I'll just say that it is definately not for everyone . So I'll just describe the things that I hated and if you are like me , you may want to stay away from this one .
- Audiophile
I have never felt like sound necessarily makes or breaks a game , but the sound in this game killed it for me . There is SOOOOO much dialouge and EVERYONE speaks . . . . oh , except your character . While this works with first person view , the fact that you can watch every character in the game be as chatty as my wife on speed and the whole time see your character not utter a single word is irritating . My main character was a dwarf . And because dwarves are short they are always looking up at people . Combine this with no talking and it felt like my character was an eight year old boy standing in awe of his older brothers .
- Graphics Nut
Yes , everyone knows that DAO doesn't have the best graphics . And that shouldn't make a game bad , right ? Poor graphics typically never bother me ( I still play 8 - bit Nintendo ) . It's not that DAO's graphics were necessarily bad , they just weren't FUNCTIONAL . Health bars were near impossible to see in the mass chaos of an eight person fight . Throw in some pixelized blood and awkard sword swinging and you have a receipe for boredom . I felt like more of a deistic medic as I was too busy monitoring the thin red lines called health bars than to be fully engaged in the game .
- Pause method ?
I can easily seeing this game being a hit on PC . I just can't believe that the console pause method is such a fun option to people . When I play a video game , I want to be immersed in it . I want the fighting to be fluid and violently satisfying . Imagine a real life fight were someone says , Time out ! I need to pause so I can shield bash you .
- Hack & Slash Boredom
Hack & slash games can be fun if the fighting is fluid and buttons can be mashed . DAO has neither . Now , if a special power is cool enough , I'd feel slightly better about having to pause the game to activiate the power . I felt like the powers during the first half of the game were not only lackluster in performance , but they were visually drab as well .
- Cut Scenes ( Elvis Music )
I will admit that DAO has some of the best dialouge and plot I've seen in a game in quite sometime . Every character has a different , well-thought out story . The plot was complex enough to be engaging but simple enough as to not lose you . Now I am a sucker for detail , and I can't help but to listen to dialouge whenever it is offered . But there was so dang much in DAO that eventually I want to get off my couch and start singing , A little less conversation , a little more action . * Cue the hip gyrations *
So was DAO a bad game ? For me , yes . But many of my friends and family fell in love with this game . I would recommend giving it a rent before dropping the money to buy it , only to EBay it a week later .
348 4 The voice acting is the primary selling point of this game . The story is well written and with the voice acting and somewhat fair character animation it adds a movie quality to the game . There must be hours and even days of voice recordings for this game . Almost everything is spoken though out the story .
High points aside there are many shortfalls in this game . Not the least of which is that less than 30 minutes in to the game they are already trying to sell you an add-on mission . While this is a interesting business model , I was displease to say the least with the idea of having just paid 60 dollars for the game only to find out 30 minutes in that I have to pay more ( 7 - 14 dollars per mission ) to continue on and play certain missions .
The graphics engine looks like something written back in 2001 . There are tons of jagged edges on everything . From squareish looking barrels to tree branches that grow at right angles there is little to impress in the graphics department in this game . The different break points for the load screens are also poorly engineered . Any time you go in to any building at any point expect a one minute load screen . A well written PS3 graphics engine could easily dynamically load data on demand to virtual eliminate 90 percent of the load screens in this game . Instead you will find yourself running in to load screen every 5 - 15 minutes of game play . The engine for this thing is a relic .
The save system lacks a little to be desired as well it would be better it the autosave had several versions going back . It is easy to walk down a one way path in the story line with no way back .
The game allows your main character at several different points to make a choice between a Homosexual relationship and a Heterosexual relationship . There is also a lot of animation blood violence and blood magic in the game . As the rating suggest I would not recommend this game for anyone that is impressionable . For that matter I would not recommend this game to anyone that does not want to continually shell out cash for add-ons and poor graphics .
355 4 Although I thought the biggest choice I would have to make with this game was which platform to buy , its become a much more disappointing issue . After reading the reviews here , I decided to borrow it first instead of buying .
Although the trailers looked great , the actual graphics are not what you would expect from a 3G title . But even sadder . . .
Though I was mildly curious about the Sexual aspects of the game , I was indeed shocked to discover that sexual preference has become a character attribute ! I hope this Fad will soon Fade , or the Fereldens are not the only ones headed for extinction . I know many of the software developers and hollywood types swing all sorts of ways , but I have recently felt even more bombarded by an agenda , including last week's episode of Heroes ( which the kids can no longer watch ) . We are not all drunken sailors out here buying these games , most of us are trying to raise families . I don't think my sensitivities have changed , the same sex thing is just so . . . In Your Face lately , which I feel ( sex of any type ) has little to do with the enjoyment of killing monsters , plundering treasure or creating Heroes , I suppose about as much as beastiality and prostitution does . Baldur's Gate became an instant classic without any of it .
I am wondering about all the technology they have , with all sorts of option menus in the software , why we are not able to Disable or tone down the blood from these extremes , as well as the cursing and sexual innuendo for that matter .
Just because I am an adult does not mean I prefer or require that in my games and if they are doing it to entice the kids , well that is just Wrong . If this is what being a Mature title is all about , then I think maybe I don't need this for the PS3 or the Xbox , these items add nothing relevant to the gameplay . Hopefully they will introduce a Teen version for the Wii . Its a shame to see all that development talent result in this .
133 4 This game is another fantastic achievement by Bioware ! For RPG fans ( and for those not too fond of it ) it has everything , great , lenghty story , with great characters and some plot-twists ( depending on your decision ) that will place you into the game's world for a long time . Voice acting is great and the graphics , while not as nearly as great as in games like Uncharted or Assassin's Creed 2 , are very good . Overall , it is a great experience that should not be missed , and one of the best RPGs available .
203 4 This game is a solid RPG with many hours of gameplay . This game returns to the mechanics of RPGs like Baldur's Gate .
218 4 Bioware creates a world , compelling characters , and many and nuanced decisions . The combat is fun , the story intriguing and mature . A few minor problems keep it from 5 stars , graphics which are nice , but not amazing , some problems with combat - things happen quickly and it is sometimes hard to keep track of your party and enemies . This is a must-by for RPG fans , no one does it better than Bioware when it comes to story , complexity , and immersion .
360 4 Really wanted to like this game , but there are just too many bugs ! ! ! Not worth the price .
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I love this game the whole universe on it is so appealing , the History , origins , culture . everything has been developed to create a fascinating world to get inmerse while playing . The game ain't repetitive , each quest offers a lot of fun . Stategy is a must sometimes and you have to understand all the plus and cons on every spell , ability , piece of armor you and your party has . You make the decisions , you itimidate or persuade other characters to obtain what you are looking for . Ferelden is a big big world to explore .
Gameplay is a la World of Warcraft without the online experience , anyway the game is fantastic from beginning to end , very demanding time wise .
Graphics are very good , 3d enviroments are quite nice .
If you are after a fantasy epic game look no further get it asap .
122 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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I bought this game for myself after saw it advertised on television . It is an awesome game and very detailed . Wouldn't recommend it for first time RPG gamer though as it is a very in depth game . This was my first RPG and it took me a while to get the hang of it . If you hang in there with the game it really gets awesome .
123 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I bought this game for myself after saw it advertised on television . It is an awesome game and very detailed . Wouldn't recommend it for first time RPG gamer though as it is a very in depth game . This was my first RPG and it took me a while to get the hang of it . If you hang in there with the game it really gets awesome .
126 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I love this game the whole universe on it is so appealing , the History , origins , culture . everything has been developed to create a fascinating world to get inmerse while playing . The game ain't repetitive , each quest offers a lot of fun . Stategy is a must sometimes and you have to understand all the plus and cons on every spell , ability , piece of armor you and your party has . You make the decisions , you itimidate or persuade other characters to obtain what you are looking for . Ferelden is a big big world to explore .
Gameplay is a la World of Warcraft without the online experience , anyway the game is fantastic from beginning to end , very demanding time wise .
Graphics are very good , 3d enviroments are quite nice .
If you are after a fantasy epic game look no further get it asap .
154 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I know that I could sit here and say what the good things and bad things are about the game but a lot of people have already done that on this site . I really like the game as a whole .
But , in all honesty , I have not been in love with a cartoon character since Jessica Rabbit . . . but , wow , Morrigan is one hot mama . Of course , the voiceover actress ' sexy voice helps .
For me alone , she makes the game worth the money .
197 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I LOVED this game . It's fun and has a good story . I'm not saying the story is insanely groundbreaking but it is pretty good . I really liked my supporting characters and cared about them enough to do their related quests to learn more about them . The only reason I can't rate the game a 5 star overall is it has a couple pretty bad frame rate areas that you can't really ignore . I know a lot of people care about that so it gets a 4 overall . It has been a long time since I have cared when I finished a game . I liked how this game ended but was sad the story was over . This is a definite must buy for gamers . A word of caution , this isn't a game for kids . There are some pretty mature themes in it that aren't for kids at all .
253 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
This is a fun game if you like the past Bioware efforts . It very much feels like a return to Baldur's Gate . If you liked that , you'll dig all over this title .
I made the mistake of getting it for PS3 . It is clearly , to me , designed for a keyboard and mouse experience . The radical selection didn't really work for me and many of the interface are clearly best suited to clicking and dragging .
This is a five star experience made four-star when brought to the console setting .
287 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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Not a big fan of rpg's and the sort , but felt that I needed at least one rpg game in my collection . It's a pretty nice game with lots of replay value . It'll keep me pretty busy for hours I'm sure . Worth owning !
288 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Not a big fan of rpg's and the sort , but felt that I needed at least one rpg game in my collection . It's a pretty nice game with lots of replay value . It'll keep me pretty busy for hours I'm sure . Worth owning !
337 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Although I do get consumed for an hour or so each sitting , I can't say as though I'm completely immersed or very impressed . I guess I keep going just to feed my need to finish things that I start . The graphics are fair at best . I was hoping for more .
356 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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haven't played the game yet , cuz I'm still waiting for it to arrive ! ! ! Wow , normally packages arrive pretty quickly . It has been 9 days . Not gonna get it today . Doubtful I'll get it tomorrow . Not gonna get it on Sunday . Maybe Monday ? I should have bought it at the store . ugh .
357 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
haven't played the game yet , cuz I'm still waiting for it to arrive ! ! ! Wow , normally packages arrive pretty quickly . It has been 9 days . Not gonna get it today . Doubtful I'll get it tomorrow . Not gonna get it on Sunday . Maybe Monday ? I should have bought it at the store . ugh .
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Although I thought the biggest choice I would have to make with this game was which platform to buy , its become a much more disappointing issue . After reading the reviews here , I decided to borrow it first instead of buying .
Although the trailers looked great , the actual graphics are not what you would expect from a 3G title . But even sadder . . .
Though I was mildly curious about the Sexual aspects of the game , I was indeed shocked to discover that sexual preference has become a character attribute ! I hope this Fad will soon Fade , or the Fereldens are not the only ones headed for extinction . I know many of the software developers and hollywood types swing all sorts of ways , but I have recently felt even more bombarded by an agenda , including last week's episode of Heroes ( which the kids can no longer watch ) . We are not all drunken sailors out here buying these games , most of us are trying to raise families . I don't think my sensitivities have changed , the same sex thing is just so . . . In Your Face lately , which I feel ( sex of any type ) has little to do with the enjoyment of killing monsters , plundering treasure or creating Heroes , I suppose about as much as beastiality and prostitution does . Baldur's Gate became an instant classic without any of it .
I am wondering about all the technology they have , with all sorts of option menus in the software , why we are not able to Disable or tone down the blood from these extremes , as well as the cursing and sexual innuendo for that matter .
Just because I am an adult does not mean I prefer or require that in my games and if they are doing it to entice the kids , well that is just Wrong . If this is what being a Mature title is all about , then I think maybe I don't need this for the PS3 or the Xbox , these items add nothing relevant to the gameplay . Hopefully they will introduce a Teen version for the Wii . Its a shame to see all that development talent result in this .
053 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
This is probably the best RPG of this generation . The story is great , while nothing groundbreakingly new and inventive it is very enjoyable . The characters are interesting , there are many ways for each scene to play out . All depending on how you react to the conversations being had or even what race you have chosen to be , down to if you use a blood abilities .
The console version is surprisingly good considering this game is totally a PC RPG . The only real differences being that you have no top view [ which stinks , but you get used to ] , the menu system is more complicated to navigate [ which you also get used to ] and the graphics aren't as solid . There are a few technical issues I noticed with the game on the PS3 . A few slow downs during cutscenes and some minor screen tearing . All which I encountered early on in the game . None of it hindered on my enjoyment of this wonderful game mind you and didn't affect gameplay at all either .
I would recommend that you get the PC version if your PC can run it well . However , if you are like me and have a cruddy PC or just like games on consoles then this port is a great alternative . Oh , and if you plan on purchasing some DLC for this game [ or participating in any of the things which net you some free items [ all of which can be found on the dragon age official site ] be wary . As it is very tedious to download each item . Since each time you download an item , you're exited out of the game and sent to the PS store . Then you download and install the item . Then the game relaunches and you have to repeat this until you get all the DLC downloaded .
062 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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Dragon Age : Origins is a great game . If you have always loved Baldur's Gate games this is the game for you . The only reason I give this game 4 stars instead of 5 is because in my heart Oblivion is the best RPG ever . Dragon Age does not have the same open world freedom's as Oblivion . The world is not as massive as Oblivion and the style is alot like over Bioware games . I like that the other charaters in my team help me instead of I having to tell them what to do . I was concerned about buying this game because I thought it was a turn based rpg . It was not what I expected it . I am a big fan of action rpgs and do not like the turn based rpgs . Even though there are other characters in your team you can just play your character and use the others when you need there skills . Most of the time I play my character and use someone to open my chests . . . The story is great , the movies are a little annoying at first but then you begin to enjoy them because they bring the story more to life . This game is fun to play and I suggest anyone who loves action rpgs should love to play it as much as I ! Enjoy !
063 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Dragon Age : Origins is a great game . If you have always loved Baldur's Gate games this is the game for you . The only reason I give this game 4 stars instead of 5 is because in my heart Oblivion is the best RPG ever . Dragon Age does not have the same open world freedom's as Oblivion . The world is not as massive as Oblivion and the style is alot like over Bioware games . I like that the other charaters in my team help me instead of I having to tell them what to do . I was concerned about buying this game because I thought it was a turn based rpg . It was not what I expected it . I am a big fan of action rpgs and do not like the turn based rpgs . Even though there are other characters in your team you can just play your character and use the others when you need there skills . Most of the time I play my character and use someone to open my chests . . . The story is great , the movies are a little annoying at first but then you begin to enjoy them because they bring the story more to life . This game is fun to play and I suggest anyone who loves action rpgs should love to play it as much as I ! Enjoy !
204 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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Dragon Age is a great game for the people that can overcome the sub par graphics for the sakes of a great story line that begs you to beat the game more than just once . There are multiple starting points or stories to the characters available to you . All of which are customizable so you won't look the same every time you run through . The voice acting is great and it is easy to get immersed in the story right from the start . Highly recommend it to the true RPG fan . Plenty of side missions and character development . A + +
205 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Dragon Age is a great game for the people that can overcome the sub par graphics for the sakes of a great story line that begs you to beat the game more than just once . There are multiple starting points or stories to the characters available to you . All of which are customizable so you won't look the same every time you run through . The voice acting is great and it is easy to get immersed in the story right from the start . Highly recommend it to the true RPG fan . Plenty of side missions and character development . A + +
217 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Bioware creates a world , compelling characters , and many and nuanced decisions . The combat is fun , the story intriguing and mature . A few minor problems keep it from 5 stars , graphics which are nice , but not amazing , some problems with combat - things happen quickly and it is sometimes hard to keep track of your party and enemies . This is a must-by for RPG fans , no one does it better than Bioware when it comes to story , complexity , and immersion .
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
The delivery was very fast . When I got the game it was really well packaged and new , as I expected it . The game is really good , but you really need to be an RPG fan or someone joining that kind of gaming to like this game . Its not a normal game , is awesome , you can do a lot of things , even change the destiny of any character . Your game , your rules , your endings and your particular gameplay is what make these game worth a try . If you wish to enter the world of RPG gaming , this game will make you obsessed with the RPG games , even to the veterans who liked RPG games from early years .
225 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
The delivery was very fast . When I got the game it was really well packaged and new , as I expected it . The game is really good , but you really need to be an RPG fan or someone joining that kind of gaming to like this game . Its not a normal game , is awesome , you can do a lot of things , even change the destiny of any character . Your game , your rules , your endings and your particular gameplay is what make these game worth a try . If you wish to enter the world of RPG gaming , this game will make you obsessed with the RPG games , even to the veterans who liked RPG games from early years .
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
An addicting RPG that you will want to play for hours and hours . Great game play , graphics , and an interesting storyline that will keep you on the edge of your seat .
228 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
An addicting RPG that you will want to play for hours and hours . Great game play , graphics , and an interesting storyline that will keep you on the edge of your seat .
236 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
This game is great game . The story is really good , and the game play is good . The only things that I think need work are the occasional graphical glitches , which aren't that bad , but still are annoying . Also the way of giving your other characters specific commands is somewhat awkward . They are not incredibly awkward , but they still are not the most ingenious design possible . But then there is the helpful ' tatics ' panel , which can be modified however you wish .
The overall game play and the story more then make up for the flaws . Plus it's a great RPG for PS3 !
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
been playing past mos , great game ! ! , then the game starting to freeze . very fustrating . noticed the freeze since upgrade ps3 firmware . there have been many report ps3 freeze with dragon age origin and update version 3.3 ps3 firmware . would not recommend buying this game till they release the patch to fix . check the website / google . bioware . many compliant re : ps3 freeze
Dragon Age : Origins
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
My son is officially addicted to this game . It is well worth the money when compared to other video games on the market .
109 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
My son is officially addicted to this game . It is well worth the money when compared to other video games on the market .
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
If you think you've played RPG's in the past , you haven't played anything until you've played Dragon Age Origins . With hours of game play and challenging quest you'll enjoy every moment as you and your select team try to recruit and improve the moral of the kingdom . I give this game a 9.5 out of 10 for story line and graphics .
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Now that the game has been patched after PS3 OS 3.3 , I've gone back and am thoroughly enjoying it ! Very good story line although it takes a little time to catch up on things at first .
271 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Now that the game has been patched after PS3 OS 3.3 , I've gone back and am thoroughly enjoying it ! Very good story line although it takes a little time to catch up on things at first .
301 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
been playing past mos , great game ! ! , then the game starting to freeze . very fustrating . noticed the freeze since upgrade ps3 firmware . there have been many report ps3 freeze with dragon age origin and update version 3.3 ps3 firmware . would not recommend buying this game till they release the patch to fix . check the website / google . bioware . many compliant re : ps3 freeze
Dragon Age : Origins
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Although I do get consumed for an hour or so each sitting , I can't say as though I'm completely immersed or very impressed . I guess I keep going just to feed my need to finish things that I start . The graphics are fair at best . I was hoping for more .
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I usually prefer games like these , however this game falls far short . Quite frankly it is boring . I picked it up expecting to have a morrowind or fallout 3 experience . There is nothing unique or charming about Dragon Age . After a few hours i turned it off and downloaded an expansion to fallout 3 . It's awesome , fun and addicting .
345 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I usually prefer games like these , however this game falls far short . Quite frankly it is boring . I picked it up expecting to have a morrowind or fallout 3 experience . There is nothing unique or charming about Dragon Age . After a few hours i turned it off and downloaded an expansion to fallout 3 . It's awesome , fun and addicting .
364 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
WOW , i sure would like to get this game , too bad amazon keeps hiking the price up on it .
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Being a huge fan of the Baulders Gate , Icewind Dale , and Never Winter Nights Dragon Age was a no brainer for me to get . My only decision was if I wanted it for the PC or our console which is a PS3 . I pre-ordered it to get some extra goodies and ended up going with the PS3 version so I could play on our big old 52 inch HDTV with Polk surround sound .
The character creation screen is very detailed . In fact anyone can try this on the PC as there is a demo out . I spent a good deal of time trying to pick the character class I wanted to play and adjusting the stats . You are given various combinations from the characters background ( which dictates where you start ) , 3 races of Human , Elf , or Dwarf and various classes in Fighter , Rouge , or Mage . While on the surface that might not seem deep , each type has a lot of depth and tiers you can explore . Part of the reason they might have condensed classes is because you are limited to only 4 character slots with your main person always taking up one of them . The hardest part of making up a character here for me was not knowing what characters will come in the future and with what skill sets you might want .
While the game is supposed to be a dark RPG I really did not find it to be so . Sure , you get some tough questions thrown at you and can do some evil things but most games have that these days . Its a good game but I really do not understand why they keep calling it ' dark ' .
Once things get started you will find soon that the game is filled with a lot of dialog and even some well done cut scenes . For the most part you are given a lot of options in how you interact with others in the game . Sometimes though it gets frustrating when you have something specific you want to ask but are not given the option . Each decision you make impacts not only how your party members react and feel about you but also how others in the game will do the same .
It is very important to keep your party happy with you as the more they like you the more loyal they will be ( less chance of them turning on you or leaving ) , it gives them some nice perks , and can open up new quest options . The game is littered with various ' gift ' items which help raise their approval , your conversations with them ( such as taking the time to talk to them ) can if done correctly also increase your approval , and finally your actions and decisions impact their approval .
The game play is pretty straight forward on the surface but has depth . Your 4 characters each have their basic attacks and will use them . You pick your target and go at it with either a hand weapon , a bow , or magic . Once you initiate the attack , the computer runs through the motions until you want to make a change . The depth here is you can set tactics for each character . The system will allow you to put in a number of variables such ' if bad guy x does this , then you do this ' or ' if you have health less than x , then do this ' The combos you can do are massive for all types of situations . You can then prioritize them to your liking . So for example my healer hangs back and heals / buffs my front line . If a player dies she will revive them . If she is attacked she will use a horror spell on the guy and then continue to heal while my fighter has it set to make his priority anyone that has attacked the healer which sends him after the guy now with ' horror ' . As your characters progress the options here get a lot more robust .
The world itself is very detailed . Each map has had a lot of work put into it . Most levels are straight forward where you go from point A to B with various stops / detours along the way . While not as open as some might like , it helps keep things simple so players do not get lost . The loot stashes are also great in the levels because they glow with glitter and make finding loot rather easy so you do not spend a crazy amount of time looking in things .
One of the bad things about the loot however is that there is no place to store it . So if you pick up something there is no putting it back in a box to get it later if you reach your limit or just dropping it on the floor . The game forces you to destroy the item . Also the system for handling your inventory is absurd . A feather takes up as much space as a full plate mail for example . With no storage this really becomes an issue and I found myself sinking tons of money into expanding my backpack just so I can hold my basic stuff .
Another frustrating part of the game is the limit to 4 players . 5 would have made much more sense for the needs of the team but when you are limited to 4 and your main character always taking up one of those slots it leaves you just 3 positions . While some characters might have been interesting or fun to use , they never got used because I filled my needs first which kept me to the same characters most of the time .
Another low point in the game was the world to explore . While looking great with lots of detail you could NOT just go out and explore the world and look for bad guys like in Fallout 3 and other similar games . You could only go to a place of interest and if you have already completed that area and killed everything then those bad guys never come back and your only chance to find a fight is with a random encounter moving from one area to another but even then they are few and far between . So not only does this take the fun out of exploring the world but it also limits your fun having combat , getting more loot , or leveling up . The loot is important since some things cost a crazy amount of money and there is no way else you will ever be able to get the good stuff . It REALLY limits your ability to get the equipment and supplies you need . Leveling is a similar issue . With only 4 slots you need to get your guys some variety so they can play multiple roles , especially your mage . The other bad thing is it reinforces you to not use other players as this would be a great place to take them out for a spin and have some fun .
The final issue I have is the game just screams for coop play . I think this would have been that much better if I could play with friends and then we could work out tactics together .
While I have really enjoyed this game and feel for the most part it is great , the few issues I mentioned keep this great game from being epic . It was worth the purchase for sure and I certainly would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys a fun single player RPG .
027 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Being a huge fan of the Baulders Gate , Icewind Dale , and Never Winter Nights Dragon Age was a no brainer for me to get . My only decision was if I wanted it for the PC or our console which is a PS3 . I pre-ordered it to get some extra goodies and ended up going with the PS3 version so I could play on our big old 52 inch HDTV with Polk surround sound .
The character creation screen is very detailed . In fact anyone can try this on the PC as there is a demo out . I spent a good deal of time trying to pick the character class I wanted to play and adjusting the stats . You are given various combinations from the characters background ( which dictates where you start ) , 3 races of Human , Elf , or Dwarf and various classes in Fighter , Rouge , or Mage . While on the surface that might not seem deep , each type has a lot of depth and tiers you can explore . Part of the reason they might have condensed classes is because you are limited to only 4 character slots with your main person always taking up one of them . The hardest part of making up a character here for me was not knowing what characters will come in the future and with what skill sets you might want .
While the game is supposed to be a dark RPG I really did not find it to be so . Sure , you get some tough questions thrown at you and can do some evil things but most games have that these days . Its a good game but I really do not understand why they keep calling it ' dark ' .
Once things get started you will find soon that the game is filled with a lot of dialog and even some well done cut scenes . For the most part you are given a lot of options in how you interact with others in the game . Sometimes though it gets frustrating when you have something specific you want to ask but are not given the option . Each decision you make impacts not only how your party members react and feel about you but also how others in the game will do the same .
It is very important to keep your party happy with you as the more they like you the more loyal they will be ( less chance of them turning on you or leaving ) , it gives them some nice perks , and can open up new quest options . The game is littered with various ' gift ' items which help raise their approval , your conversations with them ( such as taking the time to talk to them ) can if done correctly also increase your approval , and finally your actions and decisions impact their approval .
The game play is pretty straight forward on the surface but has depth . Your 4 characters each have their basic attacks and will use them . You pick your target and go at it with either a hand weapon , a bow , or magic . Once you initiate the attack , the computer runs through the motions until you want to make a change . The depth here is you can set tactics for each character . The system will allow you to put in a number of variables such ' if bad guy x does this , then you do this ' or ' if you have health less than x , then do this ' The combos you can do are massive for all types of situations . You can then prioritize them to your liking . So for example my healer hangs back and heals / buffs my front line . If a player dies she will revive them . If she is attacked she will use a horror spell on the guy and then continue to heal while my fighter has it set to make his priority anyone that has attacked the healer which sends him after the guy now with ' horror ' . As your characters progress the options here get a lot more robust .
The world itself is very detailed . Each map has had a lot of work put into it . Most levels are straight forward where you go from point A to B with various stops / detours along the way . While not as open as some might like , it helps keep things simple so players do not get lost . The loot stashes are also great in the levels because they glow with glitter and make finding loot rather easy so you do not spend a crazy amount of time looking in things .
One of the bad things about the loot however is that there is no place to store it . So if you pick up something there is no putting it back in a box to get it later if you reach your limit or just dropping it on the floor . The game forces you to destroy the item . Also the system for handling your inventory is absurd . A feather takes up as much space as a full plate mail for example . With no storage this really becomes an issue and I found myself sinking tons of money into expanding my backpack just so I can hold my basic stuff .
Another frustrating part of the game is the limit to 4 players . 5 would have made much more sense for the needs of the team but when you are limited to 4 and your main character always taking up one of those slots it leaves you just 3 positions . While some characters might have been interesting or fun to use , they never got used because I filled my needs first which kept me to the same characters most of the time .
Another low point in the game was the world to explore . While looking great with lots of detail you could NOT just go out and explore the world and look for bad guys like in Fallout 3 and other similar games . You could only go to a place of interest and if you have already completed that area and killed everything then those bad guys never come back and your only chance to find a fight is with a random encounter moving from one area to another but even then they are few and far between . So not only does this take the fun out of exploring the world but it also limits your fun having combat , getting more loot , or leveling up . The loot is important since some things cost a crazy amount of money and there is no way else you will ever be able to get the good stuff . It REALLY limits your ability to get the equipment and supplies you need . Leveling is a similar issue . With only 4 slots you need to get your guys some variety so they can play multiple roles , especially your mage . The other bad thing is it reinforces you to not use other players as this would be a great place to take them out for a spin and have some fun .
The final issue I have is the game just screams for coop play . I think this would have been that much better if I could play with friends and then we could work out tactics together .
While I have really enjoyed this game and feel for the most part it is great , the few issues I mentioned keep this great game from being epic . It was worth the purchase for sure and I certainly would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys a fun single player RPG .
028 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Being a huge fan of the Baulders Gate , Icewind Dale , and Never Winter Nights Dragon Age was a no brainer for me to get . My only decision was if I wanted it for the PC or our console which is a PS3 . I pre-ordered it to get some extra goodies and ended up going with the PS3 version so I could play on our big old 52 inch HDTV with Polk surround sound .
The character creation screen is very detailed . In fact anyone can try this on the PC as there is a demo out . I spent a good deal of time trying to pick the character class I wanted to play and adjusting the stats . You are given various combinations from the characters background ( which dictates where you start ) , 3 races of Human , Elf , or Dwarf and various classes in Fighter , Rouge , or Mage . While on the surface that might not seem deep , each type has a lot of depth and tiers you can explore . Part of the reason they might have condensed classes is because you are limited to only 4 character slots with your main person always taking up one of them . The hardest part of making up a character here for me was not knowing what characters will come in the future and with what skill sets you might want .
While the game is supposed to be a dark RPG I really did not find it to be so . Sure , you get some tough questions thrown at you and can do some evil things but most games have that these days . Its a good game but I really do not understand why they keep calling it ' dark ' .
Once things get started you will find soon that the game is filled with a lot of dialog and even some well done cut scenes . For the most part you are given a lot of options in how you interact with others in the game . Sometimes though it gets frustrating when you have something specific you want to ask but are not given the option . Each decision you make impacts not only how your party members react and feel about you but also how others in the game will do the same .
It is very important to keep your party happy with you as the more they like you the more loyal they will be ( less chance of them turning on you or leaving ) , it gives them some nice perks , and can open up new quest options . The game is littered with various ' gift ' items which help raise their approval , your conversations with them ( such as taking the time to talk to them ) can if done correctly also increase your approval , and finally your actions and decisions impact their approval .
The game play is pretty straight forward on the surface but has depth . Your 4 characters each have their basic attacks and will use them . You pick your target and go at it with either a hand weapon , a bow , or magic . Once you initiate the attack , the computer runs through the motions until you want to make a change . The depth here is you can set tactics for each character . The system will allow you to put in a number of variables such ' if bad guy x does this , then you do this ' or ' if you have health less than x , then do this ' The combos you can do are massive for all types of situations . You can then prioritize them to your liking . So for example my healer hangs back and heals / buffs my front line . If a player dies she will revive them . If she is attacked she will use a horror spell on the guy and then continue to heal while my fighter has it set to make his priority anyone that has attacked the healer which sends him after the guy now with ' horror ' . As your characters progress the options here get a lot more robust .
The world itself is very detailed . Each map has had a lot of work put into it . Most levels are straight forward where you go from point A to B with various stops / detours along the way . While not as open as some might like , it helps keep things simple so players do not get lost . The loot stashes are also great in the levels because they glow with glitter and make finding loot rather easy so you do not spend a crazy amount of time looking in things .
One of the bad things about the loot however is that there is no place to store it . So if you pick up something there is no putting it back in a box to get it later if you reach your limit or just dropping it on the floor . The game forces you to destroy the item . Also the system for handling your inventory is absurd . A feather takes up as much space as a full plate mail for example . With no storage this really becomes an issue and I found myself sinking tons of money into expanding my backpack just so I can hold my basic stuff .
Another frustrating part of the game is the limit to 4 players . 5 would have made much more sense for the needs of the team but when you are limited to 4 and your main character always taking up one of those slots it leaves you just 3 positions . While some characters might have been interesting or fun to use , they never got used because I filled my needs first which kept me to the same characters most of the time .
Another low point in the game was the world to explore . While looking great with lots of detail you could NOT just go out and explore the world and look for bad guys like in Fallout 3 and other similar games . You could only go to a place of interest and if you have already completed that area and killed everything then those bad guys never come back and your only chance to find a fight is with a random encounter moving from one area to another but even then they are few and far between . So not only does this take the fun out of exploring the world but it also limits your fun having combat , getting more loot , or leveling up . The loot is important since some things cost a crazy amount of money and there is no way else you will ever be able to get the good stuff . It REALLY limits your ability to get the equipment and supplies you need . Leveling is a similar issue . With only 4 slots you need to get your guys some variety so they can play multiple roles , especially your mage . The other bad thing is it reinforces you to not use other players as this would be a great place to take them out for a spin and have some fun .
The final issue I have is the game just screams for coop play . I think this would have been that much better if I could play with friends and then we could work out tactics together .
While I have really enjoyed this game and feel for the most part it is great , the few issues I mentioned keep this great game from being epic . It was worth the purchase for sure and I certainly would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys a fun single player RPG .
034 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I've been hooked on RPG games for a long , long time . Since back when D & D was X's and O's on a green screen . We've come a long way , baby ! While waiting for the newest offering from the Final Fantasy franchise I picked up a copy of Dragon Age : Origins hoping it would be better than Oblivion . Not only has it not disappointed , it is my newest favorite game of the year . It's got everything an aging boy wants to play hundreds of hours , neglecting family , friends , job an household chores . Buyer beware ! It's addictive . Especially if you have an addictive personality , like I do . Because I'm also an imperfectionist ( someone who always sees what's wrong instead of what's right ) I've played with a dozen different characters but still haven't finished the game . Why ? you may ask . I got the guide after the game and only read it after I was part way through the game . I had to go back to get it right . Depending on your play style , mine is jump right in and blast through blindly , you may wish to get the strategy guide to go with the game . It's not the greatest guide ever written but it sure helps find things my play style misses and makes the game much more enjoyable , rich and multilayered .
The game is huge with loads of excitement , intrigue and fun . With the different character possibilities it's replay value is very high and it helps make the usual hack and slash more interesting . Highly recommended for anyone who has been waiting for a game that you could actually enjoy on the PS3 that's been a blu ray player until this game . My wife hates it !
035 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I've been hooked on RPG games for a long , long time . Since back when D & D was X's and O's on a green screen . We've come a long way , baby ! While waiting for the newest offering from the Final Fantasy franchise I picked up a copy of Dragon Age : Origins hoping it would be better than Oblivion . Not only has it not disappointed , it is my newest favorite game of the year . It's got everything an aging boy wants to play hundreds of hours , neglecting family , friends , job an household chores . Buyer beware ! It's addictive . Especially if you have an addictive personality , like I do . Because I'm also an imperfectionist ( someone who always sees what's wrong instead of what's right ) I've played with a dozen different characters but still haven't finished the game . Why ? you may ask . I got the guide after the game and only read it after I was part way through the game . I had to go back to get it right . Depending on your play style , mine is jump right in and blast through blindly , you may wish to get the strategy guide to go with the game . It's not the greatest guide ever written but it sure helps find things my play style misses and makes the game much more enjoyable , rich and multilayered .
The game is huge with loads of excitement , intrigue and fun . With the different character possibilities it's replay value is very high and it helps make the usual hack and slash more interesting . Highly recommended for anyone who has been waiting for a game that you could actually enjoy on the PS3 that's been a blu ray player until this game . My wife hates it !
083 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I was frustrated with this game at first because after completing quests in Orzhammar , a glitch ocurred . I have read that this happened to others because if you talk to the wrong characters during those quests , the game will get buggy and you will have to restart . I became very frustrated as by ths time I had already raked in hours of game play , but I played the game though again , this time making sure to also save at many points in case I encountered any trouble and also making sure I only spoke to the correct characters this time .
Suffice to say , I was able to finish the game in two days of almost non-stop playing and was satisfied with it ; I also got the bonus feature quests and am waiting for the next ones to come out . I do like this game ( almost ) as much as Oblivion ; actually , the graphics are much better than Oblivion if I may make note here . The game was relatively short for me in comparison to Oblivion but still worth the price . I would say that both games are just as good as one another in different ways .
My favourite aspect of the game was the rich storytelling and the feeling of immersion that is created by good storytelling . For those jaded folks who prefer cynical stuff , I would not recommend this game , even though there is lots of wry and dark humour in Dragon Age , it will not appeal to those with unsophisticated tastes . It is more likely a game for the true RPG RPG / dark fantasy enthusiasts who is a bit more mature . This isn't a game for kids or people who just like to play shooters .
I also like how one's character can influence the other characters and gain skills all the while , including steamy romance . This is something novel and kind of fun actually , I thought it was interesting and hope to see that again in the upcoming sequels .
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Biowares latest game is a memorable experience and raises the bar in storytelling . The game features an excellent storyline with the top notch acting we have come to expect . The characters are all deep and well written . If you enjoy spending hours listening to dialogue and immerse background you'll be right at home . It's one of the best story lines in recent games . Unfortunately the game play and graphics are not up to par . The environments and cut scenes are not very polished . The character models look good but beyond that the graphics fall short . The combat gameplay is this games true shortcoming . The games nearly impossible on higher difficulties and barely beatable on normal . The reason for this is that in many areas you are swarmed with enemies . The tactics and way the skills are set up don't seem to work very well . Eventually you will get a grasp on it but the system isn't real good . My biggest complaint is that you cant create a tactic to revive characters on the console so you will need to micromanage your team a lot . The game allows for friendly fire and the way enemies swarm you in most areas it renders most of your mages spells to uselessness . Many spells require a cool down time and many times within seconds your team can be wiped out . Healing items are also scarce at merchants so this may make many players play on the easy setting which is no challenge at all . The story and sidequests and character background are the reason to play the game There are multiple beginnings endings and choices to be made . You can even have some PG romance along the way . If your not careful you can lose party members based on choices you make . Despite the weak combat I still recommend the game simply because the story is excellent and each choice affects the outcomes and ways characters interact with you .
141 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Biowares latest game is a memorable experience and raises the bar in storytelling . The game features an excellent storyline with the top notch acting we have come to expect . The characters are all deep and well written . If you enjoy spending hours listening to dialogue and immerse background you'll be right at home . It's one of the best story lines in recent games . Unfortunately the game play and graphics are not up to par . The environments and cut scenes are not very polished . The character models look good but beyond that the graphics fall short . The combat gameplay is this games true shortcoming . The games nearly impossible on higher difficulties and barely beatable on normal . The reason for this is that in many areas you are swarmed with enemies . The tactics and way the skills are set up don't seem to work very well . Eventually you will get a grasp on it but the system isn't real good . My biggest complaint is that you cant create a tactic to revive characters on the console so you will need to micromanage your team a lot . The game allows for friendly fire and the way enemies swarm you in most areas it renders most of your mages spells to uselessness . Many spells require a cool down time and many times within seconds your team can be wiped out . Healing items are also scarce at merchants so this may make many players play on the easy setting which is no challenge at all . The story and sidequests and character background are the reason to play the game There are multiple beginnings endings and choices to be made . You can even have some PG romance along the way . If your not careful you can lose party members based on choices you make . Despite the weak combat I still recommend the game simply because the story is excellent and each choice affects the outcomes and ways characters interact with you .
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I would recommend this game to anyone that wants some good escapism . You can get caught up in the moments of the game and look at the clock and it's been a couple of hours . It also is great for the people that love to explore every inch of a world . The areas are vast and different and you do feel like you have traveled to some other place . My favorite part of the game is how you feel a part of it . By creating your character and then interacting with all the different characters , where your choices change how the game plays , you get a sense of that your actions have gotten you to a certain point and you are even responsible . The graphics are decent , the combat is OK , and the character management is nice , cause you can change almost anything whenever you want to . There is a lot to figure out in the interface , but it doesn't take too long . I also do not find the game to be predictable , events happen fairly quickly sometimes and what is done is done , and you may not have wanted that to happen or wish you could change the outcome somehow . I have not tried the expansions yet , but the fact that they are being created will only contribute to the game for sure
258 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I would recommend this game to anyone that wants some good escapism . You can get caught up in the moments of the game and look at the clock and it's been a couple of hours . It also is great for the people that love to explore every inch of a world . The areas are vast and different and you do feel like you have traveled to some other place . My favorite part of the game is how you feel a part of it . By creating your character and then interacting with all the different characters , where your choices change how the game plays , you get a sense of that your actions have gotten you to a certain point and you are even responsible . The graphics are decent , the combat is OK , and the character management is nice , cause you can change almost anything whenever you want to . There is a lot to figure out in the interface , but it doesn't take too long . I also do not find the game to be predictable , events happen fairly quickly sometimes and what is done is done , and you may not have wanted that to happen or wish you could change the outcome somehow . I have not tried the expansions yet , but the fact that they are being created will only contribute to the game for sure
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
First and foremost , Dragon Age is an RPG . I love that genre of game for the epic stories they tell . Dragon Age excels in this category . At every turn , something will happen to give you pause . Even what might appear to be the most simple of quests might send you floundering into another world only to have your life threatened by what may seem the easiest of foes . The story line is epic and right from the start , you are involved and the roller coaster does not take long to begin .
I know two friends whom play this game and we are all playing different characters . We discuss what happens to us during the game , the different moral choices we have made and it was amazing to see the differences in the three story lines : some characters were not found due to choices made , abilities were discovered by some and not others . It seems the replay value would be immense due to all of the possibilities you can have with one story line , nevermind 6 .
As far as controls ; for the PS3 , they are simple enough to grasp after a short amoutn of time playing . Any new ability usually comes with a short tutorial that clearly explains how to use it . Controlling the group and establishing strategies can be slightly combersome , but with just a sight amount of patience , it takes nothing away from the game .
The only drawback to the game I would see is the massive amount of reading one might have to do to totally immerse themselves within the lore of the game . A person like me would have no issue at doing , as I am so curious about everything and want the total experience . The lore is not essential to playing the game , though .
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Positive :
This game is insanely addictive and thoroughly enjoyable .
If you are thinking about worth for the money , how about this ?
I got this for 34.99 during black friday sale and have spent a little less than 50 hours so far .
That is just a single playthrough in Casual difficulty as a single character .
Still there are plenty of different character types , different weapons and different abilities to explore .
And did I mention about the different and difficult decisions ?
Yeah , it is about the moral choices and consequences of it , that makes the game interesting .
And the trophies . No questions asked , that is one of the reason you should buy the Ps3 version of it .
One thing to note is trophies does not depend on the game difficulty .
No extra trophies for playing it in hard difficulty .
Negative :
The only minus is when you finish a playthrough , it ends . you can not explore the world or collect anything you left off during initial playthrough .
You will have to start a new game if you want more .
097 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Positive :
This game is insanely addictive and thoroughly enjoyable .
If you are thinking about worth for the money , how about this ?
I got this for 34.99 during black friday sale and have spent a little less than 50 hours so far .
That is just a single playthrough in Casual difficulty as a single character .
Still there are plenty of different character types , different weapons and different abilities to explore .
And did I mention about the different and difficult decisions ?
Yeah , it is about the moral choices and consequences of it , that makes the game interesting .
And the trophies . No questions asked , that is one of the reason you should buy the Ps3 version of it .
One thing to note is trophies does not depend on the game difficulty .
No extra trophies for playing it in hard difficulty .
Negative :
The only minus is when you finish a playthrough , it ends . you can not explore the world or collect anything you left off during initial playthrough .
You will have to start a new game if you want more .
120 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
First and foremost , Dragon Age is an RPG . I love that genre of game for the epic stories they tell . Dragon Age excels in this category . At every turn , something will happen to give you pause . Even what might appear to be the most simple of quests might send you floundering into another world only to have your life threatened by what may seem the easiest of foes . The story line is epic and right from the start , you are involved and the roller coaster does not take long to begin .
I know two friends whom play this game and we are all playing different characters . We discuss what happens to us during the game , the different moral choices we have made and it was amazing to see the differences in the three story lines : some characters were not found due to choices made , abilities were discovered by some and not others . It seems the replay value would be immense due to all of the possibilities you can have with one story line , nevermind 6 .
As far as controls ; for the PS3 , they are simple enough to grasp after a short amoutn of time playing . Any new ability usually comes with a short tutorial that clearly explains how to use it . Controlling the group and establishing strategies can be slightly combersome , but with just a sight amount of patience , it takes nothing away from the game .
The only drawback to the game I would see is the massive amount of reading one might have to do to totally immerse themselves within the lore of the game . A person like me would have no issue at doing , as I am so curious about everything and want the total experience . The lore is not essential to playing the game , though .
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Picked this up for hubby for X-mas as he really wanted this game . The graphics are great and there is a lot to this game . He says it's very challenging ( which is a huge compliment coming from him , he's the biggest gamer I know ! ) , and he's really enjoying it . It seems pretty long so far too , he hasn't beat it yet and it usually doesn't take him long at all , another plus !
129 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Picked this up for hubby for X-mas as he really wanted this game . The graphics are great and there is a lot to this game . He says it's very challenging ( which is a huge compliment coming from him , he's the biggest gamer I know ! ) , and he's really enjoying it . It seems pretty long so far too , he hasn't beat it yet and it usually doesn't take him long at all , another plus !
168 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Bought this for the xbox 360 . It is set up great for console playing . I know PC people like the ability to use tactics and such - but I enjoyed the chance to sit back and just hack and slash on a console ( Xbox ) .
What really sets this game apart is the voice acting . You really get into the characters and enjoy the witty dialogue and discussions . Some of the things said by the characters are drop dead funny . And with experienced actors ( Kate Mulgrew , Claudia Black , Tim Russ , etc . ) doing the voicing , you know the usual computer game dead voice work doesn't apply here . I also like that it isn't as dark and dreary as most US games .
Games are getting closer and closer to being seamless movies . This game is such a bridge to a real cinematic experience . Yes , the graphics aren't as good as one would hope ( it shows that this has been in development for 5 + yers ) - but that doesn't detract from the game at all due to the stellar voice work .
I highly recommend this game for that reason - you really get into the characters and their lives / story - they feel so 3 dimensional , which is such a rarity for a computer game .
178 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Whenver I start playing this game I just forget doing everything , eating , bathing ~ ! what can i say about it ? Voice acting is excellent , graphics are great , all the characters are entertaining , excellent story with deep background . The Combat is fast & terrible .
185 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Atleast 40 hours of game play for one play though , rich story telling , great RPG elements , and it looks good too .
Seriously if you like RPGs why haven't you bought this yet ?
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this is another great game from bio ware . The story is good , and the combat is satisfying . This game is not for kids and my only real complaint is a few bugs hear and there and way too many stun attacks but other than that a game worth buying .
200 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
this is another great game from bio ware . The story is good , and the combat is satisfying . This game is not for kids and my only real complaint is a few bugs hear and there and way too many stun attacks but other than that a game worth buying .
202 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
This game is a solid RPG with many hours of gameplay . This game returns to the mechanics of RPGs like Baldur's Gate .
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My husband plays this game and really enjoys it and it is fun to watch as well . There is limited violence and a pretty good storyline so I don't mind when our daughter watches him play - she finds it very entertaining !
208 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
My husband plays this game and really enjoys it and it is fun to watch as well . There is limited violence and a pretty good storyline so I don't mind when our daughter watches him play - she finds it very entertaining !
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Bioware creates a world , compelling characters , and many and nuanced decisions . The combat is fun , the story intriguing and mature . A few minor problems keep it from 5 stars , graphics which are nice , but not amazing , some problems with combat - things happen quickly and it is sometimes hard to keep track of your party and enemies . This is a must-by for RPG fans , no one does it better than Bioware when it comes to story , complexity , and immersion .
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This game surprised me with its smooth graphics and detail . Haven't had a chance to finish it yet but hopefully this weekend I will have a chance to play it again You won't be sorry if you purchase this game .
220 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
This game surprised me with its smooth graphics and detail . Haven't had a chance to finish it yet but hopefully this weekend I will have a chance to play it again You won't be sorry if you purchase this game .
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Amazing graphics ! Very engrossing game , but wouldn't play it around young children . . . pretty violent and gory .
234 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Amazing graphics ! Very engrossing game , but wouldn't play it around young children . . . pretty violent and gory .
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Great game . I'm currently at about 25 hours into the game , and am hoping I get another 30 - 40 more hours out of it . Everything about the game is great . It is similar to Oblivion , but I find it more fun . I , for some reason , could not play Oblivion , because of how the game looked and the battle system . I jumped onto this game instantly , and was playing non-stop after I got home from work . Best part about the game is the armor . The Blood Armor looks awesome . Hoping for new DLC content for it in the future . Only thing I was disappointed at was , and it has nothing to do with the game itself . I preordered the game for full price , and the game dropped $15 dollars during black friday , three weeks later . If I had known , I would have waited .
239 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Great game . I'm currently at about 25 hours into the game , and am hoping I get another 30 - 40 more hours out of it . Everything about the game is great . It is similar to Oblivion , but I find it more fun . I , for some reason , could not play Oblivion , because of how the game looked and the battle system . I jumped onto this game instantly , and was playing non-stop after I got home from work . Best part about the game is the armor . The Blood Armor looks awesome . Hoping for new DLC content for it in the future . Only thing I was disappointed at was , and it has nothing to do with the game itself . I preordered the game for full price , and the game dropped $15 dollars during black friday , three weeks later . If I had known , I would have waited .
265 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
This is the first RPG game i've ever played . I got it because it was 40 bucks at Target . The target version came with the golum , and dragon blood armor , but i ended up buying the tower as well . This game is so fun , addictive . I'm currently at 35 hours . The longest time playing a single game for me . I don't know why people are saying the graphics suck . Its a pretty big open world you get to explore i wouldn't expect the graphics to be amazing . Anyway the story is wonderful . Also i love all the characters , upgrading them . One thing i don't like is when i choose the wrong thing to say and end up betraying someone i didn't want to . I keep asking Allistar to my tent in the base camp , but he keeps saying he isn't ready ! I'm pretty sure he's in love with me . . . i mean the human i created , Virtue .
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I just started the game a day ago and i love it ! ! ! I cant wait to beat it and start the other story lines .
268 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I just started the game a day ago and i love it ! ! ! I cant wait to beat it and start the other story lines .
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This is a very fun and pretty deep RPG that I think everyone should play . Whether you game on a 360 , a PS3 , or a PC , this game will offer you a great story and multiple play-throughs to give you well over a hundred hours of entertainment !
278 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
This is a very fun and pretty deep RPG that I think everyone should play . Whether you game on a 360 , a PS3 , or a PC , this game will offer you a great story and multiple play-throughs to give you well over a hundred hours of entertainment !
291 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
This might be a very well designed game , but it is definitely not for everyone . The combat seems a little slow , and it's not very engaging . It shines it terms of storyline , but that's about the only good thing it has going for it .
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it is clear that this is a pc port I enjoyed the story but the combat is stale and boring
332 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
it is clear that this is a pc port I enjoyed the story but the combat is stale and boring
342 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I was really excited about this game - so much so that it was the first game I purchased once I got a PS3 . . . I was very disappointed with the lack of explanation about the game controls . . . the booklet that comes with the game states that the controls will be explained in detail in the book - however that never happens . In fact so far , besides all of the reading this doesn't seem like an rpg at all . . . it is more along the line of zelda , but with even less control as you just run around and hit x to hack and slash and hope you don't die - there is no need of tactics in this game . . . an utter disapointment
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I'm 3.5 hours into the game and I've maybe spent 35 - 40 minutes actually doing anything but reading . I feel like I just spent $60 on a choose-your-own-adventure story written at the fifth grade level . The gamers here seem to love the DragonAge , but I prefer actual books if I'm gonna read a fantasy tale , and I progressed beyond the need for pictures in my books when I was 6 . I will keep playing , but I am disappointed so far .
352 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I'm 3.5 hours into the game and I've maybe spent 35 - 40 minutes actually doing anything but reading . I feel like I just spent $60 on a choose-your-own-adventure story written at the fifth grade level . The gamers here seem to love the DragonAge , but I prefer actual books if I'm gonna read a fantasy tale , and I progressed beyond the need for pictures in my books when I was 6 . I will keep playing , but I am disappointed so far .
359 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Really wanted to like this game , but there are just too many bugs ! ! ! Not worth the price .
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I won't rave about the positive aspects this game has , because many have stated it before me . But . . . . the annoying things prevent this from being a 5 - star game and they are as follows :
1 ) The manual game saves are extremely irritating . You basically have to save your game every two seconds because if you die , you start from the last save point . Normally this wouldn't be a problem , because you would just save before a big battle . But there are many times that you won't even know you're about to enter a big battle until it's too late . I don't kow why they can't just auto-save every ten minutes or so .
2 ) There are a few glitches with the party members appearing where they shouldn't be . Such as , when I used the hold position strategy to try and set up an ambush , then when I begin my conversation with the enemy , my party is just there for some reason . It seems that you can't have conversations alone , the entire party must be present no matter where you actually positioned them .
3 ) One annoying glitch , but really a minor quibble . One of my party members has a full face guard and helmet on , but in every cutscene , his face is fully viewable . It's like they only have one appearance for the cutscenes and they stick with it . Just an annoying oversight .
4 ) The pre-set conversations happen no matter what spells you try , for example . . . . I used the invisibility potion to sneak up to a group of mercenaries , but as soon as the cut scene was supposed to happen , it still did . The dialogue began and paid the fact I was invisible absolutely no mind . Takes a lot of the strategy away when things are so predetermined .
5 ) Most conversations go the way they're determined to go regardless of the answers you give . You feel like your statements are influencing the other NPCs but it's only an illusion , because the talks ALWAYS end the same way regardless .
Overall , very good game and worth playing . I've put about 15 hours in so far and still like it . The combat system and use of weaponary is fairly well done , but it coudl've been a much better game if strategy played a larger role .
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I bought this game as a gift , and hoped it would be played frequently . . . what I didn't expect was it being played for 7 hours the first time , 9 hours the second time and 13 straight hours on Christmas Day ! I was amazed how addictive this game is ( and how annoying the fight scene ' sayings ' were after a while ) but it was the best gift I've ever bought . . . he loves it ! * * * * *
112 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I bought this game as a gift , and hoped it would be played frequently . . . what I didn't expect was it being played for 7 hours the first time , 9 hours the second time and 13 straight hours on Christmas Day ! I was amazed how addictive this game is ( and how annoying the fight scene ' sayings ' were after a while ) but it was the best gift I've ever bought . . . he loves it ! * * * * *
152 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I simply love the character development and interaction . The story line is great - two friends are playing different characters and there is a surprising difference in the narrative for all three of us .
Graphics 9.0
Gameplay 9.5
Story 10
Replayability 7.5
Sound 8.5
Voice Over 9.5
Customization 8.0
Overall Fun 9.0
The game is more controlled ( more linear ) than Oblivion but generally not as tedious . So much of the depth can be optionally played that the experience of playing the game twice can be quite different . Thank you Bioware and EA for releasing this terrific game . The sequel needs to have local multiplayer . Next in line - - The Last Guardian ! !
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Dragon Age is a deep game with many choices and just an overall fun play time . Even if you aren't good at strategizing the games casual mode allows a good hack and slash yet still ends up being over 40 hours long . I found myself playing this over 10 hours a day and promise you will too . The PS3 has been dying for the heir to Oblivion and this my friends is it . Get this and enjoy an intense experience rpg before ff13 .
159 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Dragon Age is a deep game with many choices and just an overall fun play time . Even if you aren't good at strategizing the games casual mode allows a good hack and slash yet still ends up being over 40 hours long . I found myself playing this over 10 hours a day and promise you will too . The PS3 has been dying for the heir to Oblivion and this my friends is it . Get this and enjoy an intense experience rpg before ff13 .
161 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
i like this game , is great . slow frame rated ( graphic glitches ) but can live with it , is amazing , ill recommend it 100%
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I won't rave about the positive aspects this game has , because many have stated it before me . But . . . . the annoying things prevent this from being a 5 - star game and they are as follows :
1 ) The manual game saves are extremely irritating . You basically have to save your game every two seconds because if you die , you start from the last save point . Normally this wouldn't be a problem , because you would just save before a big battle . But there are many times that you won't even know you're about to enter a big battle until it's too late . I don't kow why they can't just auto-save every ten minutes or so .
2 ) There are a few glitches with the party members appearing where they shouldn't be . Such as , when I used the hold position strategy to try and set up an ambush , then when I begin my conversation with the enemy , my party is just there for some reason . It seems that you can't have conversations alone , the entire party must be present no matter where you actually positioned them .
3 ) One annoying glitch , but really a minor quibble . One of my party members has a full face guard and helmet on , but in every cutscene , his face is fully viewable . It's like they only have one appearance for the cutscenes and they stick with it . Just an annoying oversight .
4 ) The pre-set conversations happen no matter what spells you try , for example . . . . I used the invisibility potion to sneak up to a group of mercenaries , but as soon as the cut scene was supposed to happen , it still did . The dialogue began and paid the fact I was invisible absolutely no mind . Takes a lot of the strategy away when things are so predetermined .
5 ) Most conversations go the way they're determined to go regardless of the answers you give . You feel like your statements are influencing the other NPCs but it's only an illusion , because the talks ALWAYS end the same way regardless .
Overall , very good game and worth playing . I've put about 15 hours in so far and still like it . The combat system and use of weaponary is fairly well done , but it coudl've been a much better game if strategy played a larger role .
244 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
just started this last night . . . first ever rpg . i can already see a paler overstimulated version of myself in the near future .
really great game . . . honestly . it almost feels like taking a walk in one of tolkien's day dreams . . . . which i did actually do from 1972 to 1978 . . . . . . i was born in the late ' 80s . . . . . .
- go buy it used at gamestop and give it a shot . . . . . test it out for six days and return it for full refund . . . make sure you keep your receipt . . . then buy it from here if you like it -
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This was a game that I wasn't a 100% sure was going to be enjoyable but , the since I started playing it , I can't stop !
249 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
This was a game that I wasn't a 100% sure was going to be enjoyable but , the since I started playing it , I can't stop !
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I'll jump right into it , kind of like the game does .
Anybody that knows role playing games , knows , or should know Bioware . Knights of the old Republic or Mass Effect or just some of its greatest titles . Dragon Age picks up where the other great games left off , at a steaddy continuation of amazement . Its well worth your [ . . . ] bucks .
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I'll jump right into it , kind of like the game does .
Anybody that knows role playing games , knows , or should know Bioware . Knights of the old Republic or Mass Effect or just some of its greatest titles . Dragon Age picks up where the other great games left off , at a steaddy continuation of amazement . Its well worth your [ . . . ] bucks .
242 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I'll jump right into it , kind of like the game does .
Anybody that knows role playing games , knows , or should know Bioware . Knights of the old Republic or Mass Effect or just some of its greatest titles . Dragon Age picks up where the other great games left off , at a steaddy continuation of amazement . Its well worth your [ . . . ] bucks .
243 4 I'll jump right into it , kind of like the game does .
Anybody that knows role playing games , knows , or should know Bioware . Knights of the old Republic or Mass Effect or just some of its greatest titles . Dragon Age picks up where the other great games left off , at a steaddy continuation of amazement . Its well worth your [ . . . ] bucks .
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Trust me . The graphics are so old and stuttery that the game is not worth playing . They look like they are PS2 or Wii quality . Do NOT buy this product . Boycott this obvious attempt for EA to phone-in this terrible quality . Bioware is capable of much better .
362 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Trust me . The graphics are so old and stuttery that the game is not worth playing . They look like they are PS2 or Wii quality . Do NOT buy this product . Boycott this obvious attempt for EA to phone-in this terrible quality . Bioware is capable of much better .
363 4 Trust me . The graphics are so old and stuttery that the game is not worth playing . They look like they are PS2 or Wii quality . Do NOT buy this product . Boycott this obvious attempt for EA to phone-in this terrible quality . Bioware is capable of much better .
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I've played many roll-playing games all the way back to the original Might and Magic series and Bard's Tale and this game is as good as I've ever played . Lots of variety of equipment and characters that seem to come alive on the TV screen . I found myself caring very much for my party members , because their conversations and comments made them seem very real . If you are a male character , you'll be hard pressed not to want the rogue / bard Leliana alongside you in all fights . Her wonderful voice and fetching beauty is more than matched by her fighting and thieving skills . On top of that , you can include the witch Morrigan in your party , who is voiced by Claudia Black of Farscape / Stargate SG - 1 fame . There is even a golem that you can get ( through one of the downloadable add-ons ) to join your party .
There is a casual game mode , that allows your party members to recover fully from combat ( other than an injury , which can be quickly healed by a potion ) , even if they fell and appeared dead . If all your party members die , you do go back to the last save position . Hard-core gamers can choose more difficult modes that will make the quests more realistic and definitely harder to complete .
Saves are allowed almost anywhere . A good use of the save feature can allow you to try another approach to a problem or go right back at the monster that just defeated your whole party .
Conversation options and choices made through the game DO make a difference on how the game will play out . Thus , there is a pretty good replay value in this game . Your conversations can determine how party members feel about you and can even lead to romance . Some party members will openly question your choices , but you can give them gifts to quell their negative views .
The graphics are outstanding . At times , I wish I could have just sat back and watched some of the battles , but I was a bit involved with killing my enemies .
I'm sure that various aspects of the game have already been described in previous reviews , so I won't delve into the game mechanics and controls . There was nothing about the gameplay that tempted me to cut short my experience and move onto some other game . This game fully hooked me right up till the final credits .
I'm looking forward to future sequels of this game . I found myself getting lost for hours and hours playing Dragon Age : Origins . I even jumped back in to play it again after I finished it . This is a richly rewarding gaming experience with a deep , involving story , great characters , and enough good old fashioned fighting to keep you glued to the TV for hours and hours and days and days .
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I think the graphics are very good ! They aren't as good as something like Uncharted 2 but I think they are pretty comparable to other RPG like Oblivion . While Oblivion might have slightly sharper textures , Dragon Age is more varied and interesting . I love the combat system , diverse origin stories , and the voice acting is superb . I found I was sucked into the story right away and can't wait to play more . The game has great replay value as well to try the different characters each with their own unique story and interactions . This is a fabulous game if you like RPG like Oblivion or Fallout you will probably really enjoy it . Highly Recommended !
046 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I think the graphics are very good ! They aren't as good as something like Uncharted 2 but I think they are pretty comparable to other RPG like Oblivion . While Oblivion might have slightly sharper textures , Dragon Age is more varied and interesting . I love the combat system , diverse origin stories , and the voice acting is superb . I found I was sucked into the story right away and can't wait to play more . The game has great replay value as well to try the different characters each with their own unique story and interactions . This is a fabulous game if you like RPG like Oblivion or Fallout you will probably really enjoy it . Highly Recommended !
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I've played many roll-playing games all the way back to the original Might and Magic series and Bard's Tale and this game is as good as I've ever played . Lots of variety of equipment and characters that seem to come alive on the TV screen . I found myself caring very much for my party members , because their conversations and comments made them seem very real . If you are a male character , you'll be hard pressed not to want the rogue / bard Leliana alongside you in all fights . Her wonderful voice and fetching beauty is more than matched by her fighting and thieving skills . On top of that , you can include the witch Morrigan in your party , who is voiced by Claudia Black of Farscape / Stargate SG - 1 fame . There is even a golem that you can get ( through one of the downloadable add-ons ) to join your party .
There is a casual game mode , that allows your party members to recover fully from combat ( other than an injury , which can be quickly healed by a potion ) , even if they fell and appeared dead . If all your party members die , you do go back to the last save position . Hard-core gamers can choose more difficult modes that will make the quests more realistic and definitely harder to complete .
Saves are allowed almost anywhere . A good use of the save feature can allow you to try another approach to a problem or go right back at the monster that just defeated your whole party .
Conversation options and choices made through the game DO make a difference on how the game will play out . Thus , there is a pretty good replay value in this game . Your conversations can determine how party members feel about you and can even lead to romance . Some party members will openly question your choices , but you can give them gifts to quell their negative views .
The graphics are outstanding . At times , I wish I could have just sat back and watched some of the battles , but I was a bit involved with killing my enemies .
I'm sure that various aspects of the game have already been described in previous reviews , so I won't delve into the game mechanics and controls . There was nothing about the gameplay that tempted me to cut short my experience and move onto some other game . This game fully hooked me right up till the final credits .
I'm looking forward to future sequels of this game . I found myself getting lost for hours and hours playing Dragon Age : Origins . I even jumped back in to play it again after I finished it . This is a richly rewarding gaming experience with a deep , involving story , great characters , and enough good old fashioned fighting to keep you glued to the TV for hours and hours and days and days .
068 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I've played many roll-playing games all the way back to the original Might and Magic series and Bard's Tale and this game is as good as I've ever played . Lots of variety of equipment and characters that seem to come alive on the TV screen . I found myself caring very much for my party members , because their conversations and comments made them seem very real . If you are a male character , you'll be hard pressed not to want the rogue / bard Leliana alongside you in all fights . Her wonderful voice and fetching beauty is more than matched by her fighting and thieving skills . On top of that , you can include the witch Morrigan in your party , who is voiced by Claudia Black of Farscape / Stargate SG - 1 fame . There is even a golem that you can get ( through one of the downloadable add-ons ) to join your party .
There is a casual game mode , that allows your party members to recover fully from combat ( other than an injury , which can be quickly healed by a potion ) , even if they fell and appeared dead . If all your party members die , you do go back to the last save position . Hard-core gamers can choose more difficult modes that will make the quests more realistic and definitely harder to complete .
Saves are allowed almost anywhere . A good use of the save feature can allow you to try another approach to a problem or go right back at the monster that just defeated your whole party .
Conversation options and choices made through the game DO make a difference on how the game will play out . Thus , there is a pretty good replay value in this game . Your conversations can determine how party members feel about you and can even lead to romance . Some party members will openly question your choices , but you can give them gifts to quell their negative views .
The graphics are outstanding . At times , I wish I could have just sat back and watched some of the battles , but I was a bit involved with killing my enemies .
I'm sure that various aspects of the game have already been described in previous reviews , so I won't delve into the game mechanics and controls . There was nothing about the gameplay that tempted me to cut short my experience and move onto some other game . This game fully hooked me right up till the final credits .
I'm looking forward to future sequels of this game . I found myself getting lost for hours and hours playing Dragon Age : Origins . I even jumped back in to play it again after I finished it . This is a richly rewarding gaming experience with a deep , involving story , great characters , and enough good old fashioned fighting to keep you glued to the TV for hours and hours and days and days .
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This game is another fantastic achievement by Bioware ! For RPG fans ( and for those not too fond of it ) it has everything , great , lenghty story , with great characters and some plot-twists ( depending on your decision ) that will place you into the game's world for a long time . Voice acting is great and the graphics , while not as nearly as great as in games like Uncharted or Assassin's Creed 2 , are very good . Overall , it is a great experience that should not be missed , and one of the best RPGs available .
132 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
This game is another fantastic achievement by Bioware ! For RPG fans ( and for those not too fond of it ) it has everything , great , lenghty story , with great characters and some plot-twists ( depending on your decision ) that will place you into the game's world for a long time . Voice acting is great and the graphics , while not as nearly as great as in games like Uncharted or Assassin's Creed 2 , are very good . Overall , it is a great experience that should not be missed , and one of the best RPGs available .
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This game is amazing . Wonderful story line and likable characters . The lore is rich and there is much to do and see within this game . More along the lines of Baldurs Gate than Oblivion , your travel is based on locations rather than free roaming . This doesnt take away from the scope of the world but can lead to a slight feeling of limitation . A must buy for any RPG fan .
192 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
This game is amazing . Wonderful story line and likable characters . The lore is rich and there is much to do and see within this game . More along the lines of Baldurs Gate than Oblivion , your travel is based on locations rather than free roaming . This doesnt take away from the scope of the world but can lead to a slight feeling of limitation . A must buy for any RPG fan .
246 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
To me this game is like Oblivion and Boulders gate put together ! The only thing I didn't like was how some spells over whelmed the screen and some spells hurt my own team , for example : the tempest ( lightning spell that hurts mass characters ) really hurt alot of characters but lightning was like everywhere , hard to see what was actually going on , but I easily dealt with it considering how much fun this game was , and then you have a spell like the blizzard which was a snow storm that dealt mass damage but also froze me and my own team occasionally .
I wouldn't play twice in a row , but will def play the sequel !
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Totally fun , totally addictive . Beautiful art . Amazing spell progression for mages . Adult situations are fun and novel . Overall its awesome and I'm sad when the game is over . . . Makes me want to start all over again with a new character . I'll be the first in line when they release new downloadable content / expansion releases . . .
Would be fun if you could create your own weapons , like in Oblivion . Cool to do that and give them unique names . . .
Some of the side quests are very easy whist some are very difficult .
A lot of money is not that easy to come by in this game - harder than other RPG's . You won't be able to have a character that is loaded with the best of everything - - - and that makes it a bit more realistic .
The story / plot is great . So many possibilities for additional games / expansion packs .
Best RPG ever . Excited to take it to the next level .
261 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Totally fun , totally addictive . Beautiful art . Amazing spell progression for mages . Adult situations are fun and novel . Overall its awesome and I'm sad when the game is over . . . Makes me want to start all over again with a new character . I'll be the first in line when they release new downloadable content / expansion releases . . .
Would be fun if you could create your own weapons , like in Oblivion . Cool to do that and give them unique names . . .
Some of the side quests are very easy whist some are very difficult .
A lot of money is not that easy to come by in this game - harder than other RPG's . You won't be able to have a character that is loaded with the best of everything - - - and that makes it a bit more realistic .
The story / plot is great . So many possibilities for additional games / expansion packs .
Best RPG ever . Excited to take it to the next level .
312 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
This game reminded me of Mass Effect to the core . Except without the gun play . The problem is that the fighting seems to have no skill to it . Its annoying , but the story . Well isn't the greatest , at all . You spend more time figuring out what to say to get a better expeirence that it draws away from the game . And the graphics are lagging , and the eploration is almost none . This is no Oblivion , or Demons Soul . This RPG is just ok . Nothing special . If you want a great RPG pick up Oblivion . Still there are some good ideas here .
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
If you're a fan of involved RPGs which let you control multiple characters in your party , Dragon Age : Origins will provide hundreds of hours of absorbing fun . If you find this type of character development and management tedious , there won't be a quick end in sight for you .
As with most RPGs , you begin by creating your character . You get to choose between female and male . Dwarf , Elf , or Human . Warrior , Rogue , or Mage . The only combination which isn't available is the dwarf mage . For dwarfs and elves , you can also set yourself as a poor or noble . There are different backgrounds for each of these combinations with a back-story to get you started , and occasional later storyline differences are based on who you are .
For example , if you're a noble dwarf , your man-servant / buddy becomes a merchant in the big city and he'll recognize you and give you a great discount . Others do not get this benefit .
The core of the game is that , through whatever starting means , you join the Grey Wardens - a special world defense group who fights evil . There is a giant group of demons rising to flood through the world , and it's the Grey Wardens who stand against it . You have to unite the humans , dwarfs , elves , and mages to fight the enemy . Numerous side missions get you along the quest .
The game is dialogue heavy , with all of it spoken ( although you can read subtitles if you wish ) . You are often provided with responses which range from gently kind to humorous to nasty . Depending on your method of interacting with others , you can bring about ten companions along in your party . Each companion will respond well to a different personality . That being said , there are many times that the multiple dialogue options seem to be shades of gray and give the same results .
Die-hard fans will want to play through the entire game multiple times to see how it rolls out for a poor female elf , vs a noble dwarf warrior , and so on . Each loop through could easily exceed 50 hours or more .
You have about 30 save spots , so there are plenty of locations to keep track of different characters and different paths .
Actions have long term consequences . Something you do early in the game can have an affect 20 hours later in gameplay , so it's not a matter of saving and then just trying path A or path B .
There are downloadable extra missions you can purchase , if their massive amount of content still isn't enough for you .
There are a couple of bugs in the game , which are fairly exploitable , but since this isn't a multiplayer game it only affects how you play vs other friends you might be in competition with .
The graphics are high quality and quite comparable to other games on modern systems . The sound is well done and the dialogue brings life to the characters . Sometimes the conversations were laugh out loud funny . That being said , you have to have an open sense of humor to appreciate some of the scenes . They do borrow from Monty Python and current movies for some of their lines .
The game is generally easy to pick up and play for any gamer who has played these style of games before . They did a good job with combat controls , camera controls and general character leveling .
The one caveat I have is that there is a fair amount of mature content in here - both violent and sexual . You can set your characters up for homosexual or heterosexual relationships , and simulated ( clothed ) sex is shown . This is NOT a game for young teens .
Well recommended for mature gamers .
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
If you're a fan of involved RPGs which let you control multiple characters in your party , Dragon Age : Origins will provide hundreds of hours of absorbing fun . If you find this type of character development and management tedious , there won't be a quick end in sight for you .
As with most RPGs , you begin by creating your character . You get to choose between female and male . Dwarf , Elf , or Human . Warrior , Rogue , or Mage . The only combination which isn't available is the dwarf mage . For dwarfs and elves , you can also set yourself as a poor or noble . There are different backgrounds for each of these combinations with a back-story to get you started , and occasional later storyline differences are based on who you are .
For example , if you're a noble dwarf , your man-servant / buddy becomes a merchant in the big city and he'll recognize you and give you a great discount . Others do not get this benefit .
The core of the game is that , through whatever starting means , you join the Grey Wardens - a special world defense group who fights evil . There is a giant group of demons rising to flood through the world , and it's the Grey Wardens who stand against it . You have to unite the humans , dwarfs , elves , and mages to fight the enemy . Numerous side missions get you along the quest .
The game is dialogue heavy , with all of it spoken ( although you can read subtitles if you wish ) . You are often provided with responses which range from gently kind to humorous to nasty . Depending on your method of interacting with others , you can bring about ten companions along in your party . Each companion will respond well to a different personality . That being said , there are many times that the multiple dialogue options seem to be shades of gray and give the same results .
Die-hard fans will want to play through the entire game multiple times to see how it rolls out for a poor female elf , vs a noble dwarf warrior , and so on . Each loop through could easily exceed 50 hours or more .
You have about 30 save spots , so there are plenty of locations to keep track of different characters and different paths .
Actions have long term consequences . Something you do early in the game can have an affect 20 hours later in gameplay , so it's not a matter of saving and then just trying path A or path B .
There are downloadable extra missions you can purchase , if their massive amount of content still isn't enough for you .
There are a couple of bugs in the game , which are fairly exploitable , but since this isn't a multiplayer game it only affects how you play vs other friends you might be in competition with .
The graphics are high quality and quite comparable to other games on modern systems . The sound is well done and the dialogue brings life to the characters . Sometimes the conversations were laugh out loud funny . That being said , you have to have an open sense of humor to appreciate some of the scenes . They do borrow from Monty Python and current movies for some of their lines .
The game is generally easy to pick up and play for any gamer who has played these style of games before . They did a good job with combat controls , camera controls and general character leveling .
The one caveat I have is that there is a fair amount of mature content in here - both violent and sexual . You can set your characters up for homosexual or heterosexual relationships , and simulated ( clothed ) sex is shown . This is NOT a game for young teens .
Well recommended for mature gamers .
043 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
If you're a fan of involved RPGs which let you control multiple characters in your party , Dragon Age : Origins will provide hundreds of hours of absorbing fun . If you find this type of character development and management tedious , there won't be a quick end in sight for you .
As with most RPGs , you begin by creating your character . You get to choose between female and male . Dwarf , Elf , or Human . Warrior , Rogue , or Mage . The only combination which isn't available is the dwarf mage . For dwarfs and elves , you can also set yourself as a poor or noble . There are different backgrounds for each of these combinations with a back-story to get you started , and occasional later storyline differences are based on who you are .
For example , if you're a noble dwarf , your man-servant / buddy becomes a merchant in the big city and he'll recognize you and give you a great discount . Others do not get this benefit .
The core of the game is that , through whatever starting means , you join the Grey Wardens - a special world defense group who fights evil . There is a giant group of demons rising to flood through the world , and it's the Grey Wardens who stand against it . You have to unite the humans , dwarfs , elves , and mages to fight the enemy . Numerous side missions get you along the quest .
The game is dialogue heavy , with all of it spoken ( although you can read subtitles if you wish ) . You are often provided with responses which range from gently kind to humorous to nasty . Depending on your method of interacting with others , you can bring about ten companions along in your party . Each companion will respond well to a different personality . That being said , there are many times that the multiple dialogue options seem to be shades of gray and give the same results .
Die-hard fans will want to play through the entire game multiple times to see how it rolls out for a poor female elf , vs a noble dwarf warrior , and so on . Each loop through could easily exceed 50 hours or more .
You have about 30 save spots , so there are plenty of locations to keep track of different characters and different paths .
Actions have long term consequences . Something you do early in the game can have an affect 20 hours later in gameplay , so it's not a matter of saving and then just trying path A or path B .
There are downloadable extra missions you can purchase , if their massive amount of content still isn't enough for you .
There are a couple of bugs in the game , which are fairly exploitable , but since this isn't a multiplayer game it only affects how you play vs other friends you might be in competition with .
The graphics are high quality and quite comparable to other games on modern systems . The sound is well done and the dialogue brings life to the characters . Sometimes the conversations were laugh out loud funny . That being said , you have to have an open sense of humor to appreciate some of the scenes . They do borrow from Monty Python and current movies for some of their lines .
The game is generally easy to pick up and play for any gamer who has played these style of games before . They did a good job with combat controls , camera controls and general character leveling .
The one caveat I have is that there is a fair amount of mature content in here - both violent and sexual . You can set your characters up for homosexual or heterosexual relationships , and simulated ( clothed ) sex is shown . This is NOT a game for young teens .
Well recommended for mature gamers .
127 4 I love this game the whole universe on it is so appealing , the History , origins , culture . everything has been developed to create a fascinating world to get inmerse while playing . The game ain't repetitive , each quest offers a lot of fun . Stategy is a must sometimes and you have to understand all the plus and cons on every spell , ability , piece of armor you and your party has . You make the decisions , you itimidate or persuade other characters to obtain what you are looking for . Ferelden is a big big world to explore .
Gameplay is a la World of Warcraft without the online experience , anyway the game is fantastic from beginning to end , very demanding time wise .
Graphics are very good , 3d enviroments are quite nice .
If you are after a fantasy epic game look no further get it asap .
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Dragon Age : Origins is a fantastic RPG . It's graphics are very good ( though they could be better ) , it's soundtrack is catchy and dramatic , the combat system is interactive and programmable ( with gamer-customizable IF / THEN algorythms for all characters ) , but the best criteria is the story .
The Best of it : The story : king is dead , land under seige , guy who killed the king trying to take over . You are an adventurer ( kind of a fantasy version of a jedi . . . no coincidence Bioware also made Star Wars : KOTOR ) called a Grey Warden who has to pretty much fix everything . What makes the story work so well though is the depth of interaction with factions and characters and even your fellow adventurers . The detailed back story and complexity of the politics throughout the game really give it a depth rarely seen in gaming . Top scores for that !
Drawbacks : Very minor : for me , some areas of the story line involved a bit too much running from one place to another to say okay , here's your thing ; very typical of RPGs . The graphics too , while really good , and in some places quite fantastic , felt like they could have been pushed further . Otherwise , fabulous .
Highly recommended . Bioware , keep up the great work .
135 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Dragon Age : Origins is a fantastic RPG . It's graphics are very good ( though they could be better ) , it's soundtrack is catchy and dramatic , the combat system is interactive and programmable ( with gamer-customizable IF / THEN algorythms for all characters ) , but the best criteria is the story .
The Best of it : The story : king is dead , land under seige , guy who killed the king trying to take over . You are an adventurer ( kind of a fantasy version of a jedi . . . no coincidence Bioware also made Star Wars : KOTOR ) called a Grey Warden who has to pretty much fix everything . What makes the story work so well though is the depth of interaction with factions and characters and even your fellow adventurers . The detailed back story and complexity of the politics throughout the game really give it a depth rarely seen in gaming . Top scores for that !
Drawbacks : Very minor : for me , some areas of the story line involved a bit too much running from one place to another to say okay , here's your thing ; very typical of RPGs . The graphics too , while really good , and in some places quite fantastic , felt like they could have been pushed further . Otherwise , fabulous .
Highly recommended . Bioware , keep up the great work .
263 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I'm not going to do a very long review on this because , let's face it , there is so much to talk about that I could probably do a few pages worth . Needless to say , however , I am about 15 hours in after a couple test attempts and I'm loving every minute of this game . My only real complaint is the exaggerated amount of blood , but it creates a more realistic feel to it , I suppose . Otherwise I have absolutely no complaints .
This is the best RPG you can get on a console system right now . The folks at Bioware are masters of the RPG genre , dating back to games like Baldur's Gate , Icewind Dale , and my personal favorite , Planescape Torment . That quality combined with EA's marketing ability has made this game a masterpiece that's being embraced by RPG lovers everywhere . Fans of Bioware's older games will feel right at home with this game due to it's familiar interface , just as fans of MMORPGs will notice some other similarities incorporated into this game . RPG fans of all kinds will find something that keeps them glued to this game . As for me . . . it took me awhile to get into this game , but once I did I couldn't stop . Make sure you set aside some long hours for this one , because you aren't going to be able to tear yourself away easily .
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I didnt like this game for one reason . They market the game as having so many different combination of characters , but because of such specialization any real RPGer does not have much choice . If you try to magic based team , then you will get crushed because you need a close encounter fighter to take the melee attacks . If you go all brawn , you wont have a healer . Only one type can open locks , so you need the thief type . You actually have very few options in a team . I wish there was an open lock spell , for example . My team consisted of a white mage , thief , fighter , and black mage . Feels like Final Fantasy 1 . Otherwise , the game would be AWESOME , but I lost interest and I know I will never play again .
324 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I didnt like this game for one reason . They market the game as having so many different combination of characters , but because of such specialization any real RPGer does not have much choice . If you try to magic based team , then you will get crushed because you need a close encounter fighter to take the melee attacks . If you go all brawn , you wont have a healer . Only one type can open locks , so you need the thief type . You actually have very few options in a team . I wish there was an open lock spell , for example . My team consisted of a white mage , thief , fighter , and black mage . Feels like Final Fantasy 1 . Otherwise , the game would be AWESOME , but I lost interest and I know I will never play again .
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
If you've ever played Knights of the Old Republic ( KOTOR ) , then you have a good idea of what to expect in Dragon Age : Origins . Even though KOTOR and Dragon Age : Origins ( DA : O ) take place in completely different worlds , the game mechanics and format of the two games are very similar .
Dragon Age is an RPG in which you control a party of up to four characters to combat a wide variety of enemies and monsters . The combat itself occurs in real-time , although you have the option to pause the game at any time and issue commands to any of your party members . The other main hallmark of Bioware's RPGs is the number of choices ( primarily in dialogue ) you can make throughout the game . While most of these choices do not have lasting importance , there are some which will radically change the path the story takes . Your choices can also affect gameplay , as certain dialogue options may allow you to skip fights completely , while other choices might impact the abilities you have access to or the statistics of your party members .
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Dragon Age is the considerable amount of effort the developers made to making sure that the world appropriately reflects the decisions you make throughout the game . When you start the game you begin in one of six origin stories . In each origin story you meet various characters that you will encounter again later on in the game , and when you meet them for the second time , they remember what you did at the beginning of the game . On the flip side , you will meet characters from the other five origin stories which you did not play , and only after going through their respective origin stories do you get a full appreciation of their part in the story . It's details like this which make this game a lot of fun to play .
The gameplay is also quite entertaining . There are four levels of difficulty , ranging from casual to nightmare , and they are adjustable on the fly . The difficulty has no bearing on any other part of the game , but it lets you set the game at a level which is challenging but not overly so . At the harder levels of difficulty considerable planning and thought is required to succeed , especially in the more challenging encounters , and it is here that the strategic depth of the game really reveals itself . The choices you make outside of combat , such as the equipment you wear and the abilities you choose to learn as you level up , also play a huge role in determining how powerful your party is .
Unfortunately , there are several pretty substantial flaws in this game , which might detract from your enjoyment of the game . Perhaps the most prominent comment on the game are the relatively low quality of the graphics . For a PS3 game , the graphics are indeed subpar , since the game has been in development for five years and is basically a straight port of the PC version of the game . While the developers tried to make the interface of the game accessible for console gamers , it's still obvious that playing with keyboard and mouse on a PC is the easiest way to play the game . Some of the sidequests don't seem to work too well , as some have ambiguous or incorrect instructions .
Nevertheless , the positives of the game outweigh the negatives , and if you are an RPG fan this game is a good buy . It might be preferable to purchase the PC version of the game over the PS3 version ( evidently the PC version doesn't come with SecuROM , which is a huge plus for those who care ) if your computer hardware is reasonably powerful .
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In brief : if you like role-playing , and you have a PS3 , this is the game you've been waiting for . Don't hesitate . Get it .
Pros :
+ Role playing for real , here . Your character choices determine who you are and how you start , and your choices really do determine how things turn out , and what other characters think of you .
+ Beautiful graphics . In particular , the character appearance integrates perfectly into the gameplay . That's not just some random body-shape fighting or walking around out there , that's * you * , funky hair , interesting tattoos and all . No one looks weird or distorted either .
+ The automatic notes are the best I've ever seen . Quests are tracked carefully , and where you should be going is easy to figure out . Whole conversations are logged . A Codex keeps information about any new person , place , or thing .
+ Gets going fast . After a brief , skippable movie and personalized intro , you're into the game . No lengthy , boring tutorial .
+ There are a good number of character options , without being overwhelming .
+ Everything is so well done and realistic , it's highly immersive . Just what an RPG should be .
+ No DRM . Instead , each game comes with a unique code you can redeem for bonus equipment , through the Playstation Network . THIS is how anti-piracy should be done . ( Though this hasn't been as big an issue on the PS3 as on the PC . )
Cons ( all pretty minor ! ) :
- Not terribly original , at least as far as I've explored . The movie scenes look straight out of The Lord of the Rings movies . The story is interesting but not amazing . Gameplay is reminiscent of Bioware's D & D based games , like Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights . . . but not exactly .
- Dialogue is mostly played out by actors in real time - - which is great ! - - only stopping on occasion to let you decide what you'll say . But there's no real pause button ! The only way to pause a conversation if you get interrupted is to use the PS button , which is slow , a bit clunky , and not what it's really meant for .
- The cut scenes , while beautiful , are a bit jerky , especially when they first load up .
Neutral :
* Very violent ! Great if you like that sort of thing , not so good if you're squeamish . You're literally blood spattered after a big battle , and stay that way for a while . I imagine the settings can be tweaked , but that's the default .
* Everything is new , if , as I said , not especially original . This can be good or bad depending on how familiar you like your games . I found myself stumped on several occasions wondering what talent to pick or attribute to train , because they're all unfamiliar , and not explained all that well . And so often RPGs promise amazing skills that never turn out to be useful . . . though so far , they all seem well used .
* You must stay in a certain area until you complete certain storyline quests . You cannot wander freely . Some people like that , some people hate it . I'd rather wander freely myself , like Oblivion , but I'm fine with it .
* No multiplayer .
Overall : Really , really pleased with Dragon Age : Origins . I can't come up with a single significant complaint . Unless it becomes horribly buggy , I don't see coming up with one either .
010 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
In brief : if you like role-playing , and you have a PS3 , this is the game you've been waiting for . Don't hesitate . Get it .
Pros :
+ Role playing for real , here . Your character choices determine who you are and how you start , and your choices really do determine how things turn out , and what other characters think of you .
+ Beautiful graphics . In particular , the character appearance integrates perfectly into the gameplay . That's not just some random body-shape fighting or walking around out there , that's * you * , funky hair , interesting tattoos and all . No one looks weird or distorted either .
+ The automatic notes are the best I've ever seen . Quests are tracked carefully , and where you should be going is easy to figure out . Whole conversations are logged . A Codex keeps information about any new person , place , or thing .
+ Gets going fast . After a brief , skippable movie and personalized intro , you're into the game . No lengthy , boring tutorial .
+ There are a good number of character options , without being overwhelming .
+ Everything is so well done and realistic , it's highly immersive . Just what an RPG should be .
+ No DRM . Instead , each game comes with a unique code you can redeem for bonus equipment , through the Playstation Network . THIS is how anti-piracy should be done . ( Though this hasn't been as big an issue on the PS3 as on the PC . )
Cons ( all pretty minor ! ) :
- Not terribly original , at least as far as I've explored . The movie scenes look straight out of The Lord of the Rings movies . The story is interesting but not amazing . Gameplay is reminiscent of Bioware's D & D based games , like Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights . . . but not exactly .
- Dialogue is mostly played out by actors in real time - - which is great ! - - only stopping on occasion to let you decide what you'll say . But there's no real pause button ! The only way to pause a conversation if you get interrupted is to use the PS button , which is slow , a bit clunky , and not what it's really meant for .
- The cut scenes , while beautiful , are a bit jerky , especially when they first load up .
Neutral :
* Very violent ! Great if you like that sort of thing , not so good if you're squeamish . You're literally blood spattered after a big battle , and stay that way for a while . I imagine the settings can be tweaked , but that's the default .
* Everything is new , if , as I said , not especially original . This can be good or bad depending on how familiar you like your games . I found myself stumped on several occasions wondering what talent to pick or attribute to train , because they're all unfamiliar , and not explained all that well . And so often RPGs promise amazing skills that never turn out to be useful . . . though so far , they all seem well used .
* You must stay in a certain area until you complete certain storyline quests . You cannot wander freely . Some people like that , some people hate it . I'd rather wander freely myself , like Oblivion , but I'm fine with it .
* No multiplayer .
Overall : Really , really pleased with Dragon Age : Origins . I can't come up with a single significant complaint . Unless it becomes horribly buggy , I don't see coming up with one either .
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I guess I'll start off telling you what's wrong with the game .
First off , the graphics are not great , and the cut-scenes can be a little choppy . They aren't completely bad , but they just aren't as great as most rpg's that you'll find on the ps3 . Second , the menus are kind of clunky and poorly designed . Even if you set it so that you don't have to hold L2 to keep the radial menu open , you still have to hold the analog stick to stay on whatever you're picking . Third , the inventory seemed to fill up rather quickly with items that once I finished the game seemed to have no purpose at all . Fortunately , you can sell these items to merchants , and if you end up finding a use for them later on , you can always buy them back . ( So don't destroy them ) Fourth , the battle speed is slow , and your character feels that he has to say some stupid phrase every time he attacks , and many times it's the same phrase he just said . Fifth , some of the dungeons feel like they were made insanely long just to make the game take longer to beat .
Now that I've got my grievances with this game out of the way , I'll tell you what's right with it .
Firstly , you get to customize your character . You can choose from 3 races , ( elf , dwarf , human ) and 3 classifications ( mage , rogue , warrior ) Also , you get to adjust facial features , add tattoos , change eye , hair , and tattoo color - - pretty much like in Oblivion , except the characters in this game aren't nearly as ugly . Second , there are different levels of difficulty , depending on your particular skill level . Third , you get to make your own choices , and face the consequences of them . Certain actions will cause members of your party to approve or disapprove , and if you get their approval ratings high enough , you will find them more useful , and you may even be treated to a sex scene . Also , your particular ending depends on what choices you make . Fourth , you get to slay dragons , which was my personal favorite part of the game . I'm not sure how many there are , but in my first play-through I killed 3 of them . Fifth , there's a high replay value . After you beat the game the first time , there are still 5 more origin stories waiting to be played . Let me clarify , though , that the origin stories are simply the beginning of the game . After the origin story , ( which is fairly long ) , the plot is the same for each character .
Finally , and most importantly , this game is fun . I enjoyed playing it the first time as a warrior , and I'm enjoying it the second time as a mage . I'd definitely recommend this game to any rpg fan who isn't a fussy perfectionist .
038 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I guess I'll start off telling you what's wrong with the game .
First off , the graphics are not great , and the cut-scenes can be a little choppy . They aren't completely bad , but they just aren't as great as most rpg's that you'll find on the ps3 . Second , the menus are kind of clunky and poorly designed . Even if you set it so that you don't have to hold L2 to keep the radial menu open , you still have to hold the analog stick to stay on whatever you're picking . Third , the inventory seemed to fill up rather quickly with items that once I finished the game seemed to have no purpose at all . Fortunately , you can sell these items to merchants , and if you end up finding a use for them later on , you can always buy them back . ( So don't destroy them ) Fourth , the battle speed is slow , and your character feels that he has to say some stupid phrase every time he attacks , and many times it's the same phrase he just said . Fifth , some of the dungeons feel like they were made insanely long just to make the game take longer to beat .
Now that I've got my grievances with this game out of the way , I'll tell you what's right with it .
Firstly , you get to customize your character . You can choose from 3 races , ( elf , dwarf , human ) and 3 classifications ( mage , rogue , warrior ) Also , you get to adjust facial features , add tattoos , change eye , hair , and tattoo color - - pretty much like in Oblivion , except the characters in this game aren't nearly as ugly . Second , there are different levels of difficulty , depending on your particular skill level . Third , you get to make your own choices , and face the consequences of them . Certain actions will cause members of your party to approve or disapprove , and if you get their approval ratings high enough , you will find them more useful , and you may even be treated to a sex scene . Also , your particular ending depends on what choices you make . Fourth , you get to slay dragons , which was my personal favorite part of the game . I'm not sure how many there are , but in my first play-through I killed 3 of them . Fifth , there's a high replay value . After you beat the game the first time , there are still 5 more origin stories waiting to be played . Let me clarify , though , that the origin stories are simply the beginning of the game . After the origin story , ( which is fairly long ) , the plot is the same for each character .
Finally , and most importantly , this game is fun . I enjoyed playing it the first time as a warrior , and I'm enjoying it the second time as a mage . I'd definitely recommend this game to any rpg fan who isn't a fussy perfectionist .
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
If you've ever played Knights of the Old Republic ( KOTOR ) , then you have a good idea of what to expect in Dragon Age : Origins . Even though KOTOR and Dragon Age : Origins ( DA : O ) take place in completely different worlds , the game mechanics and format of the two games are very similar .
Dragon Age is an RPG in which you control a party of up to four characters to combat a wide variety of enemies and monsters . The combat itself occurs in real-time , although you have the option to pause the game at any time and issue commands to any of your party members . The other main hallmark of Bioware's RPGs is the number of choices ( primarily in dialogue ) you can make throughout the game . While most of these choices do not have lasting importance , there are some which will radically change the path the story takes . Your choices can also affect gameplay , as certain dialogue options may allow you to skip fights completely , while other choices might impact the abilities you have access to or the statistics of your party members .
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Dragon Age is the considerable amount of effort the developers made to making sure that the world appropriately reflects the decisions you make throughout the game . When you start the game you begin in one of six origin stories . In each origin story you meet various characters that you will encounter again later on in the game , and when you meet them for the second time , they remember what you did at the beginning of the game . On the flip side , you will meet characters from the other five origin stories which you did not play , and only after going through their respective origin stories do you get a full appreciation of their part in the story . It's details like this which make this game a lot of fun to play .
The gameplay is also quite entertaining . There are four levels of difficulty , ranging from casual to nightmare , and they are adjustable on the fly . The difficulty has no bearing on any other part of the game , but it lets you set the game at a level which is challenging but not overly so . At the harder levels of difficulty considerable planning and thought is required to succeed , especially in the more challenging encounters , and it is here that the strategic depth of the game really reveals itself . The choices you make outside of combat , such as the equipment you wear and the abilities you choose to learn as you level up , also play a huge role in determining how powerful your party is .
Unfortunately , there are several pretty substantial flaws in this game , which might detract from your enjoyment of the game . Perhaps the most prominent comment on the game are the relatively low quality of the graphics . For a PS3 game , the graphics are indeed subpar , since the game has been in development for five years and is basically a straight port of the PC version of the game . While the developers tried to make the interface of the game accessible for console gamers , it's still obvious that playing with keyboard and mouse on a PC is the easiest way to play the game . Some of the sidequests don't seem to work too well , as some have ambiguous or incorrect instructions .
Nevertheless , the positives of the game outweigh the negatives , and if you are an RPG fan this game is a good buy . It might be preferable to purchase the PC version of the game over the PS3 version ( evidently the PC version doesn't come with SecuROM , which is a huge plus for those who care ) if your computer hardware is reasonably powerful .
166 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
If you've ever played Knights of the Old Republic ( KOTOR ) , then you have a good idea of what to expect in Dragon Age : Origins . Even though KOTOR and Dragon Age : Origins ( DA : O ) take place in completely different worlds , the game mechanics and format of the two games are very similar .
Dragon Age is an RPG in which you control a party of up to four characters to combat a wide variety of enemies and monsters . The combat itself occurs in real-time , although you have the option to pause the game at any time and issue commands to any of your party members . The other main hallmark of Bioware's RPGs is the number of choices ( primarily in dialogue ) you can make throughout the game . While most of these choices do not have lasting importance , there are some which will radically change the path the story takes . Your choices can also affect gameplay , as certain dialogue options may allow you to skip fights completely , while other choices might impact the abilities you have access to or the statistics of your party members .
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Dragon Age is the considerable amount of effort the developers made to making sure that the world appropriately reflects the decisions you make throughout the game . When you start the game you begin in one of six origin stories . In each origin story you meet various characters that you will encounter again later on in the game , and when you meet them for the second time , they remember what you did at the beginning of the game . On the flip side , you will meet characters from the other five origin stories which you did not play , and only after going through their respective origin stories do you get a full appreciation of their part in the story . It's details like this which make this game a lot of fun to play .
The gameplay is also quite entertaining . There are four levels of difficulty , ranging from casual to nightmare , and they are adjustable on the fly . The difficulty has no bearing on any other part of the game , but it lets you set the game at a level which is challenging but not overly so . At the harder levels of difficulty considerable planning and thought is required to succeed , especially in the more challenging encounters , and it is here that the strategic depth of the game really reveals itself . The choices you make outside of combat , such as the equipment you wear and the abilities you choose to learn as you level up , also play a huge role in determining how powerful your party is .
Unfortunately , there are several pretty substantial flaws in this game , which might detract from your enjoyment of the game . Perhaps the most prominent comment on the game are the relatively low quality of the graphics . For a PS3 game , the graphics are indeed subpar , since the game has been in development for five years and is basically a straight port of the PC version of the game . While the developers tried to make the interface of the game accessible for console gamers , it's still obvious that playing with keyboard and mouse on a PC is the easiest way to play the game . Some of the sidequests don't seem to work too well , as some have ambiguous or incorrect instructions .
Nevertheless , the positives of the game outweigh the negatives , and if you are an RPG fan this game is a good buy . It might be preferable to purchase the PC version of the game over the PS3 version ( evidently the PC version doesn't come with SecuROM , which is a huge plus for those who care ) if your computer hardware is reasonably powerful .
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This game blew me away . I've never owned another Bioware game except for KOTOR , and I didn't really play it much as I was never a huge Star Wars fan . On top of that , I'm generally not big into RPG's either , although I do enjoy fantasy settings like Lord of the Rings etc , and I had played WoW and EQ . So I was a bit skeptical when I ordered this since it really wasn't my style of game , but after seeing such positive reviews about it's story , I had to . I played through on the casual difficulty setting , because I wasn't interested in constant pausing and micro managing my parties tactics . I just wanted to enjoy the story , and enjoy it I did .
I have NEVER played a game that made me care so much about the characters involved . All of your potential party members have great back story and unique personalities that will appeal to certain gamers . Listening to party members bicker , share thoughts and humor really brings life to the game . There actually were moments that made me snicker or crack a smile , something I can't say of any other game that I can remember .
The story itself is amazing . I've seen some people say that there are a lot of stereotypical fantasy settings here , which may be true , but it's rare and it's so well done that you won't care . There are plenty of twists throughout , some you literally will never see coming , and you'll be thinking about decisions you've made long after you turn your PS3 off , because you care so much about everyone involved . The Adult / Dark Fantasy setting works wonders for the game . Death , war , political , social and sexual tie ins give this game a feel that I haven't came across yet ( it doesn't deal with these issues in a childish , over the top GTA way ) .
To close out , if you are on the fence at all , buy this game . The graphics are a tad dated , but hardly as bad as some reviewers say , and the controls on the console are a bit clunky at first ( as with any PC port ) , but they become second nature . If you let yourself get into the game , you will love it .
195 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
This game blew me away . I've never owned another Bioware game except for KOTOR , and I didn't really play it much as I was never a huge Star Wars fan . On top of that , I'm generally not big into RPG's either , although I do enjoy fantasy settings like Lord of the Rings etc , and I had played WoW and EQ . So I was a bit skeptical when I ordered this since it really wasn't my style of game , but after seeing such positive reviews about it's story , I had to . I played through on the casual difficulty setting , because I wasn't interested in constant pausing and micro managing my parties tactics . I just wanted to enjoy the story , and enjoy it I did .
I have NEVER played a game that made me care so much about the characters involved . All of your potential party members have great back story and unique personalities that will appeal to certain gamers . Listening to party members bicker , share thoughts and humor really brings life to the game . There actually were moments that made me snicker or crack a smile , something I can't say of any other game that I can remember .
The story itself is amazing . I've seen some people say that there are a lot of stereotypical fantasy settings here , which may be true , but it's rare and it's so well done that you won't care . There are plenty of twists throughout , some you literally will never see coming , and you'll be thinking about decisions you've made long after you turn your PS3 off , because you care so much about everyone involved . The Adult / Dark Fantasy setting works wonders for the game . Death , war , political , social and sexual tie ins give this game a feel that I haven't came across yet ( it doesn't deal with these issues in a childish , over the top GTA way ) .
To close out , if you are on the fence at all , buy this game . The graphics are a tad dated , but hardly as bad as some reviewers say , and the controls on the console are a bit clunky at first ( as with any PC port ) , but they become second nature . If you let yourself get into the game , you will love it .
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Like most people , I am a huge Bioware fan . Mass Effect in particular was a transcendent experience . Tragically , unbelievably , Dragon Age : Origins is not . In fact , it is surprisingly underwhelming . I'm going to likely get dogpiled for this , but I think the facts speak for themselves .
Simply put , both the graphics and the gameplay feel stale and dated , like something out of the early 2000s . While the cutscenes are impressive , the actual in-game graphics are decidedly not . Even at 720p HD they are oftimes crude and blocky , with pixels - actual pixels - occasionally visible in foliage and grass . Water effects are tame and almost identical to what you'd see in Champions of Norrath or its like on the PS2 . Spell effects are the only place you see the PS3 ' s graphics horsepower in action , and even those are adequate , not amazing . There are numerous HUGE clipping errors , where characters literally walk through one another or objects . During my playthrough of the Dwarf Casteless origin tale , a guard actually walked right through a guy I was talking to in the conversation screen . That should never , ever happen . Sheathed weapons float inches off character's backs , with shields like a foot away . Ever seen a 3 - foot long dagger ? Now I have . Characters hands and appendanges look like plaster marionette hands , often passing through one another without bending , or holding items that float in the air as if the entire hand is fake . It honestly looks like something out of the 1990s .
Character controls are a mess . Instead of smooth , free-flowing fights of the sort you'd see in Mass Effect or even Diablo II , you have robotic movements and cludgy code that forces you to run , rotate in place , trigger an attack , watch the attack go off almost in slow motion , and then wrestle with your controller to figure out whether your character has enough brains to keep fighting on their own , or if you need to button mash . Characters often fail to defend themselves , simply standing there for a round or two before realizing they're being hit . The melee attacks in Mass Effect - a FPS ! - actually work better than the ones in Dragon Age : Origins . Combat messages are also a spammy , ambiance-destroying affair , with damage numbers rapidly spewing from people's heads along with seemingly random status effect messages from things you didn't even realize were happening . It's not uncommon to see things like Miss ! Resisted ! Stunned ! pop up repeatedly even though it's not entirely clear you were even targeted . And god help you if you have multiple damage effects - - instead of adding fire damage , critical etc into one number , you will see each one individually . So if you hit for 24 damage including various separate bonuses , you will instead see a 18 , 2 , 3 , and then a 1 pop up in a row .
The user interface is also extremely frustrating , with an overlapping series of arcane sub-windows that are hard to navigate . Basic RPG staples are gone , like the ability to simply use a healing potion from your inventory . Oh no , that would be too obvious . For example , if a character on your team is KO'd in a fight , he's not dead , but after the fight will get back up with a crippling wound . The only way to heal the wound is with a first aid kit . But you can't just go into inventory and use a kit . Instead , you have to go into the quick wheel menu . But you don't go into inventory from there . Instead , you have to go into the potions menu , and then use it . Because obviously when you have a first aid kit , the first thing you think of is potion . Imagine this sort of logic applied to all equipment and you swiftly get a sense of how frustrating inventory management can - - and will - - get .
Some of the characters themselves are also useless . For my first playthrough , I started as a Dwarf Fighter . Fighters cannot open chests . Just makes sense , right ? The first Rogue I was able to get into my party was almost 7 hours into the game . 7 hours of not being able to open any chest . Moreover , almost every recruit you get for your team is a Fighter , and they're all stronger and better equipped than you are . So basically you should be either a Rogue or a Mage . Rogues are as good as fighters if they are backstabbing , plus they can open chests and the like . Critically , they actually get skill points faster - - every 2 levels compared to 3 for Fighters and Mages . This makes a HUGE difference , and is only mentioned on like page 87 of the manual .
But hey , at least the game has tons of loot and RPG-y goodness , right ? Um , no . 10 hours into the game , my Rogue was still using the same leather armor she started with , because with its set bonus ( what ? ) it was still better than the generic chainmail and other garbage we kept finding . Magic items are oftimes useless - - + 1 willpower , wow - - and there is almost no money to speak of . 10 hours into the game my entire team had less than 4 gold pieces . 4 !
There are numerous other annoyances . Rogues can steal from NPCs , but unless it is money you get no message saying what you stole , just a success message . So every time , you have to go into inventory and try to guess what you got . Did I have 6 healing potions before , or 7 ? Sometimes you steal plot critical items and have no idea about it because there is no message , and the item is hidden in a quest-related submenu instead of general inventory . This happened to me with a stolen key - - I talked to dozens of NPCs looking for it , only to later discover by accident that I had stolen it at some point . Rogues can also disarm traps , but it actually requires a separate animation , and you ALWAYS encounter traps in the middle of a fight . So your character is not only out of the fight trying to disarm traps , but is inevitably getting peppered with arrows the whole time . It's better to just run through the damn things .
Oh , and your life bar ? Don't have one . Each character has a thin red line around part of their character portrait that represents their life . It is almost impossible to see it most of the time . It is extremely easy to get killed simply because you didn't realize the bar was gone , or to waste healing potions on minor injuries because you thought it was gone .
All in all , Dragon Age : Origins feels like an unpolished , old RPG . It is simply not very fun to play . You will find yourself wrestling with the crude , dated inventory and character controls , selling piles of worthless garbage equipment , and rubbing your temples as characters walk through one another or start out of sync talking . My strong recommendation is to rent this game first and see what I'm talking about . If I didn't see Bioware on the cover , I never ever would have thought they were associated with this game .
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Dragon Age Origins won't dazzle people with graphics or some completely original , mind-bending idea ; it will amaze you with the amount of choice the player actually has .
Despite all the advances in gaming , roleplaying often consists of revealing the plot , often via cutscenes , and making the predicable choices . Even really immersive games , like the Final Fantasy series , create the hero for you ; as a player , you're along for a ride . Not so in Dragon Age .
Nothing is black and white , simple cases of right and wrong , good and evil . You'll be expected to make decisions , and I don't think there is a wrong way to play the game . Most of the game revolves around recruiting allies to form an army to stop the invasion of darkspawn ( think a mix between demons and the Middle Earth-esque orc hordes ) . I assumed there would be one route to do so , but you'll quickly find that you don't need to be the knight in shining mail , faultless and lawful , to accomplish your mission .
The NPCs they you recruit to join you have their own goals . Your actions dictate what they think of you , though gifts can be found that enhance their opinion of you . You'll reveal more and more through conversation with the NPCs . . . and they'll talk between themselves , whether you're adventuring in a dangerous locale or just wandering about a city . The conversations are usually interesting , and often reveal more about their goals , likes and dislikes , and they certainly begin to feel like * real * people .
I was hesitant when I read they had implemented romances between your character and the NPCs . Rest assured , it's not pornographic , though the scenes are certainly suggestive ( heavy petting ) , should you pursue one . From what I've read , romances are scripted for Morrigan ( a witch that joins you early in the game , most likely your first NPC mage ) , Alistair ( a knightly warrior with a history as a templar - - witch hunters - - your first companion after the origin story ) , Leiliana ( a rogue with expertise as a bard , sort of the wine and and dancing sort ) , and Zev ( an assassin sent to kill you that surrenders and enters into your service ) . I only played through once and ended up with a challenging romance with Morrigan , but I can't say it wasn't well written and interesting . There are other characters to meet and work with , but that's the four romances written up ( no idea if they are scripted as typical gender relations or can be same-sex ; you can find that out on your own , if so inclined ) .
In terms of mechanics , the game is similar to others of the genre . If you're the curious sort , expect about 70 - 80 hours on the easiest game mode ( casual ) - - exploring the optional side quests and the current download options ( Warden's Keep and the Prisioner of Stone ) . I'm sure the game is longer on higher difficulty , but I haven't completed it yet past my initial play through at casual . Fans of Final Fantasy ( JRPGs ) will like it , but so will more traditional pen and paper / table-top gamers . I've never been a fan of Bethesda's RPGs ( Oblivion / Fallout ) , so was delighted Bioware finally developed something for the PS3 . . . and Dragon Age Origins lives up to its billing .
I think the game has decent replay value , especially if Bioware continues to release downloadable content ( and you are willing to pay for it ) . Given there are a wide variety of ways to play the game ( not just race / class combos , but as a rogue with virtually no moral code to a stern , dauntless knight or a rogue wizard secretly learning blood magic ) AND the new downloads can add several hours ( and new characters / magic ) to your adventure , this seems to be a fantastic value . . . definitely worth adding to your collection .
022 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Dragon Age Origins won't dazzle people with graphics or some completely original , mind-bending idea ; it will amaze you with the amount of choice the player actually has .
Despite all the advances in gaming , roleplaying often consists of revealing the plot , often via cutscenes , and making the predicable choices . Even really immersive games , like the Final Fantasy series , create the hero for you ; as a player , you're along for a ride . Not so in Dragon Age .
Nothing is black and white , simple cases of right and wrong , good and evil . You'll be expected to make decisions , and I don't think there is a wrong way to play the game . Most of the game revolves around recruiting allies to form an army to stop the invasion of darkspawn ( think a mix between demons and the Middle Earth-esque orc hordes ) . I assumed there would be one route to do so , but you'll quickly find that you don't need to be the knight in shining mail , faultless and lawful , to accomplish your mission .
The NPCs they you recruit to join you have their own goals . Your actions dictate what they think of you , though gifts can be found that enhance their opinion of you . You'll reveal more and more through conversation with the NPCs . . . and they'll talk between themselves , whether you're adventuring in a dangerous locale or just wandering about a city . The conversations are usually interesting , and often reveal more about their goals , likes and dislikes , and they certainly begin to feel like * real * people .
I was hesitant when I read they had implemented romances between your character and the NPCs . Rest assured , it's not pornographic , though the scenes are certainly suggestive ( heavy petting ) , should you pursue one . From what I've read , romances are scripted for Morrigan ( a witch that joins you early in the game , most likely your first NPC mage ) , Alistair ( a knightly warrior with a history as a templar - - witch hunters - - your first companion after the origin story ) , Leiliana ( a rogue with expertise as a bard , sort of the wine and and dancing sort ) , and Zev ( an assassin sent to kill you that surrenders and enters into your service ) . I only played through once and ended up with a challenging romance with Morrigan , but I can't say it wasn't well written and interesting . There are other characters to meet and work with , but that's the four romances written up ( no idea if they are scripted as typical gender relations or can be same-sex ; you can find that out on your own , if so inclined ) .
In terms of mechanics , the game is similar to others of the genre . If you're the curious sort , expect about 70 - 80 hours on the easiest game mode ( casual ) - - exploring the optional side quests and the current download options ( Warden's Keep and the Prisioner of Stone ) . I'm sure the game is longer on higher difficulty , but I haven't completed it yet past my initial play through at casual . Fans of Final Fantasy ( JRPGs ) will like it , but so will more traditional pen and paper / table-top gamers . I've never been a fan of Bethesda's RPGs ( Oblivion / Fallout ) , so was delighted Bioware finally developed something for the PS3 . . . and Dragon Age Origins lives up to its billing .
I think the game has decent replay value , especially if Bioware continues to release downloadable content ( and you are willing to pay for it ) . Given there are a wide variety of ways to play the game ( not just race / class combos , but as a rogue with virtually no moral code to a stern , dauntless knight or a rogue wizard secretly learning blood magic ) AND the new downloads can add several hours ( and new characters / magic ) to your adventure , this seems to be a fantastic value . . . definitely worth adding to your collection .
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As the title of the review states , Dragon Age is my favorite RPG to date .
I'll provide a summary of my thoughts . If you want a game overview , there are some great ones already written here on Amazon .
I'm playing on a PS3 , am an occasional video game player ( Fable 1 & 2 , Ratchet & Clank , Ultimate Alliance ) , a 43yr old male , and am playing on a 52 Samsung 1080p 240hz LCD TV .
* LOTS of content ( it took me about 60 hrs to finish the first time )
* 3rd person play ( 1st person gives me a headache )
* Free roaming characters ( you get to explore your environment )
* Many character development choices ( looks , type , morality , sexuality )
* Very good graphics
* Like the voice talent ( perhaps hire Jim Ward next time - loved him in Ratchet & Clank )
* Sound effects are nice
* A lot of well thought out details ( ex . blood covered characters after a battle , snarky NPC background dialogs - LOVE Morigan's and Alistar's dry whit )
* Weapons & armor - you have to make definite trade off's on weight , special characteristics etc .
* You have to make a lot of trade off's , like in real life . There are consequences to your actions . Some games give you clear choices , this one not so much . You do have some constants with the story lines but how you get there is a bit up to you . I now like that you can't tell , by a bar , how good / evil your character is .
* My game included the Shale & Blood Armor codes
* Good story lines ( I particularly like that the introductory getting to know how to use your character stage is part of the story and not a series of hokey training exercises )
* I like that treasure is highlighted so it's easier to find
* Powerful opponents have yellow highlighted names . I also like that there is a health bar with each opponent
Areas for improvement :
* Substandard game instructions ( I like to be spoon fed a little when learning a game )
* Doesn't quantify damage from spells , poisons , upgrading talents etc .
* Graphics aren't blu-ray quality ( but as someone said , this game was in development before blu-ray was the standard 1080p format )
* A few audio & video glitches ( I keep the subtitles on so no biggie for missed audio )
* Would like some more D & D style character choices ( limited to mage , warrior , or rogue - main types )
* Bad underwear ( OK , maybe it's a little pervy but seriously , why create characters who can make the sweet love but keep them clothed ? Blood covered OK , Nudity not OK ? )
* Game environment a little shy of Fable 2 ' s ( movement smoothness , character interaction with the game world )
* Weapons & armor - could use a few more elite choices & more special runes
* Having to go to a sub-menu to switch weapons ( ex . switching from bow to sword . Maybe I just haven't discovered how to set up a hot key ? ? ? )
* Would like to be able to set it up so that loose treasure ( like on dead monsters ) could be automatically picked up instead of having to search each corpse
Summary , there is a lot to like about this RPG and those likes FAR out weigh any dislikes . If you're looking for an RPG with a lot of content and good action , then I highly recommend Dragon Age . If Bioware makes some improvements based on the common feedback of players , I might give the next release 5 - Stars .
OK here's my dig at Xbox . The only reason I bought an Xbox & Xbox 360 was because of Fable & Fable 2 . LOVED those games . However , after the ABYSMAL customer service that I received form Xbox / Microsoft trying to get my Xbox 360 & Fable 2 game replaced ( scratched rings in my game disc the weekend I bought the system ) I won't buy another Xbox system . Yep , the scratching is a documented Xbox 360 problem but of course they said it's not their fault . So , unless Lionhead Studios makes Fable 3 for Play Station , I'll be counting on Dragon Age to give me my RPG fix .
049 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
As the title of the review states , Dragon Age is my favorite RPG to date .
I'll provide a summary of my thoughts . If you want a game overview , there are some great ones already written here on Amazon .
I'm playing on a PS3 , am an occasional video game player ( Fable 1 & 2 , Ratchet & Clank , Ultimate Alliance ) , a 43yr old male , and am playing on a 52 Samsung 1080p 240hz LCD TV .
* LOTS of content ( it took me about 60 hrs to finish the first time )
* 3rd person play ( 1st person gives me a headache )
* Free roaming characters ( you get to explore your environment )
* Many character development choices ( looks , type , morality , sexuality )
* Very good graphics
* Like the voice talent ( perhaps hire Jim Ward next time - loved him in Ratchet & Clank )
* Sound effects are nice
* A lot of well thought out details ( ex . blood covered characters after a battle , snarky NPC background dialogs - LOVE Morigan's and Alistar's dry whit )
* Weapons & armor - you have to make definite trade off's on weight , special characteristics etc .
* You have to make a lot of trade off's , like in real life . There are consequences to your actions . Some games give you clear choices , this one not so much . You do have some constants with the story lines but how you get there is a bit up to you . I now like that you can't tell , by a bar , how good / evil your character is .
* My game included the Shale & Blood Armor codes
* Good story lines ( I particularly like that the introductory getting to know how to use your character stage is part of the story and not a series of hokey training exercises )
* I like that treasure is highlighted so it's easier to find
* Powerful opponents have yellow highlighted names . I also like that there is a health bar with each opponent
Areas for improvement :
* Substandard game instructions ( I like to be spoon fed a little when learning a game )
* Doesn't quantify damage from spells , poisons , upgrading talents etc .
* Graphics aren't blu-ray quality ( but as someone said , this game was in development before blu-ray was the standard 1080p format )
* A few audio & video glitches ( I keep the subtitles on so no biggie for missed audio )
* Would like some more D & D style character choices ( limited to mage , warrior , or rogue - main types )
* Bad underwear ( OK , maybe it's a little pervy but seriously , why create characters who can make the sweet love but keep them clothed ? Blood covered OK , Nudity not OK ? )
* Game environment a little shy of Fable 2 ' s ( movement smoothness , character interaction with the game world )
* Weapons & armor - could use a few more elite choices & more special runes
* Having to go to a sub-menu to switch weapons ( ex . switching from bow to sword . Maybe I just haven't discovered how to set up a hot key ? ? ? )
* Would like to be able to set it up so that loose treasure ( like on dead monsters ) could be automatically picked up instead of having to search each corpse
Summary , there is a lot to like about this RPG and those likes FAR out weigh any dislikes . If you're looking for an RPG with a lot of content and good action , then I highly recommend Dragon Age . If Bioware makes some improvements based on the common feedback of players , I might give the next release 5 - Stars .
OK here's my dig at Xbox . The only reason I bought an Xbox & Xbox 360 was because of Fable & Fable 2 . LOVED those games . However , after the ABYSMAL customer service that I received form Xbox / Microsoft trying to get my Xbox 360 & Fable 2 game replaced ( scratched rings in my game disc the weekend I bought the system ) I won't buy another Xbox system . Yep , the scratching is a documented Xbox 360 problem but of course they said it's not their fault . So , unless Lionhead Studios makes Fable 3 for Play Station , I'll be counting on Dragon Age to give me my RPG fix .
055 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Like most people , I am a huge Bioware fan . Mass Effect in particular was a transcendent experience . Tragically , unbelievably , Dragon Age : Origins is not . In fact , it is surprisingly underwhelming . I'm going to likely get dogpiled for this , but I think the facts speak for themselves .
Simply put , both the graphics and the gameplay feel stale and dated , like something out of the early 2000s . While the cutscenes are impressive , the actual in-game graphics are decidedly not . Even at 720p HD they are oftimes crude and blocky , with pixels - actual pixels - occasionally visible in foliage and grass . Water effects are tame and almost identical to what you'd see in Champions of Norrath or its like on the PS2 . Spell effects are the only place you see the PS3 ' s graphics horsepower in action , and even those are adequate , not amazing . There are numerous HUGE clipping errors , where characters literally walk through one another or objects . During my playthrough of the Dwarf Casteless origin tale , a guard actually walked right through a guy I was talking to in the conversation screen . That should never , ever happen . Sheathed weapons float inches off character's backs , with shields like a foot away . Ever seen a 3 - foot long dagger ? Now I have . Characters hands and appendanges look like plaster marionette hands , often passing through one another without bending , or holding items that float in the air as if the entire hand is fake . It honestly looks like something out of the 1990s .
Character controls are a mess . Instead of smooth , free-flowing fights of the sort you'd see in Mass Effect or even Diablo II , you have robotic movements and cludgy code that forces you to run , rotate in place , trigger an attack , watch the attack go off almost in slow motion , and then wrestle with your controller to figure out whether your character has enough brains to keep fighting on their own , or if you need to button mash . Characters often fail to defend themselves , simply standing there for a round or two before realizing they're being hit . The melee attacks in Mass Effect - a FPS ! - actually work better than the ones in Dragon Age : Origins . Combat messages are also a spammy , ambiance-destroying affair , with damage numbers rapidly spewing from people's heads along with seemingly random status effect messages from things you didn't even realize were happening . It's not uncommon to see things like Miss ! Resisted ! Stunned ! pop up repeatedly even though it's not entirely clear you were even targeted . And god help you if you have multiple damage effects - - instead of adding fire damage , critical etc into one number , you will see each one individually . So if you hit for 24 damage including various separate bonuses , you will instead see a 18 , 2 , 3 , and then a 1 pop up in a row .
The user interface is also extremely frustrating , with an overlapping series of arcane sub-windows that are hard to navigate . Basic RPG staples are gone , like the ability to simply use a healing potion from your inventory . Oh no , that would be too obvious . For example , if a character on your team is KO'd in a fight , he's not dead , but after the fight will get back up with a crippling wound . The only way to heal the wound is with a first aid kit . But you can't just go into inventory and use a kit . Instead , you have to go into the quick wheel menu . But you don't go into inventory from there . Instead , you have to go into the potions menu , and then use it . Because obviously when you have a first aid kit , the first thing you think of is potion . Imagine this sort of logic applied to all equipment and you swiftly get a sense of how frustrating inventory management can - - and will - - get .
Some of the characters themselves are also useless . For my first playthrough , I started as a Dwarf Fighter . Fighters cannot open chests . Just makes sense , right ? The first Rogue I was able to get into my party was almost 7 hours into the game . 7 hours of not being able to open any chest . Moreover , almost every recruit you get for your team is a Fighter , and they're all stronger and better equipped than you are . So basically you should be either a Rogue or a Mage . Rogues are as good as fighters if they are backstabbing , plus they can open chests and the like . Critically , they actually get skill points faster - - every 2 levels compared to 3 for Fighters and Mages . This makes a HUGE difference , and is only mentioned on like page 87 of the manual .
But hey , at least the game has tons of loot and RPG-y goodness , right ? Um , no . 10 hours into the game , my Rogue was still using the same leather armor she started with , because with its set bonus ( what ? ) it was still better than the generic chainmail and other garbage we kept finding . Magic items are oftimes useless - - + 1 willpower , wow - - and there is almost no money to speak of . 10 hours into the game my entire team had less than 4 gold pieces . 4 !
There are numerous other annoyances . Rogues can steal from NPCs , but unless it is money you get no message saying what you stole , just a success message . So every time , you have to go into inventory and try to guess what you got . Did I have 6 healing potions before , or 7 ? Sometimes you steal plot critical items and have no idea about it because there is no message , and the item is hidden in a quest-related submenu instead of general inventory . This happened to me with a stolen key - - I talked to dozens of NPCs looking for it , only to later discover by accident that I had stolen it at some point . Rogues can also disarm traps , but it actually requires a separate animation , and you ALWAYS encounter traps in the middle of a fight . So your character is not only out of the fight trying to disarm traps , but is inevitably getting peppered with arrows the whole time . It's better to just run through the damn things .
Oh , and your life bar ? Don't have one . Each character has a thin red line around part of their character portrait that represents their life . It is almost impossible to see it most of the time . It is extremely easy to get killed simply because you didn't realize the bar was gone , or to waste healing potions on minor injuries because you thought it was gone .
All in all , Dragon Age : Origins feels like an unpolished , old RPG . It is simply not very fun to play . You will find yourself wrestling with the crude , dated inventory and character controls , selling piles of worthless garbage equipment , and rubbing your temples as characters walk through one another or start out of sync talking . My strong recommendation is to rent this game first and see what I'm talking about . If I didn't see Bioware on the cover , I never ever would have thought they were associated with this game .
056 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Like most people , I am a huge Bioware fan . Mass Effect in particular was a transcendent experience . Tragically , unbelievably , Dragon Age : Origins is not . In fact , it is surprisingly underwhelming . I'm going to likely get dogpiled for this , but I think the facts speak for themselves .
Simply put , both the graphics and the gameplay feel stale and dated , like something out of the early 2000s . While the cutscenes are impressive , the actual in-game graphics are decidedly not . Even at 720p HD they are oftimes crude and blocky , with pixels - actual pixels - occasionally visible in foliage and grass . Water effects are tame and almost identical to what you'd see in Champions of Norrath or its like on the PS2 . Spell effects are the only place you see the PS3 ' s graphics horsepower in action , and even those are adequate , not amazing . There are numerous HUGE clipping errors , where characters literally walk through one another or objects . During my playthrough of the Dwarf Casteless origin tale , a guard actually walked right through a guy I was talking to in the conversation screen . That should never , ever happen . Sheathed weapons float inches off character's backs , with shields like a foot away . Ever seen a 3 - foot long dagger ? Now I have . Characters hands and appendanges look like plaster marionette hands , often passing through one another without bending , or holding items that float in the air as if the entire hand is fake . It honestly looks like something out of the 1990s .
Character controls are a mess . Instead of smooth , free-flowing fights of the sort you'd see in Mass Effect or even Diablo II , you have robotic movements and cludgy code that forces you to run , rotate in place , trigger an attack , watch the attack go off almost in slow motion , and then wrestle with your controller to figure out whether your character has enough brains to keep fighting on their own , or if you need to button mash . Characters often fail to defend themselves , simply standing there for a round or two before realizing they're being hit . The melee attacks in Mass Effect - a FPS ! - actually work better than the ones in Dragon Age : Origins . Combat messages are also a spammy , ambiance-destroying affair , with damage numbers rapidly spewing from people's heads along with seemingly random status effect messages from things you didn't even realize were happening . It's not uncommon to see things like Miss ! Resisted ! Stunned ! pop up repeatedly even though it's not entirely clear you were even targeted . And god help you if you have multiple damage effects - - instead of adding fire damage , critical etc into one number , you will see each one individually . So if you hit for 24 damage including various separate bonuses , you will instead see a 18 , 2 , 3 , and then a 1 pop up in a row .
The user interface is also extremely frustrating , with an overlapping series of arcane sub-windows that are hard to navigate . Basic RPG staples are gone , like the ability to simply use a healing potion from your inventory . Oh no , that would be too obvious . For example , if a character on your team is KO'd in a fight , he's not dead , but after the fight will get back up with a crippling wound . The only way to heal the wound is with a first aid kit . But you can't just go into inventory and use a kit . Instead , you have to go into the quick wheel menu . But you don't go into inventory from there . Instead , you have to go into the potions menu , and then use it . Because obviously when you have a first aid kit , the first thing you think of is potion . Imagine this sort of logic applied to all equipment and you swiftly get a sense of how frustrating inventory management can - - and will - - get .
Some of the characters themselves are also useless . For my first playthrough , I started as a Dwarf Fighter . Fighters cannot open chests . Just makes sense , right ? The first Rogue I was able to get into my party was almost 7 hours into the game . 7 hours of not being able to open any chest . Moreover , almost every recruit you get for your team is a Fighter , and they're all stronger and better equipped than you are . So basically you should be either a Rogue or a Mage . Rogues are as good as fighters if they are backstabbing , plus they can open chests and the like . Critically , they actually get skill points faster - - every 2 levels compared to 3 for Fighters and Mages . This makes a HUGE difference , and is only mentioned on like page 87 of the manual .
But hey , at least the game has tons of loot and RPG-y goodness , right ? Um , no . 10 hours into the game , my Rogue was still using the same leather armor she started with , because with its set bonus ( what ? ) it was still better than the generic chainmail and other garbage we kept finding . Magic items are oftimes useless - - + 1 willpower , wow - - and there is almost no money to speak of . 10 hours into the game my entire team had less than 4 gold pieces . 4 !
There are numerous other annoyances . Rogues can steal from NPCs , but unless it is money you get no message saying what you stole , just a success message . So every time , you have to go into inventory and try to guess what you got . Did I have 6 healing potions before , or 7 ? Sometimes you steal plot critical items and have no idea about it because there is no message , and the item is hidden in a quest-related submenu instead of general inventory . This happened to me with a stolen key - - I talked to dozens of NPCs looking for it , only to later discover by accident that I had stolen it at some point . Rogues can also disarm traps , but it actually requires a separate animation , and you ALWAYS encounter traps in the middle of a fight . So your character is not only out of the fight trying to disarm traps , but is inevitably getting peppered with arrows the whole time . It's better to just run through the damn things .
Oh , and your life bar ? Don't have one . Each character has a thin red line around part of their character portrait that represents their life . It is almost impossible to see it most of the time . It is extremely easy to get killed simply because you didn't realize the bar was gone , or to waste healing potions on minor injuries because you thought it was gone .
All in all , Dragon Age : Origins feels like an unpolished , old RPG . It is simply not very fun to play . You will find yourself wrestling with the crude , dated inventory and character controls , selling piles of worthless garbage equipment , and rubbing your temples as characters walk through one another or start out of sync talking . My strong recommendation is to rent this game first and see what I'm talking about . If I didn't see Bioware on the cover , I never ever would have thought they were associated with this game .
156 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I would find it difficult to add to what has already been said here , except to say I think this is one of the best rpg's ever . I recognize that it has some problems , notably to me the textures . . . . . vastly papery for a modern ps3 / 360 game . But for whatever reason they are indeed very papery . I hear that on the computer version that they are much better , but I can overlook this problem because the rest of the game is so freaking awesome ! I can play it over and over . . . . . its addictive and never boring with very well written and voiced NPC's . The romance thing is also appreciated . Give it a try , its worth the cash .
163 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Bioware has the Midas touch , Baulder's Gate , Torment , Knights of the Old Republic , Mass Effect , they pretty much own the American RPG market and for good reason . Have they struck gold again with Dragon Age ? I think so . Dragon Age is another work of art and stands equally with its older brothers . The story is a bit cliche , but told so well and with such polish that you don't notice much . The character development has much in common with Mass Effect . You will spend a good deal of time walking around camp and talking with your fellow party members , gaining trust of finding love . The NPC characters themselves are very well detailed and with rich personalities and back stories .
The intro to each character , which is where the Origin in Dragon Age : Origin comes from , are nice treat . I wish that they had a little more to do with the progression of the story . While its true that you may meet some people from your origin story and there are some consequences it doesn't have the impact I'd expect .
The AI for both enemy and ally is pretty good but does stutter at times . This pays off a great deal on consoles where the ability to micromanage your party isn't as easy as on PC . I was able to play through the majority of the game allowing my party to operate on their AI behavior . To that extent you are able to customize response and actions for your various party members which really helps .
Graphic and gameplay wise Dragon age looks and plays very much like Mass Effect . It is polished and well done but not the ' next generation ' engine some people were expecting . There are occasional graphic and gameplay glitches during some transitions from fights to cut scenes but nothing game breaking . The load times on the PS3 can be a bit annoying and takes a little longer than I'd expect . The inventory system is a bit annoying and could have been better but really I am nit picking .
All said and done I spend almost 30 hours straight over a long weekend playing through this and saw probably less than half of avaliable quests . There is a ton of gameplay available for the money and even more with the promise of more downloadable content . I think this is another winner for Bioware and if you enjoyed any of their previous work you will love Dragon Age Origin .
187 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Role playing at it's best ! The story line is wonderful and unfolds nicely , some of the side quests are very involved , almost a game unto themselves . I especially enjoy the character relationship aspect of the roll playing . As you go along your adventures you pick up NPC's who join you in your quest , you can build your relationship with them to be be anything from hate to romantic love . The graphics are wonderful and the dialog is well acted . I recommend this game to all ! !
( The reviewer was compensated for posting this review . However , the opinion stated in the review is that of the reviewer and the reviewer alone . Further , the reviewer independently selected this product to review and has no affiliation with the product maker / distributor , Amazon or the review requester . )
317 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I will begin by saying that the two reviews that are available on this game so far either A , don't have the game for Playstation 3 , or B , are trolling review sites looking for a way to create more hype on this mediocre title .
The story may be top notch so far , but a great story can't hide the fact that this game suffers from some rather serious flaws-at least on the PS3 . The gameplay is tedious and clunky ; the graphics are nothing to write home about , and the sound is dismal .
Lets start with the gameplay . . . .
The animation for this title is poorly done and looks like more like a MMORPG than a highly polished single player RPG . Your character may swing a sword in the general direction of the enemy , but don't expect any collision detection because you will be left wanting . The AI is terrible and responds poorly even when programed using the tactics system . There were many times where my ranged characters stood completely still while getting pounded on by melee enemies unless I personally took control of them . Also , it seems like the coding needs more work . The frame rate issues I experienced anytime there were more than half a dozen enemies on the screen at once tell me this game wasn't finished or shouldn't have been ported to the PS3 in the first place . This game was meant to be played with a keyboard : a keyboard can dedicate 10 + hotkeys to spell / ability assignment , not 6 that operate like 3 . If controlling 3 party members with the PS3 controller is tedious , controlling 4 during a dragon fight will be a nightmare . Add that to the incompetant AI and . . . well . . you get the idea . .
The sound reminds me of choppy cell phone coverage : spotty in some areas , non-existent in others , and you will miss pieces of dialog due to the skipping that takes place . During the first 30 minutes inside the human starting area I counted no less than 10 different times where the sound skipped . Please note that the Blu-Ray disc is clean , and my PS 3 is brand new , so it is not a hardware issue . I found myself struggling to keep up with the story because at one point the NPC voices began to sound like I was stuck in the scene from Waynes World where Wayne is purposely skipping every other word he says . Frustrating .
The graphics on this game are good , not great . The graphics used for cinematics cut scenes can be the best in the world , but we don't play cut scenes , we play everything else ; and everything else isn't 4.5 out of 5 stars .
In conclusion , I have to give Bioware credit for creating a highly polished storyline . There is more than enough lore in Dragons Age to keep an RPG fan happy , but I can't overlook the technical problems that exist for this particular version . If you have a computer that can handle DA , I suggest purchasing that version because in it's current state , DA simply isn't worth 60 bucks .
334 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I am a huge RPG fan , but this PS3 port just did not make the cut . Well hyped and well reviewed , sure - but the PS3 version is buggy beyond compare . The framerate stuttered and polygons flickered until I dropped the resolution from 1080p to 480 . Now that's a problem well ported software should never suffer from on the PS3 . Worse still , several cutscenes froze the game in midstream . Key dialogue during multiple NPC interactions dropped out . By default , the PS3 port connects periodically to EA servers , but when those servers are busy , the game stalls unacceptably . Maybe EA will release a patch in the weeks to come ( I'm writing this review on 1 / 24 / 10 ) , but until such a time comes to pass , I'm going to leave this pricey dud on the shelf .
On the plus side , if you've got a souped up PC , you're probably really going to enjoy Dragon Age . But on the PS3 , you're likely to suffer from blood pressure spikes that take all the fun out of what should have been an amazing ride .
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Only about 30% of the way into it and finding it very entertaining . Imagery is good ; lots of things to explore . The relationships between the characters are well managed as are the options for communicating within the game . It looks like they took some lessons from what didn't work about the Elder Scrolls brand and made it seamless .
The quest management is a little cumbersome - it's easy to get bogged down in an innumerable number of quests and reading through the updated Codex can be laborious . The way the GUI highlights unread items seems good at first blush but once the list gets long , you'll have no success seeing what's new as you have to pass the focus to the next subsequent item in the list , marking it read even though you haven't seen that it's new . This is difficult to explain but other reviewers may have done a better job .
On the normal setting , nothing seems too hard or particularly easy . I've only run into one quest that became rather laborious but , on the whole , the game is very well done and will keep your attention for many hours .
091 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Only about 30% of the way into it and finding it very entertaining . Imagery is good ; lots of things to explore . The relationships between the characters are well managed as are the options for communicating within the game . It looks like they took some lessons from what didn't work about the Elder Scrolls brand and made it seamless .
The quest management is a little cumbersome - it's easy to get bogged down in an innumerable number of quests and reading through the updated Codex can be laborious . The way the GUI highlights unread items seems good at first blush but once the list gets long , you'll have no success seeing what's new as you have to pass the focus to the next subsequent item in the list , marking it read even though you haven't seen that it's new . This is difficult to explain but other reviewers may have done a better job .
On the normal setting , nothing seems too hard or particularly easy . I've only run into one quest that became rather laborious but , on the whole , the game is very well done and will keep your attention for many hours .
092 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Only about 30% of the way into it and finding it very entertaining . Imagery is good ; lots of things to explore . The relationships between the characters are well managed as are the options for communicating within the game . It looks like they took some lessons from what didn't work about the Elder Scrolls brand and made it seamless .
The quest management is a little cumbersome - it's easy to get bogged down in an innumerable number of quests and reading through the updated Codex can be laborious . The way the GUI highlights unread items seems good at first blush but once the list gets long , you'll have no success seeing what's new as you have to pass the focus to the next subsequent item in the list , marking it read even though you haven't seen that it's new . This is difficult to explain but other reviewers may have done a better job .
On the normal setting , nothing seems too hard or particularly easy . I've only run into one quest that became rather laborious but , on the whole , the game is very well done and will keep your attention for many hours .
093 4 Only about 30% of the way into it and finding it very entertaining . Imagery is good ; lots of things to explore . The relationships between the characters are well managed as are the options for communicating within the game . It looks like they took some lessons from what didn't work about the Elder Scrolls brand and made it seamless .
The quest management is a little cumbersome - it's easy to get bogged down in an innumerable number of quests and reading through the updated Codex can be laborious . The way the GUI highlights unread items seems good at first blush but once the list gets long , you'll have no success seeing what's new as you have to pass the focus to the next subsequent item in the list , marking it read even though you haven't seen that it's new . This is difficult to explain but other reviewers may have done a better job .
On the normal setting , nothing seems too hard or particularly easy . I've only run into one quest that became rather laborious but , on the whole , the game is very well done and will keep your attention for many hours .
113 4 I bought this game as a gift , and hoped it would be played frequently . . . what I didn't expect was it being played for 7 hours the first time , 9 hours the second time and 13 straight hours on Christmas Day ! I was amazed how addictive this game is ( and how annoying the fight scene ' sayings ' were after a while ) but it was the best gift I've ever bought . . . he loves it ! * * * * *
130 4 Picked this up for hubby for X-mas as he really wanted this game . The graphics are great and there is a lot to this game . He says it's very challenging ( which is a huge compliment coming from him , he's the biggest gamer I know ! ) , and he's really enjoying it . It seems pretty long so far too , he hasn't beat it yet and it usually doesn't take him long at all , another plus !
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Pros : addictive gameplay , leveling and micromanaging system is good , nice choice of different characters and customizability of your group .
Cons : when you are addicted and playing it for a long time , it seems kind of short , on the bright side you can re-play it as a different race ( human , dwarf , elf ) and the storyline changes up a little .
137 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Fantastic story and gameplay , especially if you are a fan of RPGs . Keep in mind that the gameplay can be very challenging at times even on normal . I will be re-playing this to experience the different paths .
Definately recommended .
138 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Fantastic story and gameplay , especially if you are a fan of RPGs . Keep in mind that the gameplay can be very challenging at times even on normal . I will be re-playing this to experience the different paths .
Definately recommended .
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Pros : addictive gameplay , leveling and micromanaging system is good , nice choice of different characters and customizability of your group .
Cons : when you are addicted and playing it for a long time , it seems kind of short , on the bright side you can re-play it as a different race ( human , dwarf , elf ) and the storyline changes up a little .
150 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Pros : addictive gameplay , leveling and micromanaging system is good , nice choice of different characters and customizability of your group .
Cons : when you are addicted and playing it for a long time , it seems kind of short , on the bright side you can re-play it as a different race ( human , dwarf , elf ) and the storyline changes up a little .
211 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Fun game , very enjoyable . Offers alot in terms of gameplay , story depth , and several other little intricacies that all tie in to an overall excellent game.A must have for anybody who enjoys rpg games .
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Its a good game , but I would not put it onto the great list . The storyline is good and well written . All around , I really enjoyed it .
315 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Its a good game , but I would not put it onto the great list . The storyline is good and well written . All around , I really enjoyed it .
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I'll keep this short and sweet . Yes , there were a few moral dilema situations in which I was very interested . Yes , I was looking forward to this game . But the long and short of it is that I didn't really have that much fun playing through Dragon Age .
329 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I'll keep this short and sweet . Yes , there were a few moral dilema situations in which I was very interested . Yes , I was looking forward to this game . But the long and short of it is that I didn't really have that much fun playing through Dragon Age .
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
PS3 owners have been dying for a good RPG to hit the console and Bioware delivers with Dragon Age : Origins . RPGs have become few and far between and it is nice to finally have a game that is defiantly worth the full $60 price tag .
This game has six different origin stories that you can choose when you create your character . Each origin story is a small little start to the game that basically explains where your character comes from , and why they are getting involved in the story's main plot . Each origin story is completely unique which gives some good replay value . The game play time of the origin stories is about 2 hours . It can be longer or shorter depending on the type of player you are . The six origins are : Human Noble , Mage , City Elf , Dwarf Noble , Dwarf Commoner , Daelish Elf .
As you can guess from the origin stories you have three races to choose from : Human , Dwarf , and Elf . The stereotypical three races in fantasy games . Mages can only be humans or elves . Your choice in race and origin story both have an effect on your characters base stats .
You also get the choice of three classes : Warrior , Rogue , or Mage . At first that sounds pretty crappy only having three choices , but there are specializations that you come across later in the game . For example a rogue can become a bard and a mage can become a shapeshifter . So as you play , the choices will begin to open up . You automatically get two specializations as you progress through the game . You can get more though depending on how much exploration you do in the game ( quests and reading books ) .
Every origin story ends at the same spot ; your character being recruited into the Gray Wardens . Gray Wardens are warriors who fight the darkspawn . This is where the main plot of the game takes off and your off to start your adventure . While the origin story is only a couple hours , you still get great replay value out of the game because everywhere you will come across choices where you have to make a decision that effects the game . Each time you play through you can choose different options and make the rest of the story different .
Combat in the game is highly customizable . The basic formula is your characters all auto-attack , so you only press the ' X ' button once . It is not a hack and slash type game in this regard . While you are auto-attacking you can use spells or abilities to do more damage , do crowd control , or turn the tide of the battle . You can do combos , for example you can freeze an enemy then cast your stone fist spell to shatter them and instantly kill them . You can put an oil slick on the ground then use a fire spell to light the oil on fire for some extra damage . You need to use caution though , friendly fire is possible !
You have three basic options for combat . Full AI control where your party members act on their own . You can customize that AI in a rather extensive way , similar to Final Fantasy XII gambit system . The second way to play is to take direct control of your party members , switching from your main character to a party member to make them use a specific ability or spell . The third option is full control where you pause the game and issue specific commands to every character and they never do more than auto-attack unless you tell them to . The choice is yours on how you want to play .
The graphics in this game are to be honest kind of dated . They are not mind blowing and you will not go WOW ! when you see them . That said , they are not horrible either . This game was in development for a very long time which probably contributes to them being dated . The PS3 version does have some frame rate problems , but they are not game breaking . It is enough to notice , but not really that bad and after awhile you stop noticing . It's really right on the line of being able to notice and not being there at all .
Character customization is as good as you can get . You get to assign your atribute points ( strength , willpower , magic , constitution , etc ) yourself , you get to pick skills however you want ( some require minimum attribute points ) , and you get to pick the spells / abilities you want ( again , some require minimum attribute points ) . If you don't like this level of control , you can press a button and the game will auto-level your character . This customization also extends to your party ; you control how they level up and what they learn . In addition , your party will continue to gain levels even if they are not in your active party ( you get more playable characters then you can use at one time ) so you don't have to worry about leaving someone behind .
Initially when you create your character you can also fully change their looks . There are lots of sliders to play with , not just a couple like most games . You can also have any character be female or male .
This game has a HUGE story to it . There is lots of lore all over the place and you can spend hours reading it all . There is also romance for those who want to do that , your main character can get into relationships with other characters and there are some steamy scenes . It's PG - 13 , you won't find full up nudity .
With that I'll go into the pros and cons .
Pros :
+ Great combat system - play how you want !
+ Several hours of gameplay
+ Promise of two years of DLC support from Bioware
+ Great replay
+ Great character customization
+ Great Story
Cons :
- Poor frame rate at times
- Jerky cutscenes
- Dated graphics
- Limited camera ( 3rd person only , fixed distance )
Scores :
Gameplay : 5 / 5
Graphics : 3 / 5
Sound : 4 / 5
Replay : 5 / 5
Overall ( not an average ) : 4 / 5
I'm typically harsh with reviews and am a true believer of using the full scale . I consider 3 stars to be ' average ' and not bad like most people . 5 stars is perfect , 4 is above average , 3 is average , 2 is below average , 1 is awfull . I would consider this game to be above average . It is not perfect , but it is really good .
Buy or rent ? Buy !
003 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I cannot praise this game enough ! it will be one of those I play again and again !
the size and scope of the game is incredible . when I started off I'd wager I spent two hours learning about my character's background .
you pick one of many origins ( i.e . elf , dwarf , human , etc ) ( I chose Elf Mage )
and then begin with your origin story ( which is like watching a full length movie and so well written the time just flys by )
and then you're tasked with your first quest and the game begins .
this game has more freedom of choice then most , such as make a deal with a demon , or kill it to save a child . ( it offers you Powers Not to kill it )
some of the quests have moral choices that will really pull on your emotions about people and things like power over friendship and the feel you have an impact upon the surrounding world.everything you choose to do has a ripple effect so your action will be known throughout the world . the characters control via one of two ways ,
one is using the hack & slash method though this is harder then hitting pause so you can set all your mages attacks etc .
there's a lot of micromanagement in this but for loot mongers and rpg lovers this will be one of the years ultimate treats I assure you . there seems to be loot everywhere for those that search every area rather thourough . I also must say the amount of DLC available at this time for the collectors edition is amazing . ( non collector edition owners will pay 6.99 and 14.99 for both dlc packs )
the graphics are excellent ( though not mind blowing )
particle effects are wickedly done and the quests are crafted well enough to let you know you have many approaches to each situation
and will pull at your emotions . if you weren't lucky enough to get this collectors edition no worries I know the goodies will be released as DLC to everyone eventually since they listed prices ( wardens keep 6.99 and the stone prisoner 14.99 )
you have many abilities such as settinhg traps , stealing , dual wielding and so much more . while the game may be a bit baldurs gat-ish ) it's the BEST RPG on ps3 without a doubt .
the skill trees are similar to those you've seen in baldurs gate , diablo II and others . another thing is they must have over 200 + voice actors since I have not heard ANY voices repeat .
excellent actors such as Tim Curry , Kate Mulgrew , Claudia Black and more !
an excellent creature variety , large skill trees ,
great loot and D & D style gameplay make this title
one of my all time fav's .
Graphics : Excellent and crispy . not mind blowing but perfect for me 4 1 / 2 stars great spell effects ! excellent creature models and good variety of them .
Sound : the voice work is Top Notch and hundreds of actors
even the crickets put on a great perfomance ! 5 stars !
the sound is a star here , the voice talent is top notch .
Gameplay : the micromanagement might put a few off but most will never let go of the controller since they got the controls so spot on for the ps3 on this title . it's amazing ! 5 stars .
the controls are well mapped to the ps3 controller .
Fun : Yes Yes Yes ! betray a friend or help him in a forbidden quest , help a grey warden or not ? , kill a demon or trust the mouse ? so many choices it's unreal ! want to slay a dragon ? you can !
want to go into dungeons and hack away , you can !
it's a Mature game so some of the things you can do are a tad graphic and as someone reminded me you end every battle absolutely painted in blood .
the game is brilliant what more can I say ? 5 Stars ! !
Overall : the package wraps up nicely into a 5 star Must Have !
the Gods at Bioware have greated the best baldurs gate style game yet ! it's brilliant ! you have to buy it asap if you don't you're missing THE BEST RPG experience of the year and possibly in my lifetime . ( it's Very similar to Baldurs gate Dark Alliance )
this coming from a Hardcore
70 ' s D & D player ! ! !
that's what I'd call an endorsement !
Dragon age origins is the RPG to buy .
007 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
PS3 owners have been dying for a good RPG to hit the console and Bioware delivers with Dragon Age : Origins . RPGs have become few and far between and it is nice to finally have a game that is defiantly worth the full $60 price tag .
This game has six different origin stories that you can choose when you create your character . Each origin story is a small little start to the game that basically explains where your character comes from , and why they are getting involved in the story's main plot . Each origin story is completely unique which gives some good replay value . The game play time of the origin stories is about 2 hours . It can be longer or shorter depending on the type of player you are . The six origins are : Human Noble , Mage , City Elf , Dwarf Noble , Dwarf Commoner , Daelish Elf .
As you can guess from the origin stories you have three races to choose from : Human , Dwarf , and Elf . The stereotypical three races in fantasy games . Mages can only be humans or elves . Your choice in race and origin story both have an effect on your characters base stats .
You also get the choice of three classes : Warrior , Rogue , or Mage . At first that sounds pretty crappy only having three choices , but there are specializations that you come across later in the game . For example a rogue can become a bard and a mage can become a shapeshifter . So as you play , the choices will begin to open up . You automatically get two specializations as you progress through the game . You can get more though depending on how much exploration you do in the game ( quests and reading books ) .
Every origin story ends at the same spot ; your character being recruited into the Gray Wardens . Gray Wardens are warriors who fight the darkspawn . This is where the main plot of the game takes off and your off to start your adventure . While the origin story is only a couple hours , you still get great replay value out of the game because everywhere you will come across choices where you have to make a decision that effects the game . Each time you play through you can choose different options and make the rest of the story different .
Combat in the game is highly customizable . The basic formula is your characters all auto-attack , so you only press the ' X ' button once . It is not a hack and slash type game in this regard . While you are auto-attacking you can use spells or abilities to do more damage , do crowd control , or turn the tide of the battle . You can do combos , for example you can freeze an enemy then cast your stone fist spell to shatter them and instantly kill them . You can put an oil slick on the ground then use a fire spell to light the oil on fire for some extra damage . You need to use caution though , friendly fire is possible !
You have three basic options for combat . Full AI control where your party members act on their own . You can customize that AI in a rather extensive way , similar to Final Fantasy XII gambit system . The second way to play is to take direct control of your party members , switching from your main character to a party member to make them use a specific ability or spell . The third option is full control where you pause the game and issue specific commands to every character and they never do more than auto-attack unless you tell them to . The choice is yours on how you want to play .
The graphics in this game are to be honest kind of dated . They are not mind blowing and you will not go WOW ! when you see them . That said , they are not horrible either . This game was in development for a very long time which probably contributes to them being dated . The PS3 version does have some frame rate problems , but they are not game breaking . It is enough to notice , but not really that bad and after awhile you stop noticing . It's really right on the line of being able to notice and not being there at all .
Character customization is as good as you can get . You get to assign your atribute points ( strength , willpower , magic , constitution , etc ) yourself , you get to pick skills however you want ( some require minimum attribute points ) , and you get to pick the spells / abilities you want ( again , some require minimum attribute points ) . If you don't like this level of control , you can press a button and the game will auto-level your character . This customization also extends to your party ; you control how they level up and what they learn . In addition , your party will continue to gain levels even if they are not in your active party ( you get more playable characters then you can use at one time ) so you don't have to worry about leaving someone behind .
Initially when you create your character you can also fully change their looks . There are lots of sliders to play with , not just a couple like most games . You can also have any character be female or male .
This game has a HUGE story to it . There is lots of lore all over the place and you can spend hours reading it all . There is also romance for those who want to do that , your main character can get into relationships with other characters and there are some steamy scenes . It's PG - 13 , you won't find full up nudity .
With that I'll go into the pros and cons .
Pros :
+ Great combat system - play how you want !
+ Several hours of gameplay
+ Promise of two years of DLC support from Bioware
+ Great replay
+ Great character customization
+ Great Story
Cons :
- Poor frame rate at times
- Jerky cutscenes
- Dated graphics
- Limited camera ( 3rd person only , fixed distance )
Scores :
Gameplay : 5 / 5
Graphics : 3 / 5
Sound : 4 / 5
Replay : 5 / 5
Overall ( not an average ) : 4 / 5
I'm typically harsh with reviews and am a true believer of using the full scale . I consider 3 stars to be ' average ' and not bad like most people . 5 stars is perfect , 4 is above average , 3 is average , 2 is below average , 1 is awfull . I would consider this game to be above average . It is not perfect , but it is really good .
Buy or rent ? Buy !
019 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I'm a big fan of Oblivion : Elder's Scrolls and Fable 2 , and have been quite bored with all the games that have been released lately . Been waiting so long for something to bring back the nostalgia that those 2 great RPG masterpieces once provided ( for some reason , I was never a Fallout 3 fan ) . So anyway , you can imagine my pleasant delight and surprise when I was an hour into this game . I started off as an Elf Mage , and its origin story was just so well written that it just kept me coming back for more . . . . I needed to see what else Fereldin had in store for my pointed-ear hero . The story does not disappoint ; in fact , it only gets better . I haven't seen such good writing , voice-acting and wonderful story from a videogame in such a long time . I'd dare say Dragon Age Origins ' story and plot-lines are even better than Elder's Scrolls and Fable 2 . I'm 25 hours into the game now ( doing mostly just the main quest ; rarely touched any of the sidequests that are also available ) , fought many fun and gruesome battles ( but never tedious ) , and according to my strategy guide I'm still only halfway to finishing this grand Lord of the Ring - type of adventure . Fereldin is a land comprising of humans , elves , dwarves , orks , dragons and demons . There are quite a bit of dabbling with the occult in Fereldin . If one isn't careful , there's a good chance of opening up the veil that holds the mortal world separate from the twisted demonic world called Fade ( aka Hell ) . When the veil is broken , all hell literally breaks loose and the Archdemons and their demonic hordes start invading the mortal world in great numbers and over time spawning more of their kinds to take over Fereldin . This is where our adventure begins . . . we are Fereldin's most prestigious group of warriors known and respected throughout the land as the Grey Warden , who are chosen by fate ( but more so because we are able to succumb to the deadly effect of drinking the Archdemon's blood and still manage to survive ) . And legend has it that only those with the Archdemon's blood flowing in their veins are capable of destroying the Archdemons . The cast of characters that fight with you are comprised of various personalities that will keep you amused throughout your adventure . Like Fable 2 , you can give them gifts and woo them with your choice of dialogues until they fall for you and invite you back to their tents for a night of one-on-one or a menage-a-trois . This game is really F-U-N . The graphics are not as bad as some of the reviewers here said , but at the same time they're not ground-breaking either . The music is beautiful . Load up the game and you will hear this beautiful , ethereal haunting tune that sounds like something coming from Enya's vocal chord . If you're looking for something like Oblivion Elder's Scrolls or Fable 2 , look no further . This is the one game that you will want to play over and over and over again after you finish it .
251 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Dragon Age is a fun game , overall . The basic gist is that you gather a party of adventurers and set off on a quest to defeat the evil darkspawn that are threatening your homeland of Ferelden . Combat is a mix of real-time and turn-based action in which you move around and trigger skills , use items , and cast spells . As you defeat enemies and complete quests you level up to increase your basic stats and gain new skill and spells .
Overall , it's the standard RPG package with a relatively slick design . The story is somewhat overbearing at times , but it is engaging and serves to move you from place to place .
You can have up to four people in your party at one time , and you can switch between them at will to give commands ( you can also pause combat in order to do this ) , but it's unwieldy , and the default behavior of the three characters you're not controlling is less than optimal . As your characters advance , however , they gain tactics slots that can be used to set up behaviors such as what to do when an ally is below x % health . This system takes a little getting used to , but , once you have some better tactics set ( especially tactics related to healing ) , the games steep difficulty goes way down .
The main problem I have with this game , and the problem that earned it 3 instead of 4 stars , is the way Bioware went about handling the Downloadable Content ( DLC ) . The game comes with two codes you can enter to gain access to a new character and a piece of armor which otherwise have to be bought ( and are very expensive considering what they are ) . On the surface this sounds pretty innocuous , but when you think about it , it serves little purpose but to devalue the game to anybody who buys it second hand . The codes eventually expire and are consumed on use , and the characters and armor are non-transferable . Bioware claims that the intent isn't to artificially damage the game's resale value , but it's hard to imagine any legitimate reason for not simply including these two things in the game which were ready at launch .
Worse , the game's inventory system is atrocious . You start out with 70 backpack slots , and each item ( or , in the case of stackable items , each stack ) consumes 1 slot . In a game like this , where you often have to carry multiple gear sets for each character you're using , plus hang on to crafting materials , upgrades , and quest items , you run out of space quickly . You can expand your slots to 120 by buying backpacks from merchants for a steep price , but even this is not adequate as the game progresses , and you'll often find yourself having to trash items , leave them behind , or make constant trips to a merchant to get rid of un-needed junk . And this is where the worst fears of DLC are realized : the Warden's Keep expansion is currently the only way to remedy this problem . When you buy the extra DLC for $7 , you get a short side quest , a few new pieces of gear , and , the only really worthwhile addition , a chest that allows you to store 90 items without having to keep them on your character .
I'm all for DLC that adds value . I would gladly pay a few bucks to extend my experience with a fun game . However , creating a game that requires you to store a large number of items , then providing no workable way to do that without buying additional content is just malicious . Bioware claims there was a chest in the party camp , but it had to be removed before release due to bugs . However , the Warden's Keep DLC was available at launch , and , apparently , the storage there works just fine , so that's a dubious claim at best .
Overall , the game is fun , but the inventory system is a major distraction , and the fact that the only way to fix this basic game feature is to buy add-ons is a slap in the face . It's a good game , but because of the vicious way in which the DLC is used , I'm going to look long and hard at future Bioware purchases .
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Ahh DA : O , what you could have been . You had a good LOTR-type story , likeable characters , and solid real-time combat controls , but you missed the tomahawk dunk when you should have done an easy finger roll . I don't want to sound overly critical , but there are a few problems I had with the game early on that never went away .
Firstly , the graphics are ho-hum . After finishing DA : O , I thought they were decent , but then I played Assassin's Creed II and Demon's Souls , and those left me feeling cheated . Cutscenes in DA : O pale in comparision to Uncharted 2 , character movement is stiff , and the environment is bland . Clearly , impressive visuals were not a priority , they're key in my opinion .
Then you have the excessive blood splatter . Don't get me wrong , I love Mortal Kombat finishing moves and Resident Evil gore , but the full-body blood spray in DA : O , especially in cutscenes , was comical to me . You'll see .
Another problem , and I guess this applies to some RPGs , is that I get to choose 3 others to join my in my party from a group of allies ; this is okay except I don't care about half of them after midway through the game . Yet I still had to talk to all of them , had to give them gifts to keep them happy , and had to outfit them . I was one of four warriors in my pool . . . why would I ever need to take more than one or two warriors ? So the other two or three guys rode the bench for most of the game . This really wasted my time in terms of moving along the storyline and controlling my party inventory .
The always important money situation . Why am I being cheap , selling everything , and being careful with inventory capacity when there's nothing worth buying later on in the game ? I could've decked my team out early on without repercussions . Never had to buy trap materials , potion plans , or any of that . Sure , the game should be open ended , but don't make the inventory system complex if there isn't stuff worth purchasing .
Lastly , the combat system . It's cool that you can cycle through your party members in battle and decide their action . It's not cool when the AI makes my medic run to the frontlines to fight a giant ogre when she should be in the back healing me or when my own rogue sets off all nearby traps to engage a nearby enemy . The default tactics are borderline terrible . By the end of the game I was cycling through my parties like a madman to micromange which was annoying to say the least .
All in all , DA : O definitely had a vision that was worth aspiring to , but its basic flaws , namely in the realms of graphics , character customization , and combat dynamics , leave a lot to be desired .
310 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Ahh DA : O , what you could have been . You had a good LOTR-type story , likeable characters , and solid real-time combat controls , but you missed the tomahawk dunk when you should have done an easy finger roll . I don't want to sound overly critical , but there are a few problems I had with the game early on that never went away .
Firstly , the graphics are ho-hum . After finishing DA : O , I thought they were decent , but then I played Assassin's Creed II and Demon's Souls , and those left me feeling cheated . Cutscenes in DA : O pale in comparision to Uncharted 2 , character movement is stiff , and the environment is bland . Clearly , impressive visuals were not a priority , they're key in my opinion .
Then you have the excessive blood splatter . Don't get me wrong , I love Mortal Kombat finishing moves and Resident Evil gore , but the full-body blood spray in DA : O , especially in cutscenes , was comical to me . You'll see .
Another problem , and I guess this applies to some RPGs , is that I get to choose 3 others to join my in my party from a group of allies ; this is okay except I don't care about half of them after midway through the game . Yet I still had to talk to all of them , had to give them gifts to keep them happy , and had to outfit them . I was one of four warriors in my pool . . . why would I ever need to take more than one or two warriors ? So the other two or three guys rode the bench for most of the game . This really wasted my time in terms of moving along the storyline and controlling my party inventory .
The always important money situation . Why am I being cheap , selling everything , and being careful with inventory capacity when there's nothing worth buying later on in the game ? I could've decked my team out early on without repercussions . Never had to buy trap materials , potion plans , or any of that . Sure , the game should be open ended , but don't make the inventory system complex if there isn't stuff worth purchasing .
Lastly , the combat system . It's cool that you can cycle through your party members in battle and decide their action . It's not cool when the AI makes my medic run to the frontlines to fight a giant ogre when she should be in the back healing me or when my own rogue sets off all nearby traps to engage a nearby enemy . The default tactics are borderline terrible . By the end of the game I was cycling through my parties like a madman to micromange which was annoying to say the least .
All in all , DA : O definitely had a vision that was worth aspiring to , but its basic flaws , namely in the realms of graphics , character customization , and combat dynamics , leave a lot to be desired .
311 4 Ahh DA : O , what you could have been . You had a good LOTR-type story , likeable characters , and solid real-time combat controls , but you missed the tomahawk dunk when you should have done an easy finger roll . I don't want to sound overly critical , but there are a few problems I had with the game early on that never went away .
Firstly , the graphics are ho-hum . After finishing DA : O , I thought they were decent , but then I played Assassin's Creed II and Demon's Souls , and those left me feeling cheated . Cutscenes in DA : O pale in comparision to Uncharted 2 , character movement is stiff , and the environment is bland . Clearly , impressive visuals were not a priority , they're key in my opinion .
Then you have the excessive blood splatter . Don't get me wrong , I love Mortal Kombat finishing moves and Resident Evil gore , but the full-body blood spray in DA : O , especially in cutscenes , was comical to me . You'll see .
Another problem , and I guess this applies to some RPGs , is that I get to choose 3 others to join my in my party from a group of allies ; this is okay except I don't care about half of them after midway through the game . Yet I still had to talk to all of them , had to give them gifts to keep them happy , and had to outfit them . I was one of four warriors in my pool . . . why would I ever need to take more than one or two warriors ? So the other two or three guys rode the bench for most of the game . This really wasted my time in terms of moving along the storyline and controlling my party inventory .
The always important money situation . Why am I being cheap , selling everything , and being careful with inventory capacity when there's nothing worth buying later on in the game ? I could've decked my team out early on without repercussions . Never had to buy trap materials , potion plans , or any of that . Sure , the game should be open ended , but don't make the inventory system complex if there isn't stuff worth purchasing .
Lastly , the combat system . It's cool that you can cycle through your party members in battle and decide their action . It's not cool when the AI makes my medic run to the frontlines to fight a giant ogre when she should be in the back healing me or when my own rogue sets off all nearby traps to engage a nearby enemy . The default tactics are borderline terrible . By the end of the game I was cycling through my parties like a madman to micromange which was annoying to say the least .
All in all , DA : O definitely had a vision that was worth aspiring to , but its basic flaws , namely in the realms of graphics , character customization , and combat dynamics , leave a lot to be desired .
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Some of my favorite games on Xbox were Knights of the Old Republic games . Just the stories alone besides any game play were fantastic . Equal to a good Star Wars movie at the least . Bioware does not disappoint here with a tremendous amount of story and even more background then I remember for your party member characters . The graphics are good to very good . And it really is M light . I don't like gore and I was concerned about that but there really isn't much at all . It is M as in mild rather than M for mature .
The concept of the origin stories is neat to a point . I am almost done with the second go around of playing but not because of the origin stories . Rather I wanted to explore a different class from the ground up . Of note though my first character was a human mage . On my second go around I a woodlant Elf rouge . The human mage origin story was WAY ( many times ) more involved than the Elf Rouge .
The actual mechanics of gameplay are about as well thought out as possible using the PS3 controller . Battles are fun and enjoyable and depending on the game difficulty level sometimes take me more than a few times to survive with some pretty involved tatics and ' team-work ' ( pausing the game and switching characters ) to get through .
BUT Bioware stopped short of making this a great game as oppossed to a very good game . As many have mentioned this game clearly SCREAMS out for true multiplayer . It would be awesome to have a 4 member party made up of 4 people . And there would have been endless online modes they could have come up with as well . Second while the graphics are good SOMEONE needs to come up with a true 1080p mega release from the ground up . Perhaps that will be GOWIII . I am excited about the planned expansion . I am definitely glad I got it . And I hope for more Bioware PS3 releases in the future and that they include multiplayer for future Dragon Age and KOTOR released . That and 1080P and the always interesting depth of story will put their releases in the forefront of PS3 games for years to come .
094 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
This was the first RPG I bought in a long time . Because I know how many hours you can waste killing monsters and getting experience points to get better skills , magic , weapons , etc . However , this game is so different . So immersive . But most of all , it appeals to diverse players . I can create a game and have a woman be a black lesbian which is so cool . Not for the titillation but for the fact that you don't see strong characters of different races , sexualities etc . I'm very proud of Bioware and EA for being so brave and raising the bar for what we can play .
Also , please tell me how parents can buy Grand Theft Auto for their kids , however , you have a game with PG rated man on man action and everyone is up in arms that this is NOT FOR KIDS . Neither are for kids ! But just relax and enjoy the game . Btw , I had no idea what was in the game and was pleasantly surprised by all of that ! Woo hoo ! ! !
095 4 This was the first RPG I bought in a long time . Because I know how many hours you can waste killing monsters and getting experience points to get better skills , magic , weapons , etc . However , this game is so different . So immersive . But most of all , it appeals to diverse players . I can create a game and have a woman be a black lesbian which is so cool . Not for the titillation but for the fact that you don't see strong characters of different races , sexualities etc . I'm very proud of Bioware and EA for being so brave and raising the bar for what we can play .
Also , please tell me how parents can buy Grand Theft Auto for their kids , however , you have a game with PG rated man on man action and everyone is up in arms that this is NOT FOR KIDS . Neither are for kids ! But just relax and enjoy the game . Btw , I had no idea what was in the game and was pleasantly surprised by all of that ! Woo hoo ! ! !
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Some of my favorite games on Xbox were Knights of the Old Republic games . Just the stories alone besides any game play were fantastic . Equal to a good Star Wars movie at the least . Bioware does not disappoint here with a tremendous amount of story and even more background then I remember for your party member characters . The graphics are good to very good . And it really is M light . I don't like gore and I was concerned about that but there really isn't much at all . It is M as in mild rather than M for mature .
The concept of the origin stories is neat to a point . I am almost done with the second go around of playing but not because of the origin stories . Rather I wanted to explore a different class from the ground up . Of note though my first character was a human mage . On my second go around I a woodlant Elf rouge . The human mage origin story was WAY ( many times ) more involved than the Elf Rouge .
The actual mechanics of gameplay are about as well thought out as possible using the PS3 controller . Battles are fun and enjoyable and depending on the game difficulty level sometimes take me more than a few times to survive with some pretty involved tatics and ' team-work ' ( pausing the game and switching characters ) to get through .
BUT Bioware stopped short of making this a great game as oppossed to a very good game . As many have mentioned this game clearly SCREAMS out for true multiplayer . It would be awesome to have a 4 member party made up of 4 people . And there would have been endless online modes they could have come up with as well . Second while the graphics are good SOMEONE needs to come up with a true 1080p mega release from the ground up . Perhaps that will be GOWIII . I am excited about the planned expansion . I am definitely glad I got it . And I hope for more Bioware PS3 releases in the future and that they include multiplayer for future Dragon Age and KOTOR released . That and 1080P and the always interesting depth of story will put their releases in the forefront of PS3 games for years to come .
115 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
Some of my favorite games on Xbox were Knights of the Old Republic games . Just the stories alone besides any game play were fantastic . Equal to a good Star Wars movie at the least . Bioware does not disappoint here with a tremendous amount of story and even more background then I remember for your party member characters . The graphics are good to very good . And it really is M light . I don't like gore and I was concerned about that but there really isn't much at all . It is M as in mild rather than M for mature .
The concept of the origin stories is neat to a point . I am almost done with the second go around of playing but not because of the origin stories . Rather I wanted to explore a different class from the ground up . Of note though my first character was a human mage . On my second go around I a woodlant Elf rouge . The human mage origin story was WAY ( many times ) more involved than the Elf Rouge .
The actual mechanics of gameplay are about as well thought out as possible using the PS3 controller . Battles are fun and enjoyable and depending on the game difficulty level sometimes take me more than a few times to survive with some pretty involved tatics and ' team-work ' ( pausing the game and switching characters ) to get through .
BUT Bioware stopped short of making this a great game as oppossed to a very good game . As many have mentioned this game clearly SCREAMS out for true multiplayer . It would be awesome to have a 4 member party made up of 4 people . And there would have been endless online modes they could have come up with as well . Second while the graphics are good SOMEONE needs to come up with a true 1080p mega release from the ground up . Perhaps that will be GOWIII . I am excited about the planned expansion . I am definitely glad I got it . And I hope for more Bioware PS3 releases in the future and that they include multiplayer for future Dragon Age and KOTOR released . That and 1080P and the always interesting depth of story will put their releases in the forefront of PS3 games for years to come .
116 4 Some of my favorite games on Xbox were Knights of the Old Republic games . Just the stories alone besides any game play were fantastic . Equal to a good Star Wars movie at the least . Bioware does not disappoint here with a tremendous amount of story and even more background then I remember for your party member characters . The graphics are good to very good . And it really is M light . I don't like gore and I was concerned about that but there really isn't much at all . It is M as in mild rather than M for mature .
The concept of the origin stories is neat to a point . I am almost done with the second go around of playing but not because of the origin stories . Rather I wanted to explore a different class from the ground up . Of note though my first character was a human mage . On my second go around I a woodlant Elf rouge . The human mage origin story was WAY ( many times ) more involved than the Elf Rouge .
The actual mechanics of gameplay are about as well thought out as possible using the PS3 controller . Battles are fun and enjoyable and depending on the game difficulty level sometimes take me more than a few times to survive with some pretty involved tatics and ' team-work ' ( pausing the game and switching characters ) to get through .
BUT Bioware stopped short of making this a great game as oppossed to a very good game . As many have mentioned this game clearly SCREAMS out for true multiplayer . It would be awesome to have a 4 member party made up of 4 people . And there would have been endless online modes they could have come up with as well . Second while the graphics are good SOMEONE needs to come up with a true 1080p mega release from the ground up . Perhaps that will be GOWIII . I am excited about the planned expansion . I am definitely glad I got it . And I hope for more Bioware PS3 releases in the future and that they include multiplayer for future Dragon Age and KOTOR released . That and 1080P and the always interesting depth of story will put their releases in the forefront of PS3 games for years to come .
183 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
AWESOME GAME ! ! !
The world you play in is BIG . . . there is a great supply of side quests and extra missions , you can customize your characters , have romances , steal , kill and be as evil or good as you wish , and the story line changes with your decisions throughout the game . I've played every DLC there is so far ( at least for PS3 ) , and I'm happy I did .
If you've enjoyed games like , Diablo , Diablo 2 , KOTOR , KOTOR 2 or any AD & D game you would not go wrong with this game .
184 4 AWESOME GAME ! ! !
The world you play in is BIG . . . there is a great supply of side quests and extra missions , you can customize your characters , have romances , steal , kill and be as evil or good as you wish , and the story line changes with your decisions throughout the game . I've played every DLC there is so far ( at least for PS3 ) , and I'm happy I did .
If you've enjoyed games like , Diablo , Diablo 2 , KOTOR , KOTOR 2 or any AD & D game you would not go wrong with this game .
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
This is a definite must buy for any PS3 owner . I was a little hesitant to jump into another big acclaimed RPG after playing Elder Scrolls IV : Oblivion . Oblivion was a bit open ended for me . I often forgot what i was doing and ended up just roving from den to den killing and finding treasure while forgetting about the main quests . I also like to complete as many quests as i can and Oblivion just kept getting more and more daunting .
Dragon Age : Origins is nothing like that . The quests actually feel like they come from the world , and I desire to do them because they mean something . Saving a farmers son may make one party member like me more , while it makes another leave me because they are annoyed with my actions . I find myself actually making decisions as my character would , rather than just trying to do everything and get the best everything . It is extremely engaging .
I can pick up and play for a few minutes , or hours . This is a great feature since my schedule is so sporadic . I do usually end up playing longer than intended , however , because it is so darn engaging : P
The pace of combat can be as slow or fast as you like . By default it is real time , but you can effectively pause the action and give your combatants tasks and targets . I like to use a combination of both speeds . For most fights I just control one character ( usually the main one ) real time and let the others do what they do . For boss fights I usually tell each character what to do almost turn by turn . You can also configure somewhat complex automatic behaviors through the ' Tactics ' tool in the menu for each party member .
BOTTOM LINE : Get it , you'll be happy
ALSO CHECK OUT : Uncharted 2 , similarly engaging and enjoyable
051 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
For the last couple of weeks I have barely watched TV . I try a lot of games but vary rarely do I actually get caught by one and I haven't been bitten this deeply since the first Neverwinter Nights ( didn't like NWN 2 ' s controls and thought Elder Scrolls felt blah ) . This is the next step within RPG games ( the NPCs faces show FEELINGS ! ) and I recommend it strongly . The biggest fault is the tutorial section which felt nonexistent so if you haven't played this type of thing before you'll be very confused but otherwise great ! I can't wait to see what the future will bring .
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
This is a definite must buy for any PS3 owner . I was a little hesitant to jump into another big acclaimed RPG after playing Elder Scrolls IV : Oblivion . Oblivion was a bit open ended for me . I often forgot what i was doing and ended up just roving from den to den killing and finding treasure while forgetting about the main quests . I also like to complete as many quests as i can and Oblivion just kept getting more and more daunting .
Dragon Age : Origins is nothing like that . The quests actually feel like they come from the world , and I desire to do them because they mean something . Saving a farmers son may make one party member like me more , while it makes another leave me because they are annoyed with my actions . I find myself actually making decisions as my character would , rather than just trying to do everything and get the best everything . It is extremely engaging .
I can pick up and play for a few minutes , or hours . This is a great feature since my schedule is so sporadic . I do usually end up playing longer than intended , however , because it is so darn engaging : P
The pace of combat can be as slow or fast as you like . By default it is real time , but you can effectively pause the action and give your combatants tasks and targets . I like to use a combination of both speeds . For most fights I just control one character ( usually the main one ) real time and let the others do what they do . For boss fights I usually tell each character what to do almost turn by turn . You can also configure somewhat complex automatic behaviors through the ' Tactics ' tool in the menu for each party member .
BOTTOM LINE : Get it , you'll be happy
ALSO CHECK OUT : Uncharted 2 , similarly engaging and enjoyable
076 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
This is a definite must buy for any PS3 owner . I was a little hesitant to jump into another big acclaimed RPG after playing Elder Scrolls IV : Oblivion . Oblivion was a bit open ended for me . I often forgot what i was doing and ended up just roving from den to den killing and finding treasure while forgetting about the main quests . I also like to complete as many quests as i can and Oblivion just kept getting more and more daunting .
Dragon Age : Origins is nothing like that . The quests actually feel like they come from the world , and I desire to do them because they mean something . Saving a farmers son may make one party member like me more , while it makes another leave me because they are annoyed with my actions . I find myself actually making decisions as my character would , rather than just trying to do everything and get the best everything . It is extremely engaging .
I can pick up and play for a few minutes , or hours . This is a great feature since my schedule is so sporadic . I do usually end up playing longer than intended , however , because it is so darn engaging : P
The pace of combat can be as slow or fast as you like . By default it is real time , but you can effectively pause the action and give your combatants tasks and targets . I like to use a combination of both speeds . For most fights I just control one character ( usually the main one ) real time and let the others do what they do . For boss fights I usually tell each character what to do almost turn by turn . You can also configure somewhat complex automatic behaviors through the ' Tactics ' tool in the menu for each party member .
BOTTOM LINE : Get it , you'll be happy
ALSO CHECK OUT : Uncharted 2 , similarly engaging and enjoyable
296 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I have played and enjoyed every Bioware game for years now . They bring and unique and immersive spin to RPGs and Dragon Age is no different . However , this is a traditional RPG , if you are not a fan of those there will not be much here you like .
The story for Dragon Age is great . Dialogue is interactive and the choices you make can have long lasting impacts on the story . Major decision can come about with very little warning . I found the dialogue intensive periods to be a nice break from dungeon crawling . The high number of response choices allow you to play in a number of different ways ( heroic , bloodthirsty , greedy , etc ) . The six unique character origin stories ( about the 1st 2 hrs of gameplay ) and the varying story paths give the game a lot of replay value . Above and beyond the plot , Bioware has crafted an interesting world . There are many books and scrolls scattered throughout the world that fill in the background of Ferelden .
Dragon Age does not have the best graphics , but they are adequate . The art direction is good and the visuals really help set the mood . What Dragon Age lacks in visuals it makes up for with sound . The score is great and the voice acting is unbelievable . Every interaction is voiced ( and trust me there are a lot of interactions ) . You party companions will also interact with each other as you're walking around , these are usually humorous and I found my self stopping to listen in . Because the voice acting was so good I was sometimes swayed to pick when dialogue option over another .
Dragon Age is highly recommended for fans of Bioware and the genre .
297 4 This review is from :
Dragon Age : Origins ( Video Game )
I have played and enjoyed every Bioware game for years now . They bring and unique and immersive spin to RPGs and Dragon Age is no different . However , this is a traditional RPG , if you are not a fan of those there will not be much here you like .
The story for Dragon Age is great . Dialogue is interactive and the choices you make can have long lasting impacts on the story . Major decision can come about with very little warning . I found the dialogue intensive periods to be a nice break from dungeon crawling . The high number of response choices allow you to play in a number of different ways ( heroic , bloodthirsty , greedy , etc ) . The six unique character origin stories ( about the 1st 2 hrs of gameplay ) and the varying story paths give the game a lot of replay value . Above and beyond the plot , Bioware has crafted an interesting world . There are many books and scrolls scattered throughout the world that fill in the background of Ferelden .
Dragon Age does not have the best graphics , but they are adequate . The art direction is good and the visuals really help set the mood . What Dragon Age lacks in visuals it makes up for with sound . The score is great and the voice acting is unbelievable . Every interaction is voiced ( and trust me there are a lot of interactions ) . You party companions will also interact with each other as you're walking around , these are usually humorous and I found my self stopping to listen in . Because the voice acting was so good I was sometimes swayed to pick when dialogue option over another .
Dragon Age is highly recommended for fans of Bioware and the genre .
Origins . RPGs have become few and far between and it is nice to finally have a game that is defiantly worth the full $60 price tag .
This game has six different origin stories that you can choose when you create your character . Each origin story is a small little start to the game that basically explains where your character comes from , and why they are getting involved in the story's main plot . Each origin story is completely unique which gives some good replay value . The game play time of the origin stories is about 2 hours . It can be longer or shorter depending on the type of player you are . The six origins are : Human Noble , Mage , City Elf , Dwarf Noble , Dwarf Commoner , Daelish Elf .
As you can guess from the origin stories you have three races to choose from : Human , Dwarf , and Elf . The stereotypical three races in fantasy games . Mages can only be humans or elves . Your choice in race and origin story both have an effect on your characters base stats .
You also get the choice of three classes : Warrior , Rogue , or Mage . At first that sounds pretty crappy only having three choices , but there are specializations that you come across later in the game . For example a rogue can become a bard and a mage can become a shapeshifter . So as you play , the choices will begin to open up . You automatically get two specializations as you progress through the game . You can get more though depending on how much exploration you do in the game ( quests and reading books ) .
Every origin story ends at the same spot ; your character being recruited into the Gray Wardens . Gray Wardens are warriors who fight the darkspawn . This is where the main plot of the game takes off and your off to start your adventure . While the origin story is only a couple hours , you still get great replay value out of the game because everywhere you will come across choices where you have to make a decision that effects the game . Each time you play through you can choose different options and make the rest of the story different .
Combat in the game is highly customizable . The basic formula is your characters all auto-attack , so you only press the ' X ' button once . It is not a hack and slash type game in this regard . While you are auto-attacking you can use spells or abilities to do more damage , do crowd control , or turn the tide of the battle . You can do combos , for example you can freeze an enemy then cast your stone fist spell to shatter them and instantly kill them . You can put an oil slick on the ground then use a fire spell to light the oil on fire for some extra damage . You need to use caution though , friendly fire is possible !
You have three basic options for combat . Full AI control where your party members act on their own . You can customize that AI in a rather extensive way , similar to Final Fantasy XII gambit system . The second way to play is to take direct control of your party members , switching from your main character to a party member to make them use a specific ability or spell . The third option is full control where you pause the game and issue specific commands to every character and they never do more than auto-attack unless you tell them to . The choice is yours on how you want to play .
The graphics in this game are to be honest kind of dated . They are not mind blowing and you will not go WOW ! when you see them . That said , they are not horrible either . This game was in development for a very long time which probably contributes to them being dated . The PS3 version does have some frame rate problems , but they are not game breaking . It is enough to notice , but not really that bad and after awhile you stop noticing . It's really right on the line of being able to notice and not being there at all .
Character customization is as good as you can get . You get to assign your atribute points ( strength , willpower , magic , constitution , etc ) yourself , you get to pick skills however you want ( some require minimum attribute points ) , and you get to pick the spells / abilities you want ( again , some require minimum attribute points ) . If you don't like this level of control , you can press a button and the game will auto-level your character . This customization also extends to your party ; you control how they level up and what they learn . In addition , your party will continue to gain levels even if they are not in your active party ( you get more playable characters then you can use at one time ) so you don't have to worry about leaving someone behind .
Initially when you create your character you can also fully change their looks . There are lots of sliders to play with , not just a couple like most games . You can also have any character be female or male .
This game has a HUGE story to it . There is lots of lore all over the place and you can spend hours reading it all . There is also romance for those who want to do that , your main character can get into relationships with other characters and there are some steamy scenes . It's PG - 13 , you won't find full up nudity .
With that I'll go into the pros and cons .
Pros :
+ Great combat system - play how you want !
+ Several hours of gameplay
+ Promise of two years of DLC support from Bioware
+ Great replay
+ Great character customization
+ Great Story
Cons :
- Poor frame rate at times
- Jerky cutscenes
- Dated graphics
- Limited camera ( 3rd person only , fixed distance )
Scores :
Gameplay : 5 / 5
Graphics : 3 / 5
Sound : 4 / 5
Replay : 5 / 5
Overall ( not an average ) : 4 / 5
I'm typically harsh with reviews and am a true believer of using the full scale . I consider 3 stars to be ' average ' and not bad like most people . 5 stars is perfect , 4 is above average , 3 is average , 2 is below average , 1 is awfull . I would consider this game to be above average . It is not perfect , but it is really good .
Buy or rent ? Buy !
008 4 PS3 owners have been dying for a good RPG to hit the console and Bioware delivers with Dragon Age : Origins . RPGs have become few and far between and it is nice to finally have a game that is defiantly worth the full $60 price tag .
This game has six different origin stories that you can choose when you create your character . Each origin story is a small little start to the game that basically explains where your character comes from , and why they are getting involved in the story's main plot . Each origin story is completely unique which gives some good replay value . The game play time of the origin stories is about 2 hours . It can be longer or shorter depending on the type of player you are . The six origins are : Human Noble , Mage , City Elf , Dwarf Noble , Dwarf Commoner , Daelish Elf .
As you can guess from the origin stories you have three races to choose from : Human , Dwarf , and Elf . The stereotypical three races in fantasy games . Mages can only be humans or elves . Your choice in race and origin story both have an effect on your characters base stats .
You also get the choice of three classes : Warrior , Rogue , or Mage . At first that sounds pretty crappy only having three choices , but there are specializations that you come across later in the game . For example a rogue can become a bard and a mage can become a shapeshifter . So as you play , the choices will begin to open up . You automatically get two specializations as you progress through the game . You can get more though depending on how much exploration you do in the game ( quests and reading books ) .
Every origin story ends at the same spot ; your character being recruited into the Gray Wardens . Gray Wardens are warriors who fight the darkspawn . This is where the main plot of the game takes off and your off to start your adventure . While the origin story is only a couple hours , you still get great replay value out of the game because everywhere you will come across choices where you have to make a decision that effects the game . Each time you play through you can choose different options and make the rest of the story different .
Combat in the game is highly customizable . The basic formula is your characters all auto-attack , so you only press the ' X ' button once . It is not a hack and slash type game in this regard . While you are auto-attacking you can use spells or abilities to do more damage , do crowd control , or turn the tide of the battle . You can do combos , for example you can freeze an enemy then cast your stone fist spell to shatter them and instantly kill them . You can put an oil slick on the ground then use a fire spell to light the oil on fire for some extra damage . You need to use caution though , friendly fire is possible !
You have three basic options for combat . Full AI control where your party members act on their own . You can customize that AI in a rather extensive way , similar to Final Fantasy XII gambit system . The second way to play is to take direct control of your party members , switching from your main character to a party member to make them use a specific ability or spell . The third option is full control where you pause the game and issue specific commands to every character and they never do more than auto-attack unless you tell them to . The choice is yours on how you want to play .
The graphics in this game are to be honest kind of dated . They are not mind blowing and you will not go WOW ! when you see them . That said , they are not horrible either . This game was in development for a very long time which probably contributes to them being dated . The PS3 version does have some frame rate problems , but they are not game breaking . It is enough to notice , but not really that bad and after awhile you stop noticing . It's really right on the line of being able to notice and not being there at all .
Character customization is as good as you can get . You get to assign your atribute points ( strength , willpower , magic , constitution , etc ) yourself , you get to pick skills however you want ( some require minimum attribute points ) , and you get to pick the spells / abilities you want ( again , some require minimum attribute points ) . If you don't like this level of control , you can press a button and the game will auto-level your character . This customization also extends to your party ; you control how they level up and what they learn . In addition , your party will continue to gain levels even if they are not in your active party ( you get more playable characters then you can use at one time ) so you don't have to worry about leaving someone behind .
Initially when you create your character you can also fully change their looks . There are lots of sliders to play with , not just a couple like most games . You can also have any character be female or male .
This game has a HUGE story to it . There is lots of lore all over the place and you can spend hours reading it all . There is also romance for those who want to do that , your main character can get into relationships with other characters and there are some steamy scenes . It's PG - 13 , you won't find full up nudity .
With that I'll go into the pros and cons .
Pros :
+ Great combat system - play how you want !
+ Several hours of gameplay
+ Promise of two years of DLC support from Bioware
+ Great replay
+ Great character customization
+ Great Story
Cons :
- Poor frame rate at times
- Jerky cutscenes
- Dated graphics
- Limited camera ( 3rd person only , fixed distance )
Scores :
Gameplay : 5 / 5
Graphics : 3 / 5
Sound : 4 / 5
Replay : 5 / 5
Overall ( not an average ) : 4 / 5
I'm typically harsh with reviews and am a true believer of using the full scale . I consider 3 stars to be ' average ' and not bad like most people . 5 stars is perfect , 4 is above average , 3 is average , 2 is below average , 1 is awfull . I would consider this game to be above average . It is not perfect , but it is really good .
Buy or rent ? Buy !
069 4 I've played many roll-playing games all the way back to the original Might and Magic series and Bard's Tale and this game is as good as I've ever played . Lots of variety of equipment and characters that seem to come alive on the TV screen . I found myself caring very much for my party members , because their conversations and comments made them seem very real . If you are a male character , you'll be hard pressed not to want the rogue / bard Leliana alongside you in all fights . Her wonderful voice and fetching beauty is more than matched by her fighting and thieving skills . On top of that , you can include the witch Morrigan in your party , who is voiced by Claudia Black of Farscape / Stargate SG - 1 fame . There is even a golem that you can get ( through one of the downloadable add-ons ) to join your party .
There is a casual game mode , that allows your party members to recover fully from combat ( other than an injury , which can be quickly healed by a potion ) , even if they fell and appeared dead . If all your party members die , you do go back to the last save position . Hard-core gamers can choose more difficult modes that will make the quests more realistic and definitely harder to complete .
Saves are allowed almost anywhere . A good use of the save feature can allow you to try another approach to a problem or go right back at the monster that just defeated your whole party .
Conversation options and choices made through the game DO make a difference on how the game will play out . Thus , there is a pretty good replay value in this game . Your conversations can determine how party members feel about you and can even lead to romance . Some party members will openly question your choices , but you can give them gifts to quell their negative views .
The graphics are outstanding . At times , I wish I could have just sat back and watched some of the battles , but I was a bit involved with killing my enemies .
I'm sure that various aspects of the game have already been described in previous reviews , so I won't delve into the game mechanics and controls . There was nothing about the gameplay that tempted me to cut short my experience and move onto some other game . This game fully hooked me right up till the final credits .
I'm looking forward to future sequels of this game . I found myself getting lost for hours and hours playing Dragon Age : Origins . I even jumped back in to play it again after I finished it . This is a richly rewarding gaming experience with a deep , involving story , great characters , and enough good old fashioned fighting to keep you glued to the TV for hours and hours and days and days .
079 4 Dragon Age : Origins IS the best rpg on the Ps3 , and it's what the system needed . . More RPGs ! ! I finished my first play through a few days ago so it's still fresh in my mind , and what really kept bringing me back to the controller was the epic story and the feeling of personal involvement . I know many have spoken about the choices in this game . Well I feel that is this games best trait . Here you've got a game where I felt like my choices truely do matter and I will definitely be playing this game many more times through just to see how diverse this game is . I played a city elf male warrior , and didn't think twice about re rolling and trying another class . It's was just that compelling to me . Now at the same time my room mate purchased the PC version of the game , and I saw just how much more tactical control he had . I wish I had gotten this for the PC , but my specs aren't nearly up to par . I already had the ps3 anyways . The battle system was aggrivating to say the least at certain moments , but for the most part it worked fine . I would recommend this game to fans of fantasy and old bioware rpg's like baldurs gate and the likes .
The goods :
Extremely deep story elements and rich history to delve into . . There were parts in this game where I was so wrapped up in the rural dramas going on I had completely forgotten what the main plot of this tale was . . And I consider that a good thing .
DA has some really well developed characters , Morrigan for example , everything about her fascinated me , and the more I found out the more I dug deeper . Each of the characters in the game have personal side quests which I recommend you find . I only did about 3 of them so I will do more in the future play throughs .
Combat in the game plays surprisingly well even though it's on the ps3 . At first there were issues with the radial menu , but after 70 hours it becomes second nature . The combat in DA is intense to the point it can become frustrating . . It wasn't ever so frustrating that I couldn't continue , just enough to egg me on to play one more time and try a different strategy .
The art direction in this game was a breath of fresh air . One thing that annoys me to no end is how ugly the characters in western rpgs , here all the models look great ! While the graphic engine may seem dated , they utilized it to it's best ability . Good job Bioware .
I purchased all the DLC in this game , and I found it interesting and worth the extra 5 bucks . I'm glad they are making even more which I will definitely support !
The not so goods :
Graphically this game has issues on the ps3 , there were certain points in dialogue where there would be no audio for whatever reason , losing chunks of the story . . Other issues were with actual looping of events where they would repeat . I had one friend who said that she had to watch a scene over 4 - 5 times because it wouldn't stop looping . Finally it stopped and she could continue with the game . . When the battles become large and intense there were issues with frame rate , but it wasn't game breaking at all . I just wish that Bioware would have ironed out these issues prior to release , or even if they patched later like many developers seem to be doing .
This obviously being a port the controller issue is apparent , the definitive version is on the PC , but those without that option the console version is just fine .
Final Thoughts :
At the end of the game there is this deep feeling of accomplishement , and it left me craving more , I can't wait to see where this all leads , and my imagination just runs wild . . I wouldn't spoil anything for anyone , but just take my advice . . If you have the time this game is well worth it . I wouldn't say it's the greatest game of all time , I was just really surprised , and it completely took me away from all the other games I was playing at the time . . And that rarely happens . : )
082 4 Dragon Age : Origins is a very well made fantasy RPG game . Bioware will have you believe that this is a game from a completely different genre , but the truth is that it is at its core a single-player fantasy RPG , perhaps a very well done one , but nevertheless it's just an RPG . It follows the traditions of fantasy RPGs - you get to choose from a variety of playable classes with different abilities , explore an expansive and beautiful world , and progress a rather linear storyline with ever improving weapons / armors and skills . Basically , if you have ever liked any sort of RPG before , you WILL like this game . If you dislike micromanaging your item set to pick whether the + 2 str armor is better than the + 1 str + 30 hp one , and instead wants to go trigger happy , then go with a FPS or action game instead - there are lots of them on PS3 , XBox or the PC .
Ok , now that I've only got the RPG types left , here's my thoughts and why I gave it four stars .
Storyline : The story is very detailed and engaging . I think the coolest part about the story is how mature it is . Sure you're the hero and you're fighting dragons , but who wouldn't when the dragons are basically trying to eat your alive ! No character in the game is purely good or purely evil , and everyone has their own story and reasons to behave the way they do . I don't want to spoil anything , but suffice to say the game makes a very conscious effort to make you connect with every character in the game . Which comes to the second selling point - you can influence the characters in the game and side with different parties . If you want to be a standard RPG hero and always do the right thing , go for it . If you want to be pragmatic and just get the job done , you have that option . Even if you want to be evil and side with dragon-worshiping cultist , you can do that too ! And finally , the fact that that are 6 different playable starting story and each class has multiple specialization makes the game very re-playable .
The low points here are that the story is still in essence very linear . So yes at some point you get to choose to side with one faction or another , but it doesn't really change anything in the big picture . Overall the game is just starting story , play 4 different self-contained missions , and one final epic finale . Each is very well done , and each has their own twists , and I was a little bit disappointed at the end .
Gameplay : Gameplay is very intuitive and easy to control ( I play on the PS3 ) . There are quite a lot of spells and skills , and you can choose to specialize in a variety of ways . At some point I was playing a mage that specialized in personal combat , and was hacking away with my sword and heavy armor . I thought that was pretty fun . Also the way you control your allies by setting tactics is very well done , if a bit hard to use . Initially I was controlling each of my characters ' actions at every single point , which became tedious very soon . After some experimentation I was able to settle on tactics that I was happy with , and basically only played my main character since . But besides that I see very little innovation in this area . There are your standard tanking / support / damager skills , the rogue can backstab people , the mage can use fire / ice / lightning , and the warrior can go on a frenzy . A bit boring I would say . I mean , it is very well done and balanced and such , but still . . . I guess it's a fantasy RPG after all and you can't get away from it too much .
Graphics / Audio : Graphics is very beautiful . Audio voice acting is very well done . I really have no complaints here .
So overall I think this is a great game , one that any RPG lover will surely enjoy .
087 4 This is one of the first games I've played on the PS3 . I got this last year along with the God of War Collection and Uncharted 2 , and this game beats the rest of the RPGs on the PS3 . There's a high replay value since there's so many different class systems , spells , abilities , and items to play around with . I've easily logged in over 100 hours on this game . The battle systems take getting used to but is fantastic after you get acclimated . The boss fights are challenging and require strategy and item / character matching . One playthrough would take you 35 - 60 hours depending on how many sidequests you undertake .
Some cons are that with the new PS3 firmware update ( after May 2010 ) , the game freezes a lot more , but BioWare is working to fix that bug . Another con might be the lag of graphics during high processed fights and skirmishes . But the PS3 handles this game well and it's a really fun experience .
I would recommend buying this game NEW as you get codes for DLC with the game like the Golem character and Blood Dragonplate Armor , otherwise they would be $15 and $7 , respectively . There's also tons of other DLC for this including the so-so expansion to keep you busy for hours on end . The expansion is a rent , but I've played every DLC and expansion for this game ( including the Wardens Keep and Return to Ostagar ) and I've loved them all . Make sure you buy Wardens Keep as well because it gives you a infinite storage chest . Great characters , great story , and awesome game !
098 4 Positive :
This game is insanely addictive and thoroughly enjoyable .
If you are thinking about worth for the money , how about this ?
I got this for 34.99 during black friday sale and have spent a little less than 50 hours so far .
That is just a single playthrough in Casual difficulty as a single character .
Still there are plenty of different character types , different weapons and different abilities to explore .
And did I mention about the different and difficult decisions ?
Yeah , it is about the moral choices and consequences of it , that makes the game interesting .
And the trophies . No questions asked , that is one of the reason you should buy the Ps3 version of it .
One thing to note is trophies does not depend on the game difficulty .
No extra trophies for playing it in hard difficulty .
Negative :
The only minus is when you finish a playthrough , it ends . you can not explore the world or collect anything you left off during initial playthrough .
You will have to start a new game if you want more .
254 4 This is a fun game if you like the past Bioware efforts . It very much feels like a return to Baldur's Gate . If you liked that , you'll dig all over this title .
I made the mistake of getting it for PS3 . It is clearly , to me , designed for a keyboard and mouse experience . The radical selection didn't really work for me and many of the interface are clearly best suited to clicking and dragging .
This is a five star experience made four-star when brought to the console setting .
306 4 Deluxe edition stuff at the very end .
If you don't want to read my retarded ode to Bioware , please skip ahead to where it says , Actual Review ! .
Ah , Bioware . You're like an old girlfriend . The one who defined love for me ( 1 ) . Then you hurt me ( 2 ) . I still loved you , but I didn't understand ; why did you have to do that ?
You went your way and I went mine . Eventually I learned to forget . I met new people ; sometimes I'd fall in love , but it was never quite the same ( 3 ) .
We'd see each other every couple years , and we'd have a lot of fun for a night or two ( 4 ) . But other times I thought to myself , What are you doing with your life ? We could be happy together ! Why are you doing this ? ( 5 ) . After these ultimately disappointing hookups I'd always dig up our old photos and go through them ( 6 ) . I'm not ashamed to say I cried a little .
You always told me you were searching for something . Learning who you were , and how to be .
Then , one day in early November , you called me . You said , I know now ; I know who I am . I know where I belong : with you . And then you came back home to me .
Then it all became so clear ; you HAD been learning . It was the old you , but a new version ! Everything past was prologue to this ; the version of you I always knew was there . I just needed to have faith , and you'd see it too , and we could get back what we had , what we'd always known was us .
I love you Bioware . I realize now I've always loved you . Thank you for being in my life .
Answer Key !
1 . Baldur's Gate I and II , the infinity engine that led to Icewind Dale , Fallout , and Planescape
2 . Neverwinter Nights
3 . The Elder Scrolls , Neverwinter Nights 2 , FFX , FFXII
4 . KOTOR , Mass Effect
5 . Jade Empire , Sonic RPG
6 . all those replays of BGII
ACTUAL REVIEW !
This is the best cRPG experience I've had in ten years . It becomes very clear within the first few minutes of your Origin story that you're experiencing gaming history . Not the revolutionary , innovative , awesome new mechanic kind of gaming history . This is analogous to a new album from your favorite artist that's been doing experimental side-projects for the last few years , and now comes out with a solid , deep , meaningful effort in a well-established form .
All the old ingredients are here : rich , meaningful character relationships ; deep , tactically challenging combat ; well written , thought-provoking dialogue trees . In short , everything you knew Bioware was capable of , but hasn't been fully present in any of their games since BGII .
Don't get me wrong ; I've liked almost all of their games since then ( Jade Empire and the Sonic RPG being the exceptions ) . It's just that none have fully satisfied me , or they've left me with the nagging feeling that something's just not quite right ( re : KOTOR and Mass Effect feel slightly underdone ) .
This game is an instant classic , from a master of the genre . It's the kind of game that will be added to the roster of eminently replayable games ( BGII , Fallout 1 + 2 , Morrowind , Final Fantasy [ pick your favorite ] , etc . ) . It's as good as or better than all of those .
Now , those of you that have NOT played Baldur's Gate , Fallout , Icewind Dale , NWN2 , beware .
As evidenced by the very few negative reviews , the ad campaign for this game is not very representative of the content . This is a true western RPG , especially if you're getting it on the PC . Combat is challenging on every difficulty mode but easy .
IT IS BY NO MEANS a hack-and-slash or action RPG ! ! !
I still recommend it , but be prepared to open your mind to a new experience .
For those of you trying to decide on which version to get , here are some things :
If you played and loved Baldur's Gate , and got it because you bought into the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate thing , get it for the PC , no question .
On the console , the camera is locked in behind the character in the style of Knights of the Old Republic or Mass Effect . This is fine for those who fell in love with Bioware since their console years began , but not if you want to play it for full tactical enjoyment .
Also , if you have a capable PC , the graphics are far superior to the consoles , which is often the case .
360 vs . PS3 ?
PS3 looks better , 360 moves smoother . 6 of 1 .
Don't hesitate . Buy this game .
Learn it ,
Live it ,
Love it :
Bioware is Back .
P.S . For those of you getting the Deluxe Edition , the added content is completely worth it . You don't have to feel cheated ; they did it right . Worth every last penny .
