Gaming Generations :: Dragon Age: Origins

DeuceGG · Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 6:52 pm Post subject:

Mass Effect 2 is fast approaching, and I figured that it would probably be a good idea to run Bioware's insanely long Dragon Age: Origins through the ringer. I played the game through on the PS3 (hence its placement in this part of the forum), but also had a chance to play briefly on the PC. I can honestly say that this game is a lot of fun for anyone with the time to get into it, but that doesn't mean its for everybody...

The Good
Uniquely its own
Dragon Age starts off with the option of picking a race/gender/class/blah blah blah. Everything you have done in Baldur's Gate (this game is the spiritual successor to that franchise), Oblivion or any other fantasy RPG, you've done here. You are then cast into an opening bit of gameplay to flesh out the story and your characters motivation for joining the Grey Wardens. Each intro story is about an hour or so long, and offer interesting ways to get to ulimately the same place, as once you become a Grey Warden, everything else is the same. What makes Dragon Age its own is the party customization. By the end of the game, depending on your actions, you are just as likely to be rolling with a group of werewolves or goblins as you are your original party members. This gives some actual weight to your actions, making you participate more actively in dialogue and brings you into the game.

All you care to game
I've always hated RPGs that are a million hours long, all of which being mandatory. Its part of the reason I couldn't continue with World of Warcraft, and its the reason Ive played Super Mario RPG a dozen or so times. Length is a subjective need for many RPG lovers, and Dragon Age gives you a choice. You can do what I did, and beat the main story in about 20 hours (or fewer if you don't care about the outcome of the dialogue), or you can drop 200+ and see every corner of the world and learn all of the lore the game has to offer. I haven't seen the strategy guide for this game, but I can imagine it is biblical in length, and Im totally ok with this. I felt like I played a good game when I was done, while Im sure there are others that bought it release day that have yet to vanquish the blight. Bioware is a great company, and their talent for creating a living breathing world is very apparent in Dragon Age.

Freebies!
Free stuff always rocks, and Dragon Age starts you off with a voucher for The Stone Prisoner with the game. It adds a few hours, a new party character and his armor. Plus, anyone that bought the game for Xbox 360 (not sure about PC) are going to get a Mass Effect 2 in-game item. What that item is I couldn't find at time of writing, but it may be incentive to play this game before ME2 comes out.

The Bad
Identity Crisis
Bioware is the company that did Neverwinter Nights, Knights of the Old Republic and Baldur's Gate. What these games all have in common is they are better on the PC. RPGs are inherently easier to use with a keyboard and mouse, and the PC version of DA:O is to its console counterparts what Michael Phelps is to the Special Olympics: there is just no comparing the two. Not only does the PC have the ability to use action bars ala World Of Warcraft vs the console's shoddy radial menus and zoom the camera out ala Baldur's Gate, but the performance is a joke. You need a beefy rig to run this game, including a RECOMMENDED Quad-core processor and ATI 3850/Geforce 8800 GTS to run. For those not in with computers, a rig that has those specs is not a bargain e-Machines you'd get at Best Buy. Here is a comparison Gametrailers did. Keep an eye on fluidity of movement on PC vs the consoles...

Nuff said...Bioware is a PC company and it shows. If you have the means, play it on PC.

Characters without character
One thing I loved about Mass Effect was that whatever you told Sheppard to say, he/she actually said it. It made it much easier to get across, and made it easy for the player to pick the correct response he/she wanted. Dragon Age doesn't do this, instead opting for the deaf/mute idiot approach, where your character stands motionless with a stupid look on his/her face while you pick your responses. There were a couple times that the dialogue was convoluted enough that I actually ended up fighting with someone instead of complimenting them. In a game where interactions are everything, you shouldn't be punished for picking a wrong answer because it was written poorly.

Not in the face!
This is a cool effect in the game, but is ultimately gross. After battle, up close depictions of your characters will show blood splatter on their faces/armor. The problem is that often times, your face will be coated in the stuff, and your character will go right along with his day. Grey Wardens are considered diplomats in this game, but how would you take someone seriously that is literally caked in blood? Seems like they would at least wipe their face off...

The Ugly
The Step Children
I mentioned this a bit before (ok quite a bit), but the console versions of this game have serious problems. The PS3 looks better than the 360, but the framerate is anything but stable. Parts of the game had my system chugging through battles and making it hard to tell who was who. The 360 has a pretty good framerate, but the textures are anything but pretty. Texture popping is an issue in both consoles as well, and overall feels like the sloppy seconds left over from the glorious PC edition.

Dragon Age Origins is epic in scale and is only going to grow. There are something like 8 or 9 expansions already detailed and set for release, so the value for the money is there. If you have ever played Baldur's Gate, you owe it to yourself to get into Dragon Age. Its kind of like sex with an ex after a long period apart: things have changed a bit, but its ultimately the same thing you enjoyed back then. Just make sure you have a free weekend or 6 to finish it.
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