Dragon Age Origins review

62 hours later, and it's hard to think it's over.

So I know, this whole week has been dedicated to Dragon Age, and in large part that is because it's what I played all week. I found a lot of similarities between DAO and Fable II, and alot of things different. The main similarity being they are both interesting Dark Fantasies. As much as I initially thought it was more of a rip from Lord of the Rings, the game actually resonated more with me than when I completed the three books. Here's a few reasons why:

Content: even though the scope of the content isn't as wide as say Morrowind for example, there is alot of it. The Bioware formula is at work again, and if you've played Mass Effect or Knights of the Old Republic, you know just what to expect. Word games that are interesting, small in scale side quests and a ton of mobs. Just about everyone in the group has a side quest, and even though they are mostly go here/deliver this quests, they have the most important element, they are fun!

Combat: At first I didn't like the combat formula. I'm cool with pausing combat to give commands, but the targeting really needed some form of lock on. Once I got a better hang on that though, the combat tactics really helped strengthen the group. Like all Bioware games, there is this balance of actions that never allows you to forget that the AI will kill you if they can.

Sound: I'm a huge sucker for a score that captures the essence of the product, and Dragon Age has just enough music that it's made better for it.

Characters: Honestly, and this is the clincher, I found myself only caring about a few people in my party. Even though they were my primary concern, I couldn't bear to think about the others leaving. I know that's something everyone won't have, but I found the small effects like hearing them have conversations while we were walking incredibly immersing. The conversations were actually interesting and they gave you a good understanding that the characters had interaction or emotions separate of the time you spend with them killing.

Overall, I loved the game, but i don't think its something everyone will enjoy. There is alot of talking, and an inventory/crafting system that needs some tweaking, but it's a solid game for traditional and action RPG-fans alike. This game is proof that Bioware as a gaming company is definitely not resting on past successes.