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Hell M0nkey
113,000
TA Score for this game: 2,231
Posted on 02 December 09 at 13:31 |
This review has 17 positive votes and 5 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Dragon Age: Origins is the long in development fantasy RPG from Bioware. Intended as the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate it faced high standards to live up to, along with a daunting three platform release. Thankfully it managed to meet and exceed expectations.
Right out of the gate you will notice that Dragon Age is a nice looking game but not great. The 360 version runs the smoothest of any (not counting a super PC) but it does make some graphical concessions. Edges aren't always smooth, and characters though detailed do lack a lil bit like they could be on PS2. It does look good though, spells are nice and the game flows without any sort of slowdown or delay.
The voice acting and music are all great. Some recognizable voice talents appear such as Simon Templeton (Legacy of Kain) and Steven Blum (Cowboy Bebop), but everyone is good and you don't hear anyone recycled for the most part. The other characters will also hold their own conversations while you wander the world, giving you a bit more view into their personalities as they talk to each other.
That leads into the reason Dragon Age is such a great game. The characterization and the story. The game draws you in and makes you feel like you are indeed playing your character. With tons of choices to make and plots to address as you go through the story you will actually make them based on "what would my character do" rather then think about what piece of equipment to get or achievement to unlock. This complete ability to draw you into the story and world elevates it beyond the ratings given here.
The combat in Dragon Age is very similar to that from Knights of the Old Republic. In the console version you unfortunately can't pause and que up attacks to occur, for the most part things occur in real time. (when you enter the menu though things to stop but you can only get one at a time). Still it is easy to get hold of and with some advance though most battles can be conquered.
Dragon Age is a great game. It puts the world and characters into your hands. With six origins, multiple character combination, and four different endings (with numerous tweaks to them) it has a plethora of replay value and will keep you coming back long after that amazing new shooter has been picking up dust.
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