Dragon Age : Origins

"Bioware's Next Great Adventure"

Let's start this thing by me explaining one very important thing: I have never done a game review before. I've done movie reviews however, and from that I can say that as a professional critic I suck, so there is no risk of me deliberately searching for faults in a game and being an elitist snob about it. To me games are a form of artistic expression and a source of great fun, so if it's fun it's good and if you readers think it sounds like fun then game on. Introduction over, let's move on.

Story: I've seen a lot of stories in games before, most can be split into two types. One is the type of deep, engrossing story that players are just along for the ride for, the ones where all we can really do is control the non-story aspects of the game. Then there are the ones that are more basic and are only significantly fleshed out by the actions and choices of the player; this is one of those stories. This kind of story is important for an RPG, because you're supposed to be playing a role here. It's your standard swords and sorcery world where you have to lead a group of heroes on a quest to save it from an ancient evil, quite familiar really. Again, the ability to choose your race, gender, and class isn't exactly new, and neither is the ability to craft your character's physical appearance. However, the interesting bit here is the choice of your "origin" story, which is effected by your race and class. The major impact on the story here only happens in the beginning, but it does effect everything afterwards regarding how you play and interact with party members and NPCs in the game, so you almost never play the same game twice. Very important for a role-playing game I think.

Controls: I have the PS3 version of the game, and the controls are very simple to get your head around. Mostly the controls are just basic but it's the battle controls that're more noticeably refined: a basic attack, spells and talents activated from either a menu or from hotkeys on screen, regular movement, and switching between party members. It's easy to control yourself and your party, and even easier if you can master the tactics system and get your party to move the way you want them to without telling them to. And if you are a PC gamer, then don't whine; buy the PC version and be happy!

Characters: I won't go in depth here about what the characters are like, but I will tell you that they all have differing personalities and they will change depending on who you are and how you interact with them. This is emphasized by the approval rating system; do something that someone likes and they'll like you more, might even fall in love with you at some point, and do something they don't like and they'll like you less. Get their rating so low and a "crisis moment" occurs, during which the character will leave the party unless you convince them to stay. It doesn't look like there's too much risk in that happening a lot unless you go out of your way to be a jerk to everyone though. They've also taken the Bioware RPG concept of romance, as seen in the KotOR series and Mass Effect, and expanded on it. In addition to romances being affected by the characters themselves it is also possible for gay/bisexual stuff to happen too, if you're into that sort of thing. Once again, still more variety to add to the depth of this game's story. Another thing to note is that it's possible to advance through the game without getting and/or keeping all the characters in your party, which adds further possibilities with the ending.

Sound: The sound is decent enough, fits the mood perfectly in most places. I'm not the kind of guy that will overanalyze something like this and tell you every little reason why it's good or bad, but I didn't have any major complaints. The voice acting is pretty solid as well, though I would've like it if they made the main character talk like they did in Mass Effect, I honestly thought they got past the whole silent protaganist thing by then.

Graphics: The graphics are beautiful, both in gameplay and during scenes, though I have seen slightly better graphics in other games. Still above average at any rate. The framerate does suffer a bit if there's a lot going on on-screen, but it's not too bad really.

DLC: Most of the downloadable content can be gotten for free with the Collector's Edition of the game, and while it's not required to have a good time it's still fun to have so if you can find the CE then get it.

Collector's Edition perks: Other than most of the DLC being free, the game comes in a shiny metal case without a slide off plastic cover, has a bonus disc containing such things as "making of game" information and other goodies, and a cloth map of the game world of Ferelden which would look lovely if framed and mounted on a wall. Those're the only differences between the CE and the normal game though.

Final Note: So that's it then, I'm not here to tell you what to play, just to tell you what you need to know to make an informed decision. If all this sounds good to you then don't let the inevitable haters stop you from having a good time, go play already. Play hard, or don't play at all.