Dragon Age 2
DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS Review – Will You Slay the Dragon or Yourself?
Written by Podunker: TYLERxDURDEN
Quick Summary
Pros:
* Great Story
* Deep Characters
* Diverse Quests and Locations
* Good Voice Work
Cons:
* Combat Hiccups
* Last Gen Graphics
* Restricted Exploration Ability
About Dragon Age: Origins
Available Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Genre: RPG
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Release Date: November 3, 2009
Publisher/Developer: Electronic Arts/Bioware
Story: 9/10
In Dragon Age: Origins you play the role of a Grey Warden. The Grey Wardens are responsible for defending the lands of Ferelden against the Darkspawn. There are three races to choose from and each race has two origins stories to play through. At the end of each character’s origin story, you become a Grey Warden, where you meet your first real challenge. Upon completion of your first quest as a Grey Warden, you return to the castle at Ostagar and face your first battle with the Darkspawn. After some twists and turns during the course of the battle, your real journey begins and it becomes your responsibility to reunite the races and cities of Ferelden to defeat the Darkspawn. Whether you choose to be a Human, Dwarf, or Elf, you will travel near and far, completing a wide range of quests all in the name of the Grey Wardens.
Gameplay: 7/10
In your travels across the lands of Ferelden, you will meet many foes and friends. Although you can recruit more than four to your team, four is the number of people that you will be able to take into battle. When you are fighting, you have a quick select menu that allows you to pick special attacks and spells to improve certain aspects of your character. There is also a wide range of poisons, potions, and traps that you can use to either raise characteristics of your own or lower those of your enemies. Battles usually run smoothly, although I did encounter hiccups in which players would get stuck and unable to carry out their next assigned attack, obviously altering the course of a battle.
The level system is very standard but works well for this type of RPG. You gain experience for defeating enemies, picking locks, disarming traps and the like. After gaining a certain amount of experience points, you level up. When you reach a new level, you can choose which general area to improve in, what special attacks or spells to learn, and a characteristic for your character to specialize in. Like I said, all of this is extremely basic but it helps make efficient party members.
The big qualm I had with Dragon Age: Origins was the linear style of each city and location. Each location was limited and there was nearly nothing to explore. There was only as many locations and stores as had to be visited by quest. Also, the only people who actually have a conversation with you are the people who you needed to talk to. If someone isn’t specifically involved in a quest or doesn’t have information for a quest in progress, they won’t be able to talk to you. These things take away from the exploration that really makes games like this great.
Graphics: 5/10
Graphically, this game was awful. The textures in this game are extremely flat and muddy. They take away from the experience and lead to bland locations. This is unfortunate, because there are many different places to visit each with their own climate and feel. The textures are so bad in the majority of the game that when you see some detailed ones in certain armors or clothing, they seem very out of place. Thankfully, the well done storyline keeps the focus off the graphics and on the Darkspawn.
Sound Rating: 8/10
There’s not too much to say about the sound in Dragon Age: Origins. Just like the level system, it is very stereotypical of medieval RPG’s. Clanging of swords, epic music, and casting of frost spells all generally sound the same as they always have, but that’s because the sounds fit well. The voice work is actually very good. There is a large amount of dialogue among the party members, as well as with people you meet across Ferelden. The characters are built up on their dialogue and the delivery of each line makes them more believable.
Challenge/Replay Value: 8/10
This game isn’t usually too challenging, but every now and again, you may come across a boss battle that is very difficult. I found this annoying at times, but at the end of the day you have to ask yourself, “What gamer doesn’t welcome a challenge?”
The storyline is excellent, so you will likely come back for multiple play-throughs. There are a large amount of trophies, most of which are simple, but it’s the difficult ones that require more of your time. The trophies require you to play through three or four times to get them all, but you’ll likely give up before that. While the game is fun and entertaining, it isn’t likely you will want to put in forty hours more than three play-throughs just for trophies (but I could be wrong).
Overall, its a good RPG with a strong story. The absence of exploration takes away from the title and the poor graphics hurt its presentation, but the story makes up for it in most spots. The gameplay is solid albeit somewhat basic. For fans of the medieval RPG genre, this deserves a rental, but may not meet the expectations built up by other releases this generation.
Overall Score: 7.5 / 10
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