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cvlw
United States
Charlottesville
Virginia
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Bioware long ago proved itself a force in RPG's. KOTOR was a pathpreaking experience in narrative delivery as well as narrative participation. Mass Effect, especially the second, is a space epic that stands alone. Bioware knows how to do stories and it knows how to make each of us as individual gamers a part of that story.
Dragon Age: Origin's is Bioware's latest success and it is a glorious one. It is difficult to describe the merits of a game that takes 40 hours to complete. Moreover one that takes 40 hours without even seeing all that is has to offer. Even moreover for a game where almost no two play-throughs will result in the same experience.
The story is set up as a struggle against the encroaching evil of the Blight - a Darkspawn invasion led by the Archdemon. If the story is weak anywhere, it is in the major pretense since the tropes and settings are familiar, especially for a LOTR fan. But Bioware is not trying to reinvent the fantasy wheel - it's trying to reinvent the immersion and participation wheel.
While RPGs often allow the player to choose race and class, DA makes that mean something. Race determines your home town which will have its own travails with respect to the Blight. But, for example, if you play as an elf, you will also experience Bioware's commentary on racism and bigotry. If you play as a dwarf, you will encounter themes revolving around social isolation and culture conservatism. These themes are never front and center yet Bioware makes them definitive with respect to the relationship your character has with the world.
As for class, it is hard to even know how many character builds can result in a fun play experience. Moreover, it is hard to convey the way your character build affects the texture of that experience. Suffice it to say, that I often desired starting whole new character arcs just to see how my strategy would affect me experience.
Then, last but not least, there are many decisions to be made. Bioware makes you believe these decisions count, and now that I've seen the credits role and compared notes with friends who played their own games, they do count - and in ways that the player cannot always predict.
If Dragon Age has weaknesses they are as follows. First, it is not the best looking game. I do not care about graphics but considering how immersive the story is, incredible presentation would have resulted in a truly phenomenal experience. Second, your character is not very vocal, so while I was felt connected to my world and the characters in my team, I never developed a bond with my own character which is odd. One way to see this is that such a decision allows the player to do exactly what Bioware wants - be in its world and see its complexity, wonder, horror, and glory.
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Anthony DuLac
United States
Minnesota
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Needs some screenshots but nice short little review. Thanks for posting this!
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Jim Nave
United States
Canby
Oregon
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This game is amazing. I ended up buying it like 3 times (woops). First time by itself... second time "Origins" came in a bundle with the expansion. And the 3rd time, i shelled out and bought the "Ultimate" Edition. I dont regret any of it.
I played on the PS3 and thought the graphics quite good. There were times when i would stop and notice the detail of a weapon, or shield (or something) and be like, wow.
I agree though that the lack of voice is something not awesome... but what are you going to do? The alternative is to take away customization. Which, FYI, is what is happening with DA:2
Cheers!
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