....Or why saving the day, getting the girl, and making it look good...ain't so bad.
So for the past month and a half, nearly all my regular gaming has been put on hold. That's right, mininal Dragon Quest 8 or Lord of the Rings, and no Final Fantasy Tactics. And it's all due to one game - Dragon Age: Origins. As you may recall from previous posts, I am a complete BioWare fan. At worst, they make a mediocore game that is better than a majority of the games out there. At their best, it becomes an epic game that demands to be played multiple times and leaves you with fond memories for years to come.
While I'd been hearing rumblings about the game, I hadn't really been seeking it out or wanting to learn anything more about it. Until I saw it was a BioWare game. Then I started watching trailers and getting more and more excited. My best friend purchased it when it came out so I saw him go through the character creation process and first area.
That's all I needed to see.
I bought it and have since dumped about 100 hours into the game (using multiple characters). Each time I play through I find new things or different ways of handling situations or new side quests. Yet, after 100 hours, I've still only unlocked about 73% of the trophies/achievements in the game.
Now, onto the review:
Gameplay - This game is definitely designed for the computer, where a point-and-click interface would make things faster and much easier. On the consoles however, they've opted for a Mass-effect style Circular menu (a little awkward to get used to at first, but fairly intuitive). The difficulty of the game is customizable at will. Having trouble with a particular battle, turn down the difficulty for it and then turn it back up when you have finished that section. Once again, we have a game that borrows heavily from D&D for its skills and attributes. While not quite as obvious as with KOTOR, it is none-the-less present.
Graphics - The character creation is extremely indepth allowing you to take basic models and tweak them according to your personal taste. The environments are all very well fleshed out and distinct. You travel across a country with your party and spend time in each area helping out the people and trying to recruit them to your side. While some gamers have complained that you don't actually get to run to each zone (instead a map shows up, with a red trail indicating your relative position), I feel that it would only make an already long game more drawn out. The cut scene graphics are pretty good...most of the time. There are still moments when the faces of the characters seem to be a bit plastic, but overall they're continuing to improve in this area. Plus, the story is so engrossing, you cease to pay attention to the graphics and just accept them. Which leads me to...
Story - This is pretty much your standard "you are the chosen one and you have to help all these people" type of tale. However they throw in some nice twists (6 different starting stories, each very unique), a few romance options (coupled with the option of trying to juggle a couple of relationships, until they find out about each other), and such. They even have it set up so that your choices and actions will have an effect later in the game. Party members express approval or disapproval at your choices, and you can further influence them with "gifts," often leading to further story or side quests. While there is no "good vs. evil" continuum in this game, they have instead chosen a "selfish vs selfless" style. You can play for the greater good, or just look out for yourself.
Now it should be noted that this game is definitely not for kids. It is a truly dark fantasy story.
Overall, this was a great game and well worth the purchase. I haven't felt this engrossed in a game since Knights of the Old Republic (another BioWare game...surprise, surprise).
The Downloadable Content:
The Blood Dragon Armor - Very cool looking and great stats, well worth it.
The Edge - Free, so might as well take it. Not necessarily the best dagger but fun.
The Stone Prisoner - A great little area and fun character to have in your party. Opens up two quests as a result, giving you just that much more experience and gameplay. I got it for free from buying the game.
The Wardens Keep - Another area that while fun and fleshed out, definitely made me feel like there was no "This is obviously the best way to go" choice. Great armor from the area though and well worth the purchase.
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Now for my impression of each of the specializations. I haven't unlocked all of them, but I'll update it later when I do. One last bit of advice for PS3 owners - when I played through, the specializations would "re-lock" when I created a new character. I might suggest creating all the characters/classes you anticipate playing before starting the game.
Templer - So far it has been my favorite specialization. You encounter so many mages in this game, that it helps to be able to handle them efficiently. I've tried combining this one with the Champion and the Reaver class. Initially I wasn't impressed until he got his final ability (which hits multiple enemies). That's when it became my favorite.
Reaver - Tied for my second favorite. Unfortunately it's only for the first ability, which allows the character to self heal. The rest of the abilities I haven't yet been able to use as effectively as I would like.
Berserker - My first character was a berserker/reaver. Classic, eh? The berserker class has a lot of benefit to it and fits well with any other class you pair it with.
Champion - I've tried this class and while I like the knockdown ability that he gets as his last ability, it's so hit or miss (mostly missing) with the enemies at the end that I just don't see it being too effective. On the other hand, the benefits to party members make this a great secondary specialization for another party member (Alistair, Sten, Oghren).
Bard - Great support class. I'd personally leave this to Leliana, however two bards in a party could control just about any battle effectively (at least at the low levels).
Assassin - So far I'm not as impressed with this class as I hoped I'd be. This class is very useful with taking down big enemies, but kind of gets lost with large scale battles. At least, that has been my experience.
Duelist - A fun class for any character looking to create a fighter-style rogue.
Ranger - I must admit I'm loving this class if only for the extra animal companion. More members in your party, the better your chances of survival.
Shapeshifter - Not very impressed with this class. Other than the swarm form, I've never seen much point in using it, other than if the battle is easily winnable and I just want to try it out.
Arcane Warrior - Trying this class now, and it's surprisingly fun. Great for people who want to melee and cast spells (something the shapeshifter can't do at the same time).
Spirit Healer - Pretty standard healer character. You've already got one character in the game who specializes in this, however, this would make a useful secondary class.
Blood Mage - Very powerful character and very difficult to unlock. Great either as a main class or support class. However, this specialization draws heavily from the health of your companions, so use it wisely.
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