Dragon Age: Origins

SquillSquill Chesterfield, Va
edited June 2010 in Gaming
Dragon Age = Win

Started playing it yesterday after I got home from work at 5:30pm and didn't stop playing it till 11:30pm. (Although I did slow down when the first episode of V came on).

But it's an amazing game! Combat is VERY satisfying and you need to use stragety when fighthing big groups of enemys. The story line is very good too, I cant wait to get home and start playing it again. I hightly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good RPG!
«1

Comments

  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited November 2009
    Ok Lets go.

    I've got it for the 360.

    Graphics are a little lack luster. I like the size of the characters on the screen and the environments are cool. But everything looks a little chunky and the colours/lighting don't pop out. I have to say, it's dated looking. The animations though are fairly decent and the sound effects are good and there are lots of voice dialogue.

    Gameplay the 360 version controls well. If you've played KoTOR or Mass Effect on 360 then you'll feel at home. I much prefer this then point and click as it makes the game feel more action based and I've grown to prefer that to point&click play.

    Combat is more action based then previous games. You have more freedom to run about. You press the button to swing and the animation of the swing lets you know when you can swing again. Alternatively you can just hold the button down with a target selected and go at it. You have special attacks that you can attach to other buttons and trigger them as well. You can have two weapon sets to flip between and if that's not enough you can pause combat to issue orders to your party or let the AI control them. So far I've been letting the AI do it's thing (as I'm not particularly attached to any of them) and it's been working well enough.

    Inventory management isn't bad. It works well for handling equipment between the party but it's a little clunky looking compared to say Fallout 3, which provides more information on the screen at once. The ability to flag items as junk though and then auto sell all your junk at once though is awesome.

    The story. Haven't played enough to really get a grip on it. However so far it feels pretty organic. Let me explain that. In past Bioware games you generally knew exactly where you had to go. Hell you practically only had one place to go. You'd go there, they'd give you a quest, you'd go to the next pointer etc... There were very little other things to do that cropped up along the way and the whole time it felt like you were a dog on a leash.

    This would be the opposite to games like Oblivion and Fallout 3 where you are basically unleashed into the world with little direction of where to go. You stumble into quests, people proposition you for help, you are free to choose what you want to tackle and often how you want to tackle things. The game flows very organically around you.

    I'm happy to say that Dragon Age has much more of this organic feel to it. It feels much more like a breathing world and less like a game on constant pause waiting for you to do something (that is still often the case mind you, but it doesn't feel like that).

    Overall I'm very happy with Dragon Age thus far. It's not the best looking game, not in a long shot and it's got a few rough edges. But if things continue to progress I can easily see myself putting the 50+ hrs into this game that they say are typical for an average play.

    I'm also seeing myself already playing through it again with a different character or even as the same type just to see how different choices play out. They dialogue choices are probably some of the best I've seen in a CRPG yet. There are some obvious good/evil responses. But most of them are gray. There are plenty of choices you make early on that have longer reaching results and it's awesome to see a game play out that way.
  • SquillSquill Chesterfield, Va
    edited November 2009
    I almost bought it for the Xbox but then I got my pre-order money back and got it for the PC. I am very happy with it on the PC. It does feel like an upgraded version of the NWN2 engine (which I have no doubt that it is). Controls are amazing for the PC. I've heard mixed stuff about controls for the Xbox, I heard you dont have the ability to pause the game and issue orders to each character like you do in the PC version, but I dont know. It's just what I heard.
  • GrimnocGrimnoc Marion, IN
    edited November 2009
    I'm pretty stoked about it and will be picking up the PC version hopefully in a few months. I am also very pleased to see that they are using a more Black Isle approach rather than a traditional Bioware one (which is the primary reason as to why I am so excited about it).
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited November 2009
    I'll have to test it. I thought you could pause to issue orders according to the manual. One thing you can't do in the 360 though is flip between birds eye and behind the shoulder view. It's always locked in behind the shoulder view. Which I dig, so not a problem for me. The PC though certainly gets a huge graphics boost.
  • SquillSquill Chesterfield, Va
    edited November 2009
    Yeah the birds eye is handy in some situations, but I stick to the behind the shoulder most of the time.

    Ugh, I want to go home and play the game!
  • GrimnocGrimnoc Marion, IN
    edited November 2009
    Yeah, I'm certainly glad that they released it for multiple platforms for people who do not wish to/cannot play it on a PC but I'll certainly be playing it on my computer. Seems to have all of the benefits and none of the negatives, which makes sense considering throughout its development Bioware has continually stated that it was being developed primarily for the PC and fans of the Baldur's Gate series.

    Cheers to you who get to play it now though! I'm quite envious.
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited November 2009
    The PC version also benefits from player mods. Doing a direct comparison between all platforms the PC version (if your pc can play it) is across the board the best version.

    Mostly I got it for 360 because I just find I do more gaming on the couch and on my tv. Not necessarily because it's better quality. It's a case of if I'm dropping $70 for a game where will it get it's most use and that is 360.
  • GrimnocGrimnoc Marion, IN
    edited November 2009
    Sure thing man, totally understandable (not that you'd need my permission). :)
  • lunchb0xlunchb0x Lansing, MI New
    edited November 2009
    Squill wrote:
    It does feel like an upgraded version of the NWN2 engine (which I have no doubt that it is).

    The engine feels very Mass Effectish to me, especially the facial animations.

    I'm happy with it so far. I am curious, what backgrounds did you guys end up taking? I did City Elf my first time through
  • SquillSquill Chesterfield, Va
    edited November 2009
    lunchb0x wrote:
    The engine feels very Mass Effectish to me, especially the facial animations.

    I'm happy with it so far. I am curious, what backgrounds did you guys end up taking? I did City Elf my first time through


    Human Noble here.
  • ObsidianObsidian Michigan Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    Almost everyone seems to be going human noble. I wonder why /sarcasm. I made an Elven Mage. About halfway through the game right now. It is a great time waster but often reminds me of how much I want Mass Effect 2.
  • pseudonympseudonym Michigan Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    Not getting it till I'm done with Demon's Souls.

    Anyone play both the PS3 and Xbox version? Notice any differences?
  • ObsidianObsidian Michigan Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    pseudonym wrote:
    Not getting it till I'm done with Demon's Souls.

    Anyone play both the PS3 and Xbox version? Notice any differences?
    Apparently the PS3 version has better graphics but choppier framerates. Surprise surprise.
  • SquillSquill Chesterfield, Va
    edited November 2009
    Obsidian wrote:
    Apparently the PS3 version has better graphics but choppier framerates. Surprise surprise.

    I dunno, the graphics look better to me on the PC. Take a look http://translate.google.com/translate?prev=hp&hl=en&js=y&u=http://www.4players.de/4players.php/tvplayer/4PlayersTV/Alle/4397/44923/Dragon_Age_Origins/PC_Konsolenvergleich_2.html&sl=de&tl=en&history_state0=
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    The comparison was between PS3 and xbox; PC wasn't in there. The PC does, by far, have the best graphics. If you have any choice, get it for PC. That's what I'm doing. :)
  • SquillSquill Chesterfield, Va
    edited November 2009
    The link I sent was PS3 and PC. At least thats what it says while the movie is playing. Either way I did go with PC and I'm glad I did. :-)
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    I meant Pseudonym's original question, the one Obsidian was answering that you quoted - that one requested comparisons between PS3 and 360.
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited November 2009
    I went Dwarf Noble, Warrior. Dwarf politics are nasty business. No wonder the race is stagnant and dying off.

    Only about 3 hrs into it now but enjoying it more and more. Really liking the more action oriented interface when it comes to combat. Really missing that there is no jump button. Not that it's game changing, but I just keep expecting to be able to jump and I can't and then I'm sad :(
  • SquillSquill Chesterfield, Va
    edited November 2009
    kryyst wrote:
    I just keep expecting to be able to jump and I can't and then I'm sad :(

    We're here for you.
  • ObsidianObsidian Michigan Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    kryyst wrote:
    I went Dwarf Noble, Warrior. Dwarf politics are nasty business. No wonder the race is stagnant and dying off.

    Only about 3 hrs into it now but enjoying it more and more. Really liking the more action oriented interface when it comes to combat. Really missing that there is no jump button. Not that it's game changing, but I just keep expecting to be able to jump and I can't and then I'm sad :(
    Heheh, same. I keep accidentally pausing it on my PC trying to hop.
  • CrazyJoeCrazyJoe Winter Springs, FL Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    If anyone has not yet purchased the game, Best Buy is giving all Reward Zone Gamers Club members a $10 GC for purchasing this game (all platforms.) Go to https://myrewardzone.bestbuy.com/gamersclub to sign up for free if you're not already a member. Seems to be the best deal out there.
  • GnomeWizarddGnomeWizardd Member 4 Life Akron, PA Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    heard amazing things from a couple guys at work they have the PC version. I will pick it up soon for PC
  • GrimnocGrimnoc Marion, IN
    edited November 2009
    So anyway I just bought it, and while I'm sure there are great things to come and I'll totally love the game I have to say that I wasn't all that impressed with the mage origin story. It was really short and not too interesting. :) Oh well, I'm really psyched to play more, I just haven't had much time to do so.
  • KoreishKoreish I'm a penguin, deal with it. KCMO Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    The origin stories almost have no purpose, they're all short, and after about 4 hours into the game no one really cares anymore.
  • GrimnocGrimnoc Marion, IN
    edited November 2009
    That's unfortunate, but I'm not horribly dissapointed by it. I figured that it wouldn't be able to hold up under all the hype as it would be just too much work to impact the entire game.
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited November 2009
    I've only played through two of the origins (Dwarf Noble and Dwarf Commoner) and while I haven't played far enough into the game to see if they have an impact I thouroughly enjoyed playing through the origins.
  • Idiot_SlayerIdiot_Slayer Member
    edited November 2009
    Koreish wrote:
    The origin stories almost have no purpose, they're all short, and after about 4 hours into the game no one really cares anymore.

    I found the origin stories to be a lot more fun than the rest of the game. It feels like actual roll playing then as soon as you become a grey warden everything becomes generic.
    OH YOU'RE ONE OF THEM WARDEN THINGS. GUESS YOU BETTER SAVE MY BABY.
  • KoreishKoreish I'm a penguin, deal with it. KCMO Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    I didn't say they weren't fun they just become unimportant after you become a grey warden. Like you said it becomes baby saving time, rather than "I'm an elf and I'm gonna kick your ass for enslaving me for centuries."
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited May 2010
    Having recently finished the game (+awakenings, +DLC), I can finally comment on this thread!

    <h3>Good things</h3>
    Engaging story: Didn't throw me any curveballs, but it was so well-supported with historical material and character/faction narratives that I felt really sucked in.

    Faction interactions: The relationship between the Chantry/Templars and Circle of Magi really intrigued me. The well-developed backgrounds for the two groups made their tense peace very convincing. The Dwarven situation was also good, as was the Arling positions towards the end of the game.

    Combat: Combat with your character felt rewarding, but not overly easy. Revenants remained suitably difficult until the late game, dragon encounters required perfect execution and the pause/act system worked very nicely in the chaos of mass combat.

    Non-linearity: I spent as much time talking about how I went about completing the game as I did the game itself. The multiple avenues/single destination design was really fun.

    In short, I felt compelled to play through every point in the game. The story was good, the voice acting was good, the characters were good, the plot was good, the lore was convincing and the game world was so damn rich.

    <h3>Bad things</h3>
    Ranged party AI: If I had a dollar for every time Leliana (archer) or Wynne stood around in melee getting their face pounded, I'd be a very wealthy man. Despite configuring their tactics correctly, they frequently failed to stay at range or find safe ground in the event of a melee attack. I found myself manually moving them to range before difficult encounters in the late game so they wouldn't get blended.

    Stamina/mana: This entire situation was much improved in Awakening, but vanilla DAO's stamina/mana pools were frustratingly tiny. It felt as though I was chugging lyrium pots or standing around and white swinging through most of my encounters. Don't even get me started on how frustrating it was to have Wynne go OOM after 3-4 spell casts.

    Space bar: It's for jumping, not for pausing.

    The Fade: I'm just glad I only had to enter it twice.

    Awakenings: It felt very abrupt; you're cruising along, and all of a sudden the game is over with a hell of a lot of questions left unanswered.

    (I played the Human Noble origin.)
  • edited June 2010
    I will have to give this a try for the 360. It has been a while sice I played an RPG. I guess I can't just sit and wait for Diablo 3.
Sign In or Register to comment.