Welcome to the best next gen rpg ever made!
Welcome noble squire in the land of dragon age.
If you decide to play this game, you will be overwhelmed with perfectness. Every aspect in the game is perfect. But perfect doesn't have to be perfect as well. Perfect can more perfect, and perfect perfect, can be more perfect as well. Sorry for this. I hope you understand me.
Okay, about this awesome game now. Hopefully I don't post too much spoilers. Anyway.
I have chosen to start with the elf class. A dalish elf in fact. When I first saw the movies, I spend some time making a nice character called Miranda. The character creator goes as deep as the one from oblivion will goes, and it does have make-up and tattoos available in the amount the sims has to offer you. So a great opportunity of choices here. Nevertheless I miss the chance to make more well suited, or "fat" woman and man. For example, I promised my real life girlfriend to play as her. But since she is well suited, I cant play exactly like her. And despite the fact that there is no long hair for females in-game, I cannot create her exactly. It goes very deep, like adjusting the width and height for cheekbones, and adjusting the ears, nose, chin, jaw, neck. Everything is there to change! There are very much colors which you can choose for make up. Lip make up. And there a lot of tattoos available. One thing more. There is a nice portrait editor. I never seen that in another game. You can change the way your character looks, choose a face expression, move the portrait up, down, left and right. Choose a background.. Very nice. But now enough about the character creator, lets move on to the game itself.
As mentioned before, I have chosen a dalish elf whom goes by the name of Miranda. Her voice name is different, but when I must introduce myself towards others Miranda is shown in the text lines. Her voice name sounds elfish, but I can't remember it. The fist cut scene shown is where another elf, maybe my brother, wanders around some trees. Then a couple of humans show up. And after a couple of dialogue you must choose if you kill them all, kill one, or let them all go. Afterward you head into a cave, find a mirror, gets ill, found and rescued by a Grey warden, sent away by your clan, and eventually you be a member of the Grey wardens itself. That's where I am now. And I am not disappointed for now. This game is good, better, best! Really. I was wondering in the past, if there was a game coming up which was as good as this game. And finally, after several attempts in Risen, Drakensang, and many more rpg's I finally found Dragon age!
Okay, about the in-game thingies.
First about the graphics. Many people are complaining about that it is the weak part of the game. But here I must make clear that this is not a weak point. It is not top of the bill either. But they are great at several points. At one point it was breathtaking for me. So don't complain about this please. It is not the strongest point of Bioware. But they do a great job with it in this game. It shows very much detail on the PC. And the spells and other effects like fire, and so forth. Are amazing. In some cut scenes the camera turns so that it is viewed from very close to a fire. And then there are heat effects. Amazing. Look at the lip sync. Very, very good again. Look at character models. Only thing to blame here is the detail of facial hair. Look at the surroundings. From long and medium distance they look awesome. From close distance, they look okay. And from very close distance, they even looks solid. Really, really well done!
Next part, the physics. Here I can be short. This is all superb, perfect. Yeah maybe a few glitches where, for example, if you walk, your sword hits your leg, and cuts right through it. That kind of glitches. But even that is very rare. For the rest. Wow, Bioware, amazing!
Next part the sound. I can be short again here. Again amazing. Every line of text what is supposed to be spoken, is spoken. This game beats oblivion, Neverwinter nights 2, and almost every game in the genre. When I click a random guard. And he says "hail, Grey warden!" Then I do not only read it, but hear it as well. Very, very good, not to mention the voice acting. That is one of the best parts of this game, and makes this game excellent instead of good. For the gamespot reviewer has said that it looks like the actors were friends in real life. I can only agree with that. It is so awesomely well done. And it fits perfect with the lip sync.
Next part is the storyline. Can't say very much here, since I don't want to give too much spoilers. And I have played this game now for a couple of hours. But one thing I can tell you. It has sucked me in, and it will not let me go. Also if I read forums, and everything, the others who play this game, are very enthusiastic too. So, in my opinion this game is excellent in that too.
Next part is the gameplay. Really, really well done. Maybe perfect again. The interface is good, the control of your character is really well done. The loot system can be a bit faster, but again this is good. Multiple cameras on the PC is also a great thing to mention. The choices you have to make without a bar to see whether it is effective negatively or positively or not, that makes the game more attractive to me, since a fault in your choices can eventually lead to misfortune because you don't had good information for several things.
Next part is the replay value. Oh my god. When was the last time I have played a game that I wanted to play over and over again, just to look how other things looks? Or just to look how other things afford the way of playing. Hum hum, let me think.. Let me think.. GTA IV? No. That was a good game. But I had not the feelings I have now. The Witcher maybe? Hum, yes. But not as much as this game has. Oblivion? At some points, but no again. GTA San Andreas? Maybe. 't Was more then the Witcher. But you don't have several opportunities to beat the game. But with the mods out there, it was great! Maybe San Andreas, the Witcher, and Neverwinter nights 2, has given me this "wow" factor. But this game... Dragon age:Origins, stands above the rest.
Next part is not an official part, but I must mention it. It is the character interaction. This is again one of the parts that makes this game amazing instead of good. The characters really come to life! Every interaction is done in a superb way! When some characters talk, I see Miranda nodding, and shaking her head. As well I see expressions on her face. And so I see it too on the other faces of the characters. When I point the camera behind Miranda, and I look to the left or the right. Her head turns in the direction I look. It all feels very natural. Everything about character interaction is seriously well done. The fact that you can develop romances has got my interest as well. There were a few games out there who has given you the change to develop romantic relations. But most of them are mmo's where you develop a relation with another player who is there also in real life. Another games, does have this opportunity too, like sims, or other games like that. And even few rpgs had it, or adventure games. But hopefully Dragon age stands again above the rest in this part.
Final conclusion.
Dragon age origins is the rpg game you all been waiting for. Never ever has a game been made so good, so well, so perfect. You can see this almost literally. I don't have played several old school rpg's since I don't like the view from above. Don't blame me for this. Maybe I must play it and forget about it, so I can see what the games really has to offer. But whatever. I prefer the OTS camera. Dragon age does well in this. And in the rest of the game as well. This game is really really superb!
Summary.
Graphics – 9.5(A) The graphics are not the best ever seen, but there are lots of games in which the graphics are worse. And for the lack of this and DX10, I give it a 9.5 which is an A
Physics – 9.5(A) They are really really good. But again for the lack of DX10 and for the few glitches around I can't give it a 10 which would mean A+
Sound – 10(A+) For the fact of voice acting, I seriously never have heard it before, that it was this good. For the rest. It is an 9.5(A) but for the fact that the voice acting is "that" good I award it with a 10(A)
Storyline – 9(A-) Maybe this value will change when I am further in the game. But for now it is a 9 which means A- This due the fact that I expected more of playing as a dalish elf, in your clan. I mean, I was picked up by a Grey warden very quickly. I was hoping about playing some time in my childhood for example. But whatever. This is not a main issue. But because I am a Grey warden now this quick, has makes the decision for me to rate it 9(A-) for now.
Gameplay - 10(A+) It plays so well that I can't award it with less then a 10. The only minor thing of this point is the loot system. Which can be a bit more faster. But for the rest. 10, 10, 10!
Replay value – 12(AAA) He, he, an 11. Yes! I mean 50 hours of gameplay where you skip dialogue. The fact that you must beat the game multiple times to see all what the game has to offer. A triple A is the best value here!
Character interaction – 11(AA) yes again above the 10. But I have never seen many games, or many movies, where the character interaction, or for movies, the actor interaction, was this great. Seriously. It feels like you were part of this game yourself. Really. It blow you away, and suck you in when you see it yourself.
Overall this game will get a 9.8 from me. This means an A+
Hope you all has enjoyed this review.
Noble squire, you are now an official member of the Grey wardens!