I am by no means a professional
reviewer, or game head, or professional gamer in any way shape or
form, but I wanted to share some thoughts about one of my favorite
games over the last few years.
So here is a necro game review!
Dragon Age: Origins.
The Basics:
The key theme of Dragon Age is dark
fantasy, but it also has strong leanings of heroic fantasy as well.
Taking what made George RR Martin's “A Song of Fire and Ice”, and
authors like David Gemmel and the ever present Tolkien it paints a
dark and bloody world of oppression, war and the ever present threat
of an ancient evil.
The game itself is a throwback to the
Baldur's Gate series put out by Bioware/Black Isle back in the day
(which was a Wednesday of course) and features a more strategic
method (especially on PC) of combat and Bioware's now famous
excellently written dialogue. While it was not Dungeons and Dragons
like Baldur's Gate it possessed both Dungeons, and yes you guest it
Dragons.
Set in the mythical world of Thedas, it
tells the story of the nation of Fereldan which is in the throes of
both a civil war, and an invasion of evil monsters from the depths of
the earth known as Darkspawn. The main character is unique in this
style of game, in that while you can choose from different
backgrounds and races, and these choices impact the game in a
meaningful way, especially in the beginning when each “origin”
has its own unique story.
I won't give away plot details, but I
will tell you that the game has everything that makes a sweeping
epic. Love, romance, blood, death, betrayal, armies clashing and an
ancient evil that must be opposed for the game to be defeated.
The Good:
Dragon Age: Origins (DA:O from here on
out) is a deep an immersive world that will suck you in. The game
itself will provide well over forty hours of gametime your first run
through it, with many players enjoying the game for sixty to over
seventy hours as they explore the many sidequests and dialogue
options in the game.
The voice acting is superb. This has
become a Bioware trait as we see some of their more prolific voice
actors as well as sporting some geek cred with Claudia Black
(Farscape) and Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek Voyager). While it is not as
star studded as the Mass Effect game the voice actors are
entertaining and believable in their roles. Each character brings
about a different dynamic to the group and dialogue, and while some
characters have proven to rub some people the wrong way (Be careful
with your elf or you might find yourself batting for the wrong team
if you character is male) and some such as the aforementioned Claudia
Black (portraying the character of Morrigan) really bring a wicked
sense of humor to the character interaction. Some of the dialogue
between Morrigan and Alistair are worth the game itself.
The story is an epic. You will come
from humble beginnings and save the world during the course of the
game, and you do get a sense of accomplishment from these acts.
Bioware really hit the nail on the head when it comes to pacing in
this game. You can get the feeling of a threatened kingdom thrashing
and fighting to survive and the desperation of a people who are
facing a terrible foe.
The lore and setting are well fleshed
out. The Chantry, the Templars, the Gray Wardens, the kingdom of
Fereldan truly feel as if they are long standing fantasy worlds that
have been around for a long time. I got the same level of
understanding of Thedas as I did from Abir-Toril (spelling) in the
Forgotten Realms setting. I do recognize some ideas that were reused
and tweaked from existing source of their own or others work. The
Gray Wardens are much like the Jedi are portrayed in the Knights of
the Old Republic, but with copious amounts of Night's Watch (A Song
of Fire and Ice), and the Witchers (From the Witcher/Hexer polish
novels).
On a sidenote, I think there is a
psychic gestalt in the fantasy game creation crowd. Many of my
custom settings and campaigns fit way to seamlessly in some of these
games. Even if I did not even know about these settings I find
similarities in themes, plots and settings. I guess what they say
about there being no original stories is true. It is merely how you
portray them.
The Art Design is fantastic. The game
truly feels like a “believable” fantasy world without looking
like a final fantasy/spikey haired/anime … thing. The armor looks
far more believable, the swords are the appropriate size, and you get
a proper sense of scale when it comes to your equipment. While the
graphics of the game are dated, the design itself is top notch, and
has a very strong influence of Tolkien's work, with Bioware's only
edge. The world feels lived in, real, and believable.
The audio work is fantastic as well.
Besides the voice acting the sound direction was top notch as well.
The Music score truly hits home when it comes to fantasy, and I use
the soundtrack in my own fantasy games that I used to run for my
friends. I also use it when I am writing on my fantasy novel as
well. It truly sets the tone, and as films like Star Wars and Jaws
have proven, it is the music that sets the entire tone for the film.
The Bad:
Game design. I will be frank. I do
not play Bioware games for their mechanics. Knights of the Old
Republic is considered one of their greatest games, but the combat
system was clunky and easily broken. When people play Bioware games,
they don't think of how awesome the gameplay is, they are talking
about the story. That being said, Bioware made a strong effort in
this game, and the combat feels appropriate to the game. They added
interesting ideas with spells and abilities affecting the game world,
and it works well. The combat system just doesn't break the mold, or
do anything that has not been done. It is basic, but it serves the
game in the manner it is supposed to. While this is not a negative
for me, it can be for more gameplay minded players.
Graphics. The game looks ok on PC, but
the Xbox titles looks old. The character models were not as sharp
and detailed as their other AAA title “Mass Effect” that was
released near the same time and it shows. While the art direction is
superb, there are a lot of bad polygons and terrain details that just
don't mash up well, especially at a distance. The Battle of Ostagar
is a pretty good example, the forests in the background do not look
good and the army clashing below you looks more like a mass of lights
moving back and forth against each other. Sound design helps
alleviate this, but in some places the game looks like it is about
three to four years out of date.
Voice Acting. I know I praised this
before, but in one place voice acting is sorely lacking. The main PC
is silent, and while you can choose dialogue options the character
does not voice them. I understand and actually agree with Bioware's
desire to let the player be the main character, but after the bang up
job they did with Commander Shepard in Mass Effect this almost seems
like a backwards step. While the main character is the “hero” of
the story, it is often up to the other characters to voice out to
NPCs (particularly in the Bioware “epic speech” moment). In the
sequel and upcoming third game it has been announced that the main
character is voiced, which solves this issue. That being said, the
main character from Dragon Age: Origins is an excellent character.
Lack of a real antagonist. There are
several “villains” but you never really get that feeling of the
hero striving to better the great evil at the end. This is mostly
because the main enemy of the game are so alien to the desires of the
people of the world, there is no common ground for communication The
Darkspawn who make up the main “bads” for the game are more like
a force of nature than a villain to battle, and there is no
humanizing of their goals so it is difficult to relate. And while
there is a humna subplot dealing with betrayal it is completed near
the end of the game, and kind of takes the sales out of the “fight
for justice” aspect of the game.
The Happy Ending:
Dragon Age is definitely worth picking
up. If you are a fan of fantasy with a darker and grittier edge it
is one of the stand outs of the genre in a video game format. While
the graphics appear a bit dated and the gameplay is pretty basic the
sound design makes up for these short comings. If you enjoy these
kinds of settings and words and fantasy you will get sucked in by the
great voice acting, plot, and the game world itself. While the game
does seem to lack a antagonist for the player to relate too, the
villains in the game are suitably epic for the setting and the
subplots for the betrayal storylines are very engaging.
Good luck trying to find this in the
UAE where I live though. Due to the ability to have a sexual
relation with a man in this game it was banned throughout the Middle
East... pretty much like every Bioware game is over here.
Thanks for reading my step into the
past for one of my favorite games of the last five years.
