Necro game review: Dragon Age: Origins

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.