Dragon Age: Origins, Bioware's latest RPG epic, came out earlier this month to much fanfare and hooplah from all the major review sites.   Why review it here?  Well for one thing, because I want to.  Why now?  Because I finally completed what I feel was a pretty thorough playthrough of the game.  So now I want to sit down and give out my impressions for the two of you who care. :)  Maybe.

Bioware, one of the leading Canadian game companies and recent EA acquisition, made its name in the RPG business working with the Dungeons and Dragons license.  Early successes included the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale franchises, using AD&D 2nd Ed rules.   Later, they followed up with Neverwinter Nights, a game loved more for its modability and toolset than its single player campaign.  Later, they left their dungeon-crawling roots to release Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the first RPG set in the Star Wars Expanded Universe.  Following that triumph, they branched out into unique IPs, such as the wu-shu style Jade Empire and the 80s-ish Scifi of Mass Effect (the sequel to which comes out just after Christmas).

What does all this matter?  I'm just establishing Bioware's pedigree.  They are one of the few manufacturers of single player role-playing games left in the industry.  That distinction they share with Bethesda Softworks, makes of the Elder Scroll series and recently, Fallout 3, and to a lesser extent, the 300-ton gorilla, Blizzard Entertainment.   This is important because, over the last several years, the fantasy setting has been subsumed almost wholesale by the MMO market.  The vast majority of online games have a Tolkien-esque fantasy setting, so much so, that many people have been begging for a new MMO genre, which is one of the reaosns why projects like Broken Earth and Star Trek Online are being met with anticipation.

Play it this way...

"Dragon Age" is Bioware's "let's do what we used to do, but do it *better*" masterpiece.  A "real-time" tactical combat engine, capable of being paused at any time, to issue order to a party of up to 4 characters was a staple of the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale games from the early part of this decade.  Also, aside from a standard third person over-the-shoulder view, on PC the player can zoom out into an overhead "isometric" style view, reminiscent of those same classic games, allowing a bird's eye view of the battle field.  But does all this nostalgia pay off?  And for RPG fans, is the story and setting engaging enough to make it worth the 40+ hours of playtime one would need to invest in Bioware's latest venture?

Well, if you're a classic RPG fan, the answer is an enthusiastic "yes!"  If you're an "action-RPG" fan, then the answer is somewhat iffier.   Oh, and action-RPGs are Diablo, or any of its gazillion clones.  Basically, its a game with really fast real-time combat, no pausing, and LOTS of clicking.  It's classified as an RPG because of a character advancement system and massive loot drops.  Most (but not all, to be fair) tend to be very story-lite, however.

The Story

First off, Bioware has created a fairly epic and engaging storyline, provided you enjoy a good sword-and-sorcery tale.  I won't give out too many spoilers, but a kingodm is in danger, an ancient evil rises, and the lone hero must gather a merry band and stave off Armageddon.  "Yawn," you say?  True, taken to its most basic form, the plot of Dragon Age is fairly formulaic;  to a point.  Billing itself as  "dark" fantasy game, DA:O has a lot of blood and several morally ambiguous choices to make throughout the game.  "Morally ambiguous" is something that's gotten a lot of play in RPGs lately.  "The Witcher" and "Fallout 3" both made similar claims, with varying degrees of honesty.  Many responses do have A) Good B) Neutral C) Total Asshole kind of response.  But that's not where this comes into play.

My favorite option came in the form of a possessed boy.  To end the undead plague he'd unleashed, you were given a series of choices:  slay the boy outright, killing the demon but also the child, or take part in a magical ritual to enter the spiritual realm to do battle with the demon in its own plane and save the child.  Does the latter sound like the obvious choice?  Well there's a catch.  Such a ritual normally requires a group of mages working together.  To do it on such short notice with limited resources, a blood sacrfice is require:  a life, for a life.  The boy's mother immediately volunteers.  So who do you save and who do you slay?  Suddenly things aren't quite so black and white.

Or that.

Also, the setting itself has an enormous amount of detail.  Much like the crafter of the Lord of the Rings books, the writers at Bioware have managed to craft an IP that feels like an already established setting, like Forgotten Realms or the world of "A Song of Fire and Ice."  The Codex, your ingame encyclopedia just drips with lore and information that fleshes the world out.  But it's a strictly optional part of the game.  If you want to tear through it, just seeing the surface, there's nothing stopping you.  The story is completely understandable without it.  But for lore nuts, its a great addition to the game, fleshing the world out to an amazing extent.

Finally, there are the "origin" stories, for which game was named.  You can chose from three races (Human, Elf, Dwarf, of course), and three classes (Warrior, Rogue, Wizards), and several background.  Each one changes the first few hours of the game, as well as plot threads later in the game.  A Human noble can wed into royalty, a Mage can help shape the future of the Circle of Mages.  City elves escape the oppression of the ghetto they're forced to live in, while Dalish elves come from their homes in the wilds to investigate the Blight that ravages the land.  All in all, this adds a nice touch and real sense of involvement in the story, making it your own, as opposed to just being in an interactive movie.

The Characters

This is a topic that's typically overlooked or given a passing-over in most game reivews.  The companions Bioware saddles you with will be your allies and perhaps even friends throughout the course of the game.  But do they feel like characters, or just an extension of the character screen?   It was here I was most impressed with the time and dedication put into writing behind our tale.  Every NPC party member has their own distinctive tone and style.  Alistair is the class clown, Morrigan is the proverbial wicked witch, Wynne the grandmotherly sage.  For those who remember HK-47, the golem, Shale, fills the role of snarky commentator of all creatures fleshy, and does a fine job of it.

Perhaps the best bit is how the characters interact with each other.  Everyone has something to say, and not just to you.  As you walk along, your companions will talk to each other, and all react differently.  Alistair and Morrigan, for example, snipe at each other constantly, one a heretic witch, the other a former Templar, a knight who hunts down renegade mages.  There is an Approval system, where you vie for respect and loyalty (and in some cases, even love) from your fellows.  Your actions will please some and aggravate otheers.  Piss someone off too much, and things start to happen.  Stenn, the abrasive Qunari warrior, will challenge you for leadership of the group.   Zevran, the assassin, might betray you if he gets a better offer, if you haven't stayed on his good side.

And finally there are the romances.  A long-time staple of Bioware's RPG endeavors, these are perhaps the most controversial.  One group of fans all but demand them, while the others deride the side plots as a waste of time, and the refuge of those unable to get real romance.  Personally, I like them provided they're well done.  For the most part, they are.  There are four, two of each gender, and one of each is bisexual, catering to all sexual preferences of their fanbase.  Each one also responds differently.  The bard-turned-true-believer, is a wide-eyed romantic, who'll fall for you easily, but rebuff your advances till you've wooed her completely.  The witch, Morrigan, will bed you early on in the relationship, but if she actually falls for you, she cuts you off, as she has "commitment issues."  Zevran will flirt with you and anything that moves, and will even instigate a threesome with another NPC if you do it right.  Poor Alistair is the knight-in-shining-armor for all the ladies to adore... provided they don't mind someone who's a bit too glib with his tongue and perhaps a touch on the submissive side.

Do I really need to make any "Witchy Woman" jokes?

This attention to detail extends to other NPCs encountered as well.  The chief antagonist (aside from the mindless darkspawn horde you have to thwart) is at first light, a traitor most foul, but is slowly revealed to be a well-meaning man who misread the situation and made a bad call.   Blinded by his own self-righteousness, he carries on, insisting he's the only one who can save the world, not you.  In the end, you defeat him, and can have him executed for his crimes, or give him a second chance and have him join you in the final confrontation with the army that threatens to ravage the countryside.

The Graphics

I've read a lot of comments from reviewers and fans alike complaining that the graphics are old and dated.  Is this true?  In a way.  The graphics are not cutting edge.  They are in fact, a year or two old-looking.  If that is a deal-breaker for you, ignore this game.  But the game does look good.  If you've ever played Mass Effect, it looks like a more polished, fantasy version of that game.  I don't consider this  a problem.  The artwork and style of the game is amazing and immersive, and to my mind, that is all that matters.  To each their own.

The Music

Inon Zur, the game's compose, has done a fine job with the score.  It has an epic feel, and yet times, dips into the almost folkish.  Long time fans of Bioware's earlier outings will hear snippets of the inn music from Baldur's Gate, or a theme from Neverwinter Nights, quietly worked into some of the tracks.  The voice acting is, for the most part, top notch.  There are few less than impressive bit characters, and some of the accents are a bit funny.  Overall, however, there is a great deal of variety in the cast, and the game does a good job of largely avoiding Oblivion's problem of having only three voices for a supposedly huge town.

Gameplay

For most games, putting this at the bottom would probably get me lynched.  But for an RPG, I feel the quality of the story and how deeply the world pulls you in to be of slightly more importance.  As mentioned above, this game is a throwback to the isometric days of Baldur's Gate, and its pseudo-realtime tactical gameplay.  For those who love a challenge, Dragon Age will not disappoint.  Many combat scenes will have you outnumbered; some vastly so.  You will have to have a good party build, the appropriate gear, and a sound tactical mind to get through some of the bigger battles.  And that's just on Normal.  Easy is for those who to just enjoy the story, and Hard (and the unlockable Nightmare) are for those who love to suffer, and prove their superiority over the rest of us mere mortals.

Dragon Age can be played in third person or overhead mode, as stated above.  Personally, I found the former beset for exploring and the latter best for the actual combat.  "Tactics" can be set in the menu, allowing you to customize scripts to control your characters during battle.  Basically, its the gambit system from Final Fantasy XII.  This allows you to automate basic strategies, while leaving you to focus on adapting those strategies.  You do that by hitting Pause, selecting the character in question and giving him his walking orders directly, then unpausing.  The character then goes about their business.  Unlike many RPG games, position is of crucial importance as well.  Rogues flank, doing more damage when backstabbing.  Mages do massive AOE damage, but these harm your party as well, so you have to maneuver everyone around for maximum effectiveness with minimal casualties.

When word leaked out that the game levelled opponents as the player advanced, an outcry went up.  Oblivion did this, and many complained it sucked the feeling of accomplishment from the game.  Fear not, Dragon Age only levels important NPCs and enemies to give you a challenge where one is called for.  You can enter areas a bit more difficult than you're prepared to handle, though only early on (do NOT go to Redcliffe until Level 10 unlessyou're Sun fricken'  Tzu).  Lesser enemies do get tougher, but at a slower rate, allowing them to stay a challenge in large numbers, but easy to deal with one on one or in small groups.

Darkspawn: Making Orcs Look Better By Default

Conclusions

It should be fairly obvious I give this game high marks.  It is not without it's flaws, however.  The game manual does not prepare you for advancing your character properly, making it easy to build a character improperly and hindering yourself early in the game.  I did this on my first play through and had to start over 6 hours into it.  The romances themselves are fun, but the "sex" cutscenes are kind of silly, to be honest.  Lastly, the difficulty curve early on is... harsh.  Dragon Age is designed around a Tank/DPS/Healer scheme, like most MMOs.  But unless you're playing the healer, you have to go through several hours of gameplay without one.  Your only options to acquire one is to either do one quest chain as soon as its available OR force Morrigan away from her Melee/AOE  role and into healing, making her less than optimal for both.  Why this was done when multiple tanks, two ranged archers, and three DPS are available is a bit... perplexing.

These oddities aside I can't help but recommend Dragon Age: Origins for any RPG fan, new or classic.  Give it a try, and you'll quickly find yourself wondering where 40+ hours of your life went.

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