Dragon Age: Origins is absolutely amazing
Like many of the games in my collection, I bought DAO because of the cool video trailer and the promise of full frontal female nudity. Wait a second. Okay, not all my games promised full frontal female nudity, but DAO did, and that was one reason I wanted to check it out ? the game, not the nudity. Okay, the nudity as well ? not that it matters, because they "Maker" yanked the nudity right before the game hit the shelves.
Anyhow, DAO promised to be the "Oblivion Killer," and it also promised to be unlike any other single player RPG ever created, and it definitely makes good on its promises. Following are some aspects that makes DAO the best game ever made, in my opinion.
Origins The game incorporates "origins" for each race and some classes. For example, a Dwarf Noble begins the game as part of the royal family in one of the dwarven cities, whereas the Dwarf Commoner origin story begins on the streets of the city. Origin stories determine the background of the player's character prior to the main events of the game's story, forming an introduction to the world while also comprising hours of play. Characters that the player meets during the origin story may reappear throughout the game, some of whom may be adversaries.
What really sets the game apart from the rest is the "morality" choices in the gameplay. In the game, you control a party of four adventurers (main character and 3 additional AI players are in your party). How you interact with the world, other NPC's and how you act within your party determines how the game will transpire. In DAO, literally 1 decision to act out of character could change the entire game.
The moral choices of the player will affect the story throughout the game. The player will save the world regardless of choosing to be good or evil, but the decisions that the player makes in the process will change the game world accordingly ? deciding who will become king, for example, and affecting nations and races and their places in the world. These decisions will also influence the companion NPCs, possibly causing an NPC to leave the party or even attack the player if they disagree strongly with his or her actions.
As with the Baldur's Gate series, players are able to issue orders to NPCs in real time, but pause the game to queue up actions such as spells and special attacks. DAO is also a more strategic fantasy battle game, because you can program each of your party members' battle tactics differently ? how they each act in battle. And, you can outfit all your party members with armor, weapons, rings, belts and pendants you find or buy from merchants throughout your adventures.
There are three base classes to choose from: warrior, mage, and rogue. These classes can be upgraded later into a specialized class, such as the Berserker or Templar for the warrior class, Shapeshifter or Spirit Healer for the mage class, and Assassin or Ranger for the rogue.
In my most recent game, I have six companions to choose from for each adventure: A rogue (for lockpicking and pickpocketing), a mage (for healing), a Qunari warrior (to act as a tank), a human warrior (damage dealer), a rock golem (another tank option), a Mubari war dog and my main character, which is also a human warrior.
I typically use two warriors, my mage and my rogue on my adventures. My main character deals the most damage, while my second warrior protects my mage. My rogue acts as a distraction, and my mage is programmed to heal us all if our health gets low. Also, if my mage is attacked, she sends out a swarm of bees to attack and sting her attacker to death. All of these actions can be programmed during peace time so that each party member has their own role in battle.
Add all this to the tons of loot you can find and buy, the amazing graphics, intriguing story line and really sweet-ass cut scenes, and you have a game that will literally rock your world and capture your attention for hours on end.
What's the catch? Because your game depends a lot on how you answer questions, you may find yourself engaged in tons of conversations, which can sometimes last a good couple minutes each and can suck up a ton of playing time. This can get quite boring sometimes, but if you remember that your answers are shaping your game, it is tolerable and will only be a minor inconvenience.
It's important to really realize how important these conversations and decisions are in your game. Just as an example, since its release, I have built 4 characters, and I have never played the same game or all of the same missions ? ever. Yes, there are some basic primary missions that are the same, but the sub plots and minor quests are different every time you build a character.
For example, with my newest character, I recently answered a question that allowed me to find a hidden chest filled with magical items and 20 gold. I had been through this area with my 3 previous characters, but I had never answered the question in the way required to find this hidden chest. As a result, I instantly received better armor and was able to trade nice items for a lot more gold, so my new character was instantly better than my three preceding builds. And, as a result of that, my entire game experience will change.
So, bottom line? Buy this game. If you're looking for a game you can play and not get frustrated with, DAO will satisfy you in every way a game can.
The only requirement is that you simply must read the manual and refer to it often with your first character. This isn't a hack and slash adventure game. DAO is a complex, strategy-based, real-time fantasy RPG, so you won't be able to "plug and play."
Buy the game, read the manual, and play the game. If you have any questions, drop me a line.
Thanks for reading. FY
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