Arwen's Realm

[jamenta]

If you haven't bought this new BioWare RPG (the company that brought you Baldur's Gate) Dragon Age: Origins do it now!

Dragon Age is just awesome - I mean, may be the best RPG ever released to date. Really.

Arwen - DA is right down your alley (methinks). The role-playing element and dialogue is unbelievable. After
playing this game for a few hours, I thought of you - and just kept thinking: this game is one
Arwen will freak out on.

I think the Rogue would be perfect for you.

Anyway - I'm going back to this game - but just had to post something here on it.

jamenta

[Grizzly]

Well, Baldur's Gate (1 + 2), Planescape: Torment, and Mass Effect where totally awesome, so I have the feeling that Origins will be awesome too. However, I am waiting for Mass Effect 2 to release first, since then Dragon Age: Origins will drop in price (I do not have unlimited money!) and my computer, the lil' poor bastard, may just be able to handle it.

[Xerius]

My only complaint so far about Dragon Age: Origins is the amount of voiced text I have had to listen to. It makes the game more immersive and I cannot fault it, but out of the ten or so hours I have played the game in the last week, I think I have listened to six hours of talking.

[Arwen]

If you haven't bought this new BioWare RPG (the company that brought you Baldur's Gate) Dragon Age: Origins do it now!

Dragon Age is just awesome - I mean, may be the best RPG ever released to date. Really.

Is it really THAT good? Not that I'm questioning your opinion on it, but is it really better than Bethesda's RPGs?

I'm aware of the game, but I was turned off by the violence . . . much like I was initially turned off by Fallout 3's blood and gore (which I eventually fixed with a couple of my own mods) . . . so I guess I was perhaps a bit hasty (again).

Arwen - DA is right down your alley (methinks). The role-playing element and dialogue is unbelievable. After playing this game for a few hours, I thought of you - and just kept thinking: this game is one Arwen will freak out on. I think the Rogue would be perfect for you.

Ok . . . now I'm intrigued. I may just HAVE to get this after all (Like I actually have time to play it, since I've gotten into modding FO3, I barely have time to play Fallout ... and I haven't touched Oblivion in like 6 months. Well . . . I guess one can't have too many RPGs . . . or perhaps they can, if the 'one' is me . . . who gets a bit obsessed trying to make her RPGs perfect).

OK, I'm thinking that I could get this for Christmas (as I ALWAYS get a PC game ... sort of been a tradition with me ... since like forever. And I haven't yet picked one out. Ok . . . here's the biggie . . . do I get the regular edition or the collector's???

Thanks bringing this RPG to my attention, jamenta.

[Blood_River]

While Dragon Age doesn't have a very original storyline, the character development and interaction is very fleshed out. Its easy to see how passionate Bioware was about creating deeply interesting characters. On the other hand, it should be said that those fans of Bethesda games might be turned off by the linearity present in the game. You can't wander off into the wilderness if you'd like, because there is no wilderness, really.There is plenty of reading to be had in this game(similar to the way Oblivion and Morrowind had readable books all over the place). It also needs to be said that there is plenty of combat, which is a core part of the game. I personally found the combat to be tedious. It takes a long time to get through dungeons etc. There are several difficulty settings though, which I thought was great. Its true the game is very violent and bloody, but you'll probably be using the birds eye view camera angle(zoomed out far above the action), so you won't really even see much of the detailed carnage.

Anyways, short summary: I'm about halfway through the game, and find myself itching to get to the next main plot point, rather than engaging in combat.

[jamenta]

I would spend extra 15 and get the collector's.

I have to admit be a bit "fanboyish" when first starting the game - and a little too gushing, but
DAO is still a "must buy" RPG IMO - the best to come out in some time.

Warning IT IS DIFFERENT from Oblivion & Fallout - instead of full freedom of play you get
set pieces. But each of these set pieces are polished and very intricate involved dialogue and role-playing.
The role-playing and voice acting are really really well done - and you get a very strong
sense that the choices you make matter very much what happens.

Definitely give yourself a christmas present Arwen and make the purchase. You won't be
disappointed. And let us know what you think!

[jamenta]

A link to the Dragon Age Outtakes that are pretty funny:

http://johnamenta.blogspot.com/2009/11/ ... takes.html

The link is actually to a blog post from my Eve Online game playing. To lazy to link youtube directly. heh.

[Seth]

The story line is ok and characters development is done much better than tes and pulls you in, seems very easy to role play as well, but the combat is lacking compared to bethesda's games and the graphics for the characters are not as good. There is no freedom to explore really,which is one thing i loved about tes, but you can make choices which are supposed to change out comes. Other than it's attrocious combat system which is in line with mmorpgs, by this i mean you dont fight on your own you right click the enemy then use the hot keys to do skills and most of the fighting is done for you think along the lines of lineage 2 or wow, I think it is a very good game but only if you like "classical" rpgs;). The role playing is very engaing though you dont have to imagine most of it as happening although that could be said to be part of the fun with tes. Overall i would recomend it though just know it's short commings and it's good points first.

ps. if you do get it i would get the extra content as it adds a extra companion, quest, and gear.

[4th of Eleven]

Have to say, I was less than impressed with the game. Most of the characters are entertaining, and some sections are a lot of fun... but on the other hand, there's a lot of sections of incredibly repetitive combat with few or any points of interest.

Now, normally, I wouldn't mind that much, but with the lack of exploration (so you *have* to trudge through the boring sections to get to the good bits), combined with a rather unforgiving combat system (not helped by a lack of any real documentation) makes it difficult for me to recommend the game. I find myself a little unsure as to why it's getting so much good press - it's not a horrible game, by any stretch, but I feel it's the weakest game BioWare's produced.

Incidently, if you do get it, the extra content probably isn't worth it. The best bit, the new companion, is available free with every new copy of the game, not just the deluxe edition.

[Grizzly]

Is it really THAT good? Not that I'm questioning your opinion on it, but is it really better than Bethesda's RPGs?

Arwen, Bioware competely OWNS Bethesda when it comes to RPG games... In my opinion. Why?

Bethesda puts emphasis on total freedom.
Bioware puts emphasis on STORY.

Which, for me, is much more important. Total freedom gets boring, when you have no-one to talk to about it, when your dialogue options are shortened to 'Gray Fox', when those dialogue options that shape your character are completely unimportant in any sort of way (except for accepting or refusing a quest). Bioware always manages to grab me with their stories, their characters, their worlds... Bethesda only succeeds at the world, partly.