Dragon Age Origins review (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) By Sayed Islam Published: 12/26/09 PrintEmail
BioWare just seems to continue to go the extra mile with each new release. Whether it is playing the role of Commander Shepard in Mass Effect, a jedi in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, or a martial artist in Jade Empire, they really know their craft. Not surprisingly, BioWare has yet another success on their hands with the recent release of Dragon Age: Origins. The storyline transpires in a pessimistic world that just happens to be full of mysticism and tyranny. Antagonists known as the Darkspawn are swarming the landscape, and there is to be no end in sight. Your role as the protagonist is to develop into a Grey Warden. Grey Wardens are responsible for preventing the advent of the Darkspawn (fiends that have absolutely no remorse). While the tale is not as immersive as other titles from BioWare, it definitely is worth experiencing especially with all the unique characters.
The gameplay is more in the sense of a traditional role playing game, but it is still engrossing. Combat is handled via a turn based and somewhat real time combination. You begin with a prototypical BioWare character customization screen. There are a wide variety of characters or classes, and they are all inimitable in their own distinct way. Just about everything from humans to dwarfs are playable. The bulk of the combat combines tactics that are normally seen in a massively multiplayer role playing game. You can pause in the midst of combat to plan out your maneuvers, and this is something that appears to be a norm in BioWare games. There are up to four members in your party, but you control one at a time (the artificial intelligence controls the others). There is no beating around the bush here: Dragon Age Origins is a tremendously long game. We are talking well over forty hours of gameplay, and that does not even scratch the surface. If you included the optional side quests, then you could conceivably invest well over fifty hours. Players can also make critical decisions that can alter the course of the game. For example, much akin to Mass Effect or other BioWare endeavors, your actions can affect how certain characters view you. Without giving too much away, you will need to be wise about some of the decisions you make because there will be ramifications for the better or worse (depending on how you want to look at it).
In regards to the visuals, there can be some stiff animations every now and then. Some of the blood effects look like ketchup. Everything else is not too egregious.
About the audio, voice acting is as rock solid as ever (which should come as expected from BioWare). The music is memorable from the start to the very last minute.
Overall, Dragon Age Origins is easily the best role playing game of the year. Its fluid blend of strong narrative and intriguing combat make this origin a tale to behold.
Art direction 8 In regards to the visuals, there can be some stiff animations every now and then. Some of the blood effects look like ketchup. Everything else is not too egregious. Audio 9 About the audio, voice acting is as rock solid as ever (which should come as expected from BioWare). The music is memorable from the start to the very last minute. Gameplay 9 The gameplay is more in the sense of a traditional role playing game, but it is still engrossing. Presentation 9 While the tale is not as immersive as other titles from BioWare, it definitely is worth experiencing especially with all the unique characters. Replay Value 10 There is no beating around the bush here: Dragon Age Origins is a tremendously long game. We are talking well over forty hours of gameplay, and that does not even scratch the surface. If you included the optional side quests, then you could conceivably invest well over fifty hours. Final verdict 9 out of 10
BioWare just seems to continue to go the extra mile with each new release. Whether it is playing the role of Commander Shepard in Mass Effect, a jedi in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, or a martial artist in Jade Empire, they really know their craft. Not surprisingly, BioWare has yet another success on their hands with the recent release of Dragon Age: Origins. The storyline transpires in a pessimistic world that just happens to be full of mysticism and tyranny. Antagonists known as the Darkspawn are swarming the landscape, and there is to be no end in sight. Your role as the protagonist is to develop into a Grey Warden. Grey Wardens are responsible for preventing the advent of the Darkspawn (fiends that have absolutely no remorse). While the tale is not as immersive as other titles from BioWare, it definitely is worth experiencing especially with all the unique characters. 
