Are You Ready For The Most Epic Adventure Ever???
Then came Dragon Age Origins, the same developer of BG and NWN series. Although it did make some noise at E3 this year but i still feel skeptical this title and feel it is way over appreciated.
However i was wrong......
The world of Ferelden is greater than you can imagine. It is a huge world with large amount of cities and villages full of surprises. I don't care how many time you've travel trough Cities of Ferelden, It will still surprise you with twist and turn that you never expected.
The story of Dragon Age: Origins is for me the strongest part of this game. At first it seems like a old fashion "good vs evil" kinda fantasy story quickly turn into a mind-blowing and incredible adventure. It is not as straight forward as "good vs evil". It's Grey Warden vs Dark Spawns. Who say Grey Warden is good? It has a lot of darkness and if you want, it can be as evil as it can. It will SUCK YOU IN AND KEEP YOU THERE.
The reason why the story is so great relies on you decision to change it. Every decision you make will change the story and it make you feel that much involving. If you did something bad, rest assure it will haunt you later. Combining the great story and involving choices by player make it very addictive.
The 6 Origins story is a very clever way to start the game. By choosing different origin, you will begin a different path of journey into the world of DA:O. Although eventually you will still join Grey Warden, the rest of the game will change based on your origins story. Example, if you are a mage. Your decision during the origins story will greatly determine the outcome and ending of this game so make your decision wisely.
The combat system is the typical Bioware system. However Bioware successfully improve the "pause and play" system and make it great especially against some tough opponent. Since the game (on pc) is very challenging(try play it on nightmare difficulty setting before saying it is easy!), the "pause and play" system make the combat manageable and victory is that much sweeter. The upgrading system to me is great. It give you small amount of skill point to spend so again, you need to choose your upgrade wisely. The different between a great warrior and an useless warrior is just a few clicks away.
Another great addition to this game is the romance system. Although NWN 2 did have some companionship system, DA:O romance system is much more robust. If you are a man, you can either flirt with a female companion or male companion and vice versa (i think this is the first ever game that feature same gender relationship) which make it very real-world-like.
Graphic of DA:O is good but not great. I admit I did see better graphic in other games this year so it is an area Bioware need to improve. I play this game mainly on PC so i won't comment about the PS3 and 360 system.
Sound on the other hand is superb. Dialogues bring the character to life and ambient and music keep you in the game. Try close you eyes and listen to the dialogue, it really feels like somebody is standing next to you and talking to you (i tried and it's great).
The gameplay of DA:O is the typical RPG gameplay. It does everything a RPG game should and does it marvelously. Even if you are not a RPG fans (like me) should also try it yourself. However it does not have D&D license so it has small differences with previous bioware titles such as NWN 1 and 2.
You start the game with 1 of 3 classes: warrior, rogue and mage. However each classes can specialize in 4 different specialization. So you have dozens of ways to build your character (do your maths!). Besides that, you have many skills and magic to learn so you will have a "one in a million" character as your alter ego.
Replayability value is great. Since every choice you make will impact the game, you will have different experience every time you play the game. The only element that remain the same is the main story plot. Every other elements are different if you try to play differently. I just finished the game for the third time and i still can't wait for my forth adventure. ( i notice some reviews mentioned the main story is the same so replayablity value is low. Here's my reply: if everything including the main story is difference each time you play, it's not one game. It's two or more.)
The best description i can think of for this game is: it's a bridge that connects you in your boring bedroom (or where ever you play the game) to an amazing and epic journey in the fantasy world of Ferelden. Your action will change your experience in Ferelden. With superb story , amazing gameplay, smart combat system and great sound, It's more than a game, It's an incredible and involving journey that may live forever!!!