Review: Dragon Age: Origins

RPGs have always been one of the most popular genres of video games. You become someone else and go on a quest to save the kingdom. The stories are filled with fantastical creatures, royalty, and of course, a traitor. Dragon Age: Origins is one such RPG…but it is also so much more.

Developer: BioWare
Publisher: EA
Platforms: PS3/X360/PC [PS3 Reviewed]

What sets DA: O apart from other RPGs is the importance of the choices that you make along your journey. You don’t have a set party in this game. As you continue along, different character will join your party, or even leave your party as it were. You have to maintain your relationships with the different characters and make sure not to make any of them too mad. You also have the option to romance certain party members in order to make your quest less…lonely. This was, perhaps, one of my favorite aspects of the game. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to make the different characters like my character. Keeping in their good favor isn’t always the easiest thing, so once you’ve established that friendship/romance, there is certainly a feeling of accomplishment.

Another interesting feature of DA: O is the ability to customize your character and play their back story. When I played, I played an Elf Mage. My story started out in the Circle of Magi, where my character grew up and lived. Other character types have different origin stories. Humans can be noble or common, Dwarves the same, and Elves can come from the city or the forest. Each of these stories can also affect your game at different points along the way. I feel that it helps you to become more invested with your character and really makes you want to see your character’s story through to the end. The game is great for both the novice gameplayer and the experienced RPGer. There are different skill levels to make the game more challenging depending on your mood. You don’t have to stick to one skill level for the whole game, either. If you are playing on a more advanced level and you hit a rough patch of the game, you can always scale it back for one particular battle and then continue onward.

The graphics on this game are awesome as well. While there is sometimes some pixilation during scenes with a lot going on, much of the gameplay is smooth. Even in dark environments, you can still see the beautiful settings that your characters venture into. Dungeons, forests, castles, cities…all are detailed and different. If you were disappointed with the latest Final Fantasy and you’re looking for a good RPG to play, I suggest you revisit DA:O. Even if you’ve already finished it once, it’s worth playing again, just to make different choices and see where they lead you. You could also pick up the expansion pack, Dragon Age Origins Awakening. I can’t wait to get started on that one. Bioware and EA have really outdone themselves on this one. It’s a great, engaging story that is perfect for all levels of gamers. I highly recommend it.

SCORE: 9/10

 By: Alexandria Adams