Dragon Age: Origins

Dragons, darkspawn, and baddies oh my! Dragon Age: Origins has all its bases covered in this epic, high-budget RPG. And while it may seem to follow the same old song and dance plotline of trying to save the world Dragon Age is a fresh and original experience with plenty to make it stand out from the rest. You can begin your tale from anything as lowly as a peasant to nobility, in radically different settings and situations with a great deal of character customization. On my first play through I was a warrior dwarven noblesse in the depths of the earth who's livelihood was threatened by both political intrigue and the darkspawn, tainted beings and the main antagonists that live in the Deep Roads. It's within these first few hours that Dragon Age: Origins really begins to shine and the ability to choose from unique dialogue options will contribute to the overall immersion. In fact, it's through conversation and it's highly amusing, complex characters that really make it stand out amongst its piers. 

No matter what origin story you choose, however, some things remain the same. You will always screw up (or be screwed) and a convenient NPC, Duncan, will swoop in to save the day... for a price. Duncan is the Warden-Commander and recruiter for the Gray Wardens, an order that has for centuries been the ones responsible for stopping the darkspawn plague. It's here the story really begins, with you and a team of ragtag allies you recruit along the way as the unlikely heroes who must stop the world from ending beneath the bodies of thousands of tainted monstrosities while simultaneously uniting the fractured cities and races that populate this world.

The story is realistic and well paced, with the intricacies of the plot slowly unwinding with every city you come to. You can be sure that there will be some game altering decisions along the way that can help decide who will fight with you in the final battle, so choose wisely. What's unfortunate about this is that once a decision is made there's no going back, nor any sign of neutrality. You're either all in or all out, which can seem a little ridiculous at time, but it keeps the plot moving and really demands that you reflect before making a rush decision. It's good to keep in mind that your allies are watching what you choose, too, and depending on their personalities their affection for you can raise or drop, or they may even choose to leave the party permanently.   

There are many locations for the player to explore, from dungeons to forests to castles, and each with their own problems and unique denizens, but I found that getting from place to place was a rather tedious experience. The world is a map and you travel from place to place via a red line drawn (slowly) across it, with a chance for random encounters each time. While it does cut down on time it breaks the immersive experience and the locales themselves don't really make up for it. Keeping to the trend of modern games the colors of the settings are rather monochrome, depending on your setting. Dungeons will be brown, castles will be gray, and forests a dingy brown and green. Despite this, the graphics are all rough around the edges and may seem a little outdated. While the visuals might fall flat, the music steps up and adds to the authentic fantasy experience, proving to be quite enjoyable and a reason to turn your volume up.

The game balances the allies you meet perfectly, reassuring things are kept interesting and making sure that you'll be able to meet the battles ahead well prepared. And while their motivations for joining you might be a little sketchy at times, their unique and likable personalities, along with humorous dialogue, make it well worth it. The exchanges of conversation between your allies throughout your game regularly put a grin on my face. What's more is that the game encourages you to speak and get to know your allies, with permanent bonuses towards their stats when their affection for you increases and, eventually, sidequests. If you manage to get them to a certain level of affection, depending on your gender (or not), you can even take them to bed and create a relationship that will influence the ending. 

Whatever complaints I might have, the combat is a unique experience. There is no level cap, though I found myself at around level 20 when I reached the final boss, and there are multiple ways to develop your character and allies through a plethora of skill branches and character classes. So, even if you have multiple types of the same class (warrior, rogue, mage, ...dog?) they can be entirely different characters with entirely different fighting styles. I styled my warrior in the way of the berserker (when given the choice of templar, berserker, reaver, and champion), while my mages were black and white respectively. 

Overall, a good game filled with complex characters, multi-faceted societies, and a chance to really influence the game with your decision. The combat can be a little awkward at times, but unique and competent with endless ways to try and get that perfect character. The game lives up to the title of 'epic' and will deliver for hours and hours of fun. Definitely worthy of any RPGer's collection.