A Brave, New World
Recently, I have not blogged much. Not that I ran out of stuff to write about, but because I spent every waking moment of my time on the computer playing this game: Dragon Age: Origins. If it managed to keep me away form the wonders of the internet for such a long time, a positive review is bound to follow.
Developed by BioWare, it claims to be the “Spiritual successor of Baldur’s Gate”. (Dont ask me why) I had enjoyed the previous BioWare title I played, Mass Effect, to the very end. The gameplay was immersive, the visuals amazing and the world was enchanting. I had also heard much about Neverwinter Nights, but always missed out on a chance to play it. (The unfortunate incidents always led to me not getting to play NWN. So for me, its probably “Never on Winter (or summer, spring and autumn for that matter) Nights”
However, I jumped at Dragon Age Origins when I first got the chance.
You never get to hear your voice. :|
The game is good, to say the least. It is a RPG, though radically different from ones like The Elder Scrolls. The gameplay is party based, much like Mass Effect. You control a whole bunch of heroes, though one of them is your main character, and take tactical pauses to define your next attack and tactics. It has, of course, all the elements to expect from a Fantasy RPG: Blooddrenched armour, a host of cool spells, In depth character customization, weapons with exotic sounding names, the mage or warrior dillema, and a load of horny medieval costumes.
The story too is amazingly told, putting you in the midst of an arcane world called Ferelden, where peace is threatened by dark, mysterious creatures called the darkspawn. Also, depending on your race and class, there are 6 very unique stories which you can experience, though I am contented with one playthrough. I am not really a sucker for replay value, as I don’t generally *replay*.The leveling too is amazing, as you can choose from a host of abilities
Name the Darkspawn, and the Darkspawn appear
My gore sensors are tingling, this has ought to be a bloody battle.
You don’t need much said to motivate yourself to play this game. Its plain beautiful. However, I would still prefer Mass Effect over this one. Blame it to me for a futuristic fetish, but I have played too many medieval RPGs in my day that feature heroes, with might and magic. And Mass Effect, with that unique Star Wars like feel, just feels better suited to my hands.
No worries though, once you start playing Dragon Age, it is bound to keep you hooked for atleast one playthrough. (42 hours is my guess)
Getting beat up. Damn are Minotaur-looking Ogres BULLies
Related articles by Zemanta
- Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening Micro-Review: Almost Going Number Two [Review] (kotaku.com)
- Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening Review (godisageek.com)
- Review: Dragon Age: Origins (macworld.com)
- Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening Launch Trailer (cinemablend.com)
