The "Retro Game Reviews" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
This thread has been linked to the game 'Dragon Age Origins'.
I'm guessing from its title that Bioware intend their new Dragon Age: Origins to be the first of several games set in the Dragon Age universe. I, however, won't be playing them. The reason is that Dragon Age has to be Bioware's weakest game to date, and one of the most mediocre RPGs I've played. The storyline is pretty generic fantasy stuff – you play a human, elf or dwarf who's charged with stopping evil from taking over the world. The evil in question is the Darkspawn. That's a scary sounding name, certainly. The Darkspawn have to be some kind of evil nightmarish creatures, the likes of which would give H.P. Lovecraft the willies?
Unfortunately not. They're just your bog standard orcs, goblins and trolls. Granted, Bioware don't call them orcs and such, but they're fooling no-one. The rest of the storyline's not much good either – full of cardboard cut out villains, bland characters and predictable plot turns, like a poor man's Lord of the Rings.
The gameplay is the usual standard RPG stuff. You roam around, killing monsters using magic, hand to hand weaponry, arrows or some combination of the three, levelling up as you. You do get to roam around with three other characters, more than any other Bioware game to date, which is a change. And your NPC companions will use spells, different weapons and so forth depending upon the situation.
But the NPC AI also has some odd quirks – like the way that they won't use health potions unless you mess about in their behaviour screen and explicitly tell them to do so. You'd think that the fact they were bleeding from several nasty wounds would be incentive enough to knock back a health potion, but apparently not. They each have their own back stories, and you even have the option of flirting with and ultimate sleeping with some of them. And yes, in case you're wondering, there is a girl on girl option. Although whether that generates the same kind of controversy that same situation in Bioware's previous game Mass Effect did remains to be seen.
The game's best selling point has to be the graphics – they're pretty good, especially if you're playing the game on a PC with a decent graphics card. And the voice acting is also excellent – the characters voices all sound different, background characters included. It's a world away from the identically voiced characters of Bethesda's Oblivion. Unfortunately, the above seem wasted somehow, when the game's plot and characters are as bland as they are. It's difficult to care about the fate of Dragon Age's world, which removes pretty much any incentive you have to play the game.
Oh, and then there's the DLC – that's downloadable content – another reason not to bother with Dragon Age Origins. I don't have a problem with the existence of downloadable content as a whole. Fallout 3, for example, had some quite decent downloadable content, including a whole new area to explore and a piece of DLC that took you past the end of the game. But most downloadable content is released some time after the game's original release. Dragon Age's content was available on the day of release, which means that they took the decision to short-change gamers by leaving some content out of the game and selling it separately.
Dragon Age Origins is an RPG by the numbers. Its generic fantasy setting and boring storyline doesn't do it any good, and the game as a whole is middling at best. It is quite a long game, and there are plenty of quest to do, but they're not particularly interesting either . Even if you've been a fan of Bioware's previous efforts, Dragon Age Origins isn't worth buying. You're better off saving your money for Mass Effect 2, which is released in January. Or if you really want to immerse yourself in a fantasy world, go and buy the Lord of the Rings boxed set. You'll get more enjoyment out of it.
Unfortunately not. They're just your bog standard orcs, goblins and trolls. Granted, Bioware don't call them orcs and such, but they're fooling no-one. The rest of the storyline's not much good either – full of cardboard cut out villains, bland characters and predictable plot turns, like a poor man's Lord of the Rings.
The gameplay is the usual standard RPG stuff. You roam around, killing monsters using magic, hand to hand weaponry, arrows or some combination of the three, levelling up as you. You do get to roam around with three other characters, more than any other Bioware game to date, which is a change. And your NPC companions will use spells, different weapons and so forth depending upon the situation.
But the NPC AI also has some odd quirks – like the way that they won't use health potions unless you mess about in their behaviour screen and explicitly tell them to do so. You'd think that the fact they were bleeding from several nasty wounds would be incentive enough to knock back a health potion, but apparently not. They each have their own back stories, and you even have the option of flirting with and ultimate sleeping with some of them. And yes, in case you're wondering, there is a girl on girl option. Although whether that generates the same kind of controversy that same situation in Bioware's previous game Mass Effect did remains to be seen.
The game's best selling point has to be the graphics – they're pretty good, especially if you're playing the game on a PC with a decent graphics card. And the voice acting is also excellent – the characters voices all sound different, background characters included. It's a world away from the identically voiced characters of Bethesda's Oblivion. Unfortunately, the above seem wasted somehow, when the game's plot and characters are as bland as they are. It's difficult to care about the fate of Dragon Age's world, which removes pretty much any incentive you have to play the game.
Oh, and then there's the DLC – that's downloadable content – another reason not to bother with Dragon Age Origins. I don't have a problem with the existence of downloadable content as a whole. Fallout 3, for example, had some quite decent downloadable content, including a whole new area to explore and a piece of DLC that took you past the end of the game. But most downloadable content is released some time after the game's original release. Dragon Age's content was available on the day of release, which means that they took the decision to short-change gamers by leaving some content out of the game and selling it separately.
Dragon Age Origins is an RPG by the numbers. Its generic fantasy setting and boring storyline doesn't do it any good, and the game as a whole is middling at best. It is quite a long game, and there are plenty of quest to do, but they're not particularly interesting either . Even if you've been a fan of Bioware's previous efforts, Dragon Age Origins isn't worth buying. You're better off saving your money for Mass Effect 2, which is released in January. Or if you really want to immerse yourself in a fantasy world, go and buy the Lord of the Rings boxed set. You'll get more enjoyment out of it.
Page:
And then there's the expansion pack - Awakening. THIRTY QUID! Thirty flipping quid for an expansion pack that requires the original game - that's got to be some sort of record. Episodes from Liberty City is only just that much and it's completely stand alone.
Yeah he is boring as hell. I think to be honest after I have got my last trophy I won't play it again. 4 playthroughs have turned me off for a bit.,
I did have another go at it, this time on PS3. And I got even more bored this time. What annoyed me in particular was when I tried taking on one of the dodgy quests from the barman in the Gnawed Noble - only to find they were all object collection quests, like shooting the pigeons in Grand Theft Auto. And I also realized that Alistair completes the unholy trinity of boring male party characters, along with Carth from KOTOR and Kaidan from Mass Effect.
Was waiting for your reply. True about the second hand thing. I wonder if that is the primary thing? :S Either that or "feel good factor".
Have you played it anymore mate? I'm on my second playthrough at the moment, only 1 more for the Platinum trophy. (Well apart from the Origin trophies)
Have you played it anymore mate? I'm on my second playthrough at the moment, only 1 more for the Platinum trophy. (Well apart from the Origin trophies)
Another reason for this is to stop people buying second hand games. You buy it new, you get some - but not all - of the DLC. But it second hand, you have to pay eleven quid on top of that to get the DLC.
To make money on the side content when the first release of games is over? Dunno. It seemed like a bad idea though......
But still, you don't need them. And infact I wouldn't even bother unless you really want them. The Warden gives you a decent character called Shale. Damn good tank, moderate dps (ranged or melee neither better) and a weird "don't use him as a character, just use him as a buff rod". He becomes a totem pole of buffing power.
Also gives you a little extra area. Not much. Just a bit of story for Shale. But it is free with the game disc.
Dragon armor is also free with the disc.
The Warden's Keep is pretty good for a fiver. Storage chest (not needed IMO) and 2 extra shops. You get possibly a 30 minute dungeon, that's pretty interesting.
You also get a weird scene when walking between world areas dubbed " the superman event" where a couple grab a baby from a meteor crash site. But you pick up the metal, which one of the guys at the keep turns into a mega 1 handed sword for you.
Ok, but not really necassary.
But still, you don't need them. And infact I wouldn't even bother unless you really want them. The Warden gives you a decent character called Shale. Damn good tank, moderate dps (ranged or melee neither better) and a weird "don't use him as a character, just use him as a buff rod". He becomes a totem pole of buffing power.
Also gives you a little extra area. Not much. Just a bit of story for Shale. But it is free with the game disc.
Dragon armor is also free with the disc.
The Warden's Keep is pretty good for a fiver. Storage chest (not needed IMO) and 2 extra shops. You get possibly a 30 minute dungeon, that's pretty interesting.
You also get a weird scene when walking between world areas dubbed " the superman event" where a couple grab a baby from a meteor crash site. But you pick up the metal, which one of the guys at the keep turns into a mega 1 handed sword for you.
Ok, but not really necassary.
I'm sure I'll still get it, maybe not in as much of a hurry though...
If the DLC is free, why bother making it DLC...? Is it purely to seperate the 'main' game from these other (presumably quite large) side-quests...?
If the DLC is free, why bother making it DLC...? Is it purely to seperate the 'main' game from these other (presumably quite large) side-quests...?
Buy the game, no paid for downloads. Simples. You get voucher codes with the game allowing to download them for free.
And don't take his review as definate. I'm almost at platinum trophy for this now, and still oddly amused by it. So much to do, as with all their games.
Average score across the net seems to be around 7/10 so it can't be that bad.
And don't take his review as definate. I'm almost at platinum trophy for this now, and still oddly amused by it. So much to do, as with all their games.
Average score across the net seems to be around 7/10 so it can't be that bad.
:(
I don't know whether I want this now. I absolutely loved the Baldurs Gate games, and heard DragonAge was going to be the biggest 'spiritual' successor to them thus far.
The 'Downloadable Content from day 1' thing did strike me as a bit of a cynical money-spinner though...
I don't know whether I want this now. I absolutely loved the Baldurs Gate games, and heard DragonAge was going to be the biggest 'spiritual' successor to them thus far.
The 'Downloadable Content from day 1' thing did strike me as a bit of a cynical money-spinner though...
It's not like I disagree with it all, but I do feel a huge part of my enjoyment is because I am throughly RPG starved :(
Page: