Video Game Review: Epic ‘Dragon Age: Origins’ Sure to Satisfy RPG Fans

Printer-friendly versionE-mail page to friendPDF version

CHICAGO – When I told a friend I was getting sucked into the world of the epic-length “Dragon Age: Origins” and worried about the time commitment and how much it would take away from the rest of my life, he used a phrase that I had never heard before: “the RPG hole”. Like a black hole, role-playing games have a way of sucking players in, and when the experience is as immersive, well-designed, and entertaining as “Origins,” it’s easy to see why. Gamers looking for a quick thrill should move on to another title, but our dear readers who get a kick out of customizing their characters for an hour or so, consider choosing from several responses in a conversation to be thrilling, and just can’t get enough of XP gains, leveling up, and treasure-collecting, “Dragon Age: Origins” is one of the best RPG games of the year: a must-own in the genre.

Video Game Rating: 4.0/5.0

What will startle players the most about “Dragon Age: Origins” is the scope of the title. Clear your schedule. With all side missions and optional scenes accounted for, “Origins” reportedly runs over eighty hours in length, four times the scope of the indisputably gigantic “Mass Effect” and even bigger than the time-sucking “Fallout 3”. Players prone to wandering the forest and looking at the trees can probably add a day to that total. Naturally, as with any title that big, there’s a lot of repetition, some extensive cut scenes, and some serious down time, but this is not for fans of a quick-paced title like “Modern Warfare 2”. It’s for gamers willing to build a character and see them through a journey that could be called Tolkien-esque in its scope and style. Don’t say you weren’t warned. Even Frodo Baggins would be exhausted by this adventure.

Dragon Age: Origins
Photo credit: Electronic Arts

From the very beginning of “Origins,” the player is presented with game-changing options and incredibly deep customization. From naming your hound after your own dog to designing a hero (or heroine) who looks just look you, it’s easy to spend a ton of time with the game before you really do anything of substance at all. Players can choose from three races (human, dwarf, elf) and three classes (warrior, rogue, mage). Within those classes, there is a variety of optional skill sets to employ as your character increases his or her level. The depth of customization makes for an experience that will be notably different to each player, while also allowing a hefty sampling of other choices, as you can easily switch between your character and, say, a mage in your party later in the game.

Dragon Age: Origins Photo credit: Electronic Arts

The plot of “Dragon Age” takes hours to unfold but it is essentially another tale of an evil force (the Darkspawn) taking over the land of Ferelden and your role in stopping it. The Darkspawn are led by the Arch-demon and come out every few centuries to wreak havoc in an event known as the Blight. Naturally, it’s a plot that allows for a lot of action and a lot of classic fantasy heroes and villains.

In fact, it allows for more action than an RPG player might expect. The battle set-up includes classic, turn-by-turn fighting by pressing pause between attacks and changing character styles and preferences mid-battle, but it also allows for a more immediate, action-based fighting style, marrying different spells, weapons, etc. to the face buttons and making switching between fighters fluid and easy to use. Merging a more classic, turn-based RPG fighting system with something closer to an action title like “Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2” is one of the greatest accomplishments of “Dragon Age: Origins”. The bulk of the game is kicking demon ass and even that element of it has been designed with individual player customization in mind.

Of course, as with most RPGs, “Dragon Age: Origins” is about a lot more than swords and spells. Throughout the game, you’ll be presented with complex moral choices that will alter the entire arc of the experience, including closing off some side missions for good. When the game opens, you’re presented with choosing one of six origin stories and even that very first choice alters the overall experience. It’s not hard to believe that the “Origins” experience is at least a little bit different (and sometimes drastically so) for every player who picks up the title.

Dragon Age: Origins Photo credit: Electronic Arts

The scope and range of the game are the strongest element of “Dragon Age: Origins,” but there is still a sense that a lot of the quests, missions, and worlds are merely variations on the same fantasy theme. If you don’t have patience with games that require a “journey” to do pretty much anything, you shouldn’t apply for membership in the Grey Wardens. I also don’t get the thrill out of long, detailed conversations that serious RPG gamers probably do. I quickly grew weary of making response choices to allies and strangers. Give me the details and let me do my thing. It feels like most of the talking in “Dragon Age: Origins” goes on far longer than it needs to, often explaining things you already know or repeating the objectives or overall plot of the game ad nauseam.

Perhaps even more remarkable than the game itself is the plans for its future. We are in the beginning of an era of gaming where the disc itself is just the beginning, as major titles like “Fallout 3,” “Grand Theft Auto,” and “Marvel Ultimate Alliance” have jumped on the downloadable content bandwagon and are releasing expansion packs for their titles. According to Bioware, they have over two years of post launch content planned for “Dragon Age: Origins,” adding up to more post launch content than all other Bioware titles (“Mass Effect,” “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic,” “Baldur’s Gate”) combined. The trip down the RPG hole is just beginning.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com