Dragon Age: Origins is quite possible one of the best Role-Playing Games that I have ever played, and here’s why:
Story:
Dragon Age: Origins is set in Ferelden, one of several countries that makes up the mythical continent of Thedas. The game opens with an animation which details the origins of demonic creatures called the darkspawn, that dwell within the Deep Roads, an underground highway system created by the dwarves long ago, deep beneath the surface of Thedas. Every few hundred years, the darkspawn swarm the surface world in a movement known as a Blight. Beginning with the first Blight, Thedas relied on the legendary order of warriors known as the Grey Wardens to drive the darkspawn back. Dragon Age: Origins begins on the eve of Thedas’s fifth Blight. The player begins Dragon Age: Origins by completing one of the six origin stories corresponding to the race and background of the character he or she created upon choosing a new game; the choices are Human Noble, Magi, Dalish Elf or City Elf, Dwarf Commoner or Dwarf Noble. The origin section introduces the players to the mechanics of the game and the fictional world through a personalized context. The origin story determines the biography of the character and how others react to the player for the rest of Dragon Age: Origins. For example, elves are often viewed as second class citizens by humans, while mages are treated with suspicion and fear, while the human noble is treated with respect. While exploring Ferelden, the player will be presented with the opportunity to partake in numerous side-quests to flesh out the Dragon Age mythology, acquire powerful equipment, and earn experience points. Potential companions with their own special combat specialties and back-stories will also present themselves and offer to join the player’s quest. In every origin story, the player is introduced to Duncan, a Grey Warden who is trying to find recruits to join the order. By the end of their origin story, the player’s character is selected as a potential Grey Warden, and leaves with Duncan. The player and Duncan journey to a fortress called Ostagar in southern Ferelden, to join Cailan, the King of Ferelden, and Loghain, a legendary general and Cailan’s father-in-law. The three leaders plan to make a stand against the encroaching Darkspawn before the Blight can overwhelm Ferelden. Duncan can sense the influence of an Archdemon, a powerful Dragon that commands the Darkspawn, which means that this would be the first true Blight in over 400 years. It is of utmost importance that this Blight is ended before it can gain momentum, as previous Blights have left Thedas all but in ruins, and you’re sent on your first quest and your journey officially starts! And what a Journey it is, as Dragon Age: Origins has an epic story, filled with several choices for you to make along the way! You’ll also meet several Interesting, compelling, and memorable characters, such as Morrigan, Leliana, Zevran, and even a Dog!
Gameplay:
Dragon Age: Origins incorporates 6 Origin Stories, depending on the race and class you have chosen. You can choose from The Magi, Human Noble, City Elf, Dalish Elf, Dwarven Noble, and Dwarven Commoner origins. Origin stories determine the background of the player’s character prior to the main events of Dragon Age: Origins’ story, forming an introduction to the world, and a gameplay tutorial, while also comprising hours of play, which works out in an amazing way, and the customization for your character is really great too. Events of an individual Origin are reflected in the game story and characters. Characters that the player meets during the Origin story may reappear throughout Dragon Age: Origins, some as adversaries. There is no tracking of moral alignment, just party favor. The player can give party members gifts and their dialogue choices can gain favor or displeasure with the group but the moral choices of the player will still affect the story throughout Dragon Age: Origins. The player will accomplish different goals depending on if they choose to be good or evil, but the decisions that the player makes in the process will change the game world accordingly – deciding who will become king, for example, and affecting nations, races and their places in the world. These decisions will also influence the companion NPCs, possibly causing an NPC to leave the party or even attack the player if they disagree strongly with his or her actions. Dragon Age: Origins uses a party system similar to that of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic; however it is vastly improved from KotOR. Dragon Age: Origins also has a really great looking world, with a great atmosphere and an amazing soundtrack to go along with it. So Dragon Age: Origins is pretty much perfect, except for one minor thing: The Final Level. The Final Level for Dragon Age: Origins is strongly similar to the final level from Knights of the Old Republic, in the sense that instead of actually testing, it just throws mindless enemies at you almost-nonstop, and the Final Boss in Dragon Age: Origins is absolutely horrible, I have never seen a Final Boss as terrible as this one, which I would talk about more, but can’t, because spoilers.
The Final Level aside, Dragon Age: Origins is near-perfect, and I highly recommend that you get it.
