[Balfree]

I haven't enjoyed gaming in a while, to be honest.

Being a fan of pretty much every BioWare game, Dragon Age: Origins is just what I was expecting, if not heaps more.

To be honest I was expecting something like Neverwinter Nights 2 with a different storyline, but I must say now that this game is probably after around 5 hours of playing, the best game in 2009 for me.

The first thing that impressed me was the stability of the game, more often than not you get a new game for the PC and it crashes or lags or is just filled with bugs or annoyances that get patched after a while, but right now this game has me impressed with how fast it loads, how fast the application closes and how fluid everything is despite the intricate detail put into everything, even the UI. Windows don't just pop up... they sparkle and fade and bloom in and out graciously, it just feels great to even use the UI.

Then the plot... seems at first to be linear but things change rapidly and it has been keeping me interested, more than any recent game has, since maybe Baldur's Gate II. And I'm pretty sure that depending on the background you choose the plot will be considerably different... Im a Human Warrior, son of a Teyrn (a sort of Lord). I'm pretty sure I can't be the same person were I a Rogue or a Mage. Or an Elf, or a Dwarf, who both also have their own different backgrounds. There's at least 5 different backgrounds you can choose from, each being defined by your race and class.

Characters are full of life, some of them look a little plastic at times but that is easily overlooked but their defining personalities, you can see a lot of work was put into that side of the game. You can also interact with every playable character like in previous Bioware games, such as NWN and Mass Effect, which will help in building a bond with them, bonding with other characters will help improve their trust in you and in turn there are some good things that can come from that, either battle bonuses, romance, or simply more intricate dialog to explore. Choices you make along the way will define how others view you and with that you can also work towards defining your own personality. This is something were all expecting from future Bioware games though, but its always a nice thing.

Gameplay is more of the same if you've played NWN or Baldur's Gate, nothing too new here. Some nice stuff though, you can counter some spells effects with other spells which is something that seems like it has been put aside for way too long. Someone cast a spell that set the area on fire and is doing damage to everyone, you counter with a cold spell to nullify the fire, simple as that. Other things can probably be done too but I haven't played enough to explore that too much, but I'm expecting a fireball to get rid of a spider web, or oil to be set aflame by casting a simple fire spell. Many interesting things you can do with spells depending on the conditions of the target or the environment, for example one of my Mages has a Horror spell, which will put a target in a state of shock, but if they're asleep it will cause nightmares and do damage, cool.

DA:O borrows the FFXII gambit idea, which pretty much borrowed the idea from Baldur's Gate and improved on it. You can defined tactics for your characters, for example heal someone if their HP is less than %. Or cast silence on an enemy who is a mage. Or taunt an enemy if it is doing too much damage to one of your heroes, etc. Or you can disregard tactics and do everything yourself, suiting both casual players who are looking for a simple run of the game and those who look to take control of every action.

And yes you can pause the game and select battle commands, Bioware's staple pausing system always comes in handy for when you just need to stop and think for a minute. And you will need to think. Engaging a bunch of enemies all at once without planning ahead might be fatal, and has been a bunch of times... for me. It taught me a lesson: look around for enemies at all times, fire a spell or an arrow to draw first blood, every hit counts. Pull enemies away from each other or draw them in for a powerful AOE spell, flank the sides, plan ambushes with traps... all the good things from Baldur's Gate are in this game... the nostalgia is overwhelming at times.

Specialization is also in DA:O, a warrior at least has 4 different specializations and you can also master a number of different talents, be it the use of a shield, ranged attacks, dual wielding or 2-handed fighting. I'm expecting an equally large assortment of specializations for the other classes.

The game has been a lot of fun so far and I'm very surprised at how well made everything is. I especially like how your hero (and other PCs) sometimes jumps at an enemy to deliver the final blow and beheads them or violently tears them into pieces in a gore fest with tons of blood and gore. Oh and you will be covered in blood for most of the game, so get used to it or disable it in the options. In fact there is blood everywhere, you can drown in blood in this game if you're not careful.

SPIOLARZZZ

You even have to drink some of it at some point in the game.

Anyway I miss the game already, gonna go back and play some moar

Here's some screenshots I took so far:

[Jonastb]

I just got this the other night, I am playing an elvan mage. My story is very different. I am also playing a female, which changes dialogue, and more than just the personal pronoun. I am thoroughly enjoying this game. I hate putting it down, but there is a life outside it.

I have it for my PS3, so my UI looks different, but equally impressive. The controls are great and it doesn't take long to get the hang of what you need to. I am playing on Normal Mode, so It isn't too tough, I have only completely died twice so far.

I sense a little of KOTOR, in that some of your decisions for dialogue will depict who you are and how people treat you.

I haven't gotten too far, though I recognize most of the Screenshots you posted. I am hoping this is just the begning.

[Takelli]

Damn... you guys are making me want to play it now! XD

[cidbahamut]

I heard Baldur's Gate in there. Could it really be? Could there be another game of that caliber on the market again after all these years?

Balfree, you said it played like NWN and BG, which did it more closely resemble? I remember being turned off by NWN's interface after so many years of playing on the Infinity engine.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Withheld content sold at launch is always awesome.

[Pwnagraphic]

The ending of that is great.

[Balfree]

Originally Posted by cidbahamut

I heard Baldur's Gate in there. Could it really be? Could there be another game of that caliber on the market again after all these years?

Balfree, you said it played like NWN and BG, which did it more closely resemble? I remember being turned off by NWN's interface after so many years of playing on the Infinity engine.

Dragon Age: Origins is the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate.

If you're turned off by NWN's gameplay you might not enjoy DA:O because it's pretty much the same... but isnt NWN's gameplay ... also pretty much the same as Baldur's? You can set the game to play in "tactical mode", which gives you an isometric view of the surroundings and it is exactly like what Baldur's Gate would have been in 3D.

I might add that D&D rules are gone but what they have is engaging and fun nonetheless. New things are great when they're... done properly, and to be honest I'm glad they did away with that, D&D belongs on a table, IMO.

Originally Posted by Omgwtfbbqkitten

Withheld content sold at launch is always awesome.

Very true, however...

Is it worth every penny?

Fuck yes.

[TheGrandMom]

Pfft, who pays for it anyways. Come on people, get with it.

[cidbahamut]

Originally Posted by Balfree

If you're turned off by NWN's gameplay you might not enjoy DA:O because it's pretty much the same... but isnt NWN's gameplay ... also pretty much the same as Baldur's?

It certainly didn't feel that way, but again that might be related to the interface. The interface that I still think was horribly inferior to what we were given with the Infinity engine.

Originally Posted by Omgwtfbbqkitten

Withheld content sold at launch is always awesome.

Actually I think this answered my question: A resounding "Hell no".

Bioware can go jump in a lake. I miss Black Isle.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

I think its kind of sad that a game that could naturally and successfully sell expansions has to resort to this kind of nonsense. They literally have an NPC in the middle of your camp trying to sell you on DLC from the first day. Optional content? Sure, but they deserve a bit a backlash for this.

As much as I rag on Bethesda for releasing untested piles of bugs on the masses, at least when they try to sell new content for their games they do it with an expansion. Even if we can complain about what various MMOs do, they will eventually roll it into an expansion set. Plus MMOs have mass players wandering around their worlds, which brings about all kinds of need for balancing and adjustment that a single player game might never need.

But when you have a single-player RPG franchise? Sales -1 to any RPG publisher that does it, East or West. Were such a thing to happen with FFXIII, I would never buy it.

Is this really how its going to be for all future games, where we have to watch every release down to the wire to see whether or not they're going to pull this nonsense? Its like the gaming industry now is where the record industry was ten years ago - both greedy and arrogant as hell - such that its hard for me to shed a tear when a big name game gets pirated to death.

[Icemage]

Me, I'm waiting for the day a major title is released where the majority of the content is DLC on first day, and gets marketed as "customize only the parts of the game you want!!!oneoneone1!".

There's some early harbingers of this sort; SingStar for PlayStation 3 retails for $40 instead of $60, but comes with only 16 songs on the disc (and was marketed as "you can buy the songs you really want with the money you saved").

It's only a matter of time before this idea takes hold elsewhere I think.


Icemage

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Well, I can except this sort of thing with LBP or Rock Band 2 because they really have no intention of making sequels to these games this generation. In that respect, the microtransaction model totally suits them as its really just a way to expand these games and keep them viable. Plus Rock Band gets expansions, Lego Rock Band isn't a true sequel in any sense, but all the songs are exportable to the main game.

Now, I'm sure this is the part where someone will say "But Beatles Rock Band doesn't export."

Well, that was also planned around a major set of CD and vinyl remasters, not to mention MP3s. I'm pretty sure that all parties involved wanted this game to be a Beatles thing from the outset. No doubt all that was going to push a major flow of cash into the Jackson estate, too.

The game is substantial enough to be a standalone game. considering this game covers the entire life of the band. I'm also rather sure they'll work out a deal to get track packs out for the main game, its not like the record industry is going to say no to more money. I'm pretty sure they just want to push this one through the holiday season, then do do a track pack download later.

I wouldn't hold it against them if they made a RB: U2, though. In fact, the band is inquiring about it. Hell, I'd buy it. Queen is rumored for this treatment, but I don't see how as they didn't last that long. They were unique, but they also just got the Lego Rock Band treatment, which is actually pretty damn endearing. I think all repeats of the Beatles treatment are rumors at this point, though.

I guess I just take issue with severed-off content where immersive experiences are involved. You play RPG to build a character, take them out into the world for exploration, quests and story/lore.

Seeing a guy that only gives you quests if you open your wallet? Yeah, as the guy said, "Suspension of disbelief? Pierced."

[Balfree]

Despite all of that...

The game is awesome.

I don't have any of the DLC, either.

[tsukuku]

looking foward to dragon age too

[Yellow Mage]

Played this game for all day, pretty much. It's been pretty cool. I'm a Level 5 Human Mage, currently with 4 Spirit, 2 Creation, and 2 basic Mage spells in my arsenal, but I'm basically done with Spirit Magic now that I have Telekinetic Weapons and Mana Drain (Mind Blast is pretty sweet, though), and both of my Creation spells so far are of the Heal line (not that the Glyph and Spell Wisp line don't interest me, at least to their third spells). I'm also considering the Earth and Ice lines of Primal spells (as far as raw nukage goes Arcane Bolt serves me just fine, though) and the Weakness and Disorientation lines of Entropy spells, eventually maybe.

Considering that both of the last two spells I got were specifically for Mana regeneration, and also considering that that was because I noticed quite a few sustained spells that I was interested in, I'm probably going to have to factor in some more Willpower in to my build. Oh, and of course being the kind of person that I am, I'm hoping to get the Arcane Warrior and Spirit Healer specializations somewhere down the line.