Immmm Back! My Dragon Age Review

Alright ladies and gentleman as promised here is my very inebriated review of Dragon Age.  As many of you know I am a junkie for these kind of games, and although this one took some time for me to love it grew on me more and more.  Dragon Age: Origins feels like a true origins story, I think that this sort of the successor to Baldurs Gate and they decided to throw together a game in between Mass Effect releases.  In the beginning it felt like a game that was thrown together quickly and turned into pure gold once again.

Dragon Age stars out with the usual RPG story of you coming from nothing and eventually saving the whole freakin universe.  You get to select your starting character which will alter how the beginning of the game starts.  For me, I was born a noble human whose family was killed off and I was rescued and recruited by the Grey Wardens to save the world if and when the blight returns.  Of course, at the beginning of the game the blight (a bunch of minions and big ugly dragon that took forever to kill) returns and chaos ensues and before you know it you are one of the last remaining Grey Wardens alive and you have to save the day. 

From the beginning this game makes you feel like a real brand new recruit.  You have no weight in the world of politics or pull with any race in you world.  You will find the NPC’s arguing with you frequently and many of your best laid plans will go awry.  I had some trouble with this at first, even to the point of not playing this game for about six months, but after completing it I realized the beauty in this system.  It is a true RPG.  In most games you wake up with amnesia or are a poverty stricken person who everyone immediately listens too once you are told you are a descendant of whoever the hell used to be important.  Dragon Age is not that kind of game.  Over time you gain importance, but even at the end you will be overturned by a royal whats-his-name. 

Ok now on to some of the bad parts.  Combat is clunky on the console version.  It took a long time for me to get used to but once I did it became very rewarding.  Towards the end of the game if you level your character correctly you will be one hitting many enemies and feeling like a true badass.  Higher level enemies, like the two dragons in the game, end up being 30 min battles that do a great job of making you feel weak, yet capable, in comparison to some of the world’s greatest demons.

The story did not draw me in right away, but as usual the character development saved the day.  Each character was unique, though not as fleshed out as they have been in other games.  The inventory and menu screens are also clunky and cumbersome.  However, all of the negatives seem to wash away the more I think about this game.  The characters and story draw you in and the sheer scope of this game is extremely impressive.  I spent 20 minutes at a time just going through dialog with some of my companions or random NPC’s.

Once again this game offers some amazing characters.  For example, there is a stone golem who HATES birds because he was stuck as a statue and they shit on him for years until you released him.  The dialog that came from characters like this makes many of the flaws in these games trivial.  Certain characters are hilarious while others are more serious.  There are some amazing moments with your makeshift crew just like any other game. 

The voice acting is some of the best I have ever heard.  I felt characters pain, I laughed and I cringed.  The graphics are a bit rough and the game seems to lack some of the polish that I have come to expect, but I think that once Mass Effect is done and Dragon Age becomes the flagship franchise this will be one of those series that you won’t be able to pass up. 

I think that this is a game that is not for everyone, the combat is very reminiscent of KOTOR, but it has been 5 or 6 years and gamers have come to expect more than an old combat formula since then.  However, the characters and story progression make this game worth your time.  Hit up Mass Effect if you’re looking for the perfect 360 trilogy, but this one certainly has its moments. 

The Rating System

1 Inu - This Inu is bad. It eats baby birds out of trees, craps in you shoes, and scares any potential female friends away with its ferocious demeanor.

2 Inu's - This Inu has been taken to obedience training, but failed. The dog tried hard, but just never got any of the tricks right.

3 Inu's - An average lovable Inu, sure its not gonna win any awards, but it is a faithful companion

4 Inu's - This Inu is special, he knows all of his tricks, everyone loves him, and he sits by your side every time you come back from the bar... alone.

5 Inu's - This is Inu is legendary. He is a dog among puppies. One day there will be movies made about how awesome he is.

I will give this 4 inus out of 5.  It is a solid game that I honestly want to replay again, which is a rarity for me.  There is huge replay value as there are atlest five to six different choices that you will make throughout the game that will completely change its outcome.  I bought the second one for full price before I even beat this game.