Dragon Age: Origins is Bioware’s return to fantasy, and one of the most under-rated RPGs in recent memory. I waited with bated breath for this game, eager to play what sounded like a fantasy version of Mass Effect. I had I tried desperately not to get my hopes up, not to expect too much from this game, but I couldn’t help it. Regardless, I was amazed by what I got.

The story is simply amazing. Never before in a video game have my choices affected every aspect of the game so much. I figured that choosing to start as a dwarf commoner might mean that I would get a quest or two thrown my way in which people talked about my upbringing. I never imagined that my social standing changed the way that every other person in the game interacted with me. Also, with every other RPG I’ve played, there are always the good guy choices, the bad guy choices and the neutral choices. These were always clear-cut, and easy to identify. This is not the case with Dragon age. The majority of the quests in the game can require the player to make choices in which there are morally vague outcomes. At one point I had to choose between killing a young boy that had been possessed by a powerful demon or performing a dangerous and illegal ritual in which a boy’s mother would be sacrificed to save him. These are difficult choices, and not to be made without serious consideration.

The Main plot for the game focuses on the Darkspawn. Darkspawn are monstrous creatures with poison blood. Throughout history, they have unrelentingly plagued the world, though there has not been a major blight on the land on over 400 years. Unfortunately, the relative peace is coming to an end. The Darkspawn army is amassing, and poised to rear their ugly heads from the depths of the deep roads to conquer the surface. However, there exists a weapon which is unpatrolled against the Darkspawn: The Grey Wardens. The Grey Wardens are a long-existing group who sacrifice everything for the greater good of the people. You must become a Grey Warden, and amass an army to face the Darkspawn horde. There is so much story in this game, with so may choices that change every aspect of your experience, that I dare not go any farther try to explain the story.

The Gameplay takes a bit of getting used to, and is very unique. With some basic explanation, and some trial-and-error, new players can adapt to the game with relatively good speed. It does, however, take some experience to master the controls, and break some bad habits formed by normal control layouts. Learning to use the radial menu, and all the tactics/spells/poisons/traps/what-have-you takes some time, but once you have a firm grip on things, the world is your oyster. Attacking require that players simply choose their target, and press the attack button once. That’s it, you’ll attack them until they die. You can also use special attacks or spells. These can be assigned to the face buttons, and everyone has a different tactic. Choosing your party members, and their tactics, is no easy decision either. I, for one, had three warriors and a healing mage, but my friend had two attack mages, a rogue, and a warrior.

The Sound is incredible. The effects are amazing, but where this game really shines is the voice acting. The cast is huge, and there isn’t a bad one in the bunch. The sarcastic, witty, dark, albeit hopeful writing made sure I never lost interest. The Characters were so full of life, and talking to them is as thrilling as some of the action sequences. The voice acting is definitely my favorite part of the game, though there is one disappointing caveat: your character doesn’t talk. Now, there are so many character options, with so many choices, it would be nearly impossible to find a voice for them. Ok, well, there are voices you can choose from, but these are only a few select one-liners that you spout during combat. So, they don’t count.

The graphics are where most people find fault with the game. Truthfully, I really didn’t. Many said that the graphics were disappointing, that they were incredibly bad. Well, if you compare them to Uncharted 2, or Left 4 Dead 2, they don’t quite live up, but they are still pretty good. In fact, had this game come out a year or so ago, it would have been known for its amazing graphics. There is still plenty of detail to be found, the characters actually look as though they are saying the dialogue, and the character models themselves are great. Don’t believe what the haters say about DAO’s graphics, they’ re just spoiled.

There is no multiplayer feature, which is unsurprising. I wouldn’t mind an online co-op, or even split-screen, but it might be difficult to work out the logistics of such. Players can easily switch control to another member of their party, but only one can be controlled at a time. It would be worth Bioware’s time to look into having the option of co-op possible.

I’d like to take a moment to talk about some cool features of this game. These are just some things that i thought were a nice touch. For instance, blood that comes from enemies lingers over into cutscenes. When you kill bosses, major enemies, and sometimes just randomly, you perform a slo-mo killing blow. Enemies with loot have a sparkling glow, and so will other notable items. Your party members will talk amongst themselves when you are exploring, and their chats are often quite hilarious. There are multiple romantic subplots, and many quests have multiple endings.

The world, Ferelden, is beautiful. There are plenty of places to go, each unique, and with great features. The architecture is reminiscent of anglo-saxon England, with some elements Nordic influence. Modeled after medieval England, Ferelden gives that classic dark ages fantasy look. From the massive city of Denerim, to the ancient fortress at Ostagar, from the Frostback mountains, to the Deep roads, Ferelden looks like something from a Frank Frazetta painting.

Overall, I can’t complain about this game at all. Sure, there are always little things that get on my nerves, but every game has it’s minor drawbacks. Nothing was really bad enough to mention. The story, voice acting, gameplay, and quests are some of the best in years. I can honestly say: this is the best RPG since Oblivion. Now, it hardly lives up to Oblivion, but it is certainly one of the few games worthy to be mentioned in the same breath. It ranks in my favorite RPGs ever, and if you haven’t figured it out by now, I love this game. If you’re an RPG fan you need to run, not walk, to your nearest game store and buy Dragon Age: Origins immediately.

9.5/10 Screeching Archdemons

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