Dragon Age: Origins

I don't know why, but recently I had a hankering for a fantasy adventure. Something along the lines of The Witcher or Lord of the Rings. Lucky me, I found the Dragon Age trilogy again recently. Now, before I continue, let's get this out of the way. Yes, I said 'trilogy' - Veilguard doesn't interest me in the slightest.

With that out of the way, let's look at Dragon Age: Origins, shall we?

My First Console Trilogy

Developed by BioWare, the Dragon Age trilogy was my first full console trilogy. Around 2010 or so, we got a PS3 and a range of games. That set of games included the full Dragon Age trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and a few others.

Development on Origins started in 2002. It was initially announced at the E3 convention in 2004 as Dragon Age, and again in 2008 as Dragon Age: Origins. The game was released on November 3, 2009, and was met with critical acclaim, earning many awards - including Game of the Year.

Players and critics loved the story, characters, and music, but the combat was criticized quite a bit for being awkward...I'll come back to this in a sec.

The Setup

Many centuries ago, a team of mages invaded heaven. Their invasion was repelled, and they were cursed to become monsters - known as darkspawn. Every so often, they return to the world in what's called a Blight. The last blight had brought the world to the brink of extinction until an order of knights - the Grey Wardens - appeared. These new warriors quickly brought an end to that blight.

Now, some 400 years later, a new blight looms, and you are recruited as a new Warden to fight on the frontlines.

Character creation brings us three races:

• Human
• Elves
• Dwarves

There are three classes from which to choose:

• Warrior
• Mage
• Rogue

You select your race and class, and then assign specific points to strength, cunning, and so on. This creates your background for the game.

I created a female character for my first playthrough and chose the rogue class.

The Couslands of Highever

You are the youngest child of the Cousland family. Your older brother is headed south to bolster the king's forces against the blight. Shortly after his departure, you are forced to flee your home after a family friend betrays your family. In the process, you are recruited by a warden named Duncan.

Of course, things get worse when the king is betrayed by one of his own. This results in a devastating defeat against the darkspawn, and leaves you as one of only two Grey Wardens in the country of Ferelden.

Now you have to gather an army to battle the blight and expose the betrayal of the king.

What Did I Like?

• Visually speaking, the game looks great. The environments are colorful. and packed with interesting bits and pieces to look at. The creatures are detailed and terrifying.
• The game's soundtrack is phenomenal! I've played many games, and this one is definitely one of my favorites.
• The story is well-written and paced perfectly.
• The combat is fairly straightforward and satisfying.

Is There Anything I Didn't Like?

....No, not really.

• The combat is awkward. It's satisfying, but it's also very clunky.
• Your character doesn't speak. Usually, when you select a dialogue choice, your character speaks out loud. Unfortunately, that's not the case this time around.

The Ultimate Edition: Extra Content

You can't review a special edition of a game without discussing the extra content. In addition to some extra weapons and missions, there are also 5 extra campaigns:

1. Awakening
2. Leliana's Song
3. Darkspawn Chronicles
4. The Golems of Amgarrak
5. Witch Hunt

Now, these are much shorter than the main campaign, but they're fun enough to play through.

Plenty of Replay Value to be Had

Dragon Age: Origins is a great RPG that has plenty of replay value. With all the different choices you can make, each playthrough can be different. This game is one of my favorite games to play, and I highly recommend giving it a go if you haven't already.