Gaming Dragon Age: Origins Review

Playing it a bit more, the only other complaint i have is the whole 'persistent bloodsplatter' thing is overdone by several orders of magnitude.

Seriously, it looks damn silly when you're trying to watch a supposedly serious cutscene that looks like the aftermath of a red paint factory explosion

gore = fine
ludicrous levels of gore not in a comedy = silliness, seriously detracts from anything serious the game is trying to imply with the cut-scene

 

Indeed, it is quite funny at first though.. having a discussion and everyone's covered in red paint

 

My copy finally arrived this morning. Something to play this evening...

 

Youve got red on you.....

 

I've had this game a while and maybe it's the sleep deprivation, maybe it's the hunger, or maybe it's Stockholm Syndrome since I've been held completely hostage by it since the first quest, but I think it's a work of art. If it was not a violation of all natures laws I'd make this game my wife. It had me the moment I got to name my colossal slavering warhound 'Wiggles'.

Regarding the gore in cutscenes, I'm astonished how wrong everybody is about this. The gore is awesome. Severed heads and spilled guts are awesome. Standing there, listening to the quest conclude in a cutscene while you're still dripping with the blood of the scumbags you've just hacked to ribbons is AWESOME. Are you supposed to stop for a bath and a full armour scrub after you've just stabbed up a bunch of badguys? Hell no. Raspberry jam everywhere. Love it. Wiggles has an attack where he jumps on a baddie and basically just tears their throat and torso apart, he's literally the best dog since Hand Banana, and of course that sort of thing is going to make a hell of a mess.

The other major plus point for me is that I've clocked twenty hours in the game so far on my main character and I'm about 20% through according to the in game progressometer. I'd played, completed and binned Brutal Legend in probably half that time, and there is also the fact that Dragon Age, like Mass Effect, can be replayed on the opposite end of the niceness spectrum (and more, as there are several choices I've made so far I'd like to make again). The game is massive but oozes quality throughout. It's like being confronted with a three ton birthday cake of content rather than the eight hour muffin supper you get from most games these days.

 

=] sounds like when I first played oblivion

 

It might just be me, but I've been feeling more and more put off Bioware titles ever since NWN. I don't know why, but they feel like good products - It would be insane to argue otherwise - But they just feel so very, very loose.

Everything I want is there, but the stitching that holds it all together seems to be either falling apart or absolutely missing in some places. It's annoying me because I can't put my finger on it and move on to enjoying the game, it's just a hump that I've got stuck on with pretty much everything Bioware has done since 2002.

I'll be picking this up when it goes on a Steam weekend sale or something, I don't feel drawn to it like I would want to be for an RPG. It doesn't matter that it's not ground breaking - What more can the RPG scene really do that hasn't been done a multitude of times before?.

Good review, I think, but I don't think Bioware will be getting a sale out of my any time soon.

 

Just beat the game, wonderful story, loved it.

 

One little niggle i'm having with the sound volume:

The sound effects in battle are too loud and the ingame volume sliders seems to be an equal effect to everything, so i have a choice of too loud battle sounds/music or too quiet ambient sounds/music...

Any ideas how to fix? I want be able to hear the background music (which is awesome) without getting deafened every time combat starts

 

Played it today, made 2 characters (just to see how different the stories really where) And for the rich human rogue start...good lord the voice acting is bad. Infact it annoyed me so much i made a poor dwarf warrior, which seemed a bit better. It seems the voice acting gets better as you go along (Aeryn sun and Captain Janeway are related? HELL YES )

On the subject of voices, thats one thing i really do miss from mass effect. My character having a voice.

Overall the game seemed pretty good, and I'm certainly getting more into it the further i go along.

 

Hehe, i've come across a problem others have mentioned on the forums...

I have the vicious dog and named him 'fluffy', and then there's the legendary sarcasm fallout between Alistair and Morrigan... How on earth do i swap any of those characters out of the party *ever*?

 

I named my dog fluffy too

 

I miss that - and the fact that Shepherd moved around when speaking - pointing, gesturing, threatening. Makes a big difference.

 

The immersion was broken for me when Shepard talks to the fan who wants an autograph, the movements were all somewhat.. wrong.

Otherwise, yes, that did add a very welcome air to the conversations.

 

I like how shepard went from space cowboy to a freak at the drop of a hat.. too bad there was no hot coffee mod to be found though

cyril I think that pic sealed the deal for me XD I have to play it now

 

Even uptight commanders have needs!

 

Nothing uptight about Dragon Age though. The main character pretty much gets the option to do anything to anything. I'm currently playing as a squeaky clean hero type, as I usually do on the first try, but next go I'm going to get all Bishop of Bath and Wells on this thing. Oh yes, I am that juvenile.

Giggiddy.

 

Awesome

 

loving the game lvl 6 mage atm

although a fairly major gripe is that i cant access any of the DLC despite getting collectors edition + preorder codes

 

This saturday I finally found time to get my hands dirty in this game, and I must say it did not disappoint. I was hooked into it straight from the intro, and suddenly the time was 0520 ... hopefully I will get time to play more during the week as I have taken out two vacation days on wednesday and thursday. I am going to use the days to wreak mayhem upon our bathroom that needs doing up, but I think I should be able to sneak some hours of Origins gibbage in there at night.