I was thinking of buying this game this week. I was just wondering if anyone has played it, and if so, what are your thoughts?

I won't be able to formulate any particular opinion/view of this game until this weekend, as the store I've pre-ordered my copy won't have them available for pick up until tomorrow (Yet EB Games got their copies a week earlier... goddammit...).

However, I admit I'm intrigued by this game. I am a fan of Bioware games (KotOR, KotOR II TSL, Jade Empire, Mass Effect), and if it has the same focus on story etc like the others the I'll be a fan of it.

Recently I downloaded the trailer movies of Dragon Age: Origins from Xbox Live, and I like what I saw. Granted the majority of them were FMV shots, but the scenes with actual game footage in them did look good.

Check here (http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Age_Wiki), for more info about the game, as it has been updated.

When I looked at the PC version, I thought it looked just like WoW gameplay, which I thought was really weak...

But they make the story seem cool though in that one commercial with the heavy metal in the background...

At the same time I read the info on the story and setting and it didnt seem intriguing at all...

So I dunno if Im gonna give this one a shot yet or not...

Im mainly looking foward to the gameplay. Ive heard the game is very strategic and difficult. Im looking foward to tha challenge. Bioware hasnt failed me yet. I loved Kotor 1 and 2, jade empire and mass effect.

I love KOTOR too, from those 2 games BW seems like a good enough company, never played mass effect tho..

Whats up with that chick he bones in the trailer for Dragon's Age though :D

That girl is not hot...

seems like if you were designing a main character for the lead character to get a sex scene with, you'd make her hot as possible...


not manly looking.. :D

I managed to get my copy of this game late last night (about 10 minutes prior to the store closing for the night) and I've managed to play through two of the initial 'Origins' for the races available, with four more 'Origins' to go. My initial reaction to the game so far is this:

Character:
You have six races to choose from, (Human Noble, Dwarf Noble, Dwarf Commoner, Dalish Elf, City Elf and Mage) and you start off in a 'Origins' story chapter. Once you pick your race, you can then pick your gender, alter character's appearance, voice and can name them.

Combat:
Combat wise, it's typical of Bioware's earlier games, not that there's anything wrong with that. Combat is fluid and flows quite nicely (I've only played the Human Noble and City Elf 'Origins' so far.). The battles can get rather 'bloody', usually ending with your character standing around afterwards, talking with your companions, all the while coated in the blood of the enemy you just killed.

Music:
I couldn't really comment on the music so far, as I was playing it rather late and had the tv volume on mute.

Story:
Can't really comment on this aspect much either. Still to soon to formulate thoughts, although the 'Origins' prologue chapter is pretty good. I won't go into detail about them (having only played through 2 so far), but if they are any indication as to how the rest of the game's story is, I'd say well done.

I'll post another response here later, after I've played more and gotten further in the game.

On the Dragon Age website you can download the character creation menu, to create your character in the game, to see what they look like etc. You can create your character via this download and then when you get a copy of the PC version, can transfer your creation into the game.

I've been playing it since Tuesday, so I have some pretty solid thoughts on it by this point.

The gameplay is pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a Bioware game. It mostly flows naturally, but you can interrupt it on the fly to issue precise commands and direct all facets of a battle. The menus are a bit clunky at first if you're playing on a console (as I am) but that's fixed easily enough by a quick change in the options. I wish there was more variety in the skills available, but the bases seem to be covered regardless.

The storytelling is, as usual for Bioware, top-notch. The writing is often very clever and the voice acting is mostly good, although there are a few rough spots. The different origins seem pretty entertaining, and they're probably even worth going through more than once to see different ways they can play out.

Graphics are a bit dated, as you would expect for a game that's spent over 5 years in development. The orchestral score is quite good.

Overall, it's definitely a worthy purchase for RPG fans, Bioware junkies, and especially anyone who liked the Baldur's Gate series on PC.

I'm curious; when you all say that it is gameplay just like any other Bioware game, what does that mean? Does that mean it has the gameplay of Kotor, which I found rather simplistic and tedious? Or does that mean it has the gameplay of Jade Empire, which is more button mashing but pretty much the same effect? Or is it a throwback to the better, more strategic days of Baldur's Gate/Icewind Dale style gameplay?

Well, KOTOR gameplay wasn't necessarily simplistic, but you could get away with not being very strategic. I suppose the same likely applies here, although I jumped in with a mage on the hard difficulty (friendly fire from spells hurts pretty badly) so pointing my character at an enemy and letting the game go on autopilot isn't an option.

Bioware is never going back to those PC days. So DAO is not that challenging, but neither is it a cakewalk. I'm enjoying it so far simply on the merits of it being another well done Bioware RPG. The only things I really dislike about it are a few unfavorable comparisons with their old D&D stuff and the story itself is pretty predictable. Of course it's pretty much a given that anyone who played the BG games won't rate this "spiritual successor" as highly. There are still fun things to be done with it.

Ive played for about 4 hours now and I really like this game. I got through the Mage's origin. The story really pulled me in. I cant wait to see what happens. I love the combat system. Im not too far into the game so I wont be able to comment too much, but Im really enjoying it so far.

My biggest complaint is that you can no longer gib your foes like in Baldur's Gate. :p

This game doesn't match the BG series, but it's fairly good in its own right. Combat is a mish-mash of WoW, NWN, and BG.

Since I didn't mention this before, the lack of alignment tracking is one of the game's best features. In most similar games, you're expected to go as far to one end of the good/evil spectrum as possible, and the game would usually reward you for doing so. That took a lot away from the role-playing aspects of games since most of us would pick a grey area somewhere between the usual bionic superzombie Hitler and Jesus in a Santa costume outcomes.

Here I've found myself developing an actual personality for my character, which goes a long way toward making me care about it.

Prak, now that makes it sound good. The one singular feature that has prevented me from enjoying many of Bioware's games with KOTOR and beyond is their irritatingly black and white alignment settings. Completely unrealistic. I will definitely have to check out this game and see the difference.

Ok, seeing as I've finished this game twice (First as Human Noble Warrior, then City Elf Rogue) and I'm now trying my hand at a Human Magi playthrough. So far I've just entered Ostagar, and trying to refrain from charging into Darkspawn like I did as Warrior or Rogue.

Any advice or tips from others who have played as Mage would be appreciated.

My general thoughts on this game are that the role playing is pretty good, just not quite as good as in Mass Effect, and I like that it's huge and I like the way the interaction with the characters is, and the combat is OK though I prefer either true turn based combat or something like Fallout 3 or Mass Effect where it's completely action based. Basically it has a lot of good things, but the story and world are horribly, horribly generic and sometimes it just feels so stupid. I'm pretty bummed out that they didn't create a more original world for this game instead of just using the same old dwarves and elves and shit. And the plot is really pretty bad. The nice thing is that in a game that lets you do a lot of role playing, it doesn't matter as much if there's a bad plot, because you can make the story your own to some extent. I did care about my character and the others because I was able to manufacture good story elements by deciding my own character's feelings. It would be a lot cooler if the story wasn't just an uninspired Tolkien ripoff though.

I yearn for a new era of RPGs. One in which people realize that you don't need to save the universe from a horrible transcendent evil to have a good story. That, in fact, this regularly creates bad stories. Why can't we ever have an RPG where we go adventuring and interesting things happen but we DON'T need to save the world?

Planescape: Torment was the closest game I ever played to this. All you're doing is trying to find your identity. It gets pretty epic, but it's never like THE WORLD HANGS IN THE BALANCE, MUST STOP THIS ANCIENT EVIL FROM CONSUMING ALL THE WORLD DERPY DERR

Torment also didn't have elves and dwarves and all that stupid shit, it had an intriguing fantasy world with a very well thought out mythology behind it. Everywhere you went you felt like you were discovering something really exciting. I definitely did not have that feeling anywhere in Dragon Age. Every area I visited was like... Oh. This again.


Ok, seeing as I've finished this game twice (First as Human Noble Warrior, then City Elf Rogue) and I'm now trying my hand at a Human Magi playthrough. So far I've just entered Ostagar, and trying to refrain from charging into Darkspawn like I did as Warrior or Rogue.

Any advice or tips from others who have played as Mage would be appreciated.

Buff your magic stat to ridiculous levels, have your other party members be a couple tanks and a rogue to unlock stuff/maybe shoot arrows at bad guys, and learn all the healing spells so you can keep your guys alive because if they die and there's a swarm of enemies around you you're fucked. In this game, enemies first attack whoever is wearing huge crazy armor, so buff the shit out of that person, heal them, cast regeneration spells on them, etc. Then just pick off the bad guys while they uselessly attempt to kill 'em!

Then become an arcane warrior. Holy shit it's awesome. Your magic stat becomes your strength, so you can blast a horde of bad guys with crazy powerful area clearing spells and stun them/light them on fire or whatever and then run in to fuck them up with your crazy ass magic sword.

Oh, and get all the combat training. One spell getting interrupted because you got hit with an arrow or something can fuck up an entire battle for you. Persuasion is very useful too for the parts of the game where you don't have all your party members and can avoid tough battles by talking out of it.

Seconding TK's comments about Arcane Warrior. It's so overpowered that it nearly breaks the game.

TK, have you played Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer? If you're looking for an original plot without dwarves and elves that isn't about saving the world, MotB is one of the better ones. Just don't play the original NWN2 campaign, since it's everything that's awful about boilerplate fantasy plots and then some.

I'm 14 hours in, doing a mage playthrough. Up to the Sloth boss, who I can beat down pretty easily up to the point where he reaches his last form and decides to kill all my party members with one spell. So far, I'm really enjoying it. I agree that the plot is really bland and uninteresting and the dungeons drag on way too long, but it's nice to play a PC RPG with decent battles for once. The last one I played where the battle system wasn't the weakest aspect of the game must have been like, The Temple of Elemental Evil or something.

No, I played the first NWN and I liked it well enough but it had basically all the same problems as Dragon Age. Maybe if I get a new computer that runs stuff well I'll track down an NWN2 collection.

Thumbs up on TK's ramblings.

I almost wish BioWare had gone with D&D again. Mainly because DA lore isn't that fresh and isn't as detailed. But I understand why they didn't.

The Witcher didn't shove a "save the world" plot in your face. Refreshing. Actually I believe it was a pretty similar to Planescape: Torment in using memory loss as a plot device and choice to redefine your protagonist. It could get pretty philosophical leading to some golden lines from Geralt.

In Bioware's defense, they have had some success creating their own game worlds and accompanying lore. Jade Empire, for example, took influences from eastern mythology to create something entirely new. I haven't played Mass Effect, but I believe that was an original take on things. It is sad that they went with this dwarf and elf thing once again, but their rationale was probably that it would be more accessible to the average joe if they know whats coming along with the gritty hack and slash adventure it has been advertised as being. In fact, this game has received more advertisement than any Bioware game I've seen, which could explain why they chose to go in a more familiar direction as the standard fantasy. They want to appeal to a broader audience. When it comes down to it... they just want money.

In Bioware's defense, they have had some success creating their own game worlds and accompanying lore. Jade Empire, for example, took influences from eastern mythology to create something entirely new. I haven't played Mass Effect, but I believe that was an original take on things. It is sad that they went with this dwarf and elf thing once again, but their rationale was probably that it would be more accessible to the average joe if they know whats coming along with the gritty hack and slash adventure it has been advertised as being. In fact, this game has received more advertisement than any Bioware game I've seen, which could explain why they chose to go in a more familiar direction as the standard fantasy. They want to appeal to a broader audience. When it comes down to it... they just want money.

What's wrong with going back to traditional fantasy elements, such as Dwarves and Elves? I kind of enjoy going back to these races and story myself, as it brings back memories of when I used to play AD&D with friends on the weekends when I was a teenager. Still to each their own.

Your last comment though...


When it comes down to it... they just want money.

That's pretty much the standard of all game companies now. They may state they do it for other reasons, but when you get right down to the bottom line, it's to make money. All companies are guilty of that.

Well, the game designers are probably for the most part in that job because they are interested in making games, too.

And if you're going to do an elves and dwarves thing for familiarity, ok, I can accept that; not my first choice, but I can take it. The extent to which the game's story is generic goes way past that though unfortunately. Fantasy stories have a terrible habit of just taking all the major elements from Lord of the Rings and thinly reworking them, and this one is majorly guilty.

ANCIENT EVIL IS RETURNING WITH ARMY OF EVIL ORC LIKE GUYS

UNLIKELY HERO MUST FORM A BAND OF ADVENTURERS AFTER BEING BROUGHT INTO THE FOLD BY WISENED OLD MENTOR GUY

MUST UNITE THE VARIOUS NATIONS

OH, BUT THEY HAVE ALL THESE ISSUES TO SOLVE FIRST

BIG HUGE CLIMACTIC BATTLE

Nothing wrong with using the template from all fantasy novels eh?

If it aint broken, why fix it?

Because it's lazy?

I'd have to say worse than that is this milquetoast version of "dark fantasy". To it's credit, there was at least one very good, very dark scene so far, the Joining. But generally speaking, I'm not sure why I thought this would have a more mature tone than other RPGs. More often than not it's just a bit of extra gore and extended bouts of hugging masquerading as sex scenes.

But that's enough about the negatives, because I actually do enjoy the game in most other areas.

Because it's lazy?

Using standard typical Fantasy fare, which has proven to work, is being lazy? Meh, whatever.


I'd have to say worse than that is this milquetoast version of "dark fantasy". To it's credit, there was at least one very good, very dark scene so far, the Joining.

I agree with you on that part. How the lead up to the Joining Ritual and the actual ritual itself was pretty good.


But generally speaking, I'm not sure why I thought this would have a more mature tone than other RPGs. More often than not it's just a bit of extra gore and extended bouts of hugging masquerading as sex scenes.

Considering how much trouble some game companies have been in due to excessive amounts of gore and sexual content, can you really blame Bioware for doing what they did? Beheadings, excessive blood and all the other parts for the combat in Dragon Age: Origins would rather by typical of how warfare was played out in medieval times etc, so I don't really see the point about that.

The sex scenes though, I can understand why they did that. Remember the outroar over the 'Hot Coffee' from GTA: SA?


Take from Wikipedia

In mid-June 2005, a software patch for the game dubbed the "Hot Coffee mod" was released by Patrick Wildenborg (under the Internet alias "PatrickW"), a 38-year old modder from the Netherlands. The name "Hot Coffee" refers to the way the released game alludes to the unseen sex scenes. In the unmodified game, the player takes his girlfriend to her front door and she asks him if he would like to come in for "some coffee". He agrees, and the camera stays outside, swaying back and forth a bit, while moaning sounds are heard.

After installing the patch, users can enter the main character's girlfriends' houses and engage in a crudely rendered, fully clothed sexual intercourse mini-game. Later in June 2005, a console 'hacker' known as Jay "FNG" released an "Action Replay Power Save" for the Xbox console, enabling the "Hot Coffee" mini-game. On July 12, 2005, Jay "FNG" released codes for the Action Replay game enhancer that allowed the scenes to be accessed in the PlayStation 2 console version. The fallout from the controversy resulted in a public response from high-ranking politicians in the United States and resulted in the game's recall and re-release.

On July 20, 2005, production of the game was suspended and the game received a revised ESRB Rating of Adults Only, making San Andreas the only mass-released AO console game in the US. Rockstar gave distributors the option of applying an Adults Only ESRB rating sticker to copies of the game, or returning them to be replaced by versions without the Hot Coffee content. Many retailers pulled the game off their shelves in compliance with their own store regulations that kept them from selling AO games. Rockstar North released a "Cold Coffee" patch[41] for the PC version and re-released San Andreas with an M rating. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions have also been re-released in a "GTA Trilogy Pack"[42] for Xbox and PlayStation 2, as well as a Special Edition for PlayStation 2 that includes the documentary film Sunday Driver.

On 8 November 2007 Take-Two announced a proposed settlement to the class action litigation that had been brought against them following the Hot Coffee controversy. If the proposed settlement is approved by the court, neither Take-Two nor Rockstar would admit liability or wrongdoing. Consumers would be able to swap their AO-rated copies of the game for M-rated versions and may also qualify for a $35 cash payment upon signing a sworn statement.[43]

A report in The New York Times on 25 June 2008 revealed that a total of 2,676 claims for the compensation package had been filed.[44]

What did you want, something from a hentai game? I can't speak for the American censorship board, but in Australia, as far as I know, there is no mainstream game (Released locally etc) with a R+18 rating, which is what anything with extreme excessive violence and sex scenes is given. Though Dragon Age: Origins was given the MA15+ Restricted rating for Strong Violence, if the sex scenes 'were' graphic, then it would've probably be given a R18+ rating and not allowed into the country.

Speaking about implied sex scenes... In Mass Effect there was some controversy about the sex scene in that. Taken from Wikipedia:


Controversy over the sexual content of Mass Effect occurred when evangelical blogger Kevin McCullough wrote an article titled, "The ‘Sex-Box’ Race for President."[96] McCullough employed strong, false statements such as "Mass Effect can be customized to sodomize whatever, whomever, however, the game player wishes," and "with its ‘over the net’ capabilities virtual orgasmic rape is just the push of a button away." The game itself does not feature rape, as each romantic sub-plot involves consent on the part of the player and the NPC and cannot be done with "whomever" the player wishes. Only two NPCs for each PC gender are considered romantic interests and furthermore the game lacks a multiplayer component of any sort.

McCullough’s article was met with an outburst from the gaming community. McCullough issued an apology by saying, "I DO apologize to the gaming universe!" He then goes on to say, "I still do concur with my original position that the objectionable content in Mass Effect is still offensive."[97] McCullough’s handling of the situation was parodied by popular gaming webcomic Penny Arcade[98] and online comedy site LoadingReadyRun.[99] The controversy eventually resulted in his article being taken down by Townhall.com.[100]

The romantic subplots each have a short cut-scene that displays a series of fast cuts of a sexual encounter between the characters, although no specific sex act is clearly shown. A New York Times article on the controversy compared the contents to U.S. evening network television.[101]

On January 21, 2008, a Fox News segment "The Live Desk With Martha MacCallum" discussed Mass Effect[101] with the heading "'SE'XBOX?' New video game shows full digital nudity and sex." MacCallum stated that the game "leaves nothing to the imagination," features "the ability for players to engage in full graphic sex" where the player gets to decide what happens, cited critics as saying that the Mature-rated game is marketed to children and teenagers, and read a rebuttal from publisher Microsoft stating that the company abides by rating systems and provides monitoring tools for parents. Psychology specialist and author Cooper Lawrence and video game journalist Geoff Keighley were interviewed. The former described sexual content in video games as teaching their active users, adolescent boys, to consider women as objects of desire valued solely for their sexuality. She added that the game's player character is a man who decides how many women he wants to be with. Keighley focused on challenging the accuracy of previous statements, saying it is a choice to play the protagonist as a male or a female. He also described Mass Effect as having an optional, brief sexual situation as the culmination of a romantic relationship in a 30+ hour game. Adding to Lawrence's inaccuracies is the fact that the main character is not allowed to be with more than one individual, sexually and romantically. MacCallum and Lawrence admitted that they had not played the game.

Electronic Arts, the parent company of BioWare, requested a correction of "serious errors" from Fox News in an open letter.[101][102][103] Fox News replied by stating that EA had been offered a chance to appear on the channel.

On the 25th, Lawrence, who had since watched someone play the game for about two-and-a-half hours, retracted her earlier statements in an interview. She added that she had been told the game was similar to pornography, and noted that she "has seen episodes of Lost that are more sexually explicit." In the interim, largely as a reaction from an offended gaming community, her latest book attracted a number of customer reviews on Amazon.com which rated it one star out of five.[101] In an editorial, G4's Adam Sessler referred to the interview as a "litany of falsehoods" and parodied Lawrence's statements.[104] The controversy came to be known for the fact that the most explicit content actually shown was the side profile of a breast and led to the popularization of the internet meme "alien sideboob."[105]

True that most of the people who complained it, were probably prudish nutbars, but because of that one can understand why Bioware toned down the sex scenes in Dragon Age: Origins.


But that's enough about the negatives, because I actually do enjoy the game in most other areas.

If I didn't enjoy the game, I wouldn't be in the middle of my third playthrough. I don't know what it is, but there's something about this game that I truly do enjoy and keep coming back to to play. The same is true for me regarding Saints Row 2, but that's another story.

I don't mean to sound harsh etc in response to your post doomjockey, just putting in my two cents worth.

Using standard typical Fantasy fare, which has proven to work, is being lazy? Meh, whatever.

Well, yes. It's lazier to follow the trend instead of trying to innovate imo.

I think you mistake me, I don't consider excessive nudity and gore "maturity". I meant that the excessive gore here is (again) a poor substitute for truly mature themes. I somehow got under the impression BioWare would be above that.

As for the sex scenes, I fathom the motives, but it's still pretty terrible to watch imo. You can't push the envelope by not pushing the envelope.

I'm not clamoring for nude bits and pieces, but the ME scene was better because it actually suggested sex. Showing people in their underwear trying to mime it is absurd. And more importantly, having read interviews where BioWare claims that the response to ME's scene did nothing to cow them, I was a bit disappointed to see that it did.

Nothing wrong with using the template from all fantasy novels eh?

If it aint broken, why fix it?

There is something wrong with that, it's boring because it's been done a million times. It's not really the template from all fantasy novels, it's the template from Tolkien, which since then a hugely excessive number of fantasy novels have imitated (and none with anything close to the dedication and finesse with which Tolkien did it).

The game is still good, it just could have been way, way better.

I don't find the universe boring so much as I see it as a horrible missed opportunity. It's obvious that this game really did have 5 years of effort put into fleshing out the universe; it's a damn shame that the writers didn't have any aspiration beyond "extremely polished high fantasy". Imagine what Chris Avellone or Brian Mitsoda could have done if they had 5 years to work on the scenario for a game.

Well, yes. It's lazier to follow the trend instead of trying to innovate imo.

I think you mistake me, I don't consider excessive nudity and gore "maturity". I meant that the excessive gore here is (again) a poor substitute for truly mature themes. I somehow got under the impression BioWare would be above that.

As for the sex scenes, I fathom the motives, but it's still pretty terrible to watch imo. You can't push the envelope by not pushing the envelope.

I'm not clamoring for nude bits and pieces, but the ME scene was better because it actually suggested sex. Showing people in their underwear trying to mime it is absurd. And more importantly, having read interviews where BioWare claims that the response to ME's scene did nothing to cow them, I was a bit disappointed to see that it did.

The sex scenes portrayed in Dragon Age: Origins are of a 'Implied Sexual Act' imo. I mean, who wants to really 'see' two computer characters getting it on? Still, I can see your point regarding that.

Tbh, the excessive violence didn't bother me at all. Guess I've become desensitized to things like that now, what with other videogames and with what's on TV nowadays. Daytime TV is enough to drive someone insane.


There is something wrong with that, it's boring because it's been done a million times. It's not really the template from all fantasy novels, it's the template from Tolkien, which since then a hugely excessive number of fantasy novels have imitated (and none with anything close to the dedication and finesse with which Tolkien did it).

The game is still good, it just could have been way, way better.

No game is 100% perfect imo, can get close to it... but never really there. Granted the whole Tolkien universe has been the inspiration for a lot of fantasy novels/games/etc... but when I think of sword & sorcery fantasy, I do recall the whole Elves, Dwarves, Orcs etc. In comparison with other RPG's (And this is just my opinion here) being made today, I quite enjoyed going back to the 'roots', so to speak, and being in a game with old favorites. Guess I'm weird like that.

Well keep in mind that I've been saying this whole time, Dragon Age is a good game. I played through it voraciously. I love love love Bioware RPGs, and this one was no exception. The setting didn't make it a bad game, it's just that it's a lot of missed potential. You could have a game with a completely average setting you've seen a million times, and then it could have stellar role playing and combat elements. Or you could have a game with an awe-inspiring, totally original setting that really evokes a sense of wonder and discovery, and it could have stellar role playing and combat elements. Both could be good games, but when you know you could have had the latter, the former just feels a little bit disappointing, no matter how well executed it is.

The sex scenes portrayed in Dragon Age: Origins are of a 'Implied Sexual Act' imo. I mean, who wants to really 'see' two computer characters getting it on? Still, I can see your point regarding that.

Fairly sure I'm repeating myself, but it's badly implied to me. Tamer than network television which similarly allows no naughty bits (in America anyway). So it's not like it can't be done more convincingly within those boundaries. Maybe they're as you said, unwilling or afraid to do it.

The sex scene in Mass Effect vaguely looked like a sex scene, so I don't know how they managed to drop the ball here. Different development teams, I guess. Not that I was super psyched to see some virtual coitus or anything, but what we got was pretty painful to sit through.

Oh well, to each their own. Guess I was being a little too picky and somewhat obsessively protective towards this game. For me, I thoroughly enjoy this game (As it is, on my third playthrough atm.) and as I was waiting for a good RPG for awhile and this one delivered, at least to me that is.

I yearn for a new era of RPGs. One in which people realize that you don't need to save the universe from a horrible transcendent evil to have a good story. That, in fact, this regularly creates bad stories. Why can't we ever have an RPG where we go adventuring and interesting things happen but we DON'T need to save the world?.

So, PlaneScape: Torment 2?

There hasn't been a single game like it, till this day. Extremely character/story driven. Not trying to save the universe from utter destruction. Just trying to figure out who you are, who you were and where you are going.

I'd be all over it.

Oh well, to each their own. Guess I was being a little too picky and somewhat obsessively protective towards this game. For me, I thoroughly enjoy this game (As it is, on my third playthrough atm.) and as I was waiting for a good RPG for awhile and this one delivered, at least to me that is.

I agree, it's still a great game and imo the best RPG this year. There are only those very few issues which bug me.


So, PlaneScape: Torment 2?

There hasn't been a single game like it, till this day.

Again, The Witcher. Has no one played that?

I played it. I got really bored really quickly though.

Nothing wrong with using the template from all fantasy novels eh?

If it aint broken, why fix it?

Problem is that they took the same story template from FFX. Put them right next to eachother and tell me i'm wrong here.

Problem is that they took the same story template from FFX. Put them right next to eachother and tell me i'm wrong here.

In FFX your characters don't become something akin to a Grey Warden do they?

In FFX your characters don't become something akin to a Grey Warden do they?

Become a Grey Warden, Become a Master Summoner. Same type of quest to me.

In Dragon Age there are a group of people known as Grey Wardens and they have special powers and are the only ones capable of destroying the arch demon. This monster terrorizes towns and cities bringing with it a following of unnatural beasts.

The Grey Wardens must travel across the world seeking allies to help fight against this threat.

While being the only ones able to kill the arch demon, the arch demom itself possesses the Grey Warden who kills it, thereby killing the Grey Warden in the process.

With the arch demon defeated there is a time of peace where it's minions the Darkspawn remain inactive. However after a long period of time, another arch demon returns without explanation and the process must be repeated.

In other words.

Those are some pretty cool end-game spoilers.

This post may have possible spoilers.


Become a Grey Warden, Become a Master Summoner. Same type of quest to me.

Two totally different jobs. Summoner in FFX is a completely different class than Grey Warden. True they do share some similarities but not many.


In Dragon Age there are a group of people known as Grey Wardens and they have special powers and are the only ones capable of destroying the arch demon. This monster terrorizes towns and cities bringing with it a following of unnatural beasts.

The Grey Wardens must travel across the world seeking allies to help fight against this threat.

While being the only ones able to kill the arch demon, the arch demom itself possesses the Grey Warden who kills it, thereby killing the Grey Warden in the process.

With the arch demon defeated there is a time of peace where it's minions the Darkspawn remain inactive. However after a long period of time, another arch demon returns without explanation and the process must be repeated.

In other words.



If you're going to reveal the plot of the game, please state at the beginning of your post about 'spoilers', so not to ruin the game for others.

Bioware has used this formula before in Mass Effect and the Knights of the Old Republic games, yet I've never heard someone refer to them as being the same as FFX. FFX had a boring storyline (IMO, with the church being related to the main villain ffs.), forgettable characters and there was nothing in FFX to make me want to play it again a second time. I barely got through it the first time for crying outloud.

Dragon Age: Origins, to me, is different than FFX. I found myself forming more a rapport with the characters in this game than in FFX. The voices in Dragon Age suit the characters, while the voices in FFX were too whiny and annoying (Auron and Lulu being the exceptions, but even they couldn't save that game for me). The story has been used before, but as a fan of old school fantasy novels etc, I enjoyed the story in Dragon Age: Origins a lot more than that of FFX.

Dragon Age: Origins, to me, is different than FFX. I found myself forming more a rapport with the characters in this game than in FFX. The voices in Dragon Age suit the characters, while the voices in FFX were too whiny and annoying (Auron and Lulu being the exceptions, but even they couldn't save that game for me). The story has been used before, but as a fan of old school fantasy novels etc, I enjoyed the story in Dragon Age: Origins a lot more than that of FFX.

Well then you should probably take a look at this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSXxB_FxLbQ

So, PlaneScape: Torment 2?

I don't think I would actually want to see a direct sequel to this game, but another game made in its spirit, yes. That would be the best thing ever.



Again, The Witcher. Has no one played that?

Haven't, but I would like to try it. Unfortunately I don't have a computer that will run it at the moment and there's no xbox version.

Well then you should probably take a look at this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSXxB_FxLbQ

Gee... How original.

Look, we could argue this point back and forth for ages and get nowhere. Point of the matter is this:

Everyone has their own opinion. While it may not be agreed with, it is an opinion nonetheless. You think Dragon Age: Origins is a 'rip-off' of FFX, well FFX imo is a 'rip-off' of most of the fantasy novels available. For example, the Dragonlance novels written by Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman, focus on a group of characters joining together to combat and ancient evil which has come back, and will do so again (Dragonlance Chronicles series).

Personally, I don't care what you think about Dragon Age: Origins. I like it, and to me, that's all that matters.

I don't think you understand the reason behind the word Troll.

It means i was never serious about the "argument" and posted that just to get a reply out of it or maybe you didn't understand the lyrics of the link.

Chill out.

I don't think you understand the reason behind the word Troll.

It means i was never serious about the "argument" and posted that just to get a reply out of it or maybe you didn't understand the lyrics of the link.

Chill out.

No I do understand the meaning of 'Troll'. By you posting quotes from my own posts, I felt it was prudent for me to respond to them. Also, I never thought of this as an arguement... you stated your opinion, and I did the same.

That is called a discussion.

Haven't, but I would like to try it. Unfortunately I don't have a computer that will run it at the moment and there's no xbox version.

Oh. *recommends*


And thanks for spoiling the ending, solis.

Kinda ruined my holiday time with Dragon Age.

Haven't, but I would like to try it. Unfortunately I don't have a computer that will run it at the moment and there's no xbox version.

Not yet on the XboX anyway, it's in development.

Go here (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/1096-Dragon-Age-Origins) for a... how shall I say this...

Well, I can't really say anything bad about 'Yahtzee'... have a look and see for yourself (Although I do agree with his reviews about Saints Row 2 and Star Wars The Force Unleashed).

Not yet on the XboX anyway, it's in development.

why would you capitalize the last x of xbox ?_?

I checked a while ago since I was interested in the game, and development on the Xbox version is ceased with no indication of whether it will ever resume. =(

It probably won't. CDProjekt has made it clear that they're no longer in business with the company that was developing the port. They'd have to start over again, which would be silly considering the game is already two years old.

I pulled some hope from a Polish site: http://polygamia.pl/Polygamia/1,101109,7264926,CDP__Wiedzmin_2_przelomowym_RPGie m__nowy_silnik_w.html#English


The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf, the console port of the first game, is not canceled but suspended, and will likely be made after all. This time with the use of CD Projekt's own technology, not an engine outsourced from a third party. However, it might not happen until after the second game is finished.

If it matters if it matters if you care if you care

I don't know that that's really a reliable source

...Alright. Nevermind.

i'd imagine a Polish site would be one of the more reliable places to get info on the Witcher?

*gently brings thread back to original topic* :D

Can someone tell me why dwarves get all the best lines? Damn, Oghren's a true bro! If the conversation about "I was sighing because I let loose some gas" isn't one of your top 10 conversations, I have to question your sense of humor. First time I heard that, I just about died of laughter! And mind you, this is after I heard the 'flirty' conversations between Morrigan and Sten(You will need armor, I think...).

I'm glad I listened to the hype and checked this game out. I have not been disappointed in the slightest. The 'finishing flourishes', the interactions between your party members, the replacement of a morality meter with 'party approval'...very little is worth complaining about, IMO. Shoot, even the times when I've been fooled into dealing with an 'urgent' situation right then and there didn't annoy me too much(I'm a killed the kid, for those that are wondering...).

Overall, great game. Definitely going to be wasting my life on this, lol.

just got out of my origin story this game owns


Niamh, the noble dwarven warrior, chillin' in Ostagar.

I'm on my fifth playthrough, with only two Xbox Live Achievements to go, til all 54 are unlocked: Heavy Hitter (Do 250 damage in one hit) and Traveler (Visit every area in the game).

I honestly don't know what it is about this game I enjoy so much, but Dragon Age: Origins is now in my personal top five games, just barely behind FFXIO.

Heavy Hitter is easy. The rogue's archery tree has an ability called Arrow of Slaying, which is pretty much guaranteed to break 250 at any level. 3 minute cooldown though, so you can't abuse it.

Thanks for the tip Prak, now to go back to my earlier rogue and get it done :D

I admit, I'm addicted to this game... which is bad considering I've let my commitments in FFXIO slip way behind (Static group, endgame events etc). Oh well, I'll make them up later.

I probably will keep playing this game for at least another playthrough after my current one (playing as Dwarven Noble... after this only Dalish Elf to play as, then I've played as all 6 Origin classes.), the back to FFXIO (still have to get my Samurai to 75 amongst other things).

Though I predict I'm gonna let FFXIO slip to the wayside again at the end of January, as Mass Effect 2 is released.

I got up to some Dwarf city and got bored.

Heavy Hitter is easy. The rogue's archery tree has an ability called Arrow of Slaying, which is pretty much guaranteed to break 250 at any level. 3 minute cooldown though, so you can't abuse it.

First time I used Arrow of Slaying, ko'd a Hurrlok Emissary in one hit lol (dealt about 590+ dmg) and got the Heavy Hitter achievement ^^. Just the Traveler achievement left to get.

@ThroneofOminous
Yeah, Orzammar has the effect on me as well... once you get to the Deep Roads, things pick up a bit.

I had the opportunity to play a console version for a few hours, and I really appreciate what they did on PC. I'm actually not sure I could even take advantage of the same strategies because of the radical differences between both interfaces. I'd post some screens of my char, but I found out the hard way that uninstalling deletes them from the profile folders. Too bad. I had tons.

Still been playing this off and on, though not as often as I used to. I'm on my sixth playthrough now, and have unlocked all achievements except for the Traveler Achievement. Has anyone unlocked this Achievement? If so, how do you go about unlocking it?

XD, I got it and didn't think I would. I THINK you can get it by doing EVERY quest that you can(the ones that send you to a previously unmarked location are of critical importance). If you follow this route then either you'll unlock it after getting captured in Arl Howe's estate, or when you go to battle the Archdemon on top of Fort Drakon...the roof should be the last place you need to unlock.

That's how I got it, anyway...hopefully your mileage doesn't vary.:)

Thanks for the info ChazA4. I'll give it another shot.

I like it, I'm not really into games like these, but I wouldn't play it for the 360. BTW If you do the noble story and when you reach the next place, which should be a barracks. There's a quest that you have to collect items for this one guy near the fire. You can keep turning that quest in Exp. repeatedly.

Found some information about the new 'expansion' for Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Awakening (http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/07/dragon-age-awakening-explansion-detailed/).

From what's told there, sounds interesting and being able to import your character as well has me intrigued. New companions and new Darkspawn as well, has me thinking of playing Dragon Age: Origins again, with a new character in preparation for this expansion. Only a couple of things have me stumped:

A: What character race/sex?
B: What class?

Hopefully this time I'll be able to get the one Xbox Live Achievement which has eluded me so far: Traveler.

expansion sounds cool but some stuff plain fucking sucks.

in particular:

no romance whatsoever
can't transfer DLC items

[official faq (http://dragonage.bioware.com/awakening/faq/)]

No romance sounds about right for a 15 hour game with only six or so playable characters. What really sucks is that returning characters from the previous game won't acknowledge your relationship with them (or so I've heard).

Also I did eventually beat the original campaign. Despite the wonky pacing, it's definitely up there with Baldur's Gate II and Mass Effect 2 as one of Bioware's better games. Hopefully they'll continue their usual trend and make the sequel even better.

it's my fault for constantly expecting another ToB when no one is interested in repeating that

Doomjockey, I feel your pain.

Hopefully this time I'll be able to get the one Xbox Live Achievement which has eluded me so far: Traveler.

Has life been busy for you DH, or was I wrong in my advice? Just curious...

Also, thoughts about the DLC? Loved going through Soldier's Peak as a warrior...that Warden Commander's armor went on when I first got it and never came off again(fortunately, I got it at Silverite aka level 6 so it was worth keeping on). Didn't drink Avernus' potion that time though...wonder what I would have gotten. I DID drink it when I went through with my mage though...Bloody Grasp was a frickin' gawdsend at times. Using that and Crushing Prison on higher tier darkspawn really worked wonders.

Shale is always awesome. Her war against all avians(but mostly pigeons, lol) made her a favorite, and taking her to meet Caridin was...enlightening.

Return to Ostagar is...I guess a love/hate deal. Personally, I liked going back and seeing what could be learned(King Cailan's final fate actually touched me), and I was surprised at some of the good equipment that could be gotten. Kind of made me jealous that I couldn't use it, being a mage(yes, I did make my mage an AW, but I still tend to wear mage clothes...laugh if you wish). Ah well...Alistair made good use of it, and it was more than appropriate, since I made him king and all.

Has life been busy for you DH, or was I wrong in my advice? Just curious...

Life has been rough lately due to personal reasons I won't discuss here in this thread.


Also, thoughts about the DLC? Loved going through Soldier's Peak as a warrior...that Warden Commander's armor went on when I first got it and never came off again(fortunately, I got it at Silverite aka level 6 so it was worth keeping on). Didn't drink Avernus' potion that time though...wonder what I would have gotten. I DID drink it when I went through with my mage though...Bloody Grasp was a frickin' gawdsend at times. Using that and Crushing Prison on higher tier darkspawn really worked wonders.

Soldier's Peak, the whole Shale quest as well as the Return to Ostagar are great additions to the game. When I got Calian's armor in the third DLC, gave it to Alistair as my character was wearing the Blood Dragon Armor. Alistair also got Cailan's sword and shield, my character got Duncan's swords ^^. The upcoming Dragon Age: Awakening should be interesting...


Shale is always awesome. Her war against all avians(but mostly pigeons, lol) made her a favorite, and taking her to meet Caridin was...enlightening.

I loved the scene which plays as you leave the village, a chicken looks up at Shale as Shale is looking down at it. Then my character hears a smash, looks back and sees Shale, who just shrugs lol


Return to Ostagar is...I guess a love/hate deal. Personally, I liked going back and seeing what could be learned(King Cailan's final fate actually touched me), and I was surprised at some of the good equipment that could be gotten. Kind of made me jealous that I couldn't use it, being a mage(yes, I did make my mage an AW, but I still tend to wear mage clothes...laugh if you wish). Ah well...Alistair made good use of it, and it was more than appropriate, since I made him king and all.

Actually, a mage CAN wear armor and use swords/shields if you have the Arcane Warrior advanced job. Combine that with Spirit Healer, and in a sense, you're a Jedi Knight lol.

No more need be said on things, DH. I wish you the best in getting through them, whatever they may be.

And yeah, I know you can make your mage an AW and wear heavy armor. Even so, I STILL have my mage wear mage clothes(I broke the game by buying the ingredients to make Potent Lyrium potions and got oodles of cash, which enabled me to buy a lot of the high-end equipment). The only non-mage item I equipped was the AW-only sword(Spellweaver, I think it's called). Massive amounts of awesome when you see a mage get the death flourish against the archdemon.