Some people have given DA: O a kicking, especially on consoles, for having very outdated graphics. I don’t agree with this at all. The game may not have the fidelity or texture quality of the upcoming 'Mass Effect 2', but at the same time, the game’s scope is quite different. ME is mainly a linear game, and includes many enclosed areas. Additionally, you only play as Shepard. Here, you get full control over four characters, and on top of that, many of the game’s locales are huge, sprawling outside areas, which include mighty impressive vistas in the background. The sense of scale is just fantastic.

 

 

Character models may be a little behind ME and other AAA titles, but nor are they as poor as others have mentioned. When you compared the game against the other fantasy RPG games on the system, DA: O easily trumps them all, including Bethseda’s efforts, and is miles better than Two Worlds or Risen.

 

Texture work can be a little off on occasion, but rarely in a cut-scene or somewhere it actually matters. However, when you’re zoomed out behind your character, you get what I believe to be an excellent experience. Details are sharp, the frame rate constant, and no tearing either. Anti-aliasing and filtering seem good, and there’s virtually no pop-in, either from new items or texture-wise. Spell and weapon effects look great, and each of the monsters also look and animate great too. Some do look a little generic, but I don’t really take that against the game because the fantasy genre is a little clichéd by now, and it is difficult to do anything different, and to be honest, Bioware has done its best. Combat also looks incredibly visceral thanks to the uber-violent amounts of blood that spray everywhere during combat.

 

The engine also looks good across loads of different environments, whether you’re inside a mountain, questing up the snowy steppes of the Warden’s Keep DLC, or in the lush forests of Ferelden, or even a mud-strewn village. It might not be the most beautiful game out there, but to me DA: O is still impressive in terms of performance, scale, and style.

 

Sound is also just fantastic. The orchestral score is beautiful. It’s all original work, and those that snap up the collector’s edition get a full download of it- there’s around an hour’s worth of brilliant music to be found, that is used really well throughout the game. Additionally, and most impressively, is the fact that every single line of speech (apparently some 70 hours worth) is voiced. Obviously, some of it sounds a little unprofessional, but all of the main cast sound great, and there is way more to hear than most people can probably put up with!

 

To me, the fact that everything is voiced is a triumph, as this has been a real bug-bear in RPGs of the past, and hopefully it will set a precedent.

 

 

Multiplayer would have been awesome- 4 players all controlling their character, and joining the host’s game-world. Alas, it was not to be, and there is no multiplayer option at all. It would have been awesome. However, as the AI is pretty efficient anyway, I won’t take it against the game.

 

Hopefully any potential sequel will have this option in, as I loved playing all the old infinity engine games over network.

 

"Dragon Age: Origins" is a truly epic RPG. With a huge main quest, loads of interesting side missions, four endings and six distinct prologues to the game, to get 100% completion could take some 200 hours plus. Coupled with a beautifully realised game world and you have a serious contender for a game of the year here. There are some minor control and graphical niggles, and many will find even normal too hard for them, but RPG fanatics will find that this is clearly the best the genre has had to offer in 2009.

 

Anyone with even a remote interest in the genre or fantasy setting should pick this up immediately!

 

 

 

 

+ Mass effect controls
+ Origins stories
+ Game world & setting