Dragon Age: Origins

I just got to say : OMFG WOW I CAME!

The game is created by Bioware who are well known for their more popular titles like Baldur's Gate series, Neverwinter Nights series, KOTOR and even Mass Effect. One thing about this game is that its SP (Single Player) no multiplayer capability, but its moddable and DLC (downloadable content for a small price (ugh)) are available to enhance the gaming experience.

On a side note, you don't really need to purchase the DLC to fully enjoy the game. This is because the game itself is rich in Lore and of course in terms of voice acting, its one of the best I've seen. Most characters you interact with (ones with lore and contain dialogue) are fully voice acted and you tend to immerse yourself deeply into the game. In fact, most of the game time is taken up listening to the dialogues and reading up the history of the game universe.

In the game you get to set out in six different origins. Origins are the background story behind the PC (Player Character) who must venture into the world of Ferelden. There are three races to choose from, Humans, Elves and the Dwarfs. Each with their own unique origins and its quite interesting that each origin will determine how the characters will interact with the player. For example, if you have chosen an elf as a character you get to play either a Dalish or a City Elf. The Dailsh are the 'free' elves which roams the woods and refuse to be subjected to human rule where else the City Elf is forced to live in Alienages which is a contrast for a ghetto (think WW2, Nazi's making the Jews stay in those Jewish Ghettos) and they are constantly being abused and pushed around by the human lords.

Regarding classes, there is not much choice except for choosing between a Warrior, Mage and a Rogue. However, limited the initial choice it is, the customability of the class can go in many different directions - there are even sub-specializations for the class which you can pursue. For example, warriors can sub-spec'ed into Champions with abilities to tank and provide passive support which enhance the other party members, Mages can be sub-spec'ed into Blood Mages which uses their life force (HP, Hitpoints) instead of Mana.

The story itself is very enriching with many directions on how you want to play it, you can play a good character by selecting the appropriate dialogue choices or be evil, you choices will reflect how the NPCs will react to you and subsequently you choices will also affect how your other party members will react to your choices. But your choices will also affect the outcome of a quest you undertook. Also another fun thing about DA:O, is the romance. Depending on your character gender, you can engage into a romance with one of your party members which will affect the ending of the game.

The gameplay itself has a easy learning curve, traditionally in most Bioware games - the ability to pause and tactically choose your targets is very important in winning a battle. Playing without pausing differs on the difficulty you have selected. Whilst on normal mode, it can be challenging for people new to the game do play without pausing on harder difficulties, to prioritize your targets is very important. You would not want to wipe your entire party because you could not see a pesky NPC mage casting disabling spells and finally landing a hail of fireballs from afar.

Graphics wise, the game is beautiful and with the fully customizable character creation kit, you can generally modify the character to your own liking. The scenery are fully detailed and I assure you, you will not be disappointed. Another thing is the music and the sound effects, its just simply amazing. You will have to see and hear this yourselves. While in combat, the gore and finishing moves are simply amazing if you ask me. If you prefer close combat, you will be rewarded with many deathblows depending on your weapon. I had witness a good amount of deathblows delivered from stylish slash and bash to decapitations.

However, the game itself without multiplayer is quite saddening. But nevertheless, its still a formidable product by itself and its worthy of spending that RM120 on it.

I give it a 9/10. Simply fantastic.