Dragon Age: Origins

 PC
User Score
8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 4891 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4,221 out of 4891
  2. Mixed: 414 out of 4891
  3. Negative: 256 out of 4891
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  1. Necrotaur
    Oct 8, 2011
    5
    Bland and boring is the best way I can describe it. From the contrived storyline, to the setting which borrows heavily from other works of fantasy and real life, I felt like I was thrust into a world that was a boiled down, flavorless version of every fantasy story ever told. I do give them credit for not making D&D: Sword Coast vol. XXVI, and the Origin system was a great idea. TheBland and boring is the best way I can describe it. From the contrived storyline, to the setting which borrows heavily from other works of fantasy and real life, I felt like I was thrust into a world that was a boiled down, flavorless version of every fantasy story ever told. I do give them credit for not making D&D: Sword Coast vol. XXVI, and the Origin system was a great idea. The characters are pretty good as is the interaction between them. Mechanics-wise DA:O is good - combat is tactical and fun, though I still can't figure out how, in 2009 (2011 as of this writing), Bioware STILL hasn't been able to come up with a decent inventory system. Probably the worst aspect of this game were the uberdungeons of the Fade and Orzammar, which single handedly dissuaded me from doing another playthrough. Bottom line, it's not the spiritual successor to BG it was billed as, but you may find some elements you enjoy.… Expand
  2. F.D
    Feb 18, 2010
    7
    It has been a while since I could appreciate a good game and all the depth it offers. I can honestly say that I've played this game 4x times now, a very fun experience. The storyline is captivating and I felt like doing every side mission also. There are a few downsides to the game also - Graphics seem a bit outdated in comparison to Mass Effect ( feels rushed ), but this can be It has been a while since I could appreciate a good game and all the depth it offers. I can honestly say that I've played this game 4x times now, a very fun experience. The storyline is captivating and I felt like doing every side mission also. There are a few downsides to the game also - Graphics seem a bit outdated in comparison to Mass Effect ( feels rushed ), but this can be remedied by downloading player mods which tweak out most of the graphical downturns. Also your own character does not give a voice reply in conversations, which takes away from the game a bit more and the dialogue in general is not as cool as it is was in Mass Effect but these are just minor faults that I'm hoping that Bioware will tweak out in their next release of the Dragon Age series. Overall it is a very fun game for people who enjoy rpg games with a nice storyline.… Expand
  3. night4
    Oct 17, 2016
    5
    Slow and unresponsive AI, party member collision, boring "side quests," no combat log / advanced stats screen, and wildly unbalanced classes and abilities bring this down from what could have been a 9.

    The voice acting and banter is great, and I really loved the dog. Everything else was "meh."
  4. TheMitherer
    Sep 30, 2011
    7
    Pluses: Great story, totally believable and interesting characters, superb voice acting and good music, good lore and some very well written material. Minuses: Enemies, weapons and armour are all very bland and do not have much variation. Combat is ok but you find yourself spamming the same spells/abilities a lot. Character classes and abilities are so-so.
    The Deep Roads dungeon is    Pluses: Great story, totally believable and interesting characters, superb voice acting and good music, good lore and some very well written material. Minuses: Enemies, weapons and armour are all very bland and do not have much variation. Combat is ok but you find yourself spamming the same spells/abilities a lot. Character classes and abilities are so-so.
    The Deep Roads dungeon is extremely tedious and predictable, the Fade only slightly less so. Those two areas discouraged me from playing through for a third time and I've not had the urge to play again since the game came out. I expected better from Bioware.    … Expand
  5. twos
    Nov 11, 2013
    7
    if you asked me 20 hours in I probably would have given this game a 9, but soon after I found myself rapidly becoming bored of the game play and what I felt was a fairly cliche fantasy story-line. The game was definitely very entertaining and definitely worth giving a shot, unique in its strategic mechanics they will keep you enthralled initially, but overall I feel that this is simply aif you asked me 20 hours in I probably would have given this game a 9, but soon after I found myself rapidly becoming bored of the game play and what I felt was a fairly cliche fantasy story-line. The game was definitely very entertaining and definitely worth giving a shot, unique in its strategic mechanics they will keep you enthralled initially, but overall I feel that this is simply a good game not a great one.… Expand
  6. TemplarGR
    Sep 9, 2016
    5
    Overrated action RPG trying to exploit the Baldur's gate nostalgia of fans, posing as a "spiritual successor" to it, but being a mediocre console game.

    People seem to think that Dragon Age series got worse with II and Inquisition, but trust me, true Bioware fans like me were enraged with Origins. This is a bad game. It is not a deep RPG, more like RPG-lite. The combat system is tedius,    Overrated action RPG trying to exploit the Baldur's gate nostalgia of fans, posing as a "spiritual successor" to it, but being a mediocre console game.

    People seem to think that Dragon Age series got worse with II and Inquisition, but trust me, true Bioware fans like me were enraged with Origins. This is a bad game. It is not a deep RPG, more like RPG-lite. The combat system is tedius, boring, and lacks true strategy and tactics.

    The game is long and has good content, but the story is trash and the various "twists" are telegraphed hours away. It has good romancing options, but who plays video games for "romancing options"? Seriously?

    All in all, it is a good RPG-lite, with nice production values, that will satisfy you, but it is far away from a master piece. It signaled the downward spiral of Bioware after its acquisition from EA. True RPG experts knew when the played origins, that Bioware as we knew it was gone.

    This is a 8/10 game, considering 2009 standards. I am giving it a 5, to lower the average.    … Expand
  7. VonCarlsson
    Dec 30, 2010
    7
    If you're into action RPG at all this game will keep you busy for several hours. It features, playable races: Humans, Elves and Dwarfs. It only got 3 classes to choose from, but once chosen you can further specialise the class by choosing sub-classes. Each race offers a 30-minute long pre-quest, which makes you feel involved in your character. The graphics isn't stunning, but it's goodIf you're into action RPG at all this game will keep you busy for several hours. It features, playable races: Humans, Elves and Dwarfs. It only got 3 classes to choose from, but once chosen you can further specialise the class by choosing sub-classes. Each race offers a 30-minute long pre-quest, which makes you feel involved in your character. The graphics isn't stunning, but it's good looking. The controls are good, even though it's available on console as well.

    The game comes with a few flaws that drag down the over-all score. For instance, the game will become gradually more sluggish, that can only be solved by restarting the game. The game can crash at random occasions, so you have to save often. The combat is not very engaging, it feels as if you do the same thing over and over. And the travel system is annoying to use because you will, virtually every time you fast-travel, be attacked, so travel takes much more time that it would have to.

    To sum it up, it's a good game that is worth buying, however keep in mind the flaws, especially the one about saving a lot.    … Expand
  8. Underscore
    Mar 15, 2011
    7
    With Dragon Age: 2 out, I thought I'd play this game one more time. I was surprised when I could actually play through large chunks of the game, knowing what will happen next. The game is so refined, with a few nit-picky problems.
    I have 362 hours with this game to date, which (I believe) gives me a little more credibility than most people who played through it once.
    I'd rate this game a    With Dragon Age: 2 out, I thought I'd play this game one more time. I was surprised when I could actually play through large chunks of the game, knowing what will happen next. The game is so refined, with a few nit-picky problems.
    I have 362 hours with this game to date, which (I believe) gives me a little more credibility than most people who played through it once.
    I'd rate this game a '10' if I was worried about contributing to the overal user score like most people who either vote 10 or 0, but I'm being serious.
    This game has some of THE BEST voice acting I've come to expect from Bioware. Playing as a City Elf, hearing Vaughn laugh as he groped my betrothed had me willing to kill all humans in sight in a fit of rage. I'm actually REALLY glad Male-Hawke is voiced by the same man as Vaughn. Guy has serious talent.
    Plus, toolset. Community content fixes anything you may have against the game (If it's reasonable).    … Expand
  9. Schnapps
    Dec 20, 2011
    7
    A very compelling plot and characters helped make up for this games lacking combat system, which struck me as repetitive and stagnant at some points in the game. A good sense of replayability and interesting in-game choices further added to the experience. A very decent game, though not revolutionary or inspiring, it is still entertaining and good fun.
  10. Qis
    Oct 2, 2012
    7
    This game is intermidiate between good and bad. The good side is it have a good narative, good acting, fun factors, i really enjoy this game. But the bad side is this game is badly designed. Some of the player skill set are either not worth it or broken. The game-play restricted to tank, dps, nuker and healer mostly so the player don't have liberty to change playstyle, doing the very sameThis game is intermidiate between good and bad. The good side is it have a good narative, good acting, fun factors, i really enjoy this game. But the bad side is this game is badly designed. Some of the player skill set are either not worth it or broken. The game-play restricted to tank, dps, nuker and healer mostly so the player don't have liberty to change playstyle, doing the very same thing over and over. The player will min maxing their characters instead of role-playing it. If the player ever change or not played it as it should be, the player will have problems. The loots are terrible, fighting a boss level enemies but the loot are just generic items mostly, that is destroy motivation. There are loop holes in story line, but that can be tolerated. There are bugs and glitches and those are repaired by mods mostly. The graphic is ok even for low spec computers, but game design like armor and weapons are ugly, there are some armor and weapon design that is ok, but mostly ugly and unrealistic. Overall, this game is enjoyable but need something to shine it.… Expand
  11. LTStorm02
    Jun 29, 2015
    5
    This game, oh my gosh this game. I can completely see why people would love this game, from the old timey Tactical RPG to the awesome story, and yet i just can't stand it. The game is TOO big. It has parts of dungeons that are WAAAAAAAAAY to massive, or just there to make it longer. The combat is dull and repetitive, The only class that feels moderately fun is the mage, and that's aThis game, oh my gosh this game. I can completely see why people would love this game, from the old timey Tactical RPG to the awesome story, and yet i just can't stand it. The game is TOO big. It has parts of dungeons that are WAAAAAAAAAY to massive, or just there to make it longer. The combat is dull and repetitive, The only class that feels moderately fun is the mage, and that's a stretch, and i have found a multitude of bugs in my game, and finally the AI just bogs down the game too much. I want to love this game that everyone seems to like, but i just can't.… Expand
  12. marc5477
    Jan 11, 2015
    7
    Good RPG overall and a nice throwback to old hits like Baldurs Gate and Neverwinter Nights. The story played out fairly well and I found a few characters somewhat interesting. Graphics were fine though nothing noteworthy and voice acting was fine. I liked the strategic elements where you can pause and organize your party to work together. For the most part, everything was above average inGood RPG overall and a nice throwback to old hits like Baldurs Gate and Neverwinter Nights. The story played out fairly well and I found a few characters somewhat interesting. Graphics were fine though nothing noteworthy and voice acting was fine. I liked the strategic elements where you can pause and organize your party to work together. For the most part, everything was above average in the game and it was a memorable journey but there are a few things that could be better.

    First, classes are somewhat dull except for mages. Mages are significantly more powerful than any other class in the game. They can be the best damage dealers, best healers, best tank and best control unit on the field, all at once if you build your mage well. Other classes are somewhat boring and very prototypical of any old RPG with exception to archers who are fodder in this game. In many ways, the classes in this game felt too old school. Back then we had limits due to technology but today you can you do better. There should have been more options, more classes, more weapons, etc. For that reason I cant rate it as high as its predecessors since it brought nothing new to the table.

    Next, its a very linear game. Although this is not always bad, it does make replays very boring and I never did finish a replay of this game out of boredom. Everything is linear from enemies, to gear to maps. The only things that change are how you handle quests since you have more than one option. All that said, it is still much better than most console style jRPG's in terms of linearity.

    Overall a good game. Well above average and a game that I might play again one day though not for a while.    … Expand
  13. Lulgrim
    May 24, 2012
    7
    Very overrated RPG that doesn't come close to the Baldur's Gate series in terms of story and writing. Graphics are ugly as hell for 2009, story is linear and unsurprising, characters are not that interesting (although voice acting is better than usual). Gameplay isn't very satisfying, the combat system has a million pointless abilities that you can/must constantly click on so that it wouldVery overrated RPG that doesn't come close to the Baldur's Gate series in terms of story and writing. Graphics are ugly as hell for 2009, story is linear and unsurprising, characters are not that interesting (although voice acting is better than usual). Gameplay isn't very satisfying, the combat system has a million pointless abilities that you can/must constantly click on so that it would appear "deep" (lol). DA:O is not a *bad* game, though, it's just not especially good either. I should probably take out another point for pushing stupid paid DLC but whatever.… Expand
  14. Indrigis
    May 24, 2014
    6
    DAO fails at three important things - story, engaging gameplay and any kind of morality-based choice.

    Sure, there is a lot of lore. But (just like in every other Bioware game, unfortunately) it's not that important. Yay, dwarves! Ancient race! Thaigs! Golems! Story! Shapers! Stone! Now go and kill 718 foozles, you lousy Grey Warden. Because Dwarves are your sworn allies and not in any    DAO fails at three important things - story, engaging gameplay and any kind of morality-based choice.

    Sure, there is a lot of lore. But (just like in every other Bioware game, unfortunately) it's not that important. Yay, dwarves! Ancient race! Thaigs! Golems! Story! Shapers! Stone! Now go and kill 718 foozles, you lousy Grey Warden. Because Dwarves are your sworn allies and not in any kind of trouble, but, you know, the plot compels you to go through the Deep Roads and GET YOUR RECOMMENDED DAILY AMOUNT OF LORE!

    And the combat is downright bad. Your AI companions must be repeatedly programmed to do things in a "If ... then ... " fashion and you have a limited amount of tactics slots per character (does that sound stupid? It is). As for the main character - it's Baldur's Gate all over again. You swing your weapon, numbers fly out, but enemies don't react to your swinging at all. Unit collision is horrendous and playing a rogue or warrior is a recipe for boredom because they have zero AoE and 90% of the fights are against 5+ enemies. So you are much better off going as a mage, who has all the crowd control and MASSIVE AoE at his/her disposal.

    Choice, again, is all grey and grey. No matter whether you are good or evil - every decision can be justified from either standpoint. I understand undertones, but this is ridiculous.

    In the end, DA:O could be a good RPG, but the overabundance of tedium, amount of fighting vs. actual story and the plot-induced invisible walls kill any sort of enthusiasm for it.    … Expand
  15. UnorusJanco
    Jul 9, 2014
    5
    A mediocre role-playing game with nice looking graphics and cringeworthy story and characters, but may be worth playing if you're desperate for another game like Baldur's Gate.
  16. Talvrae
    Mar 20, 2011
    7
    As a Bioware fan girl i will try to make as much of an unbiased review i can do for this game. I'm not blind to it's flaw. But dont want to bash it rediculously for some of the scandals on the game reviews.
    Even if some of the features of Dragon Age Origins return, this is not the same game at all, for the good and the bad. We return to Thedas the same universe and we still are playing a    As a Bioware fan girl i will try to make as much of an unbiased review i can do for this game. I'm not blind to it's flaw. But dont want to bash it rediculously for some of the scandals on the game reviews.
    Even if some of the features of Dragon Age Origins return, this is not the same game at all, for the good and the bad. We return to Thedas the same universe and we still are playing a tactical RPG like the first one, who let you customise the enemies tactics (Richards that's not an unfinished feature, it's necesseries with all the customisations possibles, and it allow to to addapt the tactics to your liking).
    .
    I wills tart out with the bads
    Less customisation than the first one, It's no longer possible to play an elf or a dwarf.
    Recicled environements
    Lack of environement variety
    straight lined missions

    On the good side
    The story is nice and very personal a good change of the epics stories
    The voice acting is excellent as usual on a Bioware titles
    Uge improvement on the graphical side (the art style have changed a lot trought and you like it or you dont)
    Good replayability with lot of things who can change in the game plays

    It's not as good as the original but still a good game    … Expand
  17. norhuma
    Mar 19, 2011
    7
    Not a bad game, but kind of bland. If you've never played a Bioware title before, sure, it'll be great. But for those who played e.g. KOTOR, it's just getting a bit old. Dialogues and overall quality of writing is pretty good, but in the end, just too wordy. Battles mechanics are very early D&D-ish in the sense that you have to take care of your individual party members unless you wantNot a bad game, but kind of bland. If you've never played a Bioware title before, sure, it'll be great. But for those who played e.g. KOTOR, it's just getting a bit old. Dialogues and overall quality of writing is pretty good, but in the end, just too wordy. Battles mechanics are very early D&D-ish in the sense that you have to take care of your individual party members unless you want them to commit suicide, which in itself isn't that bad, it just doesn't really fit a game like this, which is supposed to be a bit more fast paced. (side note: I've played Baldur's Gate, it's a great game, but by today's standards, I'm not sure if I would rate it higher than 7 either, I should add. Games have progressed since 2000, you know..) The characters are well portrayed and voiced, but while they have always been somewhat formulaic, it's getting just too repetitive with each new iteration of a Bioware title.

    Play it if you are a huge fan of Bioware games, or if you've never played one of their games before. Otherwise, I'd say pass, it's getting a bit old.    … Expand
  18. birdman3
    Sep 29, 2013
    7
    Dragon Age does some things right- its story telling is pretty good, its combat dynamics are pretty good, and its graphics are pretty good. With that said, the game is too long for its own good, you spend a lot of time talking (which is typical of Bioware games, so if that's what you expect, that's fine), and the crafting system is lacking. The game wasn't rewarding enough for the 70+Dragon Age does some things right- its story telling is pretty good, its combat dynamics are pretty good, and its graphics are pretty good. With that said, the game is too long for its own good, you spend a lot of time talking (which is typical of Bioware games, so if that's what you expect, that's fine), and the crafting system is lacking. The game wasn't rewarding enough for the 70+ hours I put into the game for me to consider playing it again from a different character class. One thing that irked me- you can either play directly as each of the characters in your party (which is neat), or you can create an AI to tell them when to use certain abilities. This is cool, except I'm not sure when I really want them to use each of the abilities, so I don't trust myself to create their AI. Except that there's no default AI for them to follow. So I felt like with my healer I had to do trial and error to determine what percentage health I needed her to heal my tank at. With my tank, how do I teach him to hold all the enemies' attention? While some people would derive a lot of joy in being able to personalize their character to this extent, to me it was tedium. I prefer the approach they took in Mass Effect where you had less abilities, but they were more significant.… Expand
  19. Vzhik
    Mar 15, 2017
    5
    Несколько раз пытался пройти игру, несколько раз бросал. Но в итоге прошел.
    Плюсы:
    Повествование, персонажи, истории и сюжет. Это всё на отлично. Как-то получилось у авторов сделать вроде банальную историю очень личной, так, что воспринимаешь происходящее как то, что происходит с тобой. Диалоги у команды очень живые. Русская озвучка вполне на уровне, особенно Морриган характер    Несколько раз пытался пройти игру, несколько раз бросал. Но в итоге прошел.
    Плюсы:
    Повествование, персонажи, истории и сюжет. Это всё на отлично. Как-то получилось у авторов сделать вроде банальную историю очень личной, так, что воспринимаешь происходящее как то, что происходит с тобой. Диалоги у команды очень живые. Русская озвучка вполне на уровне, особенно Морриган характер высокомерно-холодной отстраненности очень хорошо предан.
    Минусы:
    Невозможность пройти чисто по сюжету, необходимость прокачиваться на вторичных заданиях. Отсутствие каких-либо подсказок куда следуют идти. Круги по миру нарезать в поисках где враги послабее приходилось неоднократно. Много мороки с цифрами-статами-скиллами и деньгами. Боёвка совершенно не вдохновляет.
    В среднем удовлетворительно    … Expand
  20. Orctownorc
    Aug 8, 2013
    7
    Dragon Age Origins contains so much great content that it garners higher review scores than it deserves. The game has many many interesting NPCs, and they are SO well written, that the writing component of the game is not only 10/10. it approaches the best writing in game design anywhere. However the truth is writing alone does not make a great game. Origins has a number of deficienciesDragon Age Origins contains so much great content that it garners higher review scores than it deserves. The game has many many interesting NPCs, and they are SO well written, that the writing component of the game is not only 10/10. it approaches the best writing in game design anywhere. However the truth is writing alone does not make a great game. Origins has a number of deficiencies that end up placing in closer to the level of the flawed (and pretty tedious) Neverwinter Nights than it is to The great Baldur's Gate 2. The biggest flaw of the game is the lack of detail in the campaign map. Little attempt has been made to pretend that characters are having an adventure in a living world. There is no exploration, no wandering from place to place. No open vistas, no skies, no world at all. Just a little world map that looks like it was scawled on a napkin, where you can move between a limited number of set locations and engage in linear set-pieces. This was acceptable last century but times, and technical capacities have moved on. Bioware seems too stuck in its stengths to seriously address its weaknesses. In brief this campaign design sucks. The other main weakness in Origins is in the character development systems. Obviously Bioware decided to ditch the Dungeons and Dragons system and 'Go their own way'. What they came up with though is sadly under-designed. Non-combat skills and crafting appear to have had the very minimum of thought or play-testing put into them. Classes are NOT balanced (mages are too strong). The whole thing looks like a muddled work in progress. What they came up with is decent but it's telling that the design abruptly ends around level 20. There seems to be a lack of creative vison here to envision a world where charcters will eventually go on and achieve level 50 or 80! Bioware clearly lacks a strategic plan to build a world and create a place where the adventure can continue once they run out of writing ideas. Thus finally, DA Origins simply is NOT that good. It fails to build the foundation for am ongoing franchise. It fails to build an explorable or enduring world. It fails to give the players a systematic basis to explore, adventure of level up anywhere at all outside the very limit areas of defined scripts. It even fails to offer an adventure with more depth or scope that the good old Black-Isle days. Reviewers have been blinded by the sheer beauty of the cutscenes, the wonderful interactions of the party, the amazing voice work, and the great assets to realize that Bioware makes GREAT set-pieces, but fail to make amazing role playing GAMES. The moment their writers stop writing the game ends and the fun is over. It is NOT as good as it could be or should be in this moment of game design. It remains too far stuck back in 1999 and not enough of the new century! The seeds of the failure of Dragon Age 2 were sown HERE.… Expand
  21. Tengu1337
    Oct 26, 2014
    6
    This game is basically medieval KotOR.
    Story: Every quest is well written. The choices you make are difficult and thought provoking. There are some fantasy cliches here and there, but as a whole, the story is great.
    Graphics: Levels are your standard fantasy fare. Some costumes and weapon designs are interesting. Nothing really special to look at. Animations are awkward. Sound:    This game is basically medieval KotOR.
    Story: Every quest is well written. The choices you make are difficult and thought provoking. There are some fantasy cliches here and there, but as a whole, the story is great.
    Graphics: Levels are your standard fantasy fare. Some costumes and weapon designs are interesting. Nothing really special to look at. Animations are awkward.
    Sound: Excellent voice work supports the story very well. You will notice some of the same actors, though. The sound effects are average.
    Gameplay: Dragon's Age has absolutely dreadful game play start to finish mainly because the AI is completely useless. The tactics feature is an awesome idea in theory but fails because every fight is different. You'll basically have to control every action for four characters, and as soon as you switch to one, the others will run off and do something stupid. Dragon's Age is one of the most unbalanced games I've played in a long time. Hard mode is unplayable. The inventory system is useless because of the insane amount of items you pick up and the small carrying capacity. Leveling up is fun but often you'll be forced down a certain path with little room for wacky builds.

    Dragon's Age could have been the tactical RPG that fans have been waiting for but poor AI, lackluster feel, and poor design cripple it. Play it if you enjoyed KotOR or if you like fantasy stories, otherwise skip it.    … Expand
  22. vaell
    Mar 29, 2011
    6
    I just can't see how anyone got pass the extreme cliché, bad combat system, and crazy long load scenes.

    Guess: Bioware + Hipe = love from the masses. on the good side i did enjoy some brief moments of the story, and giving the chance to start with different classes and races with an unique "origin" is a plus, but they might have spent that time and money crafting a better    I just can't see how anyone got pass the extreme cliché, bad combat system, and crazy long load scenes.

    Guess: Bioware + Hipe = love from the masses.

    on the good side i did enjoy some brief moments of the story, and giving the chance to start with different classes and races with an unique "origin" is a plus, but they might have spent that time and money crafting a better game after that...    … Expand
  23. DickS
    Dec 30, 2009
    6
    I have only put about five hours of playtime into the game but felt the need to warn everyone that the game is incomplete. There is a "Tactics" Section that lets you customize the ai of your companions. Bioware has basicly left it up to you to script the ai yourself using an interface that is about as friendly as a psychotic baboon on speed. This would be okay if bioware actually put in I have only put about five hours of playtime into the game but felt the need to warn everyone that the game is incomplete. There is a "Tactics" Section that lets you customize the ai of your companions. Bioware has basicly left it up to you to script the ai yourself using an interface that is about as friendly as a psychotic baboon on speed. This would be okay if bioware actually put in some half decent script sets to start you off. But the AI presets get the lemming award every time i engage in battle.… Expand
  24. Biokiipper
    Dec 22, 2013
    5
    If you played Mass effect series and Skyrim, you probably shouldn't play this one... My brother played DA before those and really loved this game, I did the opposite. Considering that I am into NWN, Baldur's Gate series, Elder Scroll and many others fantasy games more than he is, I scratched my head when I didn't like it as him and many others... I guess some games should be played whenIf you played Mass effect series and Skyrim, you probably shouldn't play this one... My brother played DA before those and really loved this game, I did the opposite. Considering that I am into NWN, Baldur's Gate series, Elder Scroll and many others fantasy games more than he is, I scratched my head when I didn't like it as him and many others... I guess some games should be played when its released, after that it will simply be outdated... Probably I will give it another try in january/2014 and review my score. If you really want to try it, do it only with steam sales.… Expand
  25. Nuker
    Jun 26, 2015
    7
    Good: Companions, Orzammar

    Mixed: Story, Writing, Gameplay, Music, Atmosphere/Mood, Setting

    Bad: Pacing, Bugs

    Overall average game with great moments. Terrible pacing, too much boring encounters with trash mobs. Some great locations with enjoyable quest lines like Orzammar. Annoying bugs in combat.
  26. nubinebi
    Sep 4, 2015
    6
    I am disappointed with this game. Camera is terrible and sometimes downright infuriating. Some of the objects are way to hard to find. Even after you know where they are supposed to be! If you are really desperate for an RPG game, give it a try, otherwise there are many better ones out there.
  27. AlienSpaceBats
    Jun 27, 2013
    6
    This is not Baldur's Gate. Dragon Age is average and tedious; catering to the Lord of the Rings crowd with soap-opera character interaction and bland "looks-like-medieval-Europe" fantasy setting It took effort to get into the game, through it's constipated origin stories (all dull, save the Dwarven one), to the peaks and valleys of the main game: for every interesting interaction (Shale)This is not Baldur's Gate. Dragon Age is average and tedious; catering to the Lord of the Rings crowd with soap-opera character interaction and bland "looks-like-medieval-Europe" fantasy setting It took effort to get into the game, through it's constipated origin stories (all dull, save the Dwarven one), to the peaks and valleys of the main game: for every interesting interaction (Shale) there is far too often a descent into a seemingly never-ending, mind-numbing dungeon-crawl (The Urn of Sacred Ashes, The Fade, Orzammar).… Expand
  28. Solstrand
    Sep 29, 2013
    6
    This was hailed as THE rpg game of the decade back when it was new and fresh. I had my fill of rpg's at the time, so i didnt pick it up until recently.

    What struck me was how extremely overrated this game was. The story is passable, but mostly just the same old stuff. I got bored with it halfway through the game. The combat system and game in itself, is "Meh". That got boring even    This was hailed as THE rpg game of the decade back when it was new and fresh. I had my fill of rpg's at the time, so i didnt pick it up until recently.

    What struck me was how extremely overrated this game was. The story is passable, but mostly just the same old stuff. I got bored with it halfway through the game. The combat system and game in itself, is "Meh". That got boring even quicker. It's a decent game, but i expected a classic. And when you do, it's kinda annoying. Do not buy this if you think it's gonna be an epic story or game. It's a passable game, nothing more.    … Expand
  29. MikeB
    Nov 8, 2009
    5
    I don't know what game everyone else is playing. This game takes Baldur's Gate 2, removes all interesting dialogue, unique characters, player choices, and exploration, and replaces it with shiny graphics and cutscenes. Any game that plays itself and looks pretty gets 90s and better from this joke of a game reviewing community we have today.
  30. Hoi_Gr
    Mar 17, 2011
    5
    Short Review: A solid RPG but nothing new, nothing really impressive or mind blowing. Not really a step back for Bioware and the genre, just not a step forward either.

    Biggest Pros: Excellent story telling and dialog. Many different origins stories. HUGE: Not as huge as Elder Scrolls ofcourse but you can spend ALOT of time with it. High quality production throughout. Great to watch:    Short Review: A solid RPG but nothing new, nothing really impressive or mind blowing. Not really a step back for Bioware and the genre, just not a step forward either.

    Biggest Pros: Excellent story telling and dialog. Many different origins stories. HUGE: Not as huge as Elder Scrolls ofcourse but you can spend ALOT of time with it. High quality production throughout. Great to watch: Graphics, animations, impressive effects. Unmissable: like it or not the DA series are the standard of measure for fantasy CRPGs at the moment. You have to play it to stay current.

    Bigest Cons: Illusions of moral choices dispel quickly. Battle system and ruleset are just terrible, probably the most unimaginative and rigid skill system ever. Half the skills are just slight variations of other skills, you probably won't use 70% of the skills you learn. Completely imbalanced: 3 mages + 1 tank and the game is ridiculously easy, mix the typical fantasy party (2 x warrior, 1 rogue, 1 mage) and you go nowhere. Weak, non exciting gear. Non exciting lvl ups. Very scripted. Loading screens.    … Expand
  31. Amig
    Jun 22, 2012
    7
    As I tend to ignore hype, I didn't really have much in the way of expectations toward Dragon Age Origins. I suppose you could say I was pleasantly surprised. While the story is yet another LotR derivative (the darkspawn even look and behave exactly like Tolkien's orcs), and the combat is kinda tiresome in the long run, the game makes up for it with craptons of dialogue (all voiced, exceptAs I tend to ignore hype, I didn't really have much in the way of expectations toward Dragon Age Origins. I suppose you could say I was pleasantly surprised. While the story is yet another LotR derivative (the darkspawn even look and behave exactly like Tolkien's orcs), and the combat is kinda tiresome in the long run, the game makes up for it with craptons of dialogue (all voiced, except your own char's lines - you have to voice those yourself), great characters (Alistair and Morrigan are my favorites), brilliant voice acting (once again, a really good job with Morrigan and Alistair) and quite a lot of freedom of choice. Although the game has many flaws, like the aforementioned tiresome combat, sluggish world map travel (done Fallout style, except with scripted encounters rather than random ones) and some situations with wasted potential for non-linearity, it's a pretty solid piece of work overall and, unless you develop an allergic reaction to it early on, should keep you entertained for many hours.… Expand
  32. Gzhindra
    Sep 14, 2013
    5
    The only thing that this game does right is the fighting system and the skillsets. It is pretty deep and gives a lot of freedom in term of tactics. Unfortunately the class are poorly balanced and if you play in the higher difficulty levels it shows. A lot. The mage class is uber powerful while other classes become useless. Some classes are useful at the beginning of the game and deflateThe only thing that this game does right is the fighting system and the skillsets. It is pretty deep and gives a lot of freedom in term of tactics. Unfortunately the class are poorly balanced and if you play in the higher difficulty levels it shows. A lot. The mage class is uber powerful while other classes become useless. Some classes are useful at the beginning of the game and deflate in the later game. The dog for example has clearly not been thought to be kept beyond the first half of the game. Too bad.
    The game tries to make you think there is freedom but there are very little. You can chose the order in which you are going to play the sub stories and at the end of each of these sub stories chose the good and the evil path which actually change the troops you will have at the end of the game but nothing storywise. The game is actually very manichean (binary straight good or straight bad. Nothing in between) despite what the developer was claming.
    The story is pretty shallow and uninteresting. It would have been acceptable if the game had real freedom but in this very close game it looks very cheap. The meta-story could be told on a piece of toilet paper. It is that deep. You have independent sub stories. Little one. But several little story don’t make 1 great story.
    It was supposed to be a Baldur’s gate revival but it fails miserably.    … Expand
  33. stern
    Dec 30, 2012
    5
    I played this game because of the high rating everyone was giving and now I learnt my lesson: never trust "professional" reviewers, or they are paid, or they are totally and clueless people. I ended Dragon Age only with the desire to see Morrigan nude and an utter frustration.
    Dragon Age is the reason people use the term WRPG pejoratively; a bland and dull fantasy world which won't    I played this game because of the high rating everyone was giving and now I learnt my lesson: never trust "professional" reviewers, or they are paid, or they are totally and clueless people. I ended Dragon Age only with the desire to see Morrigan nude and an utter frustration.
    Dragon Age is the reason people use the term WRPG pejoratively; a bland and dull fantasy world which won't attract anyone over 25, a mish-mash of all things rooted in tabletop rpgs, but with a vague and easy coming face, specially appealing to younger generations and metal fans. And also painfully linear, because they like to pretend the game isn't linear; experiment playing the game as an elf mage and going to the elf city, they won't treat you as an elf simply because their dialog lines weren't written taking your choices in account.
    Also, you'll se gross stereotypes, unnecessary sexualization and even offensive references to homosexuality. I bet they probably did all this to create controversy and free marketing.
    The game offers entertainment indeed, but you probably won't even end it, getting bored midway.    … Expand
  34. KostasI.
    Dec 8, 2009
    5
    Ok, first things first, the good parts. Good visuals on the PC, excellent sound and music, good voice overs from the important people of the game, excellent humor, combat feels vicious and violent, lots of lore. And now the bad things. Everything else. Bad story telling, bad voices for all non important characters, non-existent exploration, zero freedom, unbalanced gameplay, bugs that can Ok, first things first, the good parts. Good visuals on the PC, excellent sound and music, good voice overs from the important people of the game, excellent humor, combat feels vicious and violent, lots of lore. And now the bad things. Everything else. Bad story telling, bad voices for all non important characters, non-existent exploration, zero freedom, unbalanced gameplay, bugs that can be progress stopping, decisions that only take place until the very end and dont really matter anyway. Generally this is a game that takes RPG games 2 steps forward and 10 steps back. Inexperienced with the genre people will definitely enjoy it for obvious reasons but those that want a deep and involving experience would do well to steer away. You have been warned.… Expand
  35. wm4l
    Jul 8, 2011
    7
    Gra caÅ
  36. virgilivs
    Nov 1, 2012
    7
    How can professional critics give NINETY-ONE to this? Oh, that's right, we're talking about world-famous DLC developer, Bioware.
    It has nothing new, awkward movement mapping and controls, unfriendly tactic system and countless, useless, expensive DLCs. It is good but nothing more, in my opinion.
  37. hisxmark
    Apr 12, 2015
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I bought the game on disk when it came out, but I hadn't played it for a few years. I ran across the disk and started playing again. It is a very enjoyable game, but ... When I tried to update it, the game couldn't even find the disk in the drive. When I tried to download Ultimate, it gave fifteen error messages before I stopped counting. I contacted customer support and the guy started talking me through modifying and reloading files. He was prompt with the refund, and I suspect that was what he was most used to. When I went on li9ne I discovered this experience is common. Sometimes it runs, but they aren't going to fix it if it doesn't. In short, Bioware and EA support stinks and they don't seem to care. I won't buy anything with either label again.… Expand
  38. Daggerrim
    Mar 27, 2019
    5
    This RPG is overrated. It's not a bad game it's just not as good as everyone says. DA2 and DA:I are much better and even though some might not agree with me on that point this game is still just mediocre.
  39. PHDIKOULAS
    Jan 20, 2020
    6
    I see many putting 10 on this game.If this is a 10 what would baldurs gate 2 be?or planescape torment?150?

    Anyway, review is for the ultimate edition of the game,and dosent have spoilers.it has many dlcs which i thought were in game but they are played on their own,they arent in the main game so i cant comment on them. You can play them separately Although its a mediocre game it    I see many putting 10 on this game.If this is a 10 what would baldurs gate 2 be?or planescape torment?150?

    Anyway, review is for the ultimate edition of the game,and dosent have spoilers.it has many dlcs which i thought were in game but they are played on their own,they arent in the main game so i cant comment on them. You can play them separately

    Although its a mediocre game it shows why bioware was once the best rpg maker. You can see that old bioware here and there. The story is great, The characters are well fleshed out and you actually care about them,all of them have their personal stories and the main story itself is gripping with many twists here and there. In this game you actions have consequences.

    The only absolute crap part is the moral grey area which many rpgs try to incorporate in their games and fail miserably,this game is no exception.

    That said the game has quite a few flaws but they dont ruin totally the whole game experience(eg the journal that dosent say where you must go among other things).

    Tldr if you find this game for 20 bucks get it,great story but a game with many flaws.    … Expand
  40. Iscariote
    Mar 15, 2011
    6
    Bioware brings us another fine RPG full of great lore and good companion development and storylines. While it's not the "Baldur's Gate successor" as they claimed, this is truly as close as they can get without letting the crowds aside from experiencing this game. However, at many time, all that lore and rich world environment seems a bit... underexploited, always leaving you with a feelingBioware brings us another fine RPG full of great lore and good companion development and storylines. While it's not the "Baldur's Gate successor" as they claimed, this is truly as close as they can get without letting the crowds aside from experiencing this game. However, at many time, all that lore and rich world environment seems a bit... underexploited, always leaving you with a feeling that 'it could be more'... sure, there are a lot of codexes and notes that enrich the lore, but if I wanted to read a book, well, I'd buy a book. Combat is also reminniscent of BG, with the ability to pause, queue, combine and script your party actions, and it even gets fun when challenging encounters are thrown to you. Unfortuntately, most of the encounters are trivial and with the slow combat pace, they're just time fillers between you and your objectives. PC version is ok, with the addition of a more traditional top-down camera that many will appretiate... on the downside of the PC port, the texture quality for the environments ranges from bad to abysmal.… Expand
  41. JesseT
    Nov 6, 2009
    5
    Dragon Age is an inexcusably bad game. Comparing it to BG2 is a sacrilege. Even BG2 autosaved before you left zones. If you don't remember to quicksave frequently have fun playing through the same unnecessarily difficult combats over and over. I sure didn't. I also experienced several crashes as I loaded zones. There went an hour down the drain. The look of the game is drab and Dragon Age is an inexcusably bad game. Comparing it to BG2 is a sacrilege. Even BG2 autosaved before you left zones. If you don't remember to quicksave frequently have fun playing through the same unnecessarily difficult combats over and over. I sure didn't. I also experienced several crashes as I loaded zones. There went an hour down the drain. The look of the game is drab and the backgrounds are pathetic to say the least. They look like they were ripped straight from a budget title. The only thing that saves this game is that the character interactions aren't that bad. Up close the models look decent, but the blood spatter effect is gimmicky and detracts from the realism rather than adding to it. I haven't gotten all the way through the main story yet, but so far the plot is contrived, low-rent bullsh-- Biggest disappointment since Bioshock.… Expand
  42. Rabi4t
    Nov 7, 2013
    5
    So I am not sure about what score to give because I'm turned on by the story and the characters, but I am also completely pissed of by the combat system. So lets start... I played a Male Human Warrior with Greatsword, a tank, a rogue melee and with the witch from the woods, which could be so extremely powerful, if you play it yourself, but normally you want to plat your own character. SoSo I am not sure about what score to give because I'm turned on by the story and the characters, but I am also completely pissed of by the combat system. So lets start... I played a Male Human Warrior with Greatsword, a tank, a rogue melee and with the witch from the woods, which could be so extremely powerful, if you play it yourself, but normally you want to plat your own character. So you walk right into a combat and if you dont micromanage your team you will most likely fail, hard, often. Yeah there are the tactic fields and stuff, but they are whether to specific or not common enough. And you have to put points into character tree for getting more tactic points... the So this after noticing that this tactic fields wont get me very far and I was not willing to micromanage because I dont want to battle for a half our for one pack of bandits, I decided to switch to difficulty easy. After then it was nearly playable in real-time, which was more satisfying for me.
    The other characters are really diverse and fun to interact with and it feels a lot like neverwinter nights/ NWN 2 with the whole dialogues and decisions. But imho the combat there was much nicer and less pause intense. Another point I would like to add is the weapon/armor design. The amor design is okay, but not overwhelming... it is kind of boring, like the sword design. I mean there is the standard sword design in different color variations indicating the metal they are forger of. This is pretty lazy! And I remember the times when you did not need a staff to cast spells and in NWN. I really miss the fire coming out of my hands.
    Anyway I would have appreciated a more diverse design for armors as well as for weapons. But maybe I was to spoiled by Dark Souls the last year :).
    I will play it throug anyway because of the characters and story,
    If you loved NWN you will like this game, but be warned of boring weapons and st(u/a)ff.    … Expand
  43. Suronal
    Nov 19, 2014
    7
    Dragon Age Origins, A good start to the series, BioWare always puts 110% into there games for sure, story driven and decision making with real inpacts on your decisions ... is what makes this game what it is :)
  44. jelikey
    Sep 10, 2015
    6
    40 % of the game is watching cut scenes. 20% is answering multiple choice questions on what to say and how to reply. 40% is running and combat. this is a very slow paced game with invisible walls everywhere. not an open world.
  45. MacX
    Dec 28, 2020
    5
    The story is boring and great character moments are few and far between. The Combat is not that great either.
  46. KesslerCOIL
    Oct 3, 2014
    5
    If you're looking for an action packed, thrilling adventure that you feel completely immersed in... look elsewhere.
    The combat is pretty much in pause mode 90% of the time if you want to get anywhere in the game.
    The graphics look like they're from 2005 at best. The voice acting and character rigging are both awful in every way. The character progression doesnt feel like it has much    If you're looking for an action packed, thrilling adventure that you feel completely immersed in... look elsewhere.
    The combat is pretty much in pause mode 90% of the time if you want to get anywhere in the game.
    The graphics look like they're from 2005 at best.
    The voice acting and character rigging are both awful in every way.

    The character progression doesnt feel like it has much meaning, most skills dont really combo with others and the passives tree(if you can call it a tree) is basically "here's the thing that lets you use that useless crap in your inventory, here's the thing the lets you steal so you can afford items etc." and you just keep making the one passive slightly better with each point, gated by your attribute points so you HAVE to build you character a certain way to a point.

    Overall, this is a rather biased opinion since i cant stand turnbased games, it is pretty much a turnbased RPG with a mediocre storyline, last decades graphics and a skill tree that has no real choice to it other than "do I get this now? or in a few hours?"
    So if you're looking for a rather slowpaced rpg where the most interesting part of the game is the ending and the rest is just wading through the rubbish left to that point... this is the game for you.
    I here Dragon Age 2 is good, ill go check that out instead    … Expand
  47. MichaelL
    Jan 1, 2010
    6
    Where to start... The first 10 minutes of the game seriously made me mad and forced me to stop, but soon after I picked up my controller and began playing again. I own this game for PC and The Xbox 360. First of all, theres a HUGE difference between the two, not only does the PC Have better graphics and such, but there is MUCH less lag and a few options the consoles didn't have, but Where to start... The first 10 minutes of the game seriously made me mad and forced me to stop, but soon after I picked up my controller and began playing again. I own this game for PC and The Xbox 360. First of all, theres a HUGE difference between the two, not only does the PC Have better graphics and such, but there is MUCH less lag and a few options the consoles didn't have, but I myself am I console man. Ive heard this game on the PS3 is unplayable due to horrid lag and such, but on the 360 it wasn't much different. The cutscene's lagged, considerably. Not so bad on some and horribly on others. And during cutscenes on the PC and 360 the graphics looked very foggy, even wooden. The voice acting was GREAT, for about, 5 Characters? A few important characters were fortunate enough to receive great voice acting, and the rest... Well not so much. The game itself has decent graphics, but its no Fallout 3 or Oblivion graphics-wise. The gameplay itself will suck you in at first, but 3-4 hours into the game, it gets VERY repetitive. You'll find yourself using the same button combination's over and over. Also the combat and movement is bugged, and the anti-aliasing on the models was done terribly, minor graphics glitches are present EVERYWHERE and take much away from the game. Theres even glitches that can screw-over your story-progression. The storyline itself is very good though, I will admit the lore and such were nicely done, the codex was a nice addition. It took me a good.. 4 Days Real-Time to play through this game the first time with 21 Hours logged on my level 21 Warrior. I didn't do ALL the side-quests, but I did a fair-amount. There actually isn't that many side-quests to do to be honest. In terms of an RPG this game IS NOT. The combat is turn based, even though Bioware did a decent job of masking it, and the variety of things to do is very limited, and at times forced. It didn't feel like an RPG, its just a progressive-action game with a few choices here and there and an economics system. And heres what destroyed me, once you beat the game, say goodbye! Unless you have a previous save, which the game doesn't warn you to make or anything, your Screwed! All you can do once you beat it is play DLC you haven't finished, or sit in the party camp, thats it, sorry kids. Not to mention the combat is insanely hard at times on normal. The Hard and Nightmare difficulties are impossible without some sort of cheating. I found myself changing the difficulty to Casual at times, and even then dying. Overall, on first impression, this game may seem great, but it has a lot of wasted potential. Its mostly hype, and you WILL be let down, it gets 6/10 by my mark, and only because the storyline and lore were so good.… Expand
  48. Tkwz
    Jun 16, 2011
    6
    This is one of those games, that shouldn't be a game at all. Awesome story, interesting world, great characters and roleplaying potential build for an awesome experience, but is awfully crushed by the repetitive and annoying combat.

    Not only you need to babysit entire party, but also to cut through dozens of easy mob packs, that can't harm you even if you went AFK... then throws a boss    This is one of those games, that shouldn't be a game at all. Awesome story, interesting world, great characters and roleplaying potential build for an awesome experience, but is awfully crushed by the repetitive and annoying combat.

    Not only you need to babysit entire party, but also to cut through dozens of easy mob packs, that can't harm you even if you went AFK... then throws a boss that you can beat only by 10 times saveloading until your awesome heroes manage to cast a spell that doesn't get resisted or manage to hit with their awesome slaying arrow at least ONCE.

    Furthermore, it's incredibly easy to mess your party, pick wrong skills, stats or composition and end up either with boring easy experience or impossible normal+. Hell it's even possible to get stuck AT EASY! Yes, you have to start over at the end of the game, if you were foolish enough to not read a guide first and make all the bad choices that looked good on "paper".

    With all of the above, the charm of the game is cut in half. Of course people say this game is as good as Shadows of Amn, and surely they are right. Problem is, we are decade ahead of those times and standards went up since then. It's good sequel didn't follow this route and made combat easier to manage, especially for consoles. If only the story quality of sequel was the same...    … Expand
  49. Skyrar
    Sep 21, 2014
    6
    + A lot of customization
    + Decent Graphics for 2009
    + Some likeable characters and a lot of character interaction + good voiceacting + good story execution + long playtime (60-90 hours) - combat fells slow and boring - story couldn't be more generic (chosen hero saves world from big bad evil) - according to bioware "dark, mature" rpg, but if neither feels dark nor mature. Seems    + A lot of customization
    + Decent Graphics for 2009
    + Some likeable characters and a lot of character interaction
    + good voiceacting
    + good story execution
    + long playtime (60-90 hours)

    - combat fells slow and boring
    - story couldn't be more generic (chosen hero saves world from big bad evil)
    - according to bioware "dark, mature" rpg, but if neither feels dark nor mature. Seems more written towards 15 years old boys and girls.
    - Music didn't impress me (bothing outstanding)
    Overall 6/10- decent game with some problems    … Expand
  50. Zhijn
    Mar 20, 2011
    6
    Without going into to many details. Great voice acting, love the way your character stay in voice character should you be angry, funny or serious. However that alone does not carry a hole game. DA2 is infact incredible repetitive with the method of reusing areas for pretty much everything throughout the hole game, while the environment is very well made and detailed it gets very and i meanWithout going into to many details. Great voice acting, love the way your character stay in voice character should you be angry, funny or serious. However that alone does not carry a hole game. DA2 is infact incredible repetitive with the method of reusing areas for pretty much everything throughout the hole game, while the environment is very well made and detailed it gets very and i mean very boring really fast. Everything from the city to the dungeons are reused over and over and over, very tireing and you are constantly sitting with a feeling that somethings gotta change soon, but it never does.

    Moving on to combat. I got abit of mixed feelings on this one, while i enjoy the faster combat and the class cross combos you can do i absolutely hate the exploding bodies and massive gore that spew all over the place. Fatalities is another thing i liked from DAO but were totally removed from DA2 with exploding enemies. No much strategy in combat either, while you still got the tactical setup for your party there is no strategy to be made on the go, you can still pause and issue orders but you can no longer zoom as you did in DAO. Planning a combat in DA2 isnt to great either anymore considering the game just throw hordes of weak enms at you from all direction making it a total mess for any type of planning. Its clear the combat was not designed for your typical RPG but more of a hack n' slash type.

    Story time. The Hawke start interesting with them fleeing Lothering. Its all a nice setup for well, nothing. After that you just go around picking up side-quests and do main quests with any real story behind you, without any real sens of a goal or any sens of having a villian to fight. They make it clear that its all about Mages and Templars, but your in for a huge suprise when you realize that everything you did getting to the end didnt matter one bit. Every choice you make have zero matter on the world around you.

    Your party. You got a emo elf which is clearly some homage to J-RPGs, a naive elf, a brute ginger female, a pirate whore and a dwarf. You can romance either of em except two. Sadly DA2 have also gone taken a step back here, the romance that had a nice touch in DAO is just blend and dull in DA2.

    Dialog wheel. While i dont mind it to much, its abit to simple. Gone is persuasion, now you get a clear picture of what is what. If a romance option is ready the wheel make it clear with a heart shaped icon. Very simple, maybe to simple (?).

    Bugs and glitchs. Way to many, and that baffles me. Since iv never played a bioware game where so many glitchs and game breaking bugs actually took out the fun.

    Closing. Being a bioware fan and a fan of Dragon Age Origins i say that BioWare did not come through this time around. DA2 is short, unfufilling, lack and sens of purpose with the characters and the hole game have been simplified beyond words, it dosnt feel much like an RPG anymore. I think might have tried to appeal to a to wide of an audience and came up with something that didnt quite work. In short, it feels very rushed like it had a deadline they just barely made.

    I will look forward to Mass Effect 3 and hopefully Dragon Age 3. And i hope BioWares once and for all start improving their sequels, and dont let a deadline or something else get in their way of making a great game.

    My first thought was a solid 7, but after completing DA2 and learning that nothing you do matters it has lost all appeal to me. So sadly, very sadly i give DA2 a 6. =(    … Expand
  51. Tom
    Jan 10, 2010
    5
    I've played about twenty hours of the game and I' ve done playing Dragon age for good. Very poor story, badly told, unimaginative conversations that are taking place in small villiages with few npc, and about none worth speaking to. The story is again about a *big* danger coming from the *dark* army of undead - again - because it is the very background we had in Neverwinter I've played about twenty hours of the game and I' ve done playing Dragon age for good. Very poor story, badly told, unimaginative conversations that are taking place in small villiages with few npc, and about none worth speaking to. The story is again about a *big* danger coming from the *dark* army of undead - again - because it is the very background we had in Neverwinter Nights. And the point to consider it as a good one - for the makers is that (and not for the players) - the events are so big - that they keep the designers from from the need of creation of a complex world for us. We have a lot of small areas filled with monsters, and a newly born hero who's gonna destroy all the evil lurking in all the places of this simplified world. We have a lot of cinematics inspired by the 'big movies' - like the Lord of the rings - that are okay, but in reality - ale a simple bonus for a rather hollow thing. Therfore there are conversations with your 'teammates', that are stupidly boring, boring beyond the boundaries of imagination. We have an option of making sex with your frend from a party. We've got also some good things in this game. The system - even it is no D&D - is really good, at some points; there are nice, interesting skills, that you may develop. It may have some weak points - there is no depth in the - for example - creation of powers of your mages, but in the and it is so entertaining, that I could call it interesting. The is dog - that you may treat as a teammate, that has his own skill tree - and the dog is really superp - with really nice animations. The graphics are not that bad. In the end I feel that a game is rather decent. Not to mention Planescape: Torment, and the depth of this kind of game, Dragon age is not even half of the Baldurs Gate. This is obviously not a game of the year, or month it is just very overrated one. What we really have here is Neverwinter Nights 3.… Expand
  52. kenneths
    Jan 24, 2010
    6
    The game itself is GREAT! but its realy messed up on pc-steam .i bought Dragon age: origins digital deluxe edition, but i dident get the DLC's ,i have tried everything i can think of to get the DLC's but nothing worked. i give it rating 6 beacuse of that.
  53. CaseyL
    Feb 13, 2010
    6
    This may be a good RPG in its own right, but what really marred the experience for me were the constant references to this game being the next Baldur's Gate. The Baldur's Gate series is the best RPG line ever made, and, come on, DAO is definitely no Baldur's Gate. Baldur's Gate threw you into a world and told you to figure it out on your own; DAO simply feels too This may be a good RPG in its own right, but what really marred the experience for me were the constant references to this game being the next Baldur's Gate. The Baldur's Gate series is the best RPG line ever made, and, come on, DAO is definitely no Baldur's Gate. Baldur's Gate threw you into a world and told you to figure it out on your own; DAO simply feels too scripted. Sure, you have choices, but it does not carry the feel of freedom and consequence that was so prevalent in Baldur's Gate. Play DAO if you want a fun RPG experience reminiscent of KOTR, but do not try and fool yourself into thinking that this is the next Baldur's Gate.… Expand
  54. JonathanB
    Feb 2, 2010
    6
    The production value of this game really shows through the phenomenal visuals, music, and voice-overs. Unfortunately, the combat mechanics, lack of any multi-player functionality or toolset, along with a rather predictable story, leaves much to be desired with this game. Additionally, the DLC content is somewhat intrusively advertised ingame. It's not a bad game, but it seems rather The production value of this game really shows through the phenomenal visuals, music, and voice-overs. Unfortunately, the combat mechanics, lack of any multi-player functionality or toolset, along with a rather predictable story, leaves much to be desired with this game. Additionally, the DLC content is somewhat intrusively advertised ingame. It's not a bad game, but it seems rather lacking compared to BioWare's past RPG in terms of RPG content.… Expand
  55. MarkG
    Nov 10, 2009
    6
    The main problem with this game is that it isn
  56. ColinS
    Dec 22, 2009
    6
    For the life of me I can't understanding the glowing press this game is getting, and what seems to me to be people who aren't thinking for themselves lining up behind it. Shocking. The game is in many respects mediocre, tired and lame. It's not horrible, but it is so far away from Balder's Gate attempts at comparison are embarassing. I loved Mass Effect, BG and KOTOR. For the life of me I can't understanding the glowing press this game is getting, and what seems to me to be people who aren't thinking for themselves lining up behind it. Shocking. The game is in many respects mediocre, tired and lame. It's not horrible, but it is so far away from Balder's Gate attempts at comparison are embarassing. I loved Mass Effect, BG and KOTOR. Found NWN I/II to be really solid. This game doesn't live up to any of them, frankly. Boring silly predictable plot, game balancing is bad (lead designers seem to have a strong preference for mages). I thought dialog and voice acting were good/great. Graphics ok, but not great. Not much innovative in the game at all, and even some of Bioware's usual strong points aren't up to standards.… Expand
  57. JoeE
    Dec 30, 2009
    6
    I was misled by all these reviews. There is one major thing that I didnt read in any of the reviews. There is waaay too much dialog in this game. You will spend much of that game listening to dialog and chosing multiple choice questions. It reminds me of those old MUD games where youre faced with options such as "would you like to move north?". Ive spend 8 hours on the game, and atleast 6 I was misled by all these reviews. There is one major thing that I didnt read in any of the reviews. There is waaay too much dialog in this game. You will spend much of that game listening to dialog and chosing multiple choice questions. It reminds me of those old MUD games where youre faced with options such as "would you like to move north?". Ive spend 8 hours on the game, and atleast 6 of them were running between NPCS and listening to dialog. There is not enough action. You will get 10 minutes of action for every 2 hours listening to dialog. If I wanted to watch a movie or read a story I would read a book or watch a dvd....… Expand
  58. MikeM
    Jan 19, 2010
    5
    Many parts of this game are worth a 9 or 10, but the major flaw with this game [and the reason that it's overrated] is that the enemy AI is completely lame. You can very easily do 'gamey' things to the enemies, like attack half of them and leave the other half of them standing there. Some people might enjoy 'tricking' the 'enemy' but for me it breaks the Many parts of this game are worth a 9 or 10, but the major flaw with this game [and the reason that it's overrated] is that the enemy AI is completely lame. You can very easily do 'gamey' things to the enemies, like attack half of them and leave the other half of them standing there. Some people might enjoy 'tricking' the 'enemy' but for me it breaks the game. I know that 'pulling' enemies is part of other games, and even some of the old school RPGs that this one is inspired by, but for me this was one of the fatal flaws of those games. And in the here and now, with all the time and money spent on what could have been a great game, it's a shame that you can pull 3 baddies and leave the other 7 of them standing there staring into space. I expect good things from dragon age 2 if they can fix that crap. Don't waste your money. Incidentally, the game industry trend of outrageous over-ratings continue.… Expand
  59. AlexJ
    Nov 11, 2009
    6
    I deleted this game after 10 hours of playing without any plans on coming back to it, and I seriously fail to realize what makes it so special for everyone. The story is generic BioWare fantasy - you are part of an elite force set out to stop a great evil, and while all the world powers are wasting time on trivial scuffles you are the one that gets to slap some sense into them. Replace I deleted this game after 10 hours of playing without any plans on coming back to it, and I seriously fail to realize what makes it so special for everyone. The story is generic BioWare fantasy - you are part of an elite force set out to stop a great evil, and while all the world powers are wasting time on trivial scuffles you are the one that gets to slap some sense into them. Replace the demons with AI and you got Mass Effect. "Every decision you make effects the story" is cool, but hardly new. The combat system is boring and at times unbalanced... I don't enjoy stunlocking 20 wolves to death. One positive thing about the whole game though is the atmosphere! Like nothing I've seen in any other game... too bad everything else is mediocre.… Expand
  60. Ryan
    Nov 10, 2009
    6
    Fun game dont get me wrong, but i dont see stocking up on thousands of potions and relying on pure luck for ANY of youre melee characters to hit ( i have 100+ attack at 14 on all of them and the best hit % i have is my tank with 65%) as strategic, youre team will generally do whatever the hell they want even with the tatics system you'll find yourself yelling at your screen when a Fun game dont get me wrong, but i dont see stocking up on thousands of potions and relying on pure luck for ANY of youre melee characters to hit ( i have 100+ attack at 14 on all of them and the best hit % i have is my tank with 65%) as strategic, youre team will generally do whatever the hell they want even with the tatics system you'll find yourself yelling at your screen when a tank holding two mobs will for no reason with no "tatics" programming run off to their death chasing god knows what. The difficulty curve in this game is a right angle, you go from able to down enemies to having to suck down 10+ potions (with a healer mage mind you) to even survive a simple battle. AI, hit rating, the challange of simple fights, and aggro managment is in desperate need of repair before i can give this game anything better than a 6… Expand
  61. Lone
    Nov 17, 2009
    6
    To start the rating of "6" does not equate to the typical failure associated with gamer site 60%. "5" would be fair, so in this case I felt DAO was overall a good game with some important flaws. This review is after a complete finish at about 58 hours with only about half a dozen minor courier-like quests not completed. Pros: Bioware continues to set the bar for role playing and character To start the rating of "6" does not equate to the typical failure associated with gamer site 60%. "5" would be fair, so in this case I felt DAO was overall a good game with some important flaws. This review is after a complete finish at about 58 hours with only about half a dozen minor courier-like quests not completed. Pros: Bioware continues to set the bar for role playing and character building. DAO has a great variety of characters, both player related and NPC. You are supplied with a wide variety of skills to build around and the game is designed as such that by the end you've created a uniquely competent group of adventurers with a lot of backstory. The majority of the voice acting is excellent and fit the character speaking very well. The environment and level design is engaging and well fleshed out. The Dwarven city and its related content was often beautiful in its scope. And while your path to a goal is fairly linear, as is with Bioware RPG releases, there is enough freedom, action, and circumstance that you dont feel confined by its design. Many locations are logical and you're ok with point A to B because its accomplishing a reasonable goal. Cons: Game play wise, there is a severe lean towards an 'A' team, the optimally grouping of classes and skills you need to use to progress. And forbid you run off or deny a key character into the fold because you may end up with a game breaking lack that others cant fill. For all the customization you do in the beginning, your own character just ends up as a cog that only a few NPCs fit to whether or not you like their personality or want to use them. Some battles are so overwhelming in their balance problems or the difficulty curve suddenly spikes that you play the reload dance until you get it just right (and the load times, even on a high-end PC, can be oppressive in that situation). At times you can hit literal soft walls where you've been led to believe by past experience that you're at level for that area but find yourself in an encounter (it could be the last 99% or even the zone start) that says "No, you cant do this now. Walk away and try again later". There were points Id experienced where I knew Id already completed a more difficult zone or fight and that I wasn't facing a harder challenge but just bad design. You begin to question if being let off the linear leash, even a little, was a good idea compared to this punch in your immersive gut. The story and world of DAO is straightforward fantasy. Do not expect to be introduced to much of anything outside of the typical Tolkien guide book. There is some twist of course and just enough to set it apart. None of that is really a con because it is so often done well. There is some debate about the constant attempts to get your notice of "premium" paid downloaded content. And there is some blatantly in-game deception that is forced on you based on your lack of familiarity in that specific circumstance. I can appreciate the attempt to introduce it in an organic way but not the length to which your led along the crumb trail. Ive played through a large portion of Bioware's RPG library; from Baulders Gate 2, NWN 1 & 2, to the Star Wars KOTOR franchise and Mass Effect. And while Ill repeat that they've continued to raise the RPG bar with DAO again in some respects some important elements gotten left at the wayside. I am a good gamer with a lot of experience and dont expect things to be perfect. What I do not like is pay out $50 (not an easy amount for me to dole out often) to be frustrated and denied a reasonable experience. I pay to be challenged and have an engaging, enjoyable one. By the very end of DAO Id stopped caring about loot or the story. All the past accomplishment, including the rush of a drawn out dragon encounter, just felt empty and I just forced it to be done. By the end I'd really liked to have seen some of that 50 back in my pocket and was curious how much of nearly 60 hours was really wasted on avoidable issues and watching a tribal tattoo spin in circles.… Expand
  62. Kopz
    Nov 21, 2009
    6
    Great game, i don't know what much more to say, i really enjoyed playing the first part of it, but after a while it became quite.. boring.. massive... i had to force myself to play it until the end only because i wanted to see what happened next. great game, but the lack of originality just bored me after a while.. i still preffer mass effect though.. or divinity
  63. P.S.
    Nov 30, 2009
    6
    Deep and polished storyline? Yes. Includes critical fight elements where it doesn't make any difference how much and carefully you've advanced? Absolutely. Enemies you could wipe out in a few sword strokes at Level 2 are just as challenging at Level 13, if not more so. Why advance at all, you ask? If you're the kind of player who likes to have every battle possibly be a Deep and polished storyline? Yes. Includes critical fight elements where it doesn't make any difference how much and carefully you've advanced? Absolutely. Enemies you could wipe out in a few sword strokes at Level 2 are just as challenging at Level 13, if not more so. Why advance at all, you ask? If you're the kind of player who likes to have every battle possibly be a challenge, this game is for you. If you spent hours considering your armor and upgrade choices, you've just wasting your time. There are dozens of RPG games that are more fun than this one. It didn't have to be this way. A huge expenditure of resources on a game that's only modestly good, unless you like endless, combat where you never really know what you're facing, until you've faced it.… Expand
  64. AaronM
    Dec 16, 2009
    6
    How this game gets a metascore of 91 I have no idea. Playing this game is a chore. The load times are terrible, the amount of 'errand' type quests they have you doing which involve load screens make it that much worse. The combat is frustrating on normal difficulty unless you're the type to do EVERY side quest possible to maximize your party's level and gear. People How this game gets a metascore of 91 I have no idea. Playing this game is a chore. The load times are terrible, the amount of 'errand' type quests they have you doing which involve load screens make it that much worse. The combat is frustrating on normal difficulty unless you're the type to do EVERY side quest possible to maximize your party's level and gear. People say the gameplay time is at least 65 hours, but I think a large factor in that is struggling through every combat encounter pausing every round to give specific orders to 4 people in your party. Not to mention that most times the party members who suck the most are the most entertaining to have around, and vice versa. So you'll enjoy beating the game with stoic warriors, a dog, and an annoying healing mage. The plot is about as predictable as they come. I kept waiting for the twist, but it never came. Not to mention you are the protagonist for no particular reason. You are the NEWEST recruit, and yet everyone in the country follows your lead like it was god's will. Saving graces for the game are that it was executed with style, depth, decent graphics, entirely spoken dialog and gratuitous sexuality which if nothing else makes it stand apart. If you want to watch your male character do it with a dude, you can make that happen. It'll be weird to watch, but its something you wont get anywhere else.… Expand
  65. AlexF
    Dec 21, 2009
    5
    Old LotR-story, tedious and overpresent combat, half-witted characters, and dull quest design. This game is boring from top to bottom. If you have never played a CRPG before, buy it. Everyone else:Stay away, because you will only find a collection of the most old and ancient fantasy-cliches ever put in a game.
  66. Volcano
    Nov 11, 2009
    5
    Brian S summarized it best, its a good machinimia, excuse me but when do i start playing, feels like im just guiding a bot through places so he can have fun... utter dissapointment.... btw pausing the game= pausing the fun... this is a good game for ppl who dont enjoy any type of active playing... FAIL
  67. BenF
    Nov 11, 2009
    6
    DA:O is technically impressive, but the story falls flat. The writing is lackluster, the story never grabbed me (Played until lv.7) and... I just expected sooo much more. When playing, one gets the distinct impression that it is actually a tech demo for Bioware's newest RPG engine. The spells are flashy, but boring, the difficulty is wildly inconsistent, and the dialog seems stifled. DA:O is technically impressive, but the story falls flat. The writing is lackluster, the story never grabbed me (Played until lv.7) and... I just expected sooo much more. When playing, one gets the distinct impression that it is actually a tech demo for Bioware's newest RPG engine. The spells are flashy, but boring, the difficulty is wildly inconsistent, and the dialog seems stifled. Here's to hoping MassEffect 2 will be an order of magnitude better!… Expand
  68. ThomasA
    Nov 16, 2009
    6
    Beautifully made, though I do not like the location based map setup much. An open world would have benefitted the game a lot. It has a bit of a "Quake level" type feeling to it. The story is good, though I can't say it really caught on. But that might just be me. Risk/reward ratio is screwy. After four hours of gameplay I have found two or three useful items. I found a thief Beautifully made, though I do not like the location based map setup much. An open world would have benefitted the game a lot. It has a bit of a "Quake level" type feeling to it. The story is good, though I can't say it really caught on. But that might just be me. Risk/reward ratio is screwy. After four hours of gameplay I have found two or three useful items. I found a thief character, I added to the party, but her skill has been too low for most chests so far. Currently my party has been outleved at every encouter for a while now, so that combat becomes very tedious micro management, especially in light of the usually non-existent rewards. It does not feel like accomplishment, but a fight for survival even on random encounters. Another big turn off for me is the bad AI. Actually, there isn't really an AI. Allowing the player to define NPC behavior was a good idea. Requiring the sacrifice of other character skills to improve said NPC behavior must rank among the worst ideas in gaming history. That and the limited selection of engagement options make difficult battles impossible without micro managing every party member. All in all I'm going to delete it after four hours of which only the first two had been fun. This game looks like it has potential, but at least with the path I took (which I think wasn't out of the ordinary) it fails to motivate me due to the aforemention risk/reward imbalance. If you have a lot of time and patience, go for it! If you are looking for some casual gaming fun, stay way! P.S.: No, I am not a n00b. ;-) I did not spent a whole lot of time trying to understand the inner working of the game, but I think if I cannot casually play a game successfully with over 20 years of gaming experience, then it's safe to say this is a game for hardcore gamers with a lot of time on their hands. Yeah, I know, it's my fault I got a job. ;-)… Expand
  69. JoeSmith
    Dec 13, 2009
    6
    better than the average trash game, yet i cannot understand why so many people give it 95%+ perhaps they did not actually play more than a few hours. mind numbingly repetitive gameplay AND plot, imbalanced skills. It's insanely repetitive - how many times can I clear a room full of bandits/darkspawn with AOE stun, aoe hex, blizzard, tempest, inferno clean up survivors. repeat 10,000 better than the average trash game, yet i cannot understand why so many people give it 95%+ perhaps they did not actually play more than a few hours. mind numbingly repetitive gameplay AND plot, imbalanced skills. It's insanely repetitive - how many times can I clear a room full of bandits/darkspawn with AOE stun, aoe hex, blizzard, tempest, inferno clean up survivors. repeat 10,000 times. Ive played for a few dozen hours and only one battle really stands out as being unique - the one in the village where the undead come out of the castle for awhile, yet that battle was bugged and I had to go find some skeleton that got stuck. Apart from being repetitive, its unbalanced. Some spells are awesome, (aoe stun for 15 seconds that doesnt break on damage???) some are pretty terrible. Its longer than the average EA game, but that doesnt say much when there is so much repetition. Seriously - so far the plot is "you need to get 3 or four groups to follow you. go to them one by one, they'll give you a series of quests, then they'll follow you." Dont believe the hype, this game is very overrated.… Expand
  70. ThaneP
    Dec 29, 2009
    5
    This game does not deserve the high rating advertised, game play is very linear with long lulls, world interaction is canned and character development is very limited.
  71. 6xdandangp
    Dec 29, 2012
    7
    Decent story, gameplay, and characters. Graphics are fine on PC, but some problems include many glitches and a slow battle system. Overall a very, very good game.
  72. ShellsOTF
    Dec 6, 2010
    6
    Before Dragon Age, I never played fantasy games, or third-person RPGs. Heck, I even avoided 3rd person games in general. Fantasy games just seemed too â
  73. KulakxRatings
    Nov 26, 2010
    6
    I found this game a bit dissapointing. It is deffinatly a genereic kotor game experience. But it is nothing like baldurs gate. I felt that this game has been far too scripted and that it was like guiding me along the way where in baldurs gate. you had to do everything on your own. The games acting and graphics and scenarios were very well done. But it is nothing more than a generic rpgI found this game a bit dissapointing. It is deffinatly a genereic kotor game experience. But it is nothing like baldurs gate. I felt that this game has been far too scripted and that it was like guiding me along the way where in baldurs gate. you had to do everything on your own. The games acting and graphics and scenarios were very well done. But it is nothing more than a generic rpg that should have been better.… Expand
  74. jik77
    Apr 30, 2013
    7
    I, recently, bought the Ultimate Edition on a whim during a sale on Steam. Anyway, this is a heavily scripted Adventure/RPG with some minor combat system and leveling flaws, which at times, can lead to some frustration. Most of the main storyline and some of the characters, side stories, and quests were likable, but the sound and the graphics were a bit on the generic side, yet stillI, recently, bought the Ultimate Edition on a whim during a sale on Steam. Anyway, this is a heavily scripted Adventure/RPG with some minor combat system and leveling flaws, which at times, can lead to some frustration. Most of the main storyline and some of the characters, side stories, and quests were likable, but the sound and the graphics were a bit on the generic side, yet still passable. However, the main problem lies within the combat system. It isn't as reliable, as effective, or as rewarding as it could have been. All in all, the game had some fun moments and was worth playing at a bargain basement price, but I wouldn't consider this a must have RPG at all.… Expand
  75. filippo333
    Nov 1, 2015
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's incredible how much work Bioware put into creating the fantastical world which is Dragon Age. So many little touches such as the comprehensive and detailed codex which allows you to read into the history of the world at the press of a button. Most characters seem well thought out, Bioware has always excelled at character development. Not quite at the level of Mass Effect but a decent runner up with the voice acting for it.

    However, the game is massively flawed by the unrealistic and brutal difficulty level. I've reached a point where I cannot kill this one enemy: Flemeth the Dragon despite being at level 15, which is above the recommended level needed to kill her. I managed to defeat the previous dragon by essentially tricking him by running back and forth between a very specific area of terrain, can’t do that here. I strategize at every moment I can, I try to maximize the ability of all my characters by frequently pausing the game and analysing the situation. Stocking up on potions should not be the answer here; it’s a poor design decision which discourages the very thing the game is trying to teach the player: strategy. The game simply throws too much at the player without even any thought for balance. As a player, you have no idea whatsoever of the difficulty of some of the areas you enter and more often or not end up backtracking after wasting X hours trying to get to where you are. Simply having the areas levelled on the world map would have fixed many difficulty related issues.

    At every encounter involving a dragon or an insane quantity of enemies, I clench my butt cheeks super tight because I know that all the strategy I have learnt means nothing. I can do normal encounters easily without any issues, hell throw a boss in there too it really isn’t a problem. What is the problem is the random erratic difficulty spikes throughout the map for the entire game; it doesn’t even matter if your next location is right near your current one the difficulty level is unpredictable and tiresome to constantly have to battle with.

    Normally RPGs let you know in some way that the area you're in is too high a level for you but not Dragon Age. In addition to this, the game's autosave system is almost non-existent. You better save manually every 5 minutes if you don't wish to drive yourself insane by repeatedly playing the same sequences over and over. I want to play more; but I somehow doubt I can bring myself to when I've tried so hard at growing each of the characters for nothing.

    Oh well, Dragon Age: Origins is a missed opportunity. Unfortunately, if games expect you to repeatedly die in order to "learn how to play" then I say you're likely looking at a flawed game to start with. Games should definitely challenge you but in a fair way by maintaining a fair difficulty curve and preparing you for the road ahead. I’ve never played a game where I have felt like I haven’t increased in power the more I play, it’s very much the opposite and definitely something which makes me feel unexcited and fatigued coming back to it. My advice is to find a better game, if you haven't played Mass Effect then I strongly recommend you do. All three games suffer from none of the issues DA:O does and have even stronger characters.    … Expand
  76. neigenoire
    May 5, 2015
    7
    One of the best RPGs I've played. I find the combat a lot of fun, I only wish there was more of it. You can spend literally hours upon hours simply roaming the towns, talking to NPCs, accepting quests, running errands etc. You don't really get too much action until you get to the Deep Roads. Sure the story is overall good and characters interesting, but at the end of the day the politicalOne of the best RPGs I've played. I find the combat a lot of fun, I only wish there was more of it. You can spend literally hours upon hours simply roaming the towns, talking to NPCs, accepting quests, running errands etc. You don't really get too much action until you get to the Deep Roads. Sure the story is overall good and characters interesting, but at the end of the day the political "intrigue" is kinda boring, as I found myself time and again wishing I was fighting monsters instead of talking or running errands for some dwarf lord. Gaps between longer periods of fighting can be up to 6 hours long, not even kidding. Granted there are a few moments/plot twists that had me genuinely amazed and some of the choices you need to make can be very difficult to do, but overall I think that the story and historical background lack some form of epicness, there's just too much political stuff there I feel. At the same time there are seemingly endless branching dialogue options and almost all of them have unique responses from NPCs, it's absolutely massive. The environments themselves are very restrictive and not interconnected like in open world RPGs. What's nonrestrictive though is the way the game allows you to interact with NPCs - want to be an **** - you can be one. Or maybe you want to be a neckbeard white knight who always does what's noble and right - you can do that. Over time you will grow attached to your characters and will enjoy their random banters as well as their personal stories and dialogues. I only wish there was more gear as my character used 3 or 4 different bows throughout the whole play-through which is a big negative to me because I love gear upgrades and lots of them. Overall this is a great RPG that has its flaws but with patience you'll find that it has more to offer than appears at the first glance. A must-play for any RPG enthusiast for sure!… Expand
  77. Zahrada
    Feb 24, 2014
    7
    I did like this game. The story telling was amazing, the setting as well. The atmosphere was mostly there. I spent about 25 hours with the game. Never finished it. Not sure why the game lost it's appeal, but it just could be something else stealing my attention. My complaints would be about the combat system and the character progression. The game has a few flaws, mostly game-play related.I did like this game. The story telling was amazing, the setting as well. The atmosphere was mostly there. I spent about 25 hours with the game. Never finished it. Not sure why the game lost it's appeal, but it just could be something else stealing my attention. My complaints would be about the combat system and the character progression. The game has a few flaws, mostly game-play related. I also did not accept the additional pay to play content or whatever it was. I don't like the concept of buying a game part by part. The deal should be - a complete game for one money.… Expand
  78. Iluvatar21
    May 3, 2014
    7
    HOW I RATE: 10-9 score: perfect or near-perfect don't exist; 8 score: one of the best games ever. Top score; 7-6 score: great but not one of the best; 5-below score: serious flaws.
    ===========
    This game does everything brilliantly: the story, the pacing, the levels, the gameplay & the visuals, especially if you haven't played a BioWare RPG before or thought they were too complex and boring.
  79. KaienShiba
    Dec 30, 2014
    7
    Loved the story and the game, until the final battle in Denerim, then it goes to hell in a hand basket. Nothing seems to work, spells are drastically weaker even melee seems to be broken and that's on easy. They made 2 patches for it but never fixed the final battle for the city, gave up on it since they put all their effort to DA2 which very few people liked.
  80. brendo214
    May 22, 2019
    7
    If Bioware wanted to make a game that had both a great story and great gameplay that required strategy, they should've just made this turn-based...
  81. Wivers
    Jul 14, 2018
    7
    The game would deserve a 9/10 or even a 10 if it wasn't plagued by technical issues, it has too many bugs and crashes too often, so -2. Such a shame. Though I wonder if it's not Origin's fault ?
    Bugs I had (vanilla version):
    -Got a cut-scene starting where it shouldn't have. Opened a door, cut-scene at a place where I wasn't near of, battle, I lost, quickload, opened the same door, no    The game would deserve a 9/10 or even a 10 if it wasn't plagued by technical issues, it has too many bugs and crashes too often, so -2. Such a shame. Though I wonder if it's not Origin's fault ?
    Bugs I had (vanilla version):
    -Got a cut-scene starting where it shouldn't have. Opened a door, cut-scene at a place where I wasn't near of, battle, I lost, quickload, opened the same door, no cut-scene I'm in a different room. (the cut-scene was supposed to happen like 5 min later)
    -MANY crashes, especially in Denerim, I eventually found a trick which was to first load a game where i wasn't in denerim (at the camp for example), then to load my latest saved game. If i tried to directly load a game at denerim it crashed 90% of the time.
    -got dialogue issues where the wrong lines were played (wasn't playing the english version, could only concern the french version.)
    -enemy stuck in the stairs
    -my character stuck in the last step of stairs (have to zoom in and out to unlock her)
    -during my final duel with Loghain Mac Tir, I realised that I just had to summon an animal and turn invisible and to win the fight: Loghain would not defend himself again the animal and has no way to found you once hidden.
    -many visual issues, people without bodies or with ever-changing clothes. Weird changing colors.

    French voice acting was mostly ok (except for children's voice which were terrible). The French voice for Oghren was EXCELLENT.

    Still loved the game. I feel like someone asked me to drive a Lamborghini, but the engine doesn't start 1/5 times, the heat-seat is on MELTING-ASS mod during summer and windows won't close during winter, and the speakers only play justin bieber all the time at full-volume ... so yeah, the car is great, it can go fast, sounds good, but the experience you get out of it is not so great.    … Expand
  82. Schism78
    Jul 23, 2018
    7
    A great rpg game, but quite improvable, you have no real decisions that affect the story but the good thing is that you do not need farming to finish it.
  83. Bottlecaps
    Jun 26, 2020
    6
    Dragon age is a game series iv come to love over the years , but getting through origins is a slog at the worst of times and an outdated but fun mess at the best.

    Story: it is quite easy to get into the story of dragon age , a blight is coming when demons gain enough people confidence and a dragon to attempt to take over the surface world you ( who ever you chose to be i was a rouge    Dragon age is a game series iv come to love over the years , but getting through origins is a slog at the worst of times and an outdated but fun mess at the best.

    Story: it is quite easy to get into the story of dragon age , a blight is coming when demons gain enough people confidence and a dragon to attempt to take over the surface world you ( who ever you chose to be i was a rouge female elf for this playthrough) are recruited by duncan a senior grey warden into their ranks. along with 3 others who die in the joining. now you go off to fight the blight. excel everything goes wrong , the king and duncan die , there is a traitor in the king's court , you were blamed for the betrayal and are now being hunted but also the blight was not felled and its threat still looms over ferelden. it throws so much at you at once but i'll be damned if it isn't exhilarating every choice you make from now on matters to the whole country and much later the world
    Story: 9/10

    World building: as this is the first dragon age game it has to set the groundwork for the world i dont think origins is as good as 2 or inquisition but it does its best , qunari are understated as hell in this game not having horns and are instead just big people, each follower has to do with different parts of the lore , alister is a former templar and grey warden , morrigan and a apostate , wayne from the circle. ect ect , while you are getting to know your companions you get to know the world and that makes it easy to like the world. i like the idea of the blight and how its enough every time to get humanity to stop fighting( mostly) and fight it , magic is something feared but also something someone is born with not sought after making there a fear for mages outside of the circle as teh are connected to the underworld by magic. even the religion is plausible
    World building: 8.5/10

    Graphics: this game came out in 2009 but this game looks older than that feels older than that. focus was put into the story and world sure. in terms of graphics this game has aged like milk . textures are muddy and get lost in themselves , faces are awkward and so are animations , character designs are saved entirely by the art direction , why does blood have o go everywhere on the character models ?
    Graphics: 3/10

    Gameplay: dragon age origins doesn't know what it wants to be ? is it a tactical turn based rpg ? no but it has alot of elements of it. is it an over the shoulder 3rd person action rpg ? no but i think it wanted to be ? the game play is very confused and is stuck between 2 conflicting gameplay styles. not even to do with the rpg mechanics but what level of soom you play at , and depending on the difficulty what type of game this is , easy mode is hard and hard is also hard because you have to play them entirely different. also the events of the story are misleading and you end up at a later part if you follow it past redcliff the first time you are there so it gets frustrating. the actual mechanics are slow , chunky , tedious and somewhat boring. combat is the least fun thing in this game and you do so much of it down long corridor like dungeons that never end
    Gameplay 2/10

    Sound design : actually for all the flak i'm giving this game the voice acting is pretty good , every companion character is interesting and distinct but also likeable and flawed and every performance gets that. the music is great and very fitting , sound effects are obnoxious at times but they aren't just stock sound effects like most games from this era use ( Glares at black ops 1 )
    Sound design: 8/10

    9+8.5+3+2+8=30.5
    30.55= 6.1/10

    every time i start this game i think wow this is gonna be great and by the end i feel like iv been through hell and hate the game because my mind has numbed but the story and characters keep me slogging through. it's not a bad game it's just most of it has aged like cheese outside the fridge    … Expand
  84. Legitplayer
    Aug 2, 2019
    7
    didnt know It was a isometric game with boring combat bought it without looking much into it because of being cheap.
    but surprisingly It has AAA quality cutscenes,dialogues that still hold up to this day interesting companion concept 7/10 worth to play
  85. Genek13
    Nov 20, 2019
    6
    Somehow this game was an average for me. All other Bioware games was amazing but this one (and sequel) was forgettable and overall ok.
  86. bancandrei
    Mar 28, 2021
    7
    I would categorize this game as a spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate and thus in the not for me category. However, I think it is worth playing for the origin stories alone. The worldbuilding is top notch, truly a great incarnation of the word fantasy.
  87. shostakn
    Oct 15, 2020
    7
    Summary: As the spiritual successor to BioWare's "Baldur's Gate", one of the most successful role-playing games in the industry, Dragon Age: Origins represents BioWare's return to its roots, delivering a fusion of the best elements of existing fantasy works with stunning visuals, emotionally-driven narrative, heart-pounding combat, powerful magic abilities and credible digital actors. TheSummary: As the spiritual successor to BioWare's "Baldur's Gate", one of the most successful role-playing games in the industry, Dragon Age: Origins represents BioWare's return to its roots, delivering a fusion of the best elements of existing fantasy works with stunning visuals, emotionally-driven narrative, heart-pounding combat, powerful magic abilities and credible digital actors. The spirit of classic RPGs comes of age, as Dragon Age: Origins features a dark and mature story and gameplay. Epic Party-Based Combat – Dragon Age: Origins introduces an innovative, scalable combat system, as players face large-scale battles and use their party’s special abilities to destroy hoardes of enemies and massive creatures. Powerful Magic – Raining down awesome destruction on enemies is even more compelling as players apply "spell combos," a way of combining together different spells to create emergent unique effects. Players develop their characters and gain powerful special abilities (spells, talents and skills) and discover ever-increasing weapons of destruction. With its emotionally compelling story, players choose with whom they wish to forge alliances or crush under their mighty fist, redefining the world with the choices they make and how they wield their power. Players select and play a unique prelude that provides the lens through which the player sees the world and how the world sees the player. The player's choice of Origin determines who they are and where they begin the adventure, as they play through a customized story opening that profoundly impacts the course of every adventure. [BioWare]… Expand
  88. AlexanderY
    Nov 20, 2009
    7
    Erm... It's decent, very entertaining, but not good at all comparing to true classic rpg's. The only more or less good things here is decent storyline (not great, but decent), and rather good dialogues (I expected more of this part tho). This RPG tries to convince your that your choices matter when they really don't. The one very important thing for RPGs is making a range Erm... It's decent, very entertaining, but not good at all comparing to true classic rpg's. The only more or less good things here is decent storyline (not great, but decent), and rather good dialogues (I expected more of this part tho). This RPG tries to convince your that your choices matter when they really don't. The one very important thing for RPGs is making a range of replics that could suit any character alignment-based archetype. This game gets close to this, but still, not enough close. The combat system is a joke. It's very arcade-ish, and veeery easy. I started playing on hard and soon switched to hardcore difficulty setting, and again, found even the hardest setting not difficult enough. Yes, I understand, the devs tend to appeal to casual gamers, but hey, why not make a really hard setting for those who like challenge? The most disappointing thing for me was a RPG system itself. I expected something at least as well-developed as DnD. The character development is absolutely annoying, it's stupid canonic skills and spells. The spells of the magi is the worst joke - blizzard is the same as inferno, just deal diff. types of damage. And all the spells are built like that! Bioware! You're clever and smart guys, be creative, innovative. The same thing goes for potions - protection from this, protection from that, health, lyrium restore... nothing more! where's the unique buffs, maybe shapeshifting and so on? This makes combat soo linear! Still, I'll give the game a 7, and tend to say, any RPG fan should get this, as it's very entertaining despite its numerous flaws. We don't get any high-quality RPGs lately, do we?… Expand
  89. GraemeS
    Nov 11, 2009
    7
    Nothing special here... tons of B grade text scripts and C grade voice acting to suffer through. Story was written for 10 year olds. This fantasy setting is been done to death... cant they come up with something new? The zones are all story based so there is no adventuring to be done...might as well be reading a book...zones are small... Combat is a joke... monster placement makes no Nothing special here... tons of B grade text scripts and C grade voice acting to suffer through. Story was written for 10 year olds. This fantasy setting is been done to death... cant they come up with something new? The zones are all story based so there is no adventuring to be done...might as well be reading a book...zones are small... Combat is a joke... monster placement makes no sense... rooms are full of eye candy that you cant interact with... Damn i have finish the thing because i paid good money for it... … Expand
  90. KianL
    Nov 10, 2009
    7
    I don't get it, how can you score a game with 9 or even 10 when the AI is so severely broken and the pathfinding laughable. The absolute only reason why nightmare is hard is because of the pathetic AI, ironically enough it's also why it's so damn easy. The graphics are weird and take time to get used to, while animations are above average. They also added "sweet" killing I don't get it, how can you score a game with 9 or even 10 when the AI is so severely broken and the pathfinding laughable. The absolute only reason why nightmare is hard is because of the pathetic AI, ironically enough it's also why it's so damn easy. The graphics are weird and take time to get used to, while animations are above average. They also added "sweet" killing moves, which not only locks your character in that stupid animation but it also slows down the game to a still, and you can't even turn them off. Great animations help with immersion but not if they ruin gameplay. The game tells me that I've played through 51% of the game, but it seems that the calculation is based on the amount of points you have from achievements. It took me 40 hours, did over 75% of sidequests, was invulnerable, killed last-boss solo, with auto-attack(no healing), and this was on normal. (Mages? Slighty overpowered. *rolls eyes*) So all that with the insane lack of useful skills/spells and copypaste of the Lord of The Rings story leaves you with a big pile of poo. Honestly, don't buy into the hype, I didn't, and I enjoyed myself because I expected a mediocre game, and that's what I got.… Expand
  91. MicheleM.
    Dec 15, 2009
    7
    The storyline is pretty good but after all very predictable. Absolutely nonsense that you need to pay in order to complete an "optional quest". Combat system is not really innovative (like "The Witcher" that has outstanding combat sequencies). Dragon Age just added a meaninglessly quantity of blood to ordinary combat (note: I usually like bloody games!) . Graphics are good, especially in The storyline is pretty good but after all very predictable. Absolutely nonsense that you need to pay in order to complete an "optional quest". Combat system is not really innovative (like "The Witcher" that has outstanding combat sequencies). Dragon Age just added a meaninglessly quantity of blood to ordinary combat (note: I usually like bloody games!) . Graphics are good, especially in cinematics (a little less in gameplay). Summarizing I don't see a real innovation/improvement from NeverWinter Nights serie but I had a quite good time in playing DA (anyway far below expectations).… Expand
  92. DanB
    Dec 3, 2009
    7
    An absolutely fantastic storyline which wrapped up well at the ending. The origins were all quite good, some better than others. The game really shined at the beginning and the end, but I felt like I was going through a bit of a grind in the middle. The dialogue and plot kept it alive for me I think, because the combat didn't. It's not that I'm a hater of this style of An absolutely fantastic storyline which wrapped up well at the ending. The origins were all quite good, some better than others. The game really shined at the beginning and the end, but I felt like I was going through a bit of a grind in the middle. The dialogue and plot kept it alive for me I think, because the combat didn't. It's not that I'm a hater of this style of combat, but the pausing constantly and telling each member to do this and that (because although the tactics were a good idea and reasonably well done I could never seem to get them to work) got very repetitive after some time of playing. I could probably blame this on the enemies having very little variation. The game was as challenging for me as others have claimed, with two mages in my group I could practically kept my enemies constantly stunned/frozen/paralyzed. With a few particular mage spells, combat becomes almost a joke (dragon fights are fun, though). The graphics were decent, but not memorable. I eventually turned off the music, but I do this in a lot of games such as this after a while. Despite my criticisms, I can't praise the storyline highly enough it's definitely one of the best I can remember. Combine storyline and dialogue of the quality in Dragon Age:Origins with the open world and more exciting combat of Oblivion (a game I played way too much) and you would have a recipe for success, and obsession. However, Dragon Age:Origins has given me one of only a few instances when I can remember actually 'feeling something' at the ending of a game, which is a real credit to the game.… Expand
  93. JasonB
    Nov 28, 2009
    7
    Overall a fantastic game with great breadth and graphics though if I think of Baldur's Gate II and Ultima IV as the best in gaming of this genre, I find Dragon Age to be a step backward. It plays too much like a movie and allows for too little interaction with the environment (forget about creating new spells or potions). The physics of the world is closed off to you. The party size Overall a fantastic game with great breadth and graphics though if I think of Baldur's Gate II and Ultima IV as the best in gaming of this genre, I find Dragon Age to be a step backward. It plays too much like a movie and allows for too little interaction with the environment (forget about creating new spells or potions). The physics of the world is closed off to you. The party size is limited to four characters and yet others you meet along the way just somehow show up in camp every night. The combat systems is greatly simplified, you are unable to setup placements of your characters to take advantage of the terrain (they always walk around in a triangle) requiring you to micro manage combat. One of the failings that it shares with its greater brethren is the inability to play it without a mouse.… Expand
  94. DrDrool
    Nov 6, 2009
    7
    Worth playing folks but flawed. Ignore the hype Its good but not great. The good: A triumph of story in telling. Tons of equipment. V looong game The bad: Feels like a 5 year old gfx engine. small environments, massive pop-up, NWN anyone (on steroids.. just)? Traditional Bioware cookie cutter locations. Most building inaccessible. yawn. NPS's stand around like manaquins. I so looked Worth playing folks but flawed. Ignore the hype Its good but not great. The good: A triumph of story in telling. Tons of equipment. V looong game The bad: Feels like a 5 year old gfx engine. small environments, massive pop-up, NWN anyone (on steroids.. just)? Traditional Bioware cookie cutter locations. Most building inaccessible. yawn. NPS's stand around like manaquins. I so looked fwd to this game and really enjoyed the first 3 hrs. Then the joins then start to show.. .Never mind. Maybe next time. Go play the WITCHER (again) or wait for Mass Effect 2 :( oh crap.… Expand
  95. BrianS
    Nov 6, 2009
    7
    Just as a quick summary, this is quite possibly one of the most incredible pieces of machinima ever made. I say machinima...cause thats what it is, its basically a largely interactive movie. And thats not all bad. What is bad unfortunately is the ridiculous amount of micromanagement involved in game play. your "tactics" screen should allow you to pretty much set up your companion Just as a quick summary, this is quite possibly one of the most incredible pieces of machinima ever made. I say machinima...cause thats what it is, its basically a largely interactive movie. And thats not all bad. What is bad unfortunately is the ridiculous amount of micromanagement involved in game play. your "tactics" screen should allow you to pretty much set up your companion characters to run themselves unless theres a specific need for you to switch to one of them but this is not so often the case given some tactics seem to be ignored and NPC AI is so bad that even if you hand develop their characters path a specific direction, if left unattended, regardless of proscribed tactics they will more or less run about willy nilly doing whatever feels best. A rogue character gained as a companion at the early game is quite obviously a bow specialized bard, but if you give her a knife at all, regardless of her proscribed tactics she will switch to melee combat and consistently attempt to be a "rogue" rather than a bow wielding bard, but if you don't give her a melee weapon shes at a severe disadvantage in a close up encounter...which is a lot of the time because depending on the NPC warrior AI's to handle crowd management is laughable and even if the PC is spec'd warrior/champion and running the best agro management talents they can, it doesn't, often, matter as the monsters just swarm past and beat on whoever, or even worse, they do focus on the PC and the healer NPC is too busy shooting enemies with their staff to remember to heal. Overall there is a truly epic RPG here, the storyline itself and the potential for DLC and sequential content is amazing but the combat of the game is what scores this title down from a perfect 10 to a 7. Had they oriented the combat more towards macromanagement and an action RPG feel...I feel this would have been the greatest RPG of all time, but unfortunately given the issues with combat as I see them (I'm aware some people LOVE hitting pause every 10 seconds and fighting in tactical view like an RTS and issuing orders on the micro scale, but theres also people that enjoy self mutilation too, that doesn't mean either is a good thing). Overall, beautiful game, stunning story, superb characters....absolutely mind numbingly stupid gameplay though, PC, Xbox, or PS3.… Expand
  96. AdamM
    Dec 13, 2009
    7
    Such a hyped game was always going to prove a little dissapointing. As a fan of Baldur's gate/Icewind Dale/NWN I had high hopes for this game, and what little game there is proves to be a great experience, particularly the realism of the choices the player has to make, and the later consequences can prove an awful lot of fun. Unfortunately, the main storyline is incredibly short Such a hyped game was always going to prove a little dissapointing. As a fan of Baldur's gate/Icewind Dale/NWN I had high hopes for this game, and what little game there is proves to be a great experience, particularly the realism of the choices the player has to make, and the later consequences can prove an awful lot of fun. Unfortunately, the main storyline is incredibly short compared to it's predecessors (a problem made worse by inflexibility with where additional content can be added, and the price of the official premium content), and compared to modern RPG's such as Oblivion, the control system feels like an antique rather than a flowing experience, a real shame for a game with such good graphics. Add into this incredibly long load times and pretty small areas, and the game starts and stops far too frequently for far too long; the story's enthralling enough to stop this breaking the flow too much, but it sure as hell doesn't stop it being annoying. Ultimately, a great storyline and many interesting plot changing elements are let down by unimaginative controls with far too many bugs, a lack of anything to do once the main story is finished, and far overpriced 'premium' content.… Expand
  97. DavidD
    Dec 27, 2009
    7
    This game was OK. It took a long time to finish and got very repetitive by the end. The plot is linear and not very engaging. The design of the maps mean it can take a long time to walk from place to place. The combat is ok (basically the same as BG & BG2) but again repetitive. Tactics were neat but inconsistent. The plot is average with few interesting twists (like with Morrigan at the This game was OK. It took a long time to finish and got very repetitive by the end. The plot is linear and not very engaging. The design of the maps mean it can take a long time to walk from place to place. The combat is ok (basically the same as BG & BG2) but again repetitive. Tactics were neat but inconsistent. The plot is average with few interesting twists (like with Morrigan at the end of the game). Overall a 7.… Expand
  98. VinnieS
    Dec 17, 2009
    7
    I have mixed feelings about the game; The atmosphere and environment are pretty damn nice and the world has some rich, if not derivative, details but there are some huge issues with the UI and combat. To talk about its strengths, I'd say that DAO is better than most other 1 player RPGs out there. The music is good, the visuals are great, and it was built with the PC in mind which is I have mixed feelings about the game; The atmosphere and environment are pretty damn nice and the world has some rich, if not derivative, details but there are some huge issues with the UI and combat. To talk about its strengths, I'd say that DAO is better than most other 1 player RPGs out there. The music is good, the visuals are great, and it was built with the PC in mind which is a big plus, these days. The graphics really do deserve some credit: the fire effects look sick and the world is huge and well modeled. I know I always focus on the negatives of these types of games, but that's mainly because if I actually buy a game, then it must have something going for it. Most games I buy have some quality to them that attracts me enough, initially, to drop 50. That said, the game's UI is just not very n00b friendly. I'd need to sit there for like 15-20 min and decide all these default actions for my party members, and they still do some incredibly stupid shit like run into traps and get blown up by fireballs that come off the screen. I think that's the biggest issue with the game. You can either see more of the enemies in the WoW-style view (which makes it hard to click on your partners and issue commands), or you get zoomed out into a half-assed RTS view where you can't fucking see everyone. I know there's a method to queue up actions for each character, but the UI doesn't do a good job of showing these command queues. The AI setting screen also has some issues, as there's no obvious way to add functions (though I am sure one exists). Also, it all seems very specific "taunt if Hero is being attacked BY RANGE" and the same "BY MAGIC" and "BY MELEE." Is there a way to roll this all into: "peel off me asap negros?" Aside from this is the really variable voice acting. I don't know how review sites said shit like "you can always expect amazing voice work from BioWare!" All these guys must be paid off. It seems like "good voice acting" meant announcing "LF Voice actor PST" in the streets of Britain, as every single motherfucker alive has a British accent, and they all sound super unnatural and at many times mouth-breath. It works in some cases, but it gets wearing in a hurry. Another big issue is just BioWare's character development department sucks ass. Human beings in real life have shit like, I don't know, SUBTLETY!?!? Every character in this game is entirely devoid of the notion. The arrogant, cocky king CONSTANTLY boasts about how he's going to go to war and kill a billion people and shit. Yes, we get it, he's arrogant and battle thirsty. For having him say it that often you might as well have him say "Hi, Duncan, I am the arrogant, douchebag king that totally sweats Gray Warden balls." The issue is that there's no ambiguity; in real life it's often tough to read people and realize what they're actually thinking. There is actually uncertainty and mystery to people when you first meet them. You can stereotype, but it's not always how things are. This game thinks it's being subtle but I've seen less obvious behavior in Disney cartoon movies. The last thing I won't really fault DAO alone for, but it's a general trend that I've been noticing that I think ought to be addressed. This whole idea of choices in games. I wrote, 2 years ago, that Mass Effect had a lot of false choices and characters often said the same shit regardless of what you choose. Same deal here. In fact, you often get replies like you said absolutely nothing. The question, then, is simple: WHY BOTHER ASKING ME FOR INPUT? The decision to give you these stupid choices was probably due to amazing games like Metal Gear Solid 4 getting flack for having too much cinema and not enough action. The solution, to BioWare, was obvious; allow the user to FEEL like they're doing something by making them input random nonsense every few minutes that's disregarded anyway. It REALLY breaks the flow of the game, and there were at least 5 cut scenes where an interesting conversation abruptly stopped so I could be ignored after choosing something from 7 long options. Why the fuck do companies think this is a bright idea? I think developers should just make one story, like a novel, that the player experiences. These decision mechanics are always shallow and unimpressive. If you want to give people complete freedom, then do it. Don't just half ass everything for a bullet on the back of the game box. ASK YOURSELF is it necessary? Is it intuitive? And most importantly IS IT FUN?… Expand
  99. Demon2017
    Jun 24, 2022
    6
    Люблю РПГ, но эта игра немного не моё. Слишком скучный геймплей. Да, сюжет и диалоги хороши, но мучиться с ужасным управлением и боёвкой мне не хочется. К тому же, игра катастрофически сложна.
  100. eefeef
    Aug 31, 2023
    7
    Despite the frustrations of playing and the simplicity of the story, Dragon Age manages to build a great narrative and a compelling world.
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best PC Game of 2009
4
#4 Most Discussed PC Game of 2009
4
#4 Most Shared PC Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 67 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 66 out of 67
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 67
  3. Negative: 0 out of 67
  1. Gameplayer Sweden
    100
    If you're into rpgs, or rather if you love roleplaying in general, there's really no need to waste time reading any reviews of this game. The same goes if you regard games like Planescape: Torment, Fallout 2 and the Baldurs Gate-series among the best computer games ever made. Because this game is everything a person like you look for in a game, and so much more. Be aware though, Dragon Age: Origins is not a revolution of the genre, rather it is an evolution, where Bioware has refined everything that made them into a formula as close to perfection as possible. Without a doubt one of the strongest Game of the year-candidates so far this year and a game we will remember with warm feelings many years to come.
    Read full review
  2. PC Gamer
    92
    An outstanding story-driven RPG with fantastic writing, RPG depth and tough tactical combat. It's BioWare's best RPG since Baldur's Gate 2. [Holiday 2009, p.38]
  3. GamingXP
    92
    Dragon Age Origins will keep you in front of your computer for hours! Graphics, sounds and the controls couldn’t be much better!
    Read full review
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