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. 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
  2. Vermillion
    Apr 11, 2011
    8
    Good graphics, combat and music. The story is alright in my book. There are still many bugs present in the game. For instance, one quest did not even show up in the game world. I'm disappointed in Bioware's decision to recycle the areas throughout the game. At some point, you will know when and where to expect traps and treasures. Also, the game doesn't feel very lively any more at someGood graphics, combat and music. The story is alright in my book. There are still many bugs present in the game. For instance, one quest did not even show up in the game world. I'm disappointed in Bioware's decision to recycle the areas throughout the game. At some point, you will know when and where to expect traps and treasures. Also, the game doesn't feel very lively any more at some point. Replayability is high due to the various class combinations that are possible. I hope that the next installment will be more akin to Dragon Age: Origins.… Expand
  3. Kondorr
    May 19, 2011
    8
    After I got totally blown away by the Mass Effect franchise, I decided to give Dragon Age: Origins a shot. At first I was turned off by the visuals... I really believe that a game has no right to look THAT dated nowadays (or rather back in the days of its premier)! I also did not enjoy the combat system... I had no fun with it, so I turned it to the lowest difficulty possible... andAfter I got totally blown away by the Mass Effect franchise, I decided to give Dragon Age: Origins a shot. At first I was turned off by the visuals... I really believe that a game has no right to look THAT dated nowadays (or rather back in the days of its premier)! I also did not enjoy the combat system... I had no fun with it, so I turned it to the lowest difficulty possible... and well... visuals and combat aside... the story and characters are interesting, involving and the settings... although very dated... still often manage to look beautiful. Face animation is really great... but the music... is completely forgettable.

    In the end... I do not regret any money I spent on it and almost all of its DLC's... I DID have a great time playing it (on low difficulty), I cared about the characters and I did want to make a change in this (game-) world. In the end I have spent more than 100 hours (!!!) on DA:O with all but one DLC's (including Awakening! And now you can get the game itself with every single piece of DLC in the Box! So if no then, NOW is the right time to play...    … Expand
  4. google_calasade
    May 27, 2011
    8
    Dragon Age: Origins...is it the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate? Ehh, no, but it is a very good game. Solid in its gameplay, the graphics are less than stellar but the NPC interaction of Alistair, Leliana and especially Morrigan make it a very entertaining one. The storyline itself is fragmented (you start off looking for your brother and then he's not mentioned again until the endDragon Age: Origins...is it the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate? Ehh, no, but it is a very good game. Solid in its gameplay, the graphics are less than stellar but the NPC interaction of Alistair, Leliana and especially Morrigan make it a very entertaining one. The storyline itself is fragmented (you start off looking for your brother and then he's not mentioned again until the end of the game), the major plotline a cliche`. Some of the decisions you make are impactful, others not so much. Par for the course for its developer. The characters are fairly deep, though there's no character growth during the game (your character and the NPCs who tag along with you stay relatively the same with the exception of Sten and Shale whose views do change). Still, like I said, this is a very good game, and definitely worth the money. While it doesn't hale the return to the top of the RPG heap for Bioware (now a division of EA), it certainly is a step up the ladder.… Expand
  5. xMaschine
    Jan 14, 2015
    10
    A testament to the old BioWare's epic storytelling and ability to create an immersive and captivating world like no other in the industry. You're immediately drawn in, with the Origins prologue making it feel like it's your story, your world you're in control in of. You can play through the game each time again and again and still get chills from multiple high points in the story.
  6. 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
  7. Mickmoffat
    May 24, 2015
    9
    The first RPG iv ever played and it has changed my life! A fantastic world full of depth and story i find my self wanting to do just one more quest one more turns into two more and so on. A fantastic game im currently in my second playthrough and only at 40% completion at 60 total hours so far and iv not even touched the DLC yet! Plenty of breadth and depth mods really bring this old ishThe first RPG iv ever played and it has changed my life! A fantastic world full of depth and story i find my self wanting to do just one more quest one more turns into two more and so on. A fantastic game im currently in my second playthrough and only at 40% completion at 60 total hours so far and iv not even touched the DLC yet! Plenty of breadth and depth mods really bring this old ish game to really shine!
    I could not give this review 10/10 due to some issues on the PC version that can only be fixed by setting the affinity to 2 of my 4 cpu cores or the game crashes.

    Overall a must play!    … Expand
  8. Sean-M
    Jun 20, 2020
    10
    Great game with amazing story and characters. Leliana was great! Definitely one of the best RPGs that I have ever played. Still waiting for the Bioware comeback!!
  9. iddqd4
    Mar 16, 2018
    8
    Классная вариативная RPG, от людей который еще не разбежались из BioWare.
  10. jseph1234
    Apr 15, 2015
    10
    The game that is the SIGNATURE masterpiece from Bioware. From the opening notes of the theme, the whole game just sucks you in. I love the interplay with your companions and the difficult situations that continued throughout the ENTIRE game. There is just No WAY I can't give this a TEN.

    I have played all of the Great Fantasy RPG's, including the Original Pen & Paper D&D and this the    The game that is the SIGNATURE masterpiece from Bioware. From the opening notes of the theme, the whole game just sucks you in. I love the interplay with your companions and the difficult situations that continued throughout the ENTIRE game. There is just No WAY I can't give this a TEN.

    I have played all of the Great Fantasy RPG's, including the Original Pen & Paper D&D and this the Greatest (Even greater than my beloved Vampire the Masquerade:Bloodlines)

    A game worth more than THREE times its original $60 purchase price, GUARANTEED!!    … Expand
  11. fateappointed
    Feb 3, 2014
    8
    Story: 8 out of 10, Graphics: 8 out of 10, Fun: 8 out of 10, Controls: 8 out of 10, Ease to Learn: 8 out of 10, Length: 8 out of 10, Re-play: 3 out of 10, Value: 8 out of 10
  12. COMThing
    May 27, 2014
    8
    DAO is a very good RPG with, as always in Bioware games, a great storyline. Although it can be hard to get into, once you are comfortable with the controls the game starts to shine.

    The Good: - Excellent story and an interesting world - Voice acting is well done - Squad mates can be hilarious at times - The character creator is interesting, although not advanced - Plenty of mods    DAO is a very good RPG with, as always in Bioware games, a great storyline. Although it can be hard to get into, once you are comfortable with the controls the game starts to shine.

    The Good:
    - Excellent story and an interesting world
    - Voice acting is well done
    - Squad mates can be hilarious at times
    - The character creator is interesting, although not advanced
    - Plenty of mods that add more to the game or adjust gameplay

    The Bad:
    - It can be a challenging game to the point of frustration and there is no dificulty setting for those who just want to experience the story [without mods]
    - Combat is quite slow and there is not much item variation to spice it
    - The player character is not voice acted

    Neutral:
    - Graphics are not state of the art even for it's release in 09... Not a bad thing but some people seem to really hate that    … Expand
  13. Barby
    Aug 20, 2015
    10
    This was my first real RPG experience. Had introduced me in the story masterfully, I can feel as the protagonist and each action counts exploring the world at my will. It has the same gameplay as Pillars of Eternity (which is inspired in this gameplay). One of its most important things is the toolkit to have literally thousands of mods, I remember playing it with all my companionsThis was my first real RPG experience. Had introduced me in the story masterfully, I can feel as the protagonist and each action counts exploring the world at my will. It has the same gameplay as Pillars of Eternity (which is inspired in this gameplay). One of its most important things is the toolkit to have literally thousands of mods, I remember playing it with all my companions customized and it was awesome. King of RPGs!… Expand
  14. PrincessRose
    Oct 23, 2020
    9
    I played this in 2009 on disc when it first released which I still have, I played the hell out of it and played all character types and choices and endings, but didn't get all the DLC or Awakening. So decided to buy again on steam to get all DLC to play, it is still one of the greatest RPG's of all time.

    What makes this game great is the story is very well written, the characters are    I played this in 2009 on disc when it first released which I still have, I played the hell out of it and played all character types and choices and endings, but didn't get all the DLC or Awakening. So decided to buy again on steam to get all DLC to play, it is still one of the greatest RPG's of all time.

    What makes this game great is the story is very well written, the characters are all interesting, they are so well voiced with a lot of depth and story behind each character, they say so much that they feel almost like real people. Party banter is also amazing and entertaining, amusing and the way they interact with you and each other. The relationships you build with them make them also feel like valued friends and someone you could actually fall in love with. It has the feeling of an epic adventure and it feels like this game has heart and soul which so many newer games lack.

    Not a fan of the combat, but doesn't matter since the story is so good and immersive.

    I don't think Bioware would make anything as epic as this again as this was the last RPG Bioware made before EA took over and they tend to rush things and make them rather mediocre, generic and take away what made the game special in the first place and are known for buying game studios with unique games that end up being killed and shut down for good. I've accepted that Bioware is pretty much dead when it sold it's soul to EA and is just a zombie shell now.
    And will never make another 9/10 game again.

    I give this game a 9/10 the last epic game from Bioware, all the DA games past this are quite good but lack the depth and immersion that DAO had. In comparison I would give DAI a 7/10. Though I am yet to play DA2 as it doesn't seem very good to me.

    I loved playing through this game again and also enjoyed all the DLC. If you love a good story this is worth playing through at least once in your lifetime, but if you love it you are likely to want to experience all character types, choices and romances. It's a game that is always entertaining and enjoyable to come back to and play.
    The game crashes ocassionally, mostly in Denerim and The Deep Roads and also when fighting the Archdemon it would crash every time after it does a spirit breath until I turned the graphics to low there doesn't seem to be any other way to stop this. Also taking screeenshots often causes the game to freeze and lock up my computer needing a PC restart.    … Expand
  15. 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
  16. dair
    Mar 14, 2015
    10
    One of the best games ever. Great story, immersion, tactical combat, quests, graphic style, companions and NPCs. The only thing I didn't like: your character doesn't speak.
  17. Topfpflanze
    Feb 3, 2020
    10
    For me just the best RPG ever. The last and the most opulent work of Bioware before it got deconstructed. NPCs you can interact with, and party characters who have exactly that: Character. It depends on how you play it, it ranges from very easy to nearly unbeatable. A story line that you will keep in your memory.
  18. Smilingcookie
    Apr 1, 2015
    8
    Very fun game. Very good story and choice and consequence. Interesting characters and political situation.

    The controls and camera are good. The biggest negative is that weapons and equipment are class restricted in a very strict way. Rogues per definition use dual daggers or bow and cannot even equip a sword. I don't understand why this was necessary. Overall a very good game, much    Very fun game. Very good story and choice and consequence. Interesting characters and political situation.

    The controls and camera are good. The biggest negative is that weapons and equipment are class restricted in a very strict way. Rogues per definition use dual daggers or bow and cannot even equip a sword. I don't understand why this was necessary.

    Overall a very good game, much better than it's sequels! 8.3/10!    … Expand
  19. AmnesicoSG
    Jul 28, 2015
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A día de hoy se ven muy pocos juegos con esta calidad de diseño, de inmersión y de trasfondo como ser muestra con esta primera entrega y siento que así debió ser con sus secuelas.
    De los mejores y más acertados sistemas de combate que un RPG puede ofrecer al jugador pese a lo que los "casuales" digan, las animaciones de combate no son de lo más espectacular de lo que usualmente suele verse en el mercado, eso es verdad, pero no representa problema en base a que mantiene su bien distribuida dificultad en todo momento. La estrategia es muy importante y se refleja bastante a lo largo de la aventura con nuestros compañeros y cada habilidad que adquiramos para ellos a medida que suben de nivel es imprescindible. La calidad gráfica es poco a como se muestra su más nueva entrega "dragon age inquisition" sin embargo su apartado visual es claramente superior (ojo, apartado visual no es lo mismo a calidad gráfica); Posee un estilo realista a la vez que te sumerge en un ambiente de rol fantástico, que se puede observar con las diferentes elecciones de clases que puedes elegir al principio del juego, y el cómo se diferencian entre sí, tanto física como metódicamente, los qunari son como seres humanos pero de mayor proporción de tamaño y fornidos en su mayoría, los elfos aunque un poco más bajos de estatura que el humano y con orejas puntiagudas, estos son como otros humanos, otra cultura y otros dioses, hay situaciones sociales y políticas, racismo y discriminación, varios puntos que conforman la estructura de ferelden, lugar en el cual iniciarás y terminarás tu aventura como guarda gris.
    La narrativa de esta historia es impresionante y hay muchas posibilidades dado a que tú tomas el rol como protagonista, dejándote a escoger muchas opciones por las cual responder a las cuestiones que se presentan en tu viaje, no hay bien ni un mal que defina la ética y moral de nuestro personaje sino que te puedes formar como persona y como heroe a tu modo.
    Tiene compañeros memorables, todos muy carismáticos y tienen su forma de ser tratados, hay otros de lo más raros pero tienen su propia chispa, en algunos casos podremos verlos en otras entregas de la saga como es el caso de flemeth o morrigan, leliana y otros personajes como cullen que más adelante toma un rol importante en la inquisición.
    Tiene por mucho el mejor protagonista de toda la saga y con mucha razón, dragon age 2 no merece mención debido a la aberrante historia que presenta, y con dragon age inquisition, nuestro personaje posee una extraña y en mi opinión, mal sistema de respuestas y sigue a veces el mismo patrón que tienen el segundo juego haciendo que a veces no puedas tomar decisión realmente en ningún aspecto. Esto con el guarda gris no sucede, a pesar de no tener voz en el juego, es compensado con la grande variedad de respuestas que eres capaz de dar a las situaciones que se presentan, no hay un: Opción A) Veré que puedo hacer. Opción B) estoy de acuerdo, por ahora... Meeeh.
    Lo más importante ya lo he mencionado, creo que con esto terminaría mi opinión. Una obra maestra sin duda y aún espero a que bioware continúe la historia del "heroe de ferelden" como protagonista de su siguiente entrega dado a que su linea argumental fue "cortada" por los demás juegos (DA2 y DA:I) aun si fuera por capricho, pero sería una gran vuelta a la increíble trama que presenta este juego, sin dudarlo.    … Expand
  20. Crimson_Foxxe
    Aug 8, 2015
    10
    This game is nothing short of amazing, memorable characters, indulging plot, deeply strategical battle system, it all comes together as one of my favourite games of all time.

    Pros:
    Compelling Story
    Deep and Elaborate Combat
    No Meaningless Locations
    Tremendously Dense Lore

    Cons:
    Graphically Dull (for 2015 standards)
    Combat can feel a bit clunky sometimes
  21. Elizondo
    Feb 9, 2018
    4
    I can't understand how this game is so overrated. Crowded with glitches, horrible interface, poor performance, stupid AI, incomprehensible peaks and valleys in the difficulty level, a game camera that makes your life impossible, inexplicable FPS drops at some areas... the list of deficiencies seem to be endless. Honestly, it is like no one tested this game.
    And how about the story? In one    I can't understand how this game is so overrated. Crowded with glitches, horrible interface, poor performance, stupid AI, incomprehensible peaks and valleys in the difficulty level, a game camera that makes your life impossible, inexplicable FPS drops at some areas... the list of deficiencies seem to be endless. Honestly, it is like no one tested this game.
    And how about the story? In one word, mediocre. The main story is the usual in Bioware games. An ancient evil is coming to destroy de world.. go and recruit your army. Exactly the same as in Mass Effect. And as also usual in Bioware games, side stories are plagiarism from here and there. Take this from King Arthur, take that from Joan of Arc, etc.. exactly the same that they later did in Mass Effect, taking things from Ender´s game, Battlestar Galactica, etc. I wonder how they have managed to avoid lawsuits.
    In short, this game is like it has been developed by three teenagers in a couple of weekends. Technically very poor, mediocre story full of cliches, and a combat system that forces you to micromanage because the AI is retarded. Can´t recommend this one to anyone.    … Expand
  22. Voyou
    May 20, 2016
    3
    Dumb dumb dumb.

    You can read about the biggest flaws in numerous other reviews. I'm not going to repeat. I just want to concentrate on a couple of them that are common in the genre. Flaws are supposed to disappear in later games, right ? Well, not according to the baboon who designed DAO and brought them to a higher level of frustrating stupidity. Many games give you an ability to    Dumb dumb dumb.

    You can read about the biggest flaws in numerous other reviews. I'm not going to repeat. I just want to concentrate on a couple of them that are common in the genre. Flaws are supposed to disappear in later games, right ? Well, not according to the baboon who designed DAO and brought them to a higher level of frustrating stupidity.

    Many games give you an ability to sneak. Most just pretend to give it to you, as they happily ignore it ever after. You know, you're invisible, but a cut-scene begins that makes you instantly visible, and generally at the worst possible spot. And it also gathers your strategically (or is it lazily?) disseminated party. So now you're a bit frustrated because the game ignores your manual efforts and/or your superior brain. Also, the narrative lost its edge somehow. These scenes happen when the game mechanics are not designed according to the story needs. Or the opposite. Actually... both. Anyway, one day, a good game will do this right.

    Now a little example on how DAO handles this simple matter: So here I was, sneaking far ahead of my imposed companions, past many paralysed-looking orcs-with-another-name, careful not to miss any passage between all the invisible walls. Suddenly !... a flower. I mean, an interactive flower, you know, something I can finally touch without killing it. So I tend my hand to grab it... and suddenly !, but very suddenly this time, instantaneous-like, my unwanted companions are next to me, talking to me. They sneaked faster than I did. But not as well, since we are all visible and orcs nearby can see us. They are already charging.

    Do you think this is not stupid enough ? Here's the punchline: only 2 of my 3 companions have teleported in order to dispel my cover with their powerful voodoo. The 3rd one is still where they left him, on the other side of 4 or 5 enemy patrols.

    Believe it or not, it got so much worse in the next chapter that I gave up and uninstalled with a sneer towards the designers. Among niceties, you can't manipulate anything while in combat, you can't go back into sneak mode in an empty, locked room because there is an enemy in another locked room somewhere in a large radius around you, and so on.

    Basically, DAO forces you into linear paths (disguised as exterior maps) and into killing everything as you progress. Not so surprising since the Gray Warden you work for is nothing but a cold blooded murderer after all, but I already hinted that this review wasn't going to dive into the failures of the writing.    … Expand
  23. 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
  24. 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
  25. 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
  26. 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
  27. 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
  28. whatever523
    Dec 27, 2013
    8
    The game has a very good story and great characters, but it somehow lacks immersion, because it's too linear for an RPG and the graphics are a weird mix of good looking characters, bad animations and terrible world textures. It also has a TON of bugs. Random crashes, quests that can't be completed.
    The interface and controls are average at best, even Baldur's Gate made some things better    The game has a very good story and great characters, but it somehow lacks immersion, because it's too linear for an RPG and the graphics are a weird mix of good looking characters, bad animations and terrible world textures. It also has a TON of bugs. Random crashes, quests that can't be completed.
    The interface and controls are average at best, even Baldur's Gate made some things better and that was more than ten years ago.

    In the end it's a weird mix of very good and very bad aspects and even though it is a good game, for me it lacks the love for details required to be considered great and I guess E.A.'s influence is to blame for that.    … Expand
  29. 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.
  30. 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.
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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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