Dragon Age: Origins

[Scott Tortorice]

I didn't think I was going to be interested in this game, but I've got to admit that even though the combat is still of the auto-attack variety (from what I understand), this game looks like it could be a lot of fun! The battles seem believable in their non stop action and mayhem (in other words, it doesn't remind me of the the stilted "I swing, now you swing" MMORPG standard of combat).

[YOUTUBE]ri61TMiga1w[/YOUTUBE]

[Candice]

I have high hopes for this game. Maybe it can equal Baldur's Gate II. I would hope for another Planescape: Torment, but I think the days of that kind of story being made in a game are long gone.

[Scott Tortorice]

Here's one of those suspiciously early reviews:

Dragon Age Origins

Before BioWare amassed a following among console gamers with games like Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, and Mass Effect, the developer already had a significant fanbase. These gamers loved the studio for its work on the PC series Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights – tactical, story-driven RPGs with an emphasis on party mechanics. No developer did that style of game better in those days, and Dragon Age: Origins proves that BioWare isn’t giving up the crown. Dragon Age brilliantly combines the genre’s old-school conventions with a few modern twists to create one of the most addictive and expansive RPGs of its kind.

I like the sound of this:

While some time is spent exploring and conversing, the biggest thrills in Dragon Age are found in combat. This is no breezy hack ‘n slash affair; the best encounters feel like puzzles, forcing you to use your resources wisely and make calculated decisions on the path to victory. Which enemy poses the largest threat? How do you stem the tide of oncoming skeletons? Can your tank stand in the middle of your mage’s electrical storm long enough to take down the ogre? Your answers to these questions change depending on your party members and their skills, leaving some space for experimentation. Almost every fight can kill you if you aren’t focused, but the satisfaction of standing in the midst of your slaughtered foes after a well-fought battle makes it all worthwhile.

Even with a wealth of tactical options and party combinations, you’ll rarely get bogged down thanks to the excellent ally AI system. Fans of Final Fantasy XII’s gambits will feel right at home with the concept, which allows you to manage and prioritize your party’s actions based on battle conditions. You can micromanage your spellcasters with a pause-and-play approach and leave your fighters on autopilot, which keeps combat flowing smoothly without sacrificing its sharp tactical edge.

That does sound sufficiently 'tactical'. As I wrote earlier, I can't stand the stilted combat mechanics often found in MMORPGs. This review makes it sound like there is more than a little careful thinking required and not just mindless auto-attacks.

This gameplay vid seems to confirm it: http://greywardens.com/2009/10/nifty-gameplay-video/

[Scott Tortorice]

This is a really clever idea:

Hands-On with Dragon Age: Origins - Part 1 of 2

Facebook, but with slightly more carnage
Bioware is preparing to launch a new social site. Migrating posts and stats, this new site will have all of the features of the previous site, but will now integrate a great many new features. In a system similar to Facebook and the like, you’ll be able to tweak this new social site to see exactly where your friends are in their game progress. Selecting your character portrait in the game and clicking the log in button, your achievements, pivotal game moment screenshots, and the bust of your character are uploaded to your profile. You’ll also be able to upload a WoW-Armory-like inventory of your weapons and armor, as well as skills, spells, talents, and how long it took you to accomplish those goals. If you are part of the group that enjoys getting updates when your friends accomplish things on Facebook, you know exactly what I’m talking about. A simple few clicks will add this information to Facebook, Twitter, and the like as well.

Other sites have attempted this, such as the "meta-universe" in GalCiv or X3's stat tracker, but it was never much to write home about. This sounds much more innovative and could make the game seem more interesting.

Part II of the preview is here.

Of note:

Exclusive to the PC version of the game, you can zoom your camera out to an isometric view distance reminiscent of Baldur’s Gate II. You can also zoom it even further to a completely top-down tactical view. If you like the view closer to something like Oblivion, you can zoom all the way in to a distance that’ll let you spot the rust on your armored buttplate. I found that this tactical view gave me a great view of the action for larger battles, and the closer zoom was great for seeing short-distanced spells. At any moment you can pause the game and issue orders to your characters as well as swing the camera around to any distance or position. If you are inclined to play it in real time, you can do that. If you like the more Knights of the Old Republic pause-and-go style, that’s certainly a viable option. Heck, it’s the option I used most.

Getting into cracking the skulls of the enemy surprised me with an additional detail – cracked skulls. Armor in the game works differently than you might expect. It doesn’t prevent you from being hit, it just lessens the amount of damage. When thinking about it logically, a platemail armored warrior isn’t going to be hit less. It just may hurt less. Wearing sets of armor can provide additional bonuses to your armor, but inevitably you’ll take a few really hard shots and end up on the ground. No longer can you drop to almost zero on health and not suffer repercussions. You pick up lacerations, profuse bleeding, concussions, and more in both minor and major form. These have a pronounced effect on your character, so using first aid kits, spells, or good old fashioned rest to remove them is paramount. During one boss battle, I found that the difference between agonizing death and glorious victory was as simple as putting some bandages around my head. Nobody casts spells well with a concussion, thieves are a little less cunning and stealthy while bleeding profusely, and it’s damned hard to be effective with a bow or hold a shield with a broken arm.

Oh, and the latest trailer:

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Let's see, a bit LotRs and a bit 300.... Not bad, but not as good as some of the Warhammer trailers.

[kawaiku]

Hmm... I'm going to wait for review before giving a crack at this one. Is there a demo?

[Scott Tortorice]

Bioware rarely issues a demo, so.... But considering this is probably the hottest title of the year, they'll be plenty of early reviews popping up.

[kawaiku]

Ahhh thanks. That's another thing, early reviews, I've always been a bit wary of them. But this does seem to have potential.

[Scott Tortorice]

Ahhh thanks. That's another thing, early reviews, I've always been a bit wary of them. But this does seem to have potential.

You're definitely right on that when it comes to those early reviews from Euro sites and mags that somehow manage to publish a review weeks before anyone else (I bet a lot of them use preview builds of a game), but when its an early (week before release) review from GameSpot/IGN, etc, those are usually worth a read.

I'm not much on RPGs because I never finish those multi-hour campaigns (supposedly, DAO has a 70-hour campaign!!!), but I am starting to like the sound of this game. That preview vid posted above sort of hooked me. I like the ability to pause the game and issue orders - makes it seem more tactically interesting to me.

I've been burned too many times this year (2009 has got to be one of the worst years for gaming in a long time), but if the initial reviews are good, I will probably take the plunge.

[jayedub7423]

I am guessing that you haven't played the Neverwinter Nights games or even the older infinity engine titles like Icewind Dale of Baldur's Gate? The small bit of combat that I have watched reminds me of those games, which I love.

[Scott Tortorice]

I did play NWN (the original), but it never hooked me. It seemed like a good game, but I wasn't really into fantasy back then, so I only invested a few hours.