Video Dragon Age: Origins

[kawaiku]

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.

Yeah. Most seem sensationalized or they talk about the bad points but try not to deter people from still buying it which seems like a cop out. Like for instance, "well the camera is utter tard and the gameplay is clunky and unfinished, the story cliched. BUT! It has fancy graphics (YUM!) and some a good side quest, plus character creation is good, aaaand that female support character is hwat! but interaction with her is limited (sorry no s3x for you horny teenagers) So despite the basics being screwed up it has lots of potential! It will be a good $50
purchase!.... Oh and they say modding capabilities will be released with the first DLC in about 8 months." - That's how some appear to me anyways

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.

And yeah, I've always liked the pause-n-play aspect of games which is nice. How open is the world? Like are there other things you can go and do ooor is it mostly linear?

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.

And really? Well I guess so because you have a better chance at supplementing the games out there more than I do

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.

I agree with Scott on NWN, my brother played it more than me (I still have the original at my house) but it never grabbed me. But this does sound like a very promising game. Except for that fantasy part. I'm just tired of scantly clad girls who are well endowed and "hwat" lol. Annoys me to no end. Can't we get some regular girls please

On a side note, has anyone played Disciple II?? PM if you have I have some questions thanks

[jayedub7423]

I never liked NWN, but NWN2 on the other hand is one of my favorite rpg's that I have played.

[Scott Tortorice]

The free, pre-release flash game distraction is sounding...interesting:

Flash Game Blog

At its heart, Dragon Age Journeys: The Deep Roads is a tactical RPG. We employ a hex based combat system reminiscent of the classic Heroes of Might and Magic series, but instead of giant armies of units, you control up to three heroes with stat systems and talent trees taken directly from Dragon Age: Origins. Over time, these heroes gain experience, level up, learn new talents, get new loot … all the familiar RPG elements. This allows you to take on bigger and badder enemies from the Dragon Age world, such as darkspawn monsters Genlock Alphas and Ogres.

[Scott Tortorice]

The free to play Flash teaser game is now available:

Dragon Age Journeys Now Available

BioWare today announced that the first chapter of Dragon Age Journeys, a free* to play browser based game set in the Dragon Age world, is now available. Dragon Age Journeys puts players in the role of a hero exploring the underground dwarven kingdom of Orzammar. Players will uncover a dastardly plot that threatens to unleash a great evil that won’t stop until it destroys all living things. Based on BioWare’s upcoming dark fantasy epic Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age Journeys, sets a new standard of quality for browser-based games with addictive combat mechanics and fluid gameplay. Players of Dragon Age Journeys will have the chance to earn exclusive in game content for Dragon Age: Origins on the day of its release....

I tried it and it is kinda fun. It has a good, hex-based wargame feel to it, and the ability to get loot you can use in the full game is an added bonus. There are some bugs, but I still had a good time with the first quest.

[Scott Tortorice]

I put in about two hours with this flash game so far. It is really a lot of fun. If DA:O has the same combat vibe, it can't possibly go wrong what with its better graphics, sound and story. One more hour, and I'll tie my time with Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (which says a lot about how disappointing that game turned out to be)!

RPS seems to like it, too:

Dragon Age Journeys Live, And Rather Good

So Dragon Age Journeys is live, and… blimey, it’s good stuff. EA 2D’s free project designed to promote and link into Dragon Age: Origins is a 2D browser based RPG, letting you pick a character from the regular Dragon Age selection and then go exploring in the Dwarven Deep Roads. I wasn’t sure exactly how they’d do it, presuming something very simple, hack-n-slashy, but fun all the same. I wasn’t expecting a fully-fledged RPG with a unique combat mechanic.

[Scott Tortorice]

Anybody pre-ordering Dragon Age? I just saw that Steam is preloading today. I figure I might as well get burned one more time in 2009 and leap before looking. Between the preloading and the bonus items for a preorder, why bother waiting?

If Dragon Age Origins bombs like just about every other game of 2009, all hope is lost....

PS: In all honestly, the only games that gave me my money's worth this year were Entrenchment for Sins, Argos Naval Yard/Ultimate Edition for Sword of the Stars, and, surprisingly, Prototype. Every other game has been a major disappointment.

Worst year ever....

[kawaiku]

Worst year ever....

It's okay... that's why there is next year

But do let me know how this turns out!

[jayedub7423]

I have a feeling Dragon Age is going to be awesome!

[Scott Tortorice]

Well, this is an encouraging review from IGN UK:

DAO

Still, no matter the armaments, tactics play the biggest part in combat. You can have the biggest, baddest, unique-armour clad nutcases ever to accept missions from people wearing exclamation marks, but if you don't lead them into battle with any kind of plan they will perish with depressing ease. This doesn't mean that the game is hard, however - think of the combat as a kind of angry man's chess, a puzzle to be figured out with wit and cunning as much as fireballs and +7 swords. If things become too much, a quick escape to the options menu can dynamically change the difficulty, but be warned that Origins remains a challenging game.

Sold!

Conclusion:

Simply expect one of the best RPGs you have yet played.

Bioware’s achievements in all this are incredible. It cannot be stressed enough at the depth of the universe they have conjured. Every corner you look, there is a sense of age, of something old. Entire mythologies for multiple cultures have been brewed up, entire religions mapped out in their own belief systems, history that stretches back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Cities look lived in, worn – majestic and squalid places that spill with times gone by and a sense of place. The castles look like they have been there for centuries, and truly, there is an uncertain sense that they have been. That Ferelden and its inhabitants were waiting patiently in the wings for all this time, waiting for their chance to shine. Well, like the Grey Wardens, their time has come. Let us unite then, and in the words of an old friend: We shall show those cursed Darkspawn our hearts – and then show them theirs.

[jayedub7423]

I am about to fire up my copy right now!