Dragon Age: Origins IS the best rpg on the Ps3, and it's what the system needed.. More RPGs!! I finished my first play through a few days ago so it's still fresh in my mind, and what really kept bringing me back to the controller was the epic story and the feeling of personal involvement. I know many have spoken about the choices in this game. Well I feel that is this games best trait. Here you've got a game where I felt like my choices truely do matter and I will definitely be playing this game many more times through just to see how diverse this game is. I played a city elf male warrior, and didn't think twice about re rolling and trying another class. It's was just that compelling to me. Now at the same time my room mate purchased the PC version of the game, and I saw just how much more tactical control he had. I wish I had gotten this for the PC, but my specs aren't nearly up to par. I already had the ps3 anyways. The battle system was aggrivating to say the least at certain moments, but for the most part it worked fine. I would recommend this game to fans of fantasy and old bioware rpg's like baldurs gate and the likes.
The goods:
Extremely deep story elements and rich history to delve into.. There were parts in this game where I was so wrapped up in the rural dramas going on I had completely forgotten what the main plot of this tale was.. And I consider that a good thing.
DA has some really well developed characters, Morrigan for example, everything about her fascinated me, and the more I found out the more I dug deeper. Each of the characters in the game have personal side quests which I recommend you find. I only did about 3 of them so I will do more in the future play throughs.
Combat in the game plays surprisingly well even though it's on the ps3. At first there were issues with the radial menu, but after 70 hours it becomes second nature. The combat in DA is intense to the point it can become frustrating.. It wasn't ever so frustrating that I couldn't continue, just enough to egg me on to play one more time and try a different strategy.
The art direction in this game was a breath of fresh air. One thing that annoys me to no end is how ugly the characters in western rpgs, here all the models look great! While the graphic engine may seem dated, they utilized it to it's best ability. Good job Bioware.
I purchased all the DLC in this game, and I found it interesting and worth the extra 5 bucks. I'm glad they are making even more which I will definitely support!
The not so goods:
Graphically this game has issues on the ps3, there were certain points in dialogue where there would be no audio for whatever reason, losing chunks of the story.. Other issues were with actual looping of events where they would repeat. I had one friend who said that she had to watch a scene over 4-5 times because it wouldn't stop looping. Finally it stopped and she could continue with the game.. When the battles become large and intense there were issues with frame rate, but it wasn't game breaking at all. I just wish that Bioware would have ironed out these issues prior to release, or even if they patched later like many developers seem to be doing.
This obviously being a port the controller issue is apparent, the definitive version is on the PC, but those without that option the console version is just fine.
Final Thoughts:
At the end of the game there is this deep feeling of accomplishement, and it left me craving more, I can't wait to see where this all leads, and my imagination just runs wild.. I wouldn't spoil anything for anyone, but just take my advice.. If you have the time this game is well worth it. I wouldn't say it's the greatest game of all time, I was just really surprised, and it completely took me away from all the other games I was playing at the time.. And that rarely happens. :)
Fun factor: 5/5
Overall: 4/5
I back your score completely. I'd like to point out that while on the P.C. version I did have more tactical control there were problems as well. The PS3 version runned alot smoother with less framerate issues then on the P.C. My computer is not the best in the world, but it is a very decent set up, and I had multiple framerate drops and sluggish particle effects. This was fixed by turning the V-sync option off, though at the cost of a line randomly scrolling up my screen. Overall though (technical issues aside) it was a fantastic game that pulled you in and made you feel as though your choices were not only cosmetic, but actually affected the world you were playing.
ReplyDeleteTurning of the V - Sync did seem to help your performance quite a bit. But here is an rare example where most people can look over any technical issues and appreciate the game for what it is. Bioware makes great games, but considering how long this game was in development.. Like 5 years I think? They could have taken a few more months to iron out the little details.
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