The game is quite tremendous. If you haven't bought it yet, you should. It has very quickly become one of my favorite games of all time -- which isn't surprising, considering how much I loved Baldur's Gate II. But don’t get me wrong, even if you couldn’t get into that particular game, you should find plenty to love about Dragon Age.
Because this game was ready a year and a half ago, you will notice the graphics look quite blocky, at least during the initial stages. That is also probably because those initial stages were probably developed three years ago, and as the game progresses, it improves noticably. And while the game can be uneven technically, artistically it is quite good throughout, as Que mentioned above.
What I immediately noticed about the game was the scope and depth of its visuals. In what is unusual for a Bioware game, you can see far off into the horizon, with large structures like hills, castles, and mountains in the horizon that are actual places to explore, and not just parts of the background. In terms of combat, this adds much tactically, but in terms of visual impressions, it can be quite amazing.
Another thing you will notice is the over the top gore, which is only a few steps below Gears of War in terms of intensity. You can turn it off of course, but it does add a bit of a slightly comical flavor to an otherwise serious game. The death animations that accompany the gore are also quite fantastic, and after most battles you come off looking like you were put in a giant sized blender with 10 other people.
What Bioware have managed to do is polish the hell out of this game, almost to the point where it feels like a Blizzard product. The game runs extremely well, even on my three year old 8800GTX powered system. With my resolution set at 1900 by something, I am getting very smooth frame rates.
But that’s not where its similarities to a Blizzard product end. The game is… very accessible.
That’s why I think all of you will love this game. It is almost like a cross between Diablo, KOTOR, and Baldur’s Gate II. It is hardcore, yes, but only so much as to appeal to the fans of old, yet streamlined to a level where it is extremely easy to get into. It is like they took the complexities of the D&D ruleset, and molded into a form that appeals to everyone.
Take inventory management for example. In the past it was all about worrying about the amount of weight you were carrying, and balancing it all out amongst party members etc. With Dragon Age, you are just limited in terms of the number of items you carry, and the entire party has a shared inventory.
In the Bioware CRPGS of the past, during battle, you would be constantly pausing, and passing health potions to potionless party members. With Dragon Age, a shared inventory just allows all party members to have constant access. This, coupled with the fact that you don’t have to stress over the weight management, allows you to concentrate on the parts of the game that are fun.
Using magic has also been made very easy. No longer do you have to prepare spells overnight, and aren’t limited to casting two or three memorized spells a day. Now, the limit of the spells you cast is only limited to your mana… simple. Plus, whenever you level up as a mage, new spells are automatically added to your shortcut bar, again simple.
Aside from spells, other skills that pertain to warriors or rogues are also similarly integrated into the interface to feel simple to use, yet not to a level where they feel overly automated.
The AI is quite fantastic as well, and a tremendous improvement over games like Neverwinter Nights – where the AI was so poor, that you simply had to employ full control over your party. The best part about the AI in Dragon Age is that it can be modified to suit anyone’s style of play, which I guess is the strength of Dragon Age overall.
The biggest strength of the game is the fantastically detailed world that has been constructed. It is so detailed and rich, that you almost don’t feel like leaving, and often do feel like you are in a book brought to life. The lore of the game is extremely rich, and while it can be ignored, it is easily related through the interface. The game’s characters are also brilliantly done, and are certainly better than anything seen in Mass Effect or KOTOR. The voice acting in particular is top notch, and it certainly makes the NPCs feel extremely realistic.
Something unique is that before you start the main storyline, you will play through a few hours of your origin story, of which the game has several, depending upon your race. From what I understand, a few of these origin stories are very impressive, and my own was quite good. The game deals with plenty of adult themes, including second class citizens, slavery, and the horrors it leads to like starvation, rape etc.
Anyway, go get this game… now. I command it.
