Facebook l Gallery l dA Portfolio l Watch Me l Note Me

So, I don't usually gush in public about games I love. At least, not on Deviant Art. But with Dragon Age, I'll make an acception.

I have this game on the PS3, and okay, the graphics aren't the best. And yes, that annoyed me at first, but after five minutes of playing, I realized something: The graphics didn't matter. I had just met the game that was going to rule my life.

I've barely gotten far at all, mostly because I've wanted to play all the different characters at once. I started as a human noble, then went to a Dalish elf rouge, and from there, went to a human mage. That changed to an Elven mage, and simply from the short playthrough I've done in that storyline alone, I can see what the directors meant when they said that your choices would have a huge impact on the game.






Minor Spoilers ahead, fools.





I've come to understand that I have a horrible knack for playing goodie-two-shoes in most games. I just can't bring myself to be nasty, and Dragon Age has been the first game to tempt me away from my peacekeeping ways. The Mage origin is a good example of this. I began as a human noble, and played through that way. I met my friend Jorwan, who asked me for some help in getting himself out of hot water: That is, Jorwan was about to be made Tranquil because there were rumors that he was a Blood Mage, which isn't good. He's also in love with a priest, named Lily, and both of them begged me to help them escape the Circle of Magi. Being the nice guy that I was, I helped them, only to find out that, shit, I was lied to, and crap, he was a Blood Mage all along.

I did the origin story again, this time playing as a male elf. This time, when Jorwan revealed his plight, off I ran like a little sissy to the Head Enchanter, and promptly spilled all of my yellow-bellied guts to him. Friends, shmends, I wanted to see if I could avoid all of that nasty business. Nope, I was convinced to betray Jorwan and his lover girl, and lead them into a trap that the Head Enchanter would set. I've not seen the "trap" work itself out yet, but I don't imagine Jorwan will take it very kindly... And while I knew I was being an asshole, I was sniggering the entire time, that "hur hur hur, I know something you don't" snigger that tends to bring a wicked grin to your face. What worries me now is the future: If Jorwan escapes the trap, no doubt he won't like it if ever we cross paths again. And I've just now realized I might have shot myself in the foot. Oh well.



END SPOILER






The party system is absolutely delightful. It's awesome to hear your party members actually interacting with each other, and challenging to keep everyone happy. A classic example would be the Morrigan/Alistair scenario. Alistair is a pretty good guy, and willing to help people in need, while Morrigan is a bit cynical, and doesn't tend to help others unless there's something to be had from it. Being a generous hippie might put you and Alistair on good terms, but Morrigan tends to dissaprove, and vice versa. It's difficult to keep balance, but its' a fun challenge.

I really can't say enough praise for Dragon Age thus far. My only gripe is that it lacks much of an open world, like what we experienced with Oblivion. Instead, your party travels to different areas, though you can travel back and forth from areas as you wish. The battle menu takes some time to get used to, and it took me hours of gameplay to realize how I could switch between my quick action button options. However, once I figured this out, battles became much easier, and much more enjoyable. It's still a pain in the neck to, say, throw a potion someone's way like you could in FFXII, but still, once you get the knack of the controls, its relatively easy.

All in all, I would recommend this game to anyone looking for a fun, engrossing role playing game. The graphics might not be the best, but with so much to do, who really cares?

CSS made by =BloodPromiser
Texture by `Princess-of-Shadows