I’m a fan of RPGs, and I recently finished the Dragon Age: Origins game and started the new one, Dragon Age II. I loved the Dragon Age: Origins, so Dragon Age II is going to have to be pretty outstanding to keep up the tradition and win me over from the Final Fantasy crowd. Is it really that good, you ask? Yes! Here are 7 reasons I loved Dragon Age: Origins.
I really liked the plot and story line in Dragon Age: Origins. I chose to be a warrior, so I was Aeden, the Grey Warden, on a quest to defeat the darkspawn that have overrun Ferelden. There are plenty of twists and turns in the plot, and it definitely held my interest and made me want to keep playing.
While I loved the main plot line (defeating darkspawn), there are plenty of side quests that captured my interest and got me hooked even more. Some are long and take lots of time to complete (like the Urn of Ashes quest) while others are super-quick to do… but all are interesting, and add another sort of depth to Dragon Age: Origins.
While some may think it’s formulaic and tired, I liked the range of characters in Dragon Age: Origins. There are warriors, rogues, mages, and more, from several tribes. Dwarves, golems, mages, templars, humans, and elves all work together and war amongst each other, with lots of history… it makes for another interesting level to Dragon Age.
I really liked some of the monsters I had to fight, from the Hurlocks in the opening battles to the bosses, including the final one, the Arch-demon/dragon. Some of the other characters, who, depending on how you play the game, can be enemies or friends, are pretty interesting, too, like the Lady of the Woods (or Witherfang).
My only complaint with some of my very favorite RPGs (Final Fantasy) is the turn-based fighting style. I really prefer the melee fighting style in Dragon Age: Origins. You find an enemy and either sneak past it, or run in and start swinging your sword (or mace or staff). The battle continues until all of your enemies are dead.
I admit it. The graphics in Dragon Age: Origins aren’t the best, and there’s one hilarious glitch: you walk around and have little sequences while covered in your enemies’ blood. Still, the backgrounds and environments are beautiful, and the characters are also nicely rendered.
I already mentioned the final battle with the Arch-demon, but the battles you have to get through to get to the dragon are intense and rewarding. It’s the ideal ending to the game, and though the Arch-demon battle is difficult, it’s not impossible, a combination I love.
These are just a few of the reasons I loved Dragon Age: Origins, and so far, only two hours in, I really like Dragon Age II, too. I’ll keep you posted on that one as I play through it… have you played Dragon Age? If so, why did you love or loathe it? Please share!
Top image source: cdn.gametreeonline.com