This is not a review. More of an ode, really.
I played Baldur’s Gate. Like most, I played it years ago. I don’t remember it much other than that it was really good. I don’t think I finished it, for whatever reason, but I remember liking it a lot. I later played Icewind Dale 2 (not made by BioWare). I liked that one as well, can’t remember if I finished it either. Later on, I played Neverwinter Nights. That was also really good. My point though, is not that I’ve spent less time than most playing BioWare games. My point is that if you’ve played any of these games I just mentioned, you’ve pretty much already played Dragon Age. Only with not as good graphics. However, Dragon Age is really the culmination of years of making the same game over and over, with each iteration being just a bit better than the last one as they learn more and fix things they did wrong the last time.
Not that BioWare’s games are bad at all. On the other hand, every single one of them is quite remarkable. The voice acting is leaps and bounds better than 95% of the games out there. The writing is fantastic, and the worlds are just that much more believable because of these elements. The fact that everything just meshes so well, makes you really believe you’re there. Sure it may be “just” a game, but it’s a game that feels like it could exist in some fantastical alternate reality somewhere. It’s just that good. Your party members have their own agendas, back stories, and opinions. What you do over the course of the game will piss them off, endear them to you, and everything in between. Much has been discussed about the romance options in the game; mostly those discussions revolve around whether or not it’s right that there should be romance in a video game. I say who cares? It’s so well done, it feels completely natural. Sure, the gifts system is a bit contrived, but the fact that some gifts will influence party members more dramatically, depending on the gift, makes it feel like part of the world you’re inhabiting.
Then there’s the combat. I played Neverwinter Nights, Knights of the Old Republic and although I liked the idea of a party-based RPG, in reality, I always felt like it was very lacking somehow. Having played a fair share of real-time combat RPGs, my party standing around waiting for their ‘turn’ to attack just felt… well, stupid. I never really felt like I was controlling them very much or that those actions really made much of a difference. On top of that, especially in NWN, the combat just didn’t feel very visceral. Lots of watching your party stand there watching the opponents watch you, with the occasional swipe of a sword/axe/whatnot. That is not how combat feels in Dragon Age. It’s incredibly fun to just pause the game on occasion in the middle of frenetic combat, to see if you can catch a gout of blood in mid-spurt as your tank impales a Darkspawn on his sword. It’s fantastic, fun, and importantly – easy to control.
The control aspect is something I’ve not noticed in many reviews. Lots of these types of games devolve down to a huge amount of micromanagement. Many gamers would think of this as a great thing. You get to tweak each party member’s stats, armor, clothing, weapons loadout, hair color, nose size, conversation options, alignment, personality, etc etc etc. You get the idea. These games are about having the ability to create your party from scratch, playing it exactly how you want. That’s still eminently present in Dragon Age. However, unlike in most other games of this type that I’ve played, Dragon Age is simple as cake when it comes to management. You can do it all yourself or let the game do it for you. Whichever way you choose, it’s a blast.
I’ve not finished it yet, but I must say… this is truly an RPG for the ages. I’m intrigued to see how they can improve it for the next installment. And on that note, after this, I’m playing Mass Effect. I do loves me my sci-fi… and if it’s anywhere near as good as Dragon Age, well I can’t wait.
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