It’s been years since we last see any old series created by Bioware way before it became big like Neverwinter Nights & Baldur’s Gate.

Dragon Age: Origins makes it’s debut as a “spiritual successor” to the Baldur’s Gate series, though not based on the Dungeons & Dragons series. With no absolute interest in the game I decided to give this game a try (purchased on Steam now I want a hard copy too!), I’ve become attached to an endless quest to stop the Darkspawn from destroying the world once again!

Notice: Post based on the Microsoft Windows version, not from the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.

The Story
The player begins his or her journey from in one of the six origin stories which serve as an introductory point for the players and present the world from their personal point of view. The origin story chosen (the choices being Human Noble, Human/Elf Mage, Dalish Elf, City Elf, Dwarf Commoner/Noble with dwarves having an immunity to magic) determines who the character is and how NPCs react to the player. Elves, for example, are often viewed as second class citizens.

After completing their character’s respective origin story, the player encounters Duncan, leader of an elite group known as the Grey Wardens. Duncan guides the player to their destiny of becoming a Grey Warden, and dedicating their life to the destruction of the Darkspawn, a force of demon-like creatures that live underground and have at various points in history (for a total of four before the time of the game) invaded the surface dwellers of Thedas in massive movements known as Blights.

What I’m Liking
I am really in love how the presentation for the game has received for me. Making it to the top as one of the most addictive and expansive RPG of its kind – let us also not forget, Bioware is Bioware with their epic development in Role Playing Games – Art, Voice Overs, Storyline, Gameplay and Sound each completely mastered. It’s really hard to describe how great this game is, for one any lovers for Final Fantasy XII’s Gambit System will find some similarities with the game; allowing you to manage and prioritize your party’s actions based on battle conditions.

What I’m Hating
The loading can be quite long when changing areas at times although not much of a problem for me but it would have been nice to reduce the time? Thank god it’s not as bad as Tekken 6‘s winning award for worst development of the year(imo) with it’s seriously bad loadings. Bioware will never change with the surprises you jump into when making Decisions! Sure it’s not really a bad thing giving the game much more replay but there’s quite a few moments I wish it really didn’t exist at all.

With over twenty-six hours on my Blood Mage things just won’t stop getting better every progress I make whether it’s a good one or a bad one. This isn’t a typical hack ‘n slash mixed with RPG elements; each battle feels like puzzles, forcing you to use your resources wisely and make calculated decisions on the path to victory. A tool set was also released on the Pc Version which I’ll check out eventually after some playthrough(s). Stay tuned for the full review soon!