Dragon Age: Origins Preview

Spell interactions are particularly interesting

We have a chat with an Ash Warrior - an elite band of warriors who use devastating war dogs called Mobari Hounds on the battlefield. Turns out he doesn't like elves either. What a racist lot.

In order to demonstrate how the Dragon Age world perceives you differently depending on your class, Tudge loads up another character from another origin - a Female Elven Mage. Again we talk to the quartermaster, who, seeing that you're an elf, gives you some grief, demanding his armour and questioning your attire. But, when he discovers that you're a Grey Warden he pathetically backtracks and apologies profusely.

We speak to the prisoner. This time we decide not to stick our sword in his gut and help him out. The prisoner suggests we ask the guard for the remains of his dinner. Using our high persuade skill we convince him to part with his food and pass it on. He thanks you, but there's no mention of the wizard's key we took as a Human Noble Warrior.

"The moral choices you make within Dragon Age not only change the way the story plays out for you but also the items you can or cannot receive," Tudge says. "In this particular case we felt good about helping the prisoner but we never actually got the item that we wanted. So sometimes being nice doesn't necessarily get you what you want."

It's the story and how you can shape your own origin which has us most excited

We speak to Wynn, a woman who recognises you as a Mage that has passed the Harrowing, a sacred right of passage that all Mages must complete. During the Mage origins story we would have played through the Harrowing ourselves. If we had been talking to Wynn as a Human Noble, however, we would have had an entirely different conversation. And, as you might expect, the Ash Warrior still doesn't like elves, and, since we're an elf this time, is particularly rude to us. "He couldn't see past the ears," says Tudge.

The class origin stories and how they impact on the rest of the game is perhaps the most interesting feature of Dragon Age. In most role-playing games your choice of class rarely has any impact on the overall story. Here though, it seems, the decisions you make during your origin story will have a real impact on the kind of game Dragon Age turns out to be as you work your way through it.

Tudge says that the origin story also affects combat, and to show that off we're transported to the Korcari Wilds, a serene forest area the developer has been keeping under wraps until now. As part of a group of four, players can pause the action at any time, zoom out, pan around the battlefield and, if they wish, play the game in the same isometric world view the original Baldur's Gate offered. You'll be able to move from hero to hero, issue commands, talents, spells, anything you could wish for from a fantasy role playing game. In this case, we've switched back to playing as a Human Warrior Noble, so we're concentrating on melee combat and using our talents - Beserk sends us into a frenzy at the expense of stamina, and Shield Bash, for example, while the AI controls the rest of the group. It's action-packed, there's tons going on, and it's very gory. "We're dark and gritty," Tudge says. "We don't pull any punches."

After a quick scrap with some darkspawn (warriors of the Blight) a mysterious female character called Morrigan, who's been causing quite a stir on Bioware's forum as a result of sporadic appearances in artwork, appears. In a sultry voice she wonders who, and what, we are, and our intentions in the forest. Tudge offers little: "While we're not really talking a lot about Morrigan we can tell you that she's a very interesting character and will play a very important role in the Dragon Age story."