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Dragon Age: Origins - the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate.Dragon Age: Origins is nothing like Mass Effect. It's an RPG, yes, with stop and start combat and lines and lines of dialogue, but the similarities stop there. For Bioware fans who have been sitting in front of their PC monitors praying for the developer to follow up on the Baldur's Gate series, this is undoubtedly a good thing. Indeed Dan Tudge, the game's executive producer and project director, begins our behind closed doors demo at Leipzig Games Convention 2008 with a bullish proclamation: this is the "spiritual successor" to Baldur's Gate.
So, if you're looking for Mass Effect with a fantasy skin, then look away now. Dragon Age is more like Baldur's Gate with a Lord of the Rings skin. At least that's the overriding feeling we get from the demo.
AdvertisementThe game's set up - you choose a character class and battle against the evil Blight as you rise through the ranks of the elite Grey Wardens warrior group - is classic fantasy fare and will be instantly familiar to the genre's fans. The pseudo real-time combat, which can be paused at the players' whim, allows you to seamlessly switch between members of your party, dish out commands and cast spells - just like you did in Baldur's Gate back in the day. It all feels, well, a little old.
Perhaps we're doing the game a disservice, because Tudge does point out a number of features that we find quite interesting and refreshing. Chief among these is the way your choice of class will affect the overall story. The Origins bit of Dragon Age refers to the first two or three hours of play, during which the choices you make have a real impact on how the world reacts to you. The bulk of our time with the game is centred on showing how this will work in action.
Dragon Age will be instantly familiar to anyone who's played any of Bioware's non sci-fi RPGsAs a Human Noble Warrior we begin in the Ruins of Ostagar. Here the armies of Fereldan have gathered together to make their final stand against the Blight. As a young Grey Order recruit, we're sworn to protect the people of Fereldan against the Blight, so we're here to lend a helping hand.
In a cut scene we're introduced via our mentor Duncan to the young King Cailan, who's delighted to have us fight by his side. During dialogue we get a nice cinematic view, ala Mass Effect, but without the radial conversation wheel. You'll instead be picking from lines of dialogue displayed at the bottom of the screen. These lines don't trigger voice over, like in Mass Effect, either. Your character remains silent throughout all the chatting.
With the pleasantries over we're left alone with Duncan to chat about the upcoming battle. Every recruit, we're told, must go through a secret ritual called the Joining in order to become a fully fledged Grey Warden. But there's no need to rush, we have until nightfall to perform it. Until then, we're free to explore the camp, but we're not allowed to leave it.
We approach the local quartermaster. Turns out he doesn't have a lot of respect for elves. But then most don't. In the Dragon Age universe elves are often mistreated and are considered second class citizens. We approach a caged prisoner, banged up because he stole a wizard's key he's since swallowed to hide from his captors. He desperately wants food and water, he says, and is willing to trade the key (recently crapped out) for some grub. Since we're role-playing as a warrior though, we decide to kill the unlucky wretch and just take our prize. Unsurprisingly he's not happy about this and screams bloody murder as he meets his doom. A nearby guard gives us a ticking off. We basically tell him to sod off and mind his own business.
"The moral choices you make within Dragon Age: Origins will actually have ramifications down the road," explains Tudge. "I think a stunt like killing this prisoner just might catch up with us later on."
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Bloodstorm wrote at 14:43 on 05 September 2008
To me the spell just got a critical and is burning my patience bar to nothing.
Loved Baldurs Gate so i think this'll be just as good.
nikos wrote at 19:00 on 05 September 2008
Novelty and innovation is all well and good, but there's also something to be said for striving to replicate or at least honor the pinnacle of RPG games that BGII represents to a good many fans of the genre.
Oblivion sure seemed "innovating" with it's radiant AI, and scaled encounters, but ultimately left me feeling unchallenged, and completely unengaged with the story -- sometimes it's OK to not have to reinvent the wheel, but instead build the best "wheel" possible.
Sylvius wrote at 21:33 on 05 September 2008
The loss of the conversation wheel is a tremendous bonus. Not being able to choose one's actual remarks is a huge barrier to role-playing. Often in Mass Effect I'd choose an option on the wheel only to have Shepard say something almost entirely unlike what I wanted him to say.
Thomas wrote at 06:07 on 06 September 2008
Well, I am a Baldur's Gate fan, so my opinion is obviously colored. But I won't miss the conversation wheel either. I heared it was suposed to make the conversation flow, but for me it was tha oposite as I sat thinking and guessing what would be the choice I wanted. I only got a flow on my thired play throw when I already knew most of the answers.
Noodles wrote at 08:05 on 06 September 2008
I glad the conversation wheel is gone...would be nice if ME2+3 also would dump this kind of conversation tool. It sucks not to no what you character is going to say.
Pete wrote at 08:24 on 06 September 2008
I am a great fantasy based RPG fan but recently there doesn't appear to be anything new added to the genre. Whether it was Oblivion or NWN2 it was ultimately boring because it was just better graphics over exactly the same plot devices and game mechanisms. I was hoping the DA:O was going to be much more innovative but based on this preview it looks as if I will be disappointed. I normally like playing mage type classes (I always liked Druid and shifter) but get the distinct impression that there is nothing new with magic users in DA:O - it is just another way to apply damage. If you are going to have a fantasy world with magic in it then use it to achieve something new and exciting that can't normally be done. Come on Bioware - step up to the mark. You should be re-invigorating the genre not just tidying it up a bit.
Karsten wrote at 18:35 on 07 September 2008
I just want to point that in the public demos I have seen the conversation is the cinematic ever in any rpg or video game I have played - at least when the npcs are answering your character.
Your character in DA: Origins do not have a voice like Commander Shepard does in Mass Effect. In Mass Effect, you're Commander Shephard; it is your story that is being told. Aa such, it makes sense to have the conversation wheel.
It does not make sense in DA: Origins since you get to create your own character from scratch this time. The novelty and innovation in DA: Origins what you see in this preview; your origin story do matter. There also appears to be better choice and consequence in this game than in any other game I have played (except maybe The Witcher)
Eliaures wrote at 14:44 on 09 September 2008
I get tired of the equally cliched review of games as being "old". There are very, very few unique and "new" games being introduced while the same can be said of books, movies, etc. I happen to like the option of pausing a game to issue orders and if it works, then why do game devs have to reinvent the wheel every game to satisfy game reviewers?
XK wrote at 21:32 on 09 September 2008
I thought ME was terrible, so I'm glad to see Dragon Age not repeating its mistakes, (chief among them the conversation wheel and the FPS approach).