I’ve long postulated that the very best video games, regardless of platform, allow the player to insert themselves into the story, providing an experience different to, but every bit as enjoyable as, getting lost in a good book or film. Over the course of gaming history, that immersion into story has varied, with the onus of ‘getting lost’ often falling squarely on the shoulders of the players imagination. Storytelling is catching up with advances in technology and companies like Bioware and Bethesda are releasing games that are not only beautiful to look at but offer the player a chance to truly become absorbed in the adventure as it unfolds. Even better, these companies have been working to release games where the player’s choices and relationships with other characters in the game effect the outcome of the story being told. The latest of these is a “dark heroic fantasy roleplaying game” from Bioware, Dragon Age: Origins.

Having just finished the game, I sit here with that bittersweet melancholy that accompanies the end of any good story, knowing that I cannot keep it to myself, I must share it with you!

On November 3rd, 2009, Dragon Age: Origins hit store shelves. I had been anxiously anticipating the release of the game for many reasons. One being that I had just finished playing Mass Effect, a science fiction roleplaying game from the same company and found it a wonderful experience. Another reason was that November often finds me in high fantasy mode as I immerse myself in all things Lord of the Rings. Watching this trailer for the game had me salivating at the opportunity to play a new LOTR-type game, something I hadn’t done since finishing Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, several years ago. In this age of multiple distractions, marketing is key, and this trailer is marketing at its best:

That is all it took for me. I brought it home on the day of release and began it right then and there. And over the past several weeks I have taken opportunities here and there to journey through Ferelden in a game every bit as rich and complex as Bioware promised it would be. While graphically the game is not as beautifully rendered as was Mass Effect, the minor sacrifices made in graphics for a smooth, stable gaming experience were well worth it. And for all that, the world of Ferelden is still really cool to look at.

Dragon Age: Origins is a spiritual return of sorts to Bioware’s earlier Baldur’s Gate series. In it you control one main, player created character. Along the way you meet a variety of characters who, if you so choose (and depending on choices you make during game play) will volunteer to travel with you. At any one time you will have three companies with you. These characters are computer controlled, but this style of game allows you to pause in-game and control the tactics of each character or just concentrate on your own. Bioware has created a game that caters to those who prefer to go with the flow AND those who like to micro manage every detail, so there is room for any player along that spectrum. I did both during different parts of the game and once you get used to all the controls and options it all runs very smoothly.

From the very start of Dragon Age: Origins it is apparent just how Bioware wanted to make player choice a big part of the gaming experience. Depending on the race of character you choose your initial adventure will be one of four origin stories: dwarf, elf, human noble or mage, and that is just the beginning. Further character creation choices have immediate and long lasting effects on how the gaming experience is played out. It is an amazing experience. Whatever origin you choose, the world you enter is one in which a plague of evil, the darkspawn, is about to be unleashed. You and those who you choose to accompany you will travel through a series of quests and side quests in an effort to save the world from ultimate evil.

Dragon Age: Origins pays homage to The Lord of the Rings in many ways that are obvious throughout the game. At the same time Bioware breathes new life into the genre with the sheer depth of choice and consequences that unfold during the game. Dragon Age: Origins is a game with the premise that not everything is black and white. You will encounter moral and ethical dilemmas throughout the game, and the way you handle them matters both at the moment and as the game progresses. In addition, there are not clear right and wrong answers, just different ways to play the game, so your choices really do immerse you in the story. I generally cannot help playing games as a generally good, somewhat roguish character and that was no different here. However, the game offers you many opportunities for vengeance and for mercy and some choices had to be made in both areas for the game to be what I wanted it to be. I am so excited that this is yet another step in the evolution of gaming and I hope companies like Bioware build on this type of gaming. If they do, the amazing experience I just had will pale in comparison to future gaming experiences.

Dragon Age: Origins employs some great voice acting. Kate Mulgrew and Tim Russ (from Star Trek: Voyager fame), Tim Curry, Steve Valentine and more. One of my favorite characters in the game, Morrigan (dressed for cold weather, as you can see):

had such a great voice, and it wasn’t until I was watching the credits that I realized that it was Claudia Black, from Farscape. She has such a strong, sexy voice which was perfect for this dark and dangerous character.

The musical score was fantastic and the world was so much fun to explore.

I know that many of you are not gamers and so this whole post is no doubt completely uninteresting to you, but I could not resist the opportunity to share just what a pleasure this was. It may not be a game for a complete beginner to enter the gaming world with, but the learning curve was not too steep, in my opinion, and the fantastic story that is unveiled, in large part with the player’s input, is too good of one not to share. I came to really care about the characters I met and traveled with and was thrilled to see that Bioware gave a couple of opportunities to have parting interactions with the characters before the game ended. And as I end this review, let me mention just a bit more about the characters. Many of our favorite stories become our favorites because we develop relationships with the characters that inhabit them. This is certainly true for Dragon Age: Origins. A large part of how this game plays out is due to the way you treat those around you and how you choose to become involved with them. There are romances to be nurtured or discarded, friendships to be made or broken, allies to be or lost. You can compromise and intimidate and manipulate and persuade. You can be completely honest, a liar, or anything in between. What you do in game matters, and as such the relationships you develop matter as well, especially as the game reaches its conclusion.

Congratulations Bioware on another successful gaming experience. Having completed this I find myself even more excited for Bioware’s upcoming release, Mass Effect 2.

Dragon Age: Origins is high fantasy at its very best. If you’ve ever wanted to take a Lord of the Rings style quest of your own, there is no better place to start than right here.