Thero’s Recommended Gaming: Dragon Age: Origins.

As winter is now upon us, today I would like to recommend a game that will keep you playing until spring.

Dragon Age: Origins is a fantasy role playing game that reignioted my love for the RPG genre. For anyone who has played games like Baldur’s Gate, you will feel right at home with Dragon Age and for anyone who has yet to play a RPG, then this is just the game to start with.

Your character is a Grey Warden, someone sworn to protect the world of Thedas from the Blight, a force that wants to corrupt the entire world. Yes, that brief summary does seem like a fantasy cliche, but rest assured that in this tale there will be plenty of twists and turns before its conclusion. Don’t worry, there is plenty that makes Dragon Age: Origins unique.

For starters, you have the six unique origins that you can choose for your character. Each origin story, gives you a different starting location, tutorial and explanation as to why (and how) your character became a Grey Warden. These origins range from a member of nobility to peasantry, from warrior to mage. Now if having a compelling backstory doesn’t interest you, then maybe your companions will. You see, you will not have to fight the forces of the Blight alone; along the way you will meet witches, bards and even assassins, who may or may not join you in your quest, depending on your words and actions. Should they join you, these companions will form relationships with you and the other party members, providing you with interesting party conversation. If you like complex and well rounded characters, then you’re looking at the right game to play.

In case you haven’t picked up on it, Dragon Age: Origins is all about story, characters and the world they live in. And while the game isn’t the prettiest to look at, particularly  not compared to today’s releases, its world is more fleshed out. If you love lore, like I do, then you are in for a treat as everything from geography to history, to religion is covered in the lore section of the menu. Dragon Age: Origins is a game who’s world has been thought out from the beginning and the attention to detail in that world’s lore is amazing.

In case you haven’t noticed, I love Dragon Age: Origins. It is a great example of what a RPG should be. The plot is epic and makes you feel like you are having an impact in Thedas; your companions are not simply exposition deliverers but have their own character arcs and the world feels like an actual world, rather than a pretty backdrop for your heroics. So if you are looking for a fantasy game with replayability and gets you to feel like a hero, then I recommend playing Dragon Age: Origins.

 

 

 

All images came from the Steam store page for Dragon Age: Origins.