Michael Aulia's Shop
 Location:  Home » Software » Dragon Age: Origins  
Categories
Computers
Electronics
Games
Software
Health & Personal Care
Subcategories
PC Games
All Games
Action
Adventure
Arcade
Board Games
Cards
Casino
Flying
Puzzle
Racing
Rhythm
Role-Playing
Simulation
Sports
Strategy
Trivia
Hardware
Related Categories
• PC Games
Categories
Video Games
• Game Deals
Specialty Stores
Video Games
• Video Games Trade-In
Specialty Stores
Video Games
• Release Date Delivery Titles
Specialty Stores
Video Games
• Role-Playing
Video Game Genre (feature_browse-bin)
Browse Refinements
Refinements
Video Games
• Mature
ESRB Ratings (feature_three_browse-bin)
Browse Refinements
Refinements
Video Games
• RPG + Strategy
PC Games
Video Games
Electronics
Categories
• All product
Products
• Video Games
Products

Dragon Age: Origins

Dragon Age: Origins

Other Views:
From: Electronic Arts
Category: Video Games

List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $23.95
as of 9/2/2010 10:21 CDT details
You Save: $6.04 (20%)



New (38) Used (22) from $19.49

Seller: firstfamilyacquisitions
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars 647 reviews
Sales Rank: 299

Format: CD-ROM
Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows XP
Genre: role_playing_games
ESRB: Mature
Media: DVD-ROM
Edition: Standard
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Age: 17 - 20 years
Operating System: Windows Vista
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.5
Legal Disclaimer: We do not in any way represent that any part we sell is legal to possess in your jurisdiction. Check with you local authorities to ensure it is legal for you to possess before buying!

MPN: 197183
Model: DragonOrigin-pc
UPC: 014633190946
EAN: 0014633190946
ASIN: B001IK1BWC

Release Date: November 3, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Features:
  • Scalable combat options that let you decide the level of control you have over your party, including NPCs. Issue orders, set your own tactical AI, or take control of any party member to lead the charge.
  • 6 possible playable preludes known as 'Origin Stories' which along with your play, define how your hero character will see the world, how it sees you and sets the tone for the entire story.
  • Travel across the vast and varied lands of Ferelden; from the conspiratorial halls of the last great dwarven city, Orzammar, to the untamed snarls of the Korcari Wilds.
  • Dragon Age: Origins will give you deep character customization options including: class, race, appearance, abilities, and equipment.
  • At the heart of the storm sweeping across Ferelden. Decide the fate of nations, people and, ultimately, yourself. Just remember: for every choice, there is a consequence.

Accessories:


Similar Items:


Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Dragon Age: Origins PC...Dragon Age: Origins represents BioWare's return to its roots in the form of a dark heroic fantasy game that combines deep and immersive storytelling with classic role-playing. As the spiritual successor to BioWare's popular Baldur's Gate series Dragon Age: Origins lets players acquire party members and interact with them while featuring a stunning amount of high quality cinematic dialogue. The pause-and-play combat system lets players make tactical decisions from an overhead view. Players that prefer a more "in-your-face" style of play can also take control of each party member to fight and explore in an over-the-shoulder view. Origin Stories are a major feature of the Dragon Age: Origins experience. Players choose their origin and from that starting point they will play through a unique prelude that lays the foundation for their adventure. The player's choice of origin defines how they will perceive the world and how the world will perceive them. Certain situations storylines and conversation options will change dramatically depending on the player's choice of origin and personal motivation. In Dragon Age: Origins the choices players make will change the world and affect the people around them making every journey through Ferelden unique.

Amazon.com Product Description
From BioWare, the makers of Mass Effect, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Baldur's Gate comes Dragon Age: Origins. An epic tale of violence, lust, and betrayal, Dragon Age: Origins is a single player role-playing game (RPG) set in a fantasy game environment, and featuring three playable character classes, accessible in the form of three races. In addition, the game features extreme character customization, a new game engine, party-based gameplay utilizing non-player characters and a built-in personal history system for each hero character rooted in a variety of possible origin stories.

'Dragon Age: Origins' game logo
Six possible hero Origin stories available in 'Dragon Age: Origins'
6 possible hero Origin Stories.
View larger.
Three character classes and three races available in 'Dragon Age: Origins'
3 classes and 3 races to play as.
View larger.
Gritty, brutal action in 'Dragon Age: Origins'
Gritty, brutal action.
View larger.
Frightening enemies and bosses in 'Dragon Age: Origins'
Frightening enemies and bosses.
View larger.
Party-based combat in 'Dragon Age: Origins'
Party-based combat using NPCs.
View larger.
Dwarf city in 'Dragon Age: Origins'
Stunning 3D environments.
View larger.
Story
In Dragon Age: Origins the survival of humanity rests in the hands of those chosen by fate. You are a Grey Warden, one of the last of an ancient order of guardians who have defended the lands on the continent of Thedas throughout the centuries. Betrayed by a trusted general in a critical battle, you must hunt down the traitor and bring him to justice. As you fight your way towards the final confrontation with an evil nemesis, you will face monstrous foes and engage in epic quests to unite the disparate peoples of a world at war. A romance with a seductive shapeshifter may hold the key to victory, or she may be a dangerous diversion from the heart of your mission. To be a leader, you must make ruthless decisions and be willing to sacrifice your friends and loved ones for the greater good.

Gameplay
Dragon Age: Origins is a 3D oriented RPG based in a dark, heroic, fantasy realm where moral choices have a lasting impression on the people you meet, the members of your own party and the world around you. The inclusion of subtitle "Origins" in the game's title refers to the six unique origin stories available to new heroes as a new game begins. Each of these has an impact on the player's motivations and his or her experience, and renders a unique prelude, path, and possible ending(s) to the game. There are many different endings to the game based on the origin story of the character and the choices you make as you play through the game. The game features three character classes--warrior, mage, and rogue--and three races of being--Human, Elf or Dwarf--that can assume these classes. Although most game elements, such as weapons, magic, etc., are available to any character, each class and race has different strengths, abilities and affinities which lend themselves to better utilizing different elements.

Dragon Age: Origins is a single player game based on party-based gameplay and combat where the player can join, control and quest with up to three non-player characters (NPCs). Players can also quest alone if they so choose, but with the chance of survival are slim. Convincing NPCs to join you, and treating them well may be necessary depending on the varying sentiments between the player and the NPC, or between the NPC's in the party based on the chosen history written into the origin story accepted at the beginning of the game. This uncertainty allows for a variety of possible dynamics within the party ranging from open hostility, all the way to romance. The game progresses in real-time via a pause-and-play tactical combat system that allows the player to check inventory levels, equip a character, etc. in a slight vacuum. Additional features found in the game include: a combination of a standard loot system and a currency system based on gold silver and copper; advanced character customization functionality; the use of poison, traps and herbalism; dual-wielding skills; and "spell combos," which allow players to chain together different spells to create a unique effects.

Key Game Features

  • BioWare’s deepest universe to date with over 80 hours of gameplay and more than double the size and scope of Mass Effect.
    • Travel throughout dozens of environments and fully immerse yourself in a shattered world that is on the brink of utter annihilation.
    • An epic story that is completely shaped and reactive to your play style.
  • Complex moral dilemmas offering no easy choices.
    • Tailor your Dragon Age: Origins experience from the very beginning by choose from six different origin stories.
    • Decide how to handle complex issues like murder, genocide, betrayal, and the possession/sacrificing of children without the security of a good/bad slider to tell you what to do.
  • Full character customization allowing the player to sculpt a hero in your own image or fantasy.
    • Elaborate character creator allows you to create your own hero unique from anyone else.
    • Shape your character’s personality and morality based on the choices you make throughout the game.
  • Engage in bone-crushing, visceral combat engaging in battle against massive and terrifying creatures.
    • Unleash legendary powers and choose from over 100 different magical spells and skills.
    • Experience the adrenaline rush of brutal combat, beheading your foes or casting spells that make enemies explode from within.

System Requirements:

Minimum Recommended
OS: Windows XP with SP3 / Vista with SP1
CPU: XP: Intel Core 2(or equivalent) running at 1.4Ghz or greater AMD X2(or equivalent) running at 1.8Ghz or greater / Vista: Intel Core 2 (or equivalent) running at 1.6Ghz or greater Intel Core 2 Quad 2.4Ghz Processor or equivalent
RAM: XP: 1GB or more / 1.5GB or more 2 GB (XP) / 4 GB (Vista)
HDD: 20GB
Video: XP: ATI Radeon X850 128MB or greater, NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT 128MB or greater / Vista: ATI Radeon X1550 256MB or greater, NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT 256MB or greater ATI 3850 512 MB or greater, NVIDIA 8800GTS 512 MB or greater, AMD Phenom II X3 Triple-Core 2.8 GHz or greater
Other: DVD-ROM drive for physical disc play; Mouse/keyboard/gamepad for gameplay



Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 647
1 2 3 4 5 6 ...130Next »



5 out of 5 stars Kind of like a cross between Witcher and KOTOR 2   November 4, 2009
sporked (Berkeley, CA USA)
258 out of 272 found this review helpful

Dragon Age is a kind of game that is becoming increasingly rare: a deeply immersive single-player RPG with an interface clearly designed for the PC. It's easy to sling around the word "immersive" at any game that looks pretty, but DA isn't messing around - the world of Ferelden shows a unified sense of design and depth that blows even famously vast games like Oblivion out of the water. Coupled with consistently excellent writing and across-the-board quality character design even down to relatively unimportant NPCs, the game truly does feel like it's reacting to your choices dynamically from the very beginning, and how you play your character can have amazingly subtle effects on the way the story unfolds.

Graphically, the game's a little uneven. All the design elements are there, and it has plenty of high-quality textures and strong environmental visuals - particularly fire effects. The polygons themselves, particularly on character faces, are a little simpler than you'd expect from a 2009 game. Overall, the game looks about on level with Oblivion, although the visual distinctiveness and design ethic of areas and characters are significantly better. Animation stands out as a strong suit here, particularly during the game's frequent dialog sequences, with none of the dead-eyed staring or bizarre walk cycles that plagued other RPGs like Fallout 3.

Gameplay is pretty straightforward, and very much in keeping with previous Bioware titles like Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect. You control a party of up to four characters, each of whom develops a plethora of useful abilities to keep track of. The inclusion of a minor programming element (very much in keeping with the gambit system from Final Fantasy XII) will let you set up a few default actions on each character so you're not stuck frantically switching between them to make sure they drink their healing potions, but battles frequently require some degree of tactical planning. Setting up ambushes and planning your party strategy to play to strengths is necessary to get through some tougher areas. The interface is, shockingly, clearly tailor-made for the PC (the console versions have their own interfaces designed from the bottom up and are apparently easier games to allow for the sacrifice in easy access to skills). You have an insane number of quick-access slots, and nearly the entire keyboard is bound to one thing or another. It's the kind of interface that hasn't been in vogue since before the PS2 came out. The game is extremely linear, although the frequent and varied dialog options give it the feel of a more free-roaming game, and it's very tempting to go back and replay huge chunks of the game just to see how the complex and dynamic conversations will play out. The main downside is that there's no easy way to level-grind, which is to the game's benefit to a point (no tedious circling around killing wolves) but occasionally means you can get in over your head.

What the game sacrifices in terms of sandbox free-roaming it more than makes up with in the excellent writing and characterization. An absurd attention to detail and across-the-board excellent voice acting breathes a lot of life into the game's conversations, which make up a significant chunk of gameplay. Characters are extremely varied and the interplay between them is a major draw, a trademark of Bioware's games, but Dragon Age has some of the most likable characters I've ever seen in a video game and the excellent performances from talents like Tim Curry, Kate Mulgrew and Claudia Black really put the game a notch above. Even the game's fairly generic-on-the-surface fantasy world is livened up by a few critical details - for example, the elves in Dragon Age are a massive underclass of servants.

It's actually difficult to find things to level complaints against in this game. One petty gripe is Morrigan's visual design - her character is one of the game's strongest, and she has great personality and some very clever writing, but visually she's a pair of giant breasts with a cloth draped improbably over them. Other women in the game are treated with a bit more restraint, though, and female armor is gratifyingly sensible. Another issue is that it can be difficult to manage battles on the fly, and accurately targeting enemies with skills frequently requires tactical pausing just to line the cursor up over their relatively small active areas. It's a petty annoyance, but the game clearly wasn't meant to be played Diablo-style anyway.

A few other things to know about the game:
-The game is mostly DRM-free, and ships only with a simple disc check. EA has a reputation for fouling up its customers' computers with DRM malware, but DA seems to be free of those problems.
-If Dragon Age were a movie, it would be rated R. I don't remember ever seeing any swearing, oddly, but the game is rife with violent imagery, extremely dark themes and frank sexuality (including a handful of relatively tasteful sex scenes and occasional demonic nudity). The game handles all of it with maturity and depth, but it's clearly not meant for children, and even parents of younger teens should be cautious.

Overall, Dragon Age is one of the strongest games to come out in recent memory, and is another installment in Bioware's increasing resume of superbly-written RPGs. Players looking for a fast-paced hack-and-slash "rpg" should look elsewhere, but anyone who likes deep and elegant plot development, memorable characters and excellent role-playing will love this game.



5 out of 5 stars The best RPG of 2009   November 10, 2009
VA Gamer (Norfolk, VA)
113 out of 122 found this review helpful

Before diving into the review, a brief summary: Dragon Age Origins is the epic role playing game that many of us have been waiting for since we first fell in love with the genre with the classic Baldur's Gate. It drops the player into an immersive fantasy world rich with lore and compelling settings. The aesthetics and score are as pleasing and engrossing as a good cinematic feature or novel. And while it is spectacular in just about every way, it is not without its faults (mostly technical in nature, and affects players with very specific computer hardware as far as I can tell - I'll explain more later). In short, if you're a fan of the genre you will do yourself a favor by purchasing and experiencing this game. I have never felt more comfortable suggesting a RPG to the Internet-at-large as I do right now with Dragon Age. I will swear upon whatever holy text you prefer that it's the best single-player RPG to come along since Fallout 3. If you're not a theist, I suppose I could place my hand upon a photograph of Carl Sagan before making the same solemn vow. But I digress. Onto the review. Aspects I found positive are preceded by a (+), negative aspects a (-).


GAME PLAY
(+) Dragon Age (hereby referred to as "DA") plays like a perfect hybrid of turn-based and real-time RPGs of yore. The controls are a mash up of overhead tactical maneuvering ala Baldur's Gate and the third-person RTS-like mechanics found in Knights of the Old Republic. You control character movement with either the WASD keyboard directions familiar to MMO and FPS players, or via mouse-click navigation (concurrently). You can play from a third-person perspective to get a full view of the world around you, or zoom out into an overhead tactical view to aid in unit placement and positioning (in which the graphics take on the painted look and feel of Baldur's Gate - a nice touch). The camera may be controlled with either the keyboard or mouse. All around, stellar.

(+) The UI makes a powerful and elegant use of economy of space (it fits a lot into a little, all while looking and playing extremely well)

(+) Character customization is as rich if not richer than any other RPG hybrid or pure RPG on the market - past or present. You have standard archetypes (warrior, mage, rogue) which alone have various "trees" or avenues of progression focusing upon things like weapon preference (sword + shield, dual wield, two-handed, etc) or general and crafting skills. In addition there are specialist classes that excel at specific vocations (such as the mage-nullifying Templar, shape shifting mage, or crit-happy Duelist - to name a few). On top of this, special abilities and vocations may be unlocked by finding rare items or special quests (often a combination of both)

(+) Combat is highly tactical, taking into account elevation, range, "crowd control" mechanics, and vast synergy between the abilities of your party members

(+) A deep tactics system can be utilized, in which you assign a custom AI to each of your characters based upon a variety of criteria and situations. For example, you can tell your mage that every time they're surrounding by two or more melee mobs, they cast a certain crowd control spell. If a party member has less than 50% health, heal them. Or have your tank taunt mobs that attack the mage. Or have the rogue stun the mobs your main character is fighting. Etc.

(-) Melee-centric characters draw from a pool of stamina to perform their various abilities and group-enhancing skills. This pool feels very limited, even when you invest heavily into the stat that grants more stamina. It's further hampered by injuries that your characters will sustain, on occasion, while fighting (which are treated with injury kits or by resting at your camp). Hopefully this will be tweaked in a future patch.


STORY, PRESENTATION, & SETTING
(+) The seemingly hackneyed story (you`re the last in a long line of sacred warriors who's mission is to vanquish a very particular foe) quickly unfolds into a compelling, immersive, and interesting tale that rivals those found in quality fantasy novels and movies. Each race, town, city, and region are wholly unique and diverse - from the political intrigue of Dwarven society to the juxtaposition of the city and forest Elves (and the layers of complexity involved therein). I can't go too much into this without potentially spoiling the many excellent stories. Suffice to say, it's superb.

(+) While the world isn't technically "open", being divided into many instanced zones (if you will), it is nevertheless truly vast. Most areas are substantially large. There is no limit to draw distance: your viewing distance is essentially to infinity, and most zones can be fully explored to the smallest nook and cranny (and it pays to do so). You unlock more areas as the game progresses (and the areas vary depending upon your origin and choices), and there's a complete underground zone in addition to the zone all non-Dwarves start within.

(+) The story is always evolving and changing. Your most minor, or major, decisions regarding plot or character interactions will have lasting repercussions that may not come to fruition for some time. You can build intimate relationships with characters, and being an active participant in the dialogue and lore pay huge dividends in the end

(+) Replayability is very high - due largely to the aforementioned dynamic story, as well as the "Origins" part of the DA title: different race and class combinations have different starting stories, and merge into the overall arc in different ways and at different times


PERFORMANCE
(+) The games looks, sounds, and plays perfectly well on middling hardware

(-) If you own a dual or quad core AMD CPU, expect gradually increasing load times as your session time increases (the longer you play and the more you transition between zones, the longer the load times become). From 5 to 7 seconds at first, upwards of 5 minutes after 45 minutes to an hour of play. This can be resolved by restarting the game, which literally only takes about 20 seconds. But still, it's frustrating, and many people are reporting it on the official forums. Hopefully it will be patched.

(-) The first PC patch was a bit of a goof: the new build included a newer version of the Visual C++ 2005 runtime, while the retail version had an older build. The result was that many people couldn't launch the game after patching. A trivial issue for the computer savvy (I just checked my event logs and saw the issue then patched), but the lay person would have no idea what's going on. After days Bioware has yet to respond officially with the obvious fix, leaving it to the community to resolve. That behavior and communication casts doubt upon the level of commitment Bioware has in regards to DA from a technical support perspective.


Overall, the few technical issues are far outweighed by the overall quality of the game. I would provide a more in-depth review, but I am honestly afraid that I'll accidentally spoil something, as this game is ridiculously vast. Buy this game. You will not be disappointed.



5 out of 5 stars Let the Dragon Age Begin!   November 4, 2009
That Review Guy (Florida, the sunshine state.)
81 out of 88 found this review helpful

I cannot praise this game enough! it will be one of those I play again and again!
the size and scope of the game is incredible. when I started off I'd wager I spent two hours learning about my character's background.
you pick one of many origins (i.e. elf, dwarf, human, etc)(I chose Elf Mage)
and then begin with your origin story (which is like watching a full length movie and so well written the time just flys by)
and then you're tasked with your first quest and the game begins.
this game has more freedom of choice then most, such as make a deal with a demon, or kill it to save a child. (it offers you Powers Not to kill it)
some of the quests have moral choices that will really pull on your emotions about people and things like power over friendship and the feel you have an impact upon the surrounding world.everything you choose to do has a "ripple effect" so your action will be known throughout the world. the characters control via one of two ways,
one is using the hack & slash method though this is harder then hitting pause so you can set all your mages attacks etc.
there's a lot of micromanagement in this but for loot mongers and rpg lovers this will be one of the years ultimate treats I assure you. there seems to be loot everywhere for those that search every area rather thourough. I also must say the amount of DLC available at this time for the collectors edition is amazing. (non collector edition owners will pay 6.99 and 14.99 for both dlc packs)
the graphics are excellent (though not mind blowing)
particle effects are wickedly done and the quests are crafted well enough to let you know you have many approaches to each "situation"
and will pull at your emotions. if you weren't lucky enough to get this collectors edition no worries I know the goodies will be released as DLC to everyone eventually since they listed prices (wardens keep 6.99 and the stone prisoner 14.99)
you have many abilities such as settinhg traps, stealing, dual wielding and so much more. while the game may be a bit "baldurs gat-ish) it's the BEST RPG on ps3 without a doubt.
the skill trees are similar to those you've seen in baldurs gate, diablo II and others. another thing is they must have over 200+ voice actors since I have not heard ANY voices repeat.
excellent actors such as Tim Curry, Kate Mulgrew, Claudia Black and more!
an excellent creature variety, large skill trees,
great loot and D&D style gameplay make this title
one of my all time fav's.

Graphics: Excellent and crispy. not mind blowing but perfect for me 4 1/2 stars great spell effects! excellent creature models and good variety of them.

Sound: the voice work is Top Notch and hundreds of actors
even the crickets put on a great perfomance! 5 stars!
the sound is a star here, the voice talent is top notch.

Gameplay: the micromanagement might put a few off but most will never let go of the controller since they got the controls so spot on for the ps3 on this title. it's amazing! 5 stars.
the controls are well mapped to the ps3 controller.

Fun: Yes Yes Yes! betray a friend or help him in a "forbidden" quest, help a grey warden or not?, kill a demon or trust the mouse? so many choices it's unreal! want to slay a dragon? you can!
want to go into dungeons and hack away, you can!
it's a Mature game so some of the things you can do are a tad graphic and as someone reminded me you end every battle absolutely painted in blood.
the game is brilliant what more can I say? 5 Stars!!

Overall: the package wraps up nicely into a 5 star Must Have!
the Gods at Bioware have greated the best "baldurs gate" style game yet! it's brilliant! you have to buy it asap if you don't you're missing THE BEST RPG experience of the year and possibly in my lifetime. (it's Very similar to Baldurs gate Dark Alliance)
this coming from a Hardcore
70's D&D player!!!
that's what I'd call an endorsement!
Dragon age origins is the RPG to buy.



5 out of 5 stars THE RETURN TO THE AGE OF THE CLASSICS!   November 3, 2009
NeuroSplicer (Freeside, in geosynchronous orbit)
146 out of 164 found this review helpful

First things first: in the past I have chastised EA a number of times for its release of cookie-cutter games, crippled with atrocious DRM schemes. So, in all fairness, I now have to say this: DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS IS A GAMER's DREAM! It is an excellent game - and it comes FREE of any DRM madness. So, thank you EA for listening to your customers (let's only hope this new trend holds...).

This is one of those games that are easy to control, a joy to roam through and fun to play at no end.
I am a huge cRPG fan and cannot remember such a great companion/squad cRPG ever since the Baldur's Gate Saga. And to tell you the truth, this is the game I was dreaming of being able to play one day while playing BG (yeah, by now we all know that NEVERWINTER NIGHTS never delivered).

There are about a dozen gender/race/class/background choices and a great many combinations in forming your party. The armor and the weapons are exceptionally made and everything shows on your characters. And the graphics are truly beautiful! You have to see the rendering of flames to believe them.
Nevertheless, what really stands out is the gameplay. Every battle is a puzzle to be solved, pausing ever so often to reallocate enemies to the best suited party members (a feature I loved in BG!). Of course one can always turn off the autopause feature and let the AI take over the rest of your party and turn the game into an hack&slash action RPG (not exactly my cup of tea but, hey, it's still nice to know it's there).

Finally, this is a game made just like the classics in many ways, including duration. I am now playing the game for over 20 hours and I feel that I barely scraped the surface! DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS is one satisfying RPG!

My only gripe is this: I did not appreciate such short dialogue options. Most fit a single line and more often than not they consist of a couple of words. I like my RPGs to be wordy and challenging to my verbal imagination as well - and I want my characters to participate in the humor, not just provoke it or react to it. Remember the long dialogue options in BG? Well, expect to find DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS much more laconic.
I guess 10 years of fast-paced FPS and blitzkrieging RTS do take their toll...

The blood sprays, the swords clang and the spells explode. The animations are beautifully made and add a lot to both enjoyment and immersion. There is a verse in Homer's Iliad I love: "the warrior fell and his armor echoed around him" - and I was reminded of it many a times throughout the game.

This game will stay with you. Do not miss on it.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!



5 out of 5 stars PS3 vs XBOX 360 Review of Dragon Age (Bioware's KOTOR 2)   November 4, 2009
Adventure Fan
355 out of 409 found this review helpful

The PS3 version is 17.3% better than the 360 version for 4.2 reasons.
The 360 version is 13.7% better than the PS3 version for 2.4 reasons.
Which version is better for you will be determined by your saving throw.

NO SPOILERS

I picked up both versions. I have two identical TVs, one bedroom, one den, both 50" 1080p Panasonic G10s. For this review I put them side by side in the den, PS3 hooked up to one, 360 to the other, and choose the same origin story. I played the PS3, my wife played the 360, we both took the day off of work, a "Bioware Holiday."

BIOWARE

The Bioware RPG is one of my favorite video game genres. KOTOR 1 is still my favorite story. I played through Mass Effect 7 times. If you like Bioware, you will like Dragon Age.

KOTOR 2 GRAPHICS

Bioware didn't make KOTOR 2. Until now. Dragon Age's graphics in general look like a last generation game, upconverted to HD. And why should they not? This game was 5 years in the making. Personally, if I could wave a magic wigglestick, I would magically wish the graphics into the year 2069, to play in my PS9 in my flying car. Unfortunately, I live in a condo that doesn't allow wigglesticking. So the choice is (A) Play the Bioware game. (B) Don't play the Bioware game. (C) Eat a cup cake. No one plays Bioware games for the graphics. You play for the CYOA storytelling.

6 COMPLETE CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE NOVELS

Dragon Age is 10 Novels long. With 6 unique hero journeys. That can be twisted good or naughty. Warrior. Magic. Thief. Hybrid-Hybrid. Bioware is the only developer on the planet that makes this kind of beautiful uniqueness. This kind of awesomeness only comes around once every few years. Is this flavor of awesomeness perfect? No. Is amateur pornography perfect? No. Sometimes the pacing is off, or the dialogue excessive, but it gets the job done. The job is to experience a genuine human story--even if you're a lesbian elf. Dragon Age is fantastic video game storytelling. And better written than most fantasy novels.

BLOOD SPLATTER OR POTPOURRI?

I'm going to give Bioware the benefit of the doubt and believe that after battles my characters are splattered with blood and not potpourri. It's hard to tell visually, but I don't think they would censor themselves because this game is, like, totally Mature.

GAY SEX - NO NUDITY

My wife likes lesbian threesomes. In books. In movies. In video games. In our kids' crayon drawings. She had never played a Bioware game before, but she likes role playing, and I told her Dragon Age has lesbian threesomes. Now, like with most video games, the depiction of sex isn't much more sophisticated visually than taking two barbie dolls and slapping them together. And there's no nudity. Because Bioware understands the genuine human condition--that people make the special love with their cloths on-- even if you're a bi-sexual dwarf. So if you like realisticly-sized breasts well-covered with beige felt bikinis, then you, my friend, are in for a PG-13 flavored treat.

CASUAL VS HARDCORE

My wife played on easy, I played on normal. If you're an uber-genius, like me, who enjoys micromanagement, obscure RPG tactics, and general strategery... Then prepare to spend a lot of time, with the game paused, in clunky interface menus, because that's how real men play. That's how my grandpappy played his Bioware games, and his grandpappy before him, back when Bioware wasn't even Canadian, when they were still French, and the TVs had 11" screens and were powered by fire--usually dry hickory. So if you want that kind of authentic gaming experiece, you can have it. But if you just want to enjoy the story, crank that menu to easy, slump back in the couch, and unbuckle your pants for a good time.

PS3 VS 360

Like with all games, it's a choice between graphics vs framerate. The PS3 has slightly better textures, color saturation, contrast level, resolution. The 360 is less pretty but smoother. The PS3 is the supermodel with arthritis. The 360 is a Ukrainian gymnast. You get to choose who you want to take to bed. But since all you're going to do in bed is talk... It's not such a big deal. Unless you put two 50" plasmas right next to each other, you're not going to see the difference. I'm going to keep the PS3 version (because I like the controller better) and give my 360 copy to my favorite charity FVGFBO that provides fantastic video games for blind orphans.

BUY IT, PLAY IT, LOVE IT

* UPDATE

I have played 115 hours, beaten the game twice, tried three of the six origin stories, watched every sex scene, won every topless hottie boss battle, and found "teh secret nipplz." Personally, I feel this is the best Bioware game to date, the best written video game of all time, and a genuine evolution of the Bioware formula. For those of you fleeing in terror from Adult Content, know that, like in real life, bi-sexual dwarf sex is awkward, optional, and over in less than a minute. You can get through the whole game without "going hairy."


Showing reviews 1-5 of 647
1 2 3 4 5 6 ...130Next »


CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.
Powered by Associate-O-Matic