Manage updates with the Download AppDragon Age: Origins (PC)
Manufacturer: Electronic Arts Inc. Part number: 19094
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- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
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- Description:
- From the makers of Baldur's Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Mass Effect comes the entertainment blockbuster event of 2009. Over the past 400 years, the world has slowly decayed and civil war has erupted. It is up to you, one of the last remaining, legendary warriors known as the Grey Wardens to reunite the shattered ... Read more
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Gamespot editors' review
Dragon Age: Origins (PC) price range: $9.36
- Reviewed by: Kevin VanOrd
- Reviewed on: 11/03/2009
- Released on: 11/03/2009
User reviews
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Great gritty fantasy
by afroloq on November 4, 2009
Pros: Deep story and complex chraracter relationships
Cons: Targeting system could be better
Summary: Before I get started, I would like everyone to know that I got this for both PC and X360 and I will discuss the specs for each.
Installation - Installed ...Summary: Before I get started, I would like everyone to know that I got this for both PC and X360 and I will discuss the specs for each.
Installation - Installed in about 10 to 15 mins to the 360 took about a 1/2 an hr for both my desktop and my Macbook Pro in bootcamp.
Graphically speaking, the game looks great on my desktop. I am running a 256Gb Overclocked Nvidia 8600GT so i can run most setting on medium to high with little slowdown.
Surprisingly, the Xbox's graphics are a bit disappointing. Some of the colors are muted and some of the faces look a bit mashed and when doing cut scenes there is quite a bit of jitter and when there are many things going onscreen at once, the frame rate takes a hit. And that?s bad considering how great Mass Effect looked 2 years ago and this is keeping in mind that again, I installed this game on my 360?s hard drive.
On the Macbook, (Nvidia 9400M) it runs ok with all the settings down low and actually looks pretty ok despite the settings, but it's what I expected. I installed it on the laptop because I will be traveling quite a bit during the holidays and I don't want to drag my 360 everywhere I go! I do plan to boost the onboard RAM and I am hopeful that it will help the game run a bit better.
Camera-wise, the PC has the best option in that you can go from a 3rd person POV to an over world tactical view which lets you plan on where to move next and formulate your fight plans.
Control wise, while the PC has superior controls (as most PC RPGs do anyway) surprisingly the 360 manages to keep everything organized and easy to find using the control pad but still it's a shame if you are using a mage you are still limited by key assignments where you can place your most used spells.
Now, playwise, (***Warning there will be spoilers!***)I am using a male elf mage on the 360 and a female Human warrior on the laptop. I put this in detail for the very reason to test what I have read so far in that NPCs will treat you different ways and indeed they do! In some areas people will indeed talk down to the mage because he is an elf as elves are the minority in this game and in the other instance many will be shocked that a woman is also a warrior. I have actually gotten to see at least one character react differently to these 2 characters of mine and expect to see more!
One thing I have noted so far is that the mage's origin story takes a little longer to play as that character has to go through an initiation phase to become who he sets out to be and this is even before he is set to become a Grey Warden and something tells me that within that portion, will play itself out later on in the game! As for the choices you make early on much of the mage's story concerns himself with another apprentice there and his breaking of the rule while in training to become a mage. This storyline gives you a taste of the 1st major decision that will set the game in motion and when that section finishes you will be in for a bit of a surprise and the payoff is nice indeed for it to be so early!
The Warrior origin is a bit more straightforward and shorter and involves a family betrayal which winds up in murder. The decision that you make here determines which companion will come with you as you flee for your life.
Eventually you start to learn about the Grey Wardens and why they fight the darkspawn. This is where you start to see the difference in this game vs. Oblivion and how Bioware managed to work in so many tried and true stories (Star Wars and LotR specifically)to make the player feel a sense of desperation that the world is looking to you to save it. Some of the places in Felderen while nice to look at does indeed feel dark and dreary most of the time. People are fighting to stay alive and one step ahead of the darkspawn and there is a general feeling that there is little hope left. So, when it was said that this would be a dark fantasy, they were not kidding!
The NPC interaction in your party is most interesting of all with just some of the banter that goes back and forth. So, in essence, it's as you heard. They kid around, tease and sometimes hate each other due to your decisions. You cannot do everything to please all of them but this will test you to see how you get through this game by trying to keep your groups together.
Combat-wise, there is a lot of it and to be quite honest, this could have used a bit more polish as sometimes, it?s difficult to distinguish what you are targeting and hoping that you don?t hit your friends. Pausing constantly doesn?t always work because it detracts from the flow of fighting.
10 Hours in, I am very satisfied with this game and I can't wait to see the DLC the comes out for both systems particularly the PC version since there is a toolset that will keep this game going for longer than the original 80 or so hrs that it will keep us busy! So, if you haven't done so, run out and get this game because it's well worth it!2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Like a Movie that you control...
by rpgnoblelady on February 14, 2010
Pros: Ex Char Dev.; relationship w/ peers grows and love the romance/romances.
Cons: More emotional options for PC - very short 1 line addresses to peers/char. No development on PC character - not enough anyway
Summary: I am a mom of 2 boys who enjoy their computer and console games. I've played their games so I am aware of what they are doing/playing - ...
Summary: I am a mom of 2 boys who enjoy their computer and console games. I've played their games so I am aware of what they are doing/playing - ie World of Warcraft, Runescape, Call of Duty, Blue Dragon, The Lost Odyssey, Spyro, Jak/Dex..... just a few... But Dragon Age: Origins is MY GAME! I was pulled into this amazing story in which I could DIRECT and accept the impact of my choices. Choices, consequences, peril, intrigue, ... action, a sense of accomplishment, HUMOR, LOVE, ROMANCE - Bioware/AE has hit on something us romance book readers love - romance, action and NON-LINEAR story we control. Worth EVERY CENT!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The Best game I have ever played
by wise12u on December 13, 2009
Pros: The best thought out, challenging game I have ever played. The Storyline is unbelievable. Patience with the ingame dialogs pays off along the way. It is incedible how it all fits together. The ending gave me goose bumps. Over 100 hours of game play.
Cons: Takes a little while to get used to the speed of game play. Some dialogs are long but the action after that is non stop and many battles are only won with extreme strategy on normal and higher settings.
Summary: If you consider yourself a gamer and don't finish and love this game you should lose your "gamer" title.
Summary: If you consider yourself a gamer and don't finish and love this game you should lose your "gamer" title.
1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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too much dialog and not enough action
by fourthrocker on December 10, 2009
Pros: The pre-set group member AI is a cool feature but you can't have it work for whatever character you control unfortunately.
Cons: Not a sandbox game, automatic travel from area to area. Quests generally give no indication of where to go, names of quests don't match the areas on the map where they are either. Combat system forces you to pause constantly while you set up actions.
Summary: I don't like RPG's that have no world, I play for escape, immersion and action. This game provides none of that for me. Between no world to explore ...
Summary: I don't like RPG's that have no world, I play for escape, immersion and action. This game provides none of that for me. Between no world to explore and a frustrating quest system that not only gives you no direction on where to go to complete a quest but gives quests that require other quests you haven't even gotten yet to be completed first, I was extremely disappointed and constantly frustrated with this type of game. If you want to play an RPG that has a massive amount of conversation this is it, myself when I want this much story I read a book. If you like a little action with your story this is the game, if you like a little story with your action this will definitely disappoint. If you have played some of Bioware's previous RPG's you will know what this one is like.
I started as a mage and the spells available seemed extremely limited and weak. Very little mana so I couldn't cast more than a few times in each encounter. Pausing in combat is a must and destroys immersion. Taking control of a character immediately negates his automatic actions so you can't have all the characters in the group follow the preset AI which is a good feature if it worked for everyone.
Bottom line, if you liked Myst you might like this quest system, if you like turn based combat you might like this combat system. I will probably never finish this game.
FYI games I like: Final Fantasy, Demon's Souls, Gothic, World of Warcraft, Dungeons and Dragons Online1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This is THE rpg I had been looking for
by GardenOctopus on August 2, 2011
Pros: Highly immersive, great voice acting, amazingly in-depth story line, many free addons available for dl, extra dlc available for purchase, easy to rp with, romance options available, six unique origins to choose from, pause/queue in combat
Cons: A lot of DLC may turn some away if they're unable to obtain it (although none of them are necessary, they can serve to enhance the story/characters), unable to respec a character, combat can easily be considered boring, has some bugs
Summary: An amazingly immersive rpg, DA:O is not really for those who are interested in a quick and simple fantasy game. This one takes time to complete and to fully ...
Summary: An amazingly immersive rpg, DA:O is not really for those who are interested in a quick and simple fantasy game. This one takes time to complete and to fully enjoy. There are plenty of side quests to complete, or a single, well written story line to follow straight through. The choices you make effect more than just the next dialogue you hear, and your race, origin, and even class can determine how some npcs react to your presence. For example, my dwarf warrior was criticized for being close minded for not embracing the religion of the human race, after which the woman refused to talk to me.
If you're looking for something that will completely distract you from the real world by fully immersing you into an entirely new one, this would be my suggestion. -
it's as much a movie as a game, too bad.
by dasscn on November 7, 2010
Pros: graphics are tremendous.
Cons: it's about 50% movie and 50% game. way too much cut in scenes and way too little game play. is there a way to stop all the questions?
Summary: would have been better if it was more of a game and less a movie, but it's not. so, a little disappointing and probably destined for the pile.
Summary: would have been better if it was more of a game and less a movie, but it's not. so, a little disappointing and probably destined for the pile.
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this game is dumb
by Quarri on April 23, 2010
Pros: the voice acting is good. some of the characters are interesting and engadging.
the choices you make in the game effect the outcome which is awesome but not originalCons: wouldn't fit here put bellow
Summary: Cons:
to much DLC BS and you loose content if you get it second hand.
the game is very, very text heavy. there is more talking then is logical and ...Summary: Cons:
to much DLC BS and you loose content if you get it second hand.
the game is very, very text heavy. there is more talking then is logical and in the end utterly unnecessary
the combat system feels really shallow. and is quite simply boring. it feels to me like the original pokemon system. hit with powerfull attacks and you win. use any special moves like slow or dissorientate and you either don't or win very slowely.
the graphics aren't all that great. that doesn't matter much to me, favorite games being oblivon and STALKER call of papriate but it might to you
you companions come with really stupid sets of move when they join your party
the story. at least as far as i got was really uninspired and unoriginal. and they way everything is static, waiting for you to choose to do it, after the beginning being so dynamic and story driven is really annoying.
personally i've tried to play a mage several times now but the mage gets stuck in combat after fighting 1 monster so can't continue. also when I've talked to some characters in certain locations. ex the x-priest in the dwarven city. the game glitches going over their original conversation then porting me into the wall or floor.
perhaps my issues come from buying the game off steam i dunno doubt it though.
Its unfortunate that bio-ware is the only company that produces RPGs in this and mass effects style as it could be done soo much better...maybe if they got rid of all the f*** loading screens and opted for an open world skeme.
and yes I did enjoy both the mass effects. there were just parts of them that were god awful or broken
anyways the bottom ls that i don't care if you buy this game. i regret spending money on it. especially when i learn I would be missing some content because I didn't buy the more expensive version.
so buy it or don't. might be worth trying the game though. -
Could be #1 RPG ever made
by spartan93 on April 7, 2010
Pros: Amazing graphics, deep storyline, great stategy, etc. - basically perfect
Cons: no multiplayer/ co-op
Summary: bottom line - after playing the game and also the expansion which lasted roughly around 30 hrs, i was upset that there was no game left and i cannot wait ...
Summary: bottom line - after playing the game and also the expansion which lasted roughly around 30 hrs, i was upset that there was no game left and i cannot wait for BioWare to come out with another addition to the series
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Played it twice through; What else can I say?
by David Fawcett on March 16, 2010
Pros: Best RPG since Baulders Gate, several rich story lines to choose from that follow a LARGE central theme/mission. Hard to get lost or off track, very good journal. Final fight is epic!
Cons: Graphics were good, but not great. You need to follow a walkthrough or you will miss some "fun" but not critical things. NO CO-OP or Multi-Player.
Summary: This game is really good, but did not make me ooh and ahhh as much as Baulders Gate when it came out. Not being able to play along with friends ...
Summary: This game is really good, but did not make me ooh and ahhh as much as Baulders Gate when it came out. Not being able to play along with friends is a real disapointment, I guess I'll keep playing D&D online....
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Electronic Arts Inc.
- Part number: 19094
- Description: From the makers of Baldur's Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Mass Effect comes the entertainment blockbuster event of 2009. Over the past 400 years, the world has slowly decayed and civil war has erupted. It is up to you, one of the last remaining, legendary warriors known as the Grey Wardens to reunite the shattered lands as you attempt to fend off impending doom caused by the reemergence of an unearthly force that has risen to bring about Armageddon. Choose your past, shape your present, and determine your future as you embark on a heroic journey in a world where sacrifices must be made to emerge victorious. How will you decide to save mankind?
Product Basic Spec
- Platform PC
- ESRB rating Mature - Intense Violence,Language,Blood,Partial Nudity,Sexual Content
- Genre Role-Playing
- Elements Role playing game (RPG) - third person
- Context Fantasy
- Number of players 1 Player
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Electronic Arts Inc. products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:Electronic Arts Inc.
- Address:
1450 Fashion Island Blvd.
San Mateo, CA 94404 - Phone: 650/571-7171
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