Dragon Age: Origins
Encyclopedia
Dragon Age: Origins is a single-player role-playing video game
developed by BioWare
's Edmonton studio and published by Electronic Arts
. It is the first game in the Dragon Age
franchise. The game was released for Microsoft Windows
, PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
on November 3, 2009, and for Mac OS X
on December 21, 2009.
Set in the fictional kingdom of Ferelden during a period of civil strife, the player assumes the role of a warrior, mage or rogue who must unite the kingdom to fight an impending invasion by demonic forces. BioWare describes Dragon Age: Origins as a "dark heroic fantasy set in a unique world", and a spiritual successor to their Baldur's Gate
series of games, which took place in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
of the Dungeons & Dragons
franchise.
Upon its release, Dragon Age: Origins was lauded with overwhelmingly positive reviews and considered a critical success. Aggregate review site Metacritic
ranks the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 versions of the game with scores of 91, 87, and 86, respectively. The game also received multiple awards from numerous outlets, ranging from IGN
's "PC Game of The Year (2009)" to the Academy of Interactive Arts & Science's
"Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year 2009".
An expansion to the game, titled Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening
, was released in March 2010, and the official sequel, Dragon Age II
, was released in March 2011. BioWare intends for Dragon Age: Origins to serve as the foundation for a much broader intellectual property. Even before its release, plans to expand the universe introduced by the game were underway; this included sequels, pen and paper games, books, and comics that would expand the scope of the Dragon Age franchise. Several of those projects have since been released.
There is no tracking of moral alignment as in previous BioWare games, but the moral choices of the player will still affect the story throughout the game. The player will accomplish different goals depending on if they choose to be good or evil, but the decisions that the player makes in the process will change the game world accordingly – deciding who will become king, for example, and affecting nations, races and their places in the world. These decisions will also influence the companion NPCs, possibly causing an NPC to leave the party or even attack the player if they disagree strongly with his or her actions.
The game has been described as the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate
by BioWare co-CEO Ray Muzyka, as players are able to issue orders to NPCs in real time, but pause the game to queue up actions such as spells and special attacks, a game mechanic from the Baldur's Gate series.
There are three base classes to choose from: warrior
, mage
, and rogue
. These classes can be upgraded into a specialized class such as the berserker
or templar for the warrior class, shapeshifter or spirit healer for the mage class, and assassin
or ranger
for the rogue. The game uses a party system similar to that of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
, another BioWare roleplaying game, featuring the main character with up to three active party members chosen from a pool of NPCs.
The game features a degree of interactivity between spells, such as a fire spell igniting a grease slick before being put out by a blizzard. The game contains many combinations which can be discovered by the player either by accident, or by finding clues as to which combinations are valid.
The game is set in Ferelden, one of several countries that makes up the mythical continent of Thedas. The game opens with an animation which details the origins of demonic creatures called the darkspawn, that dwell within the Deep Roads, an underground highway system created by the dwarves long ago, deep beneath the surface of Thedas. Every few hundred years, the darkspawn swarm the surface world in a movement known as a Blight. Beginning with the first Blight, Thedas relied on the legendary order of warriors known as the Grey Wardens to drive the darkspawn back. Dragon Age: Origins begins on the eve of Thedas's fifth Blight.
The player begins the game by completing one of the six origin stories corresponding to the race and background of the character he or she created upon choosing a new game; the choices are Human Noble (for Human Warriors or Rogues), Magi (for Elven or Human Mages), Dalish Elf or City Elf (for Elven Warriors or Rogues), Dwarf Commoner or Dwarf Noble (for Dwarven Warrior or Rogue). The origin section introduces the players to the mechanics of the game and the fictional world through a personalized context. The origin story determines the biography of the character and how NPCs react to the player for the rest of the game. For example, elves are often viewed as second class citizens by humans, while mages are treated with suspicion and fear, while the human noble is treated with respect. In every origin story, the player is introduced to Duncan, a Grey Warden who is trying to find recruits to fight the Blight. By the end of his or her origin story, the player's character is selected as a potential Grey Warden, and leaves with Duncan.
The player and Duncan journey to a fortress called Ostagar in southern Ferelden, to join Cailan, the king of Ferelden, and Loghain, a legendary general and Cailan's father-in-law. The three leaders plan to make a stand against the encroaching darkspawn before the Blight can overwhelm Ferelden. Duncan can sense the influence of an archdemon, a god-like being hosted in the body of a powerful dragon that commands the darkspawn, which means that this would be the first true Blight in over 400 years. It is of utmost importance that this Blight is ended before it can gain momentum, as previous Blights have left Thedas all but in ruins.
Duncan initiates the player into the Grey Wardens through a dangerous ritual called the Joining. The Joining involves imbibing darkspawn blood, which can either kill a person or imbue him or her with the powerful darkspawn essence known as the Taint. After surviving the Joining, the player and Duncan attend a council of war, where it is decided Cailan's army and the Grey Wardens will lure the darkspawn into attacking. The player, along with another Grey Warden, Alistair, is given the task of lighting a beacon at the top of the fortress which signals Loghain's men to charge the horde's flank, breaking the darkspawn and ending the Blight. After fighting through the many darkspawn that had sneaked around the battle into the tower, the player lights the beacon, though Alistair notes that they're surely doing so late. Loghain, upon seeing the signal, abandons the battle along with his army. King Cailan and Duncan are quickly overwhelmed by the darkspawn horde, who kill them, massacre Cailan's army, and seize control of Ostagar and southern Ferelden.
The player's Warden and Alistair are nearly killed at Ostagar as well, but are saved by Flemeth, a powerful witch who lives in a secluded hermitage with her daughter and apprentice, Morrigan. The player, along with Alistair and Morrigan, decide that in order to stop the Blight from destroying Ferelden, and possibly all of Thedas, they will need to gather a new army and slay the archdemon. Using ancient Grey Warden treaties, the player's Warden must travel across Ferelden to enlist the aid of the Dalish elves, the dwarves of Orzammar, the Circle of Magi, and Arl Eamon of Redcliffe. Unfortunately, all of these factions are facing problems of their own, which the player must help resolve to secure their allegiances. Meanwhile, Loghain returns to Ferelden's capital city, Denerim, to inform Queen Anora, his daughter, of King Cailan's death. Loghain blames the Grey Wardens for abandoning the battle and betraying Ferelden, outlawing the order and hunting down any survivors. While Queen Anora inherits her husband's authority, Loghain quickly declares himself her regent and effectively seizes control of the kingdom. Loghain swiftly becomes a brutal and tyrannical ruler, igniting a civil war
between himself and Ferelden's nobility, who refuse to acknowledge his authority.
While exploring Ferelden, the player will be presented with the opportunity to partake in numerous side-quests to flesh out the Dragon Age mythology, acquire powerful equipment, and earn experience points. Potential companions with their own special combat specialties and back-stories will also present themselves and offer to join the player's quest.
After the player successfully obtains the assistance of all the primary factions, a meeting known as the Landsmeet is called among the nobles of Ferelden. There, the player confronts Loghain and rallies support from the rest of the kingdom to face the darkspawn. The player is also presented with the option of executing Loghain for his crimes or sparing his life. Sparing Loghain causes Alistair to leave the player's party in anger and disgust (if Alistair has already agreed to marry Anora and become king, he will remain in Ferelden and be present at the end of the game, but he will not rejoin the player's party for the final battle). If Loghain is spared, he is forced to undergo the Joining and takes Alistair's place as a Grey Warden, showing sincere regret for his actions as regent.
At this point, the player learns that only a Grey Warden can slay the archdemon because of the Taint present in a Grey Warden's body. Killing the archdemon releases the demonic essence within it, which is automatically drawn to the Taint in the Grey Warden who slew it, and effectively kills him or her as well; if anyone else slays it, the archdemon's essence survives and finds a new host in the nearest darkspawn, making the monster effectively immortal. On the night before the final battle, Morrigan offers the player's Warden a way to slay the archdemon without sacrificing anyone: Morrigan believes that if the player succeeds in conceiving a child with her, that the child would also carry the Taint. Once the archdemon dies, its demonic essence would be drawn away from any Grey Warden to safely merge with the unborn child instead. The resulting child would be born a demigod, which she plans to raise on her own. Morrigan admits that this was her true motive for joining the player's campaign all along. The player can accept Morrigan's offer, convince Alistair or Loghain to take part instead, or refuse the witch's proposal, causing her to leave the party. If the Warden is female, she can only refuse Morrigan or convince Loghain or Alistair to do it.
The next day, the player and the newly assembled army of Ferelden fight their way through the city of Denerim, which is now overrun by the darkspawn. After fighting their way through the darkspawn horde, and an epic final battle against the archdemon atop Denerim's highest tower, the player is given the chance to deliver the killing blow or to let Alistair/Loghain do it. Either way, the archdemon is killed and the rest of the darkspawn army retreats from Denerim, marking the end of the fifth Blight. Unless the player chose to sleep with Morrigan, whoever slew the archdemon also perishes. Should the player choose the ritual, the option to allow Alistair/Loghain the final blow is skipped: the cutscene showing the Warden slaying it plays automatically.
The story ends with a ceremony attended by the people of Ferelden during which the player and his or her companions are honored for saving the kingdom. The game then presents an epilogue in text and pictures which details the ramifications of the player's in-game choices on the future of Ferelden and the lives of his or her companions.
Players also have the opportunity to recruit companion characters who appear throughout the game and volunteer their services. Companions for the game include Alistair, a reluctantly heroic Grey Warden with a sarcastic wit; Morrigan, the sultry but cynical dark mage who has little regard for authority and social mores; Leliana, an ex-member of Ferelden's religious Chantry whose optimistic and virtuous demeanor belies an aptitude for espionage and combat; Sten, a proud but stoic warrior of the militaristic Qunari people; Oghren, a brutal dwarven warrior whose love of alcohol is only matched by his penchant for violence and loyalty to his friends; Wynne, an Elder Mage of the Circle, and a maternal figure to the party; Zevran, a rakish elven assassin who is fond of treasures and innuendo; and a loyal Mabari War Hound, which the player can name and use for scouting and combat. In the DLC, Shale, a sarcastic Golem with a mild ornithophobia
is also available.
Adding these companions to the Warden's party enables the player to control them during combat and exploration. Through conversation, the player unlocks unique quests and dialog which furthers Dragon Age's lore. A relationship system in the game tracks approval and disapproval between each companion and the player's Warden. The player can gain or lose approval with each companion based on conversation choices and quest-related decisions made throughout the game. The player may also influence a companion`s approval points with gifts. Most gifts give positive approval, although a DLC called “Feastday Pranks″gives you gifts for each character that greatly reduce approval. Each gift has a character it is meant for; although almost every gift gives positive approval to any character, certain gifts work best for certain characters. Some gifts, if given to the right character, start a cut scene and can sometimes even unlock a quest. These extremely special gifts can be given only to the designated character. A high approval rating improves a companion's morale, resulting in bonuses to combat abilities. A significant approval rating also makes it possible for the Warden to pursue a romantic relationship with certain companions. Conversely, lowering a companion's approval to a significant degree can result in him or her leaving the party or turning on the player.
Other than companion characters, NPCs significant to Origin's plot include Duncan, the Grey Warden who recruits the player; King Cailan, Ferelden's naive, but courageous leader and son of the legendary King Maric; Queen Anora, Cailan's wife, whose youth and beauty are matched by a commanding personality and political-savvy; Eamon Guerrin, the noble Arl of Redcliffe who lends political support to the player's Warden; Riordan, a Grey Warden from the neighboring kingdom of Orlais (though born in Ferelden); and Flemeth, Morrigan's mother, who appears to be a harmless old woman in public, but in truth is an infamous dark witch of Ferelden legend. The game's main antagonists, other than the faceless Darkspawn horde and their monstrous leader, the archdemon Urthemiel, are Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir, once a respected war hero and father of Queen Anora, now gone mad with ambition and paranoia, and Rendon Howe, the greedy Arl of Amaranthine who allies with Loghain to further his own ambitions.
, Steve Valentine
, Kate Mulgrew
, Mark Rolston
, and Claudia Black
. A considerable amount of ambient dialogue takes place between the non-player characters in the adventuring party, adding to their background story and lending more depth and credibility to the characters. Conversations involving the main character are complex and varied, and conversation options can have a significant effect on gameplay. Translations and voice-overs were made for several languages other than English. An automatic lip-syncing algorithm was used to provide passable facial animations for all dialogue.
version of the game was originally delayed. However, BioWare later retracted that statement and announced that, in North America, it would be released on the same day as the other versions.
The Dragon Age Character Creator was released on October 13, 2009, allowing players to create a character in advance and to import it into the full game upon release. BioWare also released a "developer-grade" toolset to allow extensive modification and customization of the game exclusive to the PC version.
The retail PC version of Dragon Age: Origins does not use the SecuROM
copy protection
software used by other EA games, opting instead for a standard disc check.
The developers have cited "realistic" fantasy fiction such as George R. R. Martin
's A Song of Ice and Fire
and fantasy paintings by artists such as Frank Frazetta
as inspiration for the game. The soundtrack for the video game contains the song "This Is War
" by 30 Seconds to Mars
, while the original score itself was composed by Inon Zur
. In the development of the lighting of the game BioWare used Turtle, a rendering and baking plugin for Autodesk Maya used for lighting and content creation, made by Illuminate Labs
.
BioWare has stated that the game runs "very well" on Windows 7, and a Mac OS X version of the game was released on December 21, 2009, as a download, using TransGaming's Cider Portability Engine.
(DLC) will be available on the game's launch: The Stone Prisoner and Warden's Keep. By November 12, 2009, BioWare announced that sales of downloadable content had generated over one million dollars of sales revenue.
and Dragon Age II
.
. The complete set contains ten unique gifts and ten unique prank items which the player can give to specific companions, and positively or negatively affect their attitude towards the player, as well as grant special in-game bonuses or penalties. The prank and gift items can be purchased separately for 160 BioWare points each, or 240 points altogether.
The "Regular" edition of the game was made available for purchase across all platforms through retailers such as Wal-Mart
, Amazon.com
, and Best Buy
. Windows users could also obtain the Regular version through download services such as Steam and Direct2Drive
. The standard version of the game includes a one-use redemption code to download the Stone Prisoner and Blood Dragon Armor DLC for free.
The "Collectors' Edition" was released for Windows, Mac, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, but only in boxed retail form and not through download. This version comes in a steelbook, having different artwork from the regular edition. Like the regular edition, the Collector's Edition includes a redemption code to obtain the Stone Prisoner and Blood Dragon Armor DLC for free, but adds three exclusive in-game items, a bonus disc containing a making-of documentary, concept art, trailers, the game's original soundtrack, and a cloth map of Ferelden.
The "Digital Deluxe" version of the game is available for download on Windows and Mac operating systems. The Digital Deluxe edition includes the game's original soundtrack (in an expanded version) and desktop wallpapers in downloadable form, as well as all the free DLC content of the Collectors' Edition (not in the UK version), plus a code to download the Warden's Keep DLC for free.
The "Ultimate Edition" was released on October 26, 2010. It includes the base game, expansion pack, and all 9 DLC packs. It does not come with the pre-order bonus items nor the Collector's Edition exclusive items. A remix of the song "Closer to the Edge
" by the rock band 30 Seconds to Mars
is used for the soundtrack. The PC and Xbox 360 version is on 2 disks whilst on PS3 is on a single Blu-ray disk. However, it is reported that the "Return to Ostagar" is missing from the European PS3 version. Bioware has suggested that people should contact EA support to download the DLC from PSN. The PC version is also available via download.
" by the rock band 30 Seconds to Mars
is used for the soundtrack, while Claudia Black and Corinne Kempa provide brief dialog for their characters.
The trailer shows a human male Grey Warden leading Morrigan, Sten, and Leliana up a narrow mountainside amidst fierce wind and snow. The Warden remarks that the tomb they are searching for is ahead, but they are suddenly ambushed by the Darkspawn army. After defeating the Darkspawn, a massive dragon appears and the Warden's team works together to slay it.
l soundtrack with choir
, used both in-game and during cutscenes. The tracks were composed by Inon Zur
and performed by the Northwest Sinfonia
. The song "I Am the One" from Dragon Age won "Best Original Song" for a video game at Hollywood Music in MediaTM Awards. It was composed by Inon Zur and Aubrey Ashburn while being performed by Aubrey Ashburn. Dragon Age also won the award for "Outstanding Music Supervision" at the Hollywood Music in MediaTM Awards. The award was given in the name of Simon Pressey, audio director of BioWare.
, Awakening was released on March 16, 2010. The expansion pack offers a new campaign that takes place during the aftermath of Dragon Age: Origins, and is set in the coastal region of Amaranthine. The player has the option to import their character and save data from a completed Dragon Age: Origins campaign (regardless of whether they died at the end of Dragon Age: Origins) or to create a new character. In this story, the player must investigate suspicious behavior displayed by the retreating Darkspawn army, and its connection to an entity known as The Architect. Awakening also introduces new party members, new abilities, new class specializations, a raise in level cap, and new items.
was in production and due for a March 2011 release. It was released on March 8, 2011.
Dragon Age II is set within a ten year period and features a new predefined protagonist, Hawke, and a new locale within the Dragon Age world, the city of Kirkwall. Players are able to transfer save data from Dragon Age: Origins into the sequel; decisions that the player made during the course of Dragon Age:Origins are referenced while playing Dragon Age II.
While the game is considered to be virtually identical across all platforms, differences in user interface, graphical performance, and online content delivery have led the PC version to be reviewed slightly more favorably than the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions; Metacritic
ranks the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 versions of the game with scores of 91, 87, and 86, respectively.
Kevin VanOrd of GameSpot
reviewed the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 versions separately. The PC version was given a score of 9.5 out of 10, plus an 'Editor's Choice' award. The game was described as "that kind of game, so rich and involving that you are powerless to resist its wiles and whims, so touching and triumphant that your mind and heart will be moved... Few games are this ambitious, and even fewer can mold these ambitions into such a complete and entertaining experience. You might spend 50 or more hours on your first play-though, but there are so many paths to follow, so many details to uncover, and so many ways to customize your party that you'll want to play again as soon as you finish the first time."
When comparing the console versions, the PlayStation 3 "features higher-quality textures than those on the Xbox 360, better color saturation, smoother facial animations, and shorter load times," although "minor visual hiccups, like corpses that disappear and reappear, are a bit more common on the PS3. The Playstation 3 version was given a 9.0/10 while the Xbox 360 version was given an 8.5/10. "
Giant Bomb
writer David Snider also reviewed all three versions of Dragon Age: Origins together and gave an overall rating of five stars out of five. The review favorably described the game as "a real throwback to the good old days of PC role-playing epics... While that means you could rightfully fault the game for not being especially innovative, it's this adherence to a classic style of gameplay that will ensure that it's welcomed by the legions of nostalgic RPG players that make up this genre's core audience." Snider did remark that the game might be daunting or inaccessible to casual players due to the amount of in-game micromanaging that is required, especially on consoles, which he considered to have a more cumbersome interface.
IGN
's Jeff Haynes gave the PC version of Dragon Age: Origins a score of 90 out of 100 and characterized it as "one of those titles that can easily swallow up dozens of hours of play and keep you coming back for more... a game with a ton of re-playability and an incredibly vivid world that is the start of an impressive franchise." While the review was mostly glowing, Haynes did note grievances, namely that the combat difficulty was scaled awkwardly, the graphics sometimes appeared dated, and the plot was repetitive of Bioware's other games.
1UP.com
editor, Jason Wilson, gave the PC version of the game an 'A' rating, and surmised that "while the story may not be completely original, it's told in a way that enthralls and enchants the player. It's the best RPG of the year -- and maybe the best of the HD era." Wilson briefly compared the PC release to the PlayStation 3 release, and said that combat on the console controller was comparably "hamstrung" and felt "stripped down".
GamePro
editor Will Herring awarded Dragon Age: Origins 5 out of 5 stars, writing that it was "a spectacular experience from beginning to end, and with an enormous amount of choices to make, cities to visit, dungeons to crawl, NPCs to interact with, treasure to find, quests to complete and crafts to master. I feel pretty confident in saying that Dragon Age: Origins is, without a doubt, one of the most enjoyable and immersive RPG experiences I've had since my Infinity Engine
days." Herring also noted differences between the PC and console releases, but considered them to be minor.
The New York Times
writer Seth Schiesel wrote a positive review of the PC version of Dragon Age: Origins, favorably comparing its scope to another popular RPG, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion; but he added that Dragon Age: Origins provided a more engaging experience.
PC Gamer
UK, which awarded Dragon Age: Origins a 94%, declared it the "RPG of the decade".
Official Xbox Magazine
rated the Xbox 360 version of Dragon Age: Origins with a score of 9.0, listing the combat interface as a plus, while criticizing the amount of story choices available to the player as being potentially overwhelming.
Michael Lafferty of GameZone
rated Dragon Age: Origins at 9.9/10 for the PC, stating, "The development team has done a sterling job of creating emotional content within the game’s atmosphere." The 360 version, on the other hand, received a 9.0/10.
In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die
.
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
developed by BioWare
BioWare
BioWare is a Canadian video game developer founded in February 1995 by newly graduated medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, and Augustine Yip. BioWare is currently owned by American company Electronic Arts...
's Edmonton studio and published by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
. It is the first game in the Dragon Age
Dragon Age
Dragon Age: Origins is a single-player role-playing video game developed by BioWare's Edmonton studio and published by Electronic Arts. It is the first game in the Dragon Age franchise...
franchise. The game was released for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
on November 3, 2009, and for Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
on December 21, 2009.
Set in the fictional kingdom of Ferelden during a period of civil strife, the player assumes the role of a warrior, mage or rogue who must unite the kingdom to fight an impending invasion by demonic forces. BioWare describes Dragon Age: Origins as a "dark heroic fantasy set in a unique world", and a spiritual successor to their Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate (series)
Baldur's Gate is a franchise of action role-playing games released under the Dungeons & Dragons Video Game Licenses. It is set in the fictional campaign setting of Forgotten Realms and takes place in its fictional continent of Faerûn. It takes place mostly in the Western Heartlands, but has also...
series of games, which took place in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
of the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
franchise.
Upon its release, Dragon Age: Origins was lauded with overwhelmingly positive reviews and considered a critical success. Aggregate review site Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
ranks the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 versions of the game with scores of 91, 87, and 86, respectively. The game also received multiple awards from numerous outlets, ranging from IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's "PC Game of The Year (2009)" to the Academy of Interactive Arts & Science's
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences , founded in 1996, is a non-profit organization that promotes computer and video game entertainment with the annual D.I.C.E. Summit event, where its Interactive Achievement Awards ceremony has been held annually since 1998...
"Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year 2009".
An expansion to the game, titled Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening
Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening
Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening is an expansion for the fantasy role-playing video game Dragon Age: Origins. Awakening adds a brand new campaign which takes place during the aftermath of Dragon Age: Origins...
, was released in March 2010, and the official sequel, Dragon Age II
Dragon Age II
Dragon Age II is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare's Edmonton studios, and published by Electronic Arts. It is the second major game in BioWare's Dragon Age franchise...
, was released in March 2011. BioWare intends for Dragon Age: Origins to serve as the foundation for a much broader intellectual property. Even before its release, plans to expand the universe introduced by the game were underway; this included sequels, pen and paper games, books, and comics that would expand the scope of the Dragon Age franchise. Several of those projects have since been released.
Gameplay
The game incorporates "origins" for each race and some classes. For example, a dwarf noble begins the game as part of the royal family in one of the dwarven cities, whereas the dwarf commoner origin story begins on the streets of the city. Origin stories determine the background of the player's character prior to the main events of the game's story, forming an introduction to the world (and a gameplay tutorial) while also comprising hours of play. Events of an individual origin are reflected in the following game. Characters that the player meets during the origin story may reappear throughout the game, some as adversaries.There is no tracking of moral alignment as in previous BioWare games, but the moral choices of the player will still affect the story throughout the game. The player will accomplish different goals depending on if they choose to be good or evil, but the decisions that the player makes in the process will change the game world accordingly – deciding who will become king, for example, and affecting nations, races and their places in the world. These decisions will also influence the companion NPCs, possibly causing an NPC to leave the party or even attack the player if they disagree strongly with his or her actions.
The game has been described as the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate is a computer role-playing game developed by BioWare and released in 1998 by Interplay Entertainment. The game takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a high fantasy campaign setting, using modified Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules...
by BioWare co-CEO Ray Muzyka, as players are able to issue orders to NPCs in real time, but pause the game to queue up actions such as spells and special attacks, a game mechanic from the Baldur's Gate series.
There are three base classes to choose from: warrior
Warrior (character class)
Warrior is a character class found in many role-playing games. This class may also be referred to as Fighter, as in Dungeons & Dragons. The class is sometimes also referred to as a Knight, although in some games this is a separate class with a more chivalric aspect...
, mage
Wizard (character class)
The Wizard is a type of magical character class in certain role-playing games and computer role-playing games. Wizards are considered to be spellcasters who wield powerful spells, but are often physically weak as a trade-off. Wizards are commonly confused with similar offensive spellcasting...
, and rogue
Thief (character class)
The Thief or Rogue is a character class in many role-playing games, including Dungeons & Dragons, Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft and many MMORPGs. Thieves are usually stealthy and dextrous characters able to disarm traps, pick locks, and perform backstabs from hiding...
. These classes can be upgraded into a specialized class such as the berserker
Berserker (character class)
Berserker is a character class in a number of role-playing games and role-playing video games, including Final Fantasy.Most of the time, a Berserker is a physically strong and agile warrior without great intelligence or specials skills besides their high offensive power in battle...
or templar for the warrior class, shapeshifter or spirit healer for the mage class, and assassin
Assassin (character class)
Assassin is a character class common to many games. Such characters typically combine elements of combat gaming with strong stealth skills, and specialise in defeating an enemy without becoming involved in a protracted melee...
or ranger
Ranger (character class)
A Ranger is a type of warrior appearing in fantasy fiction and role-playing games....
for the rogue. The game uses a party system similar to that of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts. It was released for the Xbox on July 15, 2003, for Microsoft Windows on November 19, 2003, and on September 7, 2004 for Mac OS X. The Xbox version is playable on Xbox 360 with its...
, another BioWare roleplaying game, featuring the main character with up to three active party members chosen from a pool of NPCs.
The game features a degree of interactivity between spells, such as a fire spell igniting a grease slick before being put out by a blizzard. The game contains many combinations which can be discovered by the player either by accident, or by finding clues as to which combinations are valid.
Game view
The camera is a third-person, over-the-shoulder view which can be rotated around the active character. Unlike the console versions, only the PC version has the ability to change game views by zooming in or out. Zooming out affords players a detailed overhead view, allowing them to spot important features in a scenario that may be positioned up above, such as a dangerous lurking creature. The HUD details are not visible in the zoomed in view. When zoomed out, the camera is an isometric-style view.Synopsis
BioWare has described Dragon Age: Origins as being a "dark heroic fantasy" story told on an epic scale with mature themes.The game is set in Ferelden, one of several countries that makes up the mythical continent of Thedas. The game opens with an animation which details the origins of demonic creatures called the darkspawn, that dwell within the Deep Roads, an underground highway system created by the dwarves long ago, deep beneath the surface of Thedas. Every few hundred years, the darkspawn swarm the surface world in a movement known as a Blight. Beginning with the first Blight, Thedas relied on the legendary order of warriors known as the Grey Wardens to drive the darkspawn back. Dragon Age: Origins begins on the eve of Thedas's fifth Blight.
The player begins the game by completing one of the six origin stories corresponding to the race and background of the character he or she created upon choosing a new game; the choices are Human Noble (for Human Warriors or Rogues), Magi (for Elven or Human Mages), Dalish Elf or City Elf (for Elven Warriors or Rogues), Dwarf Commoner or Dwarf Noble (for Dwarven Warrior or Rogue). The origin section introduces the players to the mechanics of the game and the fictional world through a personalized context. The origin story determines the biography of the character and how NPCs react to the player for the rest of the game. For example, elves are often viewed as second class citizens by humans, while mages are treated with suspicion and fear, while the human noble is treated with respect. In every origin story, the player is introduced to Duncan, a Grey Warden who is trying to find recruits to fight the Blight. By the end of his or her origin story, the player's character is selected as a potential Grey Warden, and leaves with Duncan.
The player and Duncan journey to a fortress called Ostagar in southern Ferelden, to join Cailan, the king of Ferelden, and Loghain, a legendary general and Cailan's father-in-law. The three leaders plan to make a stand against the encroaching darkspawn before the Blight can overwhelm Ferelden. Duncan can sense the influence of an archdemon, a god-like being hosted in the body of a powerful dragon that commands the darkspawn, which means that this would be the first true Blight in over 400 years. It is of utmost importance that this Blight is ended before it can gain momentum, as previous Blights have left Thedas all but in ruins.
Duncan initiates the player into the Grey Wardens through a dangerous ritual called the Joining. The Joining involves imbibing darkspawn blood, which can either kill a person or imbue him or her with the powerful darkspawn essence known as the Taint. After surviving the Joining, the player and Duncan attend a council of war, where it is decided Cailan's army and the Grey Wardens will lure the darkspawn into attacking. The player, along with another Grey Warden, Alistair, is given the task of lighting a beacon at the top of the fortress which signals Loghain's men to charge the horde's flank, breaking the darkspawn and ending the Blight. After fighting through the many darkspawn that had sneaked around the battle into the tower, the player lights the beacon, though Alistair notes that they're surely doing so late. Loghain, upon seeing the signal, abandons the battle along with his army. King Cailan and Duncan are quickly overwhelmed by the darkspawn horde, who kill them, massacre Cailan's army, and seize control of Ostagar and southern Ferelden.
The player's Warden and Alistair are nearly killed at Ostagar as well, but are saved by Flemeth, a powerful witch who lives in a secluded hermitage with her daughter and apprentice, Morrigan. The player, along with Alistair and Morrigan, decide that in order to stop the Blight from destroying Ferelden, and possibly all of Thedas, they will need to gather a new army and slay the archdemon. Using ancient Grey Warden treaties, the player's Warden must travel across Ferelden to enlist the aid of the Dalish elves, the dwarves of Orzammar, the Circle of Magi, and Arl Eamon of Redcliffe. Unfortunately, all of these factions are facing problems of their own, which the player must help resolve to secure their allegiances. Meanwhile, Loghain returns to Ferelden's capital city, Denerim, to inform Queen Anora, his daughter, of King Cailan's death. Loghain blames the Grey Wardens for abandoning the battle and betraying Ferelden, outlawing the order and hunting down any survivors. While Queen Anora inherits her husband's authority, Loghain quickly declares himself her regent and effectively seizes control of the kingdom. Loghain swiftly becomes a brutal and tyrannical ruler, igniting a civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
between himself and Ferelden's nobility, who refuse to acknowledge his authority.
While exploring Ferelden, the player will be presented with the opportunity to partake in numerous side-quests to flesh out the Dragon Age mythology, acquire powerful equipment, and earn experience points. Potential companions with their own special combat specialties and back-stories will also present themselves and offer to join the player's quest.
After the player successfully obtains the assistance of all the primary factions, a meeting known as the Landsmeet is called among the nobles of Ferelden. There, the player confronts Loghain and rallies support from the rest of the kingdom to face the darkspawn. The player is also presented with the option of executing Loghain for his crimes or sparing his life. Sparing Loghain causes Alistair to leave the player's party in anger and disgust (if Alistair has already agreed to marry Anora and become king, he will remain in Ferelden and be present at the end of the game, but he will not rejoin the player's party for the final battle). If Loghain is spared, he is forced to undergo the Joining and takes Alistair's place as a Grey Warden, showing sincere regret for his actions as regent.
At this point, the player learns that only a Grey Warden can slay the archdemon because of the Taint present in a Grey Warden's body. Killing the archdemon releases the demonic essence within it, which is automatically drawn to the Taint in the Grey Warden who slew it, and effectively kills him or her as well; if anyone else slays it, the archdemon's essence survives and finds a new host in the nearest darkspawn, making the monster effectively immortal. On the night before the final battle, Morrigan offers the player's Warden a way to slay the archdemon without sacrificing anyone: Morrigan believes that if the player succeeds in conceiving a child with her, that the child would also carry the Taint. Once the archdemon dies, its demonic essence would be drawn away from any Grey Warden to safely merge with the unborn child instead. The resulting child would be born a demigod, which she plans to raise on her own. Morrigan admits that this was her true motive for joining the player's campaign all along. The player can accept Morrigan's offer, convince Alistair or Loghain to take part instead, or refuse the witch's proposal, causing her to leave the party. If the Warden is female, she can only refuse Morrigan or convince Loghain or Alistair to do it.
The next day, the player and the newly assembled army of Ferelden fight their way through the city of Denerim, which is now overrun by the darkspawn. After fighting their way through the darkspawn horde, and an epic final battle against the archdemon atop Denerim's highest tower, the player is given the chance to deliver the killing blow or to let Alistair/Loghain do it. Either way, the archdemon is killed and the rest of the darkspawn army retreats from Denerim, marking the end of the fifth Blight. Unless the player chose to sleep with Morrigan, whoever slew the archdemon also perishes. Should the player choose the ritual, the option to allow Alistair/Loghain the final blow is skipped: the cutscene showing the Warden slaying it plays automatically.
The story ends with a ceremony attended by the people of Ferelden during which the player and his or her companions are honored for saving the kingdom. The game then presents an epilogue in text and pictures which details the ramifications of the player's in-game choices on the future of Ferelden and the lives of his or her companions.
Characters
The chief protagonist of Dragon Age: Origins is the player-controlled character, whose biography and combat specialization are customized at the start of the game. While the player can choose his or her avatar's first name, the character is usually referred to as "The Warden" by other characters and the game's narration. A player's chief protagonist may be either human, elf, or dwarf.Players also have the opportunity to recruit companion characters who appear throughout the game and volunteer their services. Companions for the game include Alistair, a reluctantly heroic Grey Warden with a sarcastic wit; Morrigan, the sultry but cynical dark mage who has little regard for authority and social mores; Leliana, an ex-member of Ferelden's religious Chantry whose optimistic and virtuous demeanor belies an aptitude for espionage and combat; Sten, a proud but stoic warrior of the militaristic Qunari people; Oghren, a brutal dwarven warrior whose love of alcohol is only matched by his penchant for violence and loyalty to his friends; Wynne, an Elder Mage of the Circle, and a maternal figure to the party; Zevran, a rakish elven assassin who is fond of treasures and innuendo; and a loyal Mabari War Hound, which the player can name and use for scouting and combat. In the DLC, Shale, a sarcastic Golem with a mild ornithophobia
Ornithophobia
-Symptoms:Ornithophobia can cause the following symptoms: breathlessness, dizziness, excessive sweating, nausea, dry mouth, feeling sick, shaking, heart palpitations, inability to speak or think clearly, a fear of dying, becoming mad or losing control, or a full-blown anxiety attack.-In popular...
is also available.
Adding these companions to the Warden's party enables the player to control them during combat and exploration. Through conversation, the player unlocks unique quests and dialog which furthers Dragon Age's lore. A relationship system in the game tracks approval and disapproval between each companion and the player's Warden. The player can gain or lose approval with each companion based on conversation choices and quest-related decisions made throughout the game. The player may also influence a companion`s approval points with gifts. Most gifts give positive approval, although a DLC called “Feastday Pranks″gives you gifts for each character that greatly reduce approval. Each gift has a character it is meant for; although almost every gift gives positive approval to any character, certain gifts work best for certain characters. Some gifts, if given to the right character, start a cut scene and can sometimes even unlock a quest. These extremely special gifts can be given only to the designated character. A high approval rating improves a companion's morale, resulting in bonuses to combat abilities. A significant approval rating also makes it possible for the Warden to pursue a romantic relationship with certain companions. Conversely, lowering a companion's approval to a significant degree can result in him or her leaving the party or turning on the player.
Other than companion characters, NPCs significant to Origin's plot include Duncan, the Grey Warden who recruits the player; King Cailan, Ferelden's naive, but courageous leader and son of the legendary King Maric; Queen Anora, Cailan's wife, whose youth and beauty are matched by a commanding personality and political-savvy; Eamon Guerrin, the noble Arl of Redcliffe who lends political support to the player's Warden; Riordan, a Grey Warden from the neighboring kingdom of Orlais (though born in Ferelden); and Flemeth, Morrigan's mother, who appears to be a harmless old woman in public, but in truth is an infamous dark witch of Ferelden legend. The game's main antagonists, other than the faceless Darkspawn horde and their monstrous leader, the archdemon Urthemiel, are Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir, once a respected war hero and father of Queen Anora, now gone mad with ambition and paranoia, and Rendon Howe, the greedy Arl of Amaranthine who allies with Loghain to further his own ambitions.
Voice acting
The game contains a large amount of voice acting recorded in the US and the UK. http://www.side.com/work/games/?artid=55&pageNum=0&blk=49 Actors include Tim RussTim Russ
Timothy Darrell "Tim" Russ is an American actor, film director, screenwriter and musician. He is known for his roles on Star Trek: Voyager, as Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, Samantha Who?, as Frank, and on the Nickelodeon live-action teen sitcom iCarly, as Principal Franklin, a recurring...
, Steve Valentine
Steve Valentine
Steven John Valentine is a Scottish actor, singer and magician who has performed on stage and screen, but is best known for his role as the eccentric Nigel Townsend on NBC's crime drama Crossing Jordan...
, Kate Mulgrew
Kate Mulgrew
Katherine Kiernan Maria "Kate" Mulgrew is an American actress, most noted for her roles on Star Trek: Voyager as Captain Kathryn Janeway and Ryan's Hope as Mary Ryan...
, Mark Rolston
Mark Rolston
-Career:Rolston played PFC M. Drake in Aliens , Hans in Lethal Weapon 2 , Stef in RoboCop 2 , Bogs Diamond in The Shawshank Redemption , J. Scar in Eraser , Chief Dennis Wilson in Daylight , Wayne Bryce in Hard Rain and Special Agent in Charge Warren Russ in Rush Hour...
, and Claudia Black
Claudia Black
Claudia Lee Black is an Australian actress and voice actor, known for her portrayals of Aeryn Sun in the science fiction television series Farscape, Vala Mal Doran in the science fiction series Stargate SG-1, Chloe Frazer in the Uncharted series, the witch Morrigan in Dragon Age: Origins and...
. A considerable amount of ambient dialogue takes place between the non-player characters in the adventuring party, adding to their background story and lending more depth and credibility to the characters. Conversations involving the main character are complex and varied, and conversation options can have a significant effect on gameplay. Translations and voice-overs were made for several languages other than English. An automatic lip-syncing algorithm was used to provide passable facial animations for all dialogue.
Development
Dragon Age: Origins was first announced during E3 2004 as Dragon Age. On July 10, 2008, the title was changed to Dragon Age: Origins. The PlayStation 3PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
version of the game was originally delayed. However, BioWare later retracted that statement and announced that, in North America, it would be released on the same day as the other versions.
The Dragon Age Character Creator was released on October 13, 2009, allowing players to create a character in advance and to import it into the full game upon release. BioWare also released a "developer-grade" toolset to allow extensive modification and customization of the game exclusive to the PC version.
The retail PC version of Dragon Age: Origins does not use the SecuROM
SecuROM
SecuROM is a CD/DVD copy protection and digital rights management product developed by Sony DADC. SecuROM aims to resist home media duplication devices, professional duplicators, and attempts at reverse engineering software. It is most often used for commercial computer games running under the...
copy protection
Copy protection
Copy protection, also known as content protection, copy obstruction, copy prevention and copy restriction, refer to techniques used for preventing the reproduction of software, films, music, and other media, usually for copyright reasons.- Terminology :Media corporations have always used the term...
software used by other EA games, opting instead for a standard disc check.
The developers have cited "realistic" fantasy fiction such as George R. R. Martin
George R. R. Martin
George Raymond Richard Martin , sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an American author and screenwriter of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He is best known for A Song of Ice and Fire, his bestselling series of epic fantasy novels that HBO adapted for their dramatic pay-cable series Game of...
's A Song of Ice and Fire
A Song of Ice and Fire
A Song of Ice and Fire is a series of epic fantasy novels by American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. Martin began writing the series in 1991 and the first volume was published in 1996. Originally planned as a trilogy, the series now consists of five published volumes; a further two...
and fantasy paintings by artists such as Frank Frazetta
Frank Frazetta
Frank Frazetta was an American fantasy and science fiction artist, noted for work in comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, LP record album covers and other media...
as inspiration for the game. The soundtrack for the video game contains the song "This Is War
This Is War (song)
"This Is War" is a song by American rock band 30 Seconds to Mars, featured on their third studio album This Is War. Written by lead vocalist Jared Leto, the song was released as the second single from the album to American radio on March 8, 2010, and the physical single was released on March 26,...
" by 30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1998. Since 2007, the band has consisted of actor Jared Leto , Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević...
, while the original score itself was composed by Inon Zur
Inon Zur
Inon Zur is an Israeli American music composer who has won several awards for his work. Originally writing for movies and television, he later moved into composing for video games. He has been described as being "internationally recognized as one of the A-list orchestral composers in the video...
. In the development of the lighting of the game BioWare used Turtle, a rendering and baking plugin for Autodesk Maya used for lighting and content creation, made by Illuminate Labs
Illuminate labs
Illuminate Labs is a Swedish software company based in Gothenburg, founded in 2002 and specializing in video games lighting. The company produces two middleware products called Beast and , based on their proprietary LiquidLight technology. Autodesk, Inc...
.
BioWare has stated that the game runs "very well" on Windows 7, and a Mac OS X version of the game was released on December 21, 2009, as a download, using TransGaming's Cider Portability Engine.
Downloadable content
BioWare announced on October 8, 2009, that two pieces of downloadable contentDownloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
(DLC) will be available on the game's launch: The Stone Prisoner and Warden's Keep. By November 12, 2009, BioWare announced that sales of downloadable content had generated over one million dollars of sales revenue.
The Stone Prisoner
The Stone Prisoner adds Shale to the game, a stone Golem and a party member. Shale is a powerful character, and has a back story, voice acting, and a unique quest. The Stone Prisoner also adds new locations and items. New copies contained a promotional code to receive The Stone Prisoner for free, which was valid until April 30, 2010. The code does, however, still work for those who have not used it prior to April 30, 2010.Warden's Keep
Warden's Keep adds the fortress of Soldier's Peak to Dragon Age: Origins, granting the player the opportunity to understand why the Grey Wardens were exiled from Ferelden. The player can set up a base of operations, with an area to store party members' surplus equipment. The download also adds new talents, spells, trophies/achievements, and items.Blood Dragon Armor
Blood Dragon Armor adds a set of "massive" armor that can be purchased in-game. In addition, registering the code used to obtain this DLC also lets the player download a similar set of armor to use in BioWare's Mass Effect 2Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 2 is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 on January 26, 2010 and for PlayStation 3 on January 18, 2011...
and Dragon Age II
Dragon Age II
Dragon Age II is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare's Edmonton studios, and published by Electronic Arts. It is the second major game in BioWare's Dragon Age franchise...
.
Return to Ostagar
Return to Ostagar was announced on November 19, 2009, and was originally scheduled to be released during the 2009 holiday season. It was then delayed to January 5, 2010, at which time it was delayed indefinitely. It was released on the Xbox 360 on January 13, 2010, but withdrawn again due to bugs. It was re-released on January 29, 2010, though only for Xbox 360 and PC. The PS3 release date was March 11, 2010. On March 14, 2010, it has also been reported by the community as running on the Mac Platform, despite contrary claims by EA. (An official Mac version has since been released) It features a return to the first battlefield of Ostagar, where the Grey Wardens were nearly wiped out by the Darkspawn invasion. It allows the player to unravel King Cailan's and Loghain's agendas, discover the armor of the late King Cailan and the arms of the last Grey Warden Commander, Duncan, and provides another opportunity to recruit a loyal Mabari War Hound. It also includes one achievement, and other new items.Feastday gifts and pranks
On April 1, 2010, BioWare released a set of DLC items in honor of a fictional holiday within the Dragon Age universe called "Feastday," which mirrors April Fools' DayApril Fools' Day
April Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness...
. The complete set contains ten unique gifts and ten unique prank items which the player can give to specific companions, and positively or negatively affect their attitude towards the player, as well as grant special in-game bonuses or penalties. The prank and gift items can be purchased separately for 160 BioWare points each, or 240 points altogether.
The Darkspawn Chronicles
On May 5, 2010, the game's official site announced The Darkspawn Chronicles to be released later that month. A brief synopsis indicates that the DLC, described as a module, will allow players to replay the final battle at Denerim as the Darkspawn army. The story alters the game's plot by presupposing that the player's Grey Warden did not survive the Joining, so the Ferelden army is led by Alistair, instead. This new DLC was released on May 18, 2010 for the price of 400 Microsoft or Bioware Points.Leliana's Song
Released on July 6, 2010, this DLC is a standalone campaign that stars Leliana, and is set several years before the events of the main campaign. Players assume the role of Leliana while she was an Orlesian Bard, and experience the events that inspired her to join the Chantry. The DLC features fully voiced cinematics, and a transferable reward for both Origins and Awakening.The Golems of Amgarrak
Released on August 10, 2010, this DLC sends the player's Warden on a campaign in the Deep Roads of the Dwarven Kingdom to investigate the disappearance of a dwarven expedition that was searching for the lost secret behind constructing golems. Players can import their Warden from Origins or Awakening, and completing the DLC unlocks a special item that can be used in those campaigns. BioWare advertises that this campaign is recommended for experienced players, because of its difficulty.Witch Hunt
Released on September 7, 2010, the Witch Hunt DLC sets the player on a campaign to investigate reports that Morrigan has returned to Ferelden, two and a half years since her disappearance at the end of Origins. Players can import their character from Origins, Awakening, Golems of Amgarrak, or create an entirely new character. BioWare advertises that Witch Hunt provides closure to Morrigan's storyline, rewards that transfer into Origins and Awakening, and that it is the final DLC to be released for Origins.Marketing
Retail editions
Three retail editions of Dragon Age: Origins were made available for purchase.The "Regular" edition of the game was made available for purchase across all platforms through retailers such as Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
, Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
, and Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
. Windows users could also obtain the Regular version through download services such as Steam and Direct2Drive
Direct2Drive
Direct2Drive is an online game store offering PC videogames via direct download. On May 25, 2011, Gamefly acquired Direct2Drive from IGN Entertainment Group .- Competition with Steam :...
. The standard version of the game includes a one-use redemption code to download the Stone Prisoner and Blood Dragon Armor DLC for free.
The "Collectors' Edition" was released for Windows, Mac, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, but only in boxed retail form and not through download. This version comes in a steelbook, having different artwork from the regular edition. Like the regular edition, the Collector's Edition includes a redemption code to obtain the Stone Prisoner and Blood Dragon Armor DLC for free, but adds three exclusive in-game items, a bonus disc containing a making-of documentary, concept art, trailers, the game's original soundtrack, and a cloth map of Ferelden.
The "Digital Deluxe" version of the game is available for download on Windows and Mac operating systems. The Digital Deluxe edition includes the game's original soundtrack (in an expanded version) and desktop wallpapers in downloadable form, as well as all the free DLC content of the Collectors' Edition (not in the UK version), plus a code to download the Warden's Keep DLC for free.
The "Ultimate Edition" was released on October 26, 2010. It includes the base game, expansion pack, and all 9 DLC packs. It does not come with the pre-order bonus items nor the Collector's Edition exclusive items. A remix of the song "Closer to the Edge
Closer to the Edge
-Charts and certifications:"Closer to the Edge" debuted on the UK Singles Chart on July 11, 2010, at number 90 before climbing to number 82 the following week. On July 18, 2010, the single rose a further four places to number 78...
" by the rock band 30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1998. Since 2007, the band has consisted of actor Jared Leto , Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević...
is used for the soundtrack. The PC and Xbox 360 version is on 2 disks whilst on PS3 is on a single Blu-ray disk. However, it is reported that the "Return to Ostagar" is missing from the European PS3 version. Bioware has suggested that people should contact EA support to download the DLC from PSN. The PC version is also available via download.
"Sacred Ashes" trailer
In October 2009, a four-minute trailer was released by Electronic Arts to promote Dragon Age: Origins. The trailer, entitled "Sacred Ashes" was produced by Blur Studio and created using custom CGI animation rather than any actual in-game footage or assets. An instrumental version of the song "This Is WarThis Is War (song)
"This Is War" is a song by American rock band 30 Seconds to Mars, featured on their third studio album This Is War. Written by lead vocalist Jared Leto, the song was released as the second single from the album to American radio on March 8, 2010, and the physical single was released on March 26,...
" by the rock band 30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1998. Since 2007, the band has consisted of actor Jared Leto , Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević...
is used for the soundtrack, while Claudia Black and Corinne Kempa provide brief dialog for their characters.
The trailer shows a human male Grey Warden leading Morrigan, Sten, and Leliana up a narrow mountainside amidst fierce wind and snow. The Warden remarks that the tomb they are searching for is ahead, but they are suddenly ambushed by the Darkspawn army. After defeating the Darkspawn, a massive dragon appears and the Warden's team works together to slay it.
Soundtrack
The game features an orchestraOrchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
l soundtrack with choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
, used both in-game and during cutscenes. The tracks were composed by Inon Zur
Inon Zur
Inon Zur is an Israeli American music composer who has won several awards for his work. Originally writing for movies and television, he later moved into composing for video games. He has been described as being "internationally recognized as one of the A-list orchestral composers in the video...
and performed by the Northwest Sinfonia
Northwest Sinfonia
The Northwest Sinfonia is a symphonic orchestra based in Seattle, mostly renowned for recording soundtracks to motion pictures and computer games. It was founded in 1995 and is credited with over 100 recordings....
. The song "I Am the One" from Dragon Age won "Best Original Song" for a video game at Hollywood Music in MediaTM Awards. It was composed by Inon Zur and Aubrey Ashburn while being performed by Aubrey Ashburn. Dragon Age also won the award for "Outstanding Music Supervision" at the Hollywood Music in MediaTM Awards. The award was given in the name of Simon Pressey, audio director of BioWare.
Expansion pack
The expansion packExpansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
, Awakening was released on March 16, 2010. The expansion pack offers a new campaign that takes place during the aftermath of Dragon Age: Origins, and is set in the coastal region of Amaranthine. The player has the option to import their character and save data from a completed Dragon Age: Origins campaign (regardless of whether they died at the end of Dragon Age: Origins) or to create a new character. In this story, the player must investigate suspicious behavior displayed by the retreating Darkspawn army, and its connection to an entity known as The Architect. Awakening also introduces new party members, new abilities, new class specializations, a raise in level cap, and new items.
Sequel
On July 8, 2010, Bioware officially announced that Dragon Age IIDragon Age II
Dragon Age II is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare's Edmonton studios, and published by Electronic Arts. It is the second major game in BioWare's Dragon Age franchise...
was in production and due for a March 2011 release. It was released on March 8, 2011.
Dragon Age II is set within a ten year period and features a new predefined protagonist, Hawke, and a new locale within the Dragon Age world, the city of Kirkwall. Players are able to transfer save data from Dragon Age: Origins into the sequel; decisions that the player made during the course of Dragon Age:Origins are referenced while playing Dragon Age II.
Reviews
Dragon Age: Origins received significant praise from many major videogame and media outlets upon its release:While the game is considered to be virtually identical across all platforms, differences in user interface, graphical performance, and online content delivery have led the PC version to be reviewed slightly more favorably than the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions; Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
ranks the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 versions of the game with scores of 91, 87, and 86, respectively.
Kevin VanOrd of GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
reviewed the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 versions separately. The PC version was given a score of 9.5 out of 10, plus an 'Editor's Choice' award. The game was described as "that kind of game, so rich and involving that you are powerless to resist its wiles and whims, so touching and triumphant that your mind and heart will be moved... Few games are this ambitious, and even fewer can mold these ambitions into such a complete and entertaining experience. You might spend 50 or more hours on your first play-though, but there are so many paths to follow, so many details to uncover, and so many ways to customize your party that you'll want to play again as soon as you finish the first time."
When comparing the console versions, the PlayStation 3 "features higher-quality textures than those on the Xbox 360, better color saturation, smoother facial animations, and shorter load times," although "minor visual hiccups, like corpses that disappear and reappear, are a bit more common on the PS3. The Playstation 3 version was given a 9.0/10 while the Xbox 360 version was given an 8.5/10. "
Giant Bomb
Giant Bomb
Giant Bomb is an American video game website and wiki that includes gaming news, reviews, commentary, and video, created by former GameSpot editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis in collaboration with Whiskey Media...
writer David Snider also reviewed all three versions of Dragon Age: Origins together and gave an overall rating of five stars out of five. The review favorably described the game as "a real throwback to the good old days of PC role-playing epics... While that means you could rightfully fault the game for not being especially innovative, it's this adherence to a classic style of gameplay that will ensure that it's welcomed by the legions of nostalgic RPG players that make up this genre's core audience." Snider did remark that the game might be daunting or inaccessible to casual players due to the amount of in-game micromanaging that is required, especially on consoles, which he considered to have a more cumbersome interface.
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Jeff Haynes gave the PC version of Dragon Age: Origins a score of 90 out of 100 and characterized it as "one of those titles that can easily swallow up dozens of hours of play and keep you coming back for more... a game with a ton of re-playability and an incredibly vivid world that is the start of an impressive franchise." While the review was mostly glowing, Haynes did note grievances, namely that the combat difficulty was scaled awkwardly, the graphics sometimes appeared dated, and the plot was repetitive of Bioware's other games.
1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
editor, Jason Wilson, gave the PC version of the game an 'A' rating, and surmised that "while the story may not be completely original, it's told in a way that enthralls and enchants the player. It's the best RPG of the year -- and maybe the best of the HD era." Wilson briefly compared the PC release to the PlayStation 3 release, and said that combat on the console controller was comparably "hamstrung" and felt "stripped down".
GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
editor Will Herring awarded Dragon Age: Origins 5 out of 5 stars, writing that it was "a spectacular experience from beginning to end, and with an enormous amount of choices to make, cities to visit, dungeons to crawl, NPCs to interact with, treasure to find, quests to complete and crafts to master. I feel pretty confident in saying that Dragon Age: Origins is, without a doubt, one of the most enjoyable and immersive RPG experiences I've had since my Infinity Engine
Infinity Engine
Infinity Engine is a game engine which allows the creation of isometric computer role-playing games. It was originally developed by BioWare for a prototype RTS game codenamed Battleground Infinity, which was ultimately re-engineered to become the first installment of the Baldur's Gate series...
days." Herring also noted differences between the PC and console releases, but considered them to be minor.
The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
writer Seth Schiesel wrote a positive review of the PC version of Dragon Age: Origins, favorably comparing its scope to another popular RPG, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion; but he added that Dragon Age: Origins provided a more engaging experience.
PC Gamer
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
UK, which awarded Dragon Age: Origins a 94%, declared it the "RPG of the decade".
Official Xbox Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine is a monthly video game magazine which started in November 2001 around the launch of the original Xbox. A preview issue was released for E3 2001, with another preview issue for November 2001. The magazine is bundled with a disc that includes game demos, preview videos and...
rated the Xbox 360 version of Dragon Age: Origins with a score of 9.0, listing the combat interface as a plus, while criticizing the amount of story choices available to the player as being potentially overwhelming.
Michael Lafferty of GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
rated Dragon Age: Origins at 9.9/10 for the PC, stating, "The development team has done a sterling job of creating emotional content within the game’s atmosphere." The 360 version, on the other hand, received a 9.0/10.
Awards
- The Academy of Interactive Arts & Science'sAcademy of Interactive Arts & SciencesThe Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences , founded in 1996, is a non-profit organization that promotes computer and video game entertainment with the annual D.I.C.E. Summit event, where its Interactive Achievement Awards ceremony has been held annually since 1998...
awarded Dragon Age as the "Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year 2009". - At the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards, Dragon Age: Origins received the Best PC Game and Best RPG awards.
- Dragon Age Origins was chosen as the PC Game of the Year, Best Xbox 360 RPG of the Year, Best Story of the Year, and Best PC Role-Playing Game of the Year by IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
. - The game received Giant BombGiant BombGiant Bomb is an American video game website and wiki that includes gaming news, reviews, commentary, and video, created by former GameSpot editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis in collaboration with Whiskey Media...
's Best PC Game of 2009 award. - Dragon Age: Origins received the Game of the YearGame of the YearGame of the Year is a title awarded by various magazines, websites, and shows to a deserving game. Many are only for PC or console video games...
2009 and RPG of the Year awards from U.S. PC Gamer. - Dragon Age: Origins received the Game of the YearGame of the YearGame of the Year is a title awarded by various magazines, websites, and shows to a deserving game. Many are only for PC or console video games...
2009 award from Spawn Kill. - UFO Gamers awarded the game with both game of the year 2009 and best RPG of 2009 in its Golden Saucers Awards.
- Dragon Age: Origins received AbleGamers Foundation Most Accessibility Mainstream Game of 2009 making it the most accessible game for gamers with disabilities for 2009.
- Dragon Age: Origins received best rookie title of 2009 from the Swedish "Guldstickan" (The Golden Joystick)
In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die
Quintessence Editions Ltd.
Quintessence Editions Ltd. is a publishing company based in London which is the originator of the "1001 Before You Die" series. Typically, the titles in this series are intended as reference books. They are illustrated books authored by multiple contributors...
.
External links
- Dragon Age: Origins official site
- Dragon Age: Origins on MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...