Dragon Age: Origins Review and Video

IGN AU steps up with their review of Dragon Age: Origins, in which they award the PS3 version of BioWare’s latest RPG offering a 9.0 in both “gameplay” and “lasting appeal”, an 8.0 in “presentation”, and a 7.5 in both “graphics” and “sound”. The result is an overall score of 8.4/10 and the following conclusion:

Supposing you’ve been waiting, as we have, for Baldur’s Gate III to appear from the ether is Dragon Age: Origins the next best thing? You bet. To be certain, it’s fun, the gameplay is tried and true and the tale has enough twists and intrigue to keep you levelling your way towards the conclusion dozens of hours later.

But given that it’s a wholly similar experience to its lineage, Dragon Age: Origins is still arguably inferior to 2000’s Bioware masterpiece. Why? Perhaps it’s the idea that 2D design at its best utterly squashes middle-of-the-road 3D environments that have already been superseded by competitors. Perhaps it’s the all-too-frequent lashings of ‘Lord of the Rings’ that overshadows the more delicate tales like the plight of the downtrodden Elves or the careful interplay of your party characters as you walk along the bland countryside. Or perhaps it’s that unshakeable feeling that, after ten years, maybe High Fantasy needs to take a few more risks, lest it be forgotten like the realms it inhabits.

And if you’re looking for some more Dragon Age content on this Monday morning, you can head over to Just Push Start for a video of the Xbox 360 version’s first ten minutes.