Dragon Age: Origins Review

BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins is getting some additional mainstream exposure, thanks to an enthusiastic review of the game in The New York Times.

In all, Dragon Age must contain hundreds of thousands, if not more than a million, words of dialogue. And there is no way to hear even half of it on a single playthrough because the characters interact with one another in various combinations and there are so many different ways to approach each conversation, not only with your main companions but also with the hundreds of other characters who populate Ferelden.

More than 130 different voice actors contributed to Dragon Age, and if there is one person in the entire production who deserves special praise, it is Caroline Livingstone, the game’s voice-over director and producer. It is so easy and common for dialogue in fantasy games (and films, for that matter) to come off as stilted and hokey, especially when you’re working with European accents. But Ms. Livingstone, who also cast the game, did a simply spectacular job of eliciting performances that generally sound incredibly, immersively natural. There are scenes of deeply touching grief, sorrow and emotional tension in Dragon Age, and Ms. Livingstone’s cast sells those moments with aplomb.

But what is a great cast without a great script? The team of writers led by David Gaider delivered one, and also a torrent of ancient tales, fables, allegories, and contrived documents that give the land of Ferelden a rich sense of historical depth and meaning.