Dragon Age Preview

1Up has published a short preview of Dragon Age, based on what they learned about the upcoming RPG during a visit to the BioWare offices.

– The story is dark-much darker than the usual BioWare fare-and influenced by “realistic” modern fantasy like George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones.

– The game uses an evolved “tactical real-time combat” style of Baldur’s Gate, only in 3D-you queue up orders for multiple party members, pause the game when you need to think, and your party members will be able to execute coordinated attacks.

– Large-scale creature combat will have your characters doing stuff like ducking between legs and jumping on backs of monsters (dare we say dragons?).

– Even though Dragon Age isn’t a D&D game, per se, BioWare is sticking close to those roots with the class and rules systems.

– The game uses a “modified” version of the Mass Effect conversation system we’re all so keen on.

– Depending on the type of character you choose, the game offers multiple different “origin stories”-meaning the first few hours of the game will be totally different depending on which character archetype you choose.

– The game’s actually coming out in late 2007 or early 2008.

Sounds good to me. Let’s just hope they don’t go for the console gamers and keep it PC only.