RPGWatch Game of the Year Awards

RPGWatch has run its dual-pronged game of the year award, where they tally fan votes and do editorial write-ups. The editor’s choice and #1 in polling was – unsurprisingly – Dragon Age: Origins, followed by Risen and Knights of the Chalice.

An age in the making, BioWare finally returns to their roots with a classic fantasy cRPG. It may not quite live up to the heritage of Baldur’s Gate but it’s clear Dragon Age represents a genuine attempt to recreate the atmosphere, tactical, party-based battles and grand adventure that originally made them famous all within a modern framework. The character writing is some of the best in years, with humorous party banter and great voice acting to bring it to life. The overall structure is linear but there are some memorable set pieces and key decisions to make, that impact the gameworld. Some of the underlying mechanics are hit and miss the character development is too linear but the streamlined buff system really works and the (albeit limited) spell combos are fun.

Overall, it’s little surprise that the combination of traditional gameplay, memorable characters and strong production values that Dragon Age represents has been voted the best of 2009.