Dragon Age: Origins

[CovenantJr]

And this stuff is not available for the console games?
Both the PS3 and the X-Box have internet accessibility...
...as well as the Wii, although apparently DA:O isn't being released for the Wii.

~*~edit~*~

ack, you must have edited after I previewed

Haha, my foresight astonishes me sometimes.

Some console versions of games come with built-in level editors and things, which approximates to one aspect of modding, but you don't really get player-made mods on consoles. I assume it's because they're just not built for that kind of work. Modding involves basically creating new parts of the game, and games (whatever they're intended to be played on) are not developed/programmed on consoles, they're done on computers. As I said, I think modding on consoles should be possible in theory, but it would probably be very clumsy to do using a console controller. Maybe there's some other technical reason it can't be done; my technical knowledge has very definite limits.

[The Dreaming]

I think it's more practical than anything else. The kind of people that mod games are extremely computer saavy people. ALL games are designed on computers at any rate, it's just that developers learn to design for the console they are working with. For a modder, they generally don't bother. People who enjoy modding tend to be PC gamers. While there are certainly hacks and mods available for consoles, (I'm currently in the process of learning to hack my PSP firmware so I can play ROMS on it.) there is just an added degree of difficulty in developing the content for them.

Not to mention, PC Users usually get a lot of support from developers (look at what happened to the guys who developed the Half-Life mods Counter-Strike and Team Fortress years ago, they all work at Valve now) Hacking into consoles is pretty much universally frowned upon by the console makers. (It will instantly void your warranty)

Suffice it to say, amateur developers tend to work strictly on the PC. The toolsets developers use are all for the PC, which is why if they want to release it, pretty much only PC users get access to it.

Now there has been some work done on vintage consoles. I have played plenty of modded ROMS of classic games before. (The simplest being translations of never localized Japanese classics)

[Xar]

Ok, a few days ago I finished my first run of the game... and I have to say, it IS a darn good game. The story is solid, the main quests are fascinating and deeply mired into the history of the fictional world of Thedas, it's clearly an epic fantasy... Some highlights that I particularly liked follow below behind spoiler tags (for those who don't want to know anything before starting).

Spoiler

* The Battle of Ostagar cinematic, shortly after the beginning of the game, already sets the epic mood of the story and it is very well done;
* The whole quest for the Urn of Sacred Ashes has a heavy "search for the Holy Grail" feel about it, and I think the buildup to the quest's climax is extremely well done, especially the cinematic at the very end of the quest;
* The politics going on in Orzammar, the dwarven city, and the search for the Anvil of the Void - whereupon you discover a few things that lead you to a very difficult choice, morality-wise).
* Continuing on that path, the fact that many times the choices you have to make are not ethically obvious, and there is no obvious reward for choosing one path rather than the other;
* The whole Landsmeet sequence, where you get to choose a king (and might choose to rule the kingdom yourself, in a certain case);
* The way talent choice leads to very different characters within the same class - i.e. the shield-and-sword warrior who slams foes in the face with his shield vs the two-weapon warrior who slices them open;
* The final battle for Denerim, where the developers make you feel epic by giving you the ability to kill most foes with a single blow;
* The battle with the Archdemon and the final choice you have to make.

I could go on, but I guess you get my drift. I seriously hope that, apart from the DLCs they're already announcing, they will come out with full-fledged expansion packs (especially if they find a way to continue the story after the end of the game, which might be... tricky).

And now on to the second run as a mage...[/spoiler]

[Loredoctor]

I am currently playing the game as an Elf Mage. It's a phenomenal game.

[The Dreaming]

One minor gripe - They could have made the dog more valuable later in the game. Don't ask me to explain why, but I LOVE games that include beloved pets as major characters. (I.E. Secret of Evermore)

[Menolly]

Beorn is having a blast.
He chose the same race and class as you, Lore.
Still working on his first time through.

[Xar]

Bioware has announced an expansion pack for Dragon Age, called Dragon Age: Awakening, which will be released on March 16, 2010.

dragonage.bioware.com/awakening

[Holsety]

Working on my first playthrough of the game. Noble dwarven female rogue, I tend to like playing females in the bioware games I have played for some reason.

Honestly, I was blown away by the storytelling in Mass Effect, they have actually managed to top it. All of the characters are richly fleshed out and intensely likable, the combat system is basically a version of the Infinity D&D refined to work as a game, not a tabletop.

I don't know whether I like the story for this game more or less than Mass Effect yet, but I definitely agree with you on the gameplay. ME1 even on insane was a pretty easy game for the most part, as long as you avoid snipers and rockets well. In Dragon Age, I find myself losing characters fairly often even on normal difficulty against any random encounter with more than one mage in it, mostly because of the disables. Not to mention that hurlock emissary spell that drains health and keeps you from using healing potions. (actually, even since I recruited Wynne that seems to have stopped, because I can heal my disabled characters with her - I didn't think heals would be so effective in a game where damage racks up so quickly).

And it does it without making you sit through a 20 minute unskippable tutorial like a JRPG would.

Can't you skip the FF12 tutorials? It has been a long time for me...

Now there has been some work done on vintage consoles. I have played plenty of modded ROMS of classic games before. (The simplest being translations of never localized Japanese classics)

Actually, there are even people hacking translations for japan-only DS games (7th Dragon comes to mind). I'm not sure if there are any notable japan-only games for the next gen home consoles though...

The wii has actually been hacked to allow homebrew, and I know I have it "within my capacity" to hack my copy of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. There are actually people on the forums working on (or discussing working on) a hack to balance the game, messing around with growth rates and the like.

[Worm of Despite]

I am currently playing the game as an Elf Mage. It's a phenomenal game.

Between my value of your opinion and Dreaming's excellent review, I may just spend half my budget to get this game. Besides--Baldur's Gate 2 was my favorite game ever for a long time, and if this is the "spiritual successor", then I have procrastinated far too long!

[Rigel]

I've been playing it, but with mixed feelings.

For one, I think that the quality of their games has gone down since the disbanding of Black Isle. For all Bioware's good intentions, nothing post BGII has been anywhere near as good as what came before (KOTOR was good, but not as good as BG; and I'm one of the few people I know who thinks the writing in Mass Effect was so mind-numbingly horrible that I couldn't stomach finishing it).

The other thing is that I often want to pick up a game for 10 or 15 minutes at a time; if I expect to be quitting in 15 minutes, I seriously wonder about whether it's even worth it to load Dragon Age, while I've finished Shadow Complex close to a dozen times already.

[Worm of Despite]

I've been playing it, but with mixed feelings.

For one, I think that the quality of their games has gone down since the disbanding of Black Isle. For all Bioware's good intentions, nothing post BGII has been anywhere near as good as what came before (KOTOR was good, but not as good as BG; and I'm one of the few people I know who thinks the writing in Mass Effect was so mind-numbingly horrible that I couldn't stomach finishing it).

I agree with ya totally. If you want amazing writing (and I wouldn't be surprised if you're familiar with it), you should try Planescape: Torment. Great dialogue. Can spend an hour talking to a character and actually like it--or win the game through conversation alone.

[CovenantJr]

The other thing is that I often want to pick up a game for 10 or 15 minutes at a time; if I expect to be quitting in 15 minutes, I seriously wonder about whether it's even worth it to load Dragon Age, while I've finished Shadow Complex close to a dozen times already.

Isn't that more a reflection on your lifestyle than a flaw in the game, though?

[Rigel]

The other thing is that I often want to pick up a game for 10 or 15 minutes at a time; if I expect to be quitting in 15 minutes, I seriously wonder about whether it's even worth it to load Dragon Age, while I've finished Shadow Complex close to a dozen times already.

Isn't that more a reflection on your lifestyle than a flaw in the game, though?

Absolutely. Yet it contributes to my mixed feelings about the game

Of course, I've been really busy with school lately... it seems with some classes, I can spend a total of 1 hour per week doing homework and make it through... this last class is Applied Calc II, and I've been spending 20+ hours on homework every week, meaning there have been stretches of 3 or 4 days in a row where I don't play any games at all (except Pardus, of course). But I'm taking the final today, and then that class will be done. Hopefully my next classes will leave me a tad more time for fun (not too much, though... I want to get through as soon as possible, after all).

[CovenantJr]

It's good that you've got your priorities straight. I know too many people who haven't, sometimes including me.

[Queeaqueg]

Game is good though slightly annoying at times lol

If anyone knows how to get do 250 damage in single hit, i would like that because 1 of 2 achievements i need to get my Platinum trophy cheers

[DukkhaWaynhim]

You will need a very high strength warrior buffed for extra strength and attack damage, and the mob must be debuffed for armor, rooted and stunned so you auto-crit and do max damage.

It *may* also work with a buffed high-strength rogue stealthed using a dual-weapon attack, and mob with the same debuffs as above.

dw

[Queeaqueg]

I can't do it lol might have to miss this trophy out. Must be possible with a mage?

[DukkhaWaynhim]

Just got the Awakenings expansion today. New specializations, new talents/spells, new items, new characters, and of course, new quests. It builds on the previous game, so you can take your existing main characters to higher levels.

I'm replaying Origins with a mage character at the moment, so will probably wait until I solve the game again before I start Awakenings. [first game, I used a noble human warrior]

Overall, I'm impressed with the replayability of the game. There is so much variety in the character/character interactions, and the specializations and combat experience differs so much from class to class, that it feels like it can be replayed multiple times. In fact, I'm considering a third run as a rogue character.

I find it interesting to see the same story from multiple and unique angles. I will say that the game presents a number of options, some of which lead to wild plot branchings, while others take a different gait down the same path. I believe there is the appearance of more variety than actually exists, as players are certainly steered throughout. However, since the game avoids smiting you with instant outcomes of your actions, you are left with satisfaction in some choices, and regret for others, but the story goes on.

Lots of fun! I recommend this game, and believe it to be the best PS3 game I've played so far (there are other great ones, but fantasy RPG is my sweet-spot genre). If they make this multiplayer, I may die of happiness.

[The Dreaming]

Yeah, between this and ME2 I am starting to get really excited about the MMO Bioware is developing. Their recent outings have been extremely impressive. It's goddamn refreshing to see a developer who can actually improve on their weaknesses and send out more refined and higher and higher quality products year after year. I never thought it could get better than BG2, but DA finally gives it a run.

It's depressing to compare the awesome maturity of Bioware with Squaresoft. There is a studio that has finally imploded under it's own damn weight. XIII is a god damn mess. I thought XII actually had a good game hidden inside of it, but XIII is a chintzy parody of their earlier work. I need to get an XBOX so I can play the true successors to FF, the Mistwalker games Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey.

[Tjol]

I bought this when it came out, in hopes for more Baldur's Gate, and wasn't too disappointed. My sister and father also have copies, and the game has enough to it that it occasionally comes up in conversation.

The next upgrade to the game would be to work on having a mod creation and sharing system put together for the consoles. I didn't play a lot of Neverwinter Nights, but I know the user created mods were one of the things that made the game great. I know Dante's Inferno is setting up a user mod making interface so it's obviously not an impossibility with consoles. (Not to mention Little Big Planet, which I haven't played with, but which obviously shows the PS3's ability to handle user created content).