Incredibly deep and expansive, Dragon Age: Origins is one of those titles that can easily swallow up dozens of hours of play and keep you coming back for more. The fact that BioWare chose to include downloadable content, including a new character and side quest, on launch day proves that they have an extensive plan for supporting the game. Couple that with the fact that each character can be developed in radically different ways, and you have an adventure that earns its own place among BioWare's expansive RPG collection. While the visuals are a bit underwhelming and the difficulty is a bit easier on the consoles, this is still a great title. This is the kind of adventure that fantasy RPG fans have been hoping that BioWare would deliver – a game with a ton of re-playability and an incredibly vivid world that is the start of an impressive franchise.
9.0 Presentation
A rich and vivid world, loads of mature themes and story expand the tale of Ferelden in front of your eyes. Inconsistent Origin elements and the gift feature weakens believability though.
7.5 Graphics
Muddier textures and framerate hitches wind up making the visuals on the console a rough experience. Animations are fine, if a little stiff at times.
8.5 Sound
Voice acting can be hit or miss, and some effects can go on for too long, but the music and the majority of sound effects are excellent.
8.5 Gameplay
Gameplay is definitely action focused, and the radial wheels do a decent job, but the difficulty level is scaled down.
9.5 Lasting Appeal
Set aside a large amount of time for this one – beating the game will frequently make you want to pick up and play again to see just how a decision or a conversation would be different.
8.7
Great OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)
