Review of the game Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening. Game review - Dragon Age: Inquisition Cool plot - yes
It can be called a dedication to the well-known “rainy day”. Imagine taking all the failures in the world—every unjustified choice, every unnecessary betrayal, every screw-up—and cramming them into one game, where these things happen to everyone, everywhere, without even a second's respite.
It seems that nothing can go well in this world: your family is betrayed and killed, the king and comrades too... And who will reunite the lands back? But wait, elves have a problem with werewolves! The magicians brought upon themselves some kind of demonic infection! Not only that, your friend is dying!.. Do you know the saying “Trouble does not come alone”? Well, she comes with a damn legion of friends!
If we put aside complaints about the difficult life of the hero, then we have a very good, albeit gloomy, story. The plot itself is excellent, the texts are filled with emotions (when needed, of course), and there is also that trickle of “epicness” that flows through the entire adventure and makes you return to it again and again. Called a "spiritual successor", it shows the studio's return to "dark fantasy" (but now it's more like D&D). The developers tried their best, finalizing their own ideas and successfully implementing the lessons and.
Combat system Well designed and comfortable, you can even call it stylish thanks to its finishing blows. There are only three basic classes, but each one branches into four more options, so there are quite enough options. Dialogues, given to the player freedom of choice and their influence on the game is a real triumph of the genre. Add to all this a not at all short (but intriguing) campaign, and you get one of best RPG in history.
The same is true on consoles. Each version is slightly different (which is inevitable, given the complete dissimilarity of the platforms), but there is not too much to say about these differences. Like most cross-platform games, the best one came to PC. It's not even a matter of graphics, but rather a matter of management. Personally, I was never able to get comfortable with the gamepad in RPGs. Mouse and keyboard for me!
The action runs much smoother on PC, as do the graphics (you can’t forget about it, right?). I've seen large-scale battles here and there, so now I can say with confidence: they lack epicness and scale on consoles. It's all because of the graphics. PC also allows for a more "tactical" style of play with the ability to zoom out the camera and send a scout forward. But the biggest difference is the interface. MMO veterans will immediately recognize the “skills” panel, WASD controls, and everything else, which together give a completely different feeling than the console version. As you can see, I cannot name a single serious dissimilarity between the versions. Conclusion? This game is equally good on all platforms. On PC it’s a little prettier and (for me) more convenient, that’s all.
Everyone knows: There is no good without bad. has its own set of shortcomings, although they are more mysterious here than anywhere else. For example, with all the development of the story, the beginning of the noble man seems too hasty. The character recovers too quickly from the murder of his entire family, and his brother disappears somewhere from the face of the Earth, returning for a brief moment only at the very end. Where did he go? Fell into a plot hole, no less... Having chased many options for the plot, the developers made a lot of frankly stupid mistakes. They would not exist at the same start “for all”, but would the player benefit from this? I doubt.
Another oddity is the game's literal demonic possession. Whichever campaign is elected, at some point they're bound to have to take down these cheerful guys. Even the elven quest, which at first glance seems like just a boring werewolf extermination, manages to be associated with demons. I expected more variety, especially considering how rich the game world is with all kinds of creatures.
However, this is all nitpicking and grumbling about “But I wouldn’t do it that way.” There are very few real shortcomings (bugs, glitches, etc.). Except for the strange crashes that happen when you try to switch from the game to another window via Alt-Tab.
Conclusion
– a first-class adventure in the world of “dark fantasy”. Fans of installing mods will be disappointed by the inaccessibility of full-fledged tools for working with them. Perhaps the situation will change in the future, but for now we’ll have to enjoy the “vanilla” version of undoubtedly one of the best RPGs of the decade.
Just the mention of Bioware makes a role-playing gamer lean back in his chair, uncover a cup of tea and, with sparkling eyes, remember the most atmospheric and best role-playing adventures of his years. The company donated RPG genre themselves - from their pen came the masterpiece Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars:KOTOR and more. In 2009, they were very hungry for fantasy themes, and... appeared Dragon Age Origins.
Elves and dragons
The point was not to create a classic adventure, but to reinvent the entire genre, discarding stereotypes and darkening everything into the grim realities of everyday life. Here the elves engage in prostitution, are the dregs of society, wander through the forests, ambushing people. Here, magicians are treated with caution, but they also pose a danger not only to others, but also to themselves.
For players familiar with the mechanics of Neverwinter Nights, this will be familiar and understandable: as before, the isometric camera can be brought closer to the characters, an active pause helps distribute actions, be it spells or an attack on one enemy. A sort of hello from the 2000s. But let's get started.
Pestilence
The Great Pestilence has descended on this world. Hordes of creatures of darkness ravage villages, kill people, and threaten entire cities and civilizations. That's not the worst part. The Archdemon is terrible - the dragon that characterizes the coming of Pestilence. Only the Gray Wardens are able to counter this threat - an ancient clan trained and created to fight the creatures of darkness.
The problem is that not everyone can become a Gray Warden. Their initiation rite is kept in the strictest confidence, knowledge of which can easily lead you to lose your head. And according to all the canons of the genre, the Gray Guardian will turn out to be...you.
Already at character creation, the game offers you variability - standard classes, standard races, but... everyone will have a different beginning. And the attitude towards each character will proceed according to his origin. Throughout the game. For examples: a hero who lost his entire family; a magician who lives within the strict framework of established rules.
Over time, the player acquires companions with whom he needs to maintain good relationships, and, over time, they can even develop into something more. A witch who lives in the swamps? A templar with unshakable principles? The local equivalent of a barbarian with a code of honor? And every character is not as simple from the very beginning as you think.
Role-playing games have a very different following these days. For every type of player, there is a game to suit them. Diversity game worlds is constantly expanding, and has already gone far beyond the classical genre. Elves, orcs and dragons are slowly giving way to aliens. And then there are pirates and heroes of the Scientific and Technical Revolution. And even those who can't stand Tolkien and his ilk have slowly become addicted to the deep possibilities of role-playing games. And this segment is faced with a typical problem of any mainstream - games designed for the maximum number of players are simplified as much as possible. And there are many projects. In general, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find, not just advantages, but, simply, differences. Glitches and outright defects do not count.
The desire to make a profit, quickly and more, forces us to produce completely crude and crooked crafts. This matter does not escape the legends - Gothic 3 is proof of this, when the publisher put pressure on the development studio with deadlines. As a result, some kind of buggy beta version entered the market, which only a year and a half later, after dozens of patches (including amateur ones), became playable. And only after that, it turned out that the game was really good. And now, when ideas are exhausted, it’s time to return to the origins of the genre. But, only in a way that would please the oldfags, and not scare off young gamers. The name of this game is Dragon Age: Origins. Classic races, deep, thoughtful role-playing, a decent plot, lots and lots of text to read, and immersion in the atmosphere.
What is a classic RPG? A fantasy world that replicates the atmosphere of the Middle Ages, with its castles, mentality, items of clothing, iron armor, and, of course, most importantly, the impenetrable knightly spirit. Or, on the contrary, treacherous cunning and robbery. Only all this, mixed with a fairy tale: gnomes, elves, dragons, magicians. Naturally, all races have complex relationships based on ancient victories and defeats, grievances and deceit. The player should have choice in character creation and development. Characteristics such as professions, skills, charisma and others are required. Moreover, the gameplay for different characters, should be really different for multiple playthroughs of the single player campaign. And of course, an exciting plot, full of epic twists, saved princesses and defeated dragons. Crafting and a long series of upgrades are required. All this fully applies to Dragon Age.
After launching the game, you won’t immediately see any radical differences from competitors. The same dungeons, the same knights, only epic story is not immediately noticeable. And, to get acquainted with the plot and atmosphere of the game, you will need to read a lot of text, where everything is described in detail. And this is one of the main advantages of the game. The developers did a good job on details such as events and dialogue. Even if the player does not like to read, he will not soon be able to get distracted from the wonderful story. I liked how the relationships between the races were described. It’s not just that some people don’t like others, but the reasons are clearly outlined, and the mood is felt in the dialogues. In which, by the way, there is a developed system of remarks, and not one or two answer options, like in many “role-playing games.” All these advantages make this specimen similar to the classic, best representatives of this genre.
The work of screenwriters is the main thing
And so, for starters, about the plot. As always, the world has to be saved. Every four hundred years, a great demon sends hordes of evil spirits into doomed lands. Four times he managed to fend off such a powerful blow. Here comes the fifth invasion, which you personally have to stop. The task of saving the world constantly falls on the shoulders of the brotherhood of the Gray Guardians. The brotherhood includes representatives of all three races inhabiting Ferelden: people, elves, and gnomes. Also, the brotherhood has no restrictions in choosing one of three professions. Thus, the player receives six options for passing, which differ quite greatly in gameplay. Yes, and they provide six options for starting the main character, which are also very different. But still, the goal is the same, after some time of play, to join the brotherhood and kill the dragon.
Next, unlike its competitors, the game is not only thoughtful, but also serious. And what is medieval reality and seriousness - this is cruelty. And here, too, the game has something to boast about. There is a lot of blood and guts - such bloody murders are rare in games these days. But it's not just them. Relationships and dialogues are cynical, and there is no talk of morality. Everyone betrays each other, is ready to kill innocents for fun. Regardless of the various destinies of the possible characters, each has their own sad fate, and the nasty troubles in which they find themselves. Next, you have to solicit help for the order from the heads of the three races. Even the found document obliging to provide assistance to the Gray Guardians is not a law for peoples who have their own personal problems. No one is trying to help, no one cares about the fate of their small home world.
I talk a lot about the work of screenwriters here for good reason. It's been a long time since it's been so interesting to read something in computer games. In most games, you want to constantly rewind dialogues and videos. Here everything is the other way around. And, I would like to separately mention the relationships between the members of the squad. This is not just a short life story and monosyllabic answers, but best case scenario. Each character has his own impressive story, which he will not share right away, and his own character, on the basis of which he behaves. Different topics, many answer options, other companions will fit into your conversation, with their own opinion, which no one asked. What about the satellites, the onlookers standing nearby will interrupt and bend their line. And it's really interesting.
You can also build love connections with your colleagues.. Gender and race don't matter. Nor does the number of partners. You just have to get acquainted with other people's jealousy, and get used to the fact that an excuse that worked the first time will cause tons of hatred the second time. You can even interact with a dog (fortunately, don’t build romantic relationship), petting or hurting her. The developers have added many pre-prepared characters to the game that you can take into your squad. Although no one bothers you to choose other, simple “non-scripts”. All this, together with the comments that you can make, creates an indescribable atmosphere. I deliberately do not give examples, and speak abstractly, but only so that during the first game, I do not spoil the novelty of the impressions for the reader.
No RPG is complete without battles. In Dragon Age: Origins, you control a party of four people, and you can take that many at a time, and you can have more in your team. Everyone has their own profession and skills, everyone needs to be upgraded and taught new techniques. To make it easier to manage a small squad, there is tactical pause, in which you can not only specify goals and give orders. You can change weapons and spells, use a healing potion. It is worth praising the full control of each ally, between whom you can freely switch. Colleagues who fell in battle rise from the dead if at least one survives. True, they are reborn noticeably damaged, with deteriorated characteristics. This can be corrected through treatment. You have to run away from some opponents, recover, and return to finishing off. Let us immediately note that the game is very difficult. For the first time, the easy level will be a sufficient test.
It's good when simplifying gameplay doesn't lead to casualness
Worth praise artificial intelligence allies. It's not just a matter of adequate behavior, but also the ability to set his fighting style. There are several ready-made behavior options that you can choose from. But what looks more interesting is the ability to assign behavior scripts yourself. That is, you can tell each character how to behave in a given situation. What weapon to use from afar, then choose for the middle of the battle, and then what to finish off with. Do the same with the health bar. Everything is simple and logical. Everyone can be developed, bringing them to an improved class. Only, when selecting a team, it is necessary to take into account not only the required classes, but also the characters of each hero. You should not recruit only those who are dissatisfied with each other. For visual perception, team members can be decorated.
But where the virtual brain let us down is in ordinary inhabitants of the world. The population stupidly goes about their business without reacting to each other. He does it somehow clumsily, and likes to talk without opening his mouth. Even if there is someone willing to talk, his abilities will be limited to a couple of sentences and silent gestures at the end. Even if an epic fight breaks out next to the cleaner, he will calmly sweep the floor. The world is more dead than alive. And in it, you have to live more than sixty hours of the game campaign. The graphics still won’t make you happy, although they won’t make you sad. It is angular and smeared in places, but it is not necessary to play only on an expensive personal computer. But I don’t want to talk about the graphics for a long time. She's not that bad or good.
Dragon Age: Origins definitely great game
. All the disadvantages are more than covered by the advantages. Mediocre graphics and a “non-living world” do not cause disgust against the backdrop of immersion in the plot and vivid dialogues. The combat system looks good, it's difficult to play, and the deep role-playing system and developed leveling tree can easily take several hours. It’s also interesting to play through the game several times, playing with different heroes, recruiting a new team, and building other relationships within the group. The game can be recommended as a must-play for all fans of well-thought-out worlds. And for the rest, to get acquainted with a quality product of the old school. The main disadvantage of this game is that the game drags on for a long time, and you can fall out of social life, like in an MMORPG.
Review of Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Review of Dragon Age: Origins - AwakeningDeveloper: BioWare
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad with a frequency of 2.4 GHz;
RAM: 4 GB (Vista, 7) or 2 GB (XP);
Video card: ATI 3850 512 MB / NVIDIA 8800GTS 512 MB;
Minimum system requirements:
OS: Windows XP (SP3);
Processor: Intel Core 2 with a frequency of 1.4 GHz / AMD X2 with a frequency of 1.8 GHz;
RAM: 1 GB;
Video card: ATI Radeon X850 128MB / NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT 128MB;
20 GB of free space on HDD.
Just like Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening implies the presence original game, before reading this article, it is recommended that you read the review of Dragon Age: Origins
"- Mom! Mom! And I know where the creatures of darkness come from!
Oh, son, have you been playing Dragon Age all night again?..”
And no wonder. It has long been promised that Dragon Age: Origins will receive additions. And finally, after three tiny DLCs, the BioWare studio released another one, this time in human volume: Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening, in Rus' known as Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening. Did it live up to expectations? Has the quality level dropped? did it get rid of the shortcomings of the original? what brought something new? - let's figure it out.
Awakening begins several years after a powerful group led by the Gray Guardians defeated the Blight, a huge army of darkspawn led by the Archdemon. Contrary to expectations, the surviving creatures did not go back underground, as always happened. They split into two warring camps and continued their occupation offensives. They operate most actively in the area around the Tower of Vigil - an ancient fortress into which main character sent as commander of the Gray Wardens. And not a word more about the plot - on the official website they already spoiled everything they could. Believe me, going through the game without knowing anything in advance is much more interesting than constantly catching yourself thinking: “I’ve already seen this.”
There are two ways to start playing Awakening: the first is to create a new character, and the second is to import a ready-made one from Origins. If you create a new one, he will be automatically upgraded to level 18. There are no new classes, but you can immediately choose up to two specializations, which are now available from the very beginning of the game. Then, as usual, you scatter points of characteristics, skills and abilities. There are new additions among them, but they are only available from level 20. As for importing a finished character: of course, if he has not yet reached level 18, he will also be automatically upgraded, and if the level is higher, then no one will force him to reset. Looking ahead, I’ll say that very soon a merchant will become available who sells books with which you can redistribute all the points again, so don’t bother with this.I sincerely hope that you are conscientious and that you will not play Awakening before completing Origins - you risk ruining your pleasure. The menu of small joys includes meetings with old acquaintances, and additional lines in dialogue, and the ending, which explains the fate of our character, will directly depend on how exactly the plot of the original was completed. However, there are many differences gameplay, all of whose value will also be lost if you play Awakening before Origins. Now there will be no camp in the same form as it was before - its place will be taken by the same Vigilance Tower. There will be merchants, craftsmen and plot characters, as well as your partners. The tower itself is completely at your disposal, which means that you will have to look for improvements for it, as well as solve problems that are important for its inhabitants. All your actions will directly lead to different endings.
As a commander, you will also have to look for new recruits to replenish the ranks of the Gray Guardians. There are six of them in total, five of which are new. Each has their own story, their own life and death, as well as an opinion about the actions of their commander. However, obviously, the developers considered that even in Origins they managed to bore the player with kilometers of dialogue, so now there will be less chatter and only to the point. It’s hard to say whether this is good or bad, but they clearly became more talkative among themselves. Listening to arguments is still extremely interesting, so now you won’t be bored on the road. As before, you can give gifts to your companions, but either this is a bug or it was intended to be this way, but now they react the same to everything except very personal ones. That is, now the drunken gnome will be happy with the drink in the same way as the family pendant of another companion, who in turn will also be happy with the drink. Even more surprising is that for some characters the attitude immediately, or almost immediately, becomes maximum.As befits a major expansion, Awakening brings new skills and abilities to the game, and the maximum level is now 35. There are three skills - making runes, and a permanent increase in health and stamina (mana - for magicians). And if with the latter everything is simple, then with needlework it is much more interesting: firstly, now they can be inserted into armor, and secondly, there are much fewer of them than before. In a word, don't pass by. As for abilities, most of all fell to magicians and... archers. Almost useless in Origin, here a single archer is a walking killing machine, capable of taking out an entire squad of enemies single-handedly. However, to use these abilities, as well as the abilities of a magician, the archer must be controlled himself. I'm serious - very soon it will be revealed in statistics that the damage inflicted by an archer on his comrades exceeds (!) that inflicted on his opponents! If you remember, in Origin there was something similar with the golem (but there the ratio was 1 to 3), and with magicians, if you left them to use spells of mass destruction on their own. As for the magicians themselves, they were much luckier: the new abilities not only injure the enemy, but also do it constantly, with almost no downtime. As the developers said, the new spells are more suitable for use in the thick of things. Representatives of other military professions were not left out either. The new abilities of warriors and rogues are, in fact, downright magical, so don't be surprised if you find a ghost among your companions.
You've probably heard that Origins DLC items don't carry over into Awakening. Dismissing the complaints of players who laid out their hard-earned money for them, the developers said that they would still be useless, and they would have to be abandoned very soon, like all other Origins equipment. And they were right. If previously the maximum level of equipment was 7, now items of levels 8 and 9 have appeared. The "chase for the best pantaloons in the world" continues until the final battle. There is still not enough money for everything, but you shouldn’t deny yourself, and if you like some ring that costs a fortune, you can safely buy it. You can also order unique items from the forge in the tower, if, of course, you find all the necessary components.The combat system has not undergone any major changes. Having received a well-deserved scolding from the press and players for unfulfilled promises regarding the interactivity of the environment, Awakening noticeably makes several attempts to correct the matter. But alas, no trend is emerging - the successful use of the capabilities of the physics engine can be counted on one hand. There was also a promise back in Origins to teach companions to hide behind environmental objects, or at least use it in some other way. But there is nothing even close. However, since there was nothing like this before, and this is just an addition, we will not find fault with this beyond measure. After all, it's more of a sign of imperfection game engine. The same cannot be said about the local system of “tactics”. As mentioned above, problems arise with archers and magicians. And it’s all because of the lack of capabilities of tactical schemes, for example, the lack of the ability to search for groups of opponents who have no party members nearby. And this is just one of the features that is sorely lacking in both Origins and Awakening. And this is exactly what could really be fixed in an add-on, if not in a patch.
Moreover, in Awakening this system is also noticeably buggy: for example, I noticed that one of the fighters suddenly stopped using abilities, although he had a full stamina scale, and one battle ago everything worked as it should. It’s also annoying that almost all permanent abilities disappear at the end of the battle, or even just when mana or stamina runs out. Moreover, the effects disappear, and the mana and stamina reserved for them do not return. This happened in Origins, but not on such a scale. If you remember, before the patches in the original there was something like this when empty containers were opened. Now this scourge is also haunting the addition. I'm not even talking about the increased frequency of crashes to the desktop. We are waiting for patches.Now let's talk about the beautiful things, about the graphics. If earlier it was possible to come across objects that clearly had their textures spared high resolution, then now there is no such thing. Detailing has noticeably increased, and eye-pleasing effects now perfectly hide the engine, which is a couple of years outdated. Character models look sharper and better drawn. This is especially true for new types of creatures of darkness, as well as new equipment. The design of the locations is still amazing, and only bears a general resemblance to Origins. The only things I can complain about are the sky and the poorly detailed backdrops in places, but these are minor things. When a tree growing just to the left of the road suddenly pulls a pair of legs out of the ground and heads towards you with the clear intention of beating you, you know, somehow not to the blurry sky and the hills around.
As a side note, Awakening is executed superbly. It's still very interesting to play and very difficult to put down. If you go through it completely, examining every corner, solving all the puzzles, and helping all the unfortunate ones, you can get about 20 hours of gameplay. That's exactly what the statistics showed me. In Origins this value was 90, but it took seven years to make it. So the addition is quite long-lasting. Well, don’t forget about different endings, and several options for passing, as well as achievements that can be unlocked. What's next? It's hard to say. It is possible that the insert with the inscription 01/02/2011 included in the box with Awakening means the release date of the full second part. I really hope so, because for the release of just the second addition, this is too long a time.Gameplay: 8.5
Graphics: 9.0
Control (PC): 8.0
Novelty: 7.0
Expectations met: 90%
The review was written based on familiarity with the Russian version v1.0
There are a few errors in the text. The names of objects are often not completed. The runes suffered most of all, so the “apprentice’s rune” turned into the “student’s rune”. The characters' reactions often do not correspond to the chosen option in the dialogue. The voices are staged well, even very well. It doesn't live up to the English version, but the actors clearly tried very hard. Apparently, the editor received a scolding, or was completely replaced, because, unlike Origin, here the editing was done much more decently.
For a very long time I could not bring myself to take on Dragon Age: Origins, because there were many other good and specifically console projects coming out. However, after listening to stories from friends, I decided to see for myself whether the game was really as good as they say it was, and whether I could like it, adding a little new history and meaning to life.
About the new American RPG:
The eternal question of the battle of views between Japanese and American role-playing games continues to this day. While America infuses its games with an action component, Japan adheres to the good old traditions (at least until 2007 for sure). Where your soul lies is a matter for each individual person, but it’s completely different to compare different games within one genre, game publishers “know how”.
Let’s not get into polemics; it’s none of our business who is there and what they are comparing. But similar to Dragon Age games There is. Who is under attack this time? Perhaps our game is not averse to Oblivion's laurels. (I remember when I first saw the graphics of this game, I was delighted: majestic dilapidated columns, virgin forest... Beauty!)
About the plot:
We ourselves create the plot, living our own lives, but still the key points of each passage are preserved. Our goal is to become members of the elite community of Gray Wardens (a certain order), who fight against the creatures of darkness Darkspawn, which have existed for centuries. And it's not just a name. These monsters have undergone mutations and diseases, hide underground, and only come to the surface in huge hordes at certain times. You firmly believe that the recent revival in the ranks of Darkspawn is caused by the approach of a fateful moment that will subsequently affect the entire world (Blight). However, the people leading the country, forgive the tautology, are not nearly as far-sighted as we are.
Players will have to endure serious trials, betrayals, but, nevertheless, unite with other Gray Warden in order to assemble a powerful army from all races, including people, elves and dwarves. Are we strong together? What a great one! Only we can stop the Darkspawn invasion... or die trying to stop it.
About creation:
At the start of the game, we will be given the important task of choosing the main characteristics of the character. We can delve into 3 races (human, elf, dwarf) and 3 classes (warrior, mage, thief) to decide who will represent us in the game. In addition, the game includes 6 completely original stories that can be completed independently of each other (they are not long in length, and, in the end, you are still required to gather an army). Race affects basic characteristics strength, agility and defense, while class will decide your fate in choosing specializations. There are four of them for each class, but you won’t be able to choose more than two at a time. Whether or not to replay the game for this is enough interesting question, since many aspects and dialogues are related specifically to appearance hero.
About the gameplay:
Following the canons of the genre, the Dragon Age offers a wide range of services, from exploring all corners of the world to eliminating all evil spirits. Collecting useful and not so useful items, discussing and jostling with NPCs, trading, and side quests are present in the game in an almost ideal ratio. In this regard, the game does not get boring. Studying its pixels is quite interesting, not least due to the plot.
The positioning of various classes within the game suggests that battles can use both simple attacks and spells or special techniques. For convenience, actions can be hung on 3 buttons (in console version). Another central button is designed to open the menu. All action freezes at this moment, so you will have plenty of time to organize and think through your next move. The party can include up to 4 active heroes running around a wide area and harassing monsters.
You can turn off the main road if you want to entertain your soul with side quests, which include both the destruction of the monster and conversations with your party. There is also something striking about the approach to the hostile inhabitants of the forest. As soon as you cut out all the reptiles without exception, skip over some important plot trigger, or do some other thing, monsters from certain locations may completely disappear. This imposes a limit on the final level to which characters can be upgraded. Fortunately, it is not as serious as it seems. There are plenty of locations to explore, and an endless series of side quests will allow you to fill the plains and swamps with the necessary living creatures.
About gambits:
You don't have to clean your ears, you heard right. I didn’t want to compare the game with another great series, but after such a vile move, I simply cannot help but mention it. In 2005 Final Fantasy XII appeared in gaming industry with an excellent and thoughtful system of gambits, essentially guiding the actions of the heroes in battles. This is far from the first application of it, it’s just that with the development of AI, everyone really wanted to correct its actions, because a person would have acted differently. And now finale 12 made it possible to set everything up so as not to regret anyone’s actions.
I don’t know whether it’s fortunate or not, but in Dragon Age we see a completely cohesive system with minor minor differences. Everything is also built on scripts, each of which has its own priority, but everything can be configured a little more clearly. In general, don't be afraid if your mages are often subject to physical attacks. Just force strong fighters to use a skill that will distract the enemy from them and attract them to the warrior.
About the party:
Troubled times are taking place in the game at the moment of our connection to this reality, and it is unlikely that you will soon forget it. This is partly due to the characters, who have their own stories and reasons for joining you on your journey. Your group is quite charismatic. Elistar's jokes add believability to this character. In addition, each character displays the so-called “friendliness scale,” according to which it will become clear what kind of relationship you have with this or that person.
Nobody forces you to love and be kind to everyone, but most of the heroes treat you quite well, are partly funny and amusing, and don’t even mind chatting while traveling. Depending on who you included in the party, while running around the cities you can hear a variety of dialogues between group members. Stuff, jokes and other similar things during such conversions maintain the morale of the squad. However, if someone is fed up with your behavior (in the form of negative responses during a conversation), he will leave the squad without further ado. In addition, some may not like your harsh words, while others will perceive them as masculinity and confidence, that is, the qualities of a strong leader.
About the graphics:
The game is solidly average in terms of graphic design. Why? Well, let's at least start with the locations. Essentially, many landscapes repeat themselves. Constructions, buildings, structures and many other elements are standard without any pretentiousness. The Middle Ages are in full swing (in general, few American RPGs develop the theme of the “future”). There is not enough contrast between the whole thing. The game looks gray compared to Oblivion... And there are a lot of open spaces. Behind them, the developers clearly tried to cover up some flaws visual style. And it would be okay if there were only flaws, but it even got to the point of glitches.
Have you ever seen character figures disappear from the battlefield or while exploring locations? If not, then with this game you have every chance to experience this magic (^.^). Moreover, in the PC version, according to players, there are even more of them than in the PS3. At such moments, the autosave function and various patches come to the rescue... Well, why has the time passed when the game was released once and for all, without any patches and other cracks (introduced a patch for Final Fantasy IX, without which Necron disappears from the battlefield, and EXP are not awarded upon reaching level 25)? In general, the presence of such bugs, of course, cannot but affect the players’ attitude towards the game.
But there are also advantages. Despite a certain monotony, the environment does not cause disgust. Also, each race and class looks different, the figures are as detailed as possible. I won’t say that the faces look very believable, but they fully correspond to the standards of the races of people, elves and gnomes that I have. And each character uses “body language” no worse than the main language. So characters can express a whole bunch of emotions by waving their arms, frowning or smiling.
The monsters in the game are also well-designed and unsettling. The most important opponents in the game Darkspawn are disfigured with ugly faces. From the first minutes the game will make you dislike any creature of evil, probably in order to fight it more effectively. Compared to the “beauty” of ordinary characters, this difference looks interesting. By the way, one of the bosses of the game has already appeared in Baldur’s Gate (another game on PS2). There it was secret, but here various Easter eggs are associated with this moment.
A dynamic camera is used in cutscenes. The image does not stupidly switch from one chattering face to another, but very often tries to grab the most favorable angle. They are made very believably, and when we are shown a battle with legions of soldiers, you never cease to admire the work of the people responsible for it (the action scene director???).
About music:
This is one of the strengths games. Partly thanks to the music, partly to the dialogue. Musical accompaniment fits perfectly into the overall harmony of the locations, but you’re unlikely to find any memorable compositions, which means there’s nothing sharp or standout in the soundtrack. Combined with the soundtrack, the game vaguely resembles a movie.
The voice acting in the game is done with high quality: there are practically no pauses, fragments of phrases or even unpronounceable words. By the way, every important character (and most other less significant NPCs) has its own actor who provides the voice. No one soullessly sight reads text. The actors conveyed the moods and emotions of their characters, giving them humanity. There will be enough dialogue in the game for many hours - you had to somehow think through all the possible options for your answers.
About the choice:
It’s good that the story doesn’t follow a pre-planned route. We are free to recruit any army in any order, bringing together different types of people. For example, a platoon of gnomes is able to raise a brigade of golems for an extraordinary attack, and the elves have an alliance with werewolves. The more magicians you have at your disposal, the better your long-range capabilities. If, on the contrary, you rely on brute physical strength, then templars (armored knights) will become your help.
Once the allied forces are formed, the story will be entirely based on your own choices. As Tidus once said: “This is my story.” The ending and the result to which the game will lead you in the end also depend on them, but do not be too optimistic so as not to be disappointed (after all, the endings are not so different from each other). Therefore, if you don’t like games with a huge number of options and an unknown ending, and suddenly you just can’t digest complex and complex plots at all (give you only casual stuff), forget about Dragon Age.
About failures:
The crafting system in this game decided to take a vacation; it is present purely conditionally. Often, upgrades are not worth the money spent on them, so you can run through half the game with the starting weapon. Well, a huge minus for the system of random items. During each playthrough, the game randomly selects items that will appear on the map. So if during one run you find a great sword or helmet in one of the places, the chances of finding it there during the next run are close to zero. Well, why ask, was this necessary? The dungeons aren't much fun either. Many forks end in dead ends, and sometimes wandering through one dungeon only leads to the beginning of another, which is hardly a positive aspect.
About replayability:
It just so happens that the game has a wide selection of classes and specializations, which cannot be discovered and tried in one playthrough, no matter how much we wish it. Opening just one profession of a bloody magician will cost us tens of hours of persistent leveling and work on ourselves. Besides this, there will always be something to strive for. Thus, the DLC released for the game can diversify the story, both with new journeys and battles with new monsters.
The game will more than once provide the opportunity for fateful choices that directly affect the course of the plot (fight/not fight a monster, help/not help NPCs), and the variety in difficulty levels will allow you to return to it more than once. The duration of the game without DLC is set at around 60 hours of playing time, and additional add-ons increase this figure by an average of another 10-12 hours.
About the conclusion:
Without unnecessary emotions (I don’t know how to feel them for ARPGs), I’ll say that it’s simple good game. Based on the relationships between the characters, moving along the lines of the plot, overcoming clouds of bugs, we can still get real pleasure from the game. In general, even if I was able to extract something from it, fans of this genre will clearly like it.
