Dragon Age Origins: I want to want to love it

[tlozoot]

Restart your game, and play it without reloading any of the saves. It's seriously cool to see the choices you make coming back to you later on, for better or worse, without you being able to do anything about them. It might hurt if you lose a character, but it inspires a second playthrough then when you know what to do different for a new experience. I found the game hit its stride in the main quest after Lothering, so keep going at it. I've since put about 80 hours into it, and that's half way through a second play through.

 

[Brotherofwill]

I had a very mixed experience with DA:O. I played it almost to the bitter end.

*slight spoiler* Morrigan suddenly offered me her chastity and told me to make her pregnant, at that point I blacked out and when I came insi to my senses again she told me she'd carry monster Satan and I was like "lolwut?".

After that I stopped. Seemed like the main objective had been done (what what!!), storming some castle and fighting a dragon? Yeah right, my ass. Deal with your plight yourself, I'm off to score on that red haired girl whose name I totally forgot.

It was more or less a fun experience for 40 hours or so. The characters were mixed, I felt like I didn't really matter in the world. Inventory was limited, character progression was too strict and uneventful. It was decent. Still massively prefered it to ME2, which really dissapointed me (Miranda was like: Whatever you say boss. I'm your employee. I will serve you and later on reveal I have some serious daddy issue which you can fill in my life, repeatedly....Too easy, like giving out KFC at a rugby game in Australia.)

DA:O just seems to hammer away at my obsessive compulsive button constantly, I always find myself reloading when a convo happens and a random party member takes offence at my chivalry/wickedness; or I miss a dialouge option and a missable piece of treasure is locked away forever. These small things gnaw away at me for ages and make me think if I reload to a few minutes before I might be able to make things go better, and this usually makes the game feel like a chore instead of enjoyable. As it stands I think I've restarted the game a good 8 times but have never gotten past more than a couple of massive plot areas post-Lothering.

I get that alot when playing RPGs, like Fallout 1/2. Didn't get it a whole lot in DA:O. DOn't know why, maybe I didn't care enough about the story.

 

[thetrue13th]

I loaded up DA:O after seeing some recommendations and at my friend's request that I not miss it. It cost £14.99. That part's important.
So I played a dwarf commoner and was surprised to find that the gameplay was actually quite crap; the combat felt unresponsive and clunky. Giving it another chance, I chose another origin story and this time played a mage elf. And, to be honest, it didn't really improve. More honestly, i spent the whole 5 hour experience wanting to scoop every character's eyeballs out and shove them into their mouths. I asked my friend what to do about this and he said that the game improves alot if you purchase the DLC. So, I loaded up the DLC menu, and crapped my pants a little, because the DLC he was recommending was £31.99! When DLC for a F***ing game costs twice as much as what you paid for it, you know something is a bit off. I know people say that it's a good time sink, but come on! I got GOTY oblivion for £9.99, and that's at least as long Dragon Age Origins. Duke Nukem Forever will come out sooner than the day that I pay £46.98 total for a freaking time sink. Much less one with an uninteresting storyline and crappy gameplay. Point is, if you don't like a game, stop forcing yourself to try and like it, just because everyone else does. You have much more fun that way. If a game is starting to bore you, trade it in and play something else, it'll be a much better use of your time (and money)!

 

[Gyrefalcon]

I agreed with the OP, but I found that once I perservered, the game really opened up. I know, 'a game that takes a while to get good isn't a good game' but I feel that Dragon Age is an exception to that rule - it's more of a slow burner than 'bad' at the beginning, and it fouls the pacing up a bit but it's not so bad. My personal favourite origin is the female city elf, which is really, really well done, and I think I was a bit disappointed that it didn't play a more vital role in my story, but oh well.

That really was the biggest complaint outside of the AI for the companions early on. But I've seen it alter things a bit later in the game, MUCH later it's true. But I agree that the City Elf was one of the best put together openings. Some of the others were dull, some funny but that one really had teeth and drew you in well.

 

[Toasted Nuts]

I really enjoyed this game, I literally finished it yesterday. I thought the story was brilliant and the way you became immersed in the game was great. I enjoyed all the different character backgrounds and liked the way it affected how people treated you and i thought all the conversations were good because it wasnt a simple alignment scale of good/evil.

This has to be one of my favourite games of recent memory, and though I can understand your gripes Im a little upset with the way that Dragon age 2 is just going to be like Mass Effect 2 but with swords. I have mass effect 1&2 for the action. Dragon age origins offered something different, a great in depth world (much more so than Mass Effect 2) great moral grey area where there wasnt a simple bad/good scale which honestly didnt affect much. My thoughtout tactical fighting (totally unlike mass effect 2)

I love both games because they are both great but also different from each other. Now they are gonna be the same turns me off.

To OP i think firstly you should stop restarting, just play the game through make your choices and stick with them, in that way you complete the game having AFFECTED the gameworld you were in because of your choices, not a simple standard linear story. Thats what makes this game so good, be lost in the narrative and enjoy it.

It might just turn out this isnt your cup of tea, which is fine. I suggest you just give up now then

 

[are.you.the.god.its.me.vader]

I had the exact problem with Mass Effect. I WANTED to love it! I even went through it like twice (each time playing different ways) but alas...

 

[Eumersian]

Hello all, this is my first ever new topic post so please bare with me.

It did require a little work for me to not think about it as much, or I might have realized that it was very generic. It was fun to play though.

Also, congrats on creating a decent first thread. My first thread made me look like a goon.

 

[WelshDanny]

Well I thought it was awesome, and I really felt like I got to know some of the characters. I'm waiting for Awakenings to arrive in the post now.

 

[Deshin]

It did require a little work for me to not think about it as much, or I might have realized that it was very generic. It was fun to play though.

Also, congrats on creating a decent first thread. My first thread made me look like a goon.

Oh I'm sure a few people consider me a bit goony after this one, but thanks all the same.

I have heard Awakenings is meant to be a more linear version of the game; does anyone reckon if I buy and finish that it would get me more into the mindset of the game?

 

[Ryum]

I don't like the combat in the game, and don't really understand why people do. It's so boring and about as nonimmersive(probably not a word) as fantasy game combat can get in a modern game

 

[DustyDrB]

It's one of Bioware's weakest, but I still liked it. Sten has got to be the most bland character in a RPG of this type. But the big fights make it all worth the while. I actually prefer Awakening.

 

[TPiddy]

Dragon Age was a pretty solid effort, but the game's never really about your character, it's about the other characters. The Loghain plot is very well executed and offers a good way to pad the game length before you hit the final boss. Oghren, Shale, Morrigan and even Alistair are all deeply detailed characters, even if some of them subscribe to Bioware Archetypes.

I would sometimes stop walking for fear of interrupting one of the companion conversations because they're just so good. Through straight up game play you could probably beat the game in 20-25 hours, but I had so much fun exploring the characters I wanted to see every side of every conflict. I had 4 full playthroughs and then I completed the other two origins for a total of 125 hours on the first, and another 2 playthroughs of the expansion for a grand total of 170 hours of Dragon Age.... time well wasted.

 

[TPiddy]

I don't like the combat in the game, and don't really understand why people do. It's so boring and about as nonimmersive(probably not a word) as fantasy game combat can get in a modern game

But that's the thing... it's not a 'modern' game.... the combat system is derived from D & D, but hidden so that it appears to be real time. It's going to appeal to strategists and collectors who like seeing damage figures and the effects of their commands. It's not for button mashers or hack 'n' slashers.

 

[Ascarus]

In DA:O your character just sits there with a stupid look on his face as you hammer out walls of text at NPCs who all stand to attention like soldiers and only turn their heads (even at supposedly uncomfortable angles) to face you.

this i completely agree with. while i was able to connect with the NPCs in the game, having no voice to associate with my character made him somewhat sterile. dragon age 2 will hopefully give my playable character more depth.

but as a few have mentioned the first couple hours of DA:O were pretty slow as the game is trying get you used to the mechanics. after you leave lothering, it picks up pretty quickly.

and i wouldn't sweat too much about missing a small piece of dialog here and there or about losing a small amount of influence here and there, i found you can make up all the influence you need if you find (and you will find them) the gifts for each member of the group.

 

[TPiddy]

I loaded up DA:O after seeing some recommendations and at my friend's request that I not miss it. It cost £14.99. That part's important.
So I played a dwarf commoner and was surprised to find that the gameplay was actually quite crap; the combat felt unresponsive and clunky. Giving it another chance, I chose another origin story and this time played a mage elf. And, to be honest, it didn't really improve. More honestly, i spent the whole 5 hour experience wanting to scoop every character's eyeballs out and shove them into their mouths. I asked my friend what to do about this and he said that the game improves alot if you purchase the DLC. So, I loaded up the DLC menu, and crapped my pants a little, because the DLC he was recommending was £31.99! When DLC for a F***ing game costs twice as much as what you paid for it, you know something is a bit off. I know people say that it's a good time sink, but come on! I got GOTY oblivion for £9.99, and that's at least as long Dragon Age Origins. Duke Nukem Forever will come out sooner than the day that I pay £46.98 total for a freaking time sink. Much less one with an uninteresting storyline and crappy gameplay. Point is, if you don't like a game, stop forcing yourself to try and like it, just because everyone else does. You have much more fun that way. If a game is starting to bore you, trade it in and play something else, it'll be a much better use of your time (and money)!

First of all... you're just stupid.... The game didn't retail for 14.99 GBP when it first came out, you got a deal on it. Second, the DLC you're referring to for 31.99 GBP is a full EXPANSION. It's essentially a second, smaller game. So no, they did just make a game and then charge twice the cost of the game for some simple DLC.

And then you try to compare it to a 9.99 GOTY edition of a game that had been out for a year? Get real. There's nothing wrong with Dragon Age's pricing model... though I think there may be something wrong with you.

 

[Mikeyfell]

well, in the defense of Dragon Age you can't do it in one play through
it wasn't until my third play through that I figured out how the combat works
I'm in my seventh play through, but to keep in interesting I had to do it differently every time
different origin stories, different class or specialization, but most importantly different attitude. you can't play as what you would do EVERY time. or for that matter try to do it perfectly. I got everyone to 100% disposition, but i had to cheat the system a little

I know what you mean about the wooden characters. Bioware needs to Mo Cap their actors
one of the worst moments in the game for me is when you meet Lady Isolde and she speaks with so much emotion but her animation is the same one everyone uses to tell you off

to me all the fun is in the conversations and if you don't like the characters I don't know what to say to you....try harder. I really liked all the characters, except Leliana

 

[Irony's Acolyte]

I think the main problem here is that you seem to be having trouble looking at the game as it is rather than what you think it should be. This game is not like Morrowind. You shouldn't expect to be able to free-roam everwhere. Don't expect to. Its like expecting MW2 to have constantly upgrading weapons that have different stats because Borderlands has them. Games are different from one another, even within their own genre (which is usually hard to label now a days).

The main problem I see is that perhaps this game just isn't too your taste. Some people like RTS's, others may say that they are too far removed from the action. Some gamers enjoy racers, other get bored with driving a car around the same track several times. Its not that these people are flawed because they can't appreciate a genre or game. Its just that they have a different taste in games. Its like music. All just because you don't enjoy a song doesn't make it bad.