Assuming most of us picked this up yesterday and spent some time with it, Post your first impressions here.
 
Grabbed the Steam version last night.  Downloaded pretty fast, about 3 hours or so.
 
Picked a Dwarf Commoner for my starting character.  
 
Graphics wise, the game looks great on my computer with below recommended specs in the ram department and marginally better everywhere else.  I had no slowdowns, no jaggies etc, graphical settings on high.  
 
Gameplay wise, from the first time I saw that circle under my character, I though "man....this really is Baldurs Gate 3".  This is not a bad thing.  I've only gotten about half way through my starting zone (I'm escaping the dungeon now) but from what I've seen, I'm really excited for this game to start ramping up.  I think the thing that makes it for me is so far, I haven't had to wrestle with ANYTHING.  The menus are perfect, control is ok with the mouse, although I tend to use a combo of the keyboard when in towns etc and the mouse when in combat.  I've had no issues with characters not doing what I want (partly thanks to the pausing) etc...
 
I'd have to give it a lot more time for a proper review score, but My initial impression of this game is super positive.

" efe "

" @HotSauceMagik said:

" efe "

..........k? "

Too bad my copy hasn't arrived yet. It's probably in the post office; it should arrive tomorrow. Can't wait!
 
Do you think someone that has never played a CRPG like Baldur's Gate before should play on easy? I'm considering doing that for my first character.

So this is what the game is like, I'm really on the borderline of buying it after your statement.

" @Alphawolfy: Play on easy man, or normal if you're feeling brave, this game is NOT easy.  I'm playing on hard and I've died a good dozen times to just random mobs, and that's in the first few hours of the game. "

I started with an Elf city dweller - good story so far, about 3 hours in. The music is amazing. This game is definitely NOT for the short attention span gamer, which sadly is a majority of the U.S. gamers today (Thanks XBOX and TV)
 
If you miss the deep and lengthy plot, endearing charm, and immersive solo play of  the PC games of yesteryear, a la Ultima, Might and Magic, Baldur's Gate, Fallout 2 - with a few PSX RPG qualities I might add - then this game is for you.
 
More to report as I progress, but so far... so very very good.

Playing on Normal, figured i'd rather have a little bit of a challenge. Haven't died much to random mobs just twice due to traps and not expecting them. Also you can swap difficulties any time you want (atleast on the PC version) so if something is too hard i'll just drop it down. Planning on multiple playthroughs and if its not too bad on normal ill go hard for my second.

I played about 4 hours last night night and the game has really, really impressed me.
 
The menu systems are well done and easy to navigate. I really like how clean everything looks and it's easy to manage your inventory, talent points, skill points, etc. I couldn't imagine trying to play this with a controller. :/
 
The graphics are fantastic for the most part and I'm running the game on the highest settings. I went to a place last night that had a view so incredible I took a few screenshots. :) There are some places that have muddy textures and some things look a bit dated, but for the most part the game looks phenomenal on my PC. 
 
The animations are pretty awesome, especially in combat. Seeing my warrior impale a guy to death multiple times really fast is exhilarating. The decapitations are pretty awesome as well. >:D
 
The combat is a lot of fun for me. I'm sure some people won't dig it and I can understand it. It's incredibly similar to WoW but has it's own quirks. I played a lot of WoW, so I feel right at home here. I rolled a Warrior and he has a taunt move which increases the amount of hate the enemy has torwards me, which in turn allows the mage and archer fight from a safe distance and the rogue is able to attack from behind for massive damage. :) It's almost identical to a 5-man party in WoW, yet you control it all by yourself.  I haven't yet gotten myself a proper party, but I really can't wait until that happens and the difficulty ramps up. Micro-managing seems like it will be a lot of fun, it's just not necessary where I am at the moment.
 
My first impression is that this is a phenomenal game all-around. I'm having a blast and I'm only at the beginning. I can't wait to see what skills open up as the game progresses and I level my party. The thought of fighting giant trolls, dragons, and undead give me a lot to look forward to as well. I highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoys a deep fantasy RPG. You'll love it.

My impressions are nearly identical to yours. I've played a good 45 minutes to an hour past my Origins story (City elf, for those curious) and I must say that the UI is extremely tight, animations are smooth, looks fairly pretty and the dialogue is some of the best acted I've heard. Hell, the dialogue is so good that for what I first thought was going to be generic-fantasy-plot actually feels much more alive and I was drawn right into the lore of it all. 
The combat is OH so good. It feels appropriately frantic, like you're fighting for your life (which gives even more reason to know what abilities to use within your party, and when) 
I think my only complaints so far is: Graphical glitches when looking out over the swamp when you make it to Ostagar, and that I can't just F1,F2,F3,ect. to different characters while in the inventory screen.

" @Galbrezu said:

" @Alphawolfy: Play on easy man, or normal if you're feeling brave, this game is NOT easy.  I'm playing on hard and I've died a good dozen times to just random mobs, and that's in the first few hours of the game. "

Haha I got steamrolled by the very first group of mobs I faced.  I forgot that in order to succeed, you actually need to use some strategy. "

I haven't picked it up yet, waiting till the 5th for me to pick up my Collector's Edition!

" @Galbrezu: It may autosave, but remember, this is a PC game: QUICK SAVE (aka F5)  is your friend :P "
 
 

" @Galbrezu: It may autosave, but remember, this is a PC game: Save Game is your friend :P "

" @Galbrezu said:

" @Alphawolfy: Play on easy man, or normal if you're feeling brave, this game is NOT easy.  I'm playing on hard and I've died a good dozen times to just random mobs, and that's in the first few hours of the game. "

Haha I got steamrolled by the very first group of mobs I faced.  I forgot that in order to succeed, you actually need to use some strategy. "

Like it so far, the story is pretty engaging and the characters seem well done.  The sheer amount of options and strategies make it a little daunting at first ,considering that I haven't really played this type of game in the past.
 
Probably going to have to replay the tower part as I have no way to heal myself at the boss, which sucks butt.

" Some of the dialogue options are hilarious. It's great that they give you so many minor choices, and how they impact your party's respect for you. "

Haha yeah some of the options are pretty good.  I typically play sort of a chaotic good character and you come across a lot of funny dialogue options that way.

I've played as:
 
Human Noble
Dalish Elf and City Elf
Dwarf Noble
 
Personally, I prefer the Elf origin stories. They seem to be more "alive" than the other two I tried.
 
I still haven't decided on what I'd like to go all the way with. I'm kind of partial to my Dalish Elf.
 
The game is pretty good so far (I've put about 12 hours into the game.).

I'm pretty impressed with how well it plays on the xbox360, considering its complexity and obvious PC pedigree.  The combat is hugely satisfying, and I'm already appreciating how well balanced melee vs ranged vs magic attacks are.  I'm playing an elven rogue with dualwielding axe/dagger and crossbow at the moment, and even developing combat strategies for this one character is very entertaining.   Go for the backstab!
 
Also? Grenades are awesomesauce.  
 
Shameless Self-Promotion: I've posted my first impressions of Dragon Age on the blog my wife and I just started.  It's available at http://turnbased.automagick.us if you'd like to visit.

can you tactic positioning? like self > position > behind enemy or something?
i didn't find anything like that yet, and when i'm not playing with my rogue, i'd like him to be able to backstab people ...

" @Binman88 said:

" Some of the dialogue options are hilarious. It's great that they give you so many minor choices, and how they impact your party's respect for you. "

I now regret not finding/seeing/choosing that option when i talked to him earlier.  I just talked him into lowering his prices. "

I love the game so far.  While it doesn't handle as well as Mass Effect on a console, I didn't expect it to.  This game is made for the PC and the fact that I am playing it on a console is so small feat.  I commend BioWare for an awesome job putting a PC game on a console and doing one hell of a job doing so.

I played aaaaaaaalot yesterday
I started as a rogue city elf  

If i would have known before, I would have started a warrior instead as the game is really hard and my only warrior, Alistair, was not specced tank in my game until recently and didn't have any aggro management talent/skill, so it was very hard to condense the damage taken to one person, also the fact that you don't have a healer at first and need to chug potions make it somewhat hard especially on normal setting lol, due to potions being very few lol

finished my origin story
and the first arc of the grey warden story
i also finished the redcliffe storyline and the circle of magi
 
planning to have another lenghty session tonight
and I can't get enough of the game so far, it's amazing.
oh I also kissed Morgana for finding a book lol.

" @Galbrezu said:

" @Binman88 said:

" Some of the dialogue options are hilarious. It's great that they give you so many minor choices, and how they impact your party's respect for you. "

I now regret not finding/seeing/choosing that option when i talked to him earlier.  I just talked him into lowering his prices. "

I usually try and keep people alive so I didn't kill him in the end, but I always try and get the most out of the situation. Similarly I told the bandits on the road to run away after making as much profit as I could from them. Whenever possible though, I'm going to try and start a fight if it makes sense in the situation (not just for the sake of it), as the enemy always seem to surrender at some point, at least judging by the few fights I've been in. "

All I have to say is that Dragon Age is by far and away the greatest RPG I've ever played.
The game is INSANELY AMAZING.

 
Been playing on XBOX360
Started as an elven magi, got past the Grey Warden Initiation & Battle (about 3 hours)
Then opted to start over as Human Noble Warrior, finished Origin, Initiation, Lothering, Redcliffe and I don't want to think about how much time I've spent.
 
This game is awesome.  While playing through it, I feel like the game is looking Oblivion, Fable, and Mass Effect in the face and saying: "You are not RPG's.  I am an RPG".  The story telling, voice acting, background fluff and overall attitude is just superb.  The battle system is easy enough to grasp so long as you can handle multiple menus without your head exploding.  The combat animations are better than I though they would be as well. 
 
XBOX360 considerations: 
 
Graphics wise it's nothing award winning (on XBOX360) but that becomes completely irrelevant as you get going.  Controls are obviously not as intuitive as would be on the PC with a mouse but it has not been a hinderance to me at all.  I'm also having a blast with the team AI tactics system, it has great depth.  I'm playing the game on normal and I rarely have to actually pause it to issue commands because my dudes have automated orders I programmed myself.  This is an important factor because on the PC a player could issue commands faster in pause (imagine trying to play BG on xbox) but with skillful use of the tactics system it isn't that critical.
 
If you are an RPG fan, and you're not turned off by a fantasy setting then go out and get it today. 
 
P.S.  -  After reading throught some posts and comparing them with my own experiences, I would say get the PC version instead of XBOX360 if that is an option.  Graphics are better, and control setup is better.  However as I stated, XBOX360 version will be impressive.

" @Binman88 said:

" @Galbrezu said:

" @Binman88 said:

" Some of the dialogue options are hilarious. It's great that they give you so many minor choices, and how they impact your party's respect for you. "

I now regret not finding/seeing/choosing that option when i talked to him earlier.  I just talked him into lowering his prices. "

I usually try and keep people alive so I didn't kill him in the end, but I always try and get the most out of the situation. Similarly I told the bandits on the road to run away after making as much profit as I could from them. Whenever possible though, I'm going to try and start a fight if it makes sense in the situation (not just for the sake of it), as the enemy always seem to surrender at some point, at least judging by the few fights I've been in. "

I'm sort of similar, I usually try to figure out what I would want and try to make sure I damned well get it. Take the free Sten quest, I knew I wanted Sten in my party, so went over the the Revered mother and tried my damndest to get the key from her using dialog/persuade. She wasn't having any of that, so I threatened her with violence if she didn't give me the key. She finally relented and I want on my way, Alistair didn't like my choices much, Morrigan certainly did though, so all in all I'd call it a neutral event :P. "

" @Galbrezu said:

" @Binman88 said:

" @Galbrezu said:

" @Binman88 said:

" Some of the dialogue options are hilarious. It's great that they give you so many minor choices, and how they impact your party's respect for you. "

I now regret not finding/seeing/choosing that option when i talked to him earlier.  I just talked him into lowering his prices. "

I usually try and keep people alive so I didn't kill him in the end, but I always try and get the most out of the situation. Similarly I told the bandits on the road to run away after making as much profit as I could from them. Whenever possible though, I'm going to try and start a fight if it makes sense in the situation (not just for the sake of it), as the enemy always seem to surrender at some point, at least judging by the few fights I've been in. "

I'm sort of similar, I usually try to figure out what I would want and try to make sure I damned well get it. Take the free Sten quest, I knew I wanted Sten in my party, so went over the the Revered mother and tried my damndest to get the key from her using dialog/persuade. She wasn't having any of that, so I threatened her with violence if she didn't give me the key. She finally relented and I want on my way, Alistair didn't like my choices much, Morrigan certainly did though, so all in all I'd call it a neutral event :P. "

I just tried freeing him now, I rather play as nice/polite a character as I can so I didn't want to threaten the old lady :p She refused to give me the key so I've left it for the moment, the quest is still active so I may be able to speak to her again or find another way around it. "

" @Binman88 said:

" @Galbrezu said:

" @Binman88 said:

" @Galbrezu said:

" @Binman88 said:

" Some of the dialogue options are hilarious. It's great that they give you so many minor choices, and how they impact your party's respect for you. "

I now regret not finding/seeing/choosing that option when i talked to him earlier.  I just talked him into lowering his prices. "

I usually try and keep people alive so I didn't kill him in the end, but I always try and get the most out of the situation. Similarly I told the bandits on the road to run away after making as much profit as I could from them. Whenever possible though, I'm going to try and start a fight if it makes sense in the situation (not just for the sake of it), as the enemy always seem to surrender at some point, at least judging by the few fights I've been in. "

I'm sort of similar, I usually try to figure out what I would want and try to make sure I damned well get it. Take the free Sten quest, I knew I wanted Sten in my party, so went over the the Revered mother and tried my damndest to get the key from her using dialog/persuade. She wasn't having any of that, so I threatened her with violence if she didn't give me the key. She finally relented and I want on my way, Alistair didn't like my choices much, Morrigan certainly did though, so all in all I'd call it a neutral event :P. "

I just tried freeing him now, I rather play as nice/polite a character as I can so I didn't want to threaten the old lady :p She refused to give me the key so I've left it for the moment, the quest is still active so I may be able to speak to her again or find another way around it. "

Yeah, there's a mystery surrounding Sten though, I just cannot let that go, I need to find out what actually happened at that farmhouse. Plus I had a nice chat with him about the Quanari people, it went like so:
 
Me: Tell me about your people
Sten: NO! "

The Xbox version made me buy the Digital Deluxe version from Steam. Play good on 360, but it looks quite terrible. Leagues behind Mass Effect on 360 in that respect. But the RPG elements and Gameplay are amazing. Game is completely awesome. It's just a real shame the console ports take such a huge hit  in the visual department.

So.... I've been hearing nothing bad about this game.... and I REALLY want to buy it, but anyone here heard anything about Divinity 2, or played Divinity 1 and compare the 2 for me. Kinda up in the air about which one I want but I just heard about Dragon's Age today.... soo..... anyone....?

One of the treads I was reading earlier was saying something about the graphics.... but I've been going through all the threads and just reading and so far there seems to be NOTHING wrong with this game... I really want to go check it out

I'm about 4 hours in and liking it so far.  I'm playing it on my PC and I chose a human mage as my main.  About to do the Gray Warden initiation quest once I'm done with school for the day.
 
Anyway everything is good and very refined, the graphics, the animations, the gameplay, everything is good.  The only thing that I'm not sure I'm totally digging so far is the world, it almost seems too overwhelming.  I knew this was a complete world, but damn do they really mean it.  A little more easing it to the background and history would have been nice.  As it is you can tell they try to do that, but still feels like I'm drowning in a lot of back-story, although I'm sure once I play more and begin to really get immersed in it more it will all just be a history that seems second nature.  Even reading Tolkien for the first time can be overwhelming, so I'm used to entering an expansive fleshed out world, guess it's just because I haven't played an RPG like this in a long time.

I don't play these types of games much at all. I found that DAO is great at introducing the gameplay to you gradually via the story. Usually when stuff is explained via a tutorial I tend to glaze over and not retain much. The way DAO rolls everything out is pretty brilliant.

I have the console version (Xbox 360), and I must say that the game is really cool.  From what I've seen, the PC version is almost certainly the one to get, but the Xbox version looks and controls pretty well.  The game sort of reminds me of Fallout 3 in a few ways, in that it seems to be quite a slow burn.  I don't see myself burning through this game, but rather playing all the new games that come out and playing this game in 5 or 10 hour chunks every few weekends or so.  Anyway, the game is awesome.

For those of you with the PC version, what settings are you all running? HI? and if so whats the specs on your comp? So far from  what I've seen the recommended specs are just way too high for my 5 year old PC. But as wfolse just said supposedly the PC version is THE version to get.  I'm hoping to hear something, lest I have to play another game...

Honestly I'm just not feeling this game, to me it feels like an old formula regurgitated in a world I've seen a million times. It's an amazingly ugly game and the story just bores me. The gameplay is good though, I do like the tactical rpg thing it's got going on but I feel everything else has been done before and done better, in fact Mass Effect kicks this games ass all over the place.
 
Honestly I think it's the fantasy setting that's not sitting right with me, I just can't stand anyone I talk too. All these nobles and kings are fascist and I want to kill every one of them. Also the only party member I've been able to stand is Alistair (he bullies mages, great guy), that witch girl is a furry so she needed to go, the sister in the bar is a batshit crazy religious freak and the dude that got caught for murder killed freakin' childreen. Also, I hate dogs so the mutt I was supposed to save had to die too. Give me a Kanji or Wrex dammit, why does everyone suck in this game?
 
Just not for me.

@Charlie
How do dragons make you feel, or more specifically playing AS A DRAGON!?!?! your about the only person I've heard of not liking this game, but are you sure it's all fantasy games? Did you play Baldur's? or try somethign newer like Divinity? Or how about any other Bioware games?

It's pretty great (read: Fantastic!)
 
Suprised me, seeing as i'm not too big into BG/IWD and all that.