After all this talk about mass effect I want to play a game similar to it. I happen to have Dragon age origins on Ea's origin (got it for free). I am wondering if it will still hold up in comparison to mass effect 2 and 3? Are they different enough that I wont notice bad or not stream lined design that was fixed in the latter mass effects?

they are way way different.

If anything DAO is consider the "last of its kind". No Bioware game since looks or behaves like it which is good or bad depending on who you ask.

Like already stated Origins is completely different than the Mass Effect series ( well at least until DA 2 where they tried to incorporate some elements from ME). I think if you like sort of the old style RPGs you'll really like Origins. It wasn't until 2 that they started streamlining a lot of things.

i prefer it over the mass effect stuff.

i think its a pretty good idea to play it on the pc because the combat on consoles is not quite as good.

It's a really great game. Plays more like KOTOR than Mass Effect.

Origins is a very different game. It's a tactical RPG where you often pause and give your party orders or reposition them. There are some basic story parallels, especially in terms of structure, but not many.
Yes, play it, but it isn't "Mass Effect: Fantasy Edition."

Origins is a really awesome game. Know what you're getting into with the combat but it's a really fun RPG in the Bioware style, much like Mass Effect.

As far as the series 2 didn't relate a ton to 1. It was disappointing mostly but did have some really good ideas to me with some really glaring mistakes.

@McGhee said:

It's a really great game. Plays more like KOTOR than Mass Effect.

I surprised myself by playing a good amount of KOTOR, i ultimately didnt get far but still.

@believer258 said:

Origins is a very different game. It's a tactical RPG where you often pause and give your party orders or reposition them. There are some basic story parallels, especially in terms of structure, but not many. Yes, play it, but it isn't "Mass Effect: Fantasy Edition."

Ohh,That sounds like lots of fun. I played a decent amount of Da2 and it seemed kinda generic to me, but I definitely remember playing as Tactically as I could.

OK, sounds like a good time even if it may not scratch the mass effect itch.

Origins is one of my favorite RPGs ever. Like you said, you got a free copy of it. Jump in and try it. You won't be disappointed

@super2j said:

@believer258 said:

Origins is a very different game. It's a tactical RPG where you often pause and give your party orders or reposition them. There are some basic story parallels, especially in terms of structure, but not many. Yes, play it, but it isn't "Mass Effect: Fantasy Edition."

Ohh,That sounds like lots of fun. I played a decent amount of Da2 and it seemed kinda generic to me, but I definitely remember playing as Tactically as I could.

If you enjoy the tactical combat then you should like Origins more. One of the biggest flaws to DA 2 to me was that enemy reinforcements would just spawn around you once you got in a fight. That made the combat much less tactical as positioning was thrown out the window since you couldn't predict or position your party to anticipate the reinforcements.

It's been a while since I played Origins but I believe it was pretty much always you only fought enemies you could see outright and if they reinforced you could anticipate where they were coming from. So you could hide your mages or archers and set up your AoE type spells tactically.

I just started playing DAO for the first the other day after getting a bit bored with my third playthroughs of both Neverwinter Nights 2 and Mass Effect 3. I really like it. Going from NWN2 to DAO is probably a lot easier than Mass Effect to DAO. Still, really good.

I started Dragon Age after playing all 3 Mass Effects, and they are very, very different games. However, the same sort of Bioware character and story writing is usually consistent between them, so that was a major boon for me.

I suppose it compares the closest to ME1. It doesn't really compare to ME2, DA2, and ME3, with the drastic design choices they made. You'll be pausing every fight, multiple times per fight, to queue up skills and maneuver your party members around.

@ajamafalous said:

I suppose it compares the closest to ME1. It doesn't really compare to ME2, DA2, and ME3, with the drastic design choices they made. You'll be pausing every fight, multiple times per fight, to queue up skills and maneuver your party members around.

believe it or not, thats how i tried to play mass effect. I think i stopped that in me3 because it became too easy or something....maybe i should have kicked up the difficulty.

It's better than Mass Effect. The last truly good BioWare game. Talking about Origins by the way, not that other one. As for how similar it is to Mass Effect, not very much. I actually died a couple of times in Origins. It's a tactical squad based third person RPG. So uh, yeah there'll be a couple of fights that are pretty difficult. Still a great game and I fully recommend you try it.

Better games usually hold up when compared to worse games. (Not saying ME is a bad game, but DA:O is way better).

Downloaded DAO for my pc today actually, after watching that Baulder's Gate QL :P. I played it on 360 when it came out, and couldn't really get into it. It is much better on pc. That port just wasn't very good imo.

And that Bioware storytelling that I love in ME is there too. Significant reason to play it as well tc.

It was my all-time favorite game for a while eclipsing long time holder, KOTOR. I've since returned KOTOR to the top spot, but it's still in my top 5. It's got a lot of depth and replayability. I played it similar to KOTOR where I'd line up a set of attacks for my party and have each one compliment the others. It can be a difficult game, but when you learn what you're doing it becomes easier but still challenging.

ME and DA are very, very different games. So if you're looking at Origins for similarity to ME, you'll be disappointed. All they really have in common is a similar dialogue system. But the game design is fine. In fact, DA:O is (arguably) one of Bioware's best games.

I'm one of those guys that enjoyed DAO2 over DAO simply due to the combat system. DAO felt clunky and merciless, while I felt I had more control in DAO2. DAO2 plays more like ME1/2/3 imho; so I'm not sure how much enjoyment you'll get out of DAO if you are going into it with the Mass Effect mentality.

It's not the same game at all. Dragon Age: Origins is a fucking masterpiece. Play it.

DA:O is kind of building off of Baldurs gate, though coupled with MMO type power recharges. It's pretty good, and very long. DA2 kind of takes more of a lead from ME1 & ME2 in terms of approach (you have a voiced & named character). Personally I didn't mind DA2. I actually preferred the characters in it Vs those in DA:O however it's not without it's flaws and the ending is a bit 'WTF?'. not as 'WTF?' as ME3 mind, but still 'WTF?'

It's really not that similar to Mass Effect, but if you have it on PC then it's absolutely worth playing. I think DA2 made Origins seem a lot better in hindsight than it actually was, but it is good. I thought Origins actually looked pretty great on PC too - better than DA2.

I would also consider Alpha Protocol.

I play it at the moment (for the second time) and it sure does hold up if you're into this kinda game. Like many here already said it's pretty different from ME but if you like the Bioware style of storytelling you'll probably get something out of it.

They are very different games.

Huh, All this mass effect talk has finally got me to play Origins as well (I guess it's telling I decided to play that rather than ME3) It's a very different game (harder IMO) but I am loving it. I think it has more of a scense of humour than the mass effect games. The combat always put me off playing these games but I actually quite like it. Looking forward to playing DA2 after this. Your character speaks in that one right?

Even though they are 2 completely different beasts, I would say that Dragon Age Origins is still better than any of the Mass Effects. And get the PC version if you can. The console version can be abit cumbersome to control but its fine once you get used to it.

I picked up the ultimate edition on steam for a pretty good price (£20) that's all the dlc I think and awakening (not 100% sure what that is)

@Mister_V said:

I picked up the ultimate edition on steam for a pretty good price (£20) that's all the dlc I think and awakening (not 100% sure what that is)

Awakening was the expansion pack (hailed as like the expansion packs of yore, not just the 'dlcs' you get these days.) It's set after the main game, not something you reload a save for or anything.

It's like Final Fantasy XII, but with dialogue choices, less interesting characters and a shitty storyline.

@Mister_V said:

@DizzyMedal oh cool, does it set up 2 at all or is it a completely desperate story?

Completely different. You get to see a couple of characters that got into DA2 though I think. Anders being one of them. Before he was a massive dickhead.

I always felt Dragon Age was much craftier about hiding which of the choices in dialogue trees were good vs bad choices than was Mass Effect. Being a good guy in Mass Effect boiled down to picking the top dialogue option every time and only hitting Paragon interrupts. Dragon Age pigeonholes you into bleaker decisions.

Only problem is, you won't be playing it with the anticipation of a story a sequel may bring. Therefore pretty much all the choices you make are meaningless.

So the experience you have will be different than when it was first released.

@ajamafalous said:

I suppose it compares the closest to ME1. It doesn't really compare to ME2, DA2, and ME3, with the drastic design choices they made. You'll be pausing every fight, multiple times per fight, to queue up skills and maneuver your party members around.

believe it or not, thats how i tried to play mass effect. I think i stopped that in me3 because it became too easy or something....maybe i should have kicked up the difficulty.

Play DA:O because that game will hold up for years to come compared to Mass Effect or any other game.

Not the same kind of game at all.

It will hold up because it plays differently and the character/story stuff is great (coming from someone who doesn't like the fantasy setting).

(Had to shelve it when my daughter was born and haven't had a chance to return to it but I enjoyed it a lot while I was playing it...)

@ajamafalous said:

@super2j said:

@ajamafalous said:

I suppose it compares the closest to ME1. It doesn't really compare to ME2, DA2, and ME3, with the drastic design choices they made. You'll be pausing every fight, multiple times per fight, to queue up skills and maneuver your party members around.

believe it or not, thats how i tried to play mass effect. I think i stopped that in me3 because it became too easy or something....maybe i should have kicked up the difficulty.

That's how I played ME1 and why I enjoyed it so much. That's also, consequently, why I hated 2.

personally, i loved that about 1 and i was able to satisfy myself in 2. Its just 3 was a no go, way to easy.

Everyone has pretty much hit the nail on the head. Both are great games, but for different reasons. But rest assured its got a great story, and really interesting characters. However, the gameplay is turn based strategy, not a shooter.

And I played it on the xbox and it was fine, so any platform you choose should be fine.

Dragon Age is streamlined, but not as streamlined as Mass Effect.

Anyway, I am of the opinion that DA > ME1 > ME3 > ME2.

I love the ME series; I think all three games are some of the best games ever made. DAO is the best work BioWare has ever done.

Great game. You should play it.

I just played for a couple of hours yesterday and it definitely still holds up. It's much better on PC too.