So I beat Dragon Age! I'm very proud of myself. I'm not a big RPG guy at all, hated Mass Effect, never played Baulders Gate, and haven't liked a Bioware game since the original Knights of the Old Republic. I bought Dragon Age (360 version) on the cheap on a Thanksgiving day sale and quickly found myself wondering why I purchased it.
My reviews usually come off as rants so I'll give a quick bullet pointed what I did and didn't like. Also I've thrown in other misc gaming thoughts and commentary on what else I'm playing.
How I Played/Plot Points:
I played as a Male Human Warrior. Made sense as I've never been good with mana management. In addition, since this genre isn't my cup of tea, I played on Easy. Before starting I realized the depth of the game so made a decision that when poised to make a decision in terms of siding with a faction that has an associated achievement, I'd save, recruit the faction I didn't want to get the achievement, load, then continue. Probably made the game last a little longer but I had really no intention of going back for another play through (I say this staring at a stack of games I purchased through various buy 2 get 1 free sales). I did both DLC and aside from getting Shale and getting the chest to store shit in, totally not worth it. Plot wise, I took Morrigan over Leliana. My party mostly consisted of myself, Morrigan, Leliana, and Wynne. I subbed in Shale every now and again. I made a conscious effort to do every question I could. There were still a handful of quests I didn't do but feel as if I saw everything I needed to. I opted for the "Dark Ritual" with Morrigan at the end of the game in hopes that if a sequel is made, it maybe pulls my save data from Origins.
What I Liked:
- Banter between characters. Especially the tense conversations between Leliana and Morrigan in regards to who I was sleeping with.
- Being given choices. It's nothing new to games but I really felt as if what I decided in the game would make a difference in the world - and it did. The choices were super transparent (not as bad as inFamous') but were very effective.
- Compelling plot. I'll be honest that I often found myself rushing the dialogue yet had a good feel for what was going on.
- Combat. The combat felt smooth. You could tell the RPG elements were at work but felt pretty seamless and kept me in the action.
What I Didn't Like:
- Clunky in game interface. Radial menus worked, but having to pull the the inventory screen (which feels like it takes more time then it should to load) felt bad. Trying to compare weapons and gear felt like a chore as well.
- The ending. The text over various scenes was such a let down. I just spent 40+ hours on this adventure, give me something more epic!
- The map. Perhaps this is the sandbox gamer in me, but I found myself wishing I had a button that would make my mini map larger and show me a greater area. It goes back to the clunky interface, but this was a pain.
All in all, a really good game. I'd give it 4/5 stars with my biggest gripe being the interface.
Other Misc Game Thoughts:
- I feel pretty good about my best of 2010 list. I gave Assassins Creed II my pick just a hair ahead of Uncharted 2.
- I "beat" Left 4 Dead 2 - and by beat I mean have completed all the campaigns. A definite improvement over the original but the game didn't resonate with me like the first. It's probably a case of not being able to go home again. It's on the shelf and will probably go back for achievements at some point in 2010.
- My free copy of Madden 10 came that I won from KFC!
- I purchased Torchlight for $10 on Steam's Holiday sale! I almost picked up the Eidos bundle but have little free time as it is.
- I also purchased "The World Ends With You" for $10 off Amazon. I think after liking Dragon Age, I'm more willing to try out new things, but totally anticipate hating this game.
- Really excited for more Borderlands DLC next week.
- I finally bought Trials HD. I went and grabbed the DLC achievements today and just got the achievement for completing all the Hard tracks. Fun game, I just wish more people on my friends list played so I could have a nice leader board to shoot for.
- Mixed emotions on The Saboteur. Really digging the color scheme of the game. Getting in trouble then running from Nazi's is getting annoying though. I find myself having more fun just going around destroying propaganda then completing some of the actual missions.
- Also playing a Boy and his Blob on the Wii. I played the NES version as a kid so this is more nostalgic for me. Very pretty game but I have to play it in small chunks.
New Years Gaming Resolutions for 2010:
- I will never purchase a new game that I'm not super excited about at full price. So many amazing games dropped in price crazy fast and by the holiday season, were a third or less what I played at retail.
- I will not play more then 1 game at a time. I usually would just power through a single game and move on, but half way through this year I started playing multiple games at once. As of last week, my "Currently Playing" list looked like Madden 10, a Boy and his Blob, The Saboteur, Dragon Age, and Left 4 Dead 2. From now on, I'll stick to 1 game for story, 1 game for achievements, and 1 game for multiplayer across all platforms.
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