Have the desire to play through a heavily story driven RPG prior to Starcraft II's launch, so, preferences? The Witcher or DA:O? I may end up getting obvious suggestions being on the Witcher board, but nonetheless, I have a feeling that those who played DA:O first aren't going to be backtracking into 2007 looking for a European-based RPG. 

Personally, I prefer The Witcher but you can't really go wrong with either choice.  It really comes down to whether you want more strategy or action oriented gameplay.

Hmm, I really liked the way The witcher dealt with consequences to your actions, but Dragon: Age gave you so much different story to explore with different origins, and the whole mythology of the world. I went back for a second (and then third) playthrough as soon as I'd finsihed Dragon Age and haven't got around to playing the witcher again so I guess I'd recommend Dragon age, but if you can then get both.

The Witcher is the better game, but both are good.
 
DA is more generic as in obvious plot and very run-off-the-mill characters, all black or white in bioware spirit, The Witcher is more interesting, and moves around alot in the gray area.

The Witcher if you want to lie with a woman in the first 5 minutes of the game / everyone you see. Thats not necessarily a bad thing but idk why it turned me off of the game.
 
 
I suggest Dragon Age.

Witcher isn't nearly as broken, but I like parties and I enjoy messing around with gambits or whatever DA called that shit. If you think "choice" is a big deal, DA really only has one time where you're forced to burn bridges one way or the other. Almost every choice exists in a vacuum that never leaves the town, so don't buy it for that.

The Witcher hands down

" The Witcher is the better game, but both are good.  DA is more generic as in obvious plot and very run-off-the-mill characters, all black or white in bioware spirit, The Witcher is more interesting, and moves around alot in the gray area. "

I love both for very different reasons. Dragon Age has a longer quest, but the Witcher has a more involved, immersive world. I spent somewhere between 25 and 30 hours with the Witcher and over 40 on each Dragon Age playthrough. The Witcher was something of a breath of fresh air because it was so unabashedly mature. The entire world is filled with seedy elements like prostitution, racism, and child slavery. Dragon Age is a little more familiar, even though it departs a great deal from typical medieval fantasy. 
 
Gameplay-wise they're pretty different. The Witcher has a rhythm based combat system (there's more to it than that, but that's the simplest way to explain it) and Dragon Age plays more like Baldur's Gate with the ability to order your party members around. There's more combat options in Dragon Age, but the Witcher's combat is just as strategic with the need to switch between weapons and fighting styles to fight different enemies in the same battle. 
 
They're VERY different games, and its a shame you missed them in the Steam sale, since they were both heavily discounted.

As a person who beat Dragon Age and is about 10 hours into the witcher currently, I like Dragon Age more.  The characters, the dialogue, and the voice acting are a lot better, and even though it is more generic than the witcher, it also seems to guide you into its world easier through the many different codex entries.  It all depends on if you like tactical, party based combat though.  If that's not your thing, the witcher is a bit simpler when it comes to the combat department.

The auto-set in DA kind of negates the need to be strategic at all. Turning invisible then backstabbing and killing the mage/ emmisary then bringing the party in was enough every time. AI was fucking dumb. Game needed way more variety, the things that I found that worked continued to work while at the same time I got more powerful. And this was pre patch. I didn't even take advantage of the crushing prison exploit. Didn't have to, it was easy enough already.

I like dragon age orgins like alot better. The witcher is an overated game by pc gamers. If you take alot of the scores (watch me get a million replies by ppl who tells me not to use gamerankings and think for myself) Dragon age orgins is at 90%, the witcher is at 85%, before the enhanced edition it was 81%. It's not a good game, rather it's slow and a bit fustrating. It's not bad, however I say dragon age is alot better. 

The Witcher . Can't go wrong with either game but Dragon Age has too standard of a fantasy story and the choices are as black and white as all other BioWare games with no real consequences. If you're playing for the combat then I'd go for DA:O but that's really just about what you prefer.

I did dabble somewhat in DA:O, albeit for a very short time and on PS3. I was completely put off, although I think it was due to the game needing to be played on PC. I couldn't get into the radial menu, the irritating frame rate or the visuals, all of which I was completely fine in a game like say, Mass Effect. Still, I definitely want to give it another shot on the PC - I'd gladly welcome the improved frames, visuals and traditional toolbar layout. On the other hand, The Witcher does look very promising, regardless of having missed out on the Steam sale. $20 for the Enhanced Edition sounds fine to me. It's kinda irritating knowing that I'll probably end up purchasing both. I mean, man, my hours are just going to disappear...

Dragon Age hands down.

Dragon Age is friendlier to those who are more used to american RPGs.  Some of the systems in The Witcher are of the RTFM variety, not that that's necessarily a bad thing.  The Witcher's world is every bit as realized and fascinating as Dragon Age, and that's saying a lot when you consider how rich BioWare's fiction is.
 
The Witcher was my favorite of the two, for the dramatic way your choices can alter the story, but you can't go wrong with either one.

I'd say the Witcher.  Though I think Dragon's Age has better combat and is not a bad game by any means, the Witcher is far less generic and has a very good story and some of the best "choices" you'll see in any game.

I loved the snot out of The Witcher, and I loved Dragon Age. I think the key difference here is what kind of game are you looking for? 
 
The Witcher does have rhythm-based combat, and its spell/potion system is probably one of the deepest I've seen out of modern RPGs. It's almost enough to make your head spin if you haven't been playing some pretty hardcore RPGs recently. That said, Dragon Age's combat and tactical system are simpler and more accessible, but that shouldn't turn you off of The Witcher. If anything, The Witcher probably has the better plot, and the characters are more lively and believable (this is coming from someone who adored the party in DA:O). You also need to consider that while Dragon Age can be unforgiving in certain situations, The Witcher is pretty unforgiving over all. It is very RTFM-heavy, but again, don't let that deter you from a truly engaging single player story. 
 
I guess all of this is a roundabout way of saying that if you can handle some frustration and sometimes thinking you made the right choice only to have it blow back in your face later on, then definitely get The Witcher. Dragon Age is just more straight forward overall and simpler to grasp on a first run.

 It's almost enough to make your head spin if you haven't been playing some pretty hardcore RPGs recently.

Well let's put it this way, are you good at number crunching? If so, then definitely get The Witcher, as you won't have a problem with its very deep magic/stat system.

I found The Witcher to have a lot of untapped potential. It has a weak start, but gets better with every chapter. The finale is great. Overall though, I found it to be lacking. Much felt like work. Fetchquests and lots of concept over gameplay gamedesign, such as Questgivers wandering about town depending on daytime, just aren't that great. It's obvious, that The Witcher was CD Projekt RED's first game. Undoubtedly, the guys and gals at CD Projekt RED are talented. As game developers, they grew a lot while working on The Witcher. It's apparent in the game itself. That said, the Witcher isn't a AAA game. The Witcher 2 might be. I believe they can pull it off.
 
As for Dragon Age. Other than the somewhat outdated graphical presentation, it's AAA all the way. Love it. All of it. Not one dull moment. No stubborn concept over gameplay and gameflow kind of gamedesign. No amateur hour beginning. It brings it all to the table. From hour one all the way to the finale.
 
Between the two, no doubt - play Dragon Age.

i've enjoyed DA:O a lot so far, and Witcher has been on my to buy list for awhile now, but it'll have to wait since i still need to order a new GPU

I prefer Dragon Age largely due to its strategic party combat, I also enjoyed the locations of Dragon Age more due to its memorable set pieces.   I had much more enjoyment from the world of Dragon Age.

Both are fun games, but I enjoyed Dragon Age far more. People saying 'play the Witcher if you want choice because Dragon Age has none' are wrong. Sure there isn't a lot of story choice, but the character and party customization is much, much higher than the Witcher, in which there is very, very little. 
 
But like I said, both games are great. You'll have a good time playing either one.

Oh and DEFINITELY buy Dragon Age on PC, I can't even imagine playing it on console, and I'm not usually a snob about such things. "

Buy dragon-age if you want to look at alot of loadscreens!

The Witcher always strikes me as the more impressive of the two. I mean even the visuals are better than Dragon Age for the most part, and the game came out over a  year before it. Plus with the Witcher, the environments and story seemed more interesting.
 
And lets not forget that the Witcher 2 is coming early next year, and is looking to be great. The ability to import your save from the first Witcher means it is a direct continuation of your choices. Dragon Age 2 is a reboot of the story and wont have that continuation.
 
I say go with the Witcher all the way. The enhanced edition really improved a lot of problems.

Look at my avatar!
 
I enjoyed both, but enjoyed my time playing the Witcher a lot more. Can't wait for the sequel.

Dragon Age was alright to play through, but the storyline was as vanilla as they come and totally forgettable.  The Witcher just felt a bit different and a bit fresh, and some of the decisions you're presented with may actually make you think.  The combat in The Witcher is simple, but it's more about knowing the enemy you are facing and preparing properly - I liked that a lot.
 
The Witcher is comfortably my favourite game of recent years, and right up there on the all-time list.

If you planing to buy The Witcher 2 you should play the first game because CD project confirmed you will be able to import your save. Dragon Age 2 will follow a story unconnected to the first so you won't be able to import your save from DA:O.
The Witcher also handles choice a lot better than Dragon Age.

DA:O. I felt that the gameplay in The Witcher was basically broken, it also had terrible voice acting and glitched graphics. Furthermore the art style is simply -ugly-. 

Witcher

BOTH

Well since he reopened an old topic...heres my 2 cents. Get both, but the Witcher is the better game

The Witcher easily. Dragon Age was good, but The Witcher is amazing. 

Witcher 2 is far better than dragon age 2. If you want to play dragon age orgins its great and the first witcher is geat just make sure you get the enhanced directors cut from GOG.com since its DRM free.  Also get your witcher 2 from good old games too since they sell the uncenosored Drm version only.