For a long time I had little to no experience with "hardcore" RPGs (Get it? Experience? EXP? I'm a twat...) and by "hardcore" I mean anything more complex than Zelda. In the last year or so, though, I found myself getting incredibly engrossed with Fable II, Fallout 3, and Borderlands. I've developed this unhealthy hunger for completing quests for various unique and interesting individuals. I get obsessed with gaining experience, leveling up, and picking up cool-looking loot. I waste hours of my day simply exploring these virtual worlds and I love it! 
 
This Christmas, I finally dropped myself into the deep end by getting Dragon Age: Origins, possibly the most complex RPG I've played to date, and my God is it good! I had previously spent time in the company of Bioware with the KOTOR series but hadn't finished either release. For some strange reason Mass Effect never "clicked" with me, making Dragon Age the first of Bioware's RPGs I had chosen to invest time into. So far I'm sure I haven't even scratched the surface of what this game has to offer and yet I can't imagine it getting any better. 
 
RPGs have always had this barrier of entry that had previously stopped me from playing them. You know, the incredibly slowly paced opening section to the game with very little actual gameplay. Instead you're given these drawn-out, overly informative dialogues which turn you off the game. It's passed this section of the game where you'll actually start to enjoy yourself, get engrossed, and delve into the delicious centre the game has to offer, one that I still find difficult to properly describe. 
 
For so long I couldn't understand the appeal of this genre of game but now I've finally found it and am enjoying it more than I could have ever possibly imagined.