Dragon Age: Origins (2009)

Finally took the time to install an SSD in my PS3 because of this game. Was meaning to eventually eventually, but this game's area loading and save/load times were enough to get me to do it now. Not a night and day difference, but it definitely seems to help. Curious to hit some busier areas to really test it, but the frame rate seems more stable as well.

Obviously the PS3 can't take full advantage of the SSD due to hardware limitations which is why I went for a cheaper SSD, but it does seem to help with load times and produces less heat as well. When looking into it I saw it seems to help quite a bit with textures popping in as well.

I have done 1 of the quest lines to get people to work with the Grey Wardens (I did the Circle First) a selection of side quests which turned out to be DLC, and now I have returned to Orzammarr to try to recruit the dwarves. Exploring the city on my return was fun, I started in the Deeps and went WOW THIS PLACE IS HUGE, saved and took a break!

Hoping to play some more this weekend.

Well, this year I played through 2 other bioware games that have been on my bucket list for a while, why not round it out with Dragon Age Origins!

I have started this game two other times, but getting through the prologue both times, then getting distracted. Let's see if third time is the charm, Dwarf Commoner Rogue, ready to break out of Orzamarr (or however you spell it)

I've decided to finally try and complete the game. Lost two saves due to harddrive crashes, in 2014 and earlier. I was even at the final boss the last time. Despite all the annoying bullshit Origin and DAO pester you with about being online and logging in they apparently don't actually have proper cloud saves for this game. :-/

Wasn't sure if i would enjoy it until i saw these sick burns:

So I'm still slowly moving through this. I'm currently in The Deep Roads. My character is level 17. I have to say I'm really enjoying the game and I'm actually starting to understand the combat - so much that I've tweaked my party's tactics and adjusted my load out. I was playing as an archer when I came back to the game but I've since switched to dual weapons and focused on the related skills to get the most out of it.

I'm at a stage where I'm considering getting the DLC when I finish I'm enjoying myself that much.

So I'm attempting to clear the backlog and this is next. I believe I'm roughly 15-20 hours from finishing. I've also just learnt that the skills I've unlocked have been waiting for me in the tactics menu. I just hadn't set them.

Forgot how much I really loved the world though and the dialogue choices. Feels good to be back after several years.

After about 12hrs of playtime, I haven't touched this game in a couple months. So, it's probably safe to say I've abandoned it yet again. There's just too much stuff in my backlog that I'd much rather be playing.

Maybe in a year or so when I make my 5th attempt to get into Dragon Age, I'll make it to the second major quest...

Started this game again in order to romance Alistair. I'm starting a play through of the series where I go through the romantic preferences of at least two of my best friends: Origins: Alistair, II: Fenris, Inquisition: Cullen.

So now I have an elven mage to romance Alistair. I just threatened the revered mother in Lothering and he's not happy, so I hope I'll be able to give him enough gifts to make him love me... Send Golden Retriever Vibes to attract Alistair and make me not fuck up much more ...

Dragon Age: Origins owes its fame more to the time in which it came out than to any of its elements. It was the only RPG of its time that both harkened back to the Infinity Engine days and was both easily marketable (unlike The Witcher) and played well enough to receive critical acclaim (unlike Neverwinter Nights 2). Taken out of its time period, DAO is a rather generic dungeon crawl with some good character work, and I struggle to see what it offers gameplay-wise over other CRPGs.

I do respect the attempt to streamline the formula by reducing the number of classes, but they aren't balanced very well against each other. Mages' utility simply outstrip rogues and warriors at virtually every stage of the game, and certain subclasses are obviously better than others. I never felt like I had enough options to experiment with.

I played the first few hours of the game on Nightmare difficulty, and I do think that is the best way to play the game. The slower pace of combat, clear feedback, and dynamic difficulty scaling bring the game to life through emphasizing its tactical depth, even if its character creation is somewhat lacking. But dying in every fight can be very frustrating, so pick your poison I guess.

I like the writing well enough, but I wish the setting wasn't quite so generic.