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<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="http://www.gameinformer.com/utility/FeedStylesheets/rss.xsl" media="screen"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"><channel><title>User Reviews</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/default.aspx</link><description>User reviews for Dragon Age Origins</description><dc:language>en-US</dc:language><generator>Telligent Community 1.5.134.12297 (Build: 5.5.134.12297)</generator><item><title>The journey is fun, but you might feel disappointed once you beat it.</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2012/11/28/the-journey-is-fun-but-you-might-feel-disappointed-once-you-beat-it.aspx</link><pubDate>Thu, 29 Nov 2012 02:41:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:2410902</guid><dc:creator>SupaKoopaTroopa</dc:creator><slash:comments>1</slash:comments><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=2410902</wfw:commentRss><comments>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2012/11/28/the-journey-is-fun-but-you-might-feel-disappointed-once-you-beat-it.aspx#comments</comments><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;After spending 30-50 hours on this game, you might feel disappointed once you beat it.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Story, Graphics and Gameplay:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;This is what was most fun about the game. Every interaction you made with NPC&amp;#39;s were recorded dialog. No reading text on the screen. There are many different character paths you could take and experience, all with slightly different stories and dialog. You will notice that it steals from every RPG you can think of. LotR, Oblivion, WoW, everything. There is even a part where an NPC talks about &amp;quot;the gates of Oblivion&amp;quot; or something.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;The visuals where sort of bland in the beginning, but after a while it really picks up. I thought the graphics where great. Some parts of the game world were so amazing looking I wanted to save a picture of it. My only complaint is that sometimes the framerate would get choppy, sometimes too often. Come on! The PS3 can handle Killzone 2 but not this game??&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;The Gameplay is what you would expect, a good Action RPG. The world is not as big as WoW or Guild wars at all, but you are always exploring new caves underground and temples in the side of mountains. So many side quests, you&amp;#39;ll never finish them all. If it ever gets too hard, there is an &amp;quot;casual&amp;quot; difficulty that will make it easier to play.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;Starting Off:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;In the beginning, you actually have the option to enter in a DLC code and acquire the best armor and weapon in the game. I&amp;#39;d almost recommend doing it because there is so little other good armor and weapons to put on your other characters.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Party, Skills and Talents:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;I found that Auto Leveling your characters only chooses skills you don&amp;#39;t want later on.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;On your first play through, it&amp;#39;s kind of impossible to build a good party, because you don&amp;#39;t know who&amp;#39;s going to join later on. You could be a Warrior Champion, and end up having 3 more Warrior Champions join you by the end of the game. Or you want to make your Mage a Healer, only to have another Healer Mages join your party down the line. And you can&amp;#39;t respec. What you choose is what you stay with, even if you don&amp;#39;t know what you&amp;#39;re doing in the beginning of the game.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;You have to be careful what you choose for your Specialization, you might want to save your 2 points and use them later on in the game when you unlock new Specializations. But of course you don&amp;#39;t know that.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;My characters often got screwed up on their skills and talents. I was always regretting using a skill point and then realizing I didn&amp;#39;t want that skill later on.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;Buying Gear:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;You will come across vendors who sell expensive weapons that cost up to 150g. The problem is that it will take you a very long time to get that kind of money. By the end of the game, I had maybe 400g that I spent on 1 weapon and a special ring. I had 140g left and I was planning on buying my other characters each some expensive gear, but I beat the game before I could ever spend it!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;That&amp;#39;s right, there are about 3 different epic weapons each character could get, axes, hammers, bows, but you beat the game before you can ever save enough money to buy them! And if you ever spend you money on regular gear, good luck on ever having money for a good weapon. It&amp;#39;s very unbalanced.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Quests:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;The quests are good and not like WoW, where it&amp;#39;s &amp;quot;kill 10 of these&amp;quot;. These quests actually have impact on characters and story, and you never do any grinding.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;The only thing that got a little nerve racking is that the quests start to pile up. To complete this quest you must complete that quest and on and on. It&amp;#39;s like the side quests have side quests of their own. If you ever took a break from the game for a few days, I doubt you&amp;#39;d remember where you left off.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;End Game:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;By the end of the game, I was almost upset that it was going to be over. I still wanted to go buy all the weapons I was saving for, but couldn&amp;#39;t. The final boss was a challenging fight, but by the end I was just saying to myself, &amp;quot;Wow, that&amp;#39;s it... I worked that hard through the game just for this to happen...?&amp;quot;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;But I guess that&amp;#39;s the difference between Single Player RPG&amp;#39;s that end and Multiplayer RPG&amp;#39;s that don&amp;#39;t.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;Still, it was an adventure the whole way through, I was hooked, playing up to 14 hours a day.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="clear:both;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=2410902" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/User+Review/default.aspx">User Review</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/PlayStation+3/default.aspx">PlayStation 3</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/dragon+age+origins/default.aspx">dragon age origins</category></item><item><title>They Call It Origins For A Reason</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2012/02/28/they-call-it-origins-for-a-reason.aspx</link><pubDate>Wed, 29 Feb 2012 01:13:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1733669</guid><dc:creator>Jonathan Gipson</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=1733669</wfw:commentRss><comments>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2012/02/28/they-call-it-origins-for-a-reason.aspx#comments</comments><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/resized-image.ashx/__size/610x610/__key/CommunityServer-Blogs-Components-WeblogFiles/00-00-00-18-03/2148.dao_2D00_red_2D00_dragon.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It seems that the plot of a party of diverse members of different origins and talents joining together to face insurmountable odds in the form of a huge demonic army will never get old. Yes, Dragon Age: Origins follows a similar story as Lord of The Rings and The Wheel of Time, but will this incredibly unoriginal idea take away from the rest of the game? Read on. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Starting off, you naturally have to create your character. The character creator is surprisingly deep, and you have a lot of different, intriguing choices for your origin story. Every character has a different origin story (unless you make 2 of the exact same character) that shapes a back story for them before they enter the main story that every character follows. You can take your pick from Human, Elf, and Dwarf races, and you pick what type of fighter they will be. The up close and personal Warrior, the quick and tricky Rogue, or the powerful Mage. With Dwarves being the exception (they can&amp;#39;t channel magic) you can combine any of these you like. Depending on what combination of race and class you pick, you can pick a unique origin story. For instance, a Dwarf warrior can pick either the Dwarven Noble, or the Dwarven Commoner origin stories. After picking your origin story, you can customize your character&amp;#39;s look. In all, you&amp;#39;ll spend about 30 minutes in this pleasantly deep character creator, unless you rush through this phase to get to gameplay, of course.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In whatever origin story you pick, in the end you join the Grey Wardens. This elite group of warriors specialize in the eradication of Dark Spawn. These demonesque creatures whose origin is shrouded in legend and mystery, now march upon (and unfortunately under) the land, and it&amp;#39;s up to the Grey Wardens to gather the armies of all the races to face the threat and save the land. Within this large Lord of The Rings-like plot are plenty of side-quests. You can accept jobs from different factions that send you around on errands, or investigations, and there are even quests you can complete for members in your party if they like you enough. You come across a diverse group of characters that can enter your party depending on the dialogue options you choose. The characters that are active in your party will be affected by the choices you make. If they start to like you enough, you can talk to them about their background, or even learn class specializations from them. When you level a character, you get to disperse 3 points to your stats, pick a skill, and then an ability, or spell. As for the battle system, anyone who has played Final Fantasy XII will feel right at home. You use &amp;quot;tactic slots&amp;quot; to tell each character what to do in battle. This can range from having your warrior defend your mage, to having your rogue steal from as many enemies as possible. How you use this &amp;quot;tactics system&amp;quot; determines if you&amp;#39;re going to dominate in each battle, or if the enemy is going to slaughter you. You can also assign abilities or spells to a small quick-select menu for easy use in battle.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Now that we&amp;#39;ve gone over the plot and gameplay, lets talk about looks. As beautiful as the trailers were, this game is pretty disappointing. Textures and characters are dull (especially facial animations) for a Bioware game, and it makes you wonder what went wrong. The environments, for the most part, were decent. They showed diversity, but they didn&amp;#39;t draw you in, or dazzle you with looks. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Sound effects and the soundtrack are both strong points. Blood splatters are heard as you cut through enemies with your sword, and you hear a satisfying crunch when you smash an enemy&amp;#39;s torso with a hammer. Voices and dialogue are top-notch for every character, and even the demon&amp;#39;s blood curdling screams are scary. Finally, the epic soundtrack tops it all off. I wouldn&amp;#39;t say it&amp;#39;s amazing, but it definitely gets the job done.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A long story and pretty solid battle system (though I hear that the PC version is better) kept me immersed in the adventure of the Grey Wardens for hours upon hours. The origin stories led me to make several characters just to see them all, and to see what different quests I could unlock with different party members. To see every variation of origins, quests, and endings is an addicting affair. Though it has some shortcomings in graphics and the occasional sketchy glitch, Dragon Age: Origins is definitely an experience that should be had by anyone who appreciates an action RPG.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="clear:both;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=1733669" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/User+Review/default.aspx">User Review</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/PlayStation+3/default.aspx">PlayStation 3</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/dragon+age+origins/default.aspx">dragon age origins</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/RPG/default.aspx">RPG</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/Bioware/default.aspx">Bioware</category></item><item><title>Dragon Age Origins hits my RPG sweet spot</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2011/08/17/dragon-age-origins-hits-my-rpg-sweet-spot.aspx</link><pubDate>Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:21:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1153722</guid><dc:creator>ConnorTheDestroyer</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=1153722</wfw:commentRss><comments>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2011/08/17/dragon-age-origins-hits-my-rpg-sweet-spot.aspx#comments</comments><description>&lt;p&gt;Before I bought Dragon Age Origins I had little knowledge about the series and even smaller interest in the game. Because I thought it looked like another one of the same old D&amp;amp;D style RPG&amp;quot;s but, boy was I wrong. This game actually has the credit of getting me interested in the genre. The&amp;nbsp;fighting sequences and overall gameplay&amp;nbsp;are solid, the graphics could stand to be better seeing how mass effect 2 with its smooth graphics only came out a few months later, the voice acting&amp;nbsp;and dialogue system were excellent,&amp;nbsp;but the best&amp;nbsp;part of this game is the story which is top notch.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The story is excellent. You can choose&amp;nbsp;from six different origin stories all coralating with what species and class you choose,and I would highly advise going through all of them before continuing the game. They all meet at one central point so don&amp;#39;t be worried that some of the story will be lost just because you choose an elven rogue and not a human mage. I found the story progression felt smooth and even so you feel like you are&amp;nbsp;progressing through out the game. I also felt the back stories of all the companions were compelling so I was constantly going back to the camp to see if any new dialogue options appeared. By the end of the game I felt satisfied with how it turned out and I especially liked the twist towards the end right before the final battle.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The gameplay is good but it is nothing special among the genre. The combat was a little bit weak on the 360 and PS3&amp;nbsp;and Bioware could have tried a little harder when they ported it to consoles.&amp;nbsp;It often felt like you were just clicking a button and watching youre&amp;nbsp;team fight the enemy instead of making you feel like you were actually involved in the fight, and with boss battles I found myself only spamming the health poultice hot key. Though they&amp;nbsp;did a good job with the leveling system and and making it seem that you are getting stronger as you level up weather you are a mage, warrior, or rogue.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The voice acting in this game fealt very real and made me think I was actually talking to a person and not to some monotonous NPC like in some other RPG&amp;#39;s. The dialogue system&amp;nbsp;is preety smooth but, I often wished my person could have an actual voice to make it feel more involved. It also gives you plenty of choices in what you can say.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Dragon Age Origins is an amazing RPG with a good story, good voice acting, decent gameplay, and a good number of DLC to explore and if you are looking for a good RPG that will keep you entertained for several hours I would highly advise picking this up at your nearest gamestop.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="clear:both;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=1153722" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/User+Review/default.aspx">User Review</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/Xbox+360/default.aspx">Xbox 360</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/dragon+age+origins/default.aspx">dragon age origins</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/RPG/default.aspx">RPG</category></item><item><title>Dragon Age: Origins: Good, but not Great</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2011/07/11/dragon-age-origins-good-but-not-great.aspx</link><pubDate>Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:37:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1055185</guid><dc:creator>Azure Moon</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=1055185</wfw:commentRss><comments>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2011/07/11/dragon-age-origins-good-but-not-great.aspx#comments</comments><description>&lt;p&gt;This game was good, not great, but good.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Pros: &amp;nbsp;Great story, in depth-history, fantastic interaction with NPCs, ability to create your own character, and extremely high replay value. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Cons: Horrible battle system, terrible inventory management, WAY to much in the way of codexes causing information overload, and easy to get burnt out with all the side-quests going on.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Overall, the story is great, no matter which origin you do (my favorites are the Dwarven Noble and Dalish Elf origins), and it was very original. &amp;nbsp;However, the battle system is awful and everything gets bogged down with the amount of information you&amp;#39;re constantly getting. &amp;nbsp;One other little thing that I personally didn&amp;#39;t like was the fact that this is considered a &amp;quot;dark fantasy&amp;quot;, which means ugly, depressing geography, even more depressing story lines and back stories, and tons of blood. &amp;nbsp;If that&amp;#39;s your thing, then you would enjoy this game, but if not, then you will find yourself a bit disappointed. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There are two crowning achievements for this game: &amp;nbsp;the fantastic replay value and the NPC interaction. &amp;nbsp;The story is not too long, so if you wish to play a different character after you save Ferelden from the Blight, you can. &amp;nbsp;The interaction with your companions and other NPCs allows you to be any type of personality you want to be. &amp;nbsp;So, if you want to be a saint, you can be nice to everybody, and if you want to be a complete jerk, you can be mean to everyone. &amp;nbsp;You can also be a profiteering, greedy person that charges everyone for everything.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This game was good, but I was left a little disappointed and wanting more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="clear:both;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=1055185" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/PC/default.aspx">PC</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/User+Review/default.aspx">User Review</category></item><item><title>ALL around</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2011/05/08/all-around.aspx</link><pubDate>Sun, 08 May 2011 12:58:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:908342</guid><dc:creator>James Benford</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=908342</wfw:commentRss><comments>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2011/05/08/all-around.aspx#comments</comments><description>&lt;p&gt;this game is good&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="clear:both;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=908342" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/PC/default.aspx">PC</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/User+Review/default.aspx">User Review</category></item><item><title>A spiritual successor to Kotor</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2011/04/18/a-spiritual-successor-to-kotor.aspx</link><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2011 03:27:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:864438</guid><dc:creator>Wookachuk</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=864438</wfw:commentRss><comments>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2011/04/18/a-spiritual-successor-to-kotor.aspx#comments</comments><description>&lt;p&gt;Dragon Age Origins is a really good game overall with the graphics only being my one real complaint. They were decent not great. &amp;nbsp;Am a latecomer to this game and I bought the ultimate edition with all the DLC. As I played the game I was strongly reminded of the original Kotor from the compelling story to having to pick text responses in conversation. The combat system is good allowing easy pause and play or just play without pause. Without a doubt this is one of the best stories in a video game to date. The origin stories are great allowing six different beginning stories for your hero. They will affect the story in quite a few ways too. Through various twists and decisions made in the game you really do have the ability to create a story where the effects of your decisions on the world are clear. The ending ties everything together well. The writing is great. This is definitely a must have game.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="clear:both;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=864438" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/User+Review/default.aspx">User Review</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/Xbox+360/default.aspx">Xbox 360</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/dragon+age+origins/default.aspx">dragon age origins</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/great+game/default.aspx">great game</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/great+story/default.aspx">great story</category></item><item><title>Dragon Age: Origins Game Review</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2011/04/05/dragon-age-origins-game-review.aspx</link><pubDate>Tue, 05 Apr 2011 20:54:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:836512</guid><dc:creator>Nick</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=836512</wfw:commentRss><comments>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2011/04/05/dragon-age-origins-game-review.aspx#comments</comments><description>&lt;div class="articleText"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Dragon Age: Origins was one of my favorite games when it came out. The game presented a huge, detailed world with plenty of lore and branching story line based on choices your character made. There was a good deal of replay value to it and it was one of the more entertaining titles to come out in a long time. There were several pieces of downloadable content you could purchase for Dragon Age: Origins that helped add a bit more to the game. One of the more interesting offerings however was Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#39;s more of the same - so if you enjoy an action rpg with weighty decisions and an interesting storyline, you&amp;#39;re in luck with this game. What made this game a bit different than most of the other DLC is how it was completely standalone (though some of your actions from the original game could be seen here and there). Is it worth picking up?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Graphics - 7:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Similar in almost every way to Origins, the graphics get the job done in Awakening, but they are hardly going to blow anyone away. It&amp;#39;s basically the same engine with a bit less stuttering. There were not quite as many areas to visit, so the landscapes are not quite as varied as in Origins either.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Sound &amp;amp; Music - 8:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Again, comparable to the original. The voice work is generally good, the same basic sound effects were put to use and the music still helps to set the tone for this game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Gameplay - 8:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They were working with the same engine as Origins when they made this game. As such it controls just like the original. I would give it a slight nod to the fact that I found fewer bugs in Awakenings as opposed to those I found in Origins.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Intangibles - 7:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It probably felt like I was doing an Origins re-review up until this point, huh? Well, that&amp;#39;s because the framework was the same, but this is where the primary differences are at. The same basic rules apply - you make choices and they can have a serious impact on how things play out. The storyline is still an epic one - but the overall game is much shorter. There are also nowhere near as many side quests. Like Origins, there&amp;#39;s a desire to replay again just to see how some decisions might have played out differently, yet I never felt quite as compelled to play over and over again. There&amp;#39;s some tie-in to the first game, but this feels more like Origins - B. It&amp;#39;s not really a sequel and it never tries to be, but it&amp;#39;s disappointing that for those of us who played Origins, there were not more direct tie-ins to what you do in Awakenings.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Overall - 7.5:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Not quite as good as Origins. There is not as much overall content, and to me the storyline was not quite as engaging either. When it came out, Awakening was at a lower price point. Now it can be had as part of the newly released Origins that contains all of the extra content (I believe) and in that sense it would be a good deal. It was a nice extension to the original game for fans like myself who enjoyed it, but set your expectations just a bit lower than you might have for the original game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="clear:both;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=836512" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/User+Review/default.aspx">User Review</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/Dragon/default.aspx">Dragon</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/Xbox+360/default.aspx">Xbox 360</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/dragon+age+origins/default.aspx">dragon age origins</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/dragon+age/default.aspx">dragon age</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/Dragon+Age_3A00_+Origins/default.aspx">Dragon Age: Origins</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/dragon+age+review/default.aspx">dragon age review</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/DAO/default.aspx">DAO</category></item><item><title>I SAW THE POTENTIAL, BUT IT JUST WASNT MY BAG.</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2011/03/15/i-saw-the-potential-but-it-just-wasnt-my-bag.aspx</link><pubDate>Tue, 15 Mar 2011 05:07:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:803253</guid><dc:creator>Chris Larios</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=803253</wfw:commentRss><comments>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2011/03/15/i-saw-the-potential-but-it-just-wasnt-my-bag.aspx#comments</comments><description>&lt;p&gt;when i picked up mass effect 2 i was totally blown away. it was by far one of the best games i have ever played. and the first mass effect didnt dissapoint either. so that was 2 for 2. i was totally impressed with bioware games that i had played up to that point. i was so impressed by their games i had to give dragon age a chance. i was thinking oblivion mixed in with mass effect... thats a hell of a blend. but sadly i just could not get into it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;first off i have to admit the story was interesting. like an alternative version of lord of the rings. but sadly that was about it form me. the graphics for the time period were not great... but still good. my real problem with the game is that it was not what i expected it to be like. its more of a computer game than a console game. i havent played many computer games but i know that most computer RPGs have many different keys for one functionl. and that was the problem with the 360. the 360 doesnt have 50 different buttons. so there are just way to many things to do just to preform one funtion. mass effect is kinda the same in that department but mass effects gun play was jluid enough for me to over looke the constant pressing LB or RB to pull up a menu. but with dragon age i just didnt feel the fluidness that masseffect had. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;it was just to many things to do at one time with a control that has only has 16 buttons on it. i mean the computer has what, 100 +(combined key presses included) buttons. so dragon age would work wounders on a keyboard. but it just didnt run well on the control for me. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;plus i really wasnt a fan of the no holding block button in the game like there is in oblivion. you know just hold LT and the shield or weapon come up to block an attack. that wasnt in dragon age. may not be a problem for some but it was a BIG problem for me. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;so i wouldnt recomend the game if you are use to oblivion or fallout on the consoles. but if you really liked mass effect and really love computer RPGs then i would suggest picking this up befor picking up drangon age 2. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="clear:both;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=803253" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/User+Review/default.aspx">User Review</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/Dragon/default.aspx">Dragon</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/Origins/default.aspx">Origins</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/Xbox+360/default.aspx">Xbox 360</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/dragon+age/default.aspx">dragon age</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/RPG/default.aspx">RPG</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/Bioware/default.aspx">Bioware</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/Mass+Effect+2/default.aspx">Mass Effect 2</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/computer+import/default.aspx">computer import</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/mass+effect/default.aspx">mass effect</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/xbox/default.aspx">xbox</category></item><item><title>Dragon Age: Origins is solid RPG</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2011/02/26/dragon-age-origins-is-solid-rpg.aspx</link><pubDate>Sun, 27 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:773902</guid><dc:creator>Elfstrum</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=773902</wfw:commentRss><comments>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2011/02/26/dragon-age-origins-is-solid-rpg.aspx#comments</comments><description>&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:small;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:small;"&gt;This is a good game. This is a Bioware game. Anyone who has played the Mass Effect series will attest to the awesomeness that is Bioware. Now don&amp;rsquo;t that excited cause it is not Mass Effect. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:small;"&gt;So&amp;hellip; Dragon Age is a good, cool game, but if you think it is going to be Oblivion or Mass Effect you getting your hopes up too high.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:small;"&gt;The plot is your character being part of the last of the Grey Wardens. They&amp;rsquo;re the ghost busters of middle earth monsters. They are specifically powered to fight and kill Darkspawn (they are like ogres and orcs). Your character forms a team and recruits characters like other RPGs. The plot then takes four separate paths to recruit allies for the final battle with the Darkspawn. Some people complain that this story is boring or too much standard fare. I completed disagree.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:small;"&gt;I feel that the story is main draw for me. The game has enough lore to write a book (David Gaider, the lead writer has written 3 books on Dragon Age). Bioware has created a giant world to explore. They developed a detailed account of their entire continent. They have a good half dozen countries with different styles of governments and societies. This is a cool idea. Other RPGs have cities which mostly seem to change only with the environment (desert cites). Sure Dragon Age: Origins doesn&amp;rsquo;t leave Ferelden (their form of a England-type country), but they do bring characters from outside the country.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:small;"&gt;A huge part of the Dragon Age: Origins is the character interactions. There is a great feel to the party of DAO. As you journey there is a huge amount of spoken dialogue within the party. These conversations really develop the characters into full 3 dimensional characters with their own strengths and weaknesses.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:small;"&gt;The graphics certainly haven&amp;rsquo;t held up too well, but I don&amp;rsquo;t play RPGs for their graphics. The graphics are not bad to the point of distraction, but there is certainly room for improvement. There are as well the occasional bug too.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:small;"&gt;This game may not fit every taste but it is worth a look.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="clear:both;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=773902" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/User+Review/default.aspx">User Review</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/Xbox+360/default.aspx">Xbox 360</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/dragon+age+origins/default.aspx">dragon age origins</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/dragon+age/default.aspx">dragon age</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/RPG/default.aspx">RPG</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/Bioware/default.aspx">Bioware</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/Dragon+Age_3A00_+Origins/default.aspx">Dragon Age: Origins</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/DAO/default.aspx">DAO</category></item><item><title>Fun Game Few Flaws</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2011/02/26/fun-game-few-flaws.aspx</link><pubDate>Sat, 26 Feb 2011 19:22:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:773547</guid><dc:creator>Lisa</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=773547</wfw:commentRss><comments>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2011/02/26/fun-game-few-flaws.aspx#comments</comments><description>&lt;p&gt;I didn&amp;#39;t really know what to expect when I started playing this game. &amp;nbsp;I had seen a few commercials for it on TV so when my brother asked what I wanted for Christmas I just asked for this game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I hadn&amp;#39;t played any of the developers other games so I went in with a pretty open mind. &amp;nbsp;Two play throughs later this is now on my list of favorite games. &amp;nbsp;The story isn&amp;#39;t to incredibly deep but it&amp;#39;s interesting enough to keep you interested throughout the game. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For me this game is pretty close to a perfect game but before I list the reasons why here are the reasons it isn&amp;#39;t a 10.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I played the PS3 version so they may be console specific. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1.) During battles you when they first start up I could see a definite drop in framerate. &amp;nbsp;I&amp;#39;m not talking it&amp;#39;s going pretty slow it would actually momentarily freeze and be jumpy for the first couple seconds of the battle. &amp;nbsp;It never stayed like that but it did happen pretty often.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;2.) This only happened in one play through but there would be a few times where I knew another character was talking to me but I wouldn&amp;#39;t hear any thing. &amp;nbsp;The screen would stay stuck for a few seconds and then choices to continue the conversation would pull up. &amp;nbsp;I didn&amp;#39;t miss a full conversation but it was like they forgot to record something there or link up the voice with that part of the conversation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;3.) This Codex. &amp;nbsp;I had a love hate relationship with this thing. &amp;nbsp;When you open this up it is broken into subjects like characters and history. &amp;nbsp;The ones you haven&amp;#39;t read are highlighted. &amp;nbsp;Later in the game when you have collected information on quite a few things if you open it up and read one they only move down one line at a time. &amp;nbsp;So say you are on the last line that is show and there is one under that one that you haven&amp;#39;t read. &amp;nbsp;When you scroll down your selection bar highlights it so you can&amp;#39;t tell if anything has been added under that subject or not. &amp;nbsp;Some of these entries are pretty long and so if you missed reading a couple and go back to catch up it&amp;#39;s pretty tough to find the ones you haven&amp;#39;t read yet.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Those were the only real problems I had with this game. &amp;nbsp;For me what I love about it made up for those flaws but I do know a few people who got annoyed with 1 + 2 enough that finishing the game for them was kind of hard.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Here are the reasons I loved this game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1.) The characters. &amp;nbsp;I&amp;#39;m not a huge WRPG fan. &amp;nbsp;Most of the ones I have tried are pretty open world. &amp;nbsp;I like that but I always kind of feel like I&amp;#39;m missing out on character interaction. &amp;nbsp;In this game you characters have distinct personalities. &amp;nbsp;They have likes and dislikes and they have conversation points they prefer. &amp;nbsp;While going through the game you can hear them talking/joking/bickering with each other as you travel and in specific places they&amp;#39;ll comment on the area you just entered. &amp;nbsp;As the story progresses you can talk to them and get to know each one of them better and as you do you can see the depth that was written into each one. &amp;nbsp;The aren&amp;#39;t all just one sided characters. &amp;nbsp;Each of them has a reason for helping *or not helping* you.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;2.) The Codex. &amp;nbsp;I mentioned earlier why I hated this. &amp;nbsp;But on the other hand I really did like it to. &amp;nbsp;There was just so much information you could access there. &amp;nbsp;It had info on the enemies you had fought, on your fellow characters histories, the history of the country, everything was there. &amp;nbsp;I&amp;#39;m not one to be super strict on the lore of a world *with a few exceptions on certain games of course* but it was nice to have all the history on people, cultures and the area in general there for me to read.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;3. The execution. &amp;nbsp;During my playthrough there were times when I would just stop and appreciate the area and part of the story I was playing in. &amp;nbsp;There is one part that really stood out to me in the Orzammar part of the story. &amp;nbsp;It&amp;#39;s toward the end of the part and I won&amp;#39;t put any spoilers here but the area, the sounds and the overall creepiness of it was great. &amp;nbsp;There were plenty of times like that in the game where you could see all the hard work put into it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;4.) The writing/story/conversations *I don&amp;#39;t know how to categorize this lol*. &amp;nbsp;I have always loved RPGs but I will be the first to admit sometimes the characters reactions just don&amp;#39;t seem right. &amp;nbsp;An example is think of a game where your character gets upset about something and your fellow party members just kind of stand there while the main guy takes care of it. &amp;nbsp;In this game if they don&amp;#39;t like something they&amp;#39;ll speak up. &amp;nbsp;The story and conversations just feel way more natural in this game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;By the end of this game I really did care what happened to my character and my party members and when it was over I was already ready for more. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;With Dragon Age II coming out just around the corner I&amp;#39;m encouraging everyone to at least try this game. &amp;nbsp;With all the different choices you have in it every play through will feel different but they will be your own. &amp;nbsp;There are a few glitches as I mentioned earlier but I feel the game as the whole is still enjoyable enough for most people to have fun during a play through&lt;span style="white-space:pre;"&gt;		&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="clear:both;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=773547" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/PC/default.aspx">PC</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/User+Review/default.aspx">User Review</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/dragon+age/default.aspx">dragon age</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/RPG/default.aspx">RPG</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/Bioware/default.aspx">Bioware</category></item><item><title>hard to stay awake</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2010/12/14/hard-to-stay-awake.aspx</link><pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2010 20:49:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:633049</guid><dc:creator>ai3di</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=633049</wfw:commentRss><comments>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2010/12/14/hard-to-stay-awake.aspx#comments</comments><description>&lt;p&gt;I really like rpg games and this one had a lot of promise. The way you level your characters and can switch between members of your team while also not having to because there is a great system to make your characters automatically act on their own is perfect. The graphics are really good and the story is very deep with many choices all the way from the start to the finish.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Saying this I still gave it a low score because the music was so mellow and the story dialog lasted so long that I had a hard time staying awake while playing it. The dialog parts just took to long but if you don&amp;#39;t mind that and sub in your own music, it is worth playing. It just wasn&amp;#39;t my cup of tea.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="clear:both;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=633049" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/PC/default.aspx">PC</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/User+Review/default.aspx">User Review</category></item><item><title>Save the world and kill Darkspawn in the best RPG I've played.</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2010/12/06/save-the-world-and-kill-darkspawn-in-the-best-rpg-i-ve-played.aspx</link><pubDate>Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:06:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:617700</guid><dc:creator>King Sir Mister Captain Lord Pope Doctor PHD</dc:creator><slash:comments>1</slash:comments><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=617700</wfw:commentRss><comments>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2010/12/06/save-the-world-and-kill-darkspawn-in-the-best-rpg-i-ve-played.aspx#comments</comments><description>&lt;p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Story&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; The minute you start Dragon Age: Origins story, you will be plunged into the start of an unique origin that depends on your character&amp;rsquo;s race. Each of the 6 origin stories will have an impact on the rest of the story, like your Human Noble can become king/queen, or your Dwarf can become a Paragon of his people.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Each of the major decisions can end completely different from each other, depending on the ending, some people may die, and maybe no one will. Depending on who you put on the throne will alter the ending. Not all of the choices will have as much impact as the next, but even some of the side quests have a result in the end.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; The story is about you, one of only two Grey Wardens - a group of skilled warriors that are the only ones that can stop the Blight - must gather and army starting from nothing except a few ancient treaties to different races, with the only other Warden, named Alistair who like you, just joined. Each of the major quests are almost like individual mini stories, but you never loose track of the full story and what you doing. As you go along in the story, different companions join your quest. Although a couple of them are obvious, some are not. If you have no idea who they are, you may accidentally kill one, or not give a second thought to another. Also, this is the only RPG where I actually like the whole party.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Gameplay&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; This is a pause-and-play RPG on a console. That said, the combat is well done. X is your basic attack, while [], /\, and O, along with R2+those buttons serve as 6 special ability short-cuts. This works very well for Warriors and Rouges, but it doesn&amp;rsquo;t work quite as well for mages. Mages will have dozens of spells before the end, and only having 6 of them for quick use is a little annoying. But, you can still pause the gameplay and select which spell/talent you want to use.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Unfortunately, DA:O gets really easy after about halfway though. Even on nightmare, a well-built Warden will mow though the enemies. That&amp;rsquo;s about the only compliant I have about the gameplay.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Upgrading is just as fun as you would expect, getting new talents and feeling your Warden become more powerful is thrilling. You&amp;rsquo;ll get 3 attribute points, 1 talent, and every 3 levels(2 for Rouges) you will get a skill point. Skill points are used for things like making potions, poisons, traps, etc. The gameplay section of DA:O, like the story, is fantastic.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Graphics&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; As great as the other parts of DA:O are, the console versions have very lackluster graphics. The PC has great graphics, but I&amp;rsquo;m not reviewing that version.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Some of the character models look good, mostly your Warden and party, but some of the NPCs look bad. Like the character models, the environments go from good to bad. The citys, especially Orzammar, look good. However, the caves, like the Deep roads are especially lacking.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sound&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; The voice acting in Dragon Age sits with the best of it. All of the party sounds believable and the NPCs sound good too. The battles and sword clanging have an epic sound to them.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;b&gt;Overall&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Dragon Age: Origins is an incredible RPG, and my favorite RPG ever. With a great story, addicting gameplay, and believable voice acting, its easy to look past some of the uglier graphical moments.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;b&gt;Single-player:&lt;/b&gt; 10/10&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The exciting combat and dialogue system speak for themselves. Among the best out there.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;b&gt;Graphics:&lt;/b&gt; 6.0/10&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;There are some good sights here, but don&amp;rsquo;t expect anything special.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sound: &lt;/b&gt;10/10&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The voice acting is great, and the combat sounds epic.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;b&gt;Story&lt;/b&gt;: 10/10&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;It has a basic path, but how everything ends is up to you. And its all told brilliantly.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;b&gt;Immersion:&lt;/b&gt; 10/10&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;You will be entrenched in the gameplay for hours.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;b&gt;Replay Value:&lt;/b&gt; 10/10&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;I&amp;rsquo;ve spent 230 hours on this and I don&amp;rsquo;t feel any time was wasted.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;b&gt;Overall:&lt;/b&gt; 10/10&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Minus the graphics, this is as good as it gets.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="clear:both;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=617700" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/User+Review/default.aspx">User Review</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/PlayStation+3/default.aspx">PlayStation 3</category></item><item><title>Old School Goodness</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2010/09/20/old-school-goodness.aspx</link><pubDate>Mon, 20 Sep 2010 04:10:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:508111</guid><dc:creator>Teyrn Loghain</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=508111</wfw:commentRss><comments>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2010/09/20/old-school-goodness.aspx#comments</comments><description>&lt;p&gt;There was a period in my life, too long ago for me to want to think about, that I would get off the bus from school and make a bee line directly to my parent&amp;#39;s computer. There was only one thing on my mind, playing Baldur&amp;#39;s Gate. The game&amp;#39;s fascinating characters, intriguing story, and revolutionary battle system created a whole new subset of the RPG genre. However, due in part to the technological limitations of the time, the game had several significant flaws. It had fixed camera angles, the occasional permanent death of an ally, and the ability to get yourself saved in places where you would be so stuck that you would need to start the entire game from the start.&amp;nbsp; Dragon Age: Origins is a modern version of Baldur&amp;#39;s Gate with all the upgraded graphics and voice-overs you would expect but without any of the flaws of Baldur&amp;#39;s Gate that it takes so much from. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The characters are still fascinating, the plot is still intriguing, and the combat system is still a lot of fun. BioWare shrunk the battle system of Baldur&amp;#39;s Gate down to its core so that it would be the most enjoyable experience possible. There are only three races, Human, Elf, and Dwarf. There are only three classes, Warrior, Rogue, and Mage. Depending upon which class is chosen, the player will be able to choose up to two specializations over the course of their adventure. The number of members allowed in your party has also been reduced from six to four, which reduces micromanagement and makes the battles more fun. Depending on your race and class, the player can choose an origin for their character that will effect the first hour or so of the game. These origin stories are a lot of fun and help flush out the world the game takes place in, Ferelden.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Dragon Age: Origins is one of those rare games that absolutely cannot be missed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="clear:both;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=508111" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/PC/default.aspx">PC</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/User+Review/default.aspx">User Review</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/Xbox+360/default.aspx">Xbox 360</category></item><item><title>amazing game in every way</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2010/07/27/amazing-game-in-every-way.aspx</link><pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:19:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:432153</guid><dc:creator>Sierra</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=432153</wfw:commentRss><comments>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2010/07/27/amazing-game-in-every-way.aspx#comments</comments><description>&lt;p&gt;I&amp;nbsp;walked into this game expecting your typical rpg and found an addicting, detailed&amp;nbsp;story that i couldnt walk away from. The graphics are flowing, facial expressions are realistic, and the landscapes are gorgeous. I loved how you could choose what you wanted to say and how you wanted to develope your character and your relationships with the npcs. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Sadly i didnt get to finish the game. I only got 8 hours in before my uncle took his ps3 back to the store, but i enjoyed every minute of this game.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="clear:both;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=432153" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/User+Review/default.aspx">User Review</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/PlayStation+3/default.aspx">PlayStation 3</category></item><item><title>SWEET!</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2010/07/08/sweet.aspx</link><pubDate>Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:43:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:403594</guid><dc:creator>Taten</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><wfw:commentRss xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/">http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=403594</wfw:commentRss><comments>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/2010/07/08/sweet.aspx#comments</comments><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:small;"&gt;This game was amazing.... kind of hard in some spots but still really good! The pause fighting or continuous was really cool. I always got so excited when i leveled up because it is so much fun. I hope the second one is even better though!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="clear:both;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=403594" width="1" height="1"&gt;</description><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/User+Review/default.aspx">User Review</category><category domain="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/user_reviews/archive/tags/PlayStation+3/default.aspx">PlayStation 3</category></item></channel></rss>