Despite Some Of The More Ballache Glitches, This Game Is A Story That Needed To Be Told...
The world created for this game honestly does feel more real then any other game world I've played in. The creators really went above and beyond what most people do today. Every inch of it's world seems to have been thought out until it was exhausted...not literally every inch, for those who are the gullable type. Most game worlds feel like they've been made and then a story given to them around what's already there, but you can tell Bioware/whoever did thier story first and the places were more born through the history instead of simplicity of the location. I think my grammer on that last scentence didn't make sense, but I'm sure you understand what I mean...
...and the people! Excellent! I think having every character in the game talking is work enough, but to keep so many characters interesting and useful to the story isn't always an easy feat. Some people do still feel tacked on--don't get me wrong--but these are the people who simply have few lines and progress the story a lot quicker. Examply would be the kid in Haven who tells you you don't belong here. I mean, I get it, he's creepy blah, blah, but I was more inclined to right hook him in the face then see if he was doing well. I used to class Leliana and Oghren in the "Outcast" role in my party. Didn't really find them entertaining, but didn't want to kick them out of the group. It's when you start talking to all these people you're traveling with that you really do feel some kind of connection, superficial or whatever, you do kind of want your Warden to hear them out and become friends to learn more about them. Did I already menton voice acting? Hmm, too late now, if I already haven't, it is excellent. You can really feel the passion from these people, it sets a standard for me for other games. They could have just voiced the main characters and left the rest as text bubbles, they are strong enough to hold on thier own.
...then again, suppose if almost every character has to be voiced because they have something vital to the story, you might as well voice the 50 others left, eh?...
If anyone--ANYONE--has doubts about how good the voice acting is...Anora's speech before the final battle. That genuinley...haha, was going to say move me, but that's just a lie--it did give me goosebumps. Just look for the; 'For Forelden! For the Grey Wardens!' line. Alistair's is still good, but on the last line, he sounds like he swallowed something and it hasn't gone all the way down yet. Like when you have a sandwhich and when you gulp it just stays halfway down your throat and your voice sounds a little cow-esque...what an embarassing time for it to happen to him, too...
But, of course, the game is not perfect, otherwise I'd be a 10. Ah, the glitches, overall not too bad, but there are just so many(Characters vanishing from the party but still hearing their voice, lagging like ****, attacks just not even registering, people's voices not working, bugged trophies), there's even some spelling mistakes, but to be fair, on a game with this much dialogue I'd expect some words not to be correct. You can overlook them in the long term, but they really do get under your skin when several of them pile up at once...
The combat system isn't unique, and having played it on PS3 and PC, the PC controls are far superior, but I think people whine far too much about the PS3 and Xbox controls, they're nowhere near as good, but in no way does it detract from the game or make it seem lifeless. It's done in a typical, but satisfactory way...
The game--for me--declined within the first few DLCs. I liked being able to tie up loose ends with some of my Wardens through the DLC, give thier story a proper finish, but some of them do seem a bit like a cash cow, and in my opinion; all of them were made before Origins was released and should have been included in the retail version. But, we all know EA; the kind of company you'd see on the street corner in high heels trying to earn enough for the parking meter...
Still, this game will make you feel part of something much bigger. Much, MUCH bigger, and creating your own characters in a game has always been important to me, the idea is you to feel what the game wants you too, and DA does it perfectly. You can decide who you are, what you are, your past, your future. I'd recommend getting the Ultimate Edition for the DLC just to keep the story going, albiet some add nothing to the game, but it's up to you to take this game however you want it to...within the boundries of it's own universe. It has so much depth, I think I could play it all over again in a years time and still see something new...
Origins itself I'd give a 10, but having the include the DLCs into it, it's mostly glitches and lack of stability that take away from the 10, but not bad enough to render this game defective or useless...
Origins or Ultimate, whichever you prefer, it is undeniable that this game is one for the books. You'll spend days--literally, days--as the hero this Dragon Age Universe needs, and when it's all over, and the dust settles, there's either your DLC hero, or another Grey Warden walkthing into a new beginning...
...aww =) ...that was nice. Needles out...