Off the Shelf Media

I replayed Dragon Age: Origins for the first time in 15 years and, man, what a time. I forgot how crisp the writing was, how deep the character development goes, and how much fun this game is to play and replay time and time again. The lead developers and executives at Bioware should play this game again because they have fallen steeply since 2009. 

Let’s get into the review and sing their praises before the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard poo poos all over it. 

Gameplay: 2

I hate the combat tactics in this game. They get in the way of everything, and I can’t explain how they work or how to make them easier. Let’s take a step back and explain what the combat tactics are. Basically, it’s an if-then statement in a game menu. If XYZ companion falls below 25% health then they will use a minor health potion. Or, when the battle starts, your mage will cast XYZ spell. 

It gives you more control over the battles and your companions, but it’s tedious and annoying, and you can’t turn it off. There isn’t much guidance or available templates either. I tried fiddling around with them, but once we entered a battle, half of my party was standing there rocking back and forth taking damage. 

So, why did I give the gameplay a two instead of a one? It’s a great mechanic, and I’m at fault for being bad at it. Imagine a reviewer giving Elden Ring or Dark Souls a 3/10 because the combat was too hard. It’s a skill issue, not an issue with the game. 

Outside of that, it’s your standard late 2000s or early 2010s Bioware game. You’re the main character destined to save the world with a band of diverse characters from all different races and classes. The decisions you make will either piss your companions off or make them want to awkwardly dry hump you before the final battle. You know, the good stuff!

My latest run was on the PC and the combat is much better on mouse and keyboard. I was a mage and it was much easier having all your spells and items along the bottom of the screen as opposed to the hotkeys on a controller. The combat was smooth and it was easier to heal myself when surrounded by Darkspawn.

If you do play it on a PC, be warned that you can’t run it on max graphics without it crashing every 15 minutes. I played on 1920×1080 resolution with all the graphic presets set to medium, and it rarely crashed. I would have liked to play it on full blast, but I can’t blame the game for being old.

Story: 2

Boy, oh boy, where do I begin? The game is called Origins because there are six origin stories to choose from. You can play as a Dwarven Nobel/Commoner, a City Elf, a Dalish Elf, a Human Nobel, or a Magi. Personally, my favorite is the Dwarven Nobel. It’s a crazy story of betrayal and it’s satisfying in its conclusion. I think the Human Nobel is underrated and people love the Magi storyline that, in my opinion, is a meh. 

Each story takes around 90 – 120 minutes, so if you don’t like the story, you can go back and try again. No matter which one you choose, you meet Duncan who is a Grey Warden and he’ll take you off to Ostagar to become a Grey Warden and put an end to the Blight. The Blight happens when the darkspawn attack the surface world. The Grey Wardens are sworn to fight the darkspawn and put an end to the Blight. 

After the first act of the game, you set off to find allies in your quest. Along your travels, you’ll meet a handful of companions ranging from the secretive mage Morrigan, the sarcastic Alistair ,the tank Sten, and many, many more. Some of them are integral to the overall plot while others are there to take up space and have fun. Each of them has their unique backstory, talents and abilities, and side quests. Back in the day, Bioware knew how to write a strong cast of characters you cared about. 

The codex in this game is massive and it’s constantly updated as you go through the game. The writers went above and beyond when crafting a world for you to explore. Each civilization has its history, culture, religion, and conflicts within its own culture as well as other cultures. Elves are treated like third class citizens, mages aren’t trusted and live in The Circle for most of their lives, and Dwarves live underground cut off from the rest of the world. 

As the story progresses you’ll have to make choices that will impact the outcome of the game. This isn’t anything new in video games but back in 2009, you didn’t see this as often. Most games were linear with a beginning, middle, and end. Dragon Age has multiple paths for you to take and it increases the replay value because some of the choices are difficult and it’s worth playing through again to see if you made the right call or not. 

There’s so much to say about the stories in this game, but honestly, it’s better if you go play the game and experience it for yourself. 

Atmosphere: 2

There’s a lot to explore in this game. There are the forests where the Dalish Elves live, the underground city Orzammar where the dwarves live, the city of Denerim, and plenty of caves. Every area on the map feels unique and specific to the cultures who live there. 

The combat is gruesome and if you don’t enter the the next cutscene after a battle covered in blood, you aren’t playing the game right. The mages’ spells fly across the screen bursting into a fireball or throwing a protective shield around an ally. The final blow of a combo with a dual wield is quick and ruthless just as satisfying the 100th time as it was the first. 

The cutscenes still hold up after all these years. Ostager still looks great and the chaos and slaughter on the battlefield rivals some modern-day RPGs. 

Value: 2

Dragon Age: Origins is currently $30 on Steam and that includes all of the DLC. For $30, it is worth the price but it’s frequently on sale if you’re a penny pincher. If you’re going to buy the game, definitely get the complete edition. The extra DLCs are worth it for the most part. There’s a game mode where you play as darkspawn, which is fun but doesn’t add anything to the overall story. 

Dragon Age Awakening is the largest expansion and extends the game the furthest. At the end of the game, your job is to rebuild the Grey Wardens and restore Vigil’s Keep. It’s a great story with more difficult choices bringing together old and new characters alike. It adds to the overall value of the game and adds 10-15 hours of additional gameplay. 

Duration: 2

My latest run on the PC was 74.5 hours and it didn’t drag for one second. You get a full game with a satisfying ending that you’ll want to play again. I mentioned it earlier, but the choices you make matter. Did you save the werewolves at the expense of the elves? Who did you side with in the fight for the dwarven crown? If you went down path A, you want to start a new character as a different race, different class, and make different decisions to see how it all plays out. 

My first playthrough back in 2010 was a 2-handed dwarven tank. This time, I went with a support human mage. Next time, I’ll go with a rogue Dalish archer. Each playthrough will have different choices creating different consequences and creating a brand new experience. 

That’s the true beauty of this game. No matter how many times you play it, you’ll have a different experience. The end goal and result may be the same but how you get there matters and will affect how you end the game. The choices you make may impact the future games in the series. But that’s a review for a different day. 

Total Score: 10/10

Dragon Age: Origins is a masterpiece that stands the test of time. There are a few technical issues or glitches but that’s Bioware’s fault more than the game’s. If I was reviewing this in 2009, it would be a perfect 10/10, so that’s what it gets in 2025. 

The replay value is there. The story holds up. The lore is deep, and the characters are some of the best ever written in videogames. If you never played it, give it a shot, just don’t get your hopes up. Dragon Age 2 isn’t as good, Inquisition is excellent but I need to play it again before I write a review, and Veilguard was controversial, to say the least. I’m just saying, don’t fall in love with the series because you might leave with your heart torn in two.

Next up we’re staying in Fantasy Land with Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. It’s one of the greatest platformers of all time and you won’t be surprised to see how much I loved it after playing it again for the first time in over five years. 

I’ll see ya there, but until then, y’all take care.