Dragon Age™: Origins - Ultimate Edition

I keep this rather short. This is the one game, when it was released that came very close to its great ancestor in terms of modern RPGs, Baldur's Gate II. The best thing you can do is to buy this great package and enjoy hundreds of hours this gem has to offer. But why does it only almost top BG? Well it lacks the depth of the original in my opinion. The Story has its flaws and the character system is a bit overburdened, it also focuses a bit too much on items. And the characters, while excellent on its own, don't have the same depth to it. Only few games that followed can claim the same thing and of course it is by far still the best Dragon Age of the series because it focus on the core mechanics of the genre and not on the eye candy.

Dragon Age Origins has been my favourite RPG game, since the day it released in 2009. I have clocked more than 100 hours in-game, exploring each and everything the game had to offer. When the game was announced on GOG, I was over the moon, naturally. Unlike the other versions of the game out there, this includes every single DLC ever released for the game. You maybe thinking, it definitely doesn't include the Collector's Edition items (Bergen's Honour, Grimoire of the Frozen Wastes and Final Reason) and 'A Tale of Orzammar' campaign. True that they are hardly the items which you would miss. But for the most hardcore fans of the game, these small things do matter ... GOG has the same vision and looks to offer gamers the most complete experience ever. So, when few reviews mentioned that the GOG edition did not include these items, then GOG ... wait for it ... as part of the latest patch, released on 19th July 2016, has officially included these items too. Eternally grateful to the GOG team for this. So if you are looking for the most complete experience ever, then the GOG edition is definitely your best bet.

Bioware's homage to its own legacy (namely Baldur's Gate and NWN), Dragon Age is an RPG with excellent mechanics and equally deep world-building. Simply put; if you enjoy the gameplay of the aforementioned games, there's a good chance you'll get your money (and time's) worth here. This is a hefty game after all, with a single playthrough that can take up to 90 hours or more if you're thorough. The combat is tactical and often times brutal, with even small mistakes spelling out your party's end. (TIP: never underestimate archers!) Some micromanagement is required, but there's a surprisingly robust tactics sheet that you can adjust to your liking for each character in your party. Speaking of characters, Bioware really hit it out of the park here. The cast is very memorable and includes a sultry but mean-spirited sorceress, a sarcastic warrior whose quips would make Joss Whedon blush, and the mandatory alcoholic dwarf, among others. Adding some spice to the mix is of course your prerogative, as you can create your character with their own unique background that actually determines the starting location of the game-a feature seldom found elsewhere. Dragon Age: Origins is a dark fantasy, and it likes to remind you of that often, and many times in less than subtle ways. The art direction is frankly kind of a mess, with a D&D-derived world spattered with dark shades of red, brown, grey, and more brown. It's a shame that Dragon Age's idea of 'dark' often means an aversion to a full color palette, and eternal overcast, because the world building itself is quite excellent. The graphics, likewise, are nothing spectacular, even for their time, but they get the job done. If you're looking for a fun and challenging fantasy adventure, Dragon Age: Origins has you covered. With great voice acting, story-telling, and engaging combat, you could do much worse, (ie, the sequels).

Dragon age origins is an amazing game. The story in dragon age is gripping with multiple choices and outcomes throughout. Length is 40-100+ hours depending on how much you do (not including the expansion which comes with this edition). The combat is live action with a pause system to queue up abilities if you choose to ( if you play on a higher difficulty you will be pausing a lot). Leveling up will feel familiar to anyone who's played an rpg before its fairly standard, pick stats to raise and then pick talents at each level. Overall the game play is challenging but very easy to get into especially for an rpg. Graphics and sound both hold up great. There's no need to mod the game it's great as is, however there are graphic and some small gameplay mods if you're interested. This isn't one of those old games that you boot up and instantly notice how dated it looks, dragon age visually and mechanically holds up. If you haven't played this game you are missing out big time, its easy to get into with no overwhelming mechanics and one of the best stories in a game in my opinion. Bang for your buck is incredible, dragon age will keep you entertained for quite awhile. Dwarf noble / Human noble are good starts.