Dragon Age: Origins

Dragon Age: Origins has been out for few months already, but the constant stream of expansion packs and add-ons for the game means this is looking to be the start of a long-running franchise (just as long as you keep shelling out). That said, even the core game has enough content and recorded dialogue to keep you busy for a good while, even by RPG standards.

DA:O allows you to customize your protagonist down to their nose shape and run them though one of 5 possible origin stories which provide your character's angst. The stories soon merge as your character joins the Grey Wardens, a band of warriors sworn to defeat the Blight, a plague of demons which, wouldn’t you know it, has begun again.

Gameplay can be complex, given all the options your characters have, but it rewards tactical thinking and a bit of planning. Taking your attention away from even an easy fight can result in some of your party going down. Good party balance and skill choices mean more than button mashing, and with the right dialogue options, a fight can be sometimes be avoided altogether.

The storyline, in the broad sense, is fairly linear, but you have the freedom to tackle it in whatever order you choose, and be distracted by as many side-quests as you like along the way. Members of your party can like you, love you, or even attack you if you annoy them enough. Even stock-fantasy tropes like kings and dragons are thrown into a new light with a grittier, more adult narrative.

The game is sometimes too backstory-laden for its own good, and the new add-ons mean that plenty of the game’s best items will go to those who plunk down the most coin. For the most part, though, they just aren’t worth it. Stick with the original game, defeat the Blight, and wake up wondering where your week went.