I have always been a player more focused on game mechanics (like combat systems and class design), but DAO has made me appreciate the finer things in an RPG, things which, in hindsight, I should have considered with more weight in the first place.
Firstly, it is hard to appreciate the true depth of the game's lore on first play-through. Naturally then, a concept that is core to the RPG genre can be initially missed, that being, the story and the world and setting of Dragon Age. I find the world of Dragon Age remarkably rich and deep to the point where I am pleased at having the chance of experiencing it. This is the first sign of a fantastic RPG, one that not only sells you the world that it has you playing in, but leaves you wondering about it long after you have pressed the exit button.
The next thing that is becoming very apparent to me, is how much of an impact the little touches have. These could be the long chats with my party in camp where Wynne parts some epic wisdom to my mage PC, or where I sit through yet another humorous story of the very girly Leliana. Either way, I find that it is hard to quantify just how much of an effect these little touches have on the gameplay experience. Perhaps we take these things for granted in our first few playthroughs, but I find that they most certainly add up over time and add to the richness of the experience.
I would not be satisfied if the game was all story and no meat though. As I stated earlier, I am a core "gameplay mechanics" kind of gamer at heart. Having played many of the 'old school' RPGs, I am very critical of things such as the combat system and class structure and design. While hesitant at first, I do find that DAO's combat and class design is definitely up to par with what I would expect from a more 'traditional' RPG, especially if we normalize our expectations given the current "casual gamer" climate. True, the system(s) could be better, have more options and even a little more depth, but don't let this fool you. I can say without much hesitation now that DAO's combat mechanics and class design is more solid and deeper then pretty much anything out there on the market right now.
I have always found it amazing how most game reviewers can sit down and over the course of a weekend or so, submit a review for a game, especially nowadays where games are becoming more and more complex. While I do know that DAO did very well in the reviews, I still do not think most reviewers could have truly grasped in those short few days not only the true magic of DAO, but the importance of having such a game exist in the market today.
Either way, I guess this post isn't really trying to make much of a point or say anything that we all didn't already know at some level. Thanks really does go out to the Dragon Age: Origins team for putting together a fine RPG experience. Hopefully, Bioware can continue on in this fashion into the future, well past we have weathered the storm of 'watered down casual gamer' shallow gameplay experiences. It is my hope that Bioware does not fall victim to this 'casual gamer' storm, and that they continue to provide us with deep, rich gameplay worlds where we can experience the fantasy and magic of what the RPG genre really stands for.
I leave you now with a thanks, and I hope you all are continuing to enjoy Dragon Age: Origins as much as I am
- Kel S'jet
Modifié par kelsjet, 27 juin 2010 - 04:12 .
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