PC version review by Utkarsh W
As far as story, content and presentation goes, Dragon Age: Origins is pretty much the same game on the PC. However, there are small differences that. when looked at as a whole, make the PC version a completely different experience, which is in many ways the best way to play the game. Probably the biggest and most welcome difference it has in comparison to the console versions is the option to use an isometric birds-eye camera view in addition to the behind-the-back third-person view from the console version. When in the isometric view, the game plays like any other standard top down RPG in the vein of Baldur’s Gate or Neverwinter Nights. You can zoom in and out or even pan the camera around. This way, you get a more strategic view of the battlefield.
The PC version features a proper pause function which let’s you pause the action at any time and give individual commands to party members, which is a lot more flexible than the power wheel from the console version. Once again, if you’re familiar with games like BG2 and NWN, you’ll know how micromanaging your party during combat can not only be a lifesaver, but also make battles far more interesting and strategic.
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And trust me, you’ll need use the pause function quite a lot on the PC since the overall difficulty level is certainly higher than the console version. Some fights, which took me a few minutes on the Xbox 360 version took more than 15-20 minutes to get past on the PC. The Tactics option, which feels like an additional feature on the console version, which you may end up using only when facing tough battles, is actually a must here if you’re playing on anything above the ‘Easy’ difficulty setting. However, the user interface coupled with the isometric view and the pause function makes most of the challenging fights manageable and thrilling.
Contrary to the 6 quick skills that are available to you on the console version (via the face buttons), you’ll get a standard RPG skill bar at the bottom of the screen on PC. The first 10 skills/items are automatically mapped to the number keys but you can add more to the skill bar and activate them by clicking on them manually. At any given time you will feel like you’re in complete control of your party and their actions.
The user interface is also far more streamlined and looks a lot better on the PC. The journal and inventory screens are easier to navigate and have better colours, thus making them more legible. This is definitely a plus considering the amount of optional text the game gives you to read. Much like any other PC RPG, you can jump directly to any of the secondary screens from the game screen using hotkeys unlike the console version where you end up spending time sifting through screens to get to what you need after hitting the Back/Select button.
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The in-game Codex is arranged in a grid-like fashion and it’s very easy to find what you’re looking for, thus eliminating the need for endless scrolling up and down. One area where I felt the console version interface has an edge over the PC version is while hunting for Codex entries. The console version automatically highlights objects of interest while on the PC you have to press TAB to highlight all objects in an area.
As described in the main review, Dragon Age: Origins isn’t quite the looker you’d expect. However, the presence of higher resolution textures on the PC does manage to add some additional visual sheen to the environments and characters. The outdoor scenery is still a bit on the bland side, but indoor areas and dungeons look impressive featuring extra detail on the PC version. The game runs extremely well even when everything is maxed out and there are almost zero frame drops. The presence of a quick-save option is welcome given the challenging nature of the game. The load times however can be a pain. They aren’t as long as the console version, but are frequent enough to cause some frustration. The load times also start to become longer the longer you play the game. It’s also interesting to note that turning down some of the graphical settings actually reduces load times significantly.
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I also faced some issues with the downloadable content that I had installed. At times, some of my saved games wouldn’t load because the game wasn’t able to recognise me as a valid owner of the content, even though I was signed in to the EA servers. This made me lose around 10 to 15 minutes of gameplay on two occasions. It’s not something that happens on a regular basis, but when it does, pray that the game loads at least one of your recent saves. Bottomline – save often!
As with most other PC games , Dragon Age: Origins features a lot of content outside the main game. Apart from the EA-licensed DLC that’s already available, there are many other mods, tweaks and additional user-created content that you can download from the BioWare Social Network site. This is definitely another plus for the PC version.
Overall, the PC version is the definitive version of the game despite some minor flaws (which should get addressed in forthcoming updates). If you own a console and a decent PC and are on the fence about this, just get the PC version and enjoy the game the way it’s meant to be. If you don’t have access to a gaming PC, the console version is decent enough to experience the awesomeness that is Dragon Age: Origins. Regardless of the platform, this is still the best RPG that money can buy at the moment.
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Conclusion
This is one of the best games to come from the renowned Bioware stable, and if you are remotely interested in RPGs, you will want to pick this up. It offers a heady mix of story, script, acting and gameplay which has been missing from RPGs for some time. For those who have never played RPGs or are not interested in the genre, let this be your introduction into a world where you can truly role-play. This is a must play game for everyone. Even in a year which has seen excellent releases from strong names like Uncharted, Mario, Call of Duty and Halo, a fresh new IP like Dragon Age Origins can hold its own. If you want to play one RPG on your system this year, let this be the one. Actually, nix that, if you want to play one RPG, let this be the one.
(+) Great story backed up by outstanding script and voice acting
(+) Ferelden is a vast world with lots of diverse areas to explore
(+) Good port of traditional RPG gameplay mechanics to the console
(+) Array of interesting characters
(+) Lots of skills, spells, abilities and specializations to play around with
(-) Bland visuals in the exteriors
(-) Difficulty spikes at places can be annoying
(-) Lack of isometric view on the console
Title: Dragon Age: Origins
Developer/Publisher: Bioware/EA
Genre: Role-playing game
Rating: 18+
Platforms: PS3 (Rs 2,499), Xbox 360 (Rs 2,499), PC (Rs 999)
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