With the news that Dragon Age: The Dreadwolf could be releasing sometime this year I wanted to revisit the series. Dragon Age Origins was the first in the series and while not my favorite Bioware game it is clear that elements of this game was included in their other games. This is also the only Dragon Age game that doesn’t have a Dialogue Wheel mechanic rather choices are written out and clear while the wheel isn’t bad I prefer this system better. The game has an emphasis on keeping companions approval up if you don’t then some will leave your party at different parts of the game. Also each companion has a side quest that is tied to approval and what happens around them.

The game has three classes Warrior with a focus on sword and shield, Greatsword, and dual weapons. While powerful and with a lot of health they are constantly tanking damage. Rouges focus on archery and dual weapons which later games would make exclusive to rouge rather than shared with warrior they are more tactical fighters using stealth, but aside from the ability to pick locks the gameplay didn’t change much between the two. Mage is the last class and this is by far the one I had the most fun with. Mostly due to the differences Mage is ranged fighting and can cause damage that adds additional effects further some things they can do are just unbalanced like the crushing prison or creating a giant storm.

The plot is based on the Of Frost and Fire book series the same thing that inspired Game of Thrones. So each Origins protagonist has their own origin story quest and motivations. This is something I wish they would bring back. Inquisition does have varied races, but none of the quests change. The game starts with a war with monsters known as the Darkspawn and the need to destroy them and bring peace and the player navigating the different politics of each area. I need to mention this games graphics have aged poorly. I don’t know if it is because I was playing on the XBOX 360 so regardless the game wouldn’t look good compared to the PC, but it still looked awful even compared to other 360 titles. If you are looking for a game that pushes the XBOX then look somewhere else the clunky graphics can take away from the gameplay, but if you ignore it then it is still a good time.