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D.C. · 02-12-2010, 05:08 PM

I've been meaning to post my thoughts on Dragon Age for a while now:

My character was Chris Cousland, human noble origin. This prologue set the tone awesomely, establishing his background extremely well and introducing you to the gameplay piece-by-piece. It was great to explore the castle and meet-and-greet its various inhabitants. Although this origin was fairly short it did an amazing job giving Chris a unique perspective -- something else to fight for when the Blight wasn't enough, something that stuck with him through the entire game. The whole origin thing really helps make your character feel so different from everyone elses. I hope BioWare uses it again.

The storyline was all kinds of awesome and truly epic. My first play through took 80 hours to complete. (Although I like to take my time on the first play through, so that's no surprise.

) I wasn't bored once. Every location had something unique, every character was interesting. I was amazed at the huge freakin' scale of Dragon Age. I was expecting it to be good and it more than lived up to this expectation. Gameplay wise it was probably the most KotOR-like game since KotOR. Definitely a complement. The writing was so deep, complex and stunningly awe inspiring. I loved the sense of urgency that slowly built as the game progressed. The atmosphere had me completely immersed from the Battle of Ostigar all the way to the final show down.

I played the game primarily as a 'light side' character, but it became obvious early on that Dragon Age wasn't going to let you escape the moral grey that BioWare are so good at scattering through out their games.

I'm going to talk about some story specific stuff now, so be warned!

Spoiler:
Morrigan was my absolute favourite party member. I thought she was extremely well realized. My character persued her as a love interest -- trying to see beyond her damaged exterior, trying to save her and the like. She made her nature no secret, though. It was great watching them constantly struggle with each other over the choices my character would make and her unique perspective on it all. Somehow they still got along surprisingly well. It should come as no shock that things didn't exactly go to plan in their relationship, though.

After everything they went through, my character couldn't help but feel just a little betrayed when her true plans were revealed the night before the Denerim assault. Chris turned down her offer and she left, never to be seen again. It's interesting to contemplate whether she was a willing participant in this plan or if it was just another point-of-view deeply ingrained by Flemeth during her screwed up childhood. It's also interesting to speculate if she planned for Flemeth to take this baby as her new host, that Flemeth's death was something just conspired by the two all along.

Even though things didn't end well, I thought Morrigan was probably BioWare's most complex love interest to date. It felt very real that these fundamental issues beneath the surface would actually get in the way. Things weren't going to end well, which seemed almost inevitable. Wynne basically warned my character too, along the way. I think she was misunderstood, definitely damaged goods. It added so much depth having this aspect of the game to explore. I enjoyed every minute of it. Claudia Black's voice acting was incredible too.

I loved all the other party members as well. The wise advise of Wynne. The friendly banter and self-depricating humour of Alistair. (I loved the conversations between Alistair and Wynne too, particularly while on missions.) Although I never used Bitey (the dog) much, I still appreciated having him at the camp and watching his crazy antics. (Not to mention Sten's bonding with him, they seemed to hit it off nicely. ) Oghren, Zevran and Leliana were great additions too. Every party member added something to the group. An insanely awesome line-up. I genuinely enjoyed talking to them and learning of their pasts, perspectives and etc.

I was impressed by how often things would come back to the origin story, how it served as a unique driving force that kept the character going. In fact it seemed pretty essential for him to have come from that origin. Things would not be the same otherwise. I noticed my sister got her dog party member a lot later than I did and there were pretty significant differences from my play through compared to hers as a City Elf.

Spoiler:
I particularly loved the scene in Haven when my character was asked if he felt responsible for his parents deaths, the moment with his father afterwards. He had carried this guilt around that maybe he could've saved them, not to mention the responsibility of the Cousland name. He had a pretty strong reason to want revenge against Howe and Loghain, but there was a whole lot more to it. The need to find his brother. His obligation to the Wardens and to Duncan for giving him a chance to take on the Blight. Plenty of motivation to go around.

Man, I feel like this is an epic ramble for the ages but I might as well continue.

Here are some of the key decisions my character made through out Dragon Age...

Spoiler:
I thought Alistair was the best candidate to install on the throne. Sure Anora might have the know how to be a good queen, but she proved that she was susceptable to being manipulated by outside forces like her father. She was ruthless, seperated from the people and a little power hungry too I think. (Her constant refusal to give up the throne and switching allegiences during the landsmeet only serve to prove that. )

It most definitely wasn't a black-and-white decision that some would have you believe, though. Alistair didn't want to be king and was unsure about himself, but every thing he did through out the game only served to convince my character that he'd make a good king. The only time I questioned that was when he killed Loghain afterwards. He more than had his reasons, though.

I destroyed the golem factory in Orzammar. Nothing good could come from it. I thought Orzammar in general required regime change too. It was clear the heir to the throne wasn't a worthy successor. All the evidence seemed to suggest that despite his flaws Harrowmont would've been the better ruler for his people. My character was sympathetic to the Circle of Magi. Any chance I'd get to help them I would. That includes releasing the blood mage from Redcliffe into the Circle's custody.

There was a very strong chance that the Denerim assault was going to be a suicide mission, atleast for one of the Wardens. Morrigan's plan was unacceptable to my character, especially after all they had been through. He truly throught that Alistair needed to be king too, so he sacrificed himself destroying the blight. It seemed like the right decision. He had dedicated himself from the very start to stopping the blight and was doing it for his family too. I replayed the ending seeing the alternative and thought this first ending I got seemed proper. Atleast for this character.

02-12-2010, 05:08 PM	#265
D.C. Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,773	I've been meaning to post my thoughts on Dragon Age for a while now: My character was Chris Cousland, human noble origin. This prologue set the tone awesomely, establishing his background extremely well and introducing you to the gameplay piece-by-piece. It was great to explore the castle and meet-and-greet its various inhabitants. Although this origin was fairly short it did an amazing job giving Chris a unique perspective -- something else to fight for when the Blight wasn't enough, something that stuck with him through the entire game. The whole origin thing really helps make your character feel so different from everyone elses. I hope BioWare uses it again. The storyline was all kinds of awesome and truly epic. My first play through took 80 hours to complete. (Although I like to take my time on the first play through, so that's no surprise. ) I wasn't bored once. Every location had something unique, every character was interesting. I was amazed at the huge freakin' scale of Dragon Age. I was expecting it to be good and it more than lived up to this expectation. Gameplay wise it was probably the most KotOR-like game since KotOR. Definitely a complement. The writing was so deep, complex and stunningly awe inspiring. I loved the sense of urgency that slowly built as the game progressed. The atmosphere had me completely immersed from the Battle of Ostigar all the way to the final show down. I played the game primarily as a 'light side' character, but it became obvious early on that Dragon Age wasn't going to let you escape the moral grey that BioWare are so good at scattering through out their games. I'm going to talk about some story specific stuff now, so be warned! Spoiler: Morrigan was my absolute favourite party member. I thought she was extremely well realized. My character persued her as a love interest -- trying to see beyond her damaged exterior, trying to save her and the like. She made her nature no secret, though. It was great watching them constantly struggle with each other over the choices my character would make and her unique perspective on it all. Somehow they still got along surprisingly well. It should come as no shock that things didn't exactly go to plan in their relationship, though. After everything they went through, my character couldn't help but feel just a little betrayed when her true plans were revealed the night before the Denerim assault. Chris turned down her offer and she left, never to be seen again. It's interesting to contemplate whether she was a willing participant in this plan or if it was just another point-of-view deeply ingrained by Flemeth during her screwed up childhood. It's also interesting to speculate if she planned for Flemeth to take this baby as her new host, that Flemeth's death was something just conspired by the two all along. Even though things didn't end well, I thought Morrigan was probably BioWare's most complex love interest to date. It felt very real that these fundamental issues beneath the surface would actually get in the way. Things weren't going to end well, which seemed almost inevitable. Wynne basically warned my character too, along the way. I think she was misunderstood, definitely damaged goods. It added so much depth having this aspect of the game to explore. I enjoyed every minute of it. Claudia Black's voice acting was incredible too. I loved all the other party members as well. The wise advise of Wynne. The friendly banter and self-depricating humour of Alistair. (I loved the conversations between Alistair and Wynne too, particularly while on missions.) Although I never used Bitey (the dog) much, I still appreciated having him at the camp and watching his crazy antics. (Not to mention Sten's bonding with him, they seemed to hit it off nicely. ) Oghren, Zevran and Leliana were great additions too. Every party member added something to the group. An insanely awesome line-up. I genuinely enjoyed talking to them and learning of their pasts, perspectives and etc. I was impressed by how often things would come back to the origin story, how it served as a unique driving force that kept the character going. In fact it seemed pretty essential for him to have come from that origin. Things would not be the same otherwise. I noticed my sister got her dog party member a lot later than I did and there were pretty significant differences from my play through compared to hers as a City Elf. Spoiler: I particularly loved the scene in Haven when my character was asked if he felt responsible for his parents deaths, the moment with his father afterwards. He had carried this guilt around that maybe he could've saved them, not to mention the responsibility of the Cousland name. He had a pretty strong reason to want revenge against Howe and Loghain, but there was a whole lot more to it. The need to find his brother. His obligation to the Wardens and to Duncan for giving him a chance to take on the Blight. Plenty of motivation to go around. Man, I feel like this is an epic ramble for the ages but I might as well continue. Here are some of the key decisions my character made through out Dragon Age... Spoiler: I thought Alistair was the best candidate to install on the throne. Sure Anora might have the know how to be a good queen, but she proved that she was susceptable to being manipulated by outside forces like her father. She was ruthless, seperated from the people and a little power hungry too I think. (Her constant refusal to give up the throne and switching allegiences during the landsmeet only serve to prove that. ) It most definitely wasn't a black-and-white decision that some would have you believe, though. Alistair didn't want to be king and was unsure about himself, but every thing he did through out the game only served to convince my character that he'd make a good king. The only time I questioned that was when he killed Loghain afterwards. He more than had his reasons, though. I destroyed the golem factory in Orzammar. Nothing good could come from it. I thought Orzammar in general required regime change too. It was clear the heir to the throne wasn't a worthy successor. All the evidence seemed to suggest that despite his flaws Harrowmont would've been the better ruler for his people. My character was sympathetic to the Circle of Magi. Any chance I'd get to help them I would. That includes releasing the blood mage from Redcliffe into the Circle's custody. There was a very strong chance that the Denerim assault was going to be a suicide mission, atleast for one of the Wardens. Morrigan's plan was unacceptable to my character, especially after all they had been through. He truly throught that Alistair needed to be king too, so he sacrificed himself destroying the blight. It seemed like the right decision. He had dedicated himself from the very start to stopping the blight and was doing it for his family too. I replayed the ending seeing the alternative and thought this first ending I got seemed proper. Atleast for this character. Last edited by D.C.; 02-12-2010 at 11:50 PM.