Dragons Age.

So finally, I found the nerve to put something up on my blog. I write a lot, but for some reason I don’t deem my writings as blog worthy.

I mean, who would want to read about inane topics? But, what the hell. I need to practice. And maybe (just maybe) someday, ill write about things that are more substantial than what I write about now. Things people would actually enjoy reading. Or might be thought provoking. Whatever.

Anyhow, I have dedicated today’s entry to this amazing video game called Dragons Age: Awakening. There were a lot of positive reviews about it all over the major gaming sites. So obviously that aroused my curiosity

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I used to be a strategy games guy. I don’t know how many countless hours I have actually spent playing age of empires, starcraft etc. I really liked the historical / fantasy nature of those games. You could build up an army, outfit them with the most badass troops around, and clobber your enemies into submission.

I thought this was the pinnacle of gaming. Of course, I could not be more wrong.

Anyhow, around 2009, this game called Dragons age: Origins, was trending everywhere on the net. It had great reviews on almost all of the major gaming sites. The word of mouth amongst the gamers was pretty positive too. I was intrigued. What was this RPG game?

RPG stands for role playing game. Simply put, here you do not command armies. You are one of the troops, albeit you may be a major character.  The opportunity to actually live a character during a game was exciting.

I bought the game as soon as possible, installed it asap. Cleared out the day’s schedule and sat down in a plush chair, ready for the big date.

The first thing that came up when the game started was a pretty impressive dragon, breathing fire, dripping blood as it morphed into the dragons age logo. I was pretty impressed, and in hindsight this  put me in the mood for the game.

The first screen that I came across was the character creation screen. Here you create your virtual self, your avatar. Obviously I chose a warrior, put some impressive tattoo and piercings on him. And named him Aragorn (he was my favourite character from the lord of the rings).

Some people like to play as mages( magicians who throw fireballs from their staff and stuff). Others go for rogues (who are quick and use daggers and cheap little tricks to fight). I find these avatars to be to too gay (no disrespect). I mean you are in a video game, dude. Man up.

I noticed instantly that the graphics were stunning and the combat camera was adjustable as per your preference. Character models were a bit disappointing but the combat animations were breathtaking. Spells and special abilities when activated , burst upon the combat arena in vivid colours that impressed me a lot. The cut scene graphics were nice too. Armors and weapons were very cool.

The shortcut to inventory and special abilities were thoughtfully placed, I really appreciated the thought behind it.

The combat was excellent. It took some time getting used to though. I loved the whole concept of a tactical fight. You can pause during the fights, giving orders to your allies while also plotting the downfall of your enemies. Oh, and I forgot to mention! You can actually choose companions, people who fight alongside you.

These companions were not one dimensional characters. They had their own personalities, fighting styles, philosophies about life. They would often comment on in-game events. Even argue or crack jokes amongst one another. It made the game very enjoyable.

Some were downright assholes, like the grey warden( warrior) Alistair. That guy had a crappy personality. He used to whine about everything I did. I really wanted to kill him or at least make him stop, but he was an excellent warrior, so I had to put up with his bullshit.

Some were awesome, like Morrigan. More on that later. In this game, you could actually romance other characters. If you took actions they liked, and rubbed off them in a good way, there would be options to initiate a romance. I thought, fuck that! I would rather kill and conquer. I was happy raiding and pillaging.

Until I met Morrigan.

The first time I met her in the game, I literally wanted to kiss the game designer’s feet. She was sooooo hot! Morrigan was a witch, who due to some unfortunate circumstances, had to travel throughout the game with my character.

She had these really deep eyes and a very sexy voice. She had this amazing sense of humour( most of it sarcasm). She knew how to play her sexuality. Depending on the way you were with her (or what she wanted from you), she was either being a total bitch, or was giggling like a teenaged girl when you complimented her, or gave her gifts (a book of spells, obtained by killing her witch mother). She had some defined views on life and society, didn’t take shit from anybody. And that hot sarcasm. She could be putting you down, yet be playful. It was always a battle of wills and the mind with morrigan. (Sigh), if only there were girls like her in real life..

The point is, apart from my lame fascination with a video game character, is that the characters were beautifully etched out and made the game experience come alive.

Moving on, the game’s usp was it immense story. You were mankind’s savior against a very powerful and ancient enemy. Class struggles (Templars vs mages), societal divide and racism. Imperialism and religion, all were a part here. The game created a fascinating world which immersed you into it. In this game, you have the power to either misuse these events for personal gain, or be a true hero.

Personally, I did what felt right to me. Whatever option you chose, there was a certain tinge of regret. Every community or group you helped, there were some people who suffered some form of misfortune due to it. Your actions had a direct impact on the world around you.

The soundtrack was haunting and surreal. During battle it would be adrenaline pumping, but when you were exploring or trading, the music would turn soothing or chaotic appropriately. The characters’ voice acting was very well done. They made the dialogues come alive.

It was an epic feeling when I rode out into battle for the final time, wearing the most awesome armor and weapons I had painstakingly found, looted or forged myself. To be honest, there was a certain emptiness when the game finished.

The next installment of this game is scheduled to release in the fall of 2014. It seems to be amazing from what I have seen already. Its really hard to be patient and wait for it. I wish there was a time machine so I could travel through time and play it right now!

If you read this entry, and have some time to kill, I recommend this game to you. Gamer or not, I promise that you will not be disappointed.

p.s: This is not a review, but i want to give some ratings anyway.

Soundtrack: 8

Gameplay: 10

Story: 10

Graphics: 9

Overall: 10 ( Im obviously biased.)