Dragon Age: Origins Magazine Preview

The PC Gamer issue featuring the announced Dragon Age: Origins article is on the shelves now, and it’s a doozy at 8 pages long and being the first ever hands-on preview of the game. The previewer is obviously impressed, calling the game “on track to be the most narratively complex, personal, and replayable RPGs out of the studio yet.” To read the full text and see the large amount of new screens you’ll have to pick up the magazine, but here are a handful of excerpts with essential information:

BioWare believes that players need to ease into their character’s skin, not hop into a pre-drafted hero with just a cutscene to contextualize their actions. This theory materializes in the six distinct introductory “origin stories”: players choose from a dwarf commoner, dwarven noble, city elf, magi, human noble, and Dalish elf. Filling one of these roles gives players the opportunity to make formative, significant decisions that forge a distinct background for their characters before graduating to the main quest.
(…)
I click through a few screens of dialog to get the details – the citizen has written a controversial screed about one of the paragons, the living legends elected by the dwarven council who are meant to be revered by all. Indicting a paragon could be a serious offense.
The historian shoots back: “Not liking history doesn’t make it any less true.” And then I’m faced with a choice: Preserve his right to publish, or protect the name of the noble’s paragon and his house? Not fond of censorship, I pick the most extreme option before me: order Gorim to have the noble asassinated. Gorim nods, darts off, and returns a moment later. “Word has been sent. He won’t live past the hour.” I cackle. In my mind, I twirl the curls of my massive beard. Less than 10 minutes in, I’ve ordered someone completely innocent (albeit annoying) to his death. Could more amoral decisions await? I can only hope.
(…)
I’m dropped into the pit. My opponent offers a salute for the honor of fighting against me, but I don’t hold back, right-clicking to target him as soon as we enter combat. My dwarf lumbers forth, waving his sword intermittently. The looseness of the controls and easy strafing feels familiar, like World of Warcraft. The hit detection is based in dice rolls more than actual impact, too – I try to backpedal and dodge, but my opponent’s war hammer clubs me anyway, so I stand my ground, hovering over the hotkey for my shield-bash ability while I watch it recharge. We play rock ’em sock ’em dwarves until his life bar empties, just narrowly before mine.
(…)
“We want to ease the player into it and give them a bit of perspective according to whether you’re a dwarf or an elf or what your circumstances are – learn about the world through that character’s eyes before you actually enter the plot,” adds David Gaider, lead writer. The result? The most dialogue BioWare has ever put in a game, along with a replayable entry point for the vastest narrative the studio has ever produced.
(…)
I keep the raids I ran in WoW and Warhammer Online fresh in my mind – ability cooldowns, critical hits, and spell combos give combat a pace that feels balanced between being turn-based and active. You’re able to use an over-the-shoulder view to maneuver characters into precise position with WASD and pause at any time to assign commands. I found at least one benefit to the real-time controls when I moved behind the last genlock, executing a backstab automatically to deal bonus damage.
(…)
“There’s a very strong element of kicking ass, like: Hey, there are things over there with red circles – they will die,” says Laidlaw, playfully. “That’s the balance – having this neat story but also keeping it accessible so you don’t get overwhelmed by it, because there are times when you just wanna slaughter.” Pulling the camera back to click out orders, it’s easy to send an archer to a hilltop or a soldier to square off against a single irksome foe. Laidlaw wants players to feel like they’re orchestrating the combat, not just one sword and siheld amongst a fray of foes. “That certainly goes back to the Baldur’s Gate experience,” Laidlaw says.
(…)
He thinks that I’ve killed Trian to assure my spot as heir, but I argue my innocence. I fought in self-defense – Trian was the one who wanted me dead. He questions my partymates – they saw me take Trian’s signet ring from the mercenaries, they’d be my alibi. Instead, my archer lies: “Lord Aeducan came up to them all friendly-like, then when we were close he wanted us to attack.” The other soldier echoes his slander. I’ve been tricked! My party members were Bhelen’s cronies, meant to assure that I killed Trian, eliminating any witnesses while assuring my guilt.
(…)
BioWare is bringing six total origin stories to Dragon Age: dwarf commoner, dwarven noble, city elf, Dalish elf, magi and human noble. The pair we played showed promise – neither wasted time dropping big decisions in my lap, nor did they bog me down with petty errands simply to fill my EXP bar.
(…)
In turn, this means more complexity for player choice and party dynamics down the road. Party members will weigh in on your choices, and even make the decision to leave your group if you offend them enough.
(…)
“We wanted to make a story that had some moral complexity to it. Rather than saying ‘here’s your Good and Evil bar,’ we can provide the player with options that will require them to think about what consequences they’re willing to live with,” says Gaider.

What Dragon Age’s Got
“Different” DRM than Mass Effect
DLC – new areas and quests, at the least
More written dialog than any BioWare game
Spell combos
Item crafting
Six origin stories
Campaign creation toolset
Choose-your-own-morality
Epic dwarven beards
Leading on the PC, not consoles

What Dragon Age Hasn’t Got
Multiplayer