Dragon Age: Origins Review

By Oli Welsh Published 6 November, 2009

Original sin.

Version tested: Xbox 360

BioWare is fond of saying that it takes its time tailoring its games to be the best they can be on the formats they're released on. Since its seduction by consoles - beginning with the Xbox-first release of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic back in 2003 - it's been as good as its word.

You can debate whether the extra time taken to adapt KOTOR, Jade Empire and Mass Effect to PC was cover for exclusivity arrangements with Microsoft or genuine format-specific perfectionism, but the end result has been the same each time. The company's long-standing, PC-gaming faithful was rewarded for its patience with excellent new versions, and sometimes new content to go with them.

That just makes this console version of Dragon Age: Origins all the more disappointing. A return to the company's Dungeons & Dragons roots (if not the D&D licence and ruleset itself), often called the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate, Dragon Age was always a PC game at heart and by design. In fact, for the first few years of its development, it was exclusively so.

Interface and technical limitations make the voyage from PC to console - from an open book to a closed one - more difficult than the reverse. But with the simultaneous release delayed while a complete PC version of the game did the rounds - presumably to allow the Xbox 360 to catch up, with the PS3 lagging behind by a couple of weeks - we hoped the extra time would allow BioWare's multi-format standards to be upheld. It hasn't.

'Dragon Age: Origins' Screenshot 1

EA hasn't released any Xbox 360 screenshots...

Reviewing the PC version of this sprawling single-player RPG, I found a studious, staid and worthy epic. Dragon Age is a huge and thoughtful game, smothered in detail and founded on a flexible yet solid RPG system which boasts absorbing character progression and tactical combat challenges.

Steering your own highly individual course through it - directing the ebb and flow of its plotting and its characters' relationships through word and deed - you'll be enticed by its openness. Unfortunately, you'll also be alienated and a trifle bored by its dry setting, rote side-quests, lifeless and bloated dialogue and clumsy attempts at edginess, like a college professor trying to act cool. That it draws you in regardless is testament to its craft.

All of that remains true of the Xbox 360 version tested for this review, so I'm not going to repeat it length here. The game's raw material - the acres of stuff pumped out by BioWare's prolific content factory - is just the same, but the overall experience is dealt quite a blow. The conversion's failings make some of the game's flaws a little harder to forgive, but even worse is how badly it undermines Dragon Age's strengths.

'Dragon Age: Origins' Screenshot 2

Action-game flourishes, like the slow-mo finishing moves on bosses, seem forced.

Let's be charitable and shrug off the poor-quality audio compression. There's a tinny, scrambled edge to the dialogue now, but that can only be because there's so very much of it to be accommodated without the benefit of a hard disk install. And whilst I might take issue with the script's pompous, long-winded exposition and lumpy characterisation, I'm certainly not going to complain that I have so many conversational options, supporting so many permutations and combinations of party companions and their unpredictable moods. That's what brings Dragon Age to life, sometimes in spite of itself.

The 360 game suffers visually too, however, and that's harder to let pass. On PC the game is reservedly handsome, enlivened by atmospheric lighting and a fine finish on the game's virtual actors. On the Xbox, though, Dragon Age looks just plain ugly and out-of-date. It's plastered in muddy textures, washed-out colour and bad shadowing, giving it a grimy look that doesn't suit the classical art style at all, and exposing the rough-hewn, low-detail environments in a harsh light.

But it's the people who suffer worst. You spend a lot of time watching talking heads in this game, and their smudged, pale and suddenly ugly features just draw attention to their robotic animation, rough lip-synching and stiff fantasy-speak. This version of Dragon Age fell into a creepy ditch a long time before it got anywhere near the uncanny valley. It's sad that such superficial things as texture resolution and shaders (or the lack of them) can sap your immersion in a world, but with the companions especially playing such a crucial role in your involvement in Dragon Age, it would help if looking at them didn't make your skin crawl.

Worse, though, is the game's interface. It's not that the BioWare and Edge of Reality, who assisted with this port, have done a bad job cramming all the PC game's point-and click features onto a gamepad workaround. Map, quest log, inventory and so on, accessible via the back button, are clean and well thought-out. You can map six skills to three face buttons (using the right trigger to switch between them). The radial menu, accessed with the left trigger, is a reasonably elegant and efficient route to whatever else you might need in a hurry, and some of the concessions - such as a "quick heal" button that automatically selects the most appropriate health poultice to use - would actually have been handy on PC.

But when you're in combat, there is a fundamental, unbridgeable gap between the game Dragon Age is on a console, and the game it's supposed to be. On anything but the easy setting, this is a tactical party RPG. Placement, target selection, and efficient use of the full range of your party's skills matter hugely. They're all made much more difficult by changes to the game's camera, targeting, and pause.

'Dragon Age: Origins' Screenshot 3

Dragon Age throws blood around like most RPGs dispense experience.

The game's top-down view is gone, with the camera locked to a relatively close third-person perspective on the party member you're controlling. This makes it much harder to keep track of your allies, or of the ebb and flow of a complex battle against multiple opponents. You simply can't manage placement in the same way, not least because if you want to move someone, you have to take control of them and do it manually; there's no alternative to the PC game's click-to-move orders, which are a godsend when multi-tasking (moving a healer out of trouble while manoeuvring a rogue into a backstab position, for example). Was it really impossible to implement the birds' eye view on consoles?

Target selection is infuriatingly vague, governed by the direction your character is facing and nothing else. Using the reticule in the radial menu only marginally helps. Trying to select a key foe with a ranged class across a busy battlefield is much harder than it should be, and unforgivably, there's no hard-target, so you can end up focused on someone else if they wander into your line of sight. It's a million miles from the crisp definition of the PC interface.

Finally, there's no real alternative to the PC game's pause, the iconic feature that allows BioWare's fantasy RPGs to straddle real-time and turn-based combat. Although bringing up the radial menu pauses the fray, it doesn't, crucially, allow you to set one skill for each character while the fight's suspended - select an ability, and the action resumes immediately. Micro-managers have to constantly re-pause the game for every instruction. Besides being irritating, that will cost vital seconds in the game's most intense boss battles.

'Dragon Age: Origins' Screenshot 4

If only it scaled better.

(Correction: Since this review was published, we've learned that hard-targeting and stacking orders are, in fact, both possible. You can lock on to a target by clicking the left stick, which does alleviate some of the targeting issues mentioned above, although quickly selecting distant enemies in a busy battle is still awkward. Orders for multiple party members can be queued up by holding down the left trigger to keep the radial menu open - unfortunately however, this does not work if the menu is set to "toggle", the mode in which we chose to play the game. Neither is an elegant method, but the option is there. This does not change our judgement that this is an inferior version of Dragon Age, and after discussion we believe the score below still stands. Nevertheless, it's a serious oversight for which we can only apologise.)

The result of these three changes is to impose painful limitations on the flexible, tactical and rewarding combat that is the best feature of the PC Dragon Age. The game is far from broken, but it's forced into assuming just one of its many aspects - that of the close-quarters, real-time, almost action-RPG. It's not the style that suits it best, especially when the going gets tough. Thank goodness for the Tactics system of programmable party orders, which may not work quite as well as Final Fantasy XII's Gambits under extreme duress, but certainly smoothes your path through regular encounters.

RPG fanatics without a PC will probably want to fight their way through these flaws to get to the meat of Dragon Age: Origins - which is all still hanging off the bone, and which still makes for a filling, if slightly flavourless, meal. But they won't be able to escape the knowledge that they're playing an inferior version, a game that's been squeezed into a suit that doesn't fit. PC gamers can - with a flick of the mouse-wheel - look down on them.

6 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (191) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Darren #1 2 years ago

    Ouch... a PC 8/10 becomes a 360 6/10.

  • DaM #2 2 years ago

    /sprays coffee over PC

  • butler` #3 2 years ago

    PATTERN SPOTTED

    ps3 version will get 4/10

    jklol

  • DDevil #4 2 years ago

    From what I hear in this case I think the PS3 version would get the same score or slightly better.

  • Ninja_Tino #5 2 years ago

    According the gamespot the ps3 version is better than the 360 version, so perhaps a 7? Or maybe just still a 6. A grand shame though. I was really, really looking forward to this game and while I always knew it would be better on the pc I wasn't expecting such a dramatic difference.

  • dither #6 2 years ago

    God fucking damnit, 6?! I need a new video card :(

  • Deathbysoup #7 2 years ago

    bioware did an oopsie

    *editted due to spelling fail
    Edited by 1 at 06/11/09 @ 16:28

  • butler` #8 2 years ago

    In seriousness it's gutting. I wanted the consoles versions to be worthy. I cba playing a single player rpg on the pc when I could just as well be playing WoW.

    Roll on Mass Effect 2 then I guess.

  • Zidargh #9 2 years ago

    I still find it incredibly difficult to see how the reviewer, "found a studious, staid and worthy epic." But was also ,"alienated and a trifle bored by its dry setting, rote side-quests, lifeless and bloated dialogue and clumsy attempts at edginess, like a college professor trying to act cool."

    I appreciate he said how he was drawn in none the less and this was to the game's credit, but to me that just seems contradictory.

    As such, I wouldn't leave the console alternative out of the running just yet. Just read a better review.
    Edited by 1 at 06/11/09 @ 16:31

  • Byzanite #10 2 years ago

    Ouch!! Back to Forza this weekend for me then. Shame I was really looking forward to this.

  • groovychainsaw #11 2 years ago

    Phew - glad i picked this up on PC last night, and glad i read around before deciding... hopefully my PC is good enough for it to look superior to the xbox version now!

  • DrDamn #12 2 years ago

    Would have been much better to have someone else review the console versions. A perspective comparison is nice but having someone who has presumably ploughed 70 hours into a particular interface and become comfortable with it to then judge a different one is foolish. It would also have been a good idea to get a second opinion on the game itself. Missed opportunity.

  • Darren #13 2 years ago

    What was the reason given for the lack of the zoomed out view on the consoles incidentally? It's just a perspective change after all that could have been implemented by having the right analogue click act as a toggle between it and the standard viewpoint. The consoles are more than capable of displaying this viewpoint as Sacred 2, Marvel Ultimate Alliance and it sequel have proven.

  • Boomerang #14 2 years ago

    I'd like to see all reviews have a paragraph or box-out with another reviewer's opinion. Would be a useful counter-point.

  • Azazel #15 2 years ago

    "Shields up!"

  • RedSparrows #16 2 years ago

    'Ouch... a PC 8/10 becomes a 360 6/10. '

    Darren, insightful as ever ;p

  • lennon #17 2 years ago

    I have to say I am surprised. 8 hours solid yesterday. Loved every minute.

  • Darren #18 2 years ago

    One thing worth mentioning is that the same reviewer has played the PC and console version so going from one to the other is obviously going to highlight the flaws far more that it would for the average gamer who is playing the game only on a 360 or PS3. That doesn't mean the issues don't exist, just that they're less likely to be a hindrance to the game experience if they haven't seen or played the superior version.

  • DUFFMAN5 #19 2 years ago

    ...Ok then. I was not sure, and I'm still not sure. bargin Bin me thinks onward and upward towards Assassins Creed II then.

  • miiiguel #20 2 years ago

    'Ouch... a PC 8/10 becomes a 360 6/10. '

    Darren, insightful as ever ;p


    ahahah! The revenge of the PC gamer! It had to be the 1st..., and if we were talking of such comment but in reverse order it would be "oh go away console troll".

  • shogo10 #21 2 years ago

    I'm happy with the pc version, and I'm glad Bioware didn't strip it down just for the sake of equality with the console versions.

  • OnlyMe #22 2 years ago

    So, uh, not as good as Sacred 2 then? I really enjoyed Sacred 2, but I expected Bioware to wip up something better than a 6/10 game on the consoles.

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #23 2 years ago

    As with ME i think more 'love' went into the pc version mainly because thats why Bioware know their stuff. ME's 'reboot' with the menu system on the pc felt far better then it's 360 counterpart, so by reading the review I can tell compearing console to pc from a Bioware standpoint - pc would be better.

    if you don't compear I think it would have got a better score, either way this review states 'get the pc version' however if many skipped reading the pc review and just saw the score on the 360 they would dismiss the game which is a shame has like I said it's really just a techical booboo not the game that the score is based on

  • Fidjit #24 2 years ago

    The 360 version of Dragon Age is averaging nearly 90% on games rankings - everyone apart from EG seems to be loving it. Which makes me think that perhaps EG have lost the plot here?

  • ryandsimmons #25 2 years ago

    So the Xbox review both comes out after the game is released, and by the guy who reviewed the PC version?

    Firstly after 70 odd hours on a PC playing the same game with different input is hard (hell just try play the same game with PS3 or 360 controllers, I kick ass on Fifa on 360, am crap on the PS3) and secondly are we expected to think that he actually gave the game a proper try?

    Who the hell would be unbiased having to replay the same game straight away and who would play more than the first hour or two?

    Every review agrees the PC version is superior, but Eurogamer seems to be the only place that didn't actually treat the 360 version as it's own game.

  • justsomeone #26 2 years ago

    thanks to EG for once again providing a thoughtful, balanced and nuanced viewpoint.

    i say this because there may be an inevitable backlash of folks insisting EG are "wrong", and quoting 9/10 scores in other sites as proof.

    vive la différence.

  • lennon #27 2 years ago

    @Onlyme - IMO This is way better than Sacred 2.....

  • Smoped #28 2 years ago

    Having played some ten hours or so of the 360 version so far, I kind of agree with most of the points raised in this review, but for some reason it keeps pulling me in and I keep enjoying it despite these falws, imperfections or whatever you want to call them. It does kind of feel like an older game, but I don't really see that as a problem.

  • Zephro #29 2 years ago

    It has to be said I am happy in my heart of hearts that a game is clearly best on the PC, you just can't recreate a mouse and keyboard with a controller.

    Some games are always going to suffer for that and everyone just needs to accept that and stop ballsing up PC development to try and fix it.

  • telboy007 #30 2 years ago

    I'm enjoying the game, although I knew not of the PCs more expansive combat system. But the 360 gfx are shit.

    EDIT: Don't mark me down fucktards, I have the 360 version and those textures are awful.
    Edited by 1 at 06/11/09 @ 16:52

  • Jockie #31 2 years ago

    @ Fidjit, if you mean Metacritic and the like, a lot of those are multi-format sites and the PC copy was the first version to be sent out for review. It's more than likely the site editors will just have tagged their reviews as multi-format, despite being reviewed on PC.

  • kingmong #32 2 years ago

    6 out of 10 my hoop! there's no way this is as bad as the games that get 6/10 on this site.

    controversy for the sake of it.

    sorry EG, usually a big fan but major wtf time

  • WinterSnowblind #33 2 years ago

    I'm all for different opinions and such, and I'd even agree that the PC version is the way to go if you want to play this game.. but 6/10, are you serious? I thought you guys were harsh on the PC version, but this is just ridiculous. Yes, the combat and pacing is changed to make it more like Mass Effect, rather than Baldur's Gate, but it's still a suberb game. I'd give it an 8/10 for the story alone.

    Even with a few niggling problems, I can't see how anyone could possibly justify giving the console version such a low score.

  • AllMetal #34 2 years ago

    Quite surprised really, the face-off article should be interesting. I'm guessing the ps3 will have to have a mandatory intall.

  • Widge #35 2 years ago

    the only way the ps3 version would be wrthy of a 7 is if it has keys and mouse... otherwise, whats the difference?

  • codshin #36 2 years ago

    Interesting enough the two guys who did the reviews on both the pc- and 360-versions at eurogamer.de gave it a 10 out of 10 each...

    Well, but that's only the german sister-site of course ...probably retards, huh? ;P

  • Windypops #37 2 years ago

    How disappointing. Really fancied this on my Xbox. In particular, I was looking forward to the zoomed-out view of things, reminiscent of Dungeon Siege back when I had a gaming PC. It seems unforgivable to lose such features on a current-gen console; they'll never compete with PCs, but plenty of console games have scalable, persistent gaming environments. Pisser.

  • Scimarad #38 2 years ago

    Hmmm.

    Having played both versions I have to say they both have their good and bad points. Personally I think the differences aren't the total screw up that reviewer is trying to suggest but, hey, it's only an opinion when you get right down to it. Personally I would have preferred the combat turn based but we can't have everything...

  • lucasmax #39 2 years ago

    Yawn... Oli in not liking rpg that is not WoW shocka'

  • malteaserhead #40 2 years ago

    From what I have played so far, and it isn't much, I'm finding the control scheme worse than those in ME and Kotor.
    Still enjoying it though.
    Edited by 1 at 06/11/09 @ 16:50

  • mingster #41 2 years ago

    I'm going for a prediction of 7 on the PS3 version.
    Better textures .. lower framerate tho.

  • the_mtfr #42 2 years ago

    Good writing, Oli Welsh guy. I am so glad you reviewed this instead of Dan Whitehead.

  • TonyCocaCola #43 2 years ago

    Sod off eurogamer iv allready bought it now.

    I suppose if it is that bad i could go back to bored-erlands and wait a few days till MW2 comes out.
    Edited by 1 at 06/11/09 @ 16:55

  • malteaserhead #44 2 years ago

    :D
    That was my first thought too Tony

  • NorUraeus #45 2 years ago

    I hope EG does a PS3 review to, with the extra storage space the sound and textures should be better (as noted by gamespot). Seen some complaints about the framerate though, but hopefully Bioware can fix that with a patch.

  • andywilkie35 #46 2 years ago

    COR BLIMEY!

  • kendoji #47 2 years ago

    Oh man I'm gutted. I'm a huge Bioware fanboy, and will get this for the Xbox anyway, but I'm definitely not in a hurry now. Oh well, that will give me more time to enjoy Forza.

  • draycen #48 2 years ago

    A coincidence that this review comes out AFTER the game is released? Of course not. Eurogamer I am by NO way blaming your good selves for this, as quite clearly (I presume) you were instructed to withhold reviews until the game was released.

    It's not only disgusting that EA are hoping people will buy this on hype, before reading reviews, but also totally transparent.


    What a shame.

  • hiddenranbir #49 2 years ago

    Dragon Age throws blood around like most RPGs dispense experience.

    Because it is so gritty, dark and matuuuuure! :D

  • spenner #50 2 years ago

    Well I am about 10 hours into the 360 version and have to say it is no where near a "6/10 game" IMO

    The 3rd person aspect would work fine, the only problem is that you can not stack orders in the pause menu.

    As for the graphics, or gfx as the kids would like to say, they look fine to me. If you want real life enviroments get outside and look at stuff.

    I have seen no floating heads, the only little glitch I have had so far is having a conversation with a man who was set on fire from a previous battle.

    Stuff like that adds to its charm.

    Don't be put off by this pretentious review. The joy of games like this is it gives you a bit of escapism, and for this it does it very well.

  • spenner #51 2 years ago

    oh and I wish you were this critical in your Fable 2 review btw

  • WinterSnowblind #52 2 years ago

    @kendoji
    If you've been looking forward to getting the game, I'd highly recommend you at least check out reviews from other places and give it some more thought. It doesn't deserve to be ignored because of this one review, the problems aren't anywhere near as serious as this review may indicate.

    If you liked Mass Effect and the KotOR games inparticularly, you'll definitely love this.

  • glaeken #53 2 years ago

    @draycen You do realise this is just one review and there are plenty of reviews of the console version that have been out for days? This also appears to be one of the only negative reviews which kind of makes your conspiracy idea look even worse.

  • jmcoo7 #54 2 years ago

    Got to say this review is absolute bull , ive been a fan of eurogamer and always anticipate the reviews however having now played the game on the Xbox 360 for 3 days i totally disagree with most of the reviewers comments , sure the interface is nowhere near as good as the pc but it suffices for the console version as for graphical and sound glitches maybe check your xbox m8 i have seen occasional glitches no more than ive seen on my many pc games .

  • Dizzy #55 2 years ago

    Oh dear...

    So the 360 version looks like shit and the PS3 version plays like shit.

    PC version it is for me then. TBH maybe this should have stayed PC exclusive, now Bioware is just damaging their good name on consoles especially after the incredible Mass Effect. Different team and the engine apparently can't cope. Pity... ME engine in a BG fantasy world would have been ace for console players.

    >oh and I wish you were this critical in your Fable 2 review btw

    I wish you people would fuck off.
    Edited by 1 at 06/11/09 @ 17:04

  • davisorle #56 2 years ago

    @DDevil & the rest on the matter.
    At GT they already have a video with all three ( PC/360/PS3 ) video comparison. Wasnt that easy to tell about the texturing. Some times looked better on the 360 from the PS3 but might have been the loading blurringess cause the ret of the time the textures looked similar on both versions so I cant say for sure. What I know for sure is that there is a bit that pauses and shows that the water + the reflections on it was very VERY poor on the PS3 yet on the 360 was very detailed. Im playing the game on the PC so I didnt know till a couple of hours ago other than what ive seen on the video. You can check it out yourselves if you want to.

    Im surethough sooner or later DF in here will be doing a comparisson too.

  • WMain00 #57 2 years ago

    *slow clap*

    Congratulations Oli Welsh. I'd start cleaning out your desk now, as you just made yourself and Eurogamer the laughing stock of journalism.
    Edited by 1 at 06/11/09 @ 17:09

  • thedaveeyres #58 2 years ago

    WoW-boy thinks it's a bit crap? Huzzah, this might be ok. :)

  • sirtacos #59 2 years ago

    Wow. Good thing I downloaded the PC version on a whim yesterday... unless I seriously disagree with Oli, my xbox copy will be gathering dust...

    Edit: And yeah, I also wish you had been this critical of Fable 2. In retrospect I'm sure most of you agree it was a fucking joke.
    Edited by 1 at 06/11/09 @ 17:11

  • DarthMorbus #60 2 years ago

    It may help if they actually had somebody who understood how to play the game reviewing it.

    He says that you cannot give orders to your party separately whilst paused. Strange that I'm managing to do that. It's not even difficult to do, whilst you have the left trigger pulled and the radial menu open, select your instruction for one party member, and instead of letting go of the left trigger, press a bumper button and move on to the next party member. You can do this for all members of your party and hit something hard with multiple abilities.

    Please, if you're going to review a game and give it a lowish score, at least have it done by somebody who actually doesn't state that something that can be done, can't.

  • Scimarad #61 2 years ago

    Unfortunately I just prefer doing the actual exploring and interacting with pad. If you could do all that with the pad on the PC and then swap to the mouse for combat then I might actually like it a bit more.

    Oh, and I didn't have problems issuing multiple orders on the 360 either.
    Edited by 1 at 06/11/09 @ 17:13

  • comedian #62 2 years ago

    Ouch that review makes me regret my instabuy at lunchtime.

    Oh well we live and learn and hopefully I'll get some enjoyment from it.

    Edit: I'm really enjoying it so far. I really feel like I'm playing a completely different game to the reviewer.
    Edited by 1 at 08/11/09 @ 01:40

  • Scimarad #63 2 years ago

    I wouldn't give up on it just yet;)

  • butler` #64 2 years ago

    I suppose it's easy to brand this as being way too critical of a review which, had the game been 360 exclusive, would probably have resulted in a higher score.

    But it might as well just read "crap port, 6/10" -- which is true enough.

    The PC review content vs. score is another matter entirely though.
    Edited by 1 at 06/11/09 @ 17:22

  • udat #65 2 years ago

    "Six" still means "above average" right? Why all the "you just called my granny a bitch" reaction?

  • Bremenacht #66 2 years ago

    Not as good as Frogger or Jewel Quest then?

  • kangarootoo #67 2 years ago

    "He says that you cannot give orders to your party separately whilst paused. Strange that I'm managing to do that. It's not even difficult to do, whilst you have the left trigger pulled and the radial menu open, select your instruction for one party member, and instead of letting go of the left trigger, press a bumper button and move on to the next party member. You can do this for all members of your party and hit something hard with multiple abilities."

    That is quite a serious oversight for the review. Not good.

  • WinterSnowblind #68 2 years ago

    @udat
    Because by current standards, 6 is a bad score. When we start seeing genuinely bad games getting 2 or 3/10 then perhaps a 6 or a 7 will return to meaning the game is quite good. But alas, that it is not what it means, and certainly is not what this review is trying to suggest.

  • LewisResolution #69 2 years ago

    RE: stacking orders in the radial menu -- you can queue stuff up. Keep LT held down and then tap L or R button to switch characters, and you can add their orders without resuming play in between. Fiddly, but the option is there.

    EDIT: Er, I see someone got their first, albeit in a slightly more aggressive fashion than me. ¬_¬

    I've actually been fairly impressed by how well the combat has been adapted to the two versions. Only played for 7 hours or so, but am enjoying this a lot (on the 360), probably more than any other RPG this year. Definitely problems with the visuals, and issues with how uninspired it occasionally feels remain, but I'm not too fussed about that.

    EDIT2, just for the RPG-comparison-relevance: I'm enjoying it about eight million times more than Risen.
    Edited by 2 at 06/11/09 @ 17:33

  • razzastuta #70 2 years ago

    Interesting scoreline but I don't think Eurogamer's review is anything to worry anybody. Sometimes I find their reviews a little overly-harsh. If you go to Gamespot's website, they rate it 9.5 for the PC, 9 for the PS3 and 8.5 for Gamespot. It's just an opinion, and it's not going to stop me buying this game.

    Metacritic is usually a good pool of opinion, it's scoring well across other review websites so if you wanted to get the game and play the game, go do it. Don't let one journalist's view stop you.

  • darc #71 2 years ago

    "Finally, there's no real alternative to the PC game's pause, the iconic feature that allows BioWare's fantasy RPGs to straddle real-time and turn-based combat."

    OK, that's just... unbelievable.

    "EA hasn't released any XBox 360 screenshots..."

    I'm confused by this caption. Are you saying that you've included PC screenshots, or are these your own XBox captures?

  • Darren #72 2 years ago

    Oli Welsh's PC review of DA:o didn't exactly read like an 8 anyway, more like a 6 or 7 as I and others wrote in that review's comment section so you can look at this two ways if you're upset at the 360 review: (a) the PC version was scored too high; or (b) the Xbox 360 has been scored too low.

    Regardless, every multiformat review site I've read has rated the PC version upto 10% higher than the console versions anyway (IGN, GameSpot, etc.) so the number at the end doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things; the issues mentioned in the review are still issues specific to the consoles.

  • MrWonderstuff #73 2 years ago

    Hmm...well that's sorted that out for me. I'll see if my low end pc can keep up with the game and leave my 360 gaming in the capable hands of ME2, MW2 and AC2.

  • TheJuriel #74 2 years ago

    I was skeptical of the game before release, but having played the 360 version for two days now, I can say it is a lot better than 6/10. The game can be ugly, yes, but so is it on PC.

  • curtlikesmeat #75 2 years ago

    I wish Oli could have reviewed Fifa 10 and given in the pasting it deserved for a shoddy release.

  • R0nn #76 2 years ago

    I should probably reply on the review of the pc version with this post, but seeing as this is the current hot topic on the frontpage and it's also partly applicable here, I'll just put it up here:

    I really don't get most of oli's problems with this game. Nearly every negative he mentions in regards to dialogue (script, animation) seems to be held to the new high standard recently set by Uncharted 2, which is completely unfair. If you compare those particular aspects of the game to other RPGs and other Bioware games in particular, there's nothing wrong with it essentially. In fact, I'd say everything about dialogue is improved over Dragon Age's closest peer Mass Effect. This is still a western RPG, not a cinematic action/adventure or anything like that.

    I also don't agree about his comments on the game world itself. I think it's a very well realised dark fantasy world. This isn't high fantasy like many other RPGs. The world is much more grounded in reality and far more gritty than we are used to in most games. I really like what Bioware did with the world and all the lore they put in. If you rate the world as being dry, just admit that you simply don't like the style and setting that Bioware went for, as that is what it basically comes down to.

    Then there's the seemingly rote sidequests. I agree that not all sidequests in this game are equally interesting, and some of them are just boring, but again, it's much better quality than all those mind numbing, deslote planet exploring sidequests from Mass Effect. I'd say the overall sidequest quality of this game isn't any worse than in most other western RPGs. It's perfectly fine. I have yet to find a sidequest that's as engaging as some of the ones in Baldur's Gate II though, I'll give him that.

    So all in all, I think oli was way too harsh with Dragon Age and am of the opinion that he held some of the aspects of the game to unfair standards which no other game in this genre has ever managed to meet. My review of the pc version on eurogamer.nl will most certainly have a higher mark, for the pc version at least. I still have to investigate the 360 version, so I'll refrain from any further comments on that.

  • TheJuriel #77 2 years ago

    And yeah, the review has major factual errors. There is a hard lock-on (though it is done by pressing the left stick, so not the smoothest way to do it) and you can give all your people orders without stepping out of pause mode (change menu wheel to toggle in options).

  • LewisResolution #78 2 years ago

    I'd be curious to know if the version Oli played came with a manual or not, actually. I'm thinking I actually learnt a lot by reading the manual, as I always do with epic RPG stuff, rather than the game itself. Perhaps the reason for his not spotting certain features, such as the lock-on, toggle pause and order stacking? And if so, I wonder if this is a fault of the game for not teaching it through the gameplay, or whether we should be expected to RTFM...

    No concrete answers, I suspect.

  • BritishBlue1 #79 2 years ago

    Holy s**t, I'm suddenly dreading the PS3 review.

  • schachmatt #80 2 years ago

    The ones you love the most get judged the harshest.

    Flaws in the most ambitious games are just recognized more easily and readily.

  • linksdad #81 2 years ago

    And to think I nearly popped into Tesco tonight to get this version. Thanks for the heads up EG.

  • omicron1 #82 2 years ago

    For the console to PC example of this, see Halo, Halo 2, Jade Empire, Borderlands, etc., etc., etc.

    It's about time PC gets the red-carpet treatment.

  • Skurmedel #83 2 years ago

    This is still something I wouldn't want to play with a joypad. I got the PC version yesterday, and I feel it could be very awkward indeed without a keyboard and good zoom-out capabilities.

  • Oli Verified Reviews Editor, Eurogamer.net #84 2 years ago

    Hi. I will look into your comments about hard lock and queuing orders - I'm really sorry if I got these things wrong. I played the game with the radial menu toggle turned on and I could not find a way to queue orders like that.

  • Badassbab #85 2 years ago

    Was looking forward to this but after seeing it at Eurogamer Expo it put me off.

  • ASHBERY76 #86 2 years ago

    6/10 for this game is a joke.This person should be arrested for this reivew.

  • fluff_the_tiger #87 2 years ago

    It's good to see reviewers looking through the comments.

    I think I will wait till the ps3 version comes out, hopefully they will patch the framerate on that at some point, if not then 360 version will suffice.

  • TRUTH #88 2 years ago

    IGN 8/10
    Gamespot 8.5/10
    1UP A
    GameDaily 9/10
    Gamestrailers 9.1/10
    Eurogamer 6/10
    Teamxbox 9.2/10
    GamesRadar 9/10

    Make up your own mind !
    Edited by 1 at 06/11/09 @ 18:44

  • Lord_Gremlin #89 2 years ago

    PS3 version is much better graphically, as already known around the Web, but all the control issues you've mentioned... They'll be the same on PS3.
    I seriously considering buying it for PC. If only I could check if it'll run on my PC well. Character creator works perfectly, but who knows how full game will behave(((

  • Paperghost #90 2 years ago

    Despite the bizarre graphics that dip in quality throughout for no logical reason that I can find, the game is lots of fun.

    Still think it's well worth a purchase despite the well documented issues that drag it down from the PC version.
    Edited by 1 at 06/11/09 @ 19:01

  • Widge #91 2 years ago

    "Unfortunately, you'll also be alienated and a trifle bored by its dry setting, rote side-quests, lifeless and bloated dialogue and clumsy attempts at edginess, like a college professor trying to act cool."

    Is the bit that I pick out above all else. Considering that all I have to go on for this game is the series of DREADFUL trailers for the game, setting cringeworthy dialogue to Marilyn Manson, excessive focus on the gore and the sex... am I to draw the conclusion that, no, it wasn't bad editing on the part of the PR team and the game is full of it.

    Gritty? Grounded? It was eat your arm off embarrassing. When something is as story focussed as a game like this having the actual story part being a bit poor is kind of a huge negative. See Final Fantasy XII for this sort of thing too.

  • fredrikpj #92 2 years ago

    I think I've just lost my trust in Eurogamer..

  • kingcrude #93 2 years ago

    im about 6 hours in. i can see the combat and team control geting messy but from what ive seen it is not a 6/10 by a long shot. i think this and the PC review has been done so with expectations in mind, and that is no way to review a game.

  • Syrette #94 2 years ago

    Why on earth are some people on here apparently not going to get the game, just because one guy on EG gave it a bad review?

    Do you people hang on Oli's every word or something? He's a good reviewer but get a grip people. Don't base your buying purchases on one guy's opinion (an informed one admittedly, but at the end of the day it's just someone's opinion).

    I guess it must have escaped your attention that this game is averaging pretty good scores on Metacritic and Game Rankings... but hey, if Oli Welsh said it is not very good, then I guess it isn't worth buying.
    Edited by 4 at 06/11/09 @ 19:31

  • Oli Verified Reviews Editor, Eurogamer.net #95 2 years ago

    I've checked out the targeting and order stacking issues that were mentioned, and those of you calling me out on it were right. God knows how I managed to play the game for so long without finding them (no, I didn't have a manual, but that's no excuse).

    Anyway, I've added a correction to the review text. It doesn't change how I feel about this version of the game, but I'm really sorry for the error - and grateful to you guys for pointing it out!

  • Syrette #96 2 years ago

    Although on the other hand, comments like " I think I've just lost my trust in Eurogamer.. " are just as pathetic.

    It's one guy's opinion. For all you know, the rest of the EG writers love the console versions of this title. I'd also add that he's a good reviewer but he's given otherwise acclaimed games low scores before, which he's perfectly entitled to.

  • Soul_man #97 2 years ago

    Sigh... so many people seem to judge the game based on a single review. Every reviewer is entitled to his/her opinion, so there's no need for insults, but please check out some other sites as well.

    See for instance: http://ww w.gamestats.com/objects/142/142...

  • Scimarad #98 2 years ago

    Good job on the correction, Oli.

    Unfortunately my opinion of the game is actually getting worse.

  • assache #99 2 years ago

    Meta Critic 86

    This review is looking way off the mark.

  • DefdumBlindkid #100 2 years ago

    Couldn't get into Mass Effect but as I like all things Fantasy I was thinking about giving Bioware another shot with this. Don't think I'll bother now...

  • MightyMouse #101 2 years ago

    Well that's settled whether to get it for the PC or PS3 at least. Embarrassingly the prospect of a platinum trophy was actually swaying me the other way.

  • TRUTH #102 2 years ago

    Alot of other reviews have been scoring rather well for both 360 & PS3...Average score is between 85-92%. Though I have a pc(a dam good one); I always prefer gaming on consoles. Will get this on 360 (got a lot of solid reviews, as well as the PS3 (which I have too - though i can't be bothered to wait until Nov 20).

    IGN 8/10
    Gamespot 8.5/10
    1UP A
    GameDaily 9/10
    Gamestrailers 9.1/10
    Eurogamer 6/10.....This is lowest score I've come across!!!
    Teamxbox 9.2/10
    GamesRadar 9/10
    Strategygamer 89%
    Edited by 2 at 06/11/09 @ 19:41

  • riz23 #103 2 years ago

    Currently a level 6 Dalish Elf on the 360 and there is no way this is a 6/10. No way at all. I know what 6 smells like and this aint it.

  • Harlequeen #104 2 years ago

    I must be playing a different Dragon Age: Origins on the Xbox 360. Shame your game was so much worse.

  • Shikasama #105 2 years ago

    JUST IN!

    Graphics on a top end dedicated gaming machine are better than on a 5 year piece of equipment!

    More at 10

  • Lemming81 #106 2 years ago

    Wow I'm, surprised about the xbots getting so bent out of shape about this. OF COURSE it was going to control alot more awkwardly on a console compared to the PC and of course it was going to look worse (the camera angle choice notwithstanding, that's just a weird choice). The scores are clearly just to reflect which one you should buy given the choice, ensuring you get the best version of the game.

    What's wrong with that?

  • des #107 2 years ago

    Ah poor Eurogamer,they really want attention...
    As i said in PC review thread ,EG RPG reviews are always shit,look somewhere else if you want to get a decent "review"

  • Markitron #108 2 years ago

    Im not one to put too much stock in a score at the end of a review, but this is complete nonsense. Okay, so it may be a 20% lesser game on the 360 but that shouldnt lower its overall score which, after all, is a comparison to every other game on the platform. Reading these comments also reminded me of that fable 2 10/10, what a joke

  • qwerty1234 #109 2 years ago

    wow poor reviewer, seems like he's getting slated just for giving his opinion, your all very busy trying to explain how his opinion is invalid and he's wrong, well that's fine, think what you want, because thats all he has done, it's almost as if you just want him to give the game a high rating because that is what you expect, I also dont see how other reviews have any bearing on this one, they were made by different people who have their own unique experience of the game, in a week or so nobody will even care because this game will be yesterdays news and you all would have gotten on with your life.

  • Skurmedel #110 2 years ago

    Yes very able. He just doesn't agree with you, also, do you have this game yet Schiff?

  • Emmit_Assassin #111 2 years ago

    @Tyrell
    Yes we fucking well were! We were all fucking sold this machine on the promise that we would have high end PC sized games and we could stand shoulder to shoulder with our moused friends. All we've got so far are a bunch of pretty pictures with premature ejaculation problems and no width or girth!
    In the case of console RPG's - size matters as well as quality.
    Microsoft and all developers should hold their heads in shame...I've played some awesome games so far this gen, but nothing anywhere near what they were promising.
    I feel dirty...used and dirty...

  • Retroid #112 2 years ago

    /Reads review

    Oh.

    Oh dear.

    :(

  • RedPanda #113 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • menage #114 2 years ago

    Probably a fair review. But I'm not missing out even if it is inferior. I'm having a good time as we speak, not great, but involving enough to waste away the winter occasionally.

  • Retroid #115 2 years ago

    OK, read all the comments for this and it doesn't sound *quite* as bad.... but I think I'll still wait and see how the price goes.

    My PC is a laptop and won't be in any way up to running this game and my PS3 is still out of action (although if DA:o is markedly better on it I may just swallow Sony's repair charge) so atm 360 is my only viable platform for this.

    :/

    /Goes off to read other reviews, watch example videos

  • markypants #116 2 years ago

    Ouch

  • sargulesh #117 2 years ago

    can't trust someone who plays WoW, sorry, I have principles

  • thedaveeyres #118 2 years ago

    Can't believe I'm on +9 for a piss-take comment. :)

  • dagas #119 2 years ago

    That the texture resolution etc is low is of course unfortunate, but to judge a game (especially an RPG which doesn't depend on graphics as much as some other types of games) so harshly because it doesn't look so good and have slightly clunky controls seems crazy. I Still think KotOR is one of the best games ever and the graphics are of course bad by todays standards, but that doesn't prevent it from being an awesome game.

    I mean 6/10 is the same score as Sacred 2. I have not played the game, but from what I've heard of the story from people who have it's on par with what Bioware have done before and if so the story alone is worth 8/10 IMO. The story in a RPG is as essential as the shooting is in a FPS or the driving in a racing game.

  • DaemonSpawn #120 2 years ago

    Well, I've played Dragon Age on Xbox for almost 27 hours now and I'm not terrified by visuals - they're bland, but with such great RPG it's ok. Interface is perfectly acceptable and third-person view with real-time pause-less combat I like much more than Baldur's Gate/NWN style top-downlaggy camera with point-and-click combat.

    Turning to final score, game really deserves 10/10 if even Fallout 3 (which is not of DA's high league) got it. I don't even understand how reviewer could compare grinding 100% linear "RPG" Oblivion with this masterpiece which is the first game in years that made me forget about almost everything else.

  • stryker1121 #121 2 years ago

    I saw the side-by-side gfx comparisons on GameTrailers and the xbox version doesn't look THAT bad..it's the gameplay issues that concern me, but I already bought the game for 360 so I'm gonna play it regardless. And i do think EG should've gotten someone who didn't play the PC version to review the console. Did anyone expect 360/ps3 to live up to a high-speed gaming rig for this kind of game? Damn near every review i've read hasn't been this harsh on the console version...I don't mind being told what I don't wanna here, but I think oli's a little skewed on this one.

  • Malazan #122 2 years ago

    How odd. I'm loving the game more than almost any other in a LONG time.

  • lolife.se #123 2 years ago

    Well, it's from the same person that felt that you were making calls with your heart in Bethesda's RPGs so much more.. So, uhm, I wouldn't buy anything this reviewer has to say about anything RPG. Heh..

  • Markusdragon #124 2 years ago

    Bollocks. I have NOT been playing a 6/10 game until 1:15 in the morning.

  • miiiguel #125 2 years ago

    EG staff don't dig RPG's. Fact.

    (unless they're from Bethesda which then again they're more kinda First Person Action games than RPGs).

  • Machetazo #126 2 years ago

    N@: "There's little like it on console"

    Excellent point, but what's the reviewer to do? I'd like to have seen Dragon Age PS3/360 distanced from the PC for the purposes of the review.
    (I'm not sure even Bioware intended direct comparisons to be attempted. It looks likely that they created a PC, and a console version (which during extra time within the port process, did what it could to take advantage of the PS3 as best it could, after the 360 version was done, would be my guess, having seen GT's comparison vid).

    Anyway, how I think for a review that it ought to be, is that the reviewer rates and talks about the game for the most part, before detailing differences between versions, and offering their thoughts on the platform of choice to play the game on - within a few paragraphs, at the end. I think that the consideration that N@ raises should carry some weight, in the review process. What does it do as a game? How good of a game is it? THEN mention what it does in relation to other factors.

    But, here I agree with some of the earlier posters, that if the reviewer went in to the process with the initial thought of "it's not nearly as good as the PC version", then I think at that point, I'd question whether someone else should have covered the console versions. In fact, this looks like a prime example of a time where a fresher, second opinion would have been invaluable to accompany the article. Because, the reviewer, (to be fair) is NOT going to be experiencing the game on a similar level as someone who's just bought it for their console, without prior extensive hands-on.
    Edited by 2 at 07/11/09 @ 02:24

  • Waldo #127 2 years ago

    Not as good as Oblivion then?

    /runs away

  • monkey888 #128 2 years ago

    Hey Oli.

    D-Pad changes between targets on the battlefield. Looks like you missed that one too?

    No hard disk install?

    So the only complaints you have left are:

    1) lack of top down view, (purely subjective and a fixed camera also exists in other top console RPG's like kotor, jade empire, oblivion, fallout 3, mass effect etc.) - how much did you mark those games down for not being able to do this?

    2) Ugly graphics? I can be a graphics whore too but, these just aren't ugly.

    Looks like you got sick of playing the game on PC and resented having to review it on 360 also.

  • Sloober #129 2 years ago

    I cant believe this, this is not a review! This is a pc - xbox comparison. Seriously, how can you first do a pc review and let the same guy review the xbox version? It's like reviewing a wii or handheld version of a game after you do the pc version, ofcourse it's gonna dissapoint then! Sorry Oli, but you're an idiot, and so is the EG team that let you review both versions..
    The whole 'review' is about how the game sucks in comparison to the pc version, i dont have a highend pc at home, so i dont care how wonderful the pc version is, i care ONLY about the xbox version, yet all im reading is how the pc version is better. Seriously, l2review, Oli.
    Edited by 1 at 07/11/09 @ 05:23

  • ronron888 #130 2 years ago

    It is a true shame Eurogamer isnt taking its readers as serious intellectuel people. How can you rate a game, draw a conclusion then later write a correction note saying that 'Since this review was published, we've learned that hard-targeting and stacking orders are, in fact, both possible. You can lock on to a target by clicking the left stick'
    I mean come on!!! Do you guys even read the manual or explore all the options of a game?
    I do not take this review seriously and give this review 10%! BIG SHAME ON YOU EUROGAMER!!!!

  • uzivatel #131 2 years ago

    monkey888: KotOR, JE and ME were actually designed to be played that way

    ronron888: review copies usually dont come with manual

    ("888" seems to be big these days)
    Edited by 1 at 07/11/09 @ 08:01

  • man.the.king #132 2 years ago

    @trebell

    "higher res textures with frame rate issues? "much better" sounds a stretch. "

    Well, to be honest, GameSpot (don't know about other game sites) have stated that the visuals on the PS3 version are better than the 360's version of this game, so much so that they rated the PS3 version 0.5 higher than the 360 version. Of course, having played neither version, I can't really say much else about it :)

    "so we review Wii games and forgive the last gen graphics because it couldn't do them but we then review the 360 and decide that we will mark it down as it can't compare pc equipment that's now a genration more powerful?
    very reasonable! "

    While I agree that the game's review score should NOT have been based upon how well it stacked up against its PC brethren, I don't think Oli's berating the visuals on the 360 version were a reflection on the console's capabilities - after all, as far as I know, we've already had games with much better technical performance than DA:o on both 360 and the PS3. I think he was disappointed with Bioware, not MS or Sony's machines.
    Edited by 3 at 07/11/09 @ 08:09

  • ronron888 #133 2 years ago

    uzivatel thanks for your comment. still i stay with my original opinion. Eurogamer should have a second opinion review by another person, and this original review is a non-review for me.

  • hibee #134 2 years ago

    Well fair play to Oli for telling it as he sees it, but I have to respectfully disagree with him. Currently 7-8 hours in and I'm loving it. I would kill for PC style movement control, but so long as you're patient and work out how best to use stackable orders it's by no means as rough as the review suggests. I'm playing through on hard and have yet to lose a fight, so it can't be that bad...

    8 or 9 for me so far.

  • cruse #135 2 years ago

    There's still hope for the EG family. The german sister site let two reviewers loose, one for PC one for XBOX. They were a bit more gracious and gave 10/10. They argued that the XBOX version is not ugly, but that the PC version is especially beautiful. So don't trust the "Oligarch" exclusively and go buy that game if you prefer lying in front of your HDTV instead of sitting at a desk.

    http://www.eurogamer.de/articles/dragon-age-origi ns-test?page=4

  • Widge #136 2 years ago

    @monkey888

    You seemed to have missed other points of his being:

    1) Bland setting
    2) Clunky (failed) attempt at being mature/cool

  • dirk_aircool #137 2 years ago

    it dont matter what the reviewer scores a game as its his opinion. and he's corrected the mistake.Most people that will by this game will buy it regardless of scores.I dont know why people that havent even seen a game whine about EG scoring games low.the only thing that would put me off buying a game I wanted would be if the reviewer found game killing bugs.and for those people continualy moaning,go read reviews on other sites as well,dont be persauded by one review.there are other websites out there.

  • Bazfrag #138 2 years ago

    FUCKING SIGH :(

    EG I would give up reviews tbh. Too high a score and the platform warriors start moaning and questioning your integrity. Too low and the platform warriors start moaning and questioning your integrity...

  • koji_m #139 2 years ago

    lol, a 6, really? Note that the EG reviews are by far the lowest on metacritic for this game, you guys are so tough!

  • lavalant #140 2 years ago

    I'd like a second opinion on this 6/10, I got one after your Mass Effect review and I don't regret it, one of the best games this gen.

  • Fraser #141 2 years ago

    I'm not usually the person who complains about a review for being too positive or negative, but for once I have to agree that a second opinion would have helped, here. The review was overwhelmingly negative, but focused on small details, so it was hard to tell how much of the negativity would transfer to others. Certainly, small details can ruin the experience of a game, but the ones mentioned seemed like the kinds of things that might not bother another player.

    I say this having not played the game or read any other reviews of the 360 version. It's just an impression that I get: the core game experience is widely said to be solid, so such a negative review is puzzling, given it's a review of the total package rather than simply the 360 controls in isolation (even if most of the review text is effectively linked out to the PC review). I don't object to the review - a minority opinion is still valuable. But it would be interesting to have a brief second opinion from the same site.

  • actionfitz #142 2 years ago

    hmm Im thoroughly enjoying the PC version. its balls to the wall hard on 'normal' difficulty though. which is my only gripe.
    gonna have to read some more reviews of the Xbox version. this is the latest in a series of reviews from EG now that im thinking are suspect - ie not exactly in line with what I felt about the games.

  • askew #143 2 years ago

    Has anyone seen this disgruntled blogger? Haha.

  • stbens #144 2 years ago

    I've been playing the xbox version for about 4 hours now and the graphics are very good; smooth and atmospheric. I did find the default brightness level to be too high, however; lowering it a few notches certainly helps. 6/10? No way - an 8 or 9 so far.

  • Henrik_se #145 2 years ago

    Two hours into the game (PC version) I've fallen asleep to the boring dialogue a few times, and I was constantly frustrated that I couldn't do anything but follow the painted road. And according to the review, it takes six goddamn hours to get out of the "intro", and most of it filled with more bla bla bla bla bla.

    Yes, I understand that Bioware have created a fantastic new setting and they're just BURSTING to show the world to you and establish the rules and the background and the history, but the medium is endless amounts of (nicely voice-acted) NPC dialogue. They're stuffing you with it, and since it definitely is a bland and clichéd setting it doesn't hold my interest for very long.

    I'm sure it's a brilliant RPG game in there somewhere past the 6th hour mark, and right now I feel that the only thing compelling me to slog through the intro is the promise of badly animated gay elf sex somewhere along the story, and, well, that's kinda sad if you think about it.

    Also, I know they're going for grittier and bloodier, but seriously, that blood splatter effect is fucking ridiculous.

  • micpl187 #146 2 years ago

    I see the review has been updated, but how can I take it seriously, if the reviewer didn't even notice you can lock on targets, choose targets with the directional pad and stack orders? How long did he spend playing the game? An hour? How can you overlook such fundamental things? Each day CG journalism is sinking to new lows. Pathetic
    Edited by 1 at 07/11/09 @ 17:23

  • Henrik_se #147 2 years ago

    @askew:

    Holy crap, he's playing Darkfall. And liking it.

  • eisenhorn666 #148 2 years ago

    Not really bothered by this review, played and loved it...

    Not sure if its been said, sod looking all the way through 165+ posts, but you can turn the pause radial onto toggle on/off so you don't have to hold it down. Did the review even look at the manual or look a the options or see the messages in the loading screens.

    8/10 a least in my eyes/mind sod reviews :)

  • itsfuzzy #149 2 years ago

    I just cant believe this. Devastated. How could they let this happen!

  • TRUTH #150 2 years ago

    This game (360) seem to be getting very good to excellent reviews everywhere else inc EuroGamer -Spain & Itlay...I got my version yesterday; though it starts of slow it does get better the more you get into it, even the graphics (though it don't expect PC quality or something groundbreaking - they do have atmosphere though!)...Hint: put the pre-set brightness down. For some reason it's set too high on pre-set. The games color and depth/textures will look better...If thinking about this and disappointed by EuroGamer (here) review - I suggest you read some others as EuroGamer seem to have given it lowest mark anywhere so-far!!

    GamesRadar 9/10
    IGN 8.7/10
    GameDaily 9/10
    GameSpot 8.5/10
    1UP A
    Game Informer 8/10
    EuroGamer (Spain) 90/100
    EuroGamer (Italy) 90/100
    GameSpy 90/100

    EuroGamer (this site) 6/10

    Something just don't seem right !?!?


    Edited by 2 at 07/11/09 @ 19:40

  • xentar #151 2 years ago

    i dont understand all the comments about metacritic scores. Almost everyone expects to see all the reviews made by very different people with very different standards in scoring giving the same mark. Thast bull and unfortunately the power of metacritic is sadly influencing reviewers to rate according the current average just to not fall out of line.

    Oli was brave enough to make his point, not only in the review itself but in he scoring department as well.For that he deserves a big thumb up.

    A bad port of a good (but not awesome) game deserves a 6 in my book. The hype was too much and the game is really showing its age (5 years in development with two to three years with PC only in mind). It may feel like awesome stuff to people missing a serious D&D based RPG but for common gamer looking just for an adventure in a believable word and deep story, it may not be as catchy as lets say Uncharted 2 is even to people who do not favor Tomb Raider like games.

  • VMerken #152 2 years ago

    @TRUTH
    Hi there. Here is something for you to ponder about: the statistical average of a bunch of independent, irrelevant scores from other people does not determine what you personally like or dislike. Not in the slightest. That 6/10 from Eurogamer's reviewer? It's just as right on the money as all those 8+ scores from the bunch of other reviewers you are repeatedly quoting.

    In my opinion, review scores are a complete joke and they certainly shouldn't be used to calculate averages with (since the opinion of a reviewer is largely independent of the opinion of the other reviewers), as the "metacritic sites" do. Unfortunately, it's very compelling to think everything can be represented as a percentage, hence those sites are very popular and very effective at getting people to take the silliness even further. And due to this popularity, review sites will continue to use scores as that gives them free "air time" on the metacritic sites, thus generating more internet traffic for them.

    Sad, but that's how it works, so scores won't disappear anytime soon. Anyway, instead of concentrating on the numbers, read the review instead. Actually, use the metacritic sites to read all the posted reviews. Try to find objective information in them, such as facts about the game. Put those facts together and form your own opinion: "Is this what I like in a game"? If yes, go to a shop and ask to play the game for a few minutes. Observe everything, verify the facts, and see if they're good enough to influence your opinion in such a way that it moves you to a purchase.

    That's the only thing which matters: your opinion. Whether or not this game will make YOU happy. And when it does, you will realise (time and again) that review scores really don't mean spit; it's the relevant, factual data within the review that counts.
    Edited by 2 at 07/11/09 @ 21:03

  • MrChallacombe #153 2 years ago

    People are saying our opinions count.
    Well in my opinion after 10 hours of play, this is on par with Mass Affect. which got what? 8/10?

    The graphics are a bit poor, but then on a poor PC, they would be too. So the main comparison is the contol. It is basically a 3rd person game, and you don't feel like a team. So, like mass affect...or uncharted, or gears...etc.

    But the story, plot, characters, dialogue are all amazing. 6/10 is a joke. The reviewer has clearly pumped in the hours on the PC then played the xbox version which is clearly worse and panned it.

    I think EGs desperation to be different is starting to take the piss imho. Try the game, once you get over the shabby graphics, you won't be dissapointed. (uness you don't like RPGs, in which case, why are you reading this)

  • monkey888 #154 2 years ago

    @widge

    It doesn't bother me if people don't like the setting or anything else to do with the game.

    They didn't change the story between PC and Xbox did they? PC game should be marked down for the same reason then. I was just pointing out that most of the 'reasons' this guy has given for the inferiority of the xbox version have turned out to be non-existent - and was adding another one (d-pad) to the list.

  • TRUTH #155 2 years ago

    I personally follow gamers personal players reviews as on various game sites, Amazone etc - and most have been positive. That's the reason I bought it. I am enjoying it - though a little slow at first and sometimes to much text for my liking...The graphics aren't brilliant, but they do the job fine and if you didn't mind the PS3's excellent Demon's Souls (been playing this for 105hrs) graphics (good, but, not brilliant); where atmosphere made the game not the graphics themselves by today's standard, this should not bother you at all...In fact they do have some good atmosphere in places (that i have been so-far into the game 10hrs), an do have a bit charm to them too...If you don't bother with games on a PC (as I do), you quiet like the graphics...Remember Ico, Shodow Of Collieses didn't have great graphics on PS2, but had atmosphere!
    Edited by 2 at 07/11/09 @ 21:56

  • Collymilad #156 2 years ago

    Wow I can't believe this got a 6/10.

    I've only been playing it for a few hours but so far the graphics seem perfectly functional, they are a tad PS2-ish but the scale and art style make up for it imo. Think I'm gonna enjoy this one.

    I really cannot fathom the complaints about the graphics. They are by no means anything near terrible, or even bad. I seriously suggest some people set up their fing tv's properly. I am running it on an HDTV so I don't know what it like in SD but it's clean enough here, the only thing I would put against it is that some of the textures could do with more detail but there's nothing really wrong with them.

    Looks like all the other sites were right...
    Edited by 1 at 07/11/09 @ 22:28

  • Jocho #157 2 years ago

    I guess much of what can be said has been said, but I'd just want to give Eurogamer a thumb-up for writing what they think about the game without being caught up in the hype or the pressure from fans and metacritic-scores. If you look at the film-journalists, the same movie can get grades from the top to the bottom of the score, while games-journalism has made itself infamous for it's "7-9"-scale (which, perhaps obviously, implies that game reviewers rate games on a scale between 7 and 9). I'm happy to see EG not falling for such, and that's why I keep reading the site (actually, that's made this being *the only* pure game-journalist-site that I still read after giving up on all the others).

    And, after having played the game quite a bit myself (can't count hours, but has to be in the 20-ies now) I can only agree with the review - it is an fleshed-out world they've build, but it somehow lacks soul. The characters, although lovely voiced, have limited facial animation and feels closer to Fallout 3 then ME or Kotor, and I'm confused of as where the game intends to lead the story (there seems to be two, fighting over which is the "real" story), again to the difference of other bioware games, or most stories at all for that matter.

    So compared to all "this game is wonderful -95%!"-reviews, the EG one have felt a lot more thought-through.

  • metalangel #158 2 years ago

    Anyone care to explain this whole "chest" thing to me: what it does and what I'll be missing if I buy this but don't pay for it? Is Dragon Age by default like Borderlands in terms of inventory: only what you can drag around with you? And then the chest adds a remote storage ability or something? Or am I completely off here?

    EDIT: Never mind, found it elsewhere. I was right, that's exactly what it is.
    Edited by 1 at 09/11/09 @ 00:09

  • Genji #159 2 years ago

    "'PC gamers can - with a flick of the mouse-wheel - look down on them'

    Oh dear."

    I think that was in reference to the overhead camera that's exclusive to the PC version. I second the "oh, dear", though. It was an unnecessary comment bound to fuel the superiority complex that many PC gamers already have towards console gamers.

    I can only get this on the 360, but this review has made me hesitate. Maybe I'll wait until it drops in price a bit.

  • lucasmax #160 2 years ago

    My Review.

    Its better than sodding Oblivion.


    Halo/10

  • linea #161 2 years ago

    There do seem to be an awful lot of people obsessing about the numbers at the end of the reviews. Looks to me like they provide pretty much what you want from a review really- a discussion of the positive and negatives of the games which allow one to decide, on the basis of what one personally finds important about games like these, whether or not it's a worthwhile purchase.

    Sadly, for me, the omission of the top-down view makes this a no-purchase- the intricate and tough top-down pause/restart mechanics of the combat was a huge part of what made the Infinity Engine RPGs so compelling for me- as good as KOTOR/Mass Effect were in many ways I just didn't engage with them nearly as much for exactly this reason- it was an absolutely genius system and I found the combat in the more recent games very pale in comparison. In fact I always wondered why those games weren't criticised more harshly for losing what for me was a good 50% of the game experience! If I had a PC though I'd be off out to get a copy immediately no matter what digits were up in blue at the end of the review....

  • pete08 #162 2 years ago

    I'm 5 hours into this now and think it's great. A big deals been made about the graphics which dont exactly blow me away but are still acceptable. And are by no means a reason not to buy this game..with a game world this expansive i'm guessing some sacrafices had to be made. The best rpg i've played on 360 since oblivion....def not a 6/10!!
    Edited by 1 at 08/11/09 @ 22:22

  • cjb110 #163 2 years ago

    tbh the some of the textures in the PC version aren't great either...characters are pretty good, which makes crappy background ones stand out more.

    But as people have said, its a 6 in comparison to the 8 of the PC. But the targeting issues would be pretty painful if the fights aren't also changed to suit.

  • WinterSnowblind #164 2 years ago

    After this review, I've decided to go back and check out Risen. I lost interest after reading the review on here, but now it seems that may have been a mistake. Downloading the demo now.

  • craigm #165 2 years ago

    I'm about 40 hours into the pc version and i have loved almost every minute of it, in my entire 40 hours i have went to the top down view only a couple of times. I still intend to pick this up on ps3 as i prefer using a pad to mouse and keyboard... i dont like using the keyboard to controll my character and the constant mouse clicks to move is almost as annoying i do wish bioware had put the option in to use a pad on the pc, i played both mass effect and bioshock on my pc using my 360 pad and enjoyed them much more as a result, so i personally cant wait for the ps3 release so i can sit back with a controller in my hands and play the game the way i prefer, i wont even miss the top down view as like i already said i have only used it a couple of times in 40 hours.

    "This version of Dragon Age fell into a creepy ditch a long time before it got anywhere near the uncanny valley" classic comment i had a good laugh when i read that the creepy ditch should become the new dscription of games that try and fail to get into the uncanny valley

  • GamesConnoisseur #166 2 years ago

    Ign.com head to head which topped with PC, second X360 and final place to PS3 largely due to "extra hour of loadings after playing whole game compared to other platform despite the installation.."

    x360 is slated but PS3 doesn't necessarily got away scot free.

    PC is the best version and been playing X360 and it is reasonably ok, once you got past the last gen feel in the visual, just as you would forgive Ico's visual to today's expectations.

    Pausings is a tad awkward but holding left trigger is the best work around.

  • FortysixterUK #167 2 years ago

    Frankly, DA:o looks like any other 360 game,perfectly adequate.

    EG are either trying to court controversy by giving a hot new title a poor review or are just being the usual bunch of tossers EG usually are. Note:- I seldom agree with any EG reviews , they seem in someway to imply the kind of person I used to work with when at EA( only in the lowly QA dept), with a few notable exceptions ( you know who you are ), they were mostly just prigs. ( yes that's spelt correctly). All concerned with calling games an artform etc etc. "Fuck off" was my usual response.

    Having sat down with DA:o on my 360 on a comfy sofa with a 5.1 surround sound sytem and a 50" plasma screen I can safely say it's a satisfying 360 experience.

    I find myself choosing a console over my turbo nutter ninja bastard PC nowadays simply because nearly all games seem to "belong" on console rather than PC. Notable exceptions are MOST Mmos and MOST Rts games.
    I love my PC, and I upgrade Bi-annually to a new system, and have done so since my first 486DX2-66 from Tiny way back in the 90''s, but consoles are becoming where it's at, and PC's are not.

    Frankly, my PC nowadays is primarily used to play WOW or AOC, and the consoles most everything else.

    I'll finish with my usual " most reviews at EG are shite and so are most of EG's writers attitudes".

    Hmmm...maybe I'll make that my new signature....

    Hugs.

  • TRUTH #168 2 years ago

    I finding DA:o (on XB360) far more enjoyable then Oblivion. I'm only 17hrs into it...If you like games like: Demon's Soul, Star Wars KOTOR, Baulders Gate, Boarderlands (I'm loving this esp multilayer), Mass Effect, Jade Empire, Oblivion - this is highly a recommended RPG/Action/Story with a good dollop of adventure.

  • Dismiss #169 2 years ago

    No, the PC version doesn't look that hot, either. You can dress everything up really nice with high-res textures, AA and AF (using the driver settings), but it still looks somewhat dated, compared to more modern engines. Art direction is nice, however, (except for the excess of blood and leather underwear) and that doesn't change between versions. Concerning gameplay, it really is much harder on console to face off against multiple enemies, while trying to keep your casters alive, but it's not impossible, by any means. So, yes, but not so much. As I always say, after being an avid gamer for more than two decades, it's easy finding things to criticise. What's getting tougher and tougher is remembering how to have fun with games.

  • kangarootoo #170 2 years ago

    Still going?


    All I will add is that its good that EG updated the review with the new information about locking and stacking orders. The update even included an apology, so that gets kudos from me.

  • ShiverinEskimo #171 2 years ago

    Played this for about 11 hours and I'm loving it. It was a bit fiddily at the start but I'm used to it now.

    About the review tho it's quite obvious it was rushed thanks to the same reviewer having to do it. The fact ye missed the lock-on option shows you didn't even read the manual or didn't take the time to explore all the controls. This crucial in a review which centres on supposed deficiencies in controls on console versions.

  • henro_ben #172 2 years ago

    Don't usually bother commenting on reviews, but picked this up Saturday and spent most of the weekend playing it - it's great. A big fat 8 at the moment, hovering on the edge of a 9 for me.

    They should have got someone else to review this however, if he'd finished the PC version I could well believe he was somewhat burned out by the time he got to the 360 version.

  • Vanmunt #173 2 years ago

    Don't like to comment on reviews, but what are you on about. Played the game all weekend then quite surprised to see this review on your site...
    A few odd reviews on this site lately where its mostly reviewers trying to win ‘funniest review’ of the week or just plain poor journalism. Especially all the retractions and corrections on reviews and articles lately.
    My friend and I might moan and grumble about the reviews in EDGE and GamesTM but at least they have some credence.

    If you like Bioware games, buy it...

  • Harlequeen #174 2 years ago

    Ok reading through user comments I call Marmite on this game. Personally I love Marmite, and this game as I said earlier.

  • muscleblade #175 2 years ago

    If 10 reviewers think a game is great and one doesnt. I think its a very good probability that you agree with those ten rather than the one person that didnt like it ecpecially if you like the genre. Right? Thats why i like to use metacritic and put my own personal preferences in the mix when i decide wich games to buy.

  • TonyCocaCola #176 2 years ago

    I found that turning the brightness down a little makes the graphics look better.

  • AceMaCool #177 2 years ago

    I'm about six hours in on 360 and think it's excellent. I'm a Bioware veteran and find that this is much smoother than any of the previous ones I played on my knackered old pc and also than Mass Effect that I played on 360. The graphics are fine, obviously not as nice as on a top end pc but comparable with pretty much any other xbox game.

    I do miss the ability to pause queue up actions but I did on Mass Effect and nobody seemed to complain about it there. This plays almost exactly the same.

  • metalangel #178 2 years ago

    Several hours in now too, really enjoying it. While it lacks the free-roaming and in-your-face direct interaction of Oblivion, it nevertheless has a nicely detailed world, with lots to see, do, loot, kill and equip.

  • FalexPeachly #179 2 years ago

    me and my brother re-dubbed the sacred ashes trailer, its pretty funny check it out

    [link url=http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=t7HUwriemkw
    ]http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=t7HUwriemkw
    [/link]

    please let us know how much you love (or hate) it!

  • kaya08 #180 2 years ago

    Surprised by this review.
    In fairness I didn't know about the action queing and hard lock until reading this review, so that will be handy.
    My only criticism is the gap in difficulty from easy to normal. Easy plays itself, normal just requires a bit too much micro-management for my tastes (ideally I'd like to just set up the companions with the gambit system and ignore them beyond that which isn't really possible).
    Its still an 8 or just about sneaking a 9 for me though.

  • Edwin #181 2 years ago

    @kaya08

    My only criticism is the gap in difficulty from easy to normal. Easy plays itself, normal just requires a bit too much micro-management for my tastes (ideally I'd like to just set up the companions with the gambit system and ignore them beyond that which isn't really possible).

    Yep, spot on.. the AI is so poor it is to fustrating on Normal as the AI just ignores the criteria set up burns up and MP and don't use potions properly. I have found just stick with being a mage and have 3 people bashing away at the enemy works.. and I will be sticking to it!

  • Fidjit #182 2 years ago

    @ Tyrell:

    Not at all. I havn't played the PC version but I'm sure it is the superior version; all the reviews make this pretty clear. However, I'm playing the 360 version, and judging it purely on its own merits, its a very enjoyable gaming experience.

  • indelible #183 2 years ago

    People who think that AI is poor obviously haven't used the Tactics system ;-) I suggest you stick to easy if you don't get it. You're clearly morons ;-)

  • j1m.ch053n #184 2 years ago

    having played Baldurs gate, Kotor (and Kotor2), mass effect and this i would have to say the 6/10 is way too harsh. i may have actually not got this but then i also enjoyed too human and two worlds which received similarly bad reviews. in my opinion this fairs quite well against its predecesors, with only the two starwars games besting it - im definately looking forward to a sequal to this more than mass effect 2

  • dagas #185 2 years ago

    After having played through the game four times and loved it I can only laugh at the 6/10 score. Best game since Mass Effect!!!

  • Wolverfrog #186 2 years ago

    Well Mass Effect 2 looks incredible on the 360, so my mind is at ease.

  • Daikon #187 2 years ago

    I just have to weigh in on this.

    In spite of the low EG score I decided to go ahead and buy the game for 360 and I'm very glad that I did; it's the most fun I've had since playing an RPG since Oblivion.

    Graphics are fine for a 5 year old console and I'm having no issues with the controls.

    9/10 IMO.

  • MordenUK #188 2 years ago

    Although I agree its not as graphically polished as its counterparts this game is really good and easy enough to control. I'm so glad for once I ignored the eurogamer score and picked it up.

  • symmetry #189 2 years ago

    I'm playing through this on 360 now and absolutely loving it, 8.5/10 for me.

  • geeza2020 #190 2 years ago

    I held off on buying this when it came out as a result of this review. I have to say that was a big mistake. After playing through the first 6 hours of the game, i can only conclude that Oli was drunk or sniffing glue when he was writing this review. There is quite simply no way you could give this game 6/10 unless you were a pc fanboy, in which case you should really not be involved in games journalism at all, let alone reviewing xbox 360 games. This has to be the most biased and ridiculous review i have ever read.

  • WJF #191 1 year ago

    I agree with this review. Frankly, it's a mess on the 360 - the combat is terribly loose and hard to manage without the overhead view, he graphics are horrible, the story is dull, the dialogue (apart from the ace party asides) whips from dull exposition to dull exposition. I'm struggling to continue playing past the 3 hour mark...I think it's the first rpg since the spectrum days that I've had that happen.

    Really disappointed.