It’s seldom that I have the pleasure of reviewing a game of any significance on the Mac platform. Let’s face it, games on the Mac are still playing catch up with just about every other platform. It’s not that they can’t run them, more a case of the platform requiring slightly more effort to develop for and perhaps not having the same mass market audience to sell to as with more established gaming platforms such as the PC or consoles. Thankfully in recent months gaming on the Mac has started to reach a level of maturity, not only do we now have the fantastic Unity game engine to play with, but games like Dragon Age Origins are being ported to the platform.
I picked up Dragon Age Origins for the Xbox 360 on release a number of weeks ago and really enjoyed playing it, it’s a fantastic RPG, perhaps one of the best I have played, but I couldn’t help but feel that I was missing something playing on my chosen platform. Having watched many reviews from the online gaming journalism community I think many people playing Dragon Age on the consoles, including myself, have formed the opinion that at it’s heart it is a keyboard and mouse experience. While the core elements of the game are the same on both platforms the console lacks the graphical polish that you get on the Mac and some of the key game play mechanics such as the over head camera angle are missing. If you haven’t got a computer powerful enough to play it on you should still check out the console version but if you do there really is only one way to go.
At the moment Dragon Age Origins is only available as digital download for the Mac. I acquired it from GamersGate, which was a smooth and hassle free experience. There are both standard and deluxe editions available with both weighing in as substantial downloads. I purchased the standard edition which comes in at just under 10GB. The download process is managed by a downloader intrinsic to the GamersGate purchase and the whole thing took about five hours. Once the download is complete you have a .dmg file which you can archive for additional installs at a later date. The company do use security measures for authentication but you can reinstall at a later date if required.
Dragon Age Origins is developed by Bioware, a name now synonymous with quality, particularly in the RPG field. Later this year they will deliver Mass Effect 2 to the gaming populous and I think if DAO is anything to go by we will be in for something very special indeed. DAO is a traditional RPG, goblins, orcs, mages and dragons all feature predominantly in a rich and engaging world. While the lore and setting may offer little in the way of something new the way in which the story is told and the detail present at just about every level does. I think spiritual comparisons to Neverwinter Nights are fair but there is a high degree of evolution here. To begin with the detail in the story telling is unparalleled, Bioware have established a name for themselves in terms of quality in dialog but it really is above all expectation here. The voice work is superb throughout and the story gripping from start to finish, moreover the background chat that takes place between characters is both humorous and engaging.
The party concept works really well in the game, throughout your adventure you will make decisions that will effect how various parties react to you. Some will help you while others will go out of the way to hinder your progress, sometimes this will be down to the people you are traveling with so you must choose your friends carefully and be prepared for the consequences of your actions. Consequences form a big part of the game, everything you do will effect how things proceed and I everyone that plays this game will do so in a completely unique and memorable way. Missions will have more than one way to be solved, the order in which you visit locations is completely down to you and in turn will have an impact on how the story proceeds. Visually, as mentioned briefly already, the game is stunning, from the lush textures and amazing locations to the wondrous magical effects that you call forth. The devil is in the detail and DAO is packed full of detail. Each character looks unique and each setting that you visit will remain with you for one reason or another. The cut scenes that deliver the story offer fantastic pacing and immersion into the story, the story really deserves special mention as it really well written.
The game holds true to the core mechanics of it’s RPG lineage with character development and skills unlocked as you progress and build XP – each character type can unlock a wealth of abilities and two specialisations at both level 7 & level 14. Again the choices you make here will effect how the game progresses. For example I was talking the other day with a friend about the game and we both has just completed a particular boss encounter, while he used the games built in tactics scripting options, which are complex and almost akin to a programming language in their own right, to manage party tactics, establish a healing routine etc I simply tanked the boss down with a mage – yes a mage, built around the arcane warrior spec. No two people are going to experience this game in the same way.
What everyone will experience however is a fantastic RPG, hours of fun and engaging gameplay and quite possible the RPG of the decade. It has magic, it has dragons and it has my unrequited seal of approval. Buy it now.
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