Back Story
Although there’s a lack of a review on my blog, I played the first Dragon Age after DA: Inquisition. My wife insisted I played the first one and since this was just before the Xbox One went backwards compatible, we began our journey of playing it on the Xbox 360. During my playthrough backward compatibility launched and we completed it on Xbox One.
However, recently I've had the urge to replay it, as well as delve into the sequel which I've never touched. If you're curious about the other titles in the franchise, you can check out my reviews of Dragon Age: Inquisition, here, and last year's Dragon Age: Veilguard, here.
Although we own DA 1&2 on PC, after checking out the difficulties of running them these days, I decided to opt for the Xbox 360 versions readily available on Xbox Series X/S. Both games are backwards compatible from the Xbox 360 and although they lack a resolution boost, running in their original 720p, they've both been framerate boosted to a responsive 60fps. They look sharper than ever and with a neat 16xAF added for texture clarity! An easy, problem free way of going back to them.
Both titles share a lot of commonalties, more so than the later Inquisition, but they're also quite different in their approach to how combat and story is handled. Both having their strengths and weaknesses.
Let's take a closer look at each one!
Review
Played on: Xbox Series X
Released: 2009
Released: 2009
Where it all began, a landmark RPG title released on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. Alongside titles of the same era as Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, review here, it would rise to become a popular and unique western styled RPG. Sporting modern visuals for a new generation of hardware.
It might have faded into the background of gaming history by now, but Dragon Age Origins struck a chord with fantasy and RPG fans when it released, with high praises from players and review scores. It became incredibly popular and still stands as a massively loved franchise to this day. Sadly, it missed that long-lasting popularity titles like Skyrim and Witcher 3 received.
DA:O's story is set in the fictional world of Thedas where something called the Blight occurs every few hundred years. During the Blight nasty creatures, called the Darkspawn, come to the surface and the people rely on an old order called the Grey Wardens to defend them.
Thedas sports many races and classes, which again represent various political and religious views within the kingdom. This in turn gives a neat opportunity to allow the player which race and class they wish to begin they're journey out into a Thedas under the imminent Darkspawn threat.
Your character is simply referred to as "the Warden" and along the way you'll be joined by various companions like Alistair, Morrigan, Sten etc. Each representing various classes and races to keep your four-person team varied in attacks and defence.
In addition, they have interesting back stories which you get to learn as you wander through the adventure together with them chatting along to each other. In turn these chats become different considering who you pick to be in your team, it's signature trademark of the franchise I feel, and it1s equally charming here as in the recent Veilguard.
The choice of race, aka the "origins" title, cleverly gives the player six unique approaches to begin their story. It's highly regarded among fans and gives a varied approach for replays that makes the story feel more like your own creation.
Although this choice is mostly reflected in the first hour, it's followed by the same playthrough thereafter, but is often reflected upon through conversations with other characters depending on your choices. It's further reflected in the ending; leaving the door open for the sequel to continue in different directions.
An ambitious and impressive feature for sure, but ultimately it turned out to be an impossible task to develop into the sequel which faced a strict deadline. Thus, it wasn't followed upon and was exchanged for linearity. It's still the selling point to which you should play this title, and I can't think of many other titles that had this fundamental change of beginning and ending when choosing races.
Otherwise, in classic BioWare fashion, we're given multiple dialogue choices during conversations which results in how your personality is depicted. Usually a good/bad/sarcastic choice. While this has since been used multiple times in other titles, even in BioWare's own Mass Effect series, it was a fresh and interactive way of conversing with NPCs back in its day.
I still find the conversation choice system entertaining, although they sometimes lead to the same outcome, it at least feels as if you’re taking part in changing the mood of a dialogue. It makes replays tempting to change your personality completely, in addition to race and class.
Gameplay features an original touch; you can at any of the other three in your party at any time swap and take full control over any of the other members of your team! Again, a feature I haven't seen in many other titles. It's a perfect opportunity to try out different classes with abilities and playstyles different than your own, without having to set up a new character entirely.
It's also useful when you need to force NPC companions to do certain attacks you want from their list of abilities or to quickly heal them when in danger. Choosing a varied team is key, avoiding overlapping classes and abilities.
The actual combat gameplay, however, is obviously dated. It's all about choosing your attack and waiting for the character to animate that attack or defence. While it's realtime, there's a distinct lack of direct input to the combat. You simply face your character towards an enemy and choose your attack button, and while they're hitting or using magic spells at them, it doesn't feel as if you're directly controlling it. There's a distinct old-school command feel, rather than the more hands-on combat in the sequels.
Combined with a slow and stiff animation, it results in a distanced combat feeling overall. That said, it's a less stressing playstyle and some might prefer this less direct approach to the action. Leaning towards an old-school PC RPG. Despite that, there's tactics for each class to delve into and various approaches to handling combat for each one.
Levelling up key abilities to suit your playstyle is key, as well as finding more powerful weapons and equipment along the way. All armour elements can be swapped out, as well as setting up an entirely second set of armament, should you want to quickly swap between a sword and shield approach to a longer distance bow style for instance.
In addition, there are rings and necklaces that give you various stat boosts too. All the equipment can manually set on your teammates too, along for that depth many prefer to their equipment choices.
There's also a lot to gain when persuading people in the story through dialogues too, with either a diplomatic or aggressive tone. Familiar RPG ground, but I still find it addictive and exciting every time you reach a new level and ability points are rewarded.
Visually, it holds a warm nostalgia in my heart, bringing me back to the earlier years of the Xbox 360 era. It has a soft look to it these days, with a somewhat smeared out colour palette, although it works well with the medieval look. It has aged more drastically, not in finer detail, but in size compared to Oblivion and Skyrim in that regard. Especially since Skyrim has received consistent updates since for modern consoles.
Outdoors areas are small, a trait of the time it was developed, but there's a charm to the inside detail of small houses and castles. While it visually repeats a lot of elements, it has a solid designed world to be interesting to explore. There's a solid amount of variety in. environments too, illustrated well with the various origin story of each race.
With so many years gone by and a rough visual presentation these days, it's tricky to sell in Origins to newcomers, but people that enjoy a deeper RPG with a large degree of freedom when it comes to choices and controlling the story, it's worth a playthrough.
There's this undeniable BioWare magic regardless of the aged combat, just a neat balance of great storytelling, charming dialogue, interesting locations and the team spirit with your companions.
Review
Played on: Xbox Series X
Released: 2011
Released: 2011
With a tight deadline on development, there’s been a fair bit of criticism of DA2 through the years. While there are obvious reasons for this feedback; all the various endings in the first game are sacrificed for a linear story and tons of repetitive side missions, I played it with an open mind.
You can indeed import your DA1 character and the main story decisions into the sequel, bringing some history and cohesiveness, but don't expect the variety of the original or making a meaningful change to DA2.
DA2 throws you straight into the action in a massive battle. It's about finding out how the battle between mages and templars began; this is retold in grand fashion by Dragon Age veteran, Varric. Ending the intro level, a witch disguised as a dragon saves your character and brings them to the city of Kirkwall.
Interestingly, the entire story takes part in this city, an early warning that the development was rushed. However, what's interesting about this specific location is that the story spans over several years, as you build a reputation up and take part in aiding the various main leaders of the city. It helps make a bond with the location and familiarity while traversing the environments.
Although this single setting is big departure, and at first seemingly a repetitive one considering the adventure styled changes of scenery in the first game, there are plenty of side missions bringing the player outside the city walls. With a snag; there are only a handful of them visually, which you repeatedly travel to for side missions.
Luckily, there are a few main missions that travel away from the city too. That said, I never felt the need for tons of extra areas personally and enjoyed the focus and linearity of a single area. I really appreciate the extended focus of your companions, where you can disagree with them but still have a good combination with them in attack power. Each companion has a notable set of side missions too, allowing the sensation of getting to know them properly.
There's a clear improvement to overall clarity of the visuals; the softer look is replaced with a sharper image quality. Although it loses some of the dreamy and organic feel, replaced with square shaped and harsher edged world, it looks visually better because of this art direction change.
There's more modern design style compared to the first game, with a stylised appearance with better lighting, shadows and size of the environments. In addition, menus and presentation look modernised, less cluttered with a clean minimalist style.
Even better, running this as a backwards compatible title boosts the framerate up to 60fps; giving players that snappy responsive feel and sharper picture. The downside is, as mentioned, the lack of environmental variety. It would've been nice to see the variety of the first game with the visual boost of this sequel.
The most striking upgrade is the improvement to gameplay. On the surface it just feels quicker and snappier to play, but also as you engage in battles it just becomes clear that it's so much more engaging and action filled to play. Old school RPG players may have been put off with it back then, but this just feels like how a much more moderns RPG would play.
There's a distinct hand-on approach here, like you're hitting directly with a weapon. A stark contrast to the first game where it felt like you activated a menu selection and watched the characters engage in battle. Although they are both realtime combat, it feels like direct control here, and less as a menu-based battle system.
The result is action filled and enjoyable battles, I never really tired of the combat throughout my playthrough, and they throw a lot of them at you. Perhaps people who enjoy a slower based system feel put off, but for me it was a perfect upgrade. If you compare DA1 and Inquisition as a similar gameplay approach; moving your character into combat then just selecting attacks, then DA2 is more like Veilguard; actively attacking with action buttons straight into the combat.
The story telling is more direct here with perhaps a less overhanging complexity, focusing in on what relates directly to your character. It's simplified for the sake of bringing more action and linearity to you as the viewer. There are plus and minus sides to this of course, and without a race and class related difference in introductions and endings, DA2 is far more linear and repeated playthroughs will mostly be alike. At least when it comes to major story changes.
There are a couple of annoyances I must address through, apart from the obvious reuse of area to explore and limited exploration; losing an overview in crowded battles especially in tight areas. It often results in insane damage amounts being punished on yourself and your stupid teammates. Often a teammate will be in another room dying and reaching the person is impossible with enemies in the way. Crowded situations seem to make the combat unfair and result in buggy situations.
Thers is also a matter of an insane difficulty spike with the one-on-one fight against the Quanari leader. Although the fight is not mandatory and depends on your story choice, it's such an annoying battle which taking place in a small space and an overly aggressive AI; you never get the distance needed to attack properly. Ending in a silly running-in-circles show; with tiny amount of damage being dealt over a time-consuming battle. It's part where I had to set the difficulty down to easy.
I went into DA2 thinking it was bad, considering all the negative feedback, but I ended up really enjoying myself. It suits my kind of playstyle better where I prefer a less complex and more hands-on, action styled approach, where story is also delivered more directly to the player. At the same stime I completely understand the simplicity of the linear story is a step down from the more complex branching system of DA1, perhaps turning away the mor hardcore RPG players from which DA1 after all gained so much praise.
At the end of the day every Dragon Age title is flawed in some way, yet they each offer something unique in their experience. I don't feel any of the four games are skippable and each hold the same rating; I love them all but also see their struggle in finding out what the franchise wants to be and their weaker sides.
If Dragon Age: Inquisition lends a lot to Dragon Age: Origins, then Dragon Age: Veilguard lends a lot to Dragon Age 2. If that makes sense.
Summary
There might be some disagreement to which one is preferred by players, I personally enjoy DA2 for the combat, but I can see the story complexity form DA1 as a strong feature. Look at it this way; if your main preference is the story and depth of it, then go for Dragon Age Origins. If you're like me, where action gameplay and linearity is preferred, then go for Dragon Age 2.
That said, I'd recommend playing them both in release order, they're overall similar in visual style and atmosphere. Plus, they're from the same era and feel like a connected world and story. More so than the later titles in the franchise.
There's also a ton of DLC for both titles to dig into if you want to explore the lore further. Origins' biggest add-on DLC was even a separate physical release back in the day, called Awakening. Both games and their DLC go consistently on sale, so there's a lot to explore if you want a reasonable alternative to modern RPGs.
While playing them on Xbox Series X/S leaves you locked to a 720p resolution, they at least grant you a responsive and satisfying 60fps boost. If you want to go further into visual upgrades, you'll need to check out the PC versions, just be aware they have technical hurdles running on modern systems.
BioWare's legacy might be fading away behind popular new releases, but I can't stress how excellent these old releases were back in their day. They deserve to be played by fans of fantasy RPGs!