This last few weeks I've been replaying the Baldur's Gate games. The first one is ok, but Baldur's Gate 2 is the true masterpiece of rarely matched greatness. And it is my understanding that Dragon Age was meant to be a sort of spiritual sequel to that, and indeed, you can see that in the game. But only in intent, not in execution.
When I compare BG2 and Origins side by side, even considering all the years between the two, all I can see is how the latter is inferior to the former. I'm aware the first Dragon Age is considered quite a good RPG, and it I would agree it isn't a bad one, it's just nothing special. Take the combat, for example (not to say gameplay). I have my reservations about BG's combat but it was definitely fun (most of the times), and engaging. In Origins? Meh, it felt like a chore.
But I think the main disapppointment for me when it comes to the DA universe (and this takes into consideration the sequels, even if Origins is the worst of the bunch), is how uninspired it is. BG had the advantage of being based on a well stablished universe, yet DA had years and years of experience from Bioware that could have been directed into a interesting and unique universe. But that's not what we saw. To try to make my point a bit more clear, let me bring Mass Effect to the discussion, and this picture in particular:
Now if we made a game that asked which race (or faction) which one of these weapons belong to, most Mass Effect fans would be able to guess. There is an identity behind each weapons, because the universe itself has an identity. Something that Dragon Age never accomplished.
Lastly, I need to talk about silence protagonist. I know a lot of people are a fan of that, even if only because it makes it easier to deceive yourself in beliving that the main character meant to say something in the way you wanted them to, rather than in the (only) way the game recognizes it, but for Dragon Age: Origins in particular it feels the game was caught between when its ok to have a mute proganist (KoTOR) and when it is not (Mass Effect). And the game suffers for it. It's like it can't make its own mind, and that indecision is also present in DA2 and Inquisition, even if for different reasons.
Anyway, we might see DA4 in the far future, even if I believe it's far from certain, and I'm afraid I have no reasons to believe it won't be more of the same. A universe that can't find its own identity and just tries to be a by the number fantasy world.
When I compare BG2 and Origins side by side, even considering all the years between the two, all I can see is how the latter is inferior to the former. I'm aware the first Dragon Age is considered quite a good RPG, and it I would agree it isn't a bad one, it's just nothing special. Take the combat, for example (not to say gameplay). I have my reservations about BG's combat but it was definitely fun (most of the times), and engaging. In Origins? Meh, it felt like a chore.
But I think the main disapppointment for me when it comes to the DA universe (and this takes into consideration the sequels, even if Origins is the worst of the bunch), is how uninspired it is. BG had the advantage of being based on a well stablished universe, yet DA had years and years of experience from Bioware that could have been directed into a interesting and unique universe. But that's not what we saw. To try to make my point a bit more clear, let me bring Mass Effect to the discussion, and this picture in particular:
Now if we made a game that asked which race (or faction) which one of these weapons belong to, most Mass Effect fans would be able to guess. There is an identity behind each weapons, because the universe itself has an identity. Something that Dragon Age never accomplished.
Lastly, I need to talk about silence protagonist. I know a lot of people are a fan of that, even if only because it makes it easier to deceive yourself in beliving that the main character meant to say something in the way you wanted them to, rather than in the (only) way the game recognizes it, but for Dragon Age: Origins in particular it feels the game was caught between when its ok to have a mute proganist (KoTOR) and when it is not (Mass Effect). And the game suffers for it. It's like it can't make its own mind, and that indecision is also present in DA2 and Inquisition, even if for different reasons.
Anyway, we might see DA4 in the far future, even if I believe it's far from certain, and I'm afraid I have no reasons to believe it won't be more of the same. A universe that can't find its own identity and just tries to be a by the number fantasy world.
