modeps
04-19-2010, 05:23 AM
Title: Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Platform: 360 / PS3 / PC
Platform Reviewed: 360
Developer: BioWare (http://bioware.com/), Edge of Reality (http://www.edgeofreality.com/)
Publisher: Electronic Arts (http://electronicarts.com)
MSRP: $39.99
Writer: James 'modeps' Hunter
Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening Review
Like Dragon Age: Origins, but a lot shorter.
Dragon Age: Origins was my Game of 2009. It was a beefy old school RPG that hit every just about every note during its sonata with awesome flair. So when BioWare announced they'd be hitting the market with an actual expansion to it instead of just some smaller $DLC, I was more than excited. Here we are with that expansion, Awakening, released about 4 months after the original offered in both digital and physical form. It should be noted also that while the PC version requires the original game to play, if you're on a console you can play this by itself.
http://evavhost.com/i/reviews/awakening-1.jpg
Awakening takes place about six months after the events of Origins. It's your job to establish yourself as Warden Commander and help recruit new Grey Wardens while rebuilding your new estate, Vigils Keep. It isn't long after setting foot in the arling of Amaranthine (northeast of Ferelden) that you find out the Darkspawn haven't completely gone away as was expected, and some are even talking. Of course, it's your job to determine the root cause and stop it.
Like Origins, the big star here is the way BioWare handles player relationships. Sure you've got your dungeons, forests, swamps, and a cities full of stuff, but the interactions NPCs have with each other as well as how their background and motivations are explored is great. While there was a certain bit of comedy to be found in Origins, it seems as though that has been ramped up a bit with a metrosexual mage named Anders who loves his little kitten and the only returning party member, Oghren. When journeying around, characters will make snide remarks about Anders carrying Ser Pounce a Lot around everywhere and much laughter is had. This brevity makes your situation feel a lot less dire than the events of the Blight, and it should because you're just not facing that same enemy. Despite what some had stated prior to release, the new characters are not simple rehashes with new skin, but are fully realized and interesting people.
http://evavhost.com/i/reviews/awakening-2.jpg
Missions included range from standard stuff to great deviations. While there were a few too many cases of 'scavenger hunt' including one that's straight up called "Scavenger Hunt," there are plenty of unique events that make your journey worthwhile. Many of the interactions that take place while in Vigil's Keep are particularly interesting and I really enjoyed the trek through Kal'Hirol, which is the polar opposite from how I felt of the dwarven aspects in Origins. While you won't hit too many decision points, there's one major choice towards the end that will certainly lend itself to further expansions or possibly even Dragon Age 2.
I've got two primary gripes with Awakening and the biggest has to do with technical issues that run rampant. Two of my character specific quests couldn't be completed; one due to the time where I received it in relation to the overarching quest, and the other just wouldn't trigger despite the requirements being met. Additionally, I took part in one quest during the endgame which required clearing an area of enemies. After I had done so, there were still two animated corpses that would not take damage or attack. A reload of the quest didn't fix this and instead I had to game the system, pulling my team away to disengage them from battle. These sadly are just a few of the problems I came across and while most are quest related, there are some quirks with the visuals as well.
http://evavhost.com/i/reviews/awakening-3.jpg
My second issue is with the length and difficulty of the expansion. While doing the vast majority of available quests, the whole venture still only lasted just over 12 hours. This could be due to the difficulty being significantly less than what you found in Origins. On normal, your character starts off so powerful that it's a breeze to get through most encounters, including Dragons. I recommend bumping up the difficulty from where you had it previously.
Despite these quibbles, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening is still a fun romp which extends the already solid framework laid by the original title. If Dragon Age is calling you, but you don't feel like reinvesting the time in the base title, or just want to see what happens next, there's really no reason to stay away. It may not be as completely awesome as Origins was, but it's still Dragon Age and by that regard, it's still awesome.
Score: 4 out of 5
http://evavhost.com/public/4.gif
The Good Fantastic character interactions coupled with interesting personalities. An intriguing and well spun continuation of the Origins story. It's still Dragon Age.
The Bad Much shorter than expected. Not nearly as many choice points as its predecessor.
The Ugly C'mon BioWare, patch these damn bugs.
Platform: 360 / PS3 / PC
Platform Reviewed: 360
Developer: BioWare (http://bioware.com/), Edge of Reality (http://www.edgeofreality.com/)
Publisher: Electronic Arts (http://electronicarts.com)
MSRP: $39.99
Writer: James 'modeps' Hunter
Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening Review
Like Dragon Age: Origins, but a lot shorter.
Dragon Age: Origins was my Game of 2009. It was a beefy old school RPG that hit every just about every note during its sonata with awesome flair. So when BioWare announced they'd be hitting the market with an actual expansion to it instead of just some smaller $DLC, I was more than excited. Here we are with that expansion, Awakening, released about 4 months after the original offered in both digital and physical form. It should be noted also that while the PC version requires the original game to play, if you're on a console you can play this by itself.
http://evavhost.com/i/reviews/awakening-1.jpg
Awakening takes place about six months after the events of Origins. It's your job to establish yourself as Warden Commander and help recruit new Grey Wardens while rebuilding your new estate, Vigils Keep. It isn't long after setting foot in the arling of Amaranthine (northeast of Ferelden) that you find out the Darkspawn haven't completely gone away as was expected, and some are even talking. Of course, it's your job to determine the root cause and stop it.
Like Origins, the big star here is the way BioWare handles player relationships. Sure you've got your dungeons, forests, swamps, and a cities full of stuff, but the interactions NPCs have with each other as well as how their background and motivations are explored is great. While there was a certain bit of comedy to be found in Origins, it seems as though that has been ramped up a bit with a metrosexual mage named Anders who loves his little kitten and the only returning party member, Oghren. When journeying around, characters will make snide remarks about Anders carrying Ser Pounce a Lot around everywhere and much laughter is had. This brevity makes your situation feel a lot less dire than the events of the Blight, and it should because you're just not facing that same enemy. Despite what some had stated prior to release, the new characters are not simple rehashes with new skin, but are fully realized and interesting people.
http://evavhost.com/i/reviews/awakening-2.jpg
Missions included range from standard stuff to great deviations. While there were a few too many cases of 'scavenger hunt' including one that's straight up called "Scavenger Hunt," there are plenty of unique events that make your journey worthwhile. Many of the interactions that take place while in Vigil's Keep are particularly interesting and I really enjoyed the trek through Kal'Hirol, which is the polar opposite from how I felt of the dwarven aspects in Origins. While you won't hit too many decision points, there's one major choice towards the end that will certainly lend itself to further expansions or possibly even Dragon Age 2.
I've got two primary gripes with Awakening and the biggest has to do with technical issues that run rampant. Two of my character specific quests couldn't be completed; one due to the time where I received it in relation to the overarching quest, and the other just wouldn't trigger despite the requirements being met. Additionally, I took part in one quest during the endgame which required clearing an area of enemies. After I had done so, there were still two animated corpses that would not take damage or attack. A reload of the quest didn't fix this and instead I had to game the system, pulling my team away to disengage them from battle. These sadly are just a few of the problems I came across and while most are quest related, there are some quirks with the visuals as well.
http://evavhost.com/i/reviews/awakening-3.jpg
My second issue is with the length and difficulty of the expansion. While doing the vast majority of available quests, the whole venture still only lasted just over 12 hours. This could be due to the difficulty being significantly less than what you found in Origins. On normal, your character starts off so powerful that it's a breeze to get through most encounters, including Dragons. I recommend bumping up the difficulty from where you had it previously.
Despite these quibbles, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening is still a fun romp which extends the already solid framework laid by the original title. If Dragon Age is calling you, but you don't feel like reinvesting the time in the base title, or just want to see what happens next, there's really no reason to stay away. It may not be as completely awesome as Origins was, but it's still Dragon Age and by that regard, it's still awesome.
Score: 4 out of 5
http://evavhost.com/public/4.gif
The Good Fantastic character interactions coupled with interesting personalities. An intriguing and well spun continuation of the Origins story. It's still Dragon Age.
The Bad Much shorter than expected. Not nearly as many choice points as its predecessor.
The Ugly C'mon BioWare, patch these damn bugs.