Dragon Age: Origins is Tactical, Not Action-y

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Written by BuckGB on February 18th, 2009

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If you're like me, your first experience with a BioWare RPG was (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.) I knew (Baldur's Gate) was beloved by PC gamers, but BioWare's action-y take on traditional combat resonated with me.

(Jade Empire) and (Mass Effect) took this combat philosophy in new directions, both giving more direct control over combat to the player.

(Dragon Age: Origins,) which BioWare has billed as their spiritual successor to the now Atari-owned (Baldur's Age) series, is not like these games. The combat in (Dragon Age) is more methodical and tactical. It actually feels like (Final Fantasy XII,) a game whose combat seemed interesting but didn't grab me.

In the 10 minutes I spent trying out (Dragon Age) a few weeks ago at Electronic Arts'˜ Redwood Shores offices, I died quickly. That's mostly because BioWare dropped me into combat without walking me through a proper tutorial, but it only takes a moment to realize (Dragon Age) combat is different than anything BioWare has attempted for a console game before.

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