Dragon Age: Origins E3 Preview
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Warriors and mages? Check. Fire and ice schools of magic? Check. Ogre boss? Check. Charging, roaring army of fang-faced orc-a- likes? Check. Trios of conversational options, neatly split between obsequious, wary and rude? Check. Raven-ringed spires? Ponderous council-of-war cut-scenes? "Will you kill the prisoner or set him free?" Check, check, check. Dragons? Actually no, we didn't see one. What a gyp.
This, however, is a "realistic" dark-fantasy setting distinct from the high-fantasy of Baldur's Gate, so we wouldn't expect them to be swarming all over the shop. The game focuses on the war with the Darkspawn, that numberless mutant horde. We're introduced to the game as a human warrior who belongs to the Grey Wardens, a neutral order of wise men dedicated to the eradication of Darkspawn, which inspires equal amounts of reverence and mistrust in the more politically-minded characters that we meet. It's not clear if all players will join the Grey Wardens, however; play later switched to a female elven mage, and one cut-scene did show a council of mages opposing the Grey Wardens' advice.
