Bioware's Dragon Age, an M-Rated title (so not to be played near or by kiddies), may have the greatest writing of any computer game I've ever played. It is the first non-book "page-turner-I-can't-put-it-down" title I've ever encountered - it even has a moral compass.
So compelling is the story line, the urgent soundtrack, the breathtaking graphics, the way-better-than-average voice acting, that it took several saving rolls just to get me to exit Dragon Age to write this column. I've been at it for several nights, and just when I think it can't get any better it takes off in an imaginative new direction, pulling the kind of mind bending tricks that only the best fantasy novelists can pull off.
So banal is the basic premise of the game (the dark spawn are on the march, overtaking humans, elves, and dwarfs in their path) that it is even more extraordinary that Dragon Age rises to the level of art. But this is a transformative work: more than a novel, more than a movie, yet with storytelling elements that borrow from the best of both. Yes, it stands on the shoulders of Tolkien and Gygax and Wizardry's Adam Greenberg, too. But, this is complex storytelling that will leave you constantly guessing, wondering what is real, what is conjecture, what will be the implications of your decisions as you move through the quest.
The ambitiousness of the game is first revealed as you choose your primary character. Depending on your selection you will play through very different openings. Like a player in an excellent Dungeons and Dragons game, you never know everything. Is your brother your friend or your enemy? Is your father a King or a Knave? The game will keep you guessing, often forcing you to confront the truth after you have acted with incomplete knowledge.
Unlike novels, which follow a predetermined path, you make your own choices. You may want to follow the righteous path of a paladin, but there are so many temptations to go down a darker path. Other games have attempted this dynamic modeling of the moral spectrum before, but never where the plot and characters seem to be so affected by a user's choices.
The game is so engrossing that you begin to take for granted the thousands of lines of dialogue that drop in and out as you move through the textured world. Not just the main characters (you play as part of a group of up to four), but also the lesser parts as well. Each character seems hand drawn, beautifully animated, and full of the "breath of life" that lifts this above any game of its type that has come before.
Quibbles? I've encountered a couple of crashes and occasional bugs. Overall balance between the characters under the player's control and the dark forces seems fair. However, in the first boss battle the only way I could muddle though it was to micro-manage my characters and have them run around and around to the point that I was dizzy. It was less a fight than a dance of the whirling dervishes.
The vast array of weapons, spells, and creatures give the game a constant air of discovery. Side quests, in style of earlier games from the same developer, enrich the experience at the same time as they give you an opportunity to buff up your characters skills.
As I mentioned at the outset, the game is rated M for "mature" audiences. There is a lot of blood and killing in Dragon Age and some sexual content as well, so please - this isn't for youngsters. But, for adults, Dragon Age heralds a new kind of gaming experience: A truly immersive, interactive narrative with a huge, emotional impact; a virtual world where the way we deal with others impacts on our ability to succeed on our quest.
Generally, I don't write reviews without having played through the entire title. Given the massive scope of this game, however, it is unlikely that I'll finish before you set out to do your holiday shopping, so I'm making an exception. This is one game that no adult gamer should miss.
