For you? Maybe. But it'd have to be a pretty dress.

I didn’t like Mass Effect.

I also didn’t like Elder Scrolls IV/Oblivion.

I know, I know. Me and this one other dude who didn’t like those games either will sit in the corner over here with the lights off.

Still, I really wanted to like both of those games. I was intrigued with the storytelling in Mass Effect and really liked the world of Oblivion. However, with both games, something just didn’t click. The thing about me and RPGs is that if I’m going to commit a minimum of 40 hours to a game it needs to grab me right away. I can’t be bothered with complicated and messy game mechanics or quests that take 10 minutes of real time to navigate. I need an RPG to let me hit the ground running.

So, after some thought and reading of reviews, I decided to check out Dragon Age: Origins. Here I’ve got a game made by the folk behind Mass Effect in a setting like Oblivion. Considering what I’ve said above, that sounds like a no win situation. Still, I created my human mage and gave it a shot. When I turned the system off, 5 hours had gone by when I, in all seriousness, thought I had been playing for maybe 2.

This was a bad sign but in a totally different way.

Much in the same way that Fallout 3 has compelled me to dedicate 130+ hours to it’s immense and complicated world, Dragon Age: Origins has sucked me in and refuses to let go.

Selecting from 1 of 6 origin stories (I’ve only completed two at present) you find yourself going about your everyday routine when something unprecedented happens. Be it helping a friend with a terrible secret escape his would be captors or defending yourself and your friends from sexual and mental abuse, today just isn’t your day and you’re left wondering if the sudden arrival of Duncan, the Grey Warden, is going to make it any better.

You’ll soon find yourself on your way and I defy anyone to say that the impending journey is anything short of amazing and, more importantly, engaging.

For me, the mark of a truly good RPG is it’s characters. The setting, the tasks asked of you, none of it does a damn bit of good unless you care about those it’s impacting. Having said that, there were several times during the game where I felt at a total loss. I just didn’t know what to do. I knew what was best for the country, or what was best for my party, but it conflicted with a character I felt close to.

Dragon Age: Origins is incredible at bringing these moments about.

At one point, toward the end of the main quest, I nearly cried I got so upset that a decision I had made ended up messing things up for my character and her love interest. I really couldn’t believe that Bioware had created a character that I honestly liked so much that it hurt me to see him upset. I was upset over pixels, people!

And that’s pretty damn cool.

If I had to find a flaw with this game it’s that at times there are long stretches of combat to get through but the detail at which you can control all the members of your party makes it a geeky joy to take on. For example, you can say, program your mage to automatically stun every single enemy in a room giving your team time to analyze and prepare. Even though you can only physically control one character at a time, you constantly feel as though you know exactly what’s going on with everyone.

As I type this I’m giddy at the thought of downloading the available DLC. Not to mention playing through the entire game again to play with different options. Oh man, and don’t even get me going on the expansion pack, The Awakening, coming out in a few weeks. I’ve got lots of playtime to get in before then.