I suppose it is a little late to be reviewing Dragon Age Origins. It’s old news to most gamers at this point, so I didn’t title this as a Half-Assed Review. But I finished up the game and wanted to talk about it.

First, I should point out that I finished Mass Effect for the first time on a Saturday and loaded up Dragon Age sometime on Sunday. So bear in mind that there would be inevitable comparison for me. Character creation allowed a fair amount of customization. But I was so excited to move on to the game that I  didn’t spend that much time with it initially. I was stoked from the opening storyline, child-like excitement over taking me as they set up the background for me.

I started as a human female warrior noble. Cut to the opening, my father talking with a guest before the fire. And then it’s my turn. I pick out my dialogue. I can’t wait to hear her acting out my intent. What the?!!… silence. She doesn’t talk. Hmmm. In a panic, I check all of my settings. Surely I have something turned off! I keep trying. Nothing! Frantically, I search the internet. To say I was disappointed to confirm that my character would indeed remain mute would be an understatement.

Okay, so I realize now that with all the potential options for starting race and class, to add the dialogue for your main character would have taken forever. So I put aside my disappointment and continued on. In the end, I really, really liked the game. But I still found myself miffed with the silence of my main character. I finally put a finger on it though. It wasn’t just that she wasn’t speaking. It was that she kept this same blank expression on her face almost all the time. Like some pretty little porcelain doll with a perpetual wide eyed look on her face. Sure, she nodded from time to time. I think there were a few occasions that she showed some expressions of shock or dismay. But give me something else and give it to me routinely. Give me some smiles. Give me some tears. Give me something besides that bizarro clenched jaw look that she seemed to have throughout the whole game.

This alone will not sully my overall impressions of the game. I loved the story. I liked the interactions with the characters, the game play and most importantly of all, it was a heck of a lot of fun. Without giving you any spoilers, the choices you make in this game really had me pondering over what I should do. And these choices truly affect the path your character will follow. There are some heavy duty choices in the end that have a direct effect on the ending. After my virtual love affair ended rather tragically (even though my mage didn’t bat an eye, or shed a tear, or even frown…), I decided to sneak a peek online to see what would have happened if I’d gone down a different path. Let’s just say there are several different potential endings for the game.

That’s pretty awesome, really. But it already has me wondering about any sequels. How do you gloss over the very different potential endings? I’m sure they have something planned but I can’t imagine what. Oh well. Who knows? I’m looking forward to it though. After all, I’ve got a date with Sten to hop on a boat back to his homeland for more adventuring. Sounds like a good time to me.