Is this still worth playing?

[Genesis]

I’m a bit interested in The Veilguard but I don’t like jumping in a series in the middle of it. If I came back to this would it still be worth playing in 2024?

[The_Dipl0mat]

bayomaycry got all the main points down, but another I'd like to add is that the graphics are rather, dated. Even for its time I'd say. With not many mods able to improve upon it in a noticeable way. However, past that I'd recommend it. I'm planning on playing through myself while waiting for Veilguard to drop so I can hear how it runs on other systems before nabbing for myself :)

[Lord Chicken]

I'd say Bayo didn't pay attention to the story or never played a Mage. The game's difficulty I can't speak for. My Mage was a dude wearing magical heavy armor and wielded a katana with a shield. He was absolutely unkillable and I should have turned up the difficulty if I had realized back then there was a slider for it.

But I would say that the game is best played as an Elf Mage. There is a romantic partner that you can take that extends in to the DLC. If you choose properly you basically end up having this huge grand adventure about your love for her, finding a way to keep everyone alive, and then chasing after her when she makes this crappy decision in the DLC. And when you find her you get another choice. I would say that THIS line of the story was the one they likely wanted to expand upon in DA2 before whatever happened to Bioware that messed up their storytelling. It feels like the most obvious path and most satisfying while also setting up a CRAZY twist to show up in 2. But instead it's all left to this game. For that alone I consider this one of the best games ever and sort of consider it a standalone. I like that they reference what I did in 2. In fact it makes 2's story far more compelling when you play a Mage again due to how it plays in to the themes of the game. I am trying real hard not to spoil but I am also assuming you're a freedom loving human that would act on their best impulses rather than darkest. Once you've played through 1 you'll see what I mean if you decide to look it up/play my path.

I can't recommend this game enough. It's phenomenal. The graphics are fine but you can mod them to be better if you'd like. And it's the precursor to the last game that Bioware released that allows us to pause and issue commands mid combat. Which I miss dearly. Every Origin story is great. Every race represents different opportunities for cool role play. And my first run ever that I did as an Elf Mage felt like the most well written book I've ever read but translated perfectly in to a game. Hope you enjoy the game if you get it! I did so much I bought it twice!

[bayomaycry]

Originally posted by Lord Chicken:

I'd say Bayo didn't pay attention to the story or never played a Mage. The game's difficulty I can't speak for. My Mage was a dude wearing magical heavy armor and wielded a katana with a shield. He was absolutely unkillable and I should have turned up the difficulty if I had realized back then there was a slider for it.

But I would say that the game is best played as an Elf Mage. There is a romantic partner that you can take that extends in to the DLC. If you choose properly you basically end up having this huge grand adventure about your love for her, finding a way to keep everyone alive, and then chasing after her when she makes this crappy decision in the DLC. And when you find her you get another choice. I would say that THIS line of the story was the one they likely wanted to expand upon in DA2 before whatever happened to Bioware that messed up their storytelling. It feels like the most obvious path and most satisfying while also setting up a CRAZY twist to show up in 2. But instead it's all left to this game. For that alone I consider this one of the best games ever and sort of consider it a standalone. I like that they reference what I did in 2. In fact it makes 2's story far more compelling when you play a Mage again due to how it plays in to the themes of the game. I am trying real hard not to spoil but I am also assuming you're a freedom loving human that would act on their best impulses rather than darkest. Once you've played through 1 you'll see what I mean if you decide to look it up/play my path.

I can't recommend this game enough. It's phenomenal. The graphics are fine but you can mod them to be better if you'd like. And it's the precursor to the last game that Bioware released that allows us to pause and issue commands mid combat. Which I miss dearly. Every Origin story is great. Every race represents different opportunities for cool role play. And my first run ever that I did as an Elf Mage felt like the most well written book I've ever read but translated perfectly in to a game. Hope you enjoy the game if you get it! I did so much I bought it twice!

I played a mage, but i did it on easy difficulty bc the friendly fire is... :))

In regards of graphics mods, no, you can't mod them to be better. I mean, you can make them more '' HD '' but you'd risk having your game crash a bunch. So, OP, don't forget the 4GB patch.

[bayomaycry]

Originally posted by Redman:

Just a note. DA: O lore has been largely perverted in DA 4. It started in Inquisition but has taken an extreme turn in the new game. The same goes with the overall theme. DA: O is dark fantasy while DA 4 is I guess more like gay fantasy.

Being homophobic is certainly a choice.

[bayomaycry]

Originally posted by Black Hammer:

Origins is a good game if you can tolerate the combat. Some folks don't care for it and find it slow paced, and frankly I get that. Tastes vary, and you hit the underground section and HOO BOY is it a slog. I like this style of combat but it can get grindy.

DA 2 was a hackjob. Lots of potential, little of it was realized effectively. You can tell they had to cut scope and budget over and over, with small, reused environments.

DAI wanted to be an MMO to follow up on Star Wars: The Old Republic (another Bioware MMO) but they had to again cut scope. Story's all over the place and the companions are overbearing because the novice writers didn't understand the difference between a plot and character driven story.

The irony is that DA2 actually did a really good job of framing the narrative, which is what DAI messed up most.

Yeah i still think DA2 had the best story. But they all point and laugh at me.

[bayomaycry]

Originally posted by Deroldsen:

Originally posted by bayomaycry:

I'd say 'kinda?

Main-game, yeah sure. Prepare for some BS bosses and difficulty scaling though ( god help you if you're a mage )

The DLC SUCKS though except like, two, awakening being a prime example of '' why? ''

That said you can play whatever you want however whenever, tis just my own opinion :p

Weird, because mages often have the easiest playthrough and were fairly overpowered. I often keep 2 in my party. And the dlc at the time was only a couple of dollars. Personally found golem of amgarrak to be the most compelling though. I will likely replay this, I just installed and booted with no problems, haven't gone through fully in a lot of years. I would expect some elements to be dated, the game is over 15 years old

It's not that they, themselves, are hard to play as. It's the friendly fire. At least for me.

[Deroldsen]

Originally posted by polarnomad:

Well, a lot of people consider Origins the best game in the series, but I tried to play it and, to me, it just feels old. After about 4 hours I had no desire to continue. The biggest drawback is the combat, which I found rather boring.

It's almost like trying to jump into something 15 years afterward doesn't work well. Other games from 2009. Borderlands, the original. Left 4 dead 2. Prototype, the first one. Games do have a lifespan.

[bayomaycry]

Originally posted by Deroldsen:

Originally posted by polarnomad:

Well, a lot of people consider Origins the best game in the series, but I tried to play it and, to me, it just feels old. After about 4 hours I had no desire to continue. The biggest drawback is the combat, which I found rather boring.

It's almost like trying to jump into something 15 years afterward doesn't work well. Other games from 2009. Borderlands, the original. Left 4 dead 2. Prototype, the first one. Games do have a lifespan.

Well, to be fair, Borderlands, LFD2, Prototype, they were all easy to get into. DAO requires a specific taste, ig.

Hell, people still play LFD2 all the time.