Also of note are the splatters of blood that appear on your party members after battle. Epic Party-Based Combat – Dragon Age: Origins introduces an innovative, scalable combat system, as players face large-scale battles and use their party’s special abilities to destroy hoardes of enemies and massive creatures. It's a nice idea, but the splotches look like they've been splashed across you with a paintbrush. In the fictional land of Ferelden, you meet memorable characters and fight for a cause you believe in, and it's this backdrop that makes developer BioWare's newest role-playing game so extraordinary. Chantries provide refuge to those worshiping the all-powerful Maker, and chanters recite the holy word near their houses of prayer. There's Morrigan, the cynical apostate mage bound to your cause for reasons that become clear only late in the journey; Sten, the strong, silent type who isn't so quick to reveal his innermost thoughts; and Zevran, a darkly mischievous would-be assassin with a wild streak and a playful disregard for the law. Later, you can choose up to two subclasses once you reach the necessary level requirements, and there are a few different means of unlocking additional skill trees. When was the last time you played a game with such a well-crafted and enjoyable story that you knew you’d remember it for a long, long time? Minor visual hiccups, like corpses that disappear and reappear, are a bit more common on the PS3, however. We also ran into a few quest malfunctions that could be replicated on all three platforms, though they were relatively minor and did not interfere with the progress of the main quest.When was the last time you felt totally lost in a fantasy gameworld? On the flip side, the Xbox 360 version looks positively disappointing. But any way you slice it, here's the fantasy RPG you've been waiting for, the one that will keep you up late at night, bleary-eyed, because you have to see what happens next. Even the most nostalgic Infinity Engine stalwarts will find a lot to love in this story-heavy RPG. Characters you met early on will cross your path again, and crucial moments of your origin story will continue to haunt you. On significant quests, you'll encounter complex choices that force you to weigh the risks against the rewards, even as you try to stay true to your own vision of your character. When things come together as you plan--such as when Morrigan freezes a hurlock in place and Alistair smashes it to smithereens--battles are even more rewarding.Dragon Age: Origins is an RPG based on a brand-new fantasy world. Even if you aren't the literary sort, Dragon Age may inspire you to read every note, every character bio, and every creature description, thanks to the richness of the world and the consistency with which it's presented.Xbox One Games With Gold For August 2020 RevealedGameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.PlayStation Plus Free PS4 Games For August 2020 RevealedIf you've played a BioWare fantasy RPG in the past, you'll feel right at home with the combat system.