Dragon Age: Origins

BioWare's first Dragon Age title also turned out to be its best. Admittedly, the newest release has some beautiful graphics and is still a great game. However, the scope of interaction in Origins pushes the emotional relationships with characters far further. At its heart, Origins is a dark heroic fantasy game. The setting was inspired by Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire, while spiritually it's a successor to their Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights franchises. The result is a mix of high and low fantasy, the player in the shoes of a 'Grey Warden' who must save the world from demons. It's the variety in story though, that makes this game really stand out. Players can choose not only between class, race, and gender but also social class. The result is a number of different origin stories and the ability to play through several times without getting bored. The choices you make, both in character customization and throughout the course of the game affect how characters act towards you and ultimately, the ending. It's these character interactions that are the basis of any BioWare game, and in Origin's it's at its best. The cast is brilliantly voice acted, well-written, and believable. At many points, it's the growth in relationships that keeps you playing, and that's a very powerful tool.