One of the most eagerly awaited titles of the fall is BioWare's new role playing game Dragon Age: Origins, the first foray that the company made into a fantasy setting since it released the Neverwinter Nights series.

Now, BioWare is no longer using the Faerun setting, and has decided to create its own world and tell a grittier and darker story than the one told in its previous role playing games.

Talking to Gamasutra, David Gaider, the lead writer on Dragon Age: Origins, has said that his company is happy to tap into its Baldur's Gate roots on making the new game and that he personally enjoys the experience as Baldur's Gate II was the first game on which he worked.

He also stated that “Every BioWare game gets compared to the last one that comes out. And there's potential that when Dragon Age comes out, it will get compared a little bit to Mass Effect. But I hope that the people who do that keep in mind that we're going for something that's a little different here. Mass Effect is great - it's more cinematic - whereas with Dragon Age, we're definitely going to something that's a little more traditional. There's nothing wrong with traditional. We're looking at our Baldur's Gate roots.”

Gaider is also working on the Dragon Age novel, called The Stolen Throne, which will offer gamers some background related to the new world he will be shaping via his interactions in the role playing game. The writer is keen on pointing out that the new world is so shaped that players will be able to engage in some high fantasy battles, where evil and good face off for the control of an entire world, while also engaging in some decidedly low fantasy stuff, like assassinations, lying and stealing.