14 DAY TRIAL // Dragon Age: Inquisition is one of the video games of the fall that I am looking forward to playing, because I love the demos that BioWare has supplied so far during events and because I like how they have aimed to change role playing via the first two titles in the series.
The game is set to launch on the Xbox One, the PC, the PlayStation 4 and current-gen consoles on October 7, and that means that I have about two months to continue looking at screenshots taken from the title and to listen to information about the mechanics of the title from the development team.
I have also considered using the time to download Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2 again and then play through the two stories once more.
I did this once before with a BioWare series, before the launch of Mass Effect 3, and I know that I enjoyed the game more because I had the lore of the series fresh in my mind and I was already well accustomed to the core mechanics.
The gaming industry at the moment is largely reliant on long-term franchises, and I have to ask: is replaying older titles required when a new title is close to launch?
Back to Ferelden with Origins
When Dragon Age: Origins was first announced at BioWare, the landscape was mostly barren when it came to high-profile role-playing games with turn-based combat, and the original pitch for the game promised a link back to Baldur’s Gate but also an entirely new world and some modern concepts.
I played through the title three times in order to explore as much of what it had to offer as possible and was delighted to see exactly how a new game world was created, complete with its own mythology and politics elements.
I was a little disappointed by the party mechanics and by the combat, which could have been more complex, but I have a lot of positive memories about Dragon Age: Origins, and I eagerly awaited to see what BioWare could deliver with the sequel.
In Kirkwall, a More Focused Experience
Dragon Age 2 was seen as a step backwards by a lot of fans because it failed to expand on the most interesting elements of the first title, instead focusing on more dynamics combat, which did not include a lot of tactics, and on the relationships between characters, but with little info about the world outside the walls of Kirkwall.
I liked the change of pace and the fact that BioWare wanted to tell a smaller story that could have an impact later on.
Replaying and the Power of Memories
One of the biggest arguments against replaying the first two Dragon Age titles is the solid and largely positive memories I have about them.
If the two titles have not aged well then I might erase those and replace them with modern disappointments, which in turn might have an adverse effect on my enjoyment of the new Inquisition.
Even if the games are still solid, replaying them requires a lot of time and energy, which might again limit my ability to play the new title in the series.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is shaping up to be a great game, and I think that I will initially enjoy it on its own and that I might replay the entire franchise at some point in the future.
