14 DAY TRIAL // It seems that BioWare is turning the PC version of its upcoming role playing game, Dragon Age: Origins, into something special by making it the only one where players can zoom out enough so that they get the birds eye tactical view used to control the party in the classic Baldur's Gate series, which was also built by BioWare.
The Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 version of the title will encourage players to stick with the main over the shoulder look and will allow only a limited level of zoom out, which does not encompass the whole battlefield.
The news comes courtesy of videogaming blog Kotaku, which had a chance to play the PlayStation 3 version of the title. The Dualshock 3 seems to be well suited for control of the party, with characters easy to swap and with spells and special abilities easy to select and use. Tilting the right stick back shifts the camera view but the developers have dropped the full tactical view from the console versions.
The reason for this might be the fact that most of those who will pick up Dragon Age: Origins for the Xbox 360 or the PS3 will not have had any experience with Baldur's Gate and will see the over the shoulder look as being more natural. The top down view is still available on the PC, where most of the players will likely be hardcore RPG enthusiasts who surely have had experience with previous party-based BioWare titles.
Dragon Age: Origins is billed as a fantasy RPG that uses traditional concepts like parties, classes, spells and extended dialog trees but also has a non-orthodox approach when it comes to the depiction of violence and romance. It is set to arrive on November 3 for the PC and the Xbox 360, and later in November on the PS3.