Let me start off by saying, visually this game is stunning on PC. The environments are fully detailed, lighting and shade effects give a sense of CG realism I have not enjoyed in a fantasy game since Drakenseng. Cut scenes are beautiful and clean, and the cinematic were just as entertaining. Load times are quick, but that will depend on your computer setup I am sure. After a long cut scene, explaining the past and bringing me up to speed to the present, it was time to build my Avatar, my character, my mighty Minsc and boo!

As this was a demo I was only allowed to choose 1 to 2 origins for each race. Dwarves could be warriors or rogues, humans could only be spell casters, and the elves could be warriors or archers. Today I went with an Elven warrior, to see how melee combat worked out and bash faces. The character customization process could take up a day by itself, from eye spacing, to what color your lips are; the engine really lets you make the character your own. I then went to the skills selection screen which was fairly straight forward, with brief descriptions. Of course if you are not the type that really cares about such things, you can just auto select and the game will generate character/stats/skills for you.

Entering the game, I begin with an encounter of a few human characters telling me of a cave and some monsters inside. I am accompanied by another Delvish (elves) warrior who has a strong distaste for this vagabond crew. This is where the story telling becomes magnificent. Your options change depending on your answers, so I could kill them, send them on there way, or interrogate them. With each option you can change the storyline drastically, and with that in mind I decided to interrogate them and find out more about the cave. Fighting my way through the cave, killing spiders, and skeletons, we get to the first boss fight. Epic… Big half dead bear run through a door and completely wipes the floor with our blood. Round 2…I shield bash his face. After entering the room and retrieving our loot we find a mirror. There is a cut scene (don’t want to spoil it for ya ;) And I awake back at camp where my Delvish friend is missing and the story continues from there.

In camp I pick up 2 more companions. Now what I thought was interesting was that one of the companion’s offers to join you, although you were told specifically to only bring one. I accept this companions help, an archer, and go back the head authority figure of the camp and ask if it is okay to bring him with me. She says yes but this brings up a fascinating game option. Do I answer to authority or do whatever the hell I want. Remember this is a game about choices and consequences. When I pick up my 2nd companion they question me about the decision, and who made it, me or the authority figure. Now that all 3 of us are together we run through the cave again. Party mechanics really shine here; I have myself (warrior) a mage and an archer. The AI is intelligent enough to know that if you’re a mage and your shooting bolts of lighting to STAND BACK. At no point did my mage run into the heat of battle and beat folks off with her less then epic twig. Jumping from character to character is simplistic and quick and really immerses you into each class separately. There was much face to shield bashing to be had.

After about an hour of playing I finally had to leave to head to another panel, but the experience was Legendary! The story draws you in so quickly, and with so much voice over work you feel as if you are really part of the game. Every decision matters, even the little ones, which makes replay value common sense.

The PC version has a very slick user interface that does not clutter up the screen so that you can see all the action. The bottom action tray of moves/skills is mapped out to hot keys (1, 2, 3, and 4 etc...) I found it very comfortable to click certain instant functions quickly, or the option to pause and plan out my attack, which is a wonderful way for new and old players to each enjoy the game with little learning. You will be able to carry 2 sets of gear on you to change at a moment’s notice, so you can switch from range to melee in a single click making a hybrid character more appealing. The Combat is beautifully rendered and seamless with amazing spell effects and truly magnificent fight sequences. Once I got a shield I was shield bashing everything I walked up to.

The Xbox version they had was a little disappointing. The controls are reminiscent of Mass Effect’s menu wheel. A few tweaks have been made such as the right trigger brings us the ring of actions like spells, skills and items. Each time you make a selection this opens a second ring getting more specific as you go along. Open the menu and you pause the game giving you time to plan your next attack, or you can still use the standard buttons and jump between two trays of hotkeys that you map out to give it a more instant feel. The bumpers let you select from the different members of your party. It was a little hectic for my taste, too many buttons, and not enough fingers.

As for the visuals, I was not as impressed as I would have thought I would be. It seems all the hard work that they have done in there past games (i.e. Mass effect) did not make it over to the console. Character models are bland, the lighting is to bright at times and other times you can’t see a thing. There is an omnipresent glow that killed my eyes after a while and gave it a very Fable look. For some reason it didn’t seem as crisp or clear as the PC version of the game. Using the Thumb-stick to drive the camera was slow, and I never really ended up seeing what I wanted to see. Remember though that the game is not finished so anything could happen. This game could potentially be amazing on Xbox, it's still 3 months till it's done.

Overall Dragon Age: Origins is looking to be an epic dark fantasy that really brings out all the great qualities of Bioware’s team. It’s dark, it’s funny, it’s bloody, and the story telling is amazing. Replay value is definitely there, giving players the chance to mold the story to there own designs. Not to mention the PC game is releasing a Toolset which means MOD’s. After getting my fill at Comic Con 09’ I now have to sit and wait for another 3 months until the game is out, so that I can fully enjoy every bit of it. Till then….guess I’ll play Baulders gate one more time through…