By Olivia Grey
It is now only five days to go until the UK release of the long-awaited third instalment of the successful Dragon Age saga from game giants Bioware. For years, never mind weeks, fans around the world have been itching to get their hands on any information about this game and, from unveiling companion characters to the new crafting systems for armour and weapons, to the introduction of a variety of mounts and the introduction of the handy Dragon Age Keep feature, Bioware has indeed delivered time after time in order to produce the game that everyone is talking about.
It is now only five days to go until the UK release of the long-awaited third instalment of the successful Dragon Age saga from game giants Bioware. For years, never mind weeks, fans around the world have been itching to get their hands on any information about this game and, from unveiling companion characters to the new crafting systems for armour and weapons, to the introduction of a variety of mounts and the introduction of the handy Dragon Age Keep feature, Bioware has indeed delivered time after time in order to produce the game that everyone is talking about.
The most recent and, perhaps for some, most extraordinary gift to some fans has been the collaboration with the EA Access Hub on Xbox One (and only on Xbox One, I’m afraid), giving away the opportunity to play the anticipated game up to seven days before the 21st November release date for six hours, giving you enough time to create your Inquisitor and to begin to get a feel for the companions, quests and atmosphere of the game.
With one of the best parts being that any advancement you make during the six-hour EA Access Trial will get imported to your Dragon Age: Inquisition game after you purchase it, lucky Xbox One fans can begin their Inquisition now, for the low price of a £3.99 subscription to the EA Access Hub. This gives you a 1 month subscription which you can cancel at any time. However, if you’re looking forward to other games due for release in the coming months and want to subscribe for a year, you can do this at a bargain price for £19.99. So if you’d like to beat the rush and be playing DA:I within the next few hours (yes, installation times are still a common downside. DA:I needs to be at 15% before becoming playable and in my case this took just over an hour) then all you need to do is download the EA Access Hub app on your Xbox One and you’re all set! Of course, this has served as a huge blow to fans who are planning on buying the game for last gen consoles, PC or PS4.
In the past, during the development of the game, Bioware had promised not to favour one platform above the rest when unveiling their playable platforms. They have even incorporated the older Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles, but some fans have been put out due to the exclusivity of the Xbox One deal with the EA Access. Quite rightly so, too.
With one of the best parts being that any advancement you make during the six-hour EA Access Trial will get imported to your Dragon Age: Inquisition game after you purchase it, lucky Xbox One fans can begin their Inquisition now, for the low price of a £3.99 subscription to the EA Access Hub. This gives you a 1 month subscription which you can cancel at any time. However, if you’re looking forward to other games due for release in the coming months and want to subscribe for a year, you can do this at a bargain price for £19.99. So if you’d like to beat the rush and be playing DA:I within the next few hours (yes, installation times are still a common downside. DA:I needs to be at 15% before becoming playable and in my case this took just over an hour) then all you need to do is download the EA Access Hub app on your Xbox One and you’re all set! Of course, this has served as a huge blow to fans who are planning on buying the game for last gen consoles, PC or PS4.
In the past, during the development of the game, Bioware had promised not to favour one platform above the rest when unveiling their playable platforms. They have even incorporated the older Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles, but some fans have been put out due to the exclusivity of the Xbox One deal with the EA Access. Quite rightly so, too.
Personally, I have been a huge Dragon Age fan since purchasing Dragon Age: Origins back in 2009 after being recommended by a friend I have been obsessively tracking information about DA:I, planning what my characters with look like and seeking out meaningful and Inquisition-worthy names for them, imagining my Skyhold base and dreaming about the title of ‘Herald of Andraste’ for three years since the development of the game was informally announced in May 2011 by BioWare's Creative Lead Alistair McNally. I have a deep and painful love for these games, and like many fans, I was hoping for Bioware’s best effort after the wave of disappointment of Dragon Age 2, and it honestly seems as though they’ve got things right again. In the last week, game critics around the world have been rating DA:I exceptionally high, with all of them being in agreement that fans would undoubtedly be over the moon with the latest chapter of the Dragon Age story.
So by now, you’ve probably already guessed what is coming next.
Yes, I did. I got my EA Access and felt sick with nervous excitement as I watched the agonisingly slow installation of the game on my Xbox home screen. Originally I wasn’t even considering inflicting such pain of only having six hours to play my most anticipated game when I’d be picking up my pre-ordered hard copy on Friday, but what can I say. This girl had to get her Inquisition on!
So by now, you’ve probably already guessed what is coming next.
Yes, I did. I got my EA Access and felt sick with nervous excitement as I watched the agonisingly slow installation of the game on my Xbox home screen. Originally I wasn’t even considering inflicting such pain of only having six hours to play my most anticipated game when I’d be picking up my pre-ordered hard copy on Friday, but what can I say. This girl had to get her Inquisition on!
Critics aren’t kidding themselves; UK fans are going to be thrilled when they get their copy next Friday. Even the menu screen was impressive, and the art is absolutely stunning. They’ve truly given thought to every detail of the game interface and Frostbite 3 runs smoothly and without fault, giving life to everything on the screen.
As you begin your adventure a cut scene ensues, *you’ll find no story content spoilers here, don’t worry*, and then you enter the character creation screen. If you’ve been following Dragon Age relentlessly on social media like myself, you’ll know how in-depth they’ve made their creation tools in DA:I, from the newly playable Qunari race to more control over your Inquisitor’s facial features. You will not be disappointed with the quality of the character creator, or indeed, how your finished Inquisitor will look. I’ve yet to see one on the Dragon Age forums that was not stunning. My first Inquisitor, a female human mage named Rosalie, certainly has been brought to life by the state-of-the-art colours and textures of the character creator, largely due to Frostbite 3’s impressive graphics and the lighting of the creator tool itself, which was specifically designed to use similar lighting to that you will be under in-game, so you shouldn’t have the misfortune of having to restart due to not liking your Inquisitor’s appearance in the cut scenes!
And for those that do change their minds, Bioware are rumoured to currently be working on a way to edit your character part-way through the game, much like they did with The Black Emporium DLC in Dragon Age 2.
As you begin your adventure a cut scene ensues, *you’ll find no story content spoilers here, don’t worry*, and then you enter the character creation screen. If you’ve been following Dragon Age relentlessly on social media like myself, you’ll know how in-depth they’ve made their creation tools in DA:I, from the newly playable Qunari race to more control over your Inquisitor’s facial features. You will not be disappointed with the quality of the character creator, or indeed, how your finished Inquisitor will look. I’ve yet to see one on the Dragon Age forums that was not stunning. My first Inquisitor, a female human mage named Rosalie, certainly has been brought to life by the state-of-the-art colours and textures of the character creator, largely due to Frostbite 3’s impressive graphics and the lighting of the creator tool itself, which was specifically designed to use similar lighting to that you will be under in-game, so you shouldn’t have the misfortune of having to restart due to not liking your Inquisitor’s appearance in the cut scenes!
And for those that do change their minds, Bioware are rumoured to currently be working on a way to edit your character part-way through the game, much like they did with The Black Emporium DLC in Dragon Age 2.
The intro to the Inquisitor’s journey early in the game is intense, vibrant and fast-paced. The cut scenes are precise and flow much better with the gameplay than in the first two games, where it was obvious from the awkward stop and start of the game that you were about to engage in a cut scene. Within half an hour you’re fully immersed in the story and the characters, and Bioware, arguably being the best storytellers in the gaming industry, have seized your attention once more. Just don’t expect it to come back to you anytime soon. However, like any game, Dragon Age: Inquisition does have its small downfalls even this early into the gameplay. A gripe I have about the game so far would be the lack of variety in the hairstyles provided for female players of all races (but more so the Qunari Inquisitors). There are only 2 shoulder-length choices, and the braided and long choices we were shown on the forums in the past have not been included, which for some players like myself, is a bit disappointing. Let’s just hope we see a hairstyle DLC at some point!
By the Maker...
So that’s my initial impression of the game, without giving much away about the game itself. If it stays as satisfying as it has started off as, then I can see myself and many other fans around the world being sufficiently content for many months, if not years, to come.
Good for you Bioware, and well done.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is released in Europe this Friday.
Good for you Bioware, and well done.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is released in Europe this Friday.
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