Dragon Age: Origins: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides)
by Mike Searle
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Book Summary Information
Author: Mike SearleEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-11-03
ISBN: 0761561420
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Prima Games
Book Reviews of Dragon Age: Origins: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides)
Book Review: A Stylish, Informative, and Ultimately Kickass Strategy & Reference Guide
Summary: 5 Stars
Dragon Age: Origins is a big game. It needs a big strategy guide. The Dragon Age: Origins Prima Strategy Guide is perfect for those who are either struggling with a certian area of the game, or are just dedicated fans of the franchise itself. The guide is informative in all areas, except it does seem to be missing several pages of moderately-important information. These mostly pertain to sidequests, romances, characters, and other important areas. However, the most important thing you must realize when reviewing a strategy guide is that all guides are rushed to print to coincide with the release of the game. The authors have limited time to complete such a rigorous and daunting task. Mike Searle, the guides author, managed to produce an informative guide in such a small amount of time that it resembles a guide which would've taken several months to complete. This guide is one of those few guides that should not only be used as a reference source during future playthroughs, but also as a learning guide for general gameplay and character development. After reading through the whole guide, it became apparant that Searle spent alot of time talking to the Dragon Age: Origins development team at Bioware, making sure he had all the right information and knowing every possible combination of choices, classes, and item management. Let me tell you right now... this guide has some of the most in-depth item lists I have ever seen. Lists for practically every signifanct item/weapon/spell is listed in the guide. And it's so much better than it sounds in this review. I would say the statistics for each classes is also worth mentioning. On a technical level, this guide is superb. However, I wish there would have been more information on the characters and the history of Fereldan. Another complaint that I have is a complaint that could almost be said about anything strategy guide, as there is no way of getting around it entirely. It's difficult to read the walkthrough without knowing exactly what's going to happen next. I, myself, never used the guide until my second playthrough as I find it far more enjoyable to figure out these things on my own. The walkthrough is by no means a disaster, it's actually well done and very informative. It needs work on spoiler placing though. Ah, I almost forgot... the guide's theme is absolutely stellar. It completely has a Dragon Age: Origins feel, with the pages offering a background that resembles ancient parchment with mildly visible burns adding to the realism of the feel. The way the information on the pages is laid out is also well done. I could always find what I needed after a a few seconds on each page.
To review things a bit, I would have to say this is one of the better strategy guides out there, ecspecially on a technical level. The information on class specializations, items and weapons, spells and talents, and other important factors are laid out in gorgeous lists that are clear and easy to read. The guides theme is great: rom the artwork, the colors, the fonts, and the mildly dirty parchment background on each page, every detail helps capture the look and feel of Ferelden. The walkthrough is informative and understandable, though it has a few minor flaws like not informing you about certain important (though not critical) information pertaining to a quest or level's outcome, as well as revealing some mild spoilers too soon. But it's a guide, it's supposed to tell you what to do so you can't really be too picky about that. The guide could have offered alot more information on characters and the effect your choices have them. Information on romances is also lacking. The strongest feature I found in the guide was it's ability to appeal to not only the gamer stuck on a sidequest, but also to your average Dragon Age fan. You may not need to use the walkthrough, but the amount of information and lists pertaining to important items in the game is absolutely essential for getting the most out of the game. Ecspecially when your going through for a second or third run (or 28th lol), as it really helps you get the most out of your character on a technical level.
Dragon Age: Origins Official Prima Strategy Guide has its flaws but they are flew, and if you look past these what you have is a stellar, informative, and valuable strategy guide, offering an in-depth approach to getting the most out of your time spent in the world of Dragon Age: Origins, hitting nearly every concievable area of character development and gameplay strategy varieties, while providing gamers with an above average help reference for those stuck on a quest, as well as those returning for an additonal playthrough. Also, this a must-have collectable item for even the most lightweight Dragon Age: Origins fan. After spending several hours reviewing the aspects of this guide, I rate it 8.9/10, or 9/10. Two thumbs up for Mike Searle as well.
WALKTHROUGH: 8.5/10
SIDEQUESTS: 8.5/10
EXTRA CONTENT: 8/10
CHARACTER OPTIMIZATION: 9.5/10
ITEM/WEAPONS/CLASSES: 10/10
GUIDE THEME: 9.5/10
FERELDEN MYTHOLOGY: 7/10
REFERANCE VALUE: 9/10
COLLECTABLE: YES
PURCAHSE: YES
MEAN SCORE: 8.9/10
9/10
More Dragon Age: Origins: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides) reviews:
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Summary of Dragon Age: Origins: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides)
?Essentials: Over 300 pages packed with every quest, NPC, monster, and item across the world of Ferelden!
? Classes: Complete ascension guides with level-by-level tips on how to maximize a warrior, mage, or rogue class!
? Maps: Over 100 jam-packed maps displaying every critical piece of information!
? Walkthrough: Detailed walkthroughs to master all quests, puzzles, and pivotal story choices!
? Equipment: Full equipment lists to gear out your PCs!
? Bestiary: Comprehensive bestiary with everything from arcane horrors to werewolves!
? Combat: Expert tactics to conquer the intricacies of combat!
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