Created by the development team behind such critically acclaimed role-playing games as Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age: Origins is an original fantasy RPG featuring real-time combat and content spanning an estimated 80 hours in length. Your custom-created hero is one of the few remaining members of the elite Grey Wardens, an ancient order that has sworn to protect the land and its citizens. The news is dire: a corrupted dragon is leading a powerful army of darkspawn to conquer the surrounding territories. In your quest to slay the dragon and cleanse the tainted lands, you'll battle numerous creatures, make critical decisions, and explore dozens of locales.

Shape your hero's personality by initially choosing one of six origin stories, which influences your character's background and starting area. Recruit others to fight alongside you, engage in branching conversations, and deal with such issues as murder, jealousy, love, politics, and even genocide. While the third-person combat occurs in real time, you can pause the action at any point to issue commands and plan your strategy. You can also switch between all four party members to take advantage of special skills and talents, as the computer carries out actions for heroes not directly under your control. A minimum of two years worth of downloadable content is planned to expand Dragon Age's universe with new quests, campaigns, and characters.