Dragon Age: Origins

On the surface, Dragon Age: Origins appears to be a throwback to Baldur's Gate, with the party-based gameplay and the fantasy setting (reminscent of the A Song of Ice and Fire books), but it is really an awkward amalgam of the low budget, traditional RPG and the modern, big budget action-RPG. The game tries to appeal to a niche audience and to the wider mainstream at the same time and is not truly successful at either. Like, the protagonist with no voice acting surrounded by fully-voiced side characters, or the detailed graphics for small environments. Many aspects of the game contradict or compromise each other in such ways, and the game doesn't have a strong identity as a result.. But I can't complain too much, because it's amazing that a major publisher would even bother with a game like this in 2009. Outside of indie development and Kickstarter, Dragon Age: Origins is the last game of its kind, and I can still appreciate that regardless.