Loot was similarly simplified. While equipping a new piece of gear for your characters did have pleasant visual impact, it was relatively rare to find items that had a cool story behind them or a tangible mechanical benefit. And the lack of variety often made players wear the same armour set for dozens of hours.

The world, too, was missing the huge amount of secrets and places to explore for exploration's sake that had left their mark on previous games. Some areas – like Ferelden's capital, Denerim – have their share of nooks and crannies, but most other areas feel a bit flat.

It was the writing, then, that saved Dragon Age: Origins. To this day it stands as some of BioWare's finest. The world was written with a scope and depth that paints a much broader picture than the relatively small setting of Ferelden where the plot develops. Yet even this small corner of the world is rife with political plots and cultural/racial tensions. Be it the plight of the elves or the ostracisation of magic-users, your character is given much to think about.

And think about it you should, because the available dialogue options are much more nuanced than those of modern BioWare games. Gone is the duality that forced you to pick between demon and saint in KotOR or between good samaritan and hard-assed rebel in Mass Effect.