The nine most overrated games of 2009

Named & shamed: the nine most overrated video games of 2009

2. Dragon Age: Origins (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)



Dragon Age: Origins is arguably the most hackneyed RPG in the history of the genre. The plot is a creatively-bankrupt mishmash of a hundred cheap fantasy novels, all churned into a flavourless paste. Every character you meet in the game speaks reams of Ye Olde Fantasy pap that seems to go on forever and ever. (Even your dog gets its own cut scenes!)

The combat mechanics in Dragon Age: Origins are pretty much identical to Baldur's Gate from 12 years ago. You select some spells, click on some enemies, and then watch the computer have all the fun while you sit back and twiddle your thumbs. Correct us if we're wrong, but hasn't the RPG genre sort of moved on since then? Just look at the action in Mass Effect and Fallout 3 — while remaining reasonably tactical, they still managed to give your pulse rate a workout. In Dragon Age: Origins, the only thing that gets a workout is your mouse finger.

Despite the 'Origins' subtitle, there's almost nothing new to be found in Dragon Age. It's like every D&D game you've ever played.

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