Dragon Age: Origins E3 Preview
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In the demo at E3, the player's role in the siege of Ostagar is to retake a signal tower from the Blight's minions so Kalin can signal for reinforcements. That, in turn, leads to combat, which isn't entirely unlike that of Knights of the Old Republic. Pause and play makes a return here, allowing you to stop the action at any time in order to adjust your characters' tactics and trigger the use of various talents. The quasi-real-time combat engine of Jade Empire or Mass Effect isn't in effect here. Instead, you'll be taking direct control of up to four characters, and possibly more.
Debuffs and buffs look like they'll play a major role in the final product, with abilities like paralysis and fiery weapons being used to dramatic effect. You can also use various magic spells to interact with the environment or with one another; for example, a grease spell creates a flammable oil slick on the ground, impeding progress through it, and allowing you to ignite that area with a fireball.
