I haven't completed Dragon's Dogma yet, but what I played of it. It felt like Capcom's attempt at making Skyrim, or at least an Elder Scrolls game. It was open world and they wanted you to have the whole feel of go wherever and there being too much to do to get you distracted. There was some interesting ideas they have with combat and fighting creatures larger than you. It seemed pretty fun, just haven't been back to it.

Dragon Age is a completely different sort of game from Dragon's Dogma. Dragon Age is another Bioware game. Personal opinion of mine will tell you steer clear of any Bioware games, but objectively speaking. It is more of a HUB based game where you pick locations on a map to travel to and fight story quests or random quests. You choose replies in conversations that will sometimes alter your current party's opinion of you for good or bad. The game has it's fair number of problems and a ton of visual bugs, one of the few games that I've played that's actually pulled me out of the experience to look for bugs. Combat is fairly enjoyable, but it can be a little slow depending on your taste. But if you've played Mass Effect and are expecting the same sort of experience you're not going to find it. Story-wise, all three Mass Effect games connect together, the same does not happen with the Dragon Age games. Your progress and choices in the first game are meaningless in the second game and while the third is not out yet, it's pretty clear it is holding true for the third that the first and second games do not impact the third. Bioware wants a specific story, so expect to be guided towards it.