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A bunch of new screen captures have been revealed for the upcoming feature length anime movie based on the popular Dragon Age series, Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker.
"PSN Discounts
Rocket Knight – 50% off – January 3 (PS+ Price $7.50)
Burnout Crash! – 30% off – January 10 (PS+ Price $4.89)
Crysis – 30% off – January 10 (PS+ Price $10.49)
Deathspank – 30% off – January 10 (PS+ Price $6.99)
Fancy Pants Adventure – 30% off – January 10 (PS+ Price $4.89)
Gatling Gears – 30% off – January 10 (PS+ Price $4.89)
See the full list for full details."
In this week's installment, Matt Beaudette of Gaming Irresponsibly gives his list of the Top 10 Characters in Video Games. With so many memorable character throughout the history of video games, will your favorite make the list?
"The shopping frenzy nears its end this weekend as the New Year approaches. All of the online retailers and digital distributors are winding up their Holiday sales, but gamers still have a few days left to stock up enough games to tide them over until the prophesized Mayan Apocalypse annihilates us all. The DoEE has compiled the best sales of the weekend and below presents our recommendation for Best Deal of the Week."
The second installment in a weekly series examining different methods of storytelling used in video games. This week we are looking at the increasingly popular trend of player choice.
There's been a fair amount of furor over EA's supposedly draconian approach to banning people from EA's Origin service. Ever since March of this year, more and more people are coming forward, complaining about how EA banned them from their games. I spend this rant picking apart their arguments.
"A brilliant and successful new IP can affect an entire generation of games and game players; I consider these to be the best new franchises of this current generation (2005-present)."
Relationships in video games is something that looks good on paper but never really hits home. In so many games a "relationship" with another character is more or less irrelevant to the outcome of the game and serves to do little more than offer a way to have a fade away simulate copulation. What we should be seeing is relationships that actually require real decisions with meaningful consequences.
Well everyone it has happened again. A person acting alone has done a major crime only to have the blame passed on to media entertainment. After a terror attack in Norway games like dragon age, bioshock and Modern Warfare 2 are taking heat for the event. This is not new when school shootings or other major crimes happen people look for someone to blame besides the person.
"Then came Dragon Age: Origins, a game that had not only hot tenting scenes, but also two characters who would swing either way. If you played as a male, and wanted to romance the sultry male elf, Zevran, you could. If you played as a female, and wanted to get it on with the red headed female bard, Leliana, you could."
This Dragon Age inspired original comic compares the trend of the game's mages constantly turning to Blood Magic for power to Nintendo's old ad campaign.
"Simplification of equipment for companions in DA2 versus having access to all gear for companions in DA:O. This I could really go either way on. It can get tedious to equip all your characters with the latest gear, however not being able to put gear on them at all can be aggravating. And [one person] makes an excellent point; we can no longer unequip everything from our companions and have them chat in their skivvies."
"Being released on March 31, the Dragon Age comic book series by IDW Publishing will be bringing the Dragon Age series to gaming and comic book lovers alike. IDW has already proven themselves with such great titles like 30 Days of Night, Locke & Key, Wormwood and much more. Who will be the minds behind the story in this series? None other than Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston!"
If you’ve been following Felicia Day, creator and star of The Guild, and have been wondering what the mystery project is, then wonder no more. Day has just been announced that she will be starring in a six-part web series based on the best-selling RPG game Dragon Age: Origins. Dragon Age fans rejoice!
"Setting out to remake one of the world's most venerated RPGs is a daunting task, but despite the number of failed attempts over the years, the Baldur's Gate 2 Redux mod for Dragon Age: Origins hit the ground running. The BGR team has been steadily releasing their remake of Baldur's Gate II through a system of modules -- in essence, teasing us with playable content until the full release -- so that they can better pace the time investment required for this undertaking. I had the chance to talk..."
"No sooner did David and Pat heal from their ailments than Andy and Nick are stricken ill. Yet the whole crew manages to blast through this magickal podcast. When not wizarding in Two Worlds 2, Venetica, Magicka, Rift, or Dragon Age Origins, we talk Killzone 3, Stacking, EVE Online, and discuss what went wrong with Gran Turismo 5's seasonal events.
There's a tiny bit of important gaming news. Later, we answer some user emails pertaining to the upcoming cyberpunk zombie dinosaur game revolut..."
"Gather round dear friends for I shall reveal unto you a secret most extraordinary! For in this late hour I have discovered the secret that has befuddled gamers and fueled countless debates across the wily plains of the internet. I know (hold your breath folks) why PC gaming is on the decline: it’s a pain the ass."
Check out eight of the most notorious, graphic sex scenes to appear in video games. Obviously filled with nudity and adult content, duh. It's mostly tame compared to movies, but you still probably don't want your boss to see you watching these.
While this might be old news to some, it doesn't change the fact that Alleykatze Alex remains smoking hot. This adult model served as inspiration for Leilana in Dragon Age: Origins and proves that maybe, for once, real life might actually be hotter than fiction.
"Dragon Age: Origins is one monster of a RPG taking as much as eighty hours to complete if you do everything the game has to offer. The game was released on the 360, PS3, and the PC. One of the highlights of the PC version is the various mods that are available.
Welcome everyone to the first article of a three part series about the top mods for Dragon Age..."
"If you’re a seasoned wizard already adept at slaying dragons with a flick of your staff, or blasting the darkspawn horde to bits with your arcane power, then this column is not for you. But if you’ve yet to dip your toes in the deep and tantalizing pool of magic, grab your wand and start casting, apprentice – the Tower is open and ready for you."
The author takes two comments from a previous post about the serious lack of tenting in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakenings and puts them up to see which commenter is right and which is blowing smoke. Did Dragon Age: Origins - Awakenings actually have relationships? Sort of? Or did BioWare fall short in excluding them
Two swords that appear in Dragon Age: Origins are available to buy at auction until the end of this month. The weapons available are the Grey Warden Sword and the Darkspawn Great Sword each currently selling at $349 USD a peice.
"Baldur's Gate II has been ogled from afar for the better part of this decade by players of the past. Despite countless mods that revitalize the original game, few modders have been so ambitious - and even fewer successful - as to port over content from BG2 into an existing, higher-tech engine. So when it was promised that the mod would be produced for Dragon Age: Origins, the entire BioWare community stood by with bated breath. Everyone knew the routine: a group of ambitious modders enters th..."
"Influenced? Cliched erotic content? Ladies and gents, I think the gauntlet has now been thrown. Jan then tries to back out by adding,
"Dragon Age really was influenced by us and that's great, because it's a genre that doesn't have that many games and it's not like that serious a competition..."
But it's too late, Bartkowicz. You can't unthrow the gauntlet. GAUNTLET UNTHROWING IS NOT ALLOWED."
GameZone's Raychul takes a look back at all the DLC add-ons for Dragon Age: Origins and recaps memorable moments of her time spent in Ferelden, and concludes with her impressions on the final piece of DLC that brings the story full circle.
"Unfortunately, while I enjoyed the DLC, I think it was a bit lackluster. Ariane and Finn, your companions for the quest are nowhere near a replacement for any of your original party. I loved the gameplay of Dragon Age but without the character interaction of the main game the experience is significantly lessened. I could have overlooked all of this though, if the final meet up with Morrigan had been at all satisfying. It felt rushed and lacked a fraction of the emotional resonance of her orig..."
"This was the addition to Dragon Age: Origins I'd been waiting for - concluding the relationship between my Grey Warden and Morrigan, the witch with the grubby side-boob. Unfortunately, Witch Hunt suffers from a dull start, tedious fetch quests and a very unsatisfying ending."
"With Dragon Age 2 coming early next year BioWare is releasing one of their last add-ons for the original Dragon Age which should give gamers a little bit of closure for the Dragon Age: Origins storyline.
At the end of Dragon Age: Origins players were told “Never follow me” and soon after Morrigan disappears without a trace, from there it seemed that this was the end of the hero’s relationship with her. In Awakening there was really no mention of her or the hero’s idea of pursuit, but there..."
"The dreaded Archdemon has been slain and the advance of the darkspawn halted by a lone, heroic Grey Warden. The kingdom rejoices, but at least one question remains: what happened to Morrigan? The sorceress joined the Wardens cause, but it is said her true purpose was not revealed until the eve of the last battle. She vanished into the shadows, and while rumors claimed she crossed over the mountains into Orlais no trace of her path could be found. She was never heard from again... until now. N..."
"After the release of Leliana’s Song, one of the best Dragon Age add-ons released to date, BioWare tries to recreate the same success with this golem filled addition.
Golems of Amgarrak will take players on an adventure to help Jerrik Dace, a dwarf in need to help finding his brother, Brogan, who was part of an exploration team that was attempting to revive the lost art of creating golems. Soon after the exploration began the entire team disappears and Jerrik soon requests help from the gam..."
"On top of the enticing deals on Xbox LIVE for Dragon Age: Origins DLC this week, Bioware is also releasing the latest add-on for the game in the form of The Golems of Amgarrak. The DLC is available now for the Xbox 360 and will be up later today for the PS3 on the Playstation Store."
"This week's Xbox LIVE Deal of the Week features the Dragon Age: Origins expansion pack, Awakening, on sale for 50% off it's normal price plus two DLC campaign on sale. There's also some Dragon Age related Avatar T-Shirts on sale. Xbox LIVE's Summer of Arcade continues for two more weeks which means two more weeks of downloadable content on sale."
Video games are a medium filled with lousy stories, absurd scenarios and otherwise ridiculous plot points. That said, there are also some real gems out there. The sort that rise above the stupidity of their bretheren and prove that yes, gaming can be a real, honest-to-goodness medium for storytelling. Sadly, few can do this perfectly. Even in the best games there are those moments where you just have to sit back and wonder what they were thinking.
This week: Dragon Age: Origins
"Important Places in Denerim:
1. Arl of Redcliffe's Estate
2. Fort Drakon
3. The Pearl
4. Royal Palace
The now capital of Ferelden started out as a small outpost for the Tevinter Imperium. The market district in the northern part of the capital is the one-place-stop for merchants and quest seekers. But don't let your eyes focus on just one spot for too long or one of Denerim's dirtiest citizens will rob you of coin or your life. There is also the estates of both Arl of Redcliffe and D..."
"Video games have multiplayer, anymore that’s almost a given. Multiplayer gives people the chance to go out and pit themselves against other people from around the world or it allows for a collaborative effort to achieve victory. But there are some games that either miss the mark, or totaly skip the online process altogether."
"To give fans of the Dragon Age series a little more backstory Bioware has released a new downloadable side story detailing how everyone’s favorite bard made her way to the Chantry. (Morrigan disapproves -10)
Leliana’s Song tells the story of the bard, Leliana, in her last mission before she joined the Chantry. Working with her mentor, Marjolaine, in Ferelden a young Leliana begins her mission causing minor trouble in the city of Denerim with the help of her two companions Sketch, the apost..."
"This is not a list of diabolical villains of gaming. No, it is a list of the unsung pricks in the gaming world. The ones who aren't really evil, just annoying as all hell. Okay, well sometime's they are evil. I'm 90% sure that Toad is nothing but a mushroom headed piece of evil."
BioWare announced new DLC focusing on the Dragon Age: Origins character Leliana, titled Leliana's Song. This DLC will center around Leliana's backstory, prior to meeting the PC in Dragon Age: Origins. But why, above all other likable characters in Dragon Age, did it have to be HER?!
"Everyone has that video game they absolutely love. Everyone has that video game that they can play for hours on end. Everyone has that video game character that has won their heart and everyone has that video game character that they absolutely hate..."
EA announced today in a press release that they have formed a partnership with FUNimation Entertainment to release a Dragon Age anime, as part of FUNimation’s co-production initiative announced in November 2009.
Dragon Age has won over 30 critic’s awards so far and is the first title to be selected for the co-production initiative.
"A thrifty gamer is a happy gamer so we've scoured the Sunday ads to find the best video game deals for this week from local stores for the Playstation 3, PSP, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and PC for the week of May 23, 2010."
"Red Dead Redemption wannabe owners should keep an eye out on their local Toys R Us this Tuesday as they will have a $25 Gift Card available with purchase of the game. However, the deal is time limited and you have to be a Rewards R Us member. K-Mart and Amazon also are offering Gift Cards for this game."
Electronic Arts today officially announced a new DLC, called the Darkspawn Chronicles, for their PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 RPG, Dragon Age: Origins.
"Lately we have seen a renaissance of gaming tie-ins. Tie-ins can include movies, comic books, novels, and even television series. Big publishers like wringing every cent they can from a popular IP, and thankfully this will often bring fans some extra material about the universes that we've fallen in love with. They aren't always done well, but I would argue that there is an increasing movement towards hiring quality writers and artists for these projects, and it has made for some fantastic ti..."
"As we make our way through 2010, what better thing is there to do than to take a look back at the last ten years, browse over the RPGs released during that time and talk about them? Of those RPGs, which were the most notable? Which were the ones that set the scene for the decade and which of those should be forgotten?
No really, does anyone have any better ideas because we're all out of them.
For our purposes, we'll officially declare 1st January 2000 as the opening of this decade. Tech..."
"The PSP gets the bulk of the new games in this week's Playstation Store update while the bulk of the quality PS3 additions are on the DLC side. Take a journey into the mystery of "The Taxidermist" for Heavy Rain, partake in some feasting with Dragon Age: Origins, or hop on to Ryo's forklift for Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. And don't forget to check out the thirteen new songs from Jimi Hendrix for Rock Band."
"You’re standing in a dank dungeon, looking for a door that doesn’t exist. The lights flicker, and you hear the raging scream of a distant enemy. Flump, flump – the steps are getting closer. Arming yourself with your favourite weapon, you peer around a corner in the low light and you see him: the Big Daddy. By this time in the game, you have crossed over a mysterious threshold – your brain has mapped itself into the undersea world of Rapture and all you care about is saving your own skin. An i..."
When Dragon Age: Origins broke 3.2 million sales, EA confirmed another DA:O for fiscal year 2011 Q4, meaning between January and the end of March next year.
Prequel? Sequel? Either way, there's a little teaser included in the Awakening (expansion) box. You know those nifty little advertisements they now slip into video game cases? This one shows the bloody dragon and a date that reads "02.01.2011" - dun dun dun...
Click the image for full view.
"Dragon Age contains 742,000 words of dialogue, and 202,000 words of non-conversational text that were translated into eight languages besides English – Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Russian, and Spanish. Four of those other languages have their own voiceover, whereas the other four subtitle the English VO."
"I think even BioWare would have to admit, though, that the sex scenes depicted in one of their most recent titles, Dragon Age: Origins - in which your character and paramour of choice roll around by the fire with their underwear on - felt a bit awkward and cheesy."
Ah, Dragon Age: Origins, hailed as one of the best RPGs of the decade by a few sources out there. The Awakening expansion is promising to be as epic as the original content, so BioWare is quite eager to chat about that.
Executive Producer Mark Darrah and Online Producer Fernando Melo are happy to chat about anything but the sequel, so we've got some nice insights into what to expect from Awakening, like the import process for using your old Warden, what it'll be like playing an Orlesian...
Binge Gamer's James Walker takes The Bulletin's Susan Brinkmann to task for her recent article that claimed that video games are becoming more "anti-religion". Walker addresses falsehoods in Brinkmann's assumptions before looking at how religion is handled in video games. Finally, he chastises the games industry for being too afraid of offending particular groups of people to take the next necessary steps forward in storytelling and game design.
Through February 27th Best Buy and BestBuy.com is once again discounted several popular games to $39.99. With free shipping, some of the games are at the best available price since Christmas. Games eligible including Left 4 Dead 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Army of Two: 40th Day, Call of Duty 4 Game of The Year Edition and Guitar Hero 5. Also available Divinity II: Ego Draconis for $30.
"Canadian developer BioWare has long been known for its ability to weave deeply designed and thoroughly exciting personalities into the plots and universes it creates for its acclaimed RPGs. The new Awakening expansion project, which will be released to store shelves and be made available as downloadable content (DLC) on March 16, seems set to continue this trend."
For Reward Zone Members (membership is free and you can sign up on the website), Best Buy is offering $5 to $20 printable coupons on select video games for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS. Games eligible for 2/15 through 2/28 discounts include Brutal Legend, Tekken 6, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 and may more. Please note that printable coupons only work in Best Buy store and not online.
...from cuteness, naturally.
These three Dragon Age-themed plushies seem to be exclusive to the BioWare offices, unfortunately.
After introducing them, the game's lead writer David Gaider joked, "Now all I need is a MORRIGAN DISAPPROVES -10 tshirt and my life will be complete."
One of the best games last year, Dragon Age: Origins continues to supply more story-oriented quests via DLC, with the latest Return to Ostagar. Is the new episode worthy of a purchase with other high profile games like Bioshock 2 and Mass Effect 2 already out?
"BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts Inc., has announced that Dragon Age: Origins has in excess of 3.2 million units worldwide, according to internal data. The success of Dragon Age: Origins is the latest in a series of the sixth consecutive blockbuster franchises from BioWare, alongside Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire and Mass Effect."
GameDaily gives its own take at which RPG style is superior in the categories of the classic RPG, the MMORPG, the tactical RPG, the action RPG, most emotionally engaging (contains FFVII and Mass Effect spoilers), and the overall winner.
Though you might not agree with everything stated, it is an interesting read on a topic that continues to spur the interest of RPG fans.
According to the BBFC, the PC version of Dragon Age: Origins's expansion might have more sex! While the console version had "no strong sexual image that would have been considered a classification issue at 18", the PC version does and has been given an 18+ rating as a result.
This hasn't been confirmed by either EA and Bioware just yet, soI'll stick this in the 'Rumor' category.
On Spawn Kill's fifth episode of the Kill Kast, Molotov Cupcake, Tigresa, Snarkasaur, and The Herp discuss their nominations and personal game of the year decisions as a companion to the game of the year post. Join the staff for a colorful discussion regarding some of the year’s best, including Dragon Age: Origins, Retro Game Challenge, and more!
The staff over at Spawn Kill have come up with some not so run-o-the-mill game of the year categories and have finally chosen their picks for the year that was 2009. Check it out and let us know if you agree or disagree!
Awakening, the retail expansion to Dragon Age: Origins, was announced a couple of days ago, but with little solid info. IGN sits down with Fernando Melo, the Online Producer of the expansion, who provides a glimpse of what Awakening will offer, including level caps, new party members, storyline setting, and importing your existing characters.
"Set after the events of Dragon Age: Origins in the land of Amaranthine, players will take on the role of a Grey Warden trying to rebuild the order of legendary warriors. Along with this monumental task, players will have to discover new secrets of the Darkspawn menace as well as face off against deadly new threats such as the Inferno Golem, Spectral Dragon and a mysterious foe that calls itself the "Architect." Fortunately, Awakening raises the level cap of the game, and provides new abilitie..."
"As 2009 came to a close, we posted a weeklong look at our favorite games of 2009. However, those 40 titles (including the eight we ultimately chose to honor as "The Best of the Best") were far from the only good games released last year. And did our picks match up with the rest of the game industry? But most importantly, what we really wanted to know was which game was truly the best game of 2009."
""...it only makes sense to pay a little respect to a few of the games that may not have fit within some of the ubiquitous standard-fare categories. That doesn't mean you won't see some familiar names on this list but you might see a few unexpected games as well. So here's an unofficial list of some of the most original games of 2009.""
Want to find out which game truly won Game of the Year in 2009? We've compiled over 50+ lists of 2009 award winners from major media outlets in determining the very best the videogame industry had to offer this year. See if your favorite games made the cut in this ultimate compilation of '09 Awards!
Gaming Target continues their weeklong look at their favorite games from 2009. Eight games will be posted everyday with "The Best of the Best" appearing on Friday.
Through January 2nd Best Buy and BestBuy.com discounted several top-selling games to $39.99 including New Super Mario Bros, Assassin's Creed II, Batman: Arkham Assylum, Left 4 Dead 2 and others.
""Here’s a walkthrough for Dragon Age Origins. This video guide will show you how to make it through the RPG game."
"
All Age Gaming's Ian Crane takes a look at the latest downloadable content for Bioware's Dragon Age: Origins, Warden's Keep. Is this content a worthy addition to the full game or a waste of Microsoft points?
""2009 saw Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's record breaking launch, the return of Nathan Drake in Uncharted 2, new, groundbreaking experiences and traditional classics for the whole family. 2009 was a huge year for any type of gamer, no matter how you slice it.
So it is without further ado that GameZone presents our 2009 Game of the Year Awards. We took a look at the best and the brightest that this year had to offer, wracked our brains together in a rigorous voting process, and now we pres..."
"Tactics 1 “First Emissary”: This video shows you strategy on how to lure an enemy from their base and what benefits you get for pulling it off.
"
"While most PC games are also released for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xboox 360; they normally offer a different experience than their console counterparts. This games offer the ability to modify your gaming experience or play other people's mods. There are also games that are only available for the PC. Here is a guide to five of the PC version's games, ones that stand out from the console ones and ones only for the PC."
All Age Gaming's Ian Crane brings us 10 things that gamers may like for Xmas but probably wouldn't normally think of as they are not your traditional games, controllers or home theatre gadgets that us gamers normally would think we want.
"In recent years, Bioware has been a developer sitting happily at the pinnacle of story-driven action role-playing games, and their catalogue speaks for itself - Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 1 & 2, Jade Empire and Mass Effect can all attest to their ability to immerse players within quality stories, whilst providing a thoroughly entertaining style of gameplay. For their latest foray into their favourite genre, Bioware has players trading in their futuristic laser ..."
The NPD Group has released their hardware and software numbers for the month of November, representing sales for the United States for the four week period of November 1st to November 28th.
Notables this month:
Hardware numbers:
NDS: 1700k (425k per week)
WII: 1260k (315k per week)
360: 819.5k (204.88k per week)
PS3: 710.4k (177.6k per week
PSP: 293.9k (73.47k per week)
PS2: 203.1k (50.78k p...
"In the Gift of the Yeti game, players have a chance to help a sick Santa by delivering gifts on his behalf. Facebook friends can compete to beat each others’ high scores. The backstory of the Yeti will unfold through a clever Advent day calendar, with each day revealing a new piece of the storyline. Gift of the Yeti also allows players to choose from a variety of different gifts that they can send to their friends to invite them to save the day for Santa, and support the Child’s Play organisa..."
All Age Gaming's Khye Davey reviews the latest RPG from Bioware, Dragon Age: Origins for the Playstation 3. How does this epic RPG fare on the PS3? Read on to find out.
"BioWare has developed some of the best role-playing games of all time. Its catalog includes some of the best titles in the genre, such as Baldur’s Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect.
Dragon Age: Origins does not stray too far from the formulas pioneered in those games. The player builds a character, recruits party members with varied skills and undertakes an epic quest with multiple potential outcomes depending on the player’s reaction to different moral dilemmas...."
"Playstation 3 owners have a few great games to choose from for the holidays even if the majority of games are multi-platform. Choosing one of them for the PS3 console might be dependent of many factors such as what consoles you own and how the game differs from console to console. Here is a list of the top five games that I recommend people to put on their list of either games to ask for or games to give."
Amazon has posted their list of "Cyber Monday" deals and while many of them are repeats from Black Friday, there's still plenty of deals to be had. Some of the games on sale include Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Dragon Age: Origins, Left 4 Dead 2, Need For Speed: Shift, The Beatles: Rock Band, WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2010, a great deal on Tekken 6 and discounts on every recent Guitar Hero title.
"1998 saw the release of Baulder's Gate, an RPG which is still heralded by many as one of best. Several years on, a few expansions later, and BioWare have finally released what they refer to as the "spiritual successor" to Baulder's Gate; Dragon Age Origins. The game takes the traditional style of Western RPG, which is based heavily around the Dungeons and Dragons rules, and brings the whole niche to a "next-gen" level. And whilst there are a couple problems, the experience offered in Dragon A..."
"The folks at Bioware have become the go-to-guys when anybody wants to develop a first-class RPG and Dragon Age: Origin is exactly that. Having travelled to a galaxy far, far away, Bioware goes back to its roots in this medieval epic full of trolls, elves, and magicians but manages to bring along its sleekly simple (yet powerful) user interface scheme. But Dragon Age isn’t just a Morrowind clone, this new title blows it’s predecessors out of the water with its intricately woven storyline, d..."
"Not wanting to be left out after the recent success stories concerning Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed II, Electronic Arts (EA) has today announced that it has set a new record for site traffic at DragonAge.com and new user registrations at its social networking site, Social.Bioware.com. With the release of Dragon Age: Origins, the BioWare community has grown to a record five million registered users, propelled by outstanding word-of-mouth buzz among..."
As hinted at in his last review, this week, Yahtzee takes on the hardcore RPG from Bioware, and the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate- Dragon Age: Origins.
"Weighing-in at 196.79MB, the fairly sizeable package offers the player new locations and challenges, as well as a brand new party member. The new quest, once found, will be added to the Downloadable Content section of the Quest Menu, and can be set as the Active Quest and pursued just as any other objective. Staged as two parts, The Stone Prisoner can be accessed at any point once the “Origin Story” has been completed. Visiting Felix at Sulcher’s Pass, a new location added to the map once the..."
"Article Excerpt:
"I can hear what you are saying to yourself right now, and your cheetos are in the second drawer. (Underneath where you keep your silverware.) That's not what you are thinking? Oh. You are questioning my title with outrage and anger. "Why Hamsterfist you are crazy!" There are plenty of great games released this fall, none of which are disappointing. Now who's the lunatic? You, my dear reader are. But the advertisers and game developers thank you for rushing to the defense..."
"Leading videogame developer BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts Inc., announced today that the Return to Ostagar Downloadable Content (DLC) for Dragon Age: Origins will be available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC versions this Holiday season in North America and Europe."
"Episode 2 of the Kill Kast features the presence of Tigresa, TheHerp, Snarkasaur, and K-Tuck discussing the impact of Modern Warfare 2′s controversial missions and multiplayer gameplay mechanics, Dragon Age: Origins, the preconception of budget games as being innately inferior, and the many titles past and present being played by the staff."
All Age Gaming's Ian Crane looks at Bioware's latest RPG, Dragon Age: Origins. With the creator of Mass Effect behind this game expectations are high. Is it another classic game from the Bioware team? Read on to find out.
"BioWare’s latest videogame release, their first as an Electronic Arts studio and their debut on PlayStation 3, has reported an impressive attach rate for its’ Downloadable Content (DLC) within its’ first week of availability. Dragon Age: Origins has been well received by both critics and consumers, and it seems as though many players are hungry for more."
"Does your gaming friend never seem to be online? Do they never seem to want to play Wii with you? Does their gaming environment consist of a dark room with a chair sitting inappropriately close to the television? If you answered “Yes” to these questions, chances are your friend is a solo gamer — a lone wolf, preferring to lose himself in digital locales free from real-world distractions. This gift guide is written with that gamer in mind."
"Dragon Age: Origins is the biggest singleplayer role-playing game release of the season. It's also the only big-budget singleplayer RPG coming out this season. The RPG is one of the oldest genres in gaming, but big releases are becoming rarer each year.
We examine the state of the big-budget single-player RPG with a group of RPG developers. Each comes from a different facet of the market. Is it dying? Are the tastes of RPG gamers changing? What role do MMOs, consoles, and handhelds play? I..."
"Following a character establishing tutorial known as the “Origin Story”, the player begins their journey as a Grey Warden, with treachery leading our heroic new recruit to become one of the last of the legendary order of guardians. The return of an ancient foe has cast a dark shadow and the kingdom of Ferelden is engulfed in civil war, only you can unite the shattered lands and slay the archdemon once and for all. The Origin Story varies dependant on the race and discipline chosen during char..."
"The story is a familiar one, culled from the tales of Middle-Earth, Christianity, and even BioWare’s previous works. Driven by power and greed, mankind awakened the grotesque forms of the Darkspawn, and only the Grey Wardens were able to thwart the ensuing Blight. Four centuries have passed. The Darkspawn have become folk-tales, and the Grey Wardens, forgotten relics. The signs of another Blight cannot be ignored and, as in all circumstances of human tragedy, there are those who would bend th..."
All Age Gaming's Phong Nguyen bring's us the 17th AAG "The Week That Was". This week he discusses Wii HD, Wii Sports sales, the proposed absent of private chat in Xbox 360 games, PlayTV and more!
"It’s often easy to forget in this day and age of high definition graphics and 5.1 surround sound that Role Playing Games made their meager start with a pencil, paper and dice. BioWare certainly knows this heritage with the Baulders Gate and Neverwinter Nights series closely following the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rule set. That AD&D lineage runs strong in Dragon Age: Origins which weaves an epic tale of loyalty, corruption, intrigue and some kick ass combat."
New releases for the week. Icrontic's inimitable CB Droege covers Lego Rock Band, Battle of Giants: Dragons, Band Hero, and the spotlight of the week Dragon Age: Origins.
Hey, it's November 3, and you know what that means -- Dragon Age: Origins is out today! We've got a review for you hear; really, it's a difficult game to summarize, so the review is a bit longer than readers might be used to.
There are pretty pictures and videos anyway, to keep you entertained.
[Discussion in the Xbox 360 forum]
This week we have a couple of new rhythm/music games coming out, Sony releases their new 250GB PS3 Slim bundle, and PSP owners finally get their hands on the new Jak and Daxter title.
Oh, and Dragon Age: Origins (PC/360) hits the shelves this week. RPG fans: if you haven't already checked it out, you should.
Complete list of games scheduled to be released this week (still subject to change):
"Happy holidays everyone! Err…wait a minute. While it does feel like the holidays – thanks no less to Activison’s gift wrapping of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on November 10 – we still have a few weeks to go until Thanksgiving shows up and Black Friday follows. November is going to be a splendid month for gaming for those who are waiting for the holidays to come sooner rather than later. November should literally be called “Squember” since four out of our top five titles turn out to be sequ..."
Anyone whos following this game will know by now that Dragon Age: Origins will feature sex, much like Mass Effect. This reviewer gives a summary of all the options available to you in the game- which, if you look at the screenshots, includes a homosexual relationship, the confirmation of which which will please a certain neo staff writer, I'm sure. ;)
BioWare released a new trailer this week for Dragon Age: Origins. It's a cinematic video that's supposed to demonstrate how exciting party-based combat can be. Not actual gameplay, just a lot of flashy jumping around, sword-swinging, Darkspawn-slaying...
Poor dragon though. They really get the short end of the stick in video games. Anyway, click "share" button for larger view.
[ Discussion in the Dragon Age: Origins forum ]
"The latest Dragon Age: Origins teaser is a weird one. Opening with a dark poem spoken aloud by a mysterious woman in a monotone voice, a few Grey Wardens are shown finding big and multiple-nippled trouble in a tiny cave. Then, of course, they make a bloody mess out of her. Still -- she looks mean. And tentacled.
The creature is called the Broodmother, a Darkspawn who lives deep in the universe’s abandoned Dwarven tunnels. Brave people have seen the beast before during their journeys, but o..."
"Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that it has signed a deal with IDW Publishing to expand two of its intellectual properties, Army of Two™ and Dragon Age™, into comics under a new EA Comics imprint with IDW beginning in January. EA and IDW will launch monthly, ongoing series for both Army of Two and Dragon Age. Each issue will be published in print and distributed nationally at comic book outlets, with digital versions released for iPhone and iPod Touch and other emerging digital platforms."
"Last of Your Line 10
Completed the Human Noble origin story
Corrupted 10
Completed the Dalish Elf origin story
Conscripted 10
Completed the City Elf origin story
Harrowed 10
Completed the Magi origin story
Casteless 10
Completed the Dwarf Commoner origin story
Kinslayer 10
Completed the Dwarf Noble origin story"
"Leading videogame developer BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. has secured a star-studded voiceover cast for its upcoming blockbuster game, Dragon Age: Origins. Featuring Tim Curry, star of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Broadway’s Spamalot, as well as Kate Mulgrew, well-known for her role as Capt. Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager, Dragon Age: Origins also includes notable cast members Tim Russ (Star Trek: Voyager, Samantha Who?), Claudia Black (Stargate SG-1, Pitch Black) an..."
"Ray Muzyka: If you’re going to say Dragon Age is one of the best games you’ve ever played… I’ve finished Dragon Age. I’ve played it extensively on PC and console. I can really stand behind it. I’ve played it a lot. On one of the play-throughs I spent 120 hours. Two hours a day for 60 days, 90 percent of the game, according to the telemetry. And I loved it. Every minute of it. I couldn’t wait to come home. After about ten hours of gameplay, every day I was talking about coming home and I playe..."
"“That’s what we are exploring right now. There’s no automated thing where you drop it into a subdirectory and – boom – it’s in the console version. But we could maybe take the crème de la crème – like bring over a couple of great modules [from PC to console] every month or two.”"
Dragon Age: Origins got some new assets today, straight from Gamescom. Plenty of new screenshots, along with a new trailer that goes deeper into what the Darkspawn are and how they came to be. Oh, and we also learn the Grey Wardens' ranks are starting to thin -- great news for humanity, right?
More screenshots at the source, but be sure to check out the video first.
Yesterday, a few online retailers changed the release date for Dragon Age: Origins on their sites, pointing to a delay. Well, its now official- Bioware confirms that the game will be released during the first week of November for the 360 and PC, with the PS3 version following soon after.
Looks like we'll have to wait a bit more before we get to hump either a man, woman or a donkey.
What's a fantasy RPG without dwarves? And where do dwarves live? Underground. That's where the latest Dragon Age: Origins artwork takes us.
Once a part of a great empire, Orzammar is now the last remaining bastion of dwarven civilization. And to think, it used to just be a city of miners and smiths.
"Homosexuality is still a major issue in the video game community, to the point where companies really scratch their heads and run around blind, formulating policies they think might work on paper until another Teresa or Gaywood comes along. What can they really do? If this group isn't angry with them, another one is. In all honesty, social change is probably the only way to guarantee acceptance on the gaming front, but we all know that takes a whole lot of time and tireless efforts by the ..."
Do we all remember last year's Mass Effect controversy? While BioWare believe that entire debacle was completely over-blown, they do think that sex scenes in games can help reflect real human relationships in a "sophisticated mature experience".
Go to the source for the full article.
"Windows XP Minimum Specifications
OS: Windows XP with SP3
CPU: Intel Core 2 (or equivalent) running at 1.4Ghz or greater
AMD X2 (or equivalent) running at 1.8Ghz or greater
RAM: 1GB or more
Video: ATI Radeon X850 128MB or greater
NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT 128MB or greater
DVD ROM (Physical copy)
20 GB HD space
Windows Vista Minimum Specifications
OS: Windows Vista with SP1
CPU: Intel Core 2 (or equivalent) running at 1.6Ghz or greater
AMD X2 (or equivalent) running at 2.2GHZ or gre..."
Who doesn't love BioWare? Okay, maybe some people.
Anyway, here's an in-depth look based on BioWare's E3 presentation of Dragon Age: Origins. There's some pretty basic stuff, especially informative if you've heard next to nothing about this game. There's demons, Grey Wardens, dragons, sex...
And yes, the possibility of gay relationships, something the BioWare community has been wondering about since the developers opened that particular floodgate in Jade Empire. No definite confirma...
Joystiq has an excellent preview up for what is sure to be an excellent game: Bioware's Dragon Age: Origins. And being that it's going to have virtually no DRM, we're happy to pimp it out!
Details, screenshots, and a "Sex and Violence" trailer are yours for the taking.
"BioWare has today announced that Green Ronin Publishing will launch a pen and paper Role-Playing Game (RPG) based on the highly anticipated videogame, Dragon Age: Origins. The pen and paper game extends the Dragon Age universe, making it more accessible to passionate RPG fans looking for another way to experience the epic fantasy world of Thedas."
The boxed/retail PC versions of Dragon Age: Origin will be using a simple CD check rather than the secuROM check which requires online verification. This should make fans happier since the process is much more simple.
"RM: From our perspective, now we get to play the games and just really enjoy them as consumers, and offer feedback from that perspective, at the early start of the ideation phase. We say, "What's our audience excited by? What's our aspirational fantasy? What are solving for here? What goals are we setting up for this project?" Then the team goes and they work on that. We play it throughout the process and give feedback whether the team's meeting the goals that they set out at the start of the..."
A new batch of screens have arrived for the PC edition of BioWare's sure to be classic RPG Dragon Age: Origins, and they sure do look purdy (and gory). Five are included here; to see the rest, visit the game's profile via the platform link below.
An announcement back in February told us the game's release has been pushed back, so we'll see it sometime in Q3/Q4.
"GS: Now that we've been introduced to some of the characters we'll meet in the game, let's talk about the character classes. For instance, if players are interested in picking up a sword, walking right up to their foes, and beating them senseless, what professions will be available, and how will they differ?
DT: You start the game by picking from one of three base classes: fighter, mage, or rogue. If you're into the melee-focused "beat them senseless" style of play, you'll love playing as ..."
Even though Dragon Age: Origin will not be reaching consoles or PC until October or even later, Bioware is making sure us gamers don't forget about it. They have revealed that each character will have their own specific start story and the choices you make during this story will affect the rest of the game. To me this sounds fantastic, as most RPG games no matter what character you choose still start you off on the same story, so this makes a difference.
"The release of Dragon Age: Origins on PC has been rescheduled to the last half of 2009 from the previously announced early 2009 release date, coinciding with the release of the console versions of Dragon Age: Origins.
Dragon Age: Origins is shaping up to be quite amazing in its level of quality and polish, said Dr. Ray Muzyka, General Manager and CEO, BioWare and General Manager and Vice President, EA. Im really proud of our team, who are working very hard to make Dragon Age: Origins t..."
Unigamesity considers 2009 to have the potential of becoming the biggest year in gaming and presents us with their list of the most anticipated PC games of the year. Check out the quote for the full listing (10 games).
Gamespot got an exclusive look at the awesome new RPG coming out down the road, Dragon Age: Origins, providing us some indepth looks at Kings Camp and the importance of the Origins aspect of the game. A look at the ingame gameplay, including the voice acting and movement of the characters, as well as the path our choices can take, are also explored. It is definitely worth a few minutes of watching, if not the full nine, so I strongly encourage all to have a look!
New shots of BioWare's forthcoming RPG Dragon Age have come about, and the game looks pretty grim (in a good way!), so check 'em out and see if you fancy it. Tons more through the official site listed to the right.
Origins will utilize a new game engine called Eclipse, and will not be based on the Dungeons & Dragons ruleset. It arrives Q1 2009 on PC, and Q4 2009 on consoles.
Speaking to Eurogamer Germany, Miles Holmes, lead designer of the upcoming DS RPG Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhead from Bioware, has stated that the developer has expressed interest in the DS, seeing it as one of the ways that it could reinforce their franchises.
The franchises under consideration? Mass Effect, Jade Empire, and Dragon Age.
This is similar to sentiments also expressed by fellow team member Mark Darrah, who has said that BioWare is looking into PSP and Wii developm...
![Box shot of Dragon Age: Origins [North America]](http://i.neoseeker.com/boxshots/R2FtZXMvUEMvUm9sZS1QbGF5aW5nL0ZhbnRhc3k=/dragon_age_origins_frontcover_small_VHwxCMLgPsm5boy.jpg)