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PSA: Dragon Age story bridge The Last Court now in session
The Last Court, a text adventure bridging the narrative gap between Dragon Age 2 and the upcoming Dragon Age: Inquisition, is now available to experience for free via your web browser. If you're ready to play the role of marquis, ruling over the small state of Serault, simply head over to the Dragon Age Keep and log in with your EA Origin account. In case you missed our previous post regarding The Last Court, the game charges you with overseeing a small fiefdom located in the country of Orlais. Major characters from the Dragon Age games will appear, and it's up to you to decide how to handle your populace and its problems. The BioWare Blog post announcing The Last Court's release states that each playthrough of the game takes an average of seven days to complete. Better hurry then, as Dragon Age: Inquisition is due for arrival just 10 days from now, on November 18. [Image: EA]
Text adventure The Last Court ties Dragon Age 2, Inquisition
Failbetter Games, the studio behind Sunless Sea and a virtual cornucopia of text adventure games, has partnered with BioWare to create The Last Court: a text-based game that promotes you to ruler of Serault, a small township located within the nation of Orlais. As the marquis, you'll need to manage threats both physical and fiscal, forging alliances and interacting with major characters from Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2. Players will be able to choose the Huntress or Scholar archetype for their character, giving themselves a boost to physical or mental stats, respectively. If you're not too keen on playing the medieval fantasy version of Parks and Recreation, here's some added incentive: The Last Court will connect the events of Dragon Age 2 to the forming of The Inquisition, the driving force behind Dragon Age: Inquisition. Failbetter did not announce precisely when The Last Court would go live, but when it does, you'll be able to access it via the Dragon Age Keep - a website where you can sync and customize your personal saga through BioWare's universe. A first-look video is available after the break.
Deals with Gold: Outlast, Rayman Legends, Dragon Age
This week's Deals with Gold on Xbox Live discounts three games and one add-on for Xbox One users. Players can download Rayman Legends at 40 percent off, Outlast for 25 percent off and Worms Battlegrounds at 40 percent off. Additionally, the Battlefield 4 Support Shortcut Kit is also 33 percent off this week for both Xbox One and Xbox 360 versions of the game. Xbox 360 players can save money on RPGs this week as well, with Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2 both 75 percent off. The sequel's Mark of the Assassin and The Exiled Prince DLC packs are both half-off, just in time for Dragon Age: Inquisition's launch on November 18. Lastly, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is 67 percent off and its Teeth of Naros and The Legend of Dead Kel add-ons are also half-off. This week's deals are good through Monday, October 20 for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. [Image: Ubisoft]
The controversial, unbalanced narrative of Dragon Age 2
This is a weekly column from freelancer Rowan Kaiser, which focuses on "Western" role-playing games: their stories, their histories, their mechanics, their insanity, and their inanity. Dragon Age 2 is one of the most controversial role-playing games of recent years. Highly anticipated after the successes of BioWare's previous two games, Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2, it was released to strong sales and initially positive reviews. Yet it didn't take long before there was both fan and critical backlash to the game. What seemed like an unambiguously promising release turned into a lightning rod, and Dragon Age 2 went missing from many Game Of The Year lists. On the other hand, I noticed a small but extremely devoted cadre of fans, including some people who loved it so much that they immediately replayed it, four or five times, touching no other games for months.So it was with both trepidation and excitement that I finally approached Dragon Age 2, as I missed it on initial release and then was warned off of it afterward. Having finally played it, I can see what the fuss was about, both good and bad. Dragon Age 2 almost demanded to be controversial thanks to its structure. In a genre filled with narratively complete, balanced games, DA2 ambitions push it in less balanced and incomplete directions. That's risky.%Gallery-115856%
Mass Effect 2 has highest completion rate in ME, Dragon Age series
BioWare's director of online development Fernando Melo presented the above player completion rates for Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3, Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2 during a panel at GDC Europe. Mass Effect 2 topped the charts with 56 percent of players completing the entire game, followed by Mass Effect 3 with 42 percent, Dragon Age 2 with 41 percent, Mass Effect with 40 percent and finally Dragon Age: Origins at the lowest rate of 36 percent. The spike in Mass Effect 2's completion can be attributed to Mass Effect 3's recent launch, when an influx of players were reminded of the game and attempted to finish it before that release, Melo said.
Amazon Digital sale goes medieval on Dragon Age series this week
Deal-hunting RPG fanatics have reason to be happy today, as the entire Dragon Age series and its expansions are ridiculously cheap on Amazon this week. The digital deals drop all games in the BioWare-developed series below $10 for PC and Mac: Dragon Age Dual Pack (Origins Ultimate Edition & Dragon Age 2): $9.99 Dragon Age Origins: $4.99 Dragon Age Origins Awakening: $4.99 Dragon Age Origins Ultimate Edition: $7.49 Dragon Age 2: $4.99
BioWare done with Dragon Age 2, fully moving on to next phase
BioWare's Dragon Age 2 team has officially packed up its tents, put out the fires and left camp, executive producer Mark Darrah announced on the BioWare forums."While we will still be keeping an eye out for any issues that might crop up in DAII and supporting the community should any emergencies should [sic] arise, we're moving the entire team's focus to the next phase of Dragon Age's future," Darrah wrote.The "next phase of Dragon Age's future" could be too vague for some, so creative director Mike Laidlaw clarified in a TL;DR Twitter update: "We're done development on Dragon Age II, and the team has fully moved onto The Next Thing(tm)."BioWare halted production on Exalted March, an expansion pack for Dragon Age 2, because "other Dragon Age opportunities came up," Darrah tweeted. It's safe to reason that stopping production on DLC probably wouldn't happen for anything less than work on a shiny new title, and with these scraps of evidence and previous unintentional outings, we feel safe to propose that BioWare is now working on Dragon Age 3.Moving the franchise into the future involves looking at the past, Darrah said. "This past year, we've spent a lot of time both going back to the 'BioWare vault' of games and re-examining them, and looking at some new possibilities that today's industry allows," he wrote. The Dragon Age team may not have to look very far in BioWare's history to find things it should avoid, such as "endings."
Dragon Age: Redemption hits DVD on Felicia Day; er, Valentine's Day
Let's skip the formalities and just say it: BioWare wants you to buy Felicia Day for Valentine's Day. No, not buy something for her, but purchase Felicia Day herself. And no, not in any illegal or gross sense of the word -- Dragon Age: Redemption, the six-part webseries available on Machinima's YouTube channel since October, is coming out in DVD form on February 14, complete with behind-the-scenes extras, a commentary track and blooper reel.Dragon Age: Redemption parallels the story in Dragon Age 2's digital add-on, Mark of the Assassin, which features Day as an elf who assassinates things. Or, as Flatiron Film Company describes both forms of media, Felicia Day cosplaying!
Amazon offering dramatic discounts on digital EA games starting this Sunday
Amazon doesn't care for your silly stack of unplayed, unopened games -- it simply wants to trick you into buying more with a variety of impressive deals, albeit on games that exist only in the digital realm. Starting this coming Sunday (the 15th) and running through the end of the week (the 21st), individual EA titles will be offered day by day at ridiculously discounted prices: Bulletstorm and Dead Space 2 for $7 a pop, for instance. The daily itemized list is just after the break, should you be preparing for yet another (admittedly minor) assault on your bank account in the effort to catch up on 2011's best games. Might we suggest conquering the concept of time scarcity first?
EA finally responds to forum bans also banning Origin game access
EA has proven that it's not afraid to bring the banhammer down on Origin users who defy their Terms of Service; though its stringent adherence to that policy has, on occasion, provided cause for concern. In March, a user on the Dragon Age 2 forums was banned for breaking the forum's rules, only to find out he'd been prohibited from using his purchased copy of the game as well. Though EA reinstated his Origin access and chalked it up to a system error, Rock, Paper, Shotgun reported that it was not an isolated incident. EA has never explicitly said that handing out Origin bans alongside forum bans was its modus operandi; however, RPS finally received an official statement on the bans from EA Corporate Communications' John Reseburg. According to him, "when someone violates our Terms of Service, we are forced to take actions that can include suspensions and other measures." That's not a clear confirmation of the policy, though Reseburg later added, "We have listened to our customers and are planning a policy update which will include more equitable rules on suspensions – we want to make sure the time fits the crime." It seems utterly bizarre that EA wouldn't be explicitly clear about a policy that carries as heavy a punishment as this. We can understand wanting to keep a forum free from the blight of obscenity, but if that comes at the cost of preventing legitimate purchasers of EA's products from accessing said games, those purchasers deserve to know about it ahead of time. As it stands now, Reseburg simply suggests, "any user with a question about suspensions or our policies to please contact us at (866) 543-5435 so we can address their specific situation."
Dragon Age 2 - Mark of the Assassin Review
A mysterious woman hoping to use you for a heist during a rich guy's party, her motivations much more complicated than they initially seem... wait a minute. Dragon Age 2: Mark of the Assassin, the second major DLC release for Bioware's current fantasy RPG series, has a strikingly familiar premise. Similar, even, to Mass Effect 2's Stolen Memory downloadable add-on, which also featured an enigmatic female thief looking to use Shepard to robin-hood somebody. But that's where the similarities end. Where Stolen Memory felt like a tight, fast, well-paced attempt to tell a character's story, Mark of the Assassin is a much more sprawling exercise. Unfortunately, that's generally to its detriment.%Gallery-136264%
PSA: Play Dragon Age 2 'Mark of the Assassin' DLC, watch 'Redemption' web series today
Celebrate Felicia Day ... day with the release of two Dragon Age creations featuring the actress. Both Dragon Age 2's "Mark of the Assassin" DLC and the first episode of the Dragon Age: Redemption web series, featuring Day as the elf Tallis, are premiering today. Day also wrote and produced the Redemption shorts. For the DLC, you'll have to pay $10 on Xbox, PC, Mac, or PS3 (coming later today when the PSN updates). For that episode of Machinima's web series, you'll have to pay attention to the top of this post.%Gallery-136264%
Dragon Age: Redemption series debuts on Machinima next week
If you can't bear to watch LARP-ing unless it's wrapped in professional production and synergistic, transmedia-compatible fiction, you'll want to tune in to Dragon Age: Redemption, a six-episode web series starting on October 11. Actually, ignore the "tune in" anachronism: Redemption will debut exclusively on Machinima's Youtube channel. The show has an interactive companion in Dragon Age 2: Mark of the Assassin, a new downloadable expansion that also launches on October 11. Both stories are propelled by the star power of Felicia Day, who plays a sarcastic elf assassin. It must be a tough life, always being on the verge of assassinating yourself.
Felicia Day takes us through Dragon Age 2: Mark of the Assassin
Felicia Day likes Dragon Age 2 so much she almost got me killed. In Dragon Age 2, I mean. Last week I hung out with the actress as she showed me Dragon Age 2's new DLC, Mark of the Assassin, starring ... well, her. "I created the character with BioWare inputs," Day told me. "I played through the game several more times, you know? It was the best kind of research."%Gallery-134111%
Hang out with Felicia Day in Dragon Age 2: Mark of the Assassin DLC
The Felicia Day-fronted live-action web series based in the Dragon Age 2 universe has been delayed until October. Fortunately, it'll be paired with a companion piece that'll be infinitely more playable. BioWare recently announced a DLC pack for the Kirkwallian RPG titled "Mark of the Assassin," which sees you teaming up with Day's "Tallis" character from Dragon Age: Redemption, and diving through a trap-riddled dungeon in search of a precious gem. The expansion will be available on October 11 for an undisclosed price. Really, though, how much is too much to ask for being able to hang out with Felicia Day without waiting in a week-long line at Comic-Con? %Gallery-134111%
Second batch of downloadable items hits Dragon Age 2
"... a fine tale, Gwen, and well told! And now, Sir Hawke, you promised to favor us with the tale of how you acquired that fantastic blade!" "Oh no, Lordanon, I'd really rather not. It's not such a great story and --" "Nonsense! A weapon like that, the quest to procure it must have been epic! Did you plunge a dagger between the scales of a frost dragon?" "Well, no." "Oh, well, then surely you must have artfully plucked it from the lair of a sleeping golem." "Nah, it's just --" "Perhaps a duel with a villainous wizard who threatened your vil--" "Look, I downloaded it, OK?! It's from the Dragon Age 2 Warrior Pack II DLC that just came out today. It was $3. I could have downloaded the All-Class Pack II for $5, but I'm not a mage or rogue, so I didn't. I bought it on 360, but I assume it'll be on PC and PSN today too. Is that enough for you? Are you sated now? ... Whatever, I'm going to bed." "...Sir Hawke?" "... Yes, Lordanon?" "Why does your bedroll read L.L. Bean? Is that the elf who wove it?" "Go to sleep, Lordanon." [Thanks, Lafu.]
Muzyka: BioWare to throw previous Dragon Age games into a blender for next title
Dragon Age 3 is going to blend the best features of Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2, BioWare CEO Ray Muzyka told PC Gamer at Gamescom. After Dragon Age 2's inconclusive, varied review scores, BioWare is focused on making all fans, core and new, happy: "What we need to do as developers is take that feedback from both sets of fans to heart and see about marrying that in future games in the Dragon Age franchise. I think that the team has actually got a great plan," Muzyka said. We're on board as long as that plan doesn't involve throwing raspberries into the blender -- a raspberry and chain mail smoothie may sound good, but it is a bad idea. Trust us on this one.
BioWare's Laidlaw: DA2 'Legacy' DLC is a response to fan complaints
"There's a game out there that's better than both [Dragon Age] Origins and DAII, and I'll be damned if the talented folks of the DA team can't find it," BioWare lead designer Mike Laidlaw concluded a recent response to one fan on his company's forums. He was engaged in an ongoing conversation over the past few days in a subject thread titled "Dragon Age 2 reception and community discussed," wherein fans sounded off and a handful of BioWare reps responded to criticisms about the critically divisive Dragon Age 2, and its improved follow-up DLC, Legacy. "Legacy, I think, goes a long way towards demonstrating that we are listening, that we are aware of the weaknesses of DAII, and that we will continue to address them," he responded to another, specifically citing combat encounters, asset re-use, loot, and choice impact as areas to improve. While he of course didn't speak to Dragon Age 3, he did note that "Reasonable, passionate feedback is the best possible thing to provide. Seeing strongly negative reaction to DAII, and strongly positive reaction to Legacy, even from some of DAII's strongest detractors (and yes, I know it's not universal, but what is), is incredibly useful."
Dragon Age 2 Legacy DLC review: Family outing
Dragon Age 2: Legacy outlines your latest quest as a matter of familial preservation. Hawke and kin have come under attack from The Carta, a band of ruthless thugs operating from a wind-hewn fortress in the Vimmark Mountains. A failed attempt on your life provides adequate motivation to kick their door down, but there's even stronger impetus on the dirt road just behind you. Turn around and you'll be asked if you want to return to Kirkwall. NO THANKS.
Hyperspace Beacon: Illusion of choice
Before I begin this little rant about Star Wars: The Old Republic, there are a couple things I want to make clear: This edition of the Hyperspace Beacon will have a lot of spoilers, and I really like SWTOR as a whole. First off, the spoilers mentioned here will be about the DragonAge and Mass Effect series of games. If you have not played through either one of those games and do not want to know how some of that story turns out, then you may not want to read this article. Secondly, SWTOR is a wonderful game. I have played it on a couple of occasions, and I believe it exhibits some of the qualities that have been missing from many of the current MMOs -- specifically, story. By no means do I want to discourage anyone from playing or pre-ordering this game, so if you're on the fence about this game, you may not want to read on because this article is not for you. Surely, fans of BioWare have played games like Mass Effect and DragonAge, and I hope you have played Knights of the Old Republic. These games really define what BioWare is and the types of games it can make. However, given some of the most recent announcements, I have to wonder if some of the staples that made these BioWare games great are going to be missing in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Have BioWare games gone from having choice to just the illusion of choice?
