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First Dragon Age 2 screenshots sport better graphics, familiar imagery
Saying that Dragon Age 2 has better graphics than its predecessor isn't much of a compliment. Though Dragon Age: Origins remains one of our favorite games from 2009 (as a matter of fact, it was our #4 pick!), on consoles, it looked like the game's entire texture library was secretly replaced with macro photographs of roadkill. The game's announcement promised "updated graphics" and a "new visual style," and the first two screenshots – part of Game Informer's month-long look at the title – are certainly updated, but we're not quite ready to call them "visually super hot" and we're not seeing the "new visual style." The image above shows a highly detailed Hawke (remember, s/he's the new Commander Shepard-esque lead) but look at that ground texture! The image after the break shows a new Ogre, some awkward Hurlocks, and Hawke's not insignificant ups. Be sure to peep the full-res images at Game Informer, then come back and tell us what you think. We're going with: unconvinced but optimistic.
More Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age DLC now available
Bioware buckaroos, mount up! New DLC add-ons were deployed this week for the developer's sci-fi, space-faring RPG, Mass Effect 2, and its traditional fantasy RPG, Dragon Age: Origins. Head past the break for complete details and stuff to look at.
TOR's conversation system rebuilt to be like Mass Effect's
BioWare lead designer and storywriter Daniel Erickson drops a few interesting nuggets about Star Wars: The Old Republic's well-publicized voice system. In an interview with CVG, he gives credit to Mass Effect, BioWare's celebrated single-player RPG, for inspiring a complete change in The Old Republic's voiceover content. "Originally the game was built far more like Dragon Age as far as [the] Conversation System went," he said. "Our player characters were not going to be voiced because it's a massively insane expenditure and hugely complicated to do. You have to cast 16 of the best actors ever and then hold them for eternity," Erickson says. He goes on to illustrate how the original Mass Effect caused the TOR team to adjust their thinking, as it debuted very early in the latter's development cycle. You can read the full article at CVG.
Dragon Age anime due in 2011
Continuing the inexplicable trend of western games being adapted into anime (see also: Halo, Dante's Inferno), BioWare and anime publisher Funimation have announced a deal to produce an anime movie based on the Dragon Age franchise. Production started last month, with an intended 2011 direct-to-video release. This will be the first release from Funimation's new Original Entertainment department, started to do exactly this kind of thing: develop new anime based on existing IP. We do wonder about the strict definition of the term "anime," though: if it's produced by an American publisher and based on an American (Canadian, actually) game, is it still anime? Luckily, this is one of those distinctions that doesn't matter at all. Regardless of the name, if you like Dragon Age, you'll soon get to watch a cartoon about it.
New details on Star Wars: The Old Republic companion characters
BioWare's lead designer James Ohlen has done a quick interview with IGN about Star Wars: The Old Republic's concept of "companion characters." Not only do you get to tool around the universe as a Sith or a Jedi, but as we first heard back at the game's announcement, you get to bring some other poor suckers with you. The idea sounds a lot like your party members from Dragon Age or Mass Effect 2 -- your companions will follow an "Affection" system, and you can end up making them "twisted to the dark side of the Force" or "stronger and more independent," depending on how you treat -- even gift -- them. (Those being just a couple of examples.) Companion characters will also have a lot of combat utility, and you may want to bring some of them based strictly on how they complement you in combat. The gear you equip for them will also make a difference, so you may have to tailor your party and their gear for the specific goals of any given mission. The system doesn't sound too different from past BioWare games, with the caveat that, since it's an MMO, you'll have to direct AI players in real-time rather than pausing the game to give out orders. Ohlen also says his favorite recent character is Alistair, which worries us a little bit -- he always struck us as whiny. [Via Massively]
Machinima.com creates canonical expansion to Dragon Age: Origins
Jonesing for more stories set in the grim Dragon Age universe, but don't have the patience to wait for the game's next expansion? Machinima.com recently produced a canonical miniseries set in the days following Origins' ending, and tells the story of Kristoff, another Gray Warden which players encounter in the Awakenings DLC. Considering the miniseries is titled "Warden's Fall," we seriously doubt things are going to turn out all roses and sunshine for him. The first episode of the series went live earlier today, and can be found posted after the jump. If you're a fan of the game, it's well worth seven minutes of your time.
Dragon Age: Origins PS3 freezing issues patched
The game-crashing errors which have plagued the PS3 version of Dragon Age: Origins since firmware update 3.30 launched have finally been remedied. A patch, available today in the U.S. and Europe, fixes the frequent freezes, and also sorts out an issue which removed free DLC redeemed with promo codes from the in-game store. It also adds Trophy support for the "Darkspawn Chronicles" DLC, which was added to the game yesterday. Apparently, when BioWare said the PS3 version of the expansion was "coming soon," it actually meant, "in like, a few hours." [Via Shacknews]
Dragon Age: Origins 'Darkspawn Chronicles' DLC out on 360 and PC today
Do you feel like satisfying that evil streak you've got locked away deep, deep inside you? You can now play as the maleficent baddies of Ferelden by picking up Dragon Age: Origins' newest DLC pack, Darkspawn Chronicles. It's available today on 360 and PC for 400 ($5). Check out the trailer above to get an idea of how the other, uglier half of Dragon Age's epic conflict lives. According to BioWare's official website, the PS3 version of the DLC is "coming soon." We're not sure what the hang-up is, but we've contacted BioWare to get a rough idea of the content's ETA.
Dragon Age Darkspawn Chronicles trailer kills the Wardens
Dragon Age: Origins is great and all, but it's a little too goody two-shoes, if you ask us. Thankfully, some new DLC is set to cater to our evil side. Darkspawn Chronicles will allow players to step into the grotesque, mud-soaked shoes of Ferelden's evil inhabitants and play out an alternate scenario: What if the good guys never won? It appears we'll all find out come May 18.
Assassin's Creed 2, Dragon Age: Origins win Canadian game awards
We like to playfully rip on Canada every now and then (America's hat!), but we must admit that The Great White North knows how to make some quality games, evidenced by the winners at the inaugural Canadian Videogame Awards ceremony. While Game of the Year went to Bioware's Dragon Age: Origins, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 2 made out with the most awards, winning Best Console Game, Best Visual Arts, and Best Game Design, and sharing the award for Best Technology with Radical Entertainment's Prototype. That's not to say all of the awards went to the triple-A titles, as Toronto's own darling, Capybara Games, received nods for two of its titles: Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes, which won Best Handheld Game, and Critter Crunch, which secured victory as the Best Downloadable Game. Maybe now that cute little guy will stop crying so much! [Thanks, Alan Strangis]
Bioware working on fix for Dragon Age PS3 freezing issue
BioWare is in the process of developing a patch to fix Dragon Age: Origins' game crashing bug caused by the PS3 firmware 3.3 update. If the thread on the BioWare forums is any indication, the developer was just as flummoxed and frustrated by the situation as the players. It appears that BioWare, after much collaboration with the community, has a patch in the works that should fix the problem. The bad part is there is currently no timetable for the patch to make its way to the masses. If the code changes work internally, then it's off to EA for "publisher side certification testing." After that, it goes to Sony for testing. We sure hope Sony takes the BioWare team who ended up having to work extra on this out for a nice steak dinner. [Via Kotaku, IncGamers]
Xbox Live Marketplace in May: Rocket Knight, Dragon Age DLC and more
You know that dusty piggy bank you've had sitting on the shelf forever? Look, forget the kid's college fund -- she's not going to college for, like, years -- and bust that thing open! There's going to be some solid content on Xbox Live Marketplace this month. In the mood for XBLA games? How does Rocket Knight or Zeno Clash tickle your fancy? Oh, so you want some DLC -- Dragon Age: Origins will have more to offer the tireless adventurer later this month. Want to learn the Secret of Monkey Island? During the week of May 17, the secret will be half-off. See what we mean? Head past the break for more XBLM release highlights for the month provided by Microsoft.
PS3 Dragon Age players report crashing with Firmware 3.30
What's the next feature to be removed from the PS3 through a firmware update? According to some posters on the Bioware forums, it's the ability to play Dragon Age: Origins. Several users have reported frequent crashes or freezes while playing the RPG after installing PS3 Firmware 3.30. "The game has crashed like 7 times in an hour just after the update," complained forum poster "scorpgul." Another poster, "eugeni_dodonov," reported that "it never ever froze before, but since 3.30 it is freezing like every 15 minutes." Players claim to be experiencing the issue on both original and "slim" PS3 models in the US and Europe. On Friday, online producer Fernando Melo indicated that BioWare was working with Sony to correct the issue, which he called "a bit out of the blue for us." We suppose your Warden could use a couple days off anyway.
TERA adds veteran industry talent
En Masse Entertainment isn't messing around, judging by today's announcement regarding several game industry heavyweights joining forces with the publisher of the forthcoming TERA MMORPG. "We want En Masse Entertainment to serve as a magnet for creative talent. As we build toward the launch of TERA, we are adding veteran strength to all facets of the company to ensure a topnotch action MMO experience for our customers," said CEO Dr. Jae-Heon Yang. New TERA team members include Aaron LeMay, a veteran of major action franchises including Halo and Saint's Row. Also signing on are Matt Atwood, former Global Public Relations Lead at BioWare and responsible for overseeing both Dragon Age and Mass Effect. David Noonan, a former Dungeons and Dragons game designer and Aion writer also joins the TERA crew, as does Microsoft Xbox Live Operations Center veteran Markus Schweig. Head on over to the official TERA forums for the full press release.
Dragon Age: Origins celebrates Feastday with DLC
You might be forgiven for thinking this was a joke, considering the calendar date, but no, apparently it's real. BioWare really has released $3 worth of downloadable content for the in-game Dragon Age: Origins holiday of "Feastday," which is what they call April Fool's in Ferelden. For $1.99 in real money, you can get a Feastday Prank pack or a Feastday Gift pack, consisting of 10 items each that will either decrease or increase your standing with the various characters in your party, and also provide some simple fun. Examples include a doggie cone that you can give to your Warhound, as you can see above, or an Alastair Doll that you can give to Morrigan to have her do some voodoo on your least favorite Grey Warden. No really -- this is real. And the money you'll be giving them for this is real, too -- $1.99 (in each systems' requisite points format, of course) for either the Gifts or Pranks pack, or $3 for a Combo Pack with all of the items. On the one hand, sure, it's a bit of in-game fun for your Dragon Age characters. But on the other hand, BioWare, it's not quite as funny if you go and make your April Fool's gag, y'know, real. And then charge us for it.
Alienware offering free Dragon Age shield codes for PC
Ah yes, Dragon Age Origins' storied realm of Thedas, where great warriors and mages do battle against the Demon Spawn, play kings and knights off of each other in political schemes, and register promotional DLC codes for in-game items. What's that? Your heroic Grey Warden hasn't done the last one yet? Here's your chance -- Alienware is giving away some free DLC keys for an in-game shield called the Bulwark of the True King. If you only have the original PC game, it's a tier 5 shield, but apparently if you have the Awakening expansion, it revs up to a Tier 7 item. All you have to do is run over to the Alienware website, create an account in its Arena community (you didn't think it'd be that "free," did you?), and then redeem the code in-game to claim your shield. Note that these keys don't work in the console versions of the game -- Alienware only wants you PC users. But it is a pretty easy way to get a new shield. Much easier than slaying the mad mage of Ferelden or saving the Arl of Redcliffe. [Thanks Wayne!]
New Dragon Age Awakening character needs to go eat a sandwich or something
Justice takes center stage in the latest, and perhaps last trailer for Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening (which is due out this week). Justice is actually a "person," and not the principle -- a ghost trapped in a human body by a sorceress. Uh-huh, it's up to you to help him escape this mortal dilemma. To make things worse, Justice's "new" body is basically Christian Bale's body (and not the Batman one). In other words, he's a skeleton tightly wrapped in skin. We're surprised Justice can even lift that shield and mace! Forget Elfroot, somebody get this guy some delicious Corpse Gall to fatten him up.
Mystery Dragon Age project dated Feb. 1, 2011
[1UP] It would appear that the still-unnamed next project in the Dragon Age series has been given a date, as spotted by 1UP in an early retail box of Dragon Age: Origins -- Awakening for PS3. Aligning with the release window hinted at by EA hinted earlier this year during a financial call, the scarcely-detailed game will arrive on Februrary 1, 2011 -- or, in the graphic's terms, "02.01.2011." We're not exactly sure if this is part of the two years of promised content that BioWare outlined late last year, but at very least it's an extremely early (possible) release date for more content in a critically acclaimed series. We've asked EA for more information on the date and will let you know more as soon as we do.
Blizzard: "How would we bring WoW to the console?"
Sadly, the ultimate answer appears to be "very reluctantly" but it's an interesting read anyway. J. Allen Brack talks to G4 about WoW, consoles, and the barriers to entry for an MMO. The usual suspects apply, of course. WoW was designed for keyboards, consoles tend to have a short lifespan compared to the development time of a MMO, and WoW currently takes up about 15gb worth of memory while consoles like an XBox 360 have at most 20gb worth of hard drive space without buying any additions. This is no surprise, of course... they've said all this before. What I really found interesting was that this is supposedly something they think about a lot. "In the case of WoW, we talk about it all the time." I'm the curious sort, so I find myself wondering why, given all the reasons Brack himself lists. Personally, I'd love to see a single player Warcraft property of some sort for consoles, perhaps a God of War style action game or even a Dragon Age/Mass Effect hybrid RPG. And who knows, perhaps Blizzard will come up with a way to do it despite their laundry list of reasons why they won't, they've surprised me before.
Dragon Age 'TidBits' drop stats like a Fluffy punch
Game Informer's latest "TidBits" column features a a glorious list of "inside baseball" stats from Dragon Age: Origins. Some of the numbers are simply cute, while others are positively frightening: "QA analyst Bruce Venne played 1,957.55 hours of Dragon Age PC in 5,352 games." Consequently, "The Bruce" was awarded to staff that played more than Venne in any given month -- the honor was bestowed only once. While the list is mostly packed with numbers, there are some notable non-numerical did-you-knows, like the staff's affectionate nickname for the Ogre, "Fluffy," and, unsurprisingly, the revelation that one of the BioWare crew makes chain mail "from scratch." Check out the full list of Dragon Age tidbits on Game Informer.
