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BioWare's long-awaited 'Dragon Age' teaser still disappoints
The rumors were true: despite departures from the original team, BioWare has confirmed that it's working on a new Dragon Age game. Only... there's not much to say about it. Apart from promoting a curious #TheDreadWolfRises hashtag, the developer is saying virtually nothing about what the new title entails, when it will ship or even its name. You're going to be disappointed if you were planning your gaming calendar around another fantasy RPG from the studio.
'Mass Effect: Andromeda' looks to the future with an Xbox One X upgrade
After a launch troubled enough that it caused Bioware to rethink how it makes games, there's some new news for Mass Effect: Andromeda. No, it's not a single-player story addition addressing the fate of the Quarians, but for this year's N7 day (a reference to the military rank held by the player's in-game character) a 1.68GB patch on Xbox One has arrived. It adds support for higher resolution and HDR on the Xbox One X for anyone ready to try playing through again, or for the first time. Clearly Bioware and EA are reminding fans that the franchise isn't gone for good, and have a "What does N7 mean to you?" campaign going on social media, plus new merch from a partnership with J!NX. Even as the developer prepares to launch its multiplayer-focused game Anthem, general manager Casey Hudson recently wrote that teams are working on "secret stuff" for fans of ME and Dragon Age. Has enough time passed to wash the taste of a glitch-ridden and uneven release from gamer's mouths and get them ready to try again? We'll see.
How 'Anthem' balances story and shared-world action
BioWare's next blockbuster RPG, Anthem, comes out in less than six months. We know little about the project, though, despite its extensive showing at E3. The studio has explained the basics; it's a sci-fi epic that combines BioWare storytelling with the cooperative action and shared world structure of games like Destiny and The Division. We've seen a mission that takes place in the harsh, monster-riddled wilderness, and how all the different exo-suits -- known as javelins -- provide different tactical advantages. The team has also teased a town called Fort Tarsis that acts as a single-player story hub. But how does it all fit together?
'Dragon Age' director Mike Laidlaw leaves BioWare after 14 years
Today Mike Laidlaw announced his departure from Bioware, where he's been involved with games including Jade Empire, Mass Effect and the entire Dragon Age series. He served as creative director on Dragon Age: Inquisition, and mentioned in a note about the team that "I have every confidence that the world we've created together is in good hands and I'm excited for the road ahead." He didn't mention a reason for leaving other than that it is time to move on, even as his exit follows DA:I lead writer David Gaider, who left the company early last year.
'Dragon Age' lead writer David Gaider leaves BioWare
You might not know his name, but if you've played a game from BioWare in the past seventeen years chances are pretty high that writer David Gaider had a hand in it. Specifically, the Dragon Age series of fantasy role-playing games. The news comes by way of Gaider himself, announcing on Twitter that Friday was in fact, his last day at the studio. "It wasn't an easy decision," the Dragon Age: Inquisition lead writer tells Gamasutra. "The parting is amicable, and I know my current (and as yet unannounced) project will carry on and be awesome."
Future 'Dragon Age Inquisition' add-ons are only for newer systems
You know that you need the latest game consoles (or a good PC) to get better graphics and special features, but it now looks like you'll need them if you want to see a game's extended storyline, too. BioWare has quietly posted word that "all future" downloadable content for Dragon Age Inquisition will only be available for the PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. There's a save importer arriving this month that will transfer your progress if you buy both a new system and a fresh copy of Inquisition, but you're otherwise stuck if you've poured all your energy into the role-playing title on a PS3 or Xbox 360.
Playdate: We're livestreaming 'Dragon Age: Inquisition' on PS4! (update: game over!)
Who doesn't like fighting dragons? That's a serious question. If you excitedly answered "I do!" then this edition of Playdate is just for you. Today we're going to be streaming the first big role-playing game of this new set of consoles, and it's none other than Dragon Age: Inquisition from the folks at BioWare. You know, the studio behind the Mass Effect series and Baldur's Gate. It's a sort of choose-your-own adventure affair in a mature medieval world where decisions made in previous games affect how the story plays out in this third entry. It's also the first RPG running on publisher Electronic Arts' extremely impressive (and apparently pretty versatile) Frostbite toolset that's perhaps best known for powering the Battlefield franchise. And if you're wondering how it all looks, you've come to the right place. We'll be streaming gameplay from the PlayStation 4 starting at 7 p.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. Pacific on this very page.
GaymerX panel reflects on LGBTQ themes in video games, overcoming public reaction
As video games continue to search for their voice and place in cultural relevancy, they tackle new subjects and issues facing contemporary society. Ten years ago, the world was an entirely different place, especially in terms of LGBTQ acceptance. Joystiq recently learned that in 2003's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the inclusion of a lesbian character had to be hidden from developer BioWare's other employees, including the marketing team. Why? There was fear surrounding the audience's reaction. "I think for a long time, it was just assumed that nobody would accept it," David Gaider, the lead writer for the Canadian developer's Dragon Age series said, speaking at San Francisco's GaymerX convention. In the decade since KotOR's release, the RPG-house hasn't shied away from such inclusions. In its blockbuster space opera Mass Effect 3, players have the option of pursuing same-sex romances; there are numerous openly gay characters, too. This could have caused some to avoid the multi-million selling series' conclusion, but Gaider said that he thinks there is equal evidence of some people buying the games because of their accepting nature. He posited that as a result, other publishers and developers will likely follow suit because they're "copycats." For the panel's full conversation, read Joystiq's report about the "hump of assumptions" associated with LGBTQ representation in games like The Sims and Jade Empire.
