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Dragon Age 2 'Director's Cut' trailer contains roughly 40 more seconds of stabbing
Wait, you actually liked that Dragon Age 2 trailer that surfaced last week? You're clearly not as big a trailer buff as the rest of us. See, about 40 seconds of additional footage ended up on the cutting room floor, which compromised the vision of the director. Watch it in all its restored glory after the break.
Dragon Age 2 'Destiny' debut trailer tears us apart
The debut trailer for BioWare's next, arguably even bloodier installment in its newest RPG franchise, Dragon Age 2, recently saw the light of day during EA's Gamescom press conference. Though trailers for the first installment focused on the game's menagerie of protagonists, this clip focuses on just one: Hawke, the spear-staff wielding badass who can apparently hold his own in a fight against the burliest of demons. Then again, when you can summon demon hands to literally rip enemies in twain, we suppose your fighting prowess isn't all that important.
Dragon Age 2 arrives March 8 in US, March 11 in Europe
Dragon Age 2 has been given a March 8 release date for the US and March 11 in Europe at this morning's EA press conference at GamesCom. That's about one month late, according to the liner provided with Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening! GamesCom attendees will be among the first folks to get their hands on the game, as it's publicly available to try out at the event this week in Germany. With any luck, the PS3 folks who have yet to play BioWare's other epic RPG sequel -- Mass Effect 2 -- will be ready to move on to DA2 by the time March rolls around.
Dragon Age 2 featured in EA's GamesCom lineup
EA has announced its lineup for GamesCom, both to be shown on the show floor and behind closed doors, and Dragon Age 2 is on both lists. If you plan to attend the August 18-22 event, you'll be able to meet (someone's version of) protagonist Hawke for the first time. Other games on the floor include Rock Band 3, Darkspore, the newly dated Crysis 2, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Meanwhile, EA will have private showings for Bulletstorm, EA Sports Active 2, EA Sports MMA, The Sims Medieval, and more. Perhaps press will get an opportunity to interact with whatever Epic's "Bulletstorm-sized unveil" is -- though we don't necessarily want any of our colleagues' heads to explode. See the full list of showings after the break. Your head will ... be perfectly fine, but intrigued!
Preview: Dragon Age 2
BioWare surprised fans at Comic-Con with a world premiere hands-on preview of Dragon Age 2, completely open to the public. A block down the street from the convention center, fans were treated to a short presentation by lead designer Mike Laidlaw, as well as a few very brief combat segments and a look at the story that kicks off the game. I'll get impressions out of the way first: It's faster and more brutal, less cerebral and more exaggerated. You might think that's because BioWare wants to make the game a little flashier and more accessible, and you'd be right in part. But Dragon Age 2's dark secret is that even if the action is a little more over-the-top and a lot darker, there's a real, solid, story-based justification for it. %Gallery-97140%
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.
Dragon Age 2 dated for March 2011, playable character is a human named Hawke
The official Dragon Age 2 press release has some more details on the just-announced sequel. Like BioWare's other recent sequel – the hugely successful Mass Effect 2 – Dragon Age 2 is going for a Q1 release. The press release states "March 2011" which is close to, but not on, the February 1, 2011 date teased in packages of Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening. We've asked EA to comment on the discrepancy. Also like Mass Effect, Dragon Age 2 is ditching the original's roll-your-own character creation system, complete with unique origin stories for all the different playable races, for a more "cinematic" scripted hero named Hawke. BioWare's Chris Priestley addressed the community on the official forums, stating, "While I do enjoy having fun with our fans, I am not joking about this. The player character is a human (either male or female) with the last name of Hawke. Dragon Age 2 is the story of Hawke." Then he quotes from the press release: Dragon Age 2 thrusts players into the role of Hawke, a penniless refugee who rises to power to become the single most important character in the world of Dragon Age. Known to be a survivor of the Blight and the Champion of Kirkwall, the legend around Hawke's rise to power is shrouded in myth and rumor. Featuring an all-new story spanning 10 years, players will help tell that tale by making tough moral choices, gathering the deadliest of allies, amassing fame and fortune, and sealing their place in history. The way you play will write the story of how the world is changed forever. So in Dragon Age 2, there will be only one origin story, that of the male or female Hawke, and you won't be importing and playing as your old character. Like Mass Effect, we imagine we'll be tasked with the first name and look of the character, which already has our creative juices moving. How about "Lady Hawke" for you Michelle Pfeiffer fans? Or maybe "Tomclancys Hawke" for the gamers out there. "I'm bad-ass warrior Hawke, and this is my favorite post on the internet." Update: Alright, we're gathering some of your best name suggestions after the break. Join us!
Dragon Age 2 revealed on Game Informer cover, praise Andraste!
Dragon Age 2 is happening. Then again, we already knew that; the first game was called "Origins." The Game Informer cover doesn't reveal much, but here's what we're able to glean from its meager frame: The game is called Dragon Age 2, it features a new champion (what about importing Sneakblayde, our elf rogue?), a different part of the world (see ya, Ferelden!) and it's "breathtaking." We're not sure what's breathtaking here, but if the game looks anything like the art style on the cover, we're going to imagine that's what GI's talking about. Remember, Greg Zeschuk told us they were working to make the Dragon Age engine look, in his words, "visually super hot." Is this what BioWare was teasing for February 1, 2011? With a 10-page cover story, it sounds like BioWare and EA are ready to talk about this thing, so we're guessing in the affirmative. Watch that mailbox (or F5 Joystiq) to learn more. Update 9:35am: That didn't take long! BioWare just uncorked the Dragon Age 2 page and, with it, some new details. First, we've got a description of the game that has you gathering allies (the deadliest of them, no less!), amassing fame and fortune, and beginning your "Rise to Power." Yeah, we're getting a Fable 3 vibe also. The "key features" include a decade-long story, the aforementioned "rise to power," some much-needed "dynamic new combat mechanics," not only "updated graphics" but also a "new visual style," all combining for an "entirely new cinematic experience." We've got some concept art for you below Oh, and pre-orders start today, but that hasn't stopped GameStop from putting up a date. Yeah, they're saying February 1, 2011. Update 1:03pm: Not so fast, the official press release has a date of "March 2011." Update 6:35pm: We finally heard back from EA, who said that the February 1, 2011 date "is referring to a special date for Dragon Age fans." We're not sure what that means, but it does mean something besides Dragon Age 2. %Gallery-97140%
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.
BioWare says Dragon Age 2 to look 'super hot'
Dragon Age: Origins presents strong evidence that great games can overcome gawd-awful graphics, but BioWare isn't about to test that theory -- and the limits of our forgiveness -- again in the sequel. "I think one of the key things we're working on in Dragon Age 2 is the technology," BioWare VP Greg Zeschuk recently told Joystiq. "I can confirm that we're doing a lot of work on the Dragon Age engine, and doing a lot of stuff to pump it -- to make it visually super hot." Now, to clarify, frisky rogue foursomes and lesbian alien sex are measured on different "super hot" scales, as Zeschuk conceded, "Dragon Age is, in the structural sense, a fundamentally different game than Mass Effect ... You have to make different technical considerations." Certainly, with Dragon Age: Origins, those considerations were designed to benefit the superior PC version. Still, there's hope for a console sequel makeover, since, in Zeschuk's words, the process of iteration allows a developer to "get to a much higher level." "I think the overall visual style we're going to continue to evolve in Dragon Age," Zeschuk added. "People are going to see some cool ... I can't really say too much, but I think Dragon Age as a world is interesting. It's a timeline, and you can go anywhere." Go anywhere, huh? So, like the future Ferelden, where a race of sexy blue aliens has been possessed by horny desire demons? Super hot.
