Dragon Age: More Content

I love Dragon Age: Origins. As soon as I’m finished with Mass Effect 2 I’m diving back in to finish my second play through.

I am excited with all the new content released or announced for Dragon Age lately.

The Return to Ostagar DLC was released about a week ago. It came suddenly after some delays. I am trying my best to finish ME2 before running off to play this. Going back to look for King Cailan’s body can wait. I was a dick to him anyway. A full retail expansion pack titled “Awakening” will be released on March 16th. The darkspawn aren’t all dead after all. Some survived because they follow a leader other than the Archdemon. This new baddy is known as the Architect. That’s ok, I like killing darkspawn. There is a video to watch over here.

We know that a sequel is coming due to information about EA’s 2011 fiscal year. Also a Bioware person said that Dragon Age 2 will have improved graphics over the first game. Before March 2011 we should get our hands on it. I’ll bet EA will make an official announcement sometime soon.

Keep on gaming people!

Dragon Age: It isn’t Mass Effect

Well it’s out. It’s here. People have been playing it. I’ve been playing it. I have been playing it a lot. Ok I’m addicted and It’s all i’m going to play until January.

All I’ve seen for this game is positive reviews. The worst review I’ve seen for the game was an 80, and it seemed to come from someone who didn’t really like roleplaying games. They were expecting game mechanics similar to Mass Effect.

Dragon Age: Origins

Mass Effect isn’t a true, die-hard RPG. It is an action game with elements of a shooter and an RPG in it. Don’t take it the wrong way I love Mass Effect, it just wasn’t the 60 hour-long, incredibly detailed and customisable experience that I want from an RPG. Mass Effect was a “My first RPG’ experience. “Hey look! I can be either good or bad! Wow!” It took the core elements of an RPG and dressed it up like a shooter. Dragon Age is a different beast. It is an old school RPG to the core with modern sounds, voice, and graphics.

If you’re expecting a hack and slash, 20 hour-long, dragon killing party than this isn’t the game you want. If you want 100 hours of rewarding, strategy based combat and intense dialog than Dragon Age: Origins is the game you want.

Keep gaming people!

Dragon Age: Playstation 3 release date

The PS3 Version of the game will be available on the 3rd of November. The same date the PC and xbox 360 versions of the game. It’s a good time for Sony fanboys.

Keep on gaming people!

2 new Dragon Age Trailers

Just a couple of things I want to say real quick about this.

Thing one: I find it odd to advertise DLC before the game even launches, although I guess it’s good to know it’s there before you buy it.

Thing two: I think the DLC that comes with the game is an odd way to deter pirates and second hand sales. I think it might work better than some methods, but I still find it odd.

Keep downloading content people!

Dragon Age: Gameplay Videos

Dragon Age: Graphics

Dragon Age: Origins Combat

Ah, more on my new obsession, Dragon Age. Let’s take a look today at some of the stuff on the screen.

DA will be using the Eclipse engine which is a new engine developed by Bioware. Here’s the system requirements so you can all go upgrade your machines before the game comes out:

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 greater
RAM: 1.5 GB or more
Video: ATI Radeon X1550 256MB or greater
NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT 256MB or greater
DVD ROM (Physical copy)
20 GB HD space

Recommended Specifications
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.4Ghz Processor or equivalent
AMD Phenom II X3 Triple-Core 2.8 GHz or greater
RAM: 4 GB (Vista) or 2 GB (XP)
Video: ATI 3850 512 MB or greater
NVIDIA 8800GTS 512 MB or greater
DVD ROM (Physical copy)
20 GB HD space

I’m gonna need a bigger hard drive for this 20 GB Behemoth.

The PC version of the game uses a UI simaler to Baldur’s Gate, while the console version uses a radial menu system. The graphics good on a console but better on PC from what I hear. DA is a PC lead developed game which means PC comes first, then it’s scaled down and tweaked for the consoles. Which is fine by me because I can play it on my beast at home while others can still enjoy the game on their 360 arcade hooked up to a 19″ television from the 90’s.

Keep on gaming people!

Dragon Age: Violence

Dragon Age isn't holding anything back

The ESRB has given Dragon Age an intense violence rating. The ESRB web site for Dragon Age says “Players use swords, axes, knives, and magic to attack enemies that react to damage by emitting splashes of red blood; pools of blood are occasionally depicted near dead bodies as well. The most intense instances of violence occur when players have the option to kill non-combatant civilians: A prisoner can be stabbed to death in order to steal a key; a merchant who overcharges refugees can be slashed in the throat; and a boy possessed by an evil demon can be killed off-screen.”

Dragon Age: WTF?

I am a nerd.

I like video games.

I like roleplaying games.

I want Dragon Age now!

But wait! What is it?!

Look no further for info on Dragon Age: Origins. I am about to unleash a whirlwind of information that will satisfy your need to know.  DA was first Announced at E3 2004, so it’s been awhile. Sometimes we hear so much about a game that we forget it’s actually a game and not an ongoing news story.

Dragon Age: Origins is an RPG currently in development by the guys over at BioWare, the makers of such great games as Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect, and Jade Empire. The big cheese (sometimes called a CEO) over at BioWare, Ray Muzyka, has said that DA will be the spiritual successor to the Baldur’s Gate Series. Which means that it’s not a direct sequel to the game but it will carry on the games feel and spirit.

DA is being released on November 3 for PC and Xbox 360. A release date for the PS3 is set for November 17.

I can’t wait.

Keep reading people!

Origins of Dragon Age

Just a heads up that over the next week or so i’ll be doing a complete look at the upcoming Bioware RPG, Dragon Age: Origins. I’ll be coming at it with all the details from start to finish if as if no one had heard of it before now. That way we’ll all be up to speed and ready for this game when it comes out. Hopefully it lives up to my expectations.

Mass Effect: Finished

I just finished playing Mass Effect and wanted to break it down for all you folks.

The good news:

The graphics are excellent and it made me glad I took lots of screen shots. The music sets the mood perfectly and everyone should own the soundtrack. The story writer should be given some type of award for not sucking, which tends to happen to often in video games. The pacing of the game made it feel like an episodic mini-series rather than a thirty hour long movie, which is good for those of us who play games in two or three hour chunks. You get to have sex.

The bad news:

The animation at times seemed a little clunky. The side missions we’re not that fun usually and seemed like they were added so Bioware could promise ten extra hours of content. I could only have three people in my party, which I understand is good for gameplay reasons, but it would have been awesome for all my team to kill Saren in the end. I never got a chance to fly the Normandy or have a space battle. And the most tragic thing of all is Mass Effect 2 isn’t out yet.

Keep fighting aliens people!