Tag: bioware

New Dragon Age DLC Lets You Command Darkspawn

Darkspawn ChroniclesLast year, Dragon Age Origins stood out to me as one of the better RPG experiences I’ve had this gen. Even though there were parts of it that frustrated me, overall it was a really solid game that created a rich world with a vibrant history. It was everything I want from a fantasy game. Of course, now that I’ve played Mass Effect 2, I know that there are even better things to come, but the game still deserves its due.

So imagine my delight when I saw that even more DLC is coming to the Bioware RPG in the form of something we haven’t quite seen before. The new DLC, Darkspawn Chronicles, let’s you play as the Darkspawn vanguard attacking Denerim at the end of the game proper. It lets you explore an alternate history, one where the Grey Warden is killed and you get to see (and play) what happens when the bad guys win.

I think that has to be some of the more unique DLC that I’ve heard of so far. While I haven’t played Awakening yet, this seems like something that is also worthy of a purchase, especially at only 5 big ones. So what do you guys think of this idea? Should more games dabble in alternate history and endings via DLC?

Source- Bioware

The Addictive Nature of Gaming

Video Game AddictionIt’s 3 o’clock in the morning. My eyes are heavy like somebody has tied weights to them. I can feel them starting to droop, but I don’t care. Who cares if I have work in the morning? What does it matter if I’m running on empty with only the blinding light of my TV casting dark shadows about the living room? I’m just trying to get to the next boss. Trying to reach the next level. Trying to grab that upgrade. Wanting to get another headshot.

Whatever the reason for doing this to ourselves, we’ve all done it at one point or another. And while it may not always be the lure of a soft pillow to sleep on, we’ve all blown off plenty of things to do just a little bit more in a game we love or loathe. Sometimes it’s a girlfriend, a spouse, a job, a duty, or a social activity. They’re all just different suits that represent the same thing: distractions.

And the thing that is really odd to me, is that I don’t really do this with my other hobbies. There are plenty of other things that I love to do, besides playing videogames. I write, play guitar, watch movies, read books, hang out with friends. But none of those things make me think about them when I’m gone to the level that a Final Fantasy does. Or a Call of Duty. Or anything in Bioware’s library. So what makes videogaming so different than everything else?
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Best Lines of Mass Effect 1 and 2

It’s no great secret that I am a massive nerd for anything related to Mass Effect. As far as video game franchises go, it’s one of my favorite, and ranks among some of the most well thought and planned universes that has ever existed in gaming. Yes, that is quite a lofty claim but I will knife fight a person about it. Truly.

Anyway, if you don’t want any spoilers for the Mass Effect games, I’d say to stay away from this new video. However, there aren’t really any plot spoilers per se, just spoilers about some of the game’s awesome writing and unique brand of humor, all edited together to showcase the best lines of the two Mass Effect games. Pure hilarity.

Bee tee dubya, I want that Shepard’s facial hair.

Are Games Emotionally Engaging?

Mass Effect 2One phrase that we have been hearing a lot lately from the videogame industry is the idea of making our current gaming stories more engaging in terms of emotion. Doing something like this seems to be one of the last great barriers in the minds of game makers, considering what the technology of their platforms can do.

Specifically, Bioware is the company speaking about this most of all. In a recent interview with Kotaku, company manager Ray Muzyka shared Bioware’s vision statement. Namely, to “create, deliver and evolve the most emotionally engaging gaming experiences in the world”. The article goes on to talk about character development and progression, and how Bioware aims to create these feelings in all of their franchises.

The problem with this? As good as Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins were, I don’t know if I ever felt “emotionally engaged” at any point of the stories. Sure, there were characters I was crazy attached to, and moments that took my breath away or dropped my jaw- many of those, in fact. But I wouldn’t say that there was any point that hit me like moments of Final Fantasy VII, IX, X, or Shadow of the Colossus, and those are all from previous generations. To me, it’s odd that developers are still trying to hit this, but to me it comes down to the writing.

So what about you guys? Do you find that games are emotionally engaging enough? What games have you played that have done that for you?

Source- Kotaku

Mass Effect 2 Says “Tanks” For the Memories

I’ve been replaying Mass Effect one recently so I can import a character over to the sequel, something I wasn’t able to do on my three play-throughs (quiet, Eddy). For those of you who may not be familiar with the mechanics of importing versus not importing a legacy Shepard, the game assumes that you made certain decisions, all of which follow the Renegade path, something I don’t usually do in moral choice games.

While Mass Effect one still holds up, one thing that’s really getting to me are the Mako driving sections. That armored personnel carrier handles like a hyper-active child throwing his Hot Wheels around, and I’ve gotten stuck in narrow canyons more times than I care to mention. While I may hate the Mako with a passion, the good folks over at BioWare have decided to give the old wheeled vehicle a make-over and transform it into a hovering tank. Watch the tank in action in the following video:

Pretty slick, if you ask me. Looks like BioWare solved all the complaints with the Mako, which were mostly concerning handling and the occasional problem of not being able to aim properly due to wonky terrain. Most of us have probably finished our ME2 campaigns by now, but who’s going to jump back in and give the “Firewalker” DLC pack a try? It’s coming out late March free for Cerberus members, and those who didn’t buy the game new will have to pay $15USD to join the Network.

Review: Mass Effect 2

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OK, word of warning first: this review might contain words that, when strung together to form a sentence, may or may not become spoilers. You’ve been warned.

If you’ve been paying attention to the pre-release hype for Mass Effect 2, one thing that BioWare was constantly touting is this: your Commander Shepard can die. Not like the cheap video game deaths where you re-load a save and try again, but permanent death. This applies to all members of your party, and you’re constantly reminded of your mortality as Mass Effect 2 progresses. The Grim Reaper is waiting for you out in the reaches of space. Will you sacrifice yourself to save humanity or will you pull through against impossible odds?

Death comes repeatedly for Commander Shepard, though, who gets turned into space dust by a brutal surprise attack in the opening moments of the game. Not one to let a little incineration put him down, Shepard’s body is recovered by shadowy pro-human black-ops group Cerberus, headed up by the Illusive Man, ably voiced by Martin Sheen. It seems that after you saved galactic society at large two years prior, the threats presented by the Reapers, sentient machines that harvest all life in the galaxy every 50,000 years, have been swept under the rug. Only Cerberus knows who the true enemy is, and they’ve brought you back to deal with them.
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Impressions: Mass Effect 2

We don’t always write impressions of games that we’re currently playing, but I figured since 15 people on my friends list last night were playing Mass Effect 2, I’d start a little thread about it.

As you all know, I’m a pretty big Bioware fan. I don’t know what it is, but something about their games just grab me in a way other games don’t. With most games, I have to take a break every couple of hours or so. With Mass Effect 2, I played it for 7 hours straight without a break once I got home from work…

So I guess that means I like the game. A lot. I still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface, story wise. Perhaps that’s because I spent over an hour scanning planets for raw materials and looking for sidequests, maybe. I hesitate to gush over the game too much, because admittedly, for the first hour or two I was terribly confused. Gone were many of the RPG elements I loved from the first game. But with them, the awful item management system, confusing menus and cumbersome weapon/armor load-outs. The game is an extremely simplified version of the first, and my worry when I loaded it up and got into the action was that it was much too simple.
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Mass Effect 2 Launch Trailer is Epic

I’m looking forward to January 26 with more than a little bit of trepidation because I’m seriously worried about what Mass Effect 2 will do to my life. The more excited I get about a game the more sponge-like I become, absorbing as much information as I can until I burst at the seams with hype and PR speak. Since the game comes out next week, I think this is the last in the deluge of videos that have been put out for this title. Sit back and enjoy Mass Effect 2’s launch trailer.

So, who else is getting this game, and for what system? I’m also curious to know if you’re going to pick up the Collector’s Edition. I certainly will.

Fake Dragon Age DLC Trailer is Hilarious

One thing that makes PC gaming great: the ability to infuse new life into a gaming via the modding community. In what I hope to be the first of many Dragon Age: Origins releases, a new DLC trailer is available that showcases some hilarious tweaks made to the game and how it’s played.

Not only is this a look into what is available to modders, it also showcases some of the machinima tools available to users. I really can’t wait to see more of what people come up with. I’d have to say my favorite portion is the Morrigan slapping, as well as mastering “the taint”. Do watch this. Now.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDeawqKzEVM[/youtube]

Dragon Age Awakening Officially Announced

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EA and BioWare have gone on record numerous times stating that the eminent Western RPG crafter’s sci-fi and fantasy epics, Dragon Age and Mass Effect 2, are going to receive a lot of post-release content that will give the titles significant longevity. Ergo, Dragon Age has already seen day-one DLC, another piece of content that was set to be released today, and now a full fledged disc-based expansion coming in March.

Last year (it already sounds so far behind, doesn’t it?), product listings from New Zealand hinted at the arrival of a new Dragon Age title, but not something that would be available for download. Dragon Age: Origins: Awakening looks to be to Dragon Age what ODST was to Halo 3 but much, much sooner and a lot less brief in game-play length. The expansion will run about fifteen hours and will allow players to import and edit their character from the main game. The setting of the expansion will be a new nation called Amaranthine and the Warden will face off against a terrible foe known as The Architect. Somehow, I imagine an older gentleman sitting in a room lined with crystal balls, but that’s just me.

So, who’s excited about this? My Dragon Age play-through was very slap dash, and I’ve kind of been feeling guilty about how quickly I burned through it. With Mass Effect 2 coming up soon, I want to get another campaign under my belt before I shift to sci-fi, and the upcoming Awakening expansion has got me interested. What about you guys?

Source: Kotaku

Review: Dragon Age: Origins

dragon-ageDragon Age: Origins is the newest RPG epic from Bioware, creators of other notable titles such as Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire and Mass Effect. Their newest game takes things a little more old school, returning the quest programmers back to the days of yore, where dungeons waited to be crawled and dragons were there for the slaying. The studio has repeatedly said that Dragon Age: Origins was always a spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate, and they weren’t kidding. But is it any good?

Yes. Yes it is. Very good, in fact. This may spoil the rest of the review for you, but Dragon Age: Origins is simply one of the better RPG experiences in this generation.
Continue reading Review: Dragon Age: Origins

The Frustrated Gamer

dragon-ageOver the weekend, I did something I tend to do whenever I am slapped in the mouth with a good RPG: I played the junk out of it. The culprit this time around was Dragon Age: Origins, and I seriously jumped in to the thing completely, putting about 20 hours or more in within just a few days. This typically happens with Bioware games. Funny how that works out.

Anyway, last night I stay up particularly late because I sense that at 60 hours of play time, I’m nearing the game’s end. So, I make my preparations, I tackle the awesome final battle, and I get to the best part of any RPG- the last boss, which in this case, is a rather sweet demon/dragon. I battled long and hard, and ultimately, smote my foe. At this point, I kick back, and I get ready for the ending of the game (of which there are 4 possible).

About a minute into it, suddenly, my game freezes. Just like that. Right in the middle of the load screen. At this point, I’m annoyed and tired, but I decide that it’s not that big of a deal. So, I reload the final boss fight, which takes a few minutes, and prepare to do battle again. Now, this boss fight is no walk in the park. It takes about 10-15 minutes. Well, halfway through the second attempt, my game freezes again. I threw the controller down in frustration and went to bed.

So now, I’m tired and have not finished Dragon Age. The worst of both worlds. When’s the last time you guys felt this kind of frustration when gaming? Go!

Mass Effect 2 Roster Expands With An Old Friend

Today is Thanksgiving down in the USA, a holiday where we all take the time to reflect on things we’re grateful for by shoving our faces full of flightless fowl and pumpkin pie. Of course, me being Canadian, today is just a regular day (besides the fact that I’m home sick), but that doesn’t mean I can’t be appreciative. One thing I’m thankful for is that it’s only two short months until Mass Effect 2 comes out and officially kills my social life. Seriously, this game is still looking quite good, and the “Empire Strikes Back” feel BioWare is striving for has really gotten my motor running. In this new video for the upcoming sci-fi RPG, we’re re-introduced to Tali, the soft-spoken quarian crew member from the first game. It looks like there’s some political unrest among the nomadic race, and Commander Shepard’s right in the middle of it.

So, what’s your opinion on Mass Effect 2 so far? Is it going to be a sure-fire purchase for 2010, or are there other games that are vying for your attention? Just for fun, what game-related stuff were you most thankful for in 2009? Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it!

Waiting for Dragons

dragon-ageTomorrow marks the release of Dragon Age: Origins and I honestly couldn’t be more excited. Through the recent release of the new Wheel of Time book, the Gathering Storm and Bioware’s new RPG tomorrow, I suddenly have a plethora of fantasy world experiencing to do.

I have to say that I’m a bit surprised by just how pumped I am for Dragon Age. It makes me realize just how long it’s been since I’ve played a really solid RPG. So far, the reviews are giving it great scores and my anticipation is at an all time high on the eve of release. I’m not sure what it is about a good RPG that gets my blood going, but whatever it is, Dragon Age has stoked that fire as well.

What about you guys? What game left on the holiday schedule are you jonesing for? And just for kicks, who else is in to fantasy? Got a favorite series?

Dragon Age: Origins Sacred Ashes Trailer

If there was a technical term in the video game industry that was the equivalent of what it would be like to have mind boners, then this new trailer for Dragon Age: Origins comes dangerously close to producing this effect in me. It’s hard to necessarily quantify how badass this trailer is in words, so I’ll just let you guys do the watching. Needless to say, there are dragons in this fantasy game, and it’s something that’s been sorely missing from my favorite pastime.

Who else is getting this game on November 3rd? I’ll be first in line.

Mass Effect 2 Demo From PAX

Man, this seems like it was the year to go to PAX in Seattle. If you didn’t know, the huge gaming convention happened last weekend. I went last year, but was unable to attend this year, and I had to avoid the news because it was just going to make me depressed, hungry and angry. Yes, all three of those.

One of the big games that I wish I could have seen in person was Mass Effect 2. Bioware was rocking a nice demo from the game, and you can watch it in all its glory. Who else is getting ridiculously anxious for this game, due early next year? Just me? Ok then.

BioWare Weighs in on Video Game Piracy

vgpriacy

I think that we can all agree that piracy sucks. The worst aspect of this type of digital high seas shenanigans is that companies are forced to punish legitimate customers to make sure that their games are harder to pirate. Most recently, EA tried to regulate piracy by forcing all copies of their games to include SecuROM, possibly the most draconian form of copy-protection currently available (with the notable exception of the Sony BMG CD copyright scandal).

The most infamous of the SecuROM stories was that of EA’s Spore, Will Wright’s procedurally-generated creature creator simulator from last year. The digital lock-down on Spore enforced a three-install limit upon the game, much to the lament of the internet savvy. As a result of this heavy-handed maneuver, Spore ended up being the most pirated game of 2008 with over 1.7 million downloads.

So, what did the games industry take away from this horrendous back-fire?
Continue reading BioWare Weighs in on Video Game Piracy

Dragon Age: Origins Character Creation

For whatever reason, I keep forgetting that Dragon Age: Origins exists and that it’s actually coming out in November. While the most impressive thing I’ve seen from the game was at PAX last year, I’m still convinced it’ll be a blast to play. I mean, heck, it’s Bioware, and they’ve yet to lead me wrong. Those dudes even just released a bit of the character customization, including some glimpses at the ability tree. Nothing super exciting, but it definitely whets my appetite for more of the game. Anyone else interested?

GamerSushi Top Six: Freed Franchises

freedomWell folks, it’s time for another GamerSushi Top Six, where Anthony and I dissect the gaming world and come up with a list of six spectacular things. Why six? Because six sells. Our feature this week even has a holiday theme.

In the spirit of Independence Day, when us Americans threw off the shackles of tyranny by some other snooty country that nobody even remembers the name of, we have compiled a dream list of franchises that could be liberated from their current developers and sent to live with someone who will treat them in a way they’ve never been treated before.
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Star Wars: The Old Republic Timeline Trailer 3

Bioware needs to stop teasing me about this game that I can not and must not allow myself to play. Star Wars: The Old Republic, as an MMO, would probably be the end of my social life as I know it, but I can’t help but watch these awesome trailers and hold down my excitement. The newest trailer is yet another glimpse of the timeline of the new game, this time chronicling the rise of the new Mandalore. Nerdy and awesome? You bet.