Dragon Age: Origins was one of our game’s of the year from 2009, so it’s understandable that, when given more of the same just a few months later in the form of an expansion, we would be pretty pleased with it. That’s not to say this is as good as the original game, as there are reasons to like it less, but what is here is worth playing if you enjoyed the original, as it expands on the Dragon Age universe and allows you to return to doing what you liked best about Origins: slicing Darkspawn into itty bitty pieces.

Awakening allows you to build a new character from scratch–an Orlesian Grey Warden commander come to aid Ferelden–or import one of your Origins characters with their equipment, statistics and abilities in place. Personally, I enjoyed taking charge of my previous character more than using the new one, as Awakening is a 15-20 hour expansion, and not a 40 hour epic–reacquainting yourself with former companions and others you met on your adventure has more meaning than if you meet them with a brand new face, but that’s a personal preference. The tie-ins are also stronger if you import a character, since some of your past information is used within the game as well as in the endings, though it’s not as strong a correlation as in say, Mass Effect 2.

You have new abilities that you unlock past level 20, which means your strategy from the previous title has the ability to adapt and change to meet your new needs and to keep things fresh for you. There’s also an (almost) entirely new cast for you to befriend (or aggravate–up to you really). The one returning character was a favorite of mine who I felt wasn’t fleshed out enough in Origins, so it’s good to see that Awakening rectifies that by cranking his/her personality up to 11 and letting him/her loose. Also, as a Grey Warden commander, you now have the right of conscription, so if you meet an angry individual that you would like to be in the Wardens, and they want no part of it, then their other option is death. Have fun toying with people’s lives!

The basis of the story is that you are now (SPOILERS if you haven’t played Origins, but if you haven’t, what are you doing here instead of waiting in line at the store to get it?) that you are now the Grey Warden commander in charge of the now deceased Arl Howe’s lands. You have to govern the people there (some of whom want you dead for your part in the death of Howe) as well as protect the citizenry in both the farmlands or the city–it’s up to you to distribute the troops to where you think they are needed most. You have an economic advisor who you can listen to or ignore as well–again, it’s up to you. If you upgrade Vigil’s Keep to its full potential though, you will see the effects of your handiwork when the time is right and appreciate what you have done. As for story-changing decisions, outside of choices you can make with individual characters there is really just one major moment, but for a very focused expansion that’s not much of a surprise, even for a BioWare title.

The Darkspawn have not fled for the Deep Roads, as they always do after a Blight, and they seem even more organized now than they were when an Archdemon was leading them. It turns out they do have a new leader pulling the strings, and this leader, like many of the Darkspawn you encounter, can now talk–picture an Orc with a working brain, and you would be on the right track. Since Darkspawn were enough of a threat already before they were capable of organization, sneak attacks and strategy, you need to get to the bottom of things before all of Ferelden is faced with something even worse than a Blight.

While the lack of major plot decisions isn’t a turn-off for Awakenings, the lack of conversation with your party members is. They only talk to you if they have something to say–you aren’t going to be exploring their psyche, poking and prodding at them like you did in Origins. While on the field they are all business, and don’t have time to talk to you. One of the characters even just groans and says you’re like a nagging child every time you try to speak to her. While back at camp, they talk to you, but again, only if they have something to say–you can’t just go up and explore the character through conversation like you could in Origins. It’s a shame, and kept me from feeling as connected to certain party members, whereas in Origins, conversations allowed me to take a liking to characters that, based on my first impressions, I would never have bothered to use in battle or on the field.

Because of the lack of plot twists though–meaning that, outside of completing or not completing sidequests, there isn’t much differentiation between playthroughs–Awakening also does not have the replayability of Origins. My best advice would be to use your favorite character from Origins, and maybe play through again as the Orlesian commander, but, if anything, you’ll just want to play Origins again after completing Awakening. As an expansion of the brand, it certainly succeeds, but it’s not as successful of a standalone product as Origins, despite being better than all of the DLC released for that title thus far.

Blast Factor: If you were a fan of Dragon Age: Origins, then this is a necessary purchase that expands the Dragon Age universe and gives you another reason to return to the lands you’ve defended once before. If you weren’t sold on the idea of Dragon Age before, this game will not change your mind. It doesn’t have the same replay value as Origins, but it’s definitely worth at least one playthrough for fans of the franchise.

Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening is available on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC, and retails for $39.99. A copy of this game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes.

Maybe you haven’t played BioWare’s epic role-playing-game “Dragon Age: Origins” yet, or maybe you have a ton of free time penciled in on your schedule. If either are the case, I highly recommend picking up the game today, as it is Amazon’s Deal Of The Day.

The going rate for today, or until stock evaporates, is $39.99 on Xbox 360 and PS3 or a slightly cheaper $34.99 for PC.

We played and loved it. So, by the transitive property, you should too. That’s how math works, right?

Dragon Age: Origins Cheap On Amazon

BioWare is primed and ready to unleash the “Awakening” $40 downloadable content for its role-playing-game “Dragon Age: Origins,” but first, don’t you want to see what it looks like?

The studio revealed this gameplay/cutscene trailer on last night’s GameTrailers TV episode and proves that all the blood you spilled and enemies you slaughtered, pales in comparison to what’s next.

For a game with arguably hundreds of hours of gameplay, it’s hard to not report on Best Buy selling BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins for a very attractive $30.

That’s right, the game we played and loved, is selling this week for half off thanks to Best Buy slapping the starting price down to $39.99 and a $10 coupon below.

To bask in the savings you have to be a RewardZone Gamers’ Club member (and a RewardZone member), which are both free to sign up for and print out this $10 off coupon to bring the game’s price down to $30.

Source: Slickdeals

You heard all about Dragon Age’s first genuine batch of $40 downloadable content this morning, but now, via this glorious BioWare-produced trailer, you get a look into the fright, excitement, and danger, the expansion will offer when it arrives for PS3, PC and Xbox 360 March 16.

Electronic Arts and BioWare today ended speculation and officially announced, priced, and dated the first genuine expansion to the epic RPG “Dragon Age: Origins.”

Dubbed “Awakening,” this downloadable content will require the DAO disc, and  an additional $39.99 from your wallet when it comes to PS3, Xbox 360 and PC March 16.

According to the press release, the DLC is set after the events of Dragon Age Origins in Amaranthine where players will assume the role of a Grey Warden attempting to restore order. Outside this task, gamers will fight new enemies Inferno Golem, Spectral Dragon and a “mysterious foe that calls itself the “Architect.”

Best of all, perhaps, is that the DLC raises the level cap of the game,provides new abilities, spells, specializations and items for players to amass, and affords you oh so many more hours to sit in front of the screen.

Additionally, with Awakening, players can import and revise their characters and can even create a new Warden from the land of Orlais and will have five new party members available to recruit for the perilous journey.

BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka said, about Awakening–

“Dragon Age: Origins — Awakening shows BioWare’s commitment to our fans by delivering new story-driven experiences which enrich the dark heroic fantasy universe our fans have come to know and love. The vibrant worldwide community of Dragon Age fans will relish uncovering the secret motivations of the darkspawn, revealing how the darkspawn continue to infest the world despite the defeat of the Archdemon.”

$40 is a lot, lot, lot of money. That may not sit well with gamers. We’ll see. Internet, what do you think?

]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/gaming/gaming-news/dragon-age-origins-first-expansion-awakening-announced/feed/ 5 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/gaming/gaming-news/dragon-age-dlc-video/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/gaming/gaming-news/dragon-age-dlc-video/#comments Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:26:50 +0000 Eddie Makuch http://blastmagazine.com/?p=36174

Electronic Arts and BioWare earlier this week detailed the freshest batch of extra content headed to the world of Dragon Age, but until today, we’ve only heard and haven’t seen.

Here, we can fix that. Spotted on EA France’s Youtube account, was this trailer for “Return to Ostagar,” the DLC headed to Xbox 360 and PC January 5 and PS3 “later in the month.”

If the hundreds of hours the main story arc in Dragon Age Origins isn’t or wasn’t enough for you, Electronic Arts and developer BioWare today revealed new DLC for the game for all the Darkspawn-slaying you can foam at the mouth for.

Just one of the beasties you'll slay in the new DLC

Dubbed “Return to Ostagar,” this batch of DLC, due out Jan 5. for Xbox 360 and PC, and “later on in January” for PS3, takes players back to “exact their revenge and embark on a quest for the mighty arms and armor of the once great King Cailan when they revisit Ostagar, the site of the Grey Wardens’ darkest hour.”

Sounds like heaps of fun. Better yet, the downloadable content will only set you back 400 MS Points/$4.99 when it releases on your system of preference.

For those of you who have already played Dragon Age: Origins, you know that Ostagar is the site of a great tragedy that helps shape the narrative of the entire game. You could never go back there during your time with the disc-based version of the title, but now, with the Return to Ostagar DLC pack, you will be able to learn more about the events at Ostagar, fleshing out the story of Dragon Age and Ferelden even further.

"We are very proud of the phenomenal launch of Dragon Age: Origins and we’re pleased to announce the next installment of downloadable content that will be available to fans of the game," said Ray Muzyka, Group General Manager, RPG/MMO Group of EA, and Co-Founder, BioWare. "The Return to Ostagar DLC pack is a prime example of BioWare’s commitment to give fans a game that continuously offers new experiences and further enriches a storyline that has already received critical acclaim and positive feedback from the players."

The first two packs of DLC were solid additions to Dragon Age–you picked up some exclusive items and abilities, and also got a chance to earn some more experience for your party, something that’s definitely useful on harder difficulties. I won’t turn my nose up at more of DLC, especially at a $4.99 price point. It gives me an excuse to go in with both of my characters too, especially since they play and act so differently. There’s no set date yet, but it’s releasing this holiday–somewhat vague, but at least we know it’s soon.

A sidebar poll on the world’s second biggest Web site, Facebook, reveals almost an equal breakdown between Xbox 360 and PC Dragon Age: Origins gamers.

The number of respondents I believe was in excess of 28,000. See, I voted “Xbox360″ then hit “show results” and the number of participants sadly disappeared upon refresh. I guess Facebook is smart to not show me a poll I’ve already voted in.

Anyway, what does this data show us? First off, PS3 is getting its cute little backside kicked, but also that the parity between Xbox 360 and PC is significant, unlike many multiplatform titles out there today.

Anyone who spots this poll on the ‘ole Fbook, please pass the participation figures along and I’ll update the story.

“Epic” is a word that can just be tossed around sometimes, often on items that don’t necessarily deserve it. Dragon Age: Origins is not one such product, as it has the feel of a true epic; it’s an engrossing experience that warrants attention and not just one playthrough, but multiple ones. This is a very deep title, in ways you may not comprehend your first time through, but will come to appreciate as you play again and realize just how much more there is to do than you thought. That’s a good thing too, as BioWare has designed this game to be played multiple times in various ways before you ever discover all of the content that it hides. Will you get your money’s worth if you just want to play through once though? In short, yes; that’s part of the beauty of the game and it’s world, as you will get what you put into it back.

Dragon Age: Origins takes place in Ferelden, a land that is suffering at the hands of the Darkspawn. The Darkspawn were created by mages that sought to step foot in the Golden City of heaven; they became twisted, hideous creatures that stole men and women from their homes, killing and burning everywhere they went in their attempt to rid the world of all races. They were held back by the dwarves, since they made their home in the underground, but eventually the Grey Wardens, a force of knights, mages, rogues and anyone else that can wield a weapon that was made up of all races, helped push the Darkspawn back, ending the Blight. They failed to kill the Archdemon though, and now the Darkspawn and a potential Blight loom once again on Ferelden–this is where you find yourself at the start of the game.

Well, once you go through your origin story anyways. While many games, especially in the genre that Dragon Age is in, allow you to create your character, make them male or female and whatever race you would like, be it elf, dwarf, or human, none allows you the kind of backstory and full-on immersion of Dragon Age. There is a backstory for each character class–the human noble, the city elf, the forest elf, the mage, the two types of dwarf, one casteless, the other not. For the magi, you can pick either human or elf as well, and any of these characters can be male or female. The origin story gives your character a true backstory, making them a part of Ferelden and the Dragon Age universe, rather than just giving you some character you created with a stock history that never changes.

Each of these origin quests is a few hours long, and the game will treat you differently depending on what you pick. I won’t spoil anything for you, but here are some generalizations: as a human noble, you will have a score to settle later in the game that originated early on, but if you happened to pick an Elven mage, you can face the same scenario later without that emotional, personal element to it. On the other hand, you will have your own prejudices to deal with as not just a mage, but as an elf, as they are looked down upon in a racist manner in Ferelden, so it’s not like you miss out by picking one over the other. It just means that to experience all that Dragon Age has to offer, you will have to test out these different angles. Hell, if you don’t want to play through the entire game again, at worst you picked up another 12-15 hours of gameplay just so you can learn all of the different backgrounds playing through the origins, expanding on the world that BioWare has created.

It’s quite the world, too. It’s deep beyond belief, especially for an original property and the first in what may turn out to be a franchise. The characters–good, bad, and everything in between–are believable. There are no mustache twirling villains in Ferelden, tying innocent girls to railroad tracks–these are people with legitimate beliefs and ideas, and you may agree with them, you may not. Also, even those you think are pure and pious may have a hidden history that you can uncover, should you choose to do so–it’s certainly not a world focusing just on the black and white. You will pick up many documents, books and notes along the way, each of which will be added to your Codex. The Codex is a collection of those aforementioned items, plus information on enemies, friends, foes, towns, kings, history, the Wardens, the magi–you name it, it is in the codex. You could, no exaggeration, spend hours reading everything that the Codex holds. You get the impression that Dragon Age wanted to create this believable world with a full history, much like Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings novels and expanded works. They very much succeed, and in many ways that I don’t want to spoil here. Just know that if you’ve got a love for fantasy, you will adore the world created by BioWare.

Los Angeles-rockers Thirty Seconds to Mars are the headline act on the Dragon Age: Origins soundtrack, BioWare and Electronic Arts announced today.

The group’s new album, “THIS IS WAR” doesn’t release until December 8, but we know you. You care not for calendars and their silly numbers because you can hear it today, in the game!

“EA has always had a forward-thinking relationship with Thirty Seconds to Mars and we are overwhelmed with excitement about the band’s involvement and creative contribution to Dragon Age: Origins,” said Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Music Marketing at EA. “This exciting song debut exemplifies our continued commitment to working with great bands that move the needle to where music is going.”

“We always like to push the envelope in the entertainment and media space and debuting our title track in a game of this caliber is a great way to communicate our music to fans around the world,” said Jared Leto, lead singer of Thirty Seconds to Mars. “We’ve come a long way from having to rely solely on radio to approach and engage music fans, and Dragon Age: Origins is the perfect game to do this with.”

If you picked up a copy of Dragon Age Origins for PC, PS3, or Xbox 360 already played the game, you probably already heard the tune, but for those who haven’t, BioWare and 30 Seconds compiled this trailer, showing you all you’re missing.

Dragon Age Origins is hitting shelves November 3rd (that’s this Tuesday), so to get you nice and ready for it here are some combat themed screens for you. You get a look at the heroes taking on spiders, sloth demons and ambushes from hordes of the undead.

If you like the screens, check out the Warden’s Quest. It’s going on right now, so go and check it out!

The dark, evil, and twisted worlds of Dragon Age: Origins are inhabited with some of the most fiendish and gruesome creatures video games have ever known.

These darkspawn, and otherwordly creatures will likely burn in your retinas and haunt your dreams when the game releases on Xbox 360, PC, and PS3 Nov. 3, but today we get a sneak peak into how the creations went from concept to actualization.

The series has two parts and can be viewed below.

BioWare and Electronic Arts are really doing all they can to promote the upcoming epic role-playing-game “Dragon Age Origins.”

First the team revealed that the PS3 version of the title will release alongside its Xbox 360 and PC counterparts Nov. 3, and now this.

To celebrate the launch of the long-awaited title, BioWare threw together 10 teams of four players each, from across the globe, and on Oct. 28, the groups will set out on the “Dragon Age: Origins Wardens’ Quest” in hopes of taking home the top prize; $12,500 for each member!

“We’re extremely excited about the Dragon Age: Origins Wardens’ Quest “" it’s going to be an awesome chance for gamers to band together to prove they’re the best at navigating the world of Dragon Age” said Mark Darrah, Executive Producer, Dragon Age: Origins. “In the game, putting together a strong team is essential to success – In the same way the overall strength of the competing teams will decide who walks away with the money.”

The ten teams, hailing the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands and Belgium, Spain, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and a “specially selected team comprised of the most loyal BioWare fans from around the world,” will duke it in London, England Oct. 28 in a grand hall with what BioWare is calling a “grandiose setting” to play the game.

No mention was made in the press release of just what the quest entails, and subsequently how the teams will be judged, only that “screens will be used to display leader board stats and show highlights” But when information becomes available, BioWare promises it’ll be posted at the official contest page.

Anyone ever pull an all-nighter to play a game?

Hey PlayStation 3 RPG fans, BioWare comes bearing great news.

The developer today revealed that Dragon Age: Origins, the hotly anticipated role-playing-game will arrive two weeks early on PS3 and will launch the same day as its PC and Xbox 360 counterparts.

BioWare’s Ray Muzyka also spoke about the European Dragon Age PS3 release, but only said that the company is “still working” on it, and that BioWare will “have an announcement on that shortly – still planned for some time a bit later in November.”

But really, why wait for something you can almost sort play right now?

Source: Kotaku

Since Dragon Age Origins is coming out November 3, here’s a new character reveal because we love you so much.

Oghren – a dwarf from the Warrior Caste. His wife, Branka, revolutionized the dwarf smelting process and was given the honorable title of Paragon, ensuring their place among the history of their ancestors. But Branka and her followers have vanished, leaving Oghren behind. Oghren is determined to find his wife and the reasons for her sudden departure and defection from the dwarves.

This profile paints a very interesting picture of what to expect for the game, so if you haven’t already, check out the Dragon Age: Origins website and pre-order your copy today! It’s available for PC, Xbox 360 and the PS3.

BioWare is running a contest that is sure to reward the people who use the Dragon Age forums. One lucky user will be flown out to London England and have access to play Dragon Age Origins before it’s out and also have a chance to win a share of 50,000 dollars. You can watch all the action on the Dragon Age Origins Live video stream on the forums, twitter or facebook. The contest runs through 11:00 am Central today and the event will occur on Wednesday October 28th fom 10 am GMT. So get on it! Check out their website to learn more.

BioWare launched a Dragon Age: Origins character creator and social site today for those looking to bask in the studio’s epic role-playing-game weeks before it hits.

According to the Web site, with the character creator, enthusiasts will be able to “create numerous different characters before launch and experiment with the different classes, races, and create multiple faces for the 6 Origin stories and save them to your hard drive for safe keeping until the game is released.”

Role-playing-games are long affairs and it’s easy to sink hours upon hours into them so it’s crucial to be playing a hero you know and love, and what better way to do so than to craft your own? What’s more, this move allows gamers to jump right into the action November 3 when the game releases.

Sadly, this service pertains exclusively to PC gamers intending to buy the game. Xbox 360 and PS3 owners will have to wait to build their avatar.

Additionally, BioWare launched a a new social Web site today that’ll allow them to upload screenshots, game data, and story information to share with community members. And this is for all platforms. Hooray!

Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator

Dragon Age: Origins Social Network

By now we know all about BioWare’s epic role-playing-game. We know its characters, we know its world, and we know its music, but today we get a look at one of the game’s bosses, the Brood Mother.

This bubbly mess of skin with teets out the wazoo is one hellish fiend and we can only imagine our future encounters with this lady.

Electronic Arts and BioWare told us all about their DLC plans for Dragon Age Origins this morning and the incentives behind new purchases, but now we get to see them all in action.

Trailers here are for the Blood Dragon Armor, Stone Prisoner, and Warden’s Keep DLC headed to Dragon Age Origins November 3.

And of note: the original story didn’t indicate that the Blood Dragon Armor can also be used in Mass Effect 2, because it can. Honestly, I thought it was a misprint. But alas, it is not, and you can actually wear the armor in both games. Watch the videos and it’ll all make sense.

When Dragon Age Origins launches next month there will be downloadable content available on day-one, but unlike the usual DLC, it’ll be free for those with a new copy of the game, and pricey for those without.

“The Stone Prisoner” introduces a new Golem charatcer to your party with an entire back-story and unique quests to embark upon. The DLC will be free, so long as you input the code in your new copy of the game, otherwise, it’s $15.

Additionally “The Warden’s Keep,” the second piece of content available at launch is comprised of a new “dungeon-exploring adventure, new loot including a set of ancient Grey Warden armor, a chance to gain two of six mysterious new abilities, a new base complete with merchants and a party chest to store their hard-earned items.” This content pack will be free for those purchasing the “Digital Deluxe Edition” but will cost everyone else $7.

Finally, the “Blood Dragon Armor” DLC has, you guessed it, armor in it. This themed set of armor will give players extra protection in combat and is free for those who purchased a new copy of the game.

What are we seeing here? Looks to me like a definite and aggresive push from a large publisher attempting to at best, weaken used game sales. Whether it works remains to be seen.

What about you? Would incentives like this convince you to buy a new copy?

BioWare’s latest foray into the role-playing-game universe, Dragon Age Origins, a title we’ve been watching for ages, is an ambitious project, even by BioWare’s standards.

The world is huge, the characters are wild, and the sound is beautiful, this much we know. But if you’re like me, and always need more more more information, the developer released a “making of” trailer for the game today, only furthering our excitement for the title.

In the trailer we’re shown just how BioWare went about creating the “living world” and all its fantasy elements with a great developer narrative guiding us through. Have a look.

BioWare today unveiled plans to release a character creator for their upcoming role-playing-game Dragon Age Origins on October 13.

According to the Dragon Age Origins website, with the creator you’ll be able to “create numerous different characters before launch and experiment with the different classes, races, and create multiple faces for the 6 Origin stories and save them to your hard drive for safe keeping until the game is released.”

I know when I play an RPG, a game I’ll be with for numerous hours, I want my character to live, breathe, and feel the way I want him to. With the character creator release a couple weeks before the game, I know I’ll have a damn-near perfect model for when I dig into Origins November 3.

Dragon Age: Origins, the epic role-playing-game from BioWare releases in a month, but today we’ve learned every last Xbox 360 Achievement to be earned in the game.

There are 50 achievements for a possible total Gamerscore of 1,000, but be warned, this list contains plot elements and thus spoilers, so read at your own risk.

The achievement list ranges from the mundane “Completed the Dwarf Noble origin story” to the orgasmic “Experienced the thrill of romance with Leliana” and three others of box sexes, though not at the same time..we think.

The list, leaked to Console Monster, also includes four end-game achievements worth a whopping 150 Gamerscore that are labeled “secret.” So we’ll have to wait until November 3 to find out.

Are you ready for BioWare’s latest massive and altogether epic role-playing-game “Dragon Age: Origins”? What with its high fantasy, more blood than you can stomach, and interesting characters, it looks like one hell of a package.

EA dropped some new screens today highlighting the game’s spells and the game’s fantasy element. Needless to say, the images are jaw-droppingly awesome. Have a look.

Click image to make super huge high-res.

Dragon Age Origins hits PS3/Xbox 360 and PC November 3.

Music in video games, particualrly the emotionally-heavy role-playing-game genre, is a very important facet of game design, and one that EA and BioWare seem to have mastered in their latest, “Dragon Age Origins.”

The team unleashed this video today detailing the game’s music as composed by legendary music-man Inon Zur.

Needless to say, this news, coupled with all we already know about the title through various “making of” videos and our chat with BioWare co-foundedr Dr. Greg Zeschuck at PAX, we’re very excited about this one. Look for Dragon Age Origins on PC and Xbox 360, and our review November 3.

BioWare today revealed the latest Dragon Age Origins character, Zevran, a man with a storied history and serious ambition in the world of Ferelden.

Born to a prostitute and sold to a guild of thieves, Zevran will play a key role in your quest to exterminate the blight and save humanity, or so the character description says.

Zevran joins the already announced and blood-thirsty Leliana in the growing cast of characters in Origins and needless to say, we’re very, very excited for this one.

Look for Dragon Age Origins on Xbox 360 and PS3, and our review, November 3.

Bioware announced today that Inon Zur has composed the score for their‚ upcoming game Dragon Age: Origins. ‚ You may have never heard of the name Inon Zur, but if you have ever played Fallout 3, Crysis,‚ or Prince of Persia you have heard some of‚  his stunning musical compositions. “From the moment you hear the Dragon Age: Origins theme to the lilting ballad, I Am The One, at the end of the game, Inon’s score is hand in glove with the Dragon Age: Origins dark fantasy” said Simon Pressey, Audio Director for the game.

The entire‚ soundtrack‚  is a collaboration‚ of‚ composer Inon Zur, vocalist Aubrey Ashburn and BioWare Audio Director Simon Pressey. It will be available for purchase or as an online download from music sites when the game is released for the 360 and PC on November 3rd.

It’s no secret BioWare and Electronic Arts have high hopes for the epic role-playing-game Dragon Age: Origins. Hell, we sat down with BioWare co-founder Dr. Greg Zeschuk at PAX and got schooled by the the man on all things game development. Needless to say, our chat only furthered our anticipation for the title.

What we’ve got today though are brand new screenshots from the project and amidst the blood and gore we get the always wonderful sideboob. Have a look.

Dragon Age: Origins had a booth at the Penny Arcade Expo, and BioWare’s co-founded Dr. Greg Zeschuk was on hand to discuss the game, which is set to release on PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 later this year. We chatted him up a bit to get some information on the characterization, customization and replayability of Dragon Age, as well as a little bit of insight on what version of the game may suit your gaming needs best.

BLAST: One of the most interesting things about Dragon Age: Origins are the changes to the story”"even major characters can be killed off or you can fail to recruit them, for example. How big are the changes you see in the story when this kind of thing occurs?

Dr. Greg Zeschuk: One of the interesting things in Dragon Age is that the characters have their own motivations. What we watch during the game is not whether you are good or are you bad, but instead how are the characters reacting to you. There are impactful things you can do, as well as your everyday choices. The range of things the characters can do is pretty stunning”"I remember one time, I had one really impatient guy. One cool thing is that the characters will talk to you, just as you are walking along, saying things like, “What are we doing?” and “We’re going the wrong way”. So this guy kept complaining, and eventually he said, “That’s it”, so I turned around and he attacked me. I literally had this full battle while the other guys just stood back and watched it”"and he was actually a really tough character in my group, so I had to try and figure out a way to beat him before he could kill me. That’s an extreme example; other examples are you could meet a new character, but they have an instant dislike for you, or you could have a character say, “If they are joining you, then I’m leaving”. It really depends on the way you play your game; if you’re really evil or brutal, some characters may leave you, attack you, or they will split up and have a big battle with each other. It feels like a very realistic situation, where your friends like you so they will do what you tell better. I think that’s one of the key things in the game, so when you’re making decisions, you’re always thinking, “Okay, what will they think of it?” You can also build the group you’re traveling with based on their orientation.

BLAST: Because of all of these changes with the characters and your party, length of the game and replayability are a big factor. How many hours do you think you can squeeze out of Dragon Age: Origins?

DGZ: I would say the minimum you’ll get out of a single-player game is probably about 40 hours. The actual amount of content is amazing”"there are some quests that, unless you built up your character a certain way or picked a certain origin, they won’t even open up. I’ve heard of people doing a single playthrough with over 100 hours, so it’s probably more than that. It’s giant. One of the really interesting things about it though, is that you can play in a very bite-sized way, it’s not just one long level where you save and load. I can see playing single player for six months, playing a half-hour per night, clearing out a dungeon or finishing a quest. In these financial times, it’s a critical value. It’s almost like an MMO, where you can play it and play it and play it and always find new things. Even here, I was talking to some guys from Mythic and telling them about a character, and they were saying, “Oh, I have to play it again!” All of these things make it very personal and unique.

BLAST: Tell us a little about the skill tree that you use to customize the characters.

DGZ: There are a couple of different ways”"there are Talents, which are a combat ability you can use, there are also some skills outside of battle, like for potions and poisons and traps, those kinds of things. Every character, like the rogue, warrior and mage, come with a certain set of base rules; there are quite a few of them. And within them, there are different sub-trees, like a rogue could be a two weapon wielding backstabber and an archer. What you unlock as you play are these specializations, which come from quests you do and items you find; those give you a whole other set of powers. You can also customize your character to a very narrow line, depending on what it is you want to do. What that allows is for everyone’s character to be completely unique”"you won’t be able to get all the Talents in a single playthrough”"but what’s great is that it’s not just your own character, you can customize your entire party. You can decide how you’re going to build your party, decide how you’re going to customize them. There’s another side to that too, where there are recommended choices, so people don’t have to be overwhelmed it. It’s a game where it’s very hard to make a bad choice”"you can’t pick a Talent that sucks, they are all pretty good, you just have to figure out how to use them.

BLAST: So you can customize your party and try out all different kinds of characters and abilities?

DGZ: You could get three mages, customize them, and every one of those mages could be completely different. One could be using curses and entropy, one could be healing, and one could be primal, like fire and lightning spells. Beyond that, you can further customize in the specializations and other stuff, so there are probably seven or eight different kinds of mages you could make; it’s the same with warriors and rogues. There’s a lot of choice! We anticipate people will replay it, and say things like, “Well this is the best warrior I’ve found” and compare with each other. That’s kind of one of the things you can do on the community website; it allows you to share, which kind of goes by achievements by letting you show what you did and how you did it. So people can look at each other’s progress and see, “Oh, this is how you did that!” and compare and contrast their experiences.

BLAST: The game is multiplatform, as its on both consoles and on PC”"are there any major differences between PC and console?

DGZ: It’s interesting, but the PC version, which we developed a little bit earlier, is radically different. We redid the entire interface for the console version; we had all of these incredible Talents and powers on the PC version, and we wanted to make sure console players didn’t feel like we were stripping away any of the power. You also had to make sure they had everything at their fingertips, and that was a huge, huge undertaking. Trying to give console players the opportunity to switch between 20 different spells at any time is how we got the ring structure, which, after playing with it on a console, feels very natural. Another thing on consoles that is very interesting, after playing around with balancing and the creatures, is that it’s actually much more of an action game, whereas on the PC its more natural to pull back, look at the whole battlefield, and have kind of a chess game feel to it. On the console, I think people are just going to jump right in there”"everyone here is playing console today, and when you go in there, there’s a very action-oriented feel, and that really plays well to each audience. Console guys want to get right in there, while PC guys want to be more strategic.

EA and BioWare’s epic role-playing-game “Dragon Age: Origins” arrives at retail in two months and a day on November 11, but before you play the game, you watch the game-play trailers. This one is beautiful.

The “Leliana” character video, embedded below, familiarizes you the game’s female character Leliana, a praying bard from the land of Lothering. Don’t let her pure title confuse you. As the video shows, she takes part in her fair share of fighting and f*cking. Have a look.

BioWare and Gabe & Tycho have come together to create a new 8 part web comic based on the upcoming fantasy epic Dragon Age: Origins. The comic focuses on a dangerous encounter between a party of mage-hunting Templar Knights, the reviled “Witch of the Wilds” Flemeth and her deadly daughter Morrigan. The comic provides a dark introduction to the game’s brutal world. The first page of the series is available here, with a new page released each week. The site will also hold an exclusive Q & A with Penny Arcade on the site as they share some of their impressions and favorite moments. Anyone who wants to see the game and play it can get an advanced look at the game at Penny Arcade Expo! Anyone who wants to should go to booth # 622. The game is being released on PC and Xbox 360 on November 3 with a later PS3 release to be announced. Comment below with impressions and thoughts!

Bioware has secured quite the voiceover cast for it’s upcoming game, Dragon Age: Origins. Tim Curry and Kate Mulgrew join Tim Russ, Claudia Black, and Steve Valentine in voicing characters for the new video game. BioWare is pulling out all the stops with their return to fantasy. They are determined to give the very best to their audience as gamers immerse themselves in a tale full of violence, lust and betrayal.

Tim Curry will play Arl Rendon Howe, a villain who will do whatever is necessary to obtain power. Kate Mulgrew will voice Flemeth, a witch who maintains her immortality though the darkest of ways and is vital to the player’s survival.

The players take the role of a Grey Warden, one of the last of an ancient order of guardians who served as protectors throughout the centuries. It is up to you to unite the shattered lands and defeat the Archdemon to save the world. Dragon Age: Origins will be released for PC and Xbox 360 on November 3. A PS3 release will occur later in November. Check out the gallery to see some cool concept and promotional art for the game.

Thoughts? Comment below!

BioWare is hard at work at yet another epic role-playing game, this time called Dragon Age: Origins, and today publisher Electronic Arts unveiled the minimum and maximum PC specifications necessary to run the title and they are mostly acceptable and welcoming.

Minimum requirements feel like a breeze, I mean really, even my laptop could run it, and the maximum, while a bit more taxing, are most definitely not too extravagant to make you drop more cash on new pieces. But where the fun starts is when we see the install size. A whopping 20GB! For reference, The Sims 3 needed a *measly* 6.5 GB.

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
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

Publisher Electronic Arts and developer BioWare released new screens for their upcoming bloodlust of a title, Dragon Age: Origins today and might I say, these are some mighty fine images.

Take a look below at quite possibly the most gorgeously rendered dragon I’ve ever seen and also enjoy an intimate scene that is looking to go where BioWare went with sex in Mass Effect and expand (shh) on it by quite a clip.

As always, click each image to make beautifully larger.

BioWare and Electronic Arts today announced plans for a Dragon sized summer tour showing off the studios’ latest brutal endeavor, Dragon Age: Origins.

Get your fill of lust, betrayal, and straight-up violence in BioWare’s “most ambitious title to date” at the following shows, conventions, and various other game-heavy get-togethers happening this summer before the fall launch of Origins on Xbox 360, PC, and PS3.

July 22-26, San Diego Comic-Con (San Diego, California)
August 13-16, Gen-Con (Indianapolis, Indiana)
August 19-23, GamesCon (Cologne, Germany)
August 28-30, Fan Expo Canada (Toronto, Canada)
September 4-6, Penny Arcade Expo Seattle (Seattle, Washington)

I’ll be honest; I wanted to post this teaser trailer all weekend, but BioWare held the meat in front of my face and said “NO,” not until Monday!

BioWare and EA set a 9AM Pacific embargo date for this bloody trailer, and unlike another gaming blog,‚  BlastMagazine firmly held out until the righteous moment, as defined by Electronic Arts and BioWare.

Now that the shackles are off and the trailer is in the wild, what do we have?

This “brutal and blood-soaked” trailer set to “This Is The New Shit” by Marilyn Manson is powerful to say the least.‚  While actual in-game footage is nowhere to be found, the allure is there.

Knives in faces, swords through chest cavities-why the hell not?‚  BioWare even delves into the waters of sexuality in the trailer and shows off an entirely awkward “last night of passion” between lovers.‚  Ooh fun!

In a word? Badass.‚  In four words? I want this game.‚  Have a look for yourself and see what you think.

It’s no secret that Electronic Arts and BioWare are fond of their unique IP Dragon Age, but just how affectionate is the mega-publisher for what BioWare has created?

The simple answer is enough to partner with Green Ronin Publishing to bring a pen and paper version of the RPG to retail this summer before the title itself hits shelves.

The pen and paper game will expand upon the already plentiful Dragon Age universe and claims to be a great way for fans to lengthen the reach of their already passionate endeavors in the impending title.

Green Ronin has worked on Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Black Company, and Thieves’ World, and feel that “dark fantasy is in our blood and Dragon Age: Origins is the best in its class. An opportunity to collaborate with BioWare on Dragon Age: Origins was not to be missed.”

The pen and paper Dragon Age will begin showing up in your local comic book guys’ comic book shop and other fine book purveyors this summer, the first of which will drop as a box set.

As for the game itself, Dragon Age: Origins hopes to hit shelves Fall 2009 on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.