Games Cheats and Reviews

We’ve more or less known BioWare would be releasing Dragon Age 2 some time early next year — Electronic Arts practically announced as much a few months ago, and Awakening teased a new Dragon Age title for February 1, 2011. But today, EA has officially confirmed the existence of Dragon Age 2, and Game Informer has the first few details on the title as well.

The confirmation came nestled in a press release concerning EA taking over control of Warhammer Online in Europe (via VG247), which lists “Dragon Age 2, the highly anticipated sequel to 2009’s ‘RPG of the Year’ Dragon Age: Origins,” as one of the titles that BioWare currently has in development. Furthermore, Game Informer’s website is teasing an upcoming cover story for Dragon Age 2, with the tease revealing the new game will feature a “new hero, a different part of the world, and a ton of surprising improvements.”

That’s about all Game Informer is revealing right now, but the promise of a “new hero” already seems to suggests players won’t transfer their character from Dragon Age: Origins into Dragon Age 2, the way players could transfer their version of Commander Shepard from Mass Effect into Mass Effect 2. Still, that’s not entirely certain yet, so we’ll see what BioWare has to say when more details are revealed.

GN writes, "A podcast dedicated to Dragon Age: Origins has featured an interview with the Baldur’s Gate 2: Redux mod team, focused on recreating the original Baldur’s Gate 2 experience using the Dragon Age engine. The modding group has had great success so far in recreating parts of the Irenicus Dungeon, screenshots of which can be found on the team’s site. The Dragon Age Podcast group’s interview reveals all the secrets behind the modding effort, including how others can get involved and some very ambitious release dates.

An excerpt from the podcast and screenshots from the mod can be found below…"

Website PCGH shows how gaming looks like with 32x Anti-Aliasing on Geforce GTX 480 right before the official launch. Included are Assassin’s Creed 2, Dragon Age: Origins and Dirt 2.

Let me tell you right now: Justice is “that one BioWare NPC” in Dragon Age: Origins — Awakening. You know who I mean; how in every BioWare game one of your party members utterly breaks out to become a bizarre and awesome character. For the Baldur’s Gate franchise, it was Minsc, the insane ranger. For Knights of the Old Republic, it was the sociopathic assassin droid HK-47. For Mass Effect, it was Wrex, the talking dinosaur wielding a shotgun, and for Mass Effect 2, it seems to be Mordin, the singing scientist. For the original Dragon Age: Origins, it was the curious golem Shale, and so for Awakening, it’s definitely the ghost-from-another-dimension-trapped-within-a-medieval-badass’s-body, Justice.

Besides introducing another great character to the Short List of Badass BioWare NPCs, Awakening adds five other party members (two per class total, and only one is a returning character from Origins); an increased level cap; several skills, specializations, and talents for said level cap; additional items (and tiers that indicate quality; Origins stopped at Tier 7, and you can now have Tier 9 items); new enemy types (including monsters that look like a cross between giant spiders and the monsters from Critters); and a 20-25 hour campaign. It’s basically the Dragon Age 1.5 that you knew you’d be getting, as opposed to a, “you expected Dragon Age 2 but actually get Dragon Age 1.5″ situation.

ZeroTolerance writes: Returning to the world of Dragon Age was like slipping on your favorite comfy t-shirt. The game had grown on me back in the fall when it was released, and after surviving the onslaught of early 2010 releases getting back to the game was definitely a nice reunion. Awakening is a full-blown expansion for BioWare’s epic fantasy RPG that introduces new characters, a new storyline and of course a myriad of quests to perform throughout a brand new area. There are a few surprises in store for players of the original game and you can even import your hero from the original game, regardless of what choices you made at its conclusion.

Mega Man 10 is out this week.  I don’t know what more you really need to hear.  If you tear through that in a moments notice, you could also snag the MLB10: The Show demo and warm up before running to the store.  No, Mega Man will not pitch for your favorite baseball team.  Though that would be some sweet DLC!

Price Updates – Cheapness a’hoy:

• Chessmaster: The Art Of Learning Sale (now $9.99, original price $19.99)
• Tom Clancy’s EndWar Sale (now $14.99, original price $29.99)
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 Sale (now $9.99, original price $19.99)
• Cellfactor: Psychokinetic Wars Sale (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
• Far Cry 2 Fortunes Pack Sale (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
• Tom Clancy’s: HAWX: Supremacy Pack Sale (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
• Age of Booty Sale (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
  

Qore – Subscription based entertainment:

• Qore Episode 22: March 2010 ($2.99)
• Qore Annual Subscription: March 2010 ($24.99)

Downloadable Games – You can get Mega Man 10 and never leave home:

• Mega Man 10 ($9.99) – The blue bomber is back with more awesomeness!
• Feeding Frenzy 2 Shipwreck Showdown ($9.99) – Live out your fantasy as a mermaid, err, be a fish

The Tester – Who is still watching this?

• The Tester Episode 4 – Live-action role play, isn’t that was those “freaks” in costumes due

Game Demos – Go on, give it a try:

• MLB 10 The Show Demo – Baseball for the ages
• Feeding Frenzy 2 Shipwreck Showdown Demo – Be a fish and eat smaller fish
• Mega Man 10 Demo – 8-bit goodness on that HD screen
  

Add-on Game Content – You know, that content on the disk that should be free:

• MAG Raven Industries – Spyder Uniform (free)
• MAG S.V.E.R. – Hazard Uniform (free)
• MAG Valor Company – Bulldog Uniform (free)
• Resident Evil 5: Untold Stories Bundle ($12.49) – Get Lost in Nightmares and Deperate Escape in one neat little package
• Dragon Age Origins: Return To Ostagar ($4.99) – The Battle of Ostagar still haunts you to this day
• GRID Prestige Pack ($9.99) – 10 more cars you will never afford in real life
• BioShock 2 Sinclair Solutions Tester Pack ($4.99) – Get another 5 minutes of multiplayer action in

Guitar Hero 5 – Not OK Don’t Go:

• “Do What You Want” by OK Go ($1.99)
• “Get Over It” by OK Go ($1.99)
• “Here It Goes Again” by OK Go ($1.99)
• OK Go Track Pack ($5.49)

Rock Band – Seven nations are bound together by blood:

• “Fell in Love With a Girl”— The White Stripes ($1.99)
• “Seven Nation Army”— The White Stripes ($1.99)
• “You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You’re Told)”— The White Stripes ($1.99)
• The White Stripes Pack 2 ($5.49)
• “Decent Days and Nights”— The Futureheads ($1.99)
• “Hounds of Love”— The Futureheads ($1.99)
• “Walk Away”— James Gang ($1.99)
• “All of This”— Shaimus ($0.99)
• “Tie You Down”— Shaimus ($0.99)
• “The Hockey Theme”— Neil Peart ($0.99)
• Roadrunner Records Pack 1 ($8.49)

Game Videos – Not quite porn, but not exactly an 70’s love story either:

• Gran Turismo 5 and NASCAR Trailer
• ModNation Racers “Build It” Trailer
• THE EYE OF JUDGMENT LEGENDS Trailer
• Feeding Frenzy 2 Shipwreck Showdown Trailer
• Super Street Fighter IV New Features Network Trailer
• Super Street Fighter IV New Modes Network Trailer
• Super Street Fighter IV TGS 2009 Announcement Network Trailer
• FIFA Soccer 10 Returning Tutorial Network Trailer
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes Launch Network Trailer
• Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Launch Network Trailer
• Yakuza 3 Characters Network Trailer
• Yakuza 3 Dev Diary 2 Network Trailer

PS3 Themes – Like plastic surgery:

• MLB 10: The Show Themes (x9) (Braves, Marlins, Angels, Mets, Athletics, Phillies, Mariners, Rangers and Nationals) (free)
• Feeding Frenzy 2 Shipwreck Showdown Theme (free)
• Atomic Blast Theme ($1.49)
• Darksiders Theme (free)

Wallpaper – Slap up some new wallpaper without all the glue mess:

• Grandia Wallpaper (x3)
• Section 8 Wallpaper (x4)
• Topatoi Wallpaper

PlayStation Store for PSP
Downloadable Games – Card floppers, your game has come:

• THE EYE OF JUDGMENT LEGENDS ($29.99) – Play battles with cards.  No terrible wester accent necessary!
• Rock Band Unplugged Lite ($4.99) – Play Rock Band but with fewer songs.  Aren’t these setups called demos?

PSP minis – Little bundles of awesomeness:

• Rocket Racing ($4.99)

Game Videos – Check it out, movies on the go:

• The Tester Episode 4
• THE EYE OF JUDGMENT LEGENDS Trailer
• Gran Turismo 5 and NASCAR Trailer

PSP Themes – All the hotness, none of the overpriced surgery:

• MLB 10: The Show Themes (x9) (Braves, Marlins, Angels, Mets, Athletics, Phillies, Mariners, Rangers and Nationals) (free)
• Atomic Blast PSP Theme ($1.49)

Sharing: It’s Win/Win

IncGamers has learned that the Dragon Age franchise might very well become an MMO.

Speaking to producer Fernando Melo, IncGamers’ Tim McDonald asked whether or not the game developer would consider crossing the genre lines.

IncGamers caught up with BioWare producer, Fernando Melo to discuss the expansion pack due for release later this month.

In the interview Melo explains why the PS3 will be digitally distributed in Europe, ideas of where the franchise will go and how BioWare is looking at overhauling the console’s button mapping. You can also see some sword fighting and a little bit of archery too!

IncGamers’ Tim McDonald sits down with Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening and reports back on what’s new and how it fares.

From the preview: "From what I’ve seen, Vigil Keep is the single biggest difference between Awakening and vanilla Dragon Age, and it really is a huge one. Once you fend off the Darkspawn in the initial attack you’re granted control of it and, indeed, the title of Arl, essentially making you the ruler of Amaranthine. In a fashion inspired by the class keeps from Baldur’s Gate II, all the problems of both Vigil Keep and the region on the whole become yours."

Chad Concelmo from Destructoid writes: Earlier today I brought you my hands-on impressions of the first 15 minutes of upcoming PlayStation 3 game God of War III. It goes without saying that they were very good.

While at the same event, I got a chance to sit down with God of War III Director of Product Development John Hight, and he had a lot to say about the development of the game, his experiences working with a remarkable team, and even the stuff he likes to play when not dedicating countless hours in the day to Kratos and the gang (he loves Dragon Age).

One particular detail that we went into concerned everything in God of War III that comes after the 15 minutes I was allowed to play. I asked Mr. Hight what players could expect after the stunning sequence that opens Kratos’s third adventure. After smiling a very telling smile, John informed me that "you haven’t seen anything yet."