3 weeks ago or so, my attempts at completing all achievements for Dragon Age: Origins were halted when the Return to Ostagar DLC was first made available, as the accompanying patch rendered my game temporarily unplayable. At first, I was obviously annoyed, but then I decided to reward Bioware for this only recently fixed bug by buying Mass Effect off XBLM. In the weeks that followed, I have discovered a new favorite franchise, having now completed the original game in full twice, only putting off my third play-through in order to pick up Mass Effect 2.

The first Mass Effect was pretty awesome. I don’t often whore myself out to achievements, especially when it comes to difficulty-based things. Yet, somehow the game demands it from me. It remains rewarding on multiple iterations through the story, while posing an increasing challenge with each unlockable difficulty. The story is communicated through strong characters, really strong emotional choices, and a general drive for the hero’s success, as I find is the case with many Bioware games. Yet, unlike games such as Dragon Age and Baldur’s Gate, Mass Effect allows you to step into the shoes of a pre-existing character, our noble Commander Shepard. You guide his actions and speech without defining them, which allows him to surprise you fairly often with his intelligence and wit. Without writing a full review, suffice it to say I’m quite fond of the game. It is definitely one of the best I’ve played. (More after the break)

This morning, the Return to Ostagar DLC for Dragon Age: Origins became available on Xbox Live, after over a week-long delay. The PC version should be available tonight, if it's not already, and the PS3 version is on its way in the near future. Apparently, Bioware doesn't really want you to know when to expect it.

I had some Microsoft points from Christmas, so I decided to plug them into DA:O content. I got Warden's Keep, which was a fun experience that supplies some utility to the game at large. There's new abilities, new items, and a party treasure chest for holding onto things without them taking up inventory. The story felt a bit less like filler than the one in Stone Prisoner with the random boss encounter, but it's worth a purchase just for the sake of having armor that looks cooler than the stock, recolored leather, chain, plate, etc.

Then, I played through Return to Ostagar. It has far fewer "utility" purposes, aside from allowing you to revisit things you potentially missed in your first time through the place. Notably, that includes adding the dog to your party and opening a chest by the mage's tent full of goodies (though nothing important). The story of the DLC has you returning to Ostagar for memorial purposes, as well as securing certain important documents that I have yet to see have an impact on the game at large (though it could, easily). It really is a lot of fluff, with some more chances to level up in a re-dressing of an area you've already been through, plus a small dungeon nearly identical to the one from the Dalish origin story.

To put it simply, the DLC might give you about an hour and a half worth of play time, as well as some new quips from your companions (mostly Alistair), a new gift for Alistair, and a rad set of armor and weaponry (that will just barely continue to be useful at the end of the game). For $5, it's worth it, if you liked the whole game; it adds an extra bit of content to lengthen that somehow enthralling story.

Last month at the Spike VGAs, one of the trailers premiered was for a sequel to the critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham Asylum. The trailer is more of a teaser, actually, and shows off chaos on the streets of Gotham, ending on an beaten Joker, laughing of course. The tag shown as the scene fades is “Arkham has moved.”

In a recent interview with Paul Denning, senior gameplay programmer for the game, he made it clear that the Arkham setting had “run its course.” This is true, considering you explore the entire Arkham island through the course of the first game. He also describes Gotham as a “fantastically realized fictional city” with many places ideal for gameplay and exploration, but says not to expect a Gotham sandbox. Apparently, they don’t believe the game will lend itself easily to an open-world, so they’re avoiding the concept altogether. Without that, however, incorporating the kind of explorative nature that made the first game so immersive will be challenging. Islands lend themselves well to isolation, after all, and you never question the fact that you can’t leave this area.

Back when this site was run in Wordpress, I posted about the Arkham Asylum demo, stating how it had essentially convinced me to buy the game. I didn’t actually manage to get it until Christmas, and have only had the opportunity to play it just these past few days. I completed everything within the game except challenge maps (they’re hard!), in what feels like 20-25 hours. A lot of the time I was laughing maniacally at what I could do in the game. The game is possibly the first stealth-action game to get the genre completely right. MGS is great and all, but stealth is often a chore that can be unforgiving at times. Arkham Asylum takes the concept and introduces this badass combination of Bat-skills and a reasonable safety net that allows you to essentially try anything within the stealth sections of the game. This, plus an extremely satisfying and well-realized combat system makes you feel as badass as you look, taking on groups of 10 men.

In short, the game is badass, and basically everyone should play it. When I think of games of a similar caliber, Half-Life 2 and Metal Gear Solid come to mind. While neither game is much like Arkham Asylum, they each define their own brand of storytelling that complements the gameplay, keeping you wanting more. Any sequel that can achieve a similar compulsion will undoubtedly be a great game. And, given a developer who realizes their own limitations with the content of their game, there’s a lot to hope for.

Before I start, i need to say that I’m not actually a very avid gamer, and I can’t always afford to get the most current games. This article is about the games I enjoyed most in 2009, and some of them may be from 2008, but that’s just how I roll. I won’t be declaring any “best of 2009’s” because I haven’t played enough of the good games this year to make that decision.

If you look at some other gaming sites, you’ll notice that most of their “best of 2009” games were released in the past few months. It makes sense, since there really are a lot of good games that just came out, but this might also be evidence that these recent games are simply still on peoples’ minds. As far as I can tell, though, the best game this year that I haven’t played is certainly Uncharted 2. I’ll have to get on that. I don’t have much love for any sorts of online multiplayer games, so things like Modern Warfare 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 can only hold my interest so far. I will give L4D2 a shot someday, but it’s not a priority. Assassin’s Creed 2 probably doesn’t have the kind of content that would keep me playing to the end. And what did I play, of the general “top picks” of this year?

On January 2, the final part of David Tennant and Russell T Davies' last episodes of Doctor Who aired on BBC America, and a day earlier in the UK. It was pretty good. I won't go into the plot much at all, but you know as soon as you turn on the episode that John Simm is in it, whether that means anything to you or not depends on your level of Doctor Who appreciation, I suppose.

And, John Simm sure was in it. He was in it like a fox. A few random quirks about his performance really enlivened the character, bringing him to a unique emotional realm that is just flat out uncommon for a villain. There were several moments when you could almost relate to his completely insane delusions as he stepped out of the realm of unrepentant evil. It was great.

The defining points of the Doctor Who revival in the past four years have been Russell T Davies' "dark, brooding doctor" push, as the "lonely god," survives more than explores and the exuberance that David Tennant brought to that writing. Davies has always been a fan of grand displays of universal importance when it comes to finales, constantly escalating the "threat levels," in each subsequent season. There is some level of campiness in the way he puts everyone's life on the line, waiting for the Doctor to save the day in some messianic manner. I love it, personally. It doesn't float the boats of everyone, but mine is quite buoyant, it seems (that's the kind of awesome writing Davies would be proud of, I think). Hah.

That said, the show sans Davies, sans Tennant will be a different beast altogether. The revived Doctor Who has ended, for all intents and purposes, and now we have a new series with the same name and similar characters coming to us in March. There's a lot of pessimism about whether or not the show can succeed without David Tennant's lovable face to smirk away the camp, but I'm hopeful. There's a trailer after the break that shows some of the characteristics this new Matt Smith Doctor will have. Seems to be a bit more direct when it comes to problem-solving, as you can see when he whacks a Dalek with a wrench, and punches out a scientist. It's clear that Matt Smith has been studying David Tennant's performance a bit, but if he can manage to bring enough of his own unique quirk to the table, that might not be a problem. What's apparent from his appearance at the end of the the last special and this trailer is that the guy is more easily surprised... or at least he has a perpetual look of shock on his face. It looks promising, at least. I'll let you know what I think when it comes out.

Check out the Matt Smith trailer after the break.

Yesterday, 360 and PC owners of Dragon Age expected to be able to download the new “Return to Ostagar” DLC for the low price of five dollars, but that was delayed. Instead, we got a glorious announcement of soon-to-be enjoyed DA:O riches. March 16 of this year, Bioware will release the first expansion to this wildly awesome game, entitled “Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening.”

Now, when I say “first expansion,” I refer to this tweet by BioWare noting specifically that it is the first expansion to the game. It’s true, there haven’t been any other expansions, so it is the first one, and it’s not a real confirmation, either. However, why would a developer say it’s the first if there isn't going to be a second? Hoho.

I will only speak in general terms for now, but you can see more details (full of spoilers) after the jump. This expansion pack will be sold for all relevant platforms at $40, and features a new villain, five new companion characters, and the option to start a new character at the point in the game where the content begins. It is indeed a continuation of the story from the first game, and it seems that many of the choices you made in your play-through will be carried over to the expansion content. A copy of Dragon Age will be required to play, so if this is something that sings to you, it might be a good time to get a hold of one of those.

Dragon Age: Origins is clear evidence of how exactly BioWare rose to prestige. They started out with basic enough concepts, adapting D&D campaigns into video games well enough that they started branching out into other franchises like Star Wars. Upon proving their chops with these games, they used their resources to develop an original franchise in Mass Effect, known for the kind of choice-based play that defines BioWare games. Then, in Dragon Age, they’ve gone back to their fantasy “roots,” defining a brand new universe apart from D&D entirely, populated by a vast history and cultural heritage. They know better than most that a player’s enjoyment of a game relies heavily upon story and characters.

So here we have the first of hopefully many installments of the Dragon Age universe, BioWare's return to the fantasy setting, free of the complicated D&D tropes used in Baldur’s Gate. Suffice it to say, I liked the game. I’m just about to start my second play-through, which is likely to be followed by a third, just for the achievements. This expansion just makes me more excited to see the various ways the game can end. Click “read more,” to see a spoiler-packed analysis and a trailer!

Iwata has said in a recent interview with the Asahi Shimbun that one of Nintendo’s goals for 2010 is to release the next Zelda by the end of the year. It’s hard to tell from the article whether or not this a hopeful goal or a scheduled one, but I’d guess either way that Nintendo will plan on a 2010 release, but then let it slip into early 2011.

Twilight Princess was released a month earlier in Japan than in America, though the release also coincided with the Wii launch in both cases, so it’s difficult to say if this is a release trend that will be continued or not for the console Zeldas. Spirit Tracks was released in North America and Europe two weeks before Japan, so it would appear to be a safe assumption that we’ll get the game around the same time... so this 2010 proposed date is for us non-Japanese folk.

Considering we still haven’t seen a trailer, or anything more than the concept art from this game, Iwata’s declaration is surprising. The developers have gone on record saying that there will be much more to show at E3 this year (June 15-17). But that’s so far away from a statement like this... I’m really unsure what to make of it. Perhaps a trailer will be released before E3, something similar to Twilight Princess’ completely vague “Blades will Bleed” trailer. Then, at E3, they can show off their new concept, and just what that Master Sword fairy girl is up to.

Let me take a moment to touch on some of the Wii Zelda-related news that’s come and gone in the past few months, so we’re all on the same page. Starting with most recent... (that list after the jump)

So I saw Avatar today, in IMAX 3D.

There's a lot of hype around the movie, as you know, and a lot of people, such as myself have been skeptical. I realize I number among the few who waited this long to see it, but I will post this for those of you who haven't yet. To start, I admit the hype and power marketing made me feel really pessimistic about the movie. The content presented by the trailers just doesn't seem like an interesting story, and there is very little rationale provided for it being a good movie other than its "ground-breaking" visuals.

The reality of the movie is that, while motion capture has come a long way to avoid making CG models look fake, it still hasn't reached a point where every single motion can be considered completely realistic. There are moments that seem to lack tactility, although few and far between. I wish my eyes weren't looking for them with this pessimistic approach, because I think otherwise I could probably call this movie the best of the decade, along with the other thousands of people heaping praise onto it. In fact, my mother loved the movie, and we generally have similar tastes. She reckons my more active involvement in fantasy settings dulled my imagination a bit when it came to interpreting the movie's setting. I found myself much more interested in the plot, with the sometimes-headachey-3D as a secondary feature.

But hey, I did like it. More after the jump.

Seriously, why haven't you done this yet? There's talk of some smurf movie lately that has taken Avatar: TLA's shortname and smeared it across the heavens, but in my book, there is only one Avatar. And he is the last of the airbenders. You see, 100 years ago, the Fire Nation waged war upon the lands, wiping out the Air Nation, and nearly completely subjugating the rest. Tribes of the Water Nation and strongholds of the Earth Nation remain as thorns in the Fire Lord's side. Then, the mystical Avatar, thought lost for 100 years, re-emerges months before a critical moment in the Fire Nation's plans. This Avatar, master of all the elements, is a LITTLE BOY, named Aang. He's gotta get ready to kick some ass. And guess what? He does.

This amazing little cartoon series is quite possibly the only recent American-made animation worth your time. Despite its often "kiddish" themes and jokes, much of those aspects work into its charm. There's a sense of humor there that is simply so blunt and corny that it works magically. The series does suffer from a low budget, which makes for some choppy frame rates through otherwise very cool animations, but as the series progresses, they fill in those little issues more often. By the series finale, the fluidity of the animation is like eye sex.

M. Night Shamwow is adapting this show into a movie trilogy, with one movie based on each season, wherein Aang masters each element. The cast has been announced, meeting some criticism for avoiding a cast with Asians in it. After all, Avatar has a particularly Asian theme, and it would only make sense for Asians to be in the movie... but it seems Shamalama went in a different direction. I know it sounds cruel, but I find myself rather indifferent on the subject, only wanting the series' furry magical flying bison, Appa, to be magnificent.

So are you sitting on your hands right now, wondering if there's something you should be doing? Maybe you have some itunes gift cards and you don't know what to get. Or, maybe, you're just feeling like you should be more awesome. Go watch this show in its entirety. You won't regret it.

EDIT: Check out the FFXIV site for a blurb about character creation, with better pictures than these scans, new screens, new music, and some generic story content.

Famitsu is a pretty cool magazine. They’re more closely tied to the developers than any American games journalist publication/site currently is, so they have a tendency to present material in a sugar coated way, depending on the manner in which it was provided. As such, scans have emerged from the Japanese magazine showing off the finer details of the character creator in FFXIV. Of course, by "finer," I mean they've shown us an inordinate amount of beautiful women, plus some manly men... with scars! In short, those characters are going to be fiercely customizable. In long, I translated some of what the scans said.

The text given at the top of this article, paraphrased a whole bunch, says that the system allows for simple variations, like changes in skin and hair color. Then, if you want to get into the finer details, you’ll find things such as various eye colors and different underwear material textures. The blurbs on the full version of that page (the first scan here, after the jump) continue to elaborate on those points, showing how each detail is in fact, there. Looks like there’s some breast size action as well, so if you were worried about that, go smoke a celebratory sausage. Other scans with these “Hyur” women point out that lip color can be changed as well.