dragon age

Back during E3, Bioware sneakily announced a new DLC pack for Dragon Age - Leliana's Song. And, it's out today! For all platforms! Surprise! $6.99, or 560 points, wherever those apply. You play as Leliana (with her same voice actress), exploring her past with Marjolaine, her mentor.

edit: Bioware also released the "Aegis Pack" of DLC for Mass Effect 2. It's 160 MS points, and includes a few new armor pieces for your N7 armor.

Well, the next bit of DLC for Dragon Age will be here on July 6 of this year. There's still no word on the next Dragon Age game, but this pack where you play through Leliana's past is oddly character-specific. I would not be surprised if this is the first of many character-based add-ons, but frankly, Leliana's my girl, so I'm content with just this!

The content is fully voiced, and shows why Leliana joined the Chantry before the events of Dragon Age: Origins. There's also a reward at the end that can be transferred into your Awakening or Origins save file.

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.

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?

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!