Dragon Age: Origins DLC to 'Return to Ostagar' this holiday
by Justin McElroy 
{ Nov 19th 2009 at 12:58PM } 
Listen, we're as big of fans of Dragon Age: Origins as you're likely to meet, but we have to question the scheduling of this DLC release. It's not that we don't want it, but who out there has played so much DA:O that they're bored of what's on the disc? Seriously, the thing's like 340 hours long!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jonathan @ Nov 19th 2009 1:00PM
love this game! first 2 dlcs were great and i know this one will too
Moozh @ Nov 19th 2009 4:28PM
This game comes on two discs?
Darth Bradwart, The Dark Lord of the Sith-ATDF Co-Founder @ Nov 19th 2009 4:30PM
He said 'DLC's'.
It's only one disc, though the Collectors Edition has a second disc, not required for gameplay.
Moozh @ Nov 19th 2009 4:54PM
Ahh, ok. Thanks for pointing that out.
Darth Bradwart, The Dark Lord of the Sith-ATDF Co-Founder @ Nov 19th 2009 1:01PM
I...so don't need more content right now...but I'll buy it anyway...
NaeemTHM @ Nov 19th 2009 1:31PM
Tell me about it. I'm still in hour 65 and probably have another 50 hours left. Talk about a content packed game.
Oddly Bioware is supporting this game very nicely even though it's already sooo filled with things to do, yet left us all hanging with Mass Effect which was over pretty quickly :-/
Moozh @ Nov 19th 2009 4:26PM
Free....Free... Free dollar foot looonngg.
Cal @ Nov 19th 2009 6:06PM
I'm only 35 hours in, good to see there's a lot more to come, although MW2...
theblueribbonkid @ Nov 19th 2009 1:03PM
i thought this was supposed to be free?
Kinsey @ Nov 19th 2009 1:14PM
by free, they mean 5 bucks.
Hell even free tickests from ticketsmaster still eventually costs you 35 bucks.
Captain Planet [Planeteer | Power of Captain Planet] @ Nov 19th 2009 1:55PM
$5 IS the new free!
alinos @ Nov 22nd 2009 5:43AM
yeah but people who care a missing something special deep down inside
LIFE
when people start buying games like avatar to score a1000 easy gamerscore points you have a FUCKING MASSIVE PROBLEM
i swear some games these days use thier achievements to add game life instead of you know giving us some content
go bioware tho although be nice if some of the glitches were fixed 2
Jonathan @ Nov 19th 2009 1:05PM
and the game isnt 300+ hours long. first playthrough was 40 hours and 2nd was 20 hours. i have 1100 gamerscore in it and i took my time and enjoyed several of the side quests. i would play it again but there are too many games out right now :/
a drunk amputee @ Nov 19th 2009 2:04PM
One achievement is a little something called 'Across all playthroughs, discovered all possible endings'. Can you elaborate on how your 2 playthroughs netted you your enviably perfect gamerscore? I am interested in hearing more about you and your exploits. Perhaps you have a newsletter that I could subscribe to?
Captain Planet [Planeteer | Power of Captain Planet] @ Nov 19th 2009 1:58PM
Wow, someone totally failed sarcasm class.
a drunk amputee @ Nov 19th 2009 2:09PM
You're right, I still don't see it.
Jonathan @ Nov 19th 2009 2:11PM
you can replay the ending and get the achievement. reloading a save is not modding.
and i had to have taken sarcasm class to fail it :p
Avatar @ Nov 19th 2009 4:17PM
So you didn't even earn the achievements, you just reloaded and made a different choice? I just don't understand you console gamers anymore. I remember when you had to actually beat the game to beat the game, for the sense of accompllishment, not some silly score that no one cares about.
That's right. No one.
The Dark Wayne [Planeteer: Power of the Batusi] ATDFs Financier and Batman @ Nov 19th 2009 6:22PM
I actually did the same thing as him for all of the major quest choices, but it wasnt about achievements, it's so i could replay the game and make the choices I wanted to, even if id already made them and not worry about achievements. And saying no one cares about achievements is obviously a stupid thing to say since there are entire websites devoted to them, some people obviously care a great deal.
The Dark Wayne [Planeteer: Power of the Batusi] ATDFs Financier and Batman @ Nov 19th 2009 1:11PM
that's not soon enough! I need more!
N1ghtbl4z3 @ Nov 19th 2009 1:11PM
ugh DA:O looks amazing, but sadly i am lacking the funds to buy this awesome looking game, and all the rental stores in my area are out of it :|
Ah well at least i have COD:MW2 right?
evilkoala @ Nov 19th 2009 3:07PM
It's going to be $35 at Best Buy on Black Friday... I just started it last night and it is pretty amazing.
N1ghtbl4z3 @ Nov 19th 2009 3:09PM
thats an incredible deal, but sadly i work 5 am to 1pm and im sure it will be gone by then lol
evilkoala @ Nov 19th 2009 4:26PM
Well, still waiting to hear what Amazon is going to do on BF. They like to match what the other B & M retailers are doing and last year their deals started at midnight, so you might be alright.
N1ghtbl4z3 @ Nov 19th 2009 5:11PM
Good point, but i think i should be sleeping if i have to be up by 5am on BF. Not looking for good deals on Amazon lol. But thanks for the tip i might check it out just for kicks; didn't realize that amazon did that.
Samutz @ Nov 19th 2009 1:14PM
I'm nowhere near finishing it because the PC version has a bug that makes my weapons disappear and resets various DLC quests and breaks Shale. Luckily I have a save from just before this happens, so I'm playing other games while I wait/hope for a patch that fixes it.
I will not be buying any more DLC until this crap is fixed.
Also waiting for a patch to fix the increasing loading times, but that's not as game breaking as the other bugs.
capt_carl @ Nov 19th 2009 1:16PM
BioWare, I love you and all, but can I finish the game first? Forty hours and I'm only about halfway through it.
copa @ Nov 19th 2009 1:19PM
Usually, these types of complex RPG's end up having serious release bugs that need patching (I am still steaming from having my Fallout 3 saves corrupted by a bug after I had played for 20 hours!). So I'll be picking this up close to Christmas, and wait for the first patch to come through.
As for DLC, I'll just wait for it all to be consolidated on a GOTY edition, and swap through it on my Goozex queue to play through it. That's how I'm handling the Fallout DLC.
Phylogenetics @ Nov 19th 2009 1:24PM
The PC bugs are almost as bad as the darkspawn. I've gotten about two random crashes in the middle of fights. How the fuck am I supposed to save Ferelden like this?
Nox @ Nov 19th 2009 1:51PM
Ive had no crashes nor any bugs, don't hold off because a handful of people claim to have issues, it runs fine for most people.
baby sea tuna @ Nov 19th 2009 2:08PM
I've never had a problem on the 360 version, personally, and I'm about 40 hours in.
Avatar @ Nov 19th 2009 4:21PM
Most of the issues are related to specific hardware or driver versions. For example, it does not react well to dual and quad core systems, and always update your media drivers. I've also been told that the addition of a chest in the camp causes issues, as it was not originally intended to be in the game for that exact reason.
freaparn @ Nov 19th 2009 6:36PM
@Avatar
I know that's been their line of reasoning, but frankly I call horsecrap on that chest issue. I used a trainer which increased my inventory capacity to 999, and the game ran fine for the 8 hours or so I played it. Just wasn't able to get into the combat system for whatever reason... oh well.
JackBukkake @ Nov 29th 2009 12:43PM
lol well you will have to wait long since bioware said they were gona support game dlc in 2 years after release.....
rickjamess04 @ Nov 19th 2009 1:20PM
My interest in this game is much higher than it was a few weeks ago. And I must say its probably because of the RPG interest that has been kindled inside me ever since I bought Demon's Souls. But I'm just now starting to get the hang of DS and I'm having a blast. But maybe DA will make it on my Christmas wish list afterall...
Dirty @ Nov 19th 2009 1:27PM
This will be good for my second play-through.
Miku @ Nov 19th 2009 1:33PM
I haven't stopped playing this game since I bought it, so more content seems unnecessary, but I'll buy it anyway.
draknahr @ Nov 19th 2009 1:55PM
Should be just about when I finish my second play-through. :)
President Taco @ Nov 19th 2009 1:55PM
This is great and all, but I can't help but feel annoyed by DLC that could have EASILY been included in the game. Don't be suckers guys; buying DLC that's available AT LAUNCH? The game already had a fucking NPC whose sole purpose was to sell you shit that was developed alongside the actual game. Blatant money grab IMO.
And now this new DLC that will sell a tons that's probably already "gold" and ready to go.
At least give us the illusion that it was an afterthought rather than an obvious up sell.
KylHu @ Nov 19th 2009 2:16PM
I actually don't mind day 1 DLC for story-driven single-player games like this. The game itself is already more than worth the price compared to most games, and I like to have the extra content available early. That way I don't have to go back and load an old save or start a whole new playthrough just to experience an extra bit of DLC, like with Mass Effect.
President Taco @ Nov 19th 2009 2:30PM
I don't doubt the content at all, I just think it's a bad precedent and it's becoming a common practice. It's an overwhelmingly easy thing to sell because a tone of people will buy it without hesitation.
The principality is ignored; people will buy their avatar crap and the day-one DLC. I love good, well timed DLC, but the principle bothers me. Also, anybody who buys avatar shit are just proving how easy it is to make big money off of digital products that require virtually no effort to develop.
Down vote me to hell consumer whores!
busydoingnothing @ Nov 19th 2009 3:21PM
"bad precedent and it's becoming a common practice."
+1 President Taco. You get it. Unfortunately, many gamers don't. Gaming has become unfortunately political in the past several years, and the gaming community isn't exactly the best place to find people who actually give two shits about it.
Precedence is EVERYTHING. When Activision released Modern Warfare 2 for the PC at $60, $10 more than the previous launch price for pretty much the same experience, and millions of people gobbled it up, that sent Activision the message, "Hey, we can charge $10 more for something and people will still buy it!" Activision is a BUSINESS whose sole purpose is to turn a profit. What kind of precedent does that set?
When companies are now removing standard features from games and selling them later as DLC (Madden 2010 and the franchise mode, from what I hear), what does that tell these companies? "Hey, we don't have to release as much content as we used to. We can just sell content to the players later that they would normally get for the cost of admission."
How far will it go? We'll see, as long as the sheep continue to oblige these money-suckers.
hfm @ Nov 19th 2009 4:51PM
1. The game is completely awesome without any DLC, so you aren't getting an inferior product.
2. I think the unspoken reason for this launch day and early release DLC is to strike while the iron is hot.
3. The other unspoken reason for this launch day and early release DLC is that Bioware is trying to monetize used sales and rentals by offering DLC enhancements that many people actually got free for pre-ordering (I think I got three pieces of DLC free with mine.. two items and some stone thing that was $12). Used game sales and rentals eat into their profits, especially used, since they see ZERO money from that. Gamestop makes a killing, however.
The Dark Wayne [Planeteer: Power of the Batusi] ATDFs Financier and Batman @ Nov 19th 2009 6:31PM
Actually, what happened is for all intents and purposes, Dragon Age was finished in May, the PC version actually went gold then. All the time in between then and now was spent developing for the console, which consisted mostly of UI stuff, graphics, all the console specific stuff. So that's plenty of time for them to have created the Warden's Keep, and considering this new stuff isnt coming out till the holidays and the game came out early november, that's probably enough time for that too.
I really agree with the precedence thing though, however, i'm sure it's a lost cause. Sure, my kind of apathy makes it even worse, as only more people will adopt that "there's nothing i can do about it" attitude. But really, there isn't. Even if every hardcore gamer that visits joystiq stopped buying avatar stuff and day one DLC, there'd still be millions of the kind of consumer who asks gamestop clerks if Xbox 1 can play 360 games. Even worse is that those kind of people dont care about their ignorance of the issue, this isn't civil rights, it's not abortion, it's not politics, so there's almost zero chance of convincing anyone who isn't as dedicated and who feel the effects of these precedents more than us.
ballistic3188 @ Nov 19th 2009 6:44PM
yes and no. the fact that hacker found what could be new dlc on the MW2 game disc is the disturbing trend.
It would say that dragon age isn't very good example of this.
dragon age was ported to the consoles hence its delay which as i understand is the reason that the first dlc was day 1. the other which is slade is free with purchase to rid of the used game market.
the main thing you can tell is that these aren't just taken out of the disc because wardens keep and slade are not anywhere near the main quests ports. also they are not very plot relavent events and feel very side quest like.
This isn't like prince of persia 2008 which you had to buy the dlc to get the true ending.
dlc is apparently the new model to monetize instead of what used to happen which was called expansion packs.
I understand your concern but i don't think dragon age isn't best place to start soapboxing when there are better examples. especially dragon age which isn't selling cheat codes (madden) or dlc the ending (prince of persia and fallout 3) or giving out dlc on stuff in your disc (empire total war, MW2). your attacking a game that is barely touching the milking line as the coming of the apocalypse.
The Dark Wayne [Planeteer: Power of the Batusi] ATDFs Financier and Batman @ Nov 19th 2009 7:50PM
I dont think it's right to attack fallout 3 for selling the ending either. That DLC came out looooong after the actual game, and it really was just because the dev team didnt expect such a strong desire to keep playing and thought the ending suited the game. Todd Howard gave an interview about how he was genuinely shocked by the amount of response they got about wanting to keep playing
MikeO. @ Nov 20th 2009 12:00AM
I happily pay $5 for another 1-2 hours of content plus new items and such when you consider I've played 40+ hours already and feel like I've barely touched the story.
Go back to your $60 Call of Duty with it's 5 hour campaign and buy all the $15 map packs and keep complaining, I'll put another 500+ hours into Dragon Age like I did with Oblivion and end up paying less than you for more content.
madson @ Dec 19th 2009 12:49PM
not to sound like an asshole or anything but to me all your comments sound like the whinning of a cheepo. if u enjoy a game like this wich i do its awsome i see no problem in espeding moeny in it and others also it helps the company and the more money they have the better their games get your investing for yourself really we pay they make we pay they create simple and avatar espending so what i do sometimes when i have spare points lying around its kinda fun and since when is what other people do with their money other peoples business and consern if they got it hell spend it on what u like thats what freedom is about right im not judging anyone on what they do cause i dont want someone bitching at me about my speding habits i say spend away people more power to ya u reap what u sow and if buying dlc to make an badass game more badass haha hell ya ill buy it anyday no harm done there
Willmore2000 @ Nov 19th 2009 2:06PM
My first play-through took 107 hours. I'm on my quick second play-through. When the DLC comes out I'll probably do another one. I do want to go through all the origin stories at least once.
a drunk amputee @ Nov 19th 2009 2:21PM
That's the killer part of this game. It's probably the first one where I've known without a doubt that I'm going to be playing through five more times. And after 50 hours, I'm not even half way through. Damn you DA:O, I want my life back!