In addition to Dragon Age 2, fans will also have the opportunity to play Mass Effect 3. And to guarantee the maximum concentration of cosplayers, BioWare is holding a costume contest on July 22.
New Dragon Age 2 DLC, Mass Effect 3 demo playable at Comic-Con
by JC Fletcher 
on Jun 23rd 2011 11:00AM
49
In addition to Dragon Age 2, fans will also have the opportunity to play Mass Effect 3. And to guarantee the maximum concentration of cosplayers, BioWare is holding a costume contest on July 22.
Reader Comments (49)
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 11:09AM Kitanishi said
Oh man, I can't entirelly wait to see which of existing maps will be reused for this dlc! So exciting!
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 1:21PM (Unverified) said
@2late2die
Maybe there's gonna be some serious stuff going down on that thin stretch of road along the sea with a shipwreck in the distance! And the best part is, the game will encourage us to PRETEND it's not the same thin stretch of road along the sea with a shipwreck in the distance! It's the future of DLC and gaming itself!
Who ever said video games ruin our imaginations?
Reply
Maybe there's gonna be some serious stuff going down on that thin stretch of road along the sea with a shipwreck in the distance! And the best part is, the game will encourage us to PRETEND it's not the same thin stretch of road along the sea with a shipwreck in the distance! It's the future of DLC and gaming itself!
Who ever said video games ruin our imaginations?
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 3:55PM FlameChucks76 said
@Kitanishi
we're gonna get another building in Kirkwall..........i'm pretty sure that's it.
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we're gonna get another building in Kirkwall..........i'm pretty sure that's it.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 4:30PM (Unverified) said
@Shig You clicked on the wrong article. This is about DA2, not the witcher.
Reply
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 11:12AM CLOUD9 said
You forgot to mention that SWTOR will be playable as well. Any word about what time they will open up each day?
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 3:34PM TheAngryIntern said
@CLOUD9 where did you hear that? I've yet to see anything posted that they will have a playable demo at comic con
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Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 3:38PM CLOUD9 said
@TheAngryIntern
Here you go. David Bass also confirmed it on the official website as well. Link to that is also on the link below.
http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/22/bioware-setting-up-public-tor-demo-outside-san-diego-comic-con/
Reply
Here you go. David Bass also confirmed it on the official website as well. Link to that is also on the link below.
http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/22/bioware-setting-up-public-tor-demo-outside-san-diego-comic-con/
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 11:14AM Cranky Penguin said
The cosplayers will have their work cut out for them to raise the bar from Pax east this year.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 11:32AM captplut9465 said
I read "Mass Effect 3 demo playable" and my mind inserted "download" and then I died a little.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 11:54AM Zoot Suit Jedi Grammar Hammer En said
@captplut9465
I did the same thing...
Reply
I did the same thing...
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 11:40AM koehler83 said
It's gonna take a free DLC pack or two just to lure me back into Dragon Age II. Certainly not paying for that privilege.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 11:41AM Cube said
I got excited there as I thought it was referring to the event in London in a few weeks.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 11:51AM alzeer said
hope DA2 DLCs are better than DAI`s
they felt a bit lacking story wise
they felt a bit lacking story wise
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 11:59AM TheRedComet said
The last patch nerfed every aspect of the game too.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 4:40PM (Unverified) said
@Altairio
Yeah it's been fixed months ago I think.
Reply
Yeah it's been fixed months ago I think.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 12:08PM Bodymovin said
And here I'd just canceled my plans for Comic Con the week before last due to the expensive airfare and hotel costs. Oh well, guess I'll hold out until March for Mass Effect 3. :-)
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 12:12PM HT UK said
Lets hope the DA2 DLC continues the DA:O story, DA2 felt like a low budget spin off. "Kirkwall Chronicles" as it was called on X3F
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 12:17PM Miranda Lawson said
All of a sudden I FREAKIN NEED Dragon Age 2.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 12:56PM ORTHROK said
dragon age 2 was a really good game and better than origins
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 1:43PM Nashk said
@ORTHROK
While I agree the game isn't the abomination many make it out to be, you have to admit that Bioware really dropped the ball on this game.
I am an extreme Bioware fanboy, but I just can't see anyway to excuse the horrible reuse of maps, the ten year story actually being three, with the other seven years being skipped with little to no hint as to what happened in those years, breaking immersion by having the tiniest dagger make men explode at the first poke, having bandits rain from the sky with where it wouldn't possibly make sense...
Then they changed the whole mage-templar interaction by doing the exact opposite of origins. They went from making the mages to sympathetic in origins (they really are supposed to be dangerous, origins didn't really show that) to making every idiotic peasant into a secret bloodmage that kills orphans.... AND to even get a reason why it might be like that, you have to find obscure codex references! (Enigma of kirkwall)
Then they made the icon system, in which I had no idea what most of the icons were unless I read the manual (And yes thats the same problem TW2 had) and even if you did know what the icons meant, they somehow made roleplaying even more limited than with the ME2 system. They definitely need multiple lines PER personality, as it is right now you can't really roleplay how you want.
One of the FEW absolute positives the game does is character interaction. Characters actually feel like they have lives outside of being your lackey. Isabella plays cards with Merril, Aveline romances someone other than the PC... Voice acting, personality that stuff was great.
Look I enjoyed DA2, but this was no way NEAR Bioware quality. I have not lost faith in Bioware as a company yet, they have built too much credit over the years for one rushed game to turn me off from them, but I am seriously hoping that this was a fluke, and that whatever caused this problem was a one time deal. (Looking at you EA)
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While I agree the game isn't the abomination many make it out to be, you have to admit that Bioware really dropped the ball on this game.
I am an extreme Bioware fanboy, but I just can't see anyway to excuse the horrible reuse of maps, the ten year story actually being three, with the other seven years being skipped with little to no hint as to what happened in those years, breaking immersion by having the tiniest dagger make men explode at the first poke, having bandits rain from the sky with where it wouldn't possibly make sense...
Then they changed the whole mage-templar interaction by doing the exact opposite of origins. They went from making the mages to sympathetic in origins (they really are supposed to be dangerous, origins didn't really show that) to making every idiotic peasant into a secret bloodmage that kills orphans.... AND to even get a reason why it might be like that, you have to find obscure codex references! (Enigma of kirkwall)
Then they made the icon system, in which I had no idea what most of the icons were unless I read the manual (And yes thats the same problem TW2 had) and even if you did know what the icons meant, they somehow made roleplaying even more limited than with the ME2 system. They definitely need multiple lines PER personality, as it is right now you can't really roleplay how you want.
One of the FEW absolute positives the game does is character interaction. Characters actually feel like they have lives outside of being your lackey. Isabella plays cards with Merril, Aveline romances someone other than the PC... Voice acting, personality that stuff was great.
Look I enjoyed DA2, but this was no way NEAR Bioware quality. I have not lost faith in Bioware as a company yet, they have built too much credit over the years for one rushed game to turn me off from them, but I am seriously hoping that this was a fluke, and that whatever caused this problem was a one time deal. (Looking at you EA)
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 2:10PM ORTHROK said
@Nashk cry more
They did reuse a lot of the areas, I hate "X Years Later..." things in games as well, and although the mages were pushed into a bad situation I agree they shouldn't have made EVERY mage into a secret blood mage
But the game was fun, very polished, I had a lot of fun with it. The characters were all way better than the ones in Origins, and although each story in the individual chapter didn't really culminate into anything all together each chapter had an interesting story, and it was a lot of fun. The political aspect of the Arishok and the Qunari living in the town and the Mages VS Templar situation was very intense and done really well, a cool actual real problem facing the city than "demons and dragons are attacking everybody".
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They did reuse a lot of the areas, I hate "X Years Later..." things in games as well, and although the mages were pushed into a bad situation I agree they shouldn't have made EVERY mage into a secret blood mage
But the game was fun, very polished, I had a lot of fun with it. The characters were all way better than the ones in Origins, and although each story in the individual chapter didn't really culminate into anything all together each chapter had an interesting story, and it was a lot of fun. The political aspect of the Arishok and the Qunari living in the town and the Mages VS Templar situation was very intense and done really well, a cool actual real problem facing the city than "demons and dragons are attacking everybody".
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 1:13PM Mopo said
I would like to see a good Isabella costume, just saying...
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 1:22PM JohnFordColey said
Could DA2 have been better? Oh, most definitely. Is it a bad game? No, not really. The big problem I had with it is the recycled dungeons, but I liked the characters, the gameplay was fast-paced and fun, and the story had some good qualities to it, even if it didn't pan out in the end. Plus, I just like the idea of playing a snarky lesbian mage with a heart of gold.
I'm looking forward to DA3. They need to really spend their time on it if they want to bring back the jaded fans, though.
I'm looking forward to DA3. They need to really spend their time on it if they want to bring back the jaded fans, though.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 2:01PM Nashk said
@JohnFordColey
I generally agree here, I enjoyed playing DA2 but they had some pretty bad flaws as I pointed out above.
I am just hoping this is a one time deal, I am a big Bioware fan but if this turns into a trend, I might have to say goodbye to one of my favorite companies.
Reply
I generally agree here, I enjoyed playing DA2 but they had some pretty bad flaws as I pointed out above.
I am just hoping this is a one time deal, I am a big Bioware fan but if this turns into a trend, I might have to say goodbye to one of my favorite companies.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 1:44PM Undying said
I hope this script was written solely by Hamburger Helper.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 2:50PM The Only Girl said
I never even met Isabella in my playthrough. Huh.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 3:04PM mrantimatter said
@The Only Girl
she's a riot, and a good close-combat rogue. I'd say Verric was more useful overall though.
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she's a riot, and a good close-combat rogue. I'd say Verric was more useful overall though.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 3:31PM TheAngryIntern said
Sweet! I got to play DA2 at least year's Con. I'll definitely check out ME3 this year.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 4:43PM (Unverified) said
Bring on the DLC. I was starting to fear we weren't getting any, just hope it'll be worth the wait.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 4:52PM Bronxchulo said
more than likely i wont be getting DA2 dlc. hell i havnt even finished the horrible let down of a game DA2 was.
sad they went from such a good game (DAO) to such a bad game (DA2). i think if theres a DA3, i will be waiting till the game goes on sale before i buy it. Im getting tired of companies putting out games that get worse with every new installment.
sad they went from such a good game (DAO) to such a bad game (DA2). i think if theres a DA3, i will be waiting till the game goes on sale before i buy it. Im getting tired of companies putting out games that get worse with every new installment.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 5:01PM pokota said
I absolutely loved Dragon Age 2, but the DLC from Dragon Age: Origins does not leave me feeling optimistic. This is one aspect of the series that BioWare really needs to improve upon.
The only real problem I had with DA2 was the reuse of dungeons, and that was really a minor annoyance. It's not a Dungeon Sim, so as long as the combat was good, and it was, then I'll live with it.
The DA2 situation is interesting. It had so many improvements over DA:O, but all I ever hear people mention are negatives. As much as I loved DA:O, and I really did, it was really ugly, had a lot of poorly conceived mechanics, had more bugs than anything this side of Fallout, had one of the most generic plots ever, and featured MMO style combat that relied heavily on pulling and pre-casting which could get kind of boring.
I still have no idea why people are so upset with the wave combat of DA2. It was a HUGE improvement, and required much more tactical play. I really hope they keep that in for DA3.
The only real problem I had with DA2 was the reuse of dungeons, and that was really a minor annoyance. It's not a Dungeon Sim, so as long as the combat was good, and it was, then I'll live with it.
The DA2 situation is interesting. It had so many improvements over DA:O, but all I ever hear people mention are negatives. As much as I loved DA:O, and I really did, it was really ugly, had a lot of poorly conceived mechanics, had more bugs than anything this side of Fallout, had one of the most generic plots ever, and featured MMO style combat that relied heavily on pulling and pre-casting which could get kind of boring.
I still have no idea why people are so upset with the wave combat of DA2. It was a HUGE improvement, and required much more tactical play. I really hope they keep that in for DA3.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 6:36PM (Unverified) said
@pokota
So true. After DA2 came out it seems people just forgot DAO's flaws and started remembering it as a perfect game. I think it might be an extremely premature case of nostalgia glasses.
The combat in particular was terrible.
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So true. After DA2 came out it seems people just forgot DAO's flaws and started remembering it as a perfect game. I think it might be an extremely premature case of nostalgia glasses.
The combat in particular was terrible.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 9:50PM arkweld said
@pokota
Wave combat is an improvement?
DA2 is supposed to be an RPG not a damned shoot-em-up. I expect you are hoping that Skyrim just has Serious Sam-style waves of enemies now?
Nothing says immersion like watching enemies just fade into the area next to where you are standing ...
those big empty areas, that had no detail, looked the same in almost every area, where not even the barrels changed position over ten years and the market place never had any visitors or more than three items on a table ...
Reply
Wave combat is an improvement?
DA2 is supposed to be an RPG not a damned shoot-em-up. I expect you are hoping that Skyrim just has Serious Sam-style waves of enemies now?
Nothing says immersion like watching enemies just fade into the area next to where you are standing ...
those big empty areas, that had no detail, looked the same in almost every area, where not even the barrels changed position over ten years and the market place never had any visitors or more than three items on a table ...
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 5:09PM Tel Prydain said
My big gripe is that Dragon Age was to be the 'spiritual successor’ to Baldur’s Gate – the return of the classic cRPG. It did a passable job, even if it was much smaller, much more limited and had less character options.
So Dragon Age sells well – and instead of taking that as confirmation that a slightly old school cRPG format will sell and improving it, we get an action game with an ‘awesome button’ that makes baddies pop like blood blisters.
And don’t get me started on the (lack of) consequence and choice. Your first playthrough you MIGHT be impressed at how your choices contribute to the story. But a 2nd playthrough quickly shows that most of those choices are fake.
Rescue a blood mage? Doesn’t matter, because if you do they’ll get recaptured anyhow. Kill that guy? If you don’t someone else will.
Bucket loads of choices and a drop of consequence. If it’s not about a companion or a sibling, your choice is basically not going to matter.
Looking forward to that ending slide showing the effects of your choices throughout the game? It might make a passing reference to who you’re banging – and if you’re lucky it’ll even name the right companion.
So Dragon Age sells well – and instead of taking that as confirmation that a slightly old school cRPG format will sell and improving it, we get an action game with an ‘awesome button’ that makes baddies pop like blood blisters.
And don’t get me started on the (lack of) consequence and choice. Your first playthrough you MIGHT be impressed at how your choices contribute to the story. But a 2nd playthrough quickly shows that most of those choices are fake.
Rescue a blood mage? Doesn’t matter, because if you do they’ll get recaptured anyhow. Kill that guy? If you don’t someone else will.
Bucket loads of choices and a drop of consequence. If it’s not about a companion or a sibling, your choice is basically not going to matter.
Looking forward to that ending slide showing the effects of your choices throughout the game? It might make a passing reference to who you’re banging – and if you’re lucky it’ll even name the right companion.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 6:32PM pokota said
@Tel Prydain
I don't understand, how was DA2 an action game? I played it exactly the same way as DA:O. Sure, DA:O was more strategic--that is, if "set-up and pull" or "hide and pre-cast" count as strategy. DA2, however, was a lot more tactical, in that you didn't pop out combat after every couple of enemies, which made skill and mana conservation more important. In terms of game-play, though, I still paused often and usually controlled all the characters myself, just like with DA:O.
Also, how does a lack of variable consequence make a game bad? Most of the best games every made have had a fixed ending. Actually, it's not like the choices in DA:O had any real impact, either.
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I don't understand, how was DA2 an action game? I played it exactly the same way as DA:O. Sure, DA:O was more strategic--that is, if "set-up and pull" or "hide and pre-cast" count as strategy. DA2, however, was a lot more tactical, in that you didn't pop out combat after every couple of enemies, which made skill and mana conservation more important. In terms of game-play, though, I still paused often and usually controlled all the characters myself, just like with DA:O.
Also, how does a lack of variable consequence make a game bad? Most of the best games every made have had a fixed ending. Actually, it's not like the choices in DA:O had any real impact, either.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 9:54PM arkweld said
@pokota
More tactical? My tactic was to run at everyone and hit them until they exploded in shower of blood. If you're a rogue just waiting until the teleport meter was full was the only tactic you needed.
Not an action game? DA2 is about as much an RPG as ME2 was, except ME2 was much better in every way.
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More tactical? My tactic was to run at everyone and hit them until they exploded in shower of blood. If you're a rogue just waiting until the teleport meter was full was the only tactic you needed.
Not an action game? DA2 is about as much an RPG as ME2 was, except ME2 was much better in every way.
Posted: Jun 23rd 2011 11:02PM Tel Prydain said
@pokota
One thing that DA2 has going for it is the ‘move’ command – something DA1 lacked.
But other then that it’s all downhill:
* Enemies are so weak there is little point using complimentary abilities, or even using focused fire. They would gib all over the floor before you have a chance to do so.
* The speed was WAY too high. Without the ability to queue commands it was a cluster f@#%.
* Spawning waves (and baddies appearing behind you) made positioning a pointless waste of effort.
* Friendly fire should have been a toggle, not tied to skill. (Although as I play nightmare, this isn’t a big deal for me personally)
* Most spells are instant so as to be more AWESOME. No risk of interruption.
Reply
One thing that DA2 has going for it is the ‘move’ command – something DA1 lacked.
But other then that it’s all downhill:
* Enemies are so weak there is little point using complimentary abilities, or even using focused fire. They would gib all over the floor before you have a chance to do so.
* The speed was WAY too high. Without the ability to queue commands it was a cluster f@#%.
* Spawning waves (and baddies appearing behind you) made positioning a pointless waste of effort.
* Friendly fire should have been a toggle, not tied to skill. (Although as I play nightmare, this isn’t a big deal for me personally)
* Most spells are instant so as to be more AWESOME. No risk of interruption.
