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Dragon Age: Origins gets patched, tool set released

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 7th 2009 at 7:00PM }

The still-fresh PC version of Dragon Age: Origins recently got a huge booster shot in two delicious flavors. The first came in the form of Patch v1.01a, which, in addition to fixing a few character corruption issues and display glitches, makes the game easier as a whole. The second, much beefier improvement came with the release of the Dragon Age: Origins tool set, which allows users to create their own adventures using the game's extremely adaptable (and powerful!) engine.

Check out the tool set's capabilities in the trailer posted above. To acquire these modding tools -- or the difficulty-reducing patch -- check out the links below.

Download Dragon Age: Origins v1.01a Patch (13 MB)
Download the Dragon Age: Origins Toolset (472 MB)
Download the EclipseRay Lightmapper Source Code (6 MB)

'Imperial Agent' class sneaks into Star Wars: The Old Republic

by JC Fletcher { Nov 6th 2009 at 7:00PM }

The latest playable class to be announced for BioWare's upcoming Star Wars MMO, The Old Republic, is the Imperial Agent, or, as it will more commonly be known, Not Jedi Knight. Inspired by Star Wars characters like Grand Moff Tarkin and Zam Wesell, the latest Not Jedi Knight class will be an expert with technology and espionage, using "abilities of subversion and subterfuge to infiltrate and assassinate enemies of the Sith Empire with deadly efficiency."

Sounds like a good, assassin-style class for players whose friends inform them that not everybody can be a Jedi Knight or a Sith Warrior. Check out screens of the Imperial Agent at IncGamers.

None straight minutes of Mass Effect 2 gameplay [update]

by Randy Nelson { Nov 6th 2009 at 4:15AM }

Update: Due to a faulty interstellar communications array (read: a misunderstanding), EA has asked us to jettison the footage.

Original post:

We get the feeling someone at BioWare has proclaimed this "Epic Week," what with the release of its fantasy RPG stunner Dragon Age: Origins and now an epic new video from its next big game, Mass Effect 2. This isn't a trailer or developer diary -- you're in for nine minutes of unedited, uninterrupted gameplay footage from the most recent build of ME2. In fact, it's the same mission -- set inside Omega's "Inferno" nightclub -- that we ourselves got to play earlier this week. (And yes, we can confirm it looks that good.)

You'll get a sense of the sequel's leap in environmental detail, character modeling and dialog scene camerawork in this clip, along with loads of intense combat. There's even an appearance by returning character (and total badass) Garrus from the first Mass Effect, plus a joke that manages to poke fun at rumors of Commander Shepard's death and the fact players can make him/her look like anyone they choose. Again -- nine minutes.

Hands-on: Mass Effect 2

by Randy Nelson { Nov 6th 2009 at 4:00AM }

click to make more MASSive

You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than Mass Effect 2's newly revealed world, Omega. (Well, apart from the Mos Eisley spaceport, that is.) This is where our latest grubby-mitts-on-the-gamepad outing with BioWare's upcoming ~~RPG~~ ~~shooter~~ role-playing shooter took place -- or, rather, inside its favorite hangout for galactic riffraff, the Inferno nightclub.

It turns out there was a purpose in showcasing this location beyond the throbbing music and exotic alien dancers -- it happens to be the same sort of locale that one of the original Mass Effect's earliest combat encounters played out in, and we got this point before our tour guide even had to make it: The environments in Mass Effect 2 are leaps and bounds better the first game's. In fact, this place seemed alive. Oh yeah -- and there just so happened to be a firefight waiting for us as we ventured further into this seedy sin palace.

Gallery: Mass Effect 2 (11-06-09)

Continued →

The Collectors, and the enemies of Mass Effect 2

by Andrew Yoon { Nov 5th 2009 at 2:56PM }

Here are some of the creatures that will be wiping out humanity in Mass Effect 2:

Collectors – an insect-like race, controlled by a single leader, that has access to the technology that "no one else in the galaxy" has. They can paralyze humans, and according to the video dev diary above, can abduct entire colonies. Oh, and they have beam weapons.
Abominations – Husks from the first Mass Effect, but now on fire and 100-percent more suicide bomber-y.
Scions – Three transformed human beings that have been grafted together onto a weapon. Essentially, super-zombies. With guns.
Batorians – A "flying suit of armor" apparently made of thirty Husks that can "obliterate everything."

The Geth will also make a return in Mass Effect 2. Legion, a Geth that has gained sentience, will hunt the player through the adventure, and it'll be up to you to figure out why. Provided your Commander Shepard, um, doesn't die first.

EA announces Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition

by JC Fletcher { Nov 5th 2009 at 9:05AM }

Do you want your copy of Mass Effect 2 to have more mass? EA has you covered with the newly announced Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition, available for $69.99 on Xbox 360 and $59.99 on PC. It includes pretty much what you'd expect from a collector's edition: a tin box, an art book, a DVD with making-of footage, and Issue 1 of the Mass Effect: Redemption comic. It also includes some unique weapons and armor for the game that are limited to this package.

Of course, if you've bought Dragon Age's collector's edition, this will be the second set of exclusive Mass Effect items you'll have earned from fancy game boxes! Mass Effect 2 (and this classy variant) will be out January 26 in North America and January 29 in Europe. Check out the full box art and the armor in our gallery.

Gallery: Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition (PC, Xbox)

Don't blame EA for Dragon Age's inventory (or paid DLC)

by Xav de Matos { Nov 4th 2009 at 9:00PM }

In a written response to allegations from Fidgit that Electronic Arts had forced developer BioWare to remove features in Dragon Age: Origins with the intention of selling it as future DLC, BioWare lead systems designer Georg Zoeller says the parent company has "nothing" to do with the decision. At the crux of the argument is the game's launch DLC, Warden's Keep, which gives players a "storage chest" to help expand the in-game inventory, among other additions. Fidgit claims the DLC was pre-planned to "bilk users for more money."

According to Zoeller, Dragon Age originally featured a small storage chest in the game's party camp, but quickly became an issue due to story elements in the game that would change the camp's environment; so the storage area was removed. "We decided that it was not really necessary anyway since the item limitation was rather generous compared to the initial designs at least," Zoeller wrote. Later -- during a brainstorm session -- the team decided to include the chest in premium DLC, which was then made available at launch.

Zoeller claims "storage limitations" were never pinpointed as problems by the game's quality assurance team, because "after all, it was part of the design." While the Bioware designer doesn't have an issue with anger toward the decision, he vehemently denies EA was involved for the sole purpose of getting more money out of players. With the DLC already available across all platforms (560

/ $7, or free to deluxe edition players), it's up to players to make their opinions heard by voting with their wallets.

Review: Dragon Age: Origins

by Randy Nelson { Nov 3rd 2009 at 10:20AM }

Hearing the term "RPG" more than likely brings games such as Tales of Vesperia, Persona or, for some of you, Fallout 3 to mind. Not since the earliest days of this current console generation and a little game called The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion have we seen a fantasy role-playing game of this caliber rooted in swords and sorcery you'd find in The Lord of the Rings, Dungeons & Dragons or even World of Warcraft.

The long wait for a true successor to the fantasy throne ends today with the arrival of Dragon Age: Origins. The latest title from Mass Effect and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic developer BioWare is a testament to the company's mastery of the art of building the worlds, characters and stories that constitute a "classic" -- and that's exactly what this excellent experience is.

Gallery: Dragon Age: Origins

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Star Wars: The Old Republic site launches Jedi class page

by Justin McElroy { Nov 2nd 2009 at 11:29AM }

There's finally a reason to visit the "professional classifications" section of the official website for the upcoming BioWare MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic. The page for the only class worth playing, the Jedi, has finally been added! The site's got images of Jedi garb and weaponry up, and even a few videos of lightsaber murder.

"But Joystiq, the Jedi isn't the only class worth playing! I want to be a smuggler!" What's that? Sorry, we had a little trouble hearing you while we crushed your windpipe with our minds. Speaking of which, we guess the Sith Warrior is okay, too -- but just barely.

Hungary spanks America in Dragon Age: Origins contest

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 31st 2009 at 8:00PM }

The dust from the 24-hour Dragon Age: Origins Warden's Quest tournament has begun to settle, and the sleep-deprived, blood-soaked winner has been declared: The team representing the nation of Hungary. The Hungarians trailed in the rankings until the fourth round of the contest, when they rallied to pass the BioWare Community team (who finished in second place). We guess you could say they were just Hungarier for victory than everyone else.

America, however, must have only been slightly peckish, ending up with a disappointing ninth place (or next-to-last place) finish, and getting eliminated in the third round of the competition. This might be a small blow to our egos, but hey -- at least we're still better at dragon slaying than the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Booyah!

[Via Kotaku]

Shepard shoots stuff in this Mass Effect 2 gameplay footage

by David Hinkle { Oct 30th 2009 at 7:00PM }

G4 has a fresh new video of Mass Effect 2 goodness straight outta the space oven showing our good pal Shephard doing what he does best: shooting everything in sight. Your Shepard may be different, but for the sake of this post, Shepard is a man with a very itchy trigger finger, a lot of Renegade points and ... a very dirty space suit. It's dirty from all of the space blood!

Head past the break to check out the gameplay clip.

Continued →

Dragon Age: Origins contest offers $12,500, global dominance

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 26th 2009 at 1:50PM }

Hardcore fans of brutally violent role-playing games will soon travel from their homes in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France and handful of other nations to compete in the Dragon Age: Origins Warden's Quest tournament. Ten teams of four players from across the globe will be vying for $12,500 in cold, hard cash, and bragging rights for their respective nation. Nuclear weaponry is no longer the world's most valuable asset -- leet video game skillz, however, are.

The teams will be going head-to-head, receiving points based on the amount of experience and kills they've accumulated, as well as how much of the game they've played through. Low-scoring teams will be eliminated, giving the whole event an Olympic games meets Thunderdome meets Nick Arcade feeling that's really working for us.

PS3's Dragon Age: Origins back on track for Nov. 3

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Oct 23rd 2009 at 2:40PM }

Speaking during a live chat on the PlayStation Blog, Bioware's Ray Muzyka announced the latest North American release date for the PlayStation 3 version of Dragon Age: Origins. To be specific, the PS3 version will no longer be the latest in showing up on store shelves. So long, "later in November" and farewell to you, November 17! All three versions -- that's PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 -- of BioWare's "dark heroic fantasy" will hit North America on November 3.

European PS3 owners, however, still need to hang on until "a bit later in November." Don't worry, that brief disappointment will make eventual platform parity feel like something amazing again!

PlayStation UK Blog brings BioWare doctors in for Dragon Age live chat

by Xav de Matos { Oct 22nd 2009 at 9:00PM }

BioWare fans should start polishing up their Dragon Age: Origins related questions, because the good Canadian doctors from the famed studio will be on hand for a live chat with fans this Friday, October 23, on the PlayStation UK Blog.

Beginning at 7PM BST (2PM EDT), BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuck will be on hand taking questions about its latest role-playing game. The hour-long event will give fans a chance to ask about upcoming content, exclusive bonuses and what it's like working with ~~that evil clown from Steven King's It~~ Tim Curry.

Dragon Age: Origins slaying PS3 on November 17 [update]

by David Hinkle { Oct 22nd 2009 at 6:30PM }

Update: Well, folks, looks like you won't have to wait longer for the PS3 version: Dragon Age: Origins will be available on PS3 day one, November 3.

Original: Bioware is set to unleash Dragon Age: Origins on Xbox 360 and PC on November 3 (November 6 in Europe), but PS3 players will have to wait just a bit longer. EA's David Silverman confirmed to Joystiq at a recent NYC EA event that the PS3 version would release on November 17, which is in line with the "later in November" designation EA submitted when the game was delayed in August. While retailers (see: GameStop, Amazon and Best Buy) have been listing November 17 as the date for the PS3 version, as recent as October 13 -- the date of the latest Dragon Age press release -- EA was sticking with "later in November." As for the game's official website, well, it seems to insist that November 3 is the date for all platforms. Yeah, we don't blame you if you're feeling confused.

Today, Joystiq can officially confirm November 17 as the date for the PS3 version of Dragon Age: Origins. When asked what has caused the minor delay, Silverman told us Bioware "wanted more time to get [the] PS3 [version] to 'Bioware standards.'"

We're not sure what those two weeks will do for the game, but while you're waiting, why not earn yourself some phat loot? Just sayin' ...