First [url=http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/g ... /:1gxb6jdr]the interview[/url:1gxb6jdr]; here's an excerpt:
[quote:1gxb6jdr][b:1gxb6jdr]BLAST: One of the most interesting things about Dragon Age: Origins are the changes to the story—even major characters can be killed off or you can fail to recruit them, for example. How big are the changes you see in the story when this kind of thing occurs?[/b:1gxb6jdr]
[b:1gxb6jdr]Dr. Greg Zeschuk:[/b:1gxb6jdr] One of the interesting things in Dragon Age is that the characters have their own motivations. What we watch during the game is not whether you are good or are you bad, but instead how are the characters reacting to you. There are impactful things you can do, as well as your everyday choices. The range of things the characters can do is pretty stunning—I remember one time, I had one really impatient guy. One cool thing is that the characters will talk to you, just as you are walking along, saying things like, “What are we doing?” and “We’re going the wrong way”. So this guy kept complaining, and eventually he said, “That’s it”, so I turned around and he attacked me. I literally had this full battle while the other guys just stood back and watched it—and he was actually a really tough character in my group, so I had to try and figure out a way to beat him before he could kill me. That’s an extreme example; other examples are you could meet a new character, but they have an instant dislike for you, or you could have a character say, “If they are joining you, then I’m leaving”. It really depends on the way you play your game; if you’re really evil or brutal, some characters may leave you, attack you, or they will split up and have a big battle with each other. It feels like a very realistic situation, where your friends like you so they will do what you tell better. I think that’s one of the key things in the game, so when you’re making decisions, you’re always thinking, “Okay, what will they think of it?” You can also build the group you’re traveling with based on their orientation.[/quote:1gxb6jdr]
The other update is the [url=http://dragonage.bioware.com/characters ... a:1gxb6jdr]character page for Leliana[/url:1gxb6jdr] over at the Dragon Age site. Here's the description it gives of the character:
[quote:1gxb6jdr]In Orlais, bards travel throughout the courts of the land, trading entertainment for the hospitality of the aristocracy while simultaneously playing a more sinister trade: Often, they are secretly spies or assassins. Leliana, however, speaks little of her history as a bard, having left her life in Orlais behind long ago. She came to the village of Lothering seeking refuge in the Chantry, where she has assumed a life of quiet contemplation and prayer to the Maker, asking Him to forgive a life of deeds that her fellow sisters can only guess at. Although it is the last path that Leliana would ever choose for herself, she believes that the time will soon come to take up that old life once again. A higher calling awaits her, and with it, a road to true redemption. The Maker has told her this, and she believes.[/quote:1gxb6jdr]
And here's the character video for here, which is cut such that she looks a tad... psychotic:
[center:1gxb6jdr][youtube:1gxb6jdr]tjeJf5hpj5w[/youtube:1gxb6jdr][/center:1gxb6jdr]
Mmm, she's definitely a certain addition to my party (regardless of the fact that I'll likely play a rogue, possibly even a bard, as well).
Oh, and don't forget that the second page of Penny Arcade's Dragon Age comic [url=http://dragonage.bioware.com/pennyarcad ... 2:1gxb6jdr]is online[/url:1gxb6jdr] as well.
[[url=http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/g ... /:1gxb6jdr]link[/url:1gxb6jdr]] to Blast Magazine's interview with Dr. Greg Zeschuk.
[[url=http://dragonage.bioware.com/characters ... a:1gxb6jdr]link[/url:1gxb6jdr]] to Leliana's character page.
[[url=http://dragonage.bioware.com/pennyarcad ... 2:1gxb6jdr]link[/url:1gxb6jdr]] to Penny Arcade comic.
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Shir'le