Dragon Age: Origins - Can Hardly Keep Up

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Shir'le E. Illios
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Dragon Age: Origins - Can Hardly Keep Up

Post by Shir'le E. Illios »

I'll be glad when this game is released... hopefully it'll mean that the amount of news and articles and such posted for it will slow down a bit! :p

There's a number of videos and articles and news bits to report on regarding Dragon Age: Origins. To start with, GameSpot has [url=http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/drag ... 0:3ri3fzyk]a video interview with Dr. Greg Zeschuk[/url:3ri3fzyk]. Here's the video:

[center:3ri3fzyk][html]<embed id="mymovie" width="432" height="362" flashvars="playerMode=embedded&movieAspect=4.3&flavor=EmbeddedPlayerVersion&skin=http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/cn ... ight%3D362" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" quality="high" name="mymovie" style="" src="http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/cn ... oteus2.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"/>[/html][/center:3ri3fzyk]
Next up GameShark has [url=http://www.gameshark.com/features/635/D ... m:3ri3fzyk]three exclusive interviews[/url:3ri3fzyk] with some of BioWare's developers. Here's their introduction:

[quote:3ri3fzyk]Over September 30th and October 1st we were invited as part of a small group of journalists to spend a couple days at Bioware’s Edmonton home office and spend some time playing its upcoming fantasy RPG, Dragon Age: Origins, as well as speak with various members of the Bioware team. While we are restricted from posting our hands-on impressions until 10/15 (come back then for a full write up), we are excited to bring you this series of interviews in which we spoke with executive producer Mark Darrah, lead designer Mike Laidlaw and Bioware co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk.[/quote:3ri3fzyk]
PCWorld also has an [url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/173329/w ... l:3ri3fzyk]extensive interview with Mike Laidlaw[/url:3ri3fzyk] in three parts. Here's an excerpt:

[quote:3ri3fzyk][b:3ri3fzyk]Game On:[/b:3ri3fzyk] Tell me about David Gaider. He's your lead writer on Dragon Age Origins, but he's also written a prequel book set in the Dragon Age universe.

[b:3ri3fzyk]Mike Laidlaw:[/b:3ri3fzyk] Dave is a world-builder at heart. He loves creating a space that feels very real and has a density beyond just "Okay, we need these answers for the game." He created a space in Dragon Age that I think goes well beyond that, and by creating the world in advance, it let him write the novel with the history in mind. He wasn't cutting it from whole cloth when he was doing the novel, in other words, so it let him explore the characters and their relationships on a level he might not have been able to if he'd had to do all the heavy lifting from scratch.[/quote:3ri3fzyk]
Giant Bomb has [url=http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-dra ... /:3ri3fzyk]a "Quick Look" gameplay video[/url:3ri3fzyk]. In it two guys are just playing (well, one playing and one watching) Dragon Age: Origins for some twenty minutes. The video is quite hilarious, particularly when things go quite badly. And it gives a nice, unpolished-by-marketing, look at Dragon Age: Origins gameplay (amazingly without spoilers to boot). Here's the video:

[center:3ri3fzyk][html]<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shoc ... on=9,0,0,0" width="480" height="270" id="gb_player" align="middle"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.giantbomb.com/video/video.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="flashvars" value="paramsURI=http%3A//www.giantbomb.com/video/params/1477/?w=1"><param name="videoURI" value="http://media.giantbomb.com/video/vf_dra ... lv"><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><embed src="http://www.giantbomb.com/video/video.swf" quality="high" bgcolor="#000000" width="480" height="270" name="gb_player" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" flashvars="paramsURI=http%3A//www.giantbomb.com/video/params/1477/?w=1" /></object>[/html][/center:3ri3fzyk]
Zam, on the other hand, has an [url=http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20046:3ri3fzyk]interview with Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk[/url:3ri3fzyk]. Here's an excerpt:

[quote:3ri3fzyk][color=lightblue:3ri3fzyk][b:3ri3fzyk]ZAM:[/b:3ri3fzyk][/color:3ri3fzyk] I asked this of Mark Darrah, executive producer of Dragon Age, earlier, but I did notice that you guys have put this as the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate II and Neverwinter Nights, and it certainly feels like that, but are there any other influences that you drew from?

[b:3ri3fzyk]Ray:[/b:3ri3fzyk] I think every RPG we've played and every RPG that BioWare has developed. We look at all the games we've developed and all the games we've played. We're big fan of the genre and we play all of our competitor's games, and we look for inspiration from all kinds of sources, like movies, books, etc. The dark heroic aspect of the IP, you could argue, is a mix from a high fantasy Tolkein-esque kind of world and a Michael Moorcock darker fantasy that's on the other end of the spectrum.

[b:3ri3fzyk]Greg:[/b:3ri3fzyk] It's interesting because, aside from something like Baldur's Gate, there's no real direct reference. I mean, we've been inspired by a lot of stuff, but even the Baldur's Gate reference is more of a 'feeling,' an emotional inspiration, more than it is anything else. Dragon Age is a very unique game in its own way. That sense of scale, scope, the coolness of the characters and the tactical combat may have originated back in Baldur's Gate, but now we're presenting it re-evolved.[/quote:3ri3fzyk]
Then there are two videos on YouTube ([url=http://greywardens.com/2009/10/video-do ... 9:3ri3fzyk]reported by GreyWardens.com[/url:3ri3fzyk]) about the creation (by the developers) of the creatures in Dragon Age: Origins. here are the videos:

[center:3ri3fzyk][youtube:3ri3fzyk]yxcuTE6N7cM[/youtube:3ri3fzyk]

[youtube:3ri3fzyk]NJH5RYJbYew[/youtube:3ri3fzyk][/center:3ri3fzyk]
GreyWardens.com [url=http://greywardens.com/2009/10/extensiv ... /:3ri3fzyk]is also reporting[/url:3ri3fzyk] on a video interview that RGBFilter had with Chris Priestly, BioWare's Community Coordinator.

[center:3ri3fzyk][html]<embed src="http://blip.tv/play/AYGlqDwC" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="300" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> [/html][/center:3ri3fzyk]
BioWare also has a number of updates themselves. Though I already reported on the three pieces of downloadable content available when the game launches (two of which available for free), they have now put up [url=http://dragonage.bioware.com/addon/:3ri3fzyk]a page for the downloadable content[/url:3ri3fzyk], giving you details, screenshots and videos.

They [url=http://daforums.bioware.com/viewdevpost ... 5:3ri3fzyk]have also announced[/url:3ri3fzyk] that Dragon Age: Origins will be available on Steam. Though the page isn't up yet in the Steam store 9and is likely to be put up next week), nor have they given details regarding whether the Digital Delux version will be available, what it'll cost, what countries it'll be available in and whether it'll offer pre-loading and all that, things are definitely looking good. I hadn't pre-ordered the game yet myself purely because I was hoping to be able to buy it on Steam (as I don't trust the other DD services as much). Here's what Chris Priestly said:

[quote:3ri3fzyk]Actually, just this afternoon, we finished up the deal, so I can now confirm that Dragon Age: origins WILL indeed come to Steam. :)

Now, before you all go running over to Steam to pre-order, the page is not up yet. Both us and the fine folks at Valve are working to make something for you ASAP, but I think it won't be ready till next week. So just us a little time and we'll let you know as soon as it is ready.

Stay Tuned. :)[/quote:3ri3fzyk]
BioWare has also put up [url=http://dragonage.bioware.com/pennyarcad ... 6:3ri3fzyk]the sixth page of the Penny Arcade comic[/url:3ri3fzyk].

And finally, it seems that EA 2D (in cooperation with BioWare as I understand) is working on a Dragon Age Flash game called "[url=http://www.dragonagejourneys.com/:3ri3fzyk]Dragon Age: Journeys[/url:3ri3fzyk]". There's a trailer up on their website and from the looks of it it'll be a hack-and-slash heavy affair. Could be fun, but either way sure is something different. :)

And that's it for now; the coming weeks are sure to have a [i:3ri3fzyk]lot[/i:3ri3fzyk] more things, not the least of which the Character Creator and the opening of the Social site (and undoubtedly a number of reviews leading up to the launch of the game).


[[url=http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/drag ... 0:3ri3fzyk]link[/url:3ri3fzyk]] to video interview with Dr. Greg Zeschuk at GameSpot.
[[url=http://www.gameshark.com/features/635/D ... m:3ri3fzyk]link[/url:3ri3fzyk]] to team interviews at GameShark.
[[url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/173329/w ... l:3ri3fzyk]link[/url:3ri3fzyk]] to interview with Mike Laidlaw at PCWorld.
[[url=http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-dra ... /:3ri3fzyk]link[/url:3ri3fzyk]] to "Quick Look" gameplay video at Giant Bomb.
[[url=http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20046:3ri3fzyk]link[/url:3ri3fzyk]] to interview with Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk at Zam.
[[url=http://greywardens.com/2009/10/video-do ... 9:3ri3fzyk]link[/url:3ri3fzyk]] to Creature Creation videos at GreyWardens.com.
[[url=http://greywardens.com/2009/10/extensiv ... /:3ri3fzyk]link[/url:3ri3fzyk]] to video interview with Chris Priestly at GreyWardens.com.
[[url=http://dragonage.bioware.com/addon/:3ri3fzyk]link[/url:3ri3fzyk]] to official downloadable content details page.
[[url=http://daforums.bioware.com/viewdevpost ... 5:3ri3fzyk]link[/url:3ri3fzyk]] to forum post confirming Dragon Age: Origins on Steam.
[[url=http://dragonage.bioware.com/pennyarcad ... 6:3ri3fzyk]link[/url:3ri3fzyk]] to Penny Arcade comic.
[[url=http://www.dragonagejourneys.com/:3ri3fzyk]link[/url:3ri3fzyk]] to the Dragon Age: Journeys Flash game homepage.


Love -x-x-x-

Shir'le
F'sarn natha tithaur wun l'su'aco.

-= Shir'le E. Illios =-
Chosen of Eilistraee
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