Dragon Age: Origins - Ostagar, Awakening and More.

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Dragon Age: Origins - Ostagar, Awakening and More.

Post by Shir'le E. Illios »

There's a number of links to report on for Dragon Age: Origins, in part because I have been hoarding them since I last reported in the game. I'll split them into four sections: Awards (listing more awards that the game got from various sites), Return to Ostagar (talking about the paid-for DLC), Awakening (about the expansion) and Various (with things that don't fit in the previous three).


[b:dq3tzfs7]Awards[/b:dq3tzfs7]

Dragon Age: Origins got a couple more awards since last time.

The first of these is perhaps not so positive as GamePro includes it in its list of “[url=http://www.gamepro.com.au/slideshow/332 ... 6:dq3tzfs7]The Nine most overrated games of 2009[/url:dq3tzfs7]”. Regarding Dragon Age: Origins they state the following:

[quote:dq3tzfs7]Dragon Age: Origins is arguably the most hackneyed RPG in the history of the genre. The plot is a creatively-bankrupt mishmash of a hundred cheap fantasy novels, all churned into a flavourless paste. Every character you meet in the game speaks reams of Ye Olde Fantasy pap that seems to go on forever and ever. (Even your dog gets its own cut scenes!)

The combat mechanics in Dragon Age: Origins are pretty much identical to Baldur's Gate from 12 years ago. You select some spells, click on some enemies, and then watch the computer have all the fun while you sit back and twiddle your thumbs. Correct us if we're wrong, but hasn't the RPG genre sort of moved on since then? Just look at the action in Mass Effect and Fallout 3 — while remaining reasonably tactical, they still managed to give your pulse rate a workout. In Dragon Age: Origins, the only thing that gets a workout is your mouse finger.

Despite the 'Origins' subtitle, there's almost nothing new to be found in Dragon Age. It's like every D&D game you've ever played.[/quote:dq3tzfs7]
Now, I can understand that they don’t like the game, but there isn’t a single sentence in there that I can agree with. To me it sounds like so much ranting from someone who prefers different types of games (meaning you need to be a pretty self-absorbed idiot to think that if other people enjoy it the title must obviously be overrated). Of course, the more likely scenario here is that they simply picked on a number of popular titles in an attempt to generate traffic, in which case Dragon Age: Origins can be proud to be considered big enough to be included with the other titles they consider ‘overrated’.

More positive awards include [url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3177623:dq3tzfs7]1UP’s 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards[/url:dq3tzfs7]. There it wins “Best PC Game”, “Best RPG” and “The ‘Great Start’ Award for Best New Series”. Unfortunately it didnt’ win Game of the Year, but I think it wasn’t even an option. Here’s what they have to say in each of those:

[quote:dq3tzfs7][b:dq3tzfs7]Best PC Game[/b:dq3tzfs7]

Despite being a multiplatform release, Dragon Age was really a PC game. The controls worked better, the graphics looked better, and there's really just something right about playing a classic-style Western RPG with a mouse and keyboard. Leave it BioWare and the best RPG of 2009 to prove the PC still has a vital place in gaming.

[b:dq3tzfs7]Best RPG[/b:dq3tzfs7]

The spiritual-successor to Baldur's Gate may have demanded upwards of 60 hours for a single playthrough, but with multiple branching story paths and a customizable party, gamers flocked to this Western RPG. With a game so time-intensive, we expect this to be a favorite well into 2010 as well.

[b:dq3tzfs7]The “Great Start” Award for Best New Series[/b:dq3tzfs7]

As much as gamers griped about the number of sequels that hit in 2009, there was no shortage of great new games, too. Ultimately, though, BioWare's Dragon Age edged out tough contenders like Demon's Souls to become the game we're most looking forward to seeing again.[/quote:dq3tzfs7]
1UP also reports on the [url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3177652:dq3tzfs7]GDC Award Nominations[/url:dq3tzfs7] where Dragon Age: Origins gets away with three nominations; for Best Writing, for Best Audio and for Game of the Year. Winners will be announced at the Game Developers Conference on March 11. Can’t really call this one (most of the titles I haven’t even played), except that they probably won’t get Game of the Year (I suspect that Uncharted 2 will win that one).

Kotaku also has an award for Dragon Age: Origins as [url=http://kotaku.com/5453665/the-best-role ... 9:dq3tzfs7]The Best Role-Playing Game of 2009[/url:dq3tzfs7]. There they have the following to say:

[quote:dq3tzfs7]While my RPG tastes generally lean towards the more traditional Japanese turn-based affairs, BioWare has proven time and time again that a more action-oriented role-playing experience can captivate me just as readily as one in which I have to wait my turn to attack. From the moment you create your character, Dragon Age: Origins makes sure you realize that this is your story. Sure, the battle against the Blight and the political intrigue of Ferelden figure into the overall plot, but the story is all about how you handle these elements, rather than how you react to them.

The gameplay itself is excellent, with a multitude of options, skills, and equipment to bolster your party. Your companions are extraordinarily human, at least on the inside, with motivations and emotions that compel you to explore their stories further.

But in the end, it's all about you. You create your character. You make decisions that change the face of the game world. Dragon Age: Origins is all about the role you play, and that makes the game truly worthy of being called the Best Role-Playing Game of 2009.[/quote:dq3tzfs7]
The final award (so far) is from RPGWatch and their [url=http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/article?ar ... 1:dq3tzfs7]Game of the Year Awards 2009 – Best RPG[/url:dq3tzfs7]. Both the readers and the editors picked Dragon Age: Origins as the best RPG in 2009:

[quote:dq3tzfs7]An age in the making, BioWare finally returns to their roots with a classic fantasy cRPG. It may not quite live up to the heritage of [i:dq3tzfs7]Baldur's Gate[/i:dq3tzfs7] but it's clear [i:dq3tzfs7]Dragon Age[/i:dq3tzfs7] represents a genuine attempt to recreate the atmosphere, tactical, party-based battles and grand adventure that originally made them famous – all within a modern framework. The character writing is some of the best in years, with humorous party banter and great voice acting to bring it to life. The overall structure is linear but there are some memorable set pieces and key decisions to make, that impact the gameworld. Some of the underlying mechanics are hit and miss – the character development is too linear but the streamlined buff system really works and the (albeit limited) spell combos are fun.

Overall, it's little surprise that the combination of traditional gameplay, memorable characters and strong production values that [i:dq3tzfs7]Dragon Age[/i:dq3tzfs7] represents has been voted the best of 2009.

[b:dq3tzfs7]Editors' Choice: Dragon Age: Origins[/b:dq3tzfs7]

Many of the team have been long-time fans of Piranha Bytes, so it's little surprise that [i:dq3tzfs7]Risen[/i:dq3tzfs7] polled strongly. It's not an innovative title but, in the main, it delivers on its promises and is pleasantly polished to boot. Likewise, [i:dq3tzfs7]Drakensang[/i:dq3tzfs7] doesn't break new ground but offers a remarkably solid old-school trip with an under-utilised game system that adds a fresh feel. [i:dq3tzfs7]Dragon Age[/i:dq3tzfs7] also builds on traditional game play but adds superb production values and fantastic characters. While we value substance much more than style, [i:dq3tzfs7]Dragon Age[/i:dq3tzfs7] is one of those rare games that offers both.[/quote:dq3tzfs7]
I have to say that I don’t quite agree that it doesn’t live up to Baldur’s Gate (I’m sure there’s a fair amount of rose-colored glasses in their statement) as I personally think that Dragon Age is much better. Either way, you can see the voting numbers and runners-up by following the link.


[b:dq3tzfs7]Return to Ostagar DLC[/b:dq3tzfs7]

BioWare has had a bit of a hard time with DLC the last month or so. Dragon Age: Origins’ first paid-for DLC, Return to Ostagar, was originally planned for a Holiday release. The first official release date of January 5[sup:dq3tzfs7]th[/sup:dq3tzfs7] was already a bit late, but that was only the start of it. Just a day before release BioWare announced that they had to delay it for an unspecified time because they found a problem with it. When some days later the DLC appeared on Xbox Live it seemed at first as if they’d solved the issues. But the DLC had been released by mistake, causing issues for the people who had already downloaded it. And after that it suffered more delays.

I won’t quote all the news separately, but there are two articles which, together, should give a clear picture of all the trouble the DLC ran into. First there’s an article titled “[url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/01 ... 1:dq3tzfs7]The Ongoing Saga Of Dragon Age DLC[/url:dq3tzfs7]” over at Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Here’s an excerpt:

[quote:dq3tzfs7]Of course, the issue highlighted so far is BioWare’s bad fortune, rather than any egregious act on their part. They clearly intended to release the DLC on time, suddenly discovered a big problem, pulled it, and from then on things unravelled. And as we know all PC games generate enough technical problems across a mixture of systems to fill a thousand forums. The point of contention, however, has been the way this has been communicated.[/quote:dq3tzfs7]
The second article is pretty much just to highlight what happened after. To prevent problems like this in the future BioWare decided to update its test procedures, the result of which being that the DLC had to be delayed again [url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/retur ... n:dq3tzfs7]as Eurogamer reported[/url:dq3tzfs7]:

[quote:dq3tzfs7]"Unfortunately we did not foresee the changes being made to impact the systems it did, which is how something seemingly so visible still managed to avoid the dev team, and multiple test cycles of seasoned QA all through our internal teams, and EA and MS cert teams, and ultimately ended up out to the public.

"To help us avoid similar problems in the future, we're updating all our test plans across all platforms to take additional edge cases into account, as well as committing to more detailed test passes that will also prevent something like this happening again."[/quote:dq3tzfs7]
But luckily all that is behind us now as the Return to Ostagar DLC is [url=http://dragonage.bioware.com/addon/rto:dq3tzfs7]now available for purchase[/url:dq3tzfs7] (on PC and Xbox 360).

With the DLC now released a few reviews of the DLC have surfaced as well. The first one is over at [url=http://greywardens.com/2010/01/review-r ... /:dq3tzfs7]Grey Wardens[/url:dq3tzfs7] with the following excerpt:

[quote:dq3tzfs7] Return to Ostagar is not about the deep emotional development of characters, nor is it about beautiful environments. It is about a tradition as old as roleplaying games themselves. It is about booting down the door, killing the monsters, and nicking their stuff. It is about loot, levels and being the biggest bad-ass you can be.

Combat is where this DLC’s excels. From the moment you enter Ostagar to the moment you leave, you are essentially in one big punch-up. Your foes are laid out in tactically advantageous positions and will often attack in waves to challenge not just your skills as a warrior, but also your resource management. While this is something so simple, it is executed in such a fashion as to avoid the constant mel[html]é[/html]e becoming tedious. Be warned, however, go into some of RtO’s battles half-cocked and you may find yourself hanging with the King in a most literal sense.[/quote:dq3tzfs7]
Grey Wardens also has [url=http://greywardens.com/2010/02/return-t ... /:dq3tzfs7]a walkthrough[/url:dq3tzfs7] for the DLC, which I suspect will contain spoilers (even if the DLC might be light on story).

BigDownload also [url=http://news.bigdownload.com/2010/02/05/ ... /:dq3tzfs7]has a review[/url:dq3tzfs7] for the DLC, including the following bit:

[quote:dq3tzfs7]The [i:dq3tzfs7]Return to Ostagar[/i:dq3tzfs7] mission is very short, and is generally just a little longer than the [i:dq3tzfs7]Warden's Keep[/i:dq3tzfs7] and [i:dq3tzfs7]Stone Prisoner[/i:dq3tzfs7] quests. Also, players will spend most of their time retreading the same ground from the beginning of the main campaign, except now the war camp has been completely overrun with Darkspawn. It's also nice to revisit the site where your character was initiated into the Grey Wardens, but there's not much new to see except a couple brief areas near the end.[/quote:dq3tzfs7]
They conclude that the DLC is a “must own”, though considering that I’ve already finished Dragon Age: Origins, can’t return there with my character (due to the choice I made at the end) and am unlikely to replay it anytime soon I think I’ll personally hold off a while despite really liking Dragon Age: Origins.


[b:dq3tzfs7]Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening[/b:dq3tzfs7]

I think I already reported that BiOWare announced the first expansion for Dragon Age: Origins, named “[url=http://dragonage.bioware.com/awakening:dq3tzfs7]Awakening[/url:dq3tzfs7]”. But it should come as no surprise that since then a fair amount of additional information has popped up.

The first bit is that it has beed given [url=http://www.vg247.com/2010/01/19/dragon- ... /:dq3tzfs7]an 18 classification by the BBFC[/url:dq3tzfs7], which isn’t really saying much as I think Dragon Age: Origins had this too. But on interesting bit from that link is that it includes over 40 minutes worth of cutscenes.

More interesting perhaps is that the game is available for [url=http://store.steampowered.com/app/901275/:dq3tzfs7]pre-order through Steam[/url:dq3tzfs7], priced $39.99/[html]€[/html]29.99/[html]£[/html]19.99. Even if you don’t have Steam one of the interesting things to pick up from that page is the system requirements (which, though I haven’t compared them, are probably about the same as for the main game). It also gives a nice overview of some of the features of the expansion.

Regardless of that list though IGN decided to post an article titled “[url=http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/106/10628 ... l:dq3tzfs7]The Dragon Age Awakening Must Have List[/url:dq3tzfs7]”, which is basically their wishlist of things that they want to see in the expansion. Can’t say I really disagree with any of them (though I don’t consider them all “must haves” either); here’s an excerpt:

[quote:dq3tzfs7][b:dq3tzfs7]Improve party AI during battle and exploration.[/b:dq3tzfs7]

For the most part, your party members are intelligent characters: they'll follow closely behind you and provide support whenever you need it. However, every now and then, your characters have a tendency to go off script. If their target is killed or you choose a new enemy, they might stand around confused and not attack anyone. And they like to gather in doorways, especially at the end of a battle. Sometimes you have to fight your way past your allies to get from one room to another.

These issues are easy to fix. Establish AI presets based on character personality and program them to kick in automatically during battle. For example, have Alistair launch templar abilities at magic users to hamper their spellcasting abilities, while Leliana sneaks behind the closest enemy and backstabs them (if she's wielding a sword). In addition, set up characters to automatically shift to the next enemy once they kill one – unless the player gives them a different order.[/quote:dq3tzfs7]
There have also been a couple of videos released for the expansion. The first of which, over on GameSpot, is the [url=http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/dragonage ... 6:dq3tzfs7]Queen of the Blackmarsh Trailer[/url:dq3tzfs7] which shows one of the bosses:

[center:dq3tzfs7][html]<embed id="mymovie" width="640" height="391" flashvars="bwr=0&skinXML=http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/cn ... player%3D1" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" scale="noScale" salign="lt" allowFullScreen="true" quality="high" name="mymovie" style="" src="http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/cn ... dothea.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"/>[/html][/center:dq3tzfs7]
IGN has a video to [url=http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/106/10654 ... l:dq3tzfs7]introduce Anders[/url:dq3tzfs7]; one of the new NPCs you can recruit. Here’s the description followed by [url=http://uk.pc.ign.com/dor/objects/56427/ ... l:dq3tzfs7]the video[/url:dq3tzfs7]:

[quote:dq3tzfs7][b:dq3tzfs7]ANDERS[/b:dq3tzfs7]
Many mages chafe under the Chantry's control, and Anders is no exception. Although most mages are brought into the Circle at a young age, Anders was an adolescent by the time the templars found him: he had an understanding of the outside world and knew full well what he was missing. To him, the walls of the Circle Tower were nothing more than a prison. A born troublemaker, Anders repeatedly broke out of the tower, displaying great ingenuity. But for all his resourcefulness and talent, he could never quite elude the templars. It's a lucky thing that Anders despises blood mages as much as the Chantry does, else he might have been executed as a suspected maleficarum long ago. In truth, all he wants is freedom--well, freedom, a good meal, and a pretty girl on his arm. That's not too much to ask, is it?[/quote:dq3tzfs7]
[center:dq3tzfs7][html]<object id='ignplayer' width='640' height='360' data='http://media.ign.com/ev/embed.swf' type='application/x-shockwave-flash'><param name='movie' value='http://media.ign.com/ev/embed.swf' /><param name='allowfullscreen' value='true' /><param name='allowscriptaccess' value='always' /><param name='bgcolor' value='#000000' /><param name='flashvars' value='vgroup=dragonage_trl_Anders_012910&object=56427'/></object>[/html][/center:dq3tzfs7]
And finally there’s the [url=http://www.gametrailers.com/video/exclu ... 0:dq3tzfs7]The Children Trailer[/url:dq3tzfs7] over on GameTrailers:

[center:dq3tzfs7][html] <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shoc ... on=8,0,0,0" id="gtembed" width="640" height="523"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="movie" value="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap ... 0"/><param name="quality" value="high" /> <embed src="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=61560" swLiveConnect="true" name="gtembed" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" allowFullScreen="true" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="523"></embed> </object>[/html][/center:dq3tzfs7]
BioWare also released a bunch of [url=http://dragonage.bioware.com/gallery/screens/:dq3tzfs7]screenshots[/url:dq3tzfs7] and opened a [url=http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/categ ... x:dq3tzfs7]discussion forum[/url:dq3tzfs7] for the expansion.


[b:dq3tzfs7]Various[/b:dq3tzfs7]

Finally there are a number of things which don’t really fit in any of the above groups; they’re neither rewards, nor are about Return to Ostagar or Awakening (specifically).

BioWare has made a couple of comments regarding the future of Dragon Age (beyond the expansion). The first of which is where they [url=http://www.destructoid.com/dragon-age-w ... l:dq3tzfs7]told Destructoid[/url:dq3tzfs7] that they expect that Dragon Age will come of age in about a year:

[quote:dq3tzfs7]Like a fine wine, [url=http://www.destructoid.com/review-drago ... l:dq3tzfs7][i:dq3tzfs7]Dragon Age: Origins[/i:dq3tzfs7][/url:dq3tzfs7] may get better with age.

Curious to what the future of [i:dq3tzfs7]Origins[/i:dq3tzfs7]' content holds, I asked the game’s online producer Fernando Melo what he expects to see from [i:dq3tzfs7]Origins[/i:dq3tzfs7] a year from now. And then two. And then three.

He thinks that a year out, the game will “begin to come of age,” as the team steadily reveals more and more pieces of the narrative’s tapestry.

“Honestly,” he told me via e-mail, “looking at [i:dq3tzfs7]Dragon Age[/i:dq3tzfs7] as a franchise, that kind of timeframe (a year plus) is really when [i:dq3tzfs7]DA[/i:dq3tzfs7] will begin to come of age (if you pardon the pun).

“As we release more content, I think that is the earliest that players will begin to clearly see all the pieces start to weave together, and that will be incredibly exciting to observe as a developer.”

And Melo believes that with this kind of time, the mod community will begin to start putting out consumable -- or at least “their best” -- content.

“Plus on a separate but integral path,” he tells me, “I am fully expecting that we’ll see the modding community releasing some of their best content by then. The [i:dq3tzfs7]Dragon Age[/i:dq3tzfs7] toolset and the modding scene for [i:dq3tzfs7]DA[/i:dq3tzfs7] will have matured, and that’s something I’m really excited to see the results of.”[/quote:dq3tzfs7]
Another comment made was [url=http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/29/biowa ... /:dq3tzfs7]to Joystiq[/url:dq3tzfs7] where they state that they’ll improve the visual quality for the sequel:

[quote:dq3tzfs7][i:dq3tzfs7]Dragon Age: Origins[/i:dq3tzfs7] presents strong evidence that [url=http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/04/joyst ... p:dq3tzfs7]great games[/url:dq3tzfs7] can overcome gawd-awful graphics, but BioWare isn't about to test that theory -- and the limits of our forgiveness -- again in the sequel. "I think one of the key things we're working on in [i:dq3tzfs7]Dragon Age 2[/i:dq3tzfs7] is the technology," BioWare VP Greg Zeschuk [url=http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/22/inter ... /:dq3tzfs7]recently[/url:dq3tzfs7] told Joystiq. "I can confirm that we're doing a lot of work on the [i:dq3tzfs7]Dragon Age[/i:dq3tzfs7] engine, and doing a lot of stuff to pump it -- to make it visually super hot."

Now, to clarify, frisky rogue foursomes and lesbian alien sex are measured on different "super hot" scales, as Zeschuk conceded, "[i:dq3tzfs7]Dragon Age[/i:dq3tzfs7] is, in the structural sense, a fundamentally different game than [i:dq3tzfs7]Mass Effect[/i:dq3tzfs7] ... You have to make different technical considerations." Certainly, with [url=http://joystiq.com/tag/dragon-age-origins:dq3tzfs7][i:dq3tzfs7]Dragon Age: Origins[/i:dq3tzfs7][/url:dq3tzfs7], those considerations were designed to benefit the superior PC version.

Still, there's hope for a console sequel makeover, since, in Zeschuk's words, the process of iteration allows a developer to "get to a much higher level." "I think the overall visual style we're going to continue to evolve in [i:dq3tzfs7]Dragon Age[/i:dq3tzfs7]," Zeschuk added. "People are going to see some cool ... I can't really say too much, but I think [i:dq3tzfs7]Dragon Age[/i:dq3tzfs7] as a world is interesting. It's a timeline, and you can go anywhere." Go anywhere, huh? So, like the future Ferelden, where a race of sexy blue aliens has been possessed by horny desire demons? [i:dq3tzfs7]Super hot[/i:dq3tzfs7].[/quote:dq3tzfs7]
Wait a minute; did they just confirm there that they’re working on Dragon Age 2? Not a big surprise, but also not something that they’ve officially announced before.

Speaking of super hot graphics, Kotaku [url=http://kotaku.com/5461811/dragon-age-ac ... s:dq3tzfs7]has an image[/url:dq3tzfs7] of what the Dragon Age: Origins action figures will (probably) look like:

[center:dq3tzfs7][img:dq3tzfs7]http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/9 ... e_toys.jpg[/img:dq3tzfs7][/center:dq3tzfs7]
Now all I need is a Leliana action figure. ;)

RPGCodex has an article titled “[url=http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=195:dq3tzfs7]Dragon Age: Choices and Consequences[/url:dq3tzfs7]” where they look at how BioWare achieved a world by offering choices and consequences. Here’s an excerpt:

[quote:dq3tzfs7] Dragon Age takes place in a very familiar land of humans, dwarves, elves, and blood-thirsty monsters. You'll find knights and mages, undead and ogres, dragons and giant spiders, werewolves and golems. It's a Tolkien-esque world aimed at creating instant recognition, familiarity, and comfort, if you're easily confused by unfamiliar worlds and anything original. The world is threatened by an equally generic Blight, represented by waves of annoying, orc-looking monsters who continue to be up to no good throughout the game, until you're ready to fight an anti-climatic battle, slay the dragon (come on, it's DRAGON age, what did you expect to kill in the end?), and save the world.

However, the world within these constraints of generic fantasy is very well designed and polished, [i:dq3tzfs7]and if you let it[/i:dq3tzfs7], will surprise you with its depth and the quality of its "unique takes and variants on some old familiar standards". To be honest, I hate all that elves and dwarves crap with passion, but I've genuinely enjoyed visiting different hubs and learning about different cultures, races, and customs, which led me to the conclusion that what I hate isn't the races but the cardboard cutout implementations - "these are dwarves, they live underground and like to fight; awesome or what?" Bioware definitely did a superb job there and raised the bar quite a lot.[/quote:dq3tzfs7]
Gear Diary on the other hand has a review up; not for the game, but [url=http://www.geardiary.com/2010/01/22/vid ... /:dq3tzfs7]for the soundtrack[/url:dq3tzfs7]. Here’s an excerpt:

[quote:dq3tzfs7] Let’s get right to it: the soundtrack is very good, but it is a lousy value. As mentioned, buyers of the Deluxe versions get 18 songs included for the extra $15 they paid. These represent not just a ’sampling’, but more like a ‘best of’ list of tracks. I say ‘best of’ because some of the songs most folks I have spoken to call ‘favorites’, things like the Origins theme, Leliana’s Song and the award-winning I Am The One, are all included in the ’soundtrack sampler’ provided with the Deluxe edition.

Inon Zur is no stranger to video games, having composed for games such as Icewind Dale II, Baldur’s Gate 2: Throne of Bhaal expansion, and most recently Fallout 3. His experience carries well into this setting. Fallout 3 had some nice themes and also heavy rhythmic motives threaded well into the game. As has become fairly typical, there is a mixture of light fantasy themes, heavy classical bombast, and tribal rhythmic segments – perhaps the best recent example of this fusion of elements was Kai Rozenkranz’s 2006 Gothic 3 soundtrack.[/quote:dq3tzfs7]
I must say that I still regularly listen with much pleasure to the Dragon Age soundtrack (I got both the full soundtrack and the Deluxe edition, having mixed them together into a single list of tracks); was well worth the purchase for me (where the Mass Effect 2 soundtrack, judging from its Deluxe edition, isn’t so impressive).

And finally there’s an interview with CEO and co-founder Ray Muzyka ([url=http://www.gamerzines.com/pc/previews/b ... l:dq3tzfs7]part 1[/url:dq3tzfs7], [url=http://www.gamerzines.com/pc/previews/b ... l:dq3tzfs7]part 3[/url:dq3tzfs7]; part 2 is about Mass Effect 2 and I reported on that before already) at GamerZines. Here’s an excerpt:

[quote:dq3tzfs7][GamerZines]: Awakening seems much bigger than anything else done digitally. How big is it exactly? How many hours?

[Ray Muzyka]: It's a full expansion for the Dragon Age Universe, it's rich and explores a lot about the back story, explaining the things that players are curious about. You learn a lot more about the darkspawn and their motivation, and more of the cool things going on underneath the world. I think it'll answer a lot of the questions players had in the original game. It's a meaty expansion, a lot of developers would release it as a full game but we're releasing it as a great, high quality, really rich expansion for Dragon Age.[/quote:dq3tzfs7]
And that’s it for now. :)


[[url=http://www.gamepro.com.au/slideshow/332 ... 6:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to “9 overrated games” at GamePro.
[[url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3177623:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to Readers’ Choice Awards at 1UP.
[[url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3177652:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to GDC Nominations at 1UP.
[[url=http://kotaku.com/5453665/the-best-role ... 9:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to Best RPG at Kotaku.
[[url=http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/article?ar ... 1:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to Best RPG at RPGWatch.

[[url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/01 ... 1:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to DLC trouble article at Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
[[url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/retur ... n:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to DLC delay news at Eurogamer.
[[url=http://dragonage.bioware.com/addon/rto:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to Return to Ostagar at BiOWare.
[[url=http://greywardens.com/2010/01/review-r ... /:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to Return to Ostagar review at Grey Wardens.
[[url=http://greywardens.com/2010/02/return-t ... /:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to Return to Ostagar walkthrough at Grey Wardens.
[[url=http://news.bigdownload.com/2010/02/05/ ... /:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to Return to Ostagar review at BigDownload.

[[url=http://www.vg247.com/2010/01/19/dragon- ... /:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to BBFC classification at VG247.
[[url=http://store.steampowered.com/app/901275/:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to pre-order at Steam.
[[url=http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/106/10628 ... l:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to “must have” list at IGN.
[[url=http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/dragonage ... 6:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to Blackmarsh trailer at GameSpot.
[[url=http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/106/10654 ... l:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to Anders introduction at IGN.
[[url=http://uk.pc.ign.com/dor/objects/56427/ ... l:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to Anders video at IGN.
[[url=http://www.gametrailers.com/video/exclu ... 0:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to The Children trailer at GameTrailers.
[[url=http://dragonage.bioware.com/gallery/screens/:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to Awakening screenshots at BioWare.
[[url=http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/categ ... x:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to Awakening forum at BioWare.

[[url=http://www.destructoid.com/dragon-age-w ... l:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to coming of age at Destructoid.
[[url=http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/29/biowa ... /:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to future graphics at Joystiq.
[[url=http://kotaku.com/5461811/dragon-age-ac ... s:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to action figures at Kotaku.
[[url=http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=195:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to Choices & Consquences article at RPGCodex.
[[url=http://www.geardiary.com/2010/01/22/vid ... /:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to soundtrack review at Gear Diary.
[[url=http://www.gamerzines.com/pc/previews/b ... l:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to interview part 1 with Ray Muzyka at GamerZines.
[[url=http://www.gamerzines.com/pc/previews/b ... l:dq3tzfs7]link[/url:dq3tzfs7]] to interview part 3 with Ray Muzyka at GamerZines.


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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