Dragon Age: Origins was an epic action RPG. It set new standards of quality both in combat and for its exquisite use of conversation trees. However, as good as the original was, it also had some serious flaws; combat felt unresponsive at best and downright broken at its worst, and the conversation trees often contained “un-translucent” responses. Based on the demo, it appears that Dragon Age II has taken significant steps to leverage from the mistakes of its predecessor with the biggest changes being made to the combat system.

In the first game, the player’s actions felt very detached. But, with the new combat system, the combat feels more responsive. That said, on consoles, the action button yields a standard attack as combat doesn’t revolve around a single button. The other face buttons pertain to a skill move, or special attack. In all, the control scheme hasn’t differed from what was used in the original, but the differences here are that when you press a button, you’re rewarded an with instant action. In fact, if you’re not near to your opponent, your character will do whatever necessary to reach them, whether that be leaping through the air or charging directly at them.

However, the combat system isn’t the only part of Dragon Age that has shown significant improvement; the conversation system has also been overhauled. The most noticeable among those improvements, the addition of icons to indicate the nature of your choices. A sarcastic remark, for example, will show a laughing mask icon, while positive and negative remarks will show icons indicating their nature. During the demo, there was also an opportunity to consult members of your party for their opinions on a situation.

In Dragon Age: Origins, your party members would chime in from time to time, but you didn’t get to solicit opinions from them. The addition of this mechanic makes the conversation system feel more robust, and it makes your relationship with your party members feel more substantial. In conclusion, though the demo is substantial, it’s hard to get an idea of how these new mechanics will evolve the overall experience. Still, if the demo experience is any indication, the future is looking bright.

There’s no question that Dragon Age was one of the best releases of 2009; it won many awards, and has an average review score of 91. And to add to the excitement, BioWare has just announced that Dragon Age: Origins has sold over 3.2 million units worldwide, granting Dragon Age triple platinum status.

“This is a tremendous start for the Dragon Age franchise and we are extremely pleased with the great reception the game has already received from critics and fans worldwide,” said BioWare’s Dr. Ray Muzyka in reponse to the news.

“Our team is dedicated to crafting high quality, engaging new adventures and stories in the world of Ferelden for our fans!,” he continued in excitement. The upcoming expansion pack, Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening is set to launch on March 16, 2010.

Japanese role-playing games don’t command the respect that they once had. But, why is that? BioWare, a leader in Western RPG development, believes that Japanese role-playing games don’t innovate, meaning that “lack of evolution” is the reason for the JRPG decline, in both sales and quality.

“The fall of the JRPG in large part is due to a lack of evolution, a lack of progression,” BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk told Destructoid last week. “They kept delivering the same thing over and over. They make the dressing better, they look prettier, but it’s still the same experience”.

“My favorite thing, it’s funny when you still see it, but the joke of some of the dialogue systems where it asks, ‘do you wanna do this or this,’ and you say no. ‘Do you wanna do this or this?’ No. ‘Do you wanna do this or this?’ No. Lemme think — you want me to say ‘yes.’ And that, unfortunately, really characterized the JRPG.”

“We have big debates on whether GTA is an RPG, for example”, he adds. “It’s got all the elements, it just doesn’t have the numbers. And what gamers here want is that higher depth, that higher integration of features…Mass Effect 2 is in some ways a continuation of that evolution.”

BioWare’s known for impressive and engaging RPGs. However, the genre been seemingly non-existent this console generation; there are only a few out in the market right now. One of the many unnoticed problems of this console generation, BioWare has set out to fill this void with its “dark heroic fantasy” Dragon Age: Origins, the spiritual successor to the highly praised Baldurs Gate franchise on the PC. That said, unsurprisingly, Dragon Age surpasses all expectations; pushing the breaking point and scale of any previous RPG. In fact, Dragon Age could even be considered as the greatest RPG ever conceived.

In Dragon Age, you play as a newly mended Grey Warden, warriors tasked with fighting off the advancing Darkspawn in the time of “The Blight”, a catastrophic event in which Darkspawn try and take over the world causing years of darkness and chaos. However, the Grey Wardens have seen better days; their influence, as well as their numbers, are weak. Then, in this time of great weakness within the Wardens, push comes to shovel. Now, your character finds themselves building up an army in time for the impending Blight; done by pulling in debts from the other races and other factions within Ferelden, the setting for this adventure.

But, that’s only apart of the story. Dragon Age’s story also branches of into multiple segments; thanks in part to NPC dialogue tree, made famous in BioWare’s Mass Effect series, and the character creation system. However, with the dialog system, it’s not as obvious as to how your discussions effect your progression towards good, or evil. You see, since you cannot physically see the see the outcomes of your discussions, you’ll have to read and layout your options before picking your answers. This adds interesting aspect but, the moments when there’s only one outcome, are where the dialogue system trends to drags on.

That said, you’ll have three races (human, elf, dwarf) and three classes (warrior, mage and rouge) to pick from when customizing your character. Pick carefully because this decides how the world views and treats your character. Along with, which one of the six origin stories you’ll be to explore as that character. This is the biggest problem with the origin story aspect. After playing though a portion of the game, your characters origin story starts feeling like an afterthought, ie. The people of Ferelden don’t favor elves but, after awhile, it’s like people don’t care about who, or what, you are. This isn’t a major problem; it’s just that it adds an unrealistic feeling to the Dragon Age experience.

Even though there are some substantial differences between the PC and console versions, BioWare has created a combat system that mirrors that of the PC. This system works in one of two ways; fighting in real-time, and micromanaging. However, micromanaging isn’t the preferred battle preference on consoles; the console versions are geared more towards action, which is opposite to the PCs more tactical approach. Meaning that, there’s really no need for micromanagement on consoles – you can play though all the game without micromanaging. However, when you’re facing 15+ enemies, micromanaging is the prefect way for you to insure a clean victory. Be that as it may, the most notable difference between the versions are there presentations.

But, don’t get me wrong, Dragon Age is a gorgeous game. It’s just that, on consoles, the graphics can’t hold a candle to that of the PCs; the colors look washed out and foggy. Also, in the time it told me to play through Dragon Age, I noticed that the game was plagued with many annoying little glitches that, while not breaking the game, put a damper on the overall experience, ie. there’s a glitch in which a character’s lips move while no words came out. However, it isn’t all bad with presentation. Character animations, while stiff at some points, are smooth and well done, and the art style is very eye catching.

Closing Statement:

Dragon Age is one of those titles that can easily take hours out of your life, which, surprisingly, isn’t a bad thing because you won’t want them back. That, along with the fact that BioWare has chosen to introduce downloadable content, proves that Dragon Age is something that you do not want to miss. But, even though I did have a lot of fun playing Dragon Age, there’s just to many glitches that took away from the overall experience. However, if you can get past them, this is the game for you. In addition, never has a game been fully worth the $60; Dragon Age’s quality surpasses that.

Final Score: 9.1

The very first chapter of Dragon Age Journeys, a free to play browser based game set in the Dragon Age world, entitled “The Deep Roads” is now available for download, EA announced today. In “The Deep Roads“, players will uncover a “dastardly plot that threatens to unleash a great evil that won’t stop until it destroys all living things”.

You can play Journeys here:  www.dragonagejourneys.com (we’ve been informed that it will be up and running at noon PST [3:00PM EST], sorry).

“Dragon Age Journeys sets the stage for Dragon Age: Origins,” said Mark Darrah, Executive Producer, Dragon Age: Origins. “The team has shown the Dragon Age Franchise in a bold new light and the release of this game allows a broad audience of players to discover our dark fantasy universe for the first time.”

Dragon Age Journeys is produced by a new browser-based production team at EA and an all-star team of independent development talent, with the goal of creating premium quality browser games. Dragon Age Journeys will features intense tactical combat, a compelling story and deep customization.

Four years ago, co-founder Ray Muzyka revealed that “[BioWare] definitely [has] plans to continue the Jade Empire franchise” – teasing the possibility of a Xbox 360 sequel. However, since then, the heat over Muzyka’s comments have since been turned into smoke.

When speaking to Strategy Informer, Dragon Age‘s lead designer Mike Laidlaw stomped on whether, or not, a follow-up was in development. “At this point, Jade Empire is a staff favorite, and a lot of us love it, so we’d love to revisit it at some point. But right now, we are very focused on Dragon Age and Mass Effect 2,” Laidlaw stated.

On another note, BioWare’s official site reveals that it currently has one unidentified “new next gen game” in development which hasn’t been announced yet.

[Thanks to GameSpot]

Leading video game developer BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts Inc., has secured a star-studded voiceover cast for its upcoming blockbuster game, Dragon Age: Origins. Featuring Tim Curry, star of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Broadway’s Spamalot, as well as Kate Mulgrew, well-known for her role as Capt. Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager“.

Dragon Age: Origins also includes notable cast members Tim Russ (“Star Trek: Voyager,” “Samantha Who?”), Claudia Black (“Stargate SG-1,” “Pitch Black”) and Steve Valentine (“Estate of Panic,” “Crossing Jordan”). Dragon Age: Origins marks BioWare’s return to fantasy, created from the ground up to take players through a dark epic tale filled with violence, lust, and betrayal.

Tim Curry will play the villainous Arl Rendon Howe. Howe is the calculating villain, cultured and charming, with an insatiable lust for power who never hesitates to harm anyone who gets in his way. Kate Mulgrew will lend her vocal flair to Flemeth, a powerful witch who maintains her immortality through the darkest of means, and who plays a pivotal role in the player’s survival. Both roles provide the actors with the opportunity to bring their considerable talents to bear in their portrayal of these characters.

“Dragon Age: Origins has the largest cast of characters of any game BioWare has ever made,” said Mark Darrah, Executive Producer, BioWare. “By working with an incredibly talented cast of actors we are able to bring reality and depth to the characters, their back stories, motivations, and dreams that our talented writers have created for them.”

Today, BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts, announced the mystical City of Haven, which will be featured in their upcoming title Dragon Age: Origins.

Information about the city: Some years ago, a lone traveler paid a visit to a tavern in Denerim, and after imbibing a great quantity of ale related a tale of his travels to the tavern-keeper. The traveler claimed to have stumbled upon a strange village high in the Frostback Mountains. The village was peaceful, he said, and the villagers polite, if a little aloof.

They fed him and watered his horse, and then urged him to be on his way. When he lingered too long, suddenly their mood changed. Their faces grew cold and knives appeared, and the traveler was told that what was to happen next “was done in Andraste’s name and for the good of all.” He fled in a panic and could not afterwards retrace his path. The traveler took a room at the tavern and yet never slept there. He disappeared that night and was not heard from again.

[nggallery id=28]

Leading video game developer BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. today announced the Dragon Age: Origins Collector’s Edition and pre-order incentive program. The Collector’s Edition is a premium package available in limited quantities featuring exclusive Dragon Age: Origins collectibles including a unique steel case, a cloth map of the world of Dragon Age, a Making-of documentary DVD, a digital version of the Dragon Age: Origins soundtrack, game trailers, wallpapers, strategy tips and a concept art video, plus three exclusive downloadable items that will provide special advantages to the player.

The Collector’s Edition is available for pre-order today at www.eastore.ea.com for an MSRP of $74.99 (console) and $64.99 (PC) in North America.

As an added bonus, Dragon Age: Origins (both original and Collector’s Edition) includes two special pieces of downloadable content: The Stone Prisoner, as well as a suit of Dragon Age themed armor that can be used in Dragon Age: Origins as well as in the upcoming BioWare Shooter RPG, Mass Effect 2 on all available platforms.

With The Stone Prisoner download pack, players will have access to Shale, the mighty stone golem who can become one of the most powerful party members in the game, and comes with its own personal back-story and unique quests for the player to discover. The Stone Prisoner will also include new environments, items and hours of additional gameplay, further deepening the epic Dragon Age experience. The Stone Prisoner is available to original purchasers of new copies of Dragon Age: Origins at no additional cost. The Stone Prisoner can also be purchased separately for $15.

In addition, players who purchase a new copy of Dragon Age: Origins (original or Collector’s Edition) will receive a code to download the Blood Dragon Armor, an exclusive set of themed armor that will give the player additional protection in combat. This armor will be available for use in both Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2.

During Spike TV’s E3 special last night the program showed a new CGI trailer for Dragon Age: Origins, the upcoming fantasy RPG from developer BioWare. However, one of the highlights of the trailer was the very end of the it were it showed the official release date for Dragon Age: Origins, October 20.

Dragon Age: Origins was originally supposed to be released earlier this year but EA decided to delay the game to this fall so that BioWare could have the console versions come out at the same time as the the PC version.

Don’t you just hate Digital Rights Management software? Well, lucky, EA is aware of your problem so they have announced that Dragon Age: Origins will feature the simplest DRM, no SecuROM whatsoever.

EA has announced that the retail PC version of Dragon Age: Origins will use only a basic disk check and it will not require online authentication. In other words, the retail PC version of the game won’t require you to go online to authenticate the game for offline play.

They go on to state that they have chosen not to use SecuROM in any version of Dragon Age that is distributed by EA or BioWare.

Dragon Age: Origins is releasing this fall on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, so keep an eye out for more news.

Well, I did some small title editing there so… it’s really ‘controversial moments’ not controversy, just so that people don’t get it mixed up. Anyway, it seems that Mass Effect 2 is going to retain the ‘dirty boy’ attitude from within the first game.

When being interview by VG247 at GDC, it was revealed that one of BioWare’s co-founders, Ray Muzyka, that they’re promising more “emotionally engaging moments” in Mass Effect 2, which means alot more ‘alien sex’.

“We don’t shy away from emotionally engaging moments. We try to make them contextually appropriate. They’re not gratuitous for the sake of gratuity. We put them in to actually drive an emotional response, but the journey you’ve gone through to get to that point in the game, it has to feel like that is a real point, a real outcome that makes sense to the player to get that point. They’re not there for shock value,” he told VG247.

“If there’s surprise and delight in the emotionally engaging moment then that’s great too, but they have to feel contextually appropriate. We just make games with great stories and characters and, just like in real life, some of the interactions are emotionally charged between some of the characters. There could be all types of different emotions. And even the experience itself, we strive for emotion… We’re not shying away from it.”

Today, when we visited the Mass Effect website we saw that BioWare had posted an update for the title, and by the title name of this article you can tell that it has to do with the sequel. As I was saying, when we had visited the site we saw the teaser trailer for Mass Effect 2 and lucky for you we were willing to share it with you.

If you didn’t know, ‘Mass Effect’ was an epic science-fiction roleplaying game set in a spectacular new vision of the future.