Today BioWare released the first of what will be many trailers for Dragon Age 2. At the time of the announcement back in July, details were scarce. All we knew was that the game would focus around a male or female named Hawke, that the story would span 10 years, that he or she would become the most important figure in the Dragon Age universe, and that the game was getting revamped. Read the full story

Today, BioWare returns to form with another great DLC installment for Dragon Age: Origins. Last month it was announced that Golems of Amgarrak would be released, and having just played through it right now, I can honestly say it’s one of their better ones.

Read the full story

Not even 30 seconds ago, BioWare announced the details for the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins DLC, Golems of Amgarrak. While at San Diego Comic-Con, BioWare did confirm a new DLC would be coming out, but, at the time, that was all fans were given. Read the full story

Back in 2009, BioWare released a game called Dragon Age: Origins.  Since that time, it has been enhanced with four playable DLC packs and a full on expansion pack (not in that order).  Come to think of it, we may have mentioned them before.  Today, BioWare announced Dragon Age 2, coming to us sometime in March 2011.

Dragon Age 2 introduces a new character to the Dragon Age world: Hawke.  From the press release:

Dragon Age 2 thrusts players into the role of Hawke, a penniless refugee who rises to power to become the single most important character in the world of Dragon Age. Known to be a survivor of the Blight and the Champion of Kirkwall, the legend around Hawke’s rise to power is shrouded in myth and rumor. Featuring an all-new story spanning 10 years, players will help tell that tale by making tough moral choices, gathering the deadliest of allies, amassing fame and fortune, and sealing their place in history. The way you play will write the story of how the world is changed forever.

The first thing that stands out in that statement is the assertion that Hawke will become the “single most important character in the world of Dragon Age.”  Dragon Age 2 Executive Producer Mark Darrah includes:

With Dragon Age 2 we are creating an exciting new entry point into the Dragon Age universe while ensuring that fans of the original game retain a sense of satisfaction and familiarity in the world. We are amplifying the things that made Dragon Age: Origins such a huge success while introducing a more dynamic combat system, improving the graphics, and telling the most important story in our world.

Again with the “most important” bit.  Did my Dragon Age: Origins character (Magnus Aeducan) not take the time out of his day to defeat the Archdemon and end the Blight?  Did Magnus not expose Loghain’s corruption and restore King Maric’s blood to the throne of Ferelden in the person of Alistair?  Did Magnus not bang the shit out of Morrigan then dump her for Leliana, while having a little strange fun on the side with Zevran?  How quickly his efforts are forgotten!

I’m very happy that Dragon Age 2 has been announced.  I had hoped that it would somehow continue the story of Dragon Age: Origins, or allow me to import my character and continue (because Magnus Aeducan is a fucking badass), but it seems this is not the case.  Well, maybe I’ll just create a new dwarf named Magnus and pretend it’s the same one.  Wait, that’s right, I can’t.  Dragon Age 2 provides the player with Hawke, the pre-made lead character.  Hawke is human, Hawke is Hawke.  You can choose to play Hawke as male or female, but not as dwarf or elf.  A large chunk of character creation and connection has disappeared.  I can understand that boxing the player in to a single character like this allows the game to reference the character by name, but I don’t think that name-recognition is enough of a trade-off to give away character creation.  Part of what I love about role-playing games is the ability to choose which role I want to play.  While I’m sure I’ll still be able to choose my class in Dragon Age 2, I no longer have the option of playing as a Dwarf or balancing different race bonuses against each other when determining my character’s stats.  One of the most intimate, creative, and meaningful parts of a role-playing game has been taken away from me with Dragon Age 2.

Improved graphics are almost always worthy of a high-five.  The Dragon Age 2 website, however, also mentions a change to the visual style of the game as well.  I liked the style of Dragon Age: Origins.  I may very well love the style of Dragon Age 2, but I’d rather have the style I know I like than a style I may love or may hate.  The dynamic combat system also worries me.  According to the Dragon Age 2 website, players will be able to “Think like a general and fight like a Spartan with dynamic new combat mechanics that put you right in the heart of battle whether you are a mage, rogue, or warrior.”  Again, I may love the changes to the combat mechanics, but until I actually experience them, it still worries me.  I enjoyed Dragon Age: Origins immensely, visually and functionally.  I worry that making radical changes could ruin a wonderful game.

I like the scope of the game.  A ten-year timespan allows for a great deal of long-term development of characters and plots.  New areas of the Dragon Age world will provide a familiar, yet new setting for the story to take place in.  Improved graphics are almost always welcome.  Incremental improvements to both form and function are almost mandatory for game sequels.  Name recognition caused by a static lead character will make the game seem more polished and complete.

I dislike being pigeonholed into the character of Hawke.  Taking away my ability to really create my character takes away some of my connection to the character.  Improved form and function could help the game transcend the experience of the first game, but it could also drive away fans if the changes are too extreme.  I worry about Dragon Age 2.

And in March 2011, be on the lookout for the review, which will almost undoubtedly be positive, proving my fears wrong.

-[insert PIGEON CRAP here]

Back in June, during the excitement of E3, BioWare announced new DLC on the way for Dragon Age: Origins titled Leliana’s Song. Of course I was excited, but after the semi-bland Darkspawn Chronicles, Chris was very apprehensive.

On Tuesday morning, the day of launch, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the new DLC, but I also was hoping I wouldn’t be disappointed. From watching the official trailer, I could tell that the feel for this DLC would be significantly different, and it was. In Leliana’s Song, we find out  more about her past, especially the events that led Leliana to join the Chantry. We, obviously, knew that Marjolaine betrayed Leliana from what was said in Dragon Age: Origins, but we didn’t know how.

You start off the game, of course as Leliana, and are in the Denerim Market. Marjolaine tells how you and your sidekicks, Tug and Sketch, will be performing some jobs tonight. Tug is a warrior dwarf, and Sketch, from what I could tell, is a human mage, although his hair might have been hiding some elf ears, I don’t know. In the beginning I got a good sense for who the two new characters were, and I genuinely liked them. After doing what Marjolaine asked, she goes on to say how there is one last task for the night, and that it takes place in the Arl’s estate.

Here, you are to plant some papers in the bedroom of the Arl, and from what Marjolaine says, it has to do with him having mistresses. Seems harmless, right? Wrong. After laying the documents on the desk, Leliana notices that the papers contain the official seal of the Orlais military, and what she has committed can be considered treason. Leliana confronts Marjolaine, and after some words, they go back to retrieve the papers. Here is where Marjoliane becomes a complete back-stabbing bitch: she sets you up. Big surprise.

When you are fleeing the estate with the papers, your party sees Marjolaine who stabs you, and you’re captured. Hurt, both emotionally and physically, Leliana receives some kindness in prison, which helps her escape. Sadly some things have happened to a member of your party, but you gain a new member to take their place, so it all balances out. I will say, that by having three members in my party rather than four, some battles were difficult since I had to drastically adjust my tactics. Fortunately I was able to level up multiple times throughout the DLC, so I was able to beef my characters up.

Once Leliana and her companions break free from the jail, she wakes up in the Chantry. From there she is shown that reformation and change can happen, and she can leave her old life behind. She just has to make the right decision for her. Obviously one would think Leliana wanted revenge, and of course she does, but by doing so, she would be just like Marjolaine. Having a difficult decision to make, Leliana knows that she at least has to fix the damage that was done and retrieve those papers. I won’t say what happens at the end, but if you’ve played through all of Dragon Age: Origins, you pretty much know what happens.

The feel of this DLC was different. It had a very gritty, outlaw style, and at times it heavily reminded me of Kill Bill, but that’s a good thing. Getting to see Leliana kick some ass was awesome too, because it really shows just how drastically her character has changed from her time in the Chantry. Unlike past DLC, Leliana’s Song was fully voiced, and you were given the option to make choices. The soundtrack was different, and brand new. It had this French renegade style, and it really fit with the style of the DLC.

When I played through Leliana’s Song, I put in over 2 hours of gaming, but if you don’t care and skip through the cutscenes, you can finish it in a significantly shorter amount of time, but it is still much longer than the other DLC’s in terms of playable content. I have yet to play Origins, so I have no idea what the exclusive items are, but I know there are at least 3 new achievements you can get in the DLC. One is obtained by doing various acts to a drunk, passed out Captain in Denerim, another is by collecting multiple pieces of leather to create armor, and the final is by completing the DLC.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: If you’re a fan of Dragon Age, get the DLC. It’s that simple. It was a lot of fun, it was nice getting to learn more about Leliana, and the overall feel was fantastic. My only complaint is that I wished it were longer, especially because the price on Leliana’s Song is 560 Microsoft Points compared to past DLC which was priced at 400.

If I had to give it a score, I’d say 7.5 out of 10.

You can download Leliana’s Song for PC here, Xbox 360 here, and for PS3 here.

- Me

Last Tuesday, for my birthday, I whipped out my NES and played a beloved game from my childhood, Crystalis. At first I was pretty scared to pop it in, because what if I didn’t feel the same way about it anymore? What if the gameplay or story was too simplistic for my current gaming tastes? What if I don’t enjoy it, and those memories are ruined?

As a little girl, I slept in the same bed as my Grandmother, and would sneak out of it every midnight to go into the extra bedroom that housed my NES. Then, until I had to start getting ready for elementary school, I’d play Crystalis on very low volume so I wouldn’t wake anybody up. I did that for weeks until I eventually beat it. When I played Crystalis last week, it was as if those 20+ years inbetween never happened. I remembered where everything was, I remembered the names of characters and cities, and I even remembered what to do. The only thing that I found different was how short the game felt, but I’m a lot older now, my gaming skills have gotten better over time, and since I knew where everything was, I was able to move through the game faster than when I was a child. Some games are timeless like Contra, Metroid, Final Fantasy, Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, Altered Beast, Toe Jam & Earl, Super Mario series, and many more, but what about the titles that fail to stand the test of time?

Sure, gaming graphics have changed, but we all know that no matter how visually gorgeous something is, everything else about it can be complete shit. The same goes for the opposite too. Take Final Fantasy VII for example: its graphics at the time were below what the PlayStation console was able to handle, but to this day it’s constantly lauded as the best in the entire franchise. While I strongly disagree with that opinion, it’s a solid case of how, regardless of graphics, gamers can still find a game completely enjoyable well into the future. Gameplay and controls have changed too, but so have the controllers. Is this really a plus? With the original NES controller, you had a d-pad, start/select buttons, and the A/B buttons to perform actions. Nowadays, gamers have to factor in a d-pad, two analog joysticks, left and right triggers, left and right bumper buttons, start/select buttons, four action buttons, and sometimes there is even a home button. Compare the controls for Super Mario on NES, or even SNES, to what is required for Super Mario Galaxy, and it’s insane. Sometimes keeping it simple really pays off.

The music has changed drastically. In our youthful days, MIDI tracks were all the rage, but now we are given some really amazing soundtracks, and also the option of listening to our own music when gaming (Sidenote: Back in the day, I would sometimes pop in a cassette or listen to the radio when playing a game, so it’s nice to see how that has evolved. A prominent memory I have is playing Sonic the Hedgehog 2 at a neighbors house and hearing Evil Empire by Rage Against the Machine for the very first time). Gamers who owned a Sega Genesis should remember the funky soundtrack from Toe Jam & Earl, and NES owners can probably sing every single Super Mario track ever made. Right now I have the theme song to Legend of Zelda in my head, and that will forever be a classic tune.

What hasn’t changed much are the stories. We are still playing adventure games, still playing shooters, and still escaping into elaborate worlds where we are constantly saving the day. Granted, some stories are better than others, but it’s pretty much the same. As children we assumed the roles of Mario, and were tasked with rescuing the Princess from the evil Bowser. For some reason, and 20+ years later, Princess Peach keeps neglecting to hire herself a bodyguard, and Bowser still hasn’t learned his lesson. We have seen some big twists like how Samus Aran was really a female, Aeris getting killed by Sephiroth, and finding out that in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic you were actually Revan. Obviously there are so many more moments that could be listed, but those are the main ones that popped into my head right now.

With Crystalis, I really lucked out because it’s a game that I will always love, and will always find enjoyable. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for all games. So readers, I ask you this: are your fond gaming memories only because of your childhood nostalgia, or were we just given some really amazing games back then?

Check out some classic NES and Genesis games for old times sake. How many do you remember?:

- Me

With my 28th (I know, I’m so old) birthday coming up in just 5 days, I feel a wish list is in order. If little kids can get away with it, then I have every right to have a list too. The items listed range from highly unlikely to possible, and are placed in no particular order. So with that…here’s my wish list.

New Washing Machine

If you happened to read the post yesterday about our shitty Sunday, you will know that our washing machine took a nosedive and practically flooded a good portion of our house. Since washing machines aren’t known to be a cheap appliance, it makes the perfect gift.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3

I know that Star Wars: The Old Republic is coming out next year, but if you’re a KotOR fan, you know it’s different. I’m talking about a proper RPG, not an MMO, and I want it to happen in the same timeline as KotOR and KotOR 2. Hell, I’d even love for Revan to be back, but I digress. BioWare and Obsidian made two fantastic games, and really gave us RPG fans something special. Should an Xbox 360 copy of the game manage to get into my mailbox on June 29th, who am I to turn it down?

A Winning Lottery Ticket

If you live in the United States, then you know that our economy sucks right now. The job market is terrible, and those who have jobs are constantly stressed about losing what they do have. People are losing their houses, having to file bankruptcy, and credit scores throughout the country are plummeting daily. Even though Chris has a secure job, and his salary is better than what others our age are earning, we still struggle like anybody else. I should probably clarify that we don’t live beyond our means, and have cut our budget and bills down as much as we can to try and give us something to stash away into savings. With Chris needing to do some major repairs to his car (he’s been driving around for over a  month with his check engine light on, been driving around for the same amount of time on a badly patched up tire, he desperately needs new brake pads and rotors, and I could go on and on), he still has his student loans to pay off, and in the near future we’d like to add on to our family. All of that costs money. Should I have a winning lottery ticket, I’d, first off, probably have a heart attack, but a lot of our daily stresses would be gone. I’d be able to give my daughter everything she could ever want and more, I’d be able to help take some of the pressure off of Chris, and I could pay BioWare to make me my own damn KotOR!

An iPhone 4

Who doesn’t want a new shiny?! I currently have an iPhone 3G, which is jailbroken (shhh, don’t tell) and I would love to have an iPhone 4. I really wanted a 3GS, but I knew that if I waited for the next one, it would be everything the 3GS is, and more. I want to be able to take great pictures, record and edit movies, and do everything the iPhone 4 is capable of. I just lack the funds to get one. Obviously an iPhone 4 is an expensive present (especially because I’d want the 32 GB version), but it’s something I would get continuous usage out of it, and I would be able to review the most recent iPhone apps/games without having to worry about OS compatibility!

A Sony PlayStation 3

Yeah, I said it. A PS3. Why? Well, for starters, I collect video game systems. We also would love to have a Blu-Ray player in the house. On World of Meh!, we don’t have anybody with a PS3 to review the games, so that would help out our site. We would also be able to play games exclusively for PS3 (hello Little Big Planet and Twisted Metal). Again, this is an expensive gift, but if a person doesn’t dream big, then why even dream at all?

A New Video Card For Our PC

Another tech item, but one that is desperately needed. Ever since we came up with the idea of hooking up my PC to our 42″ HDTV, we have gone through two video cards. The first one fizzled out in less than 48 hours. The second, and most recent to shit on us, lasted from about December until now, but that’s still a short time, and they aren’t cheap. The problem is that the fan will start screwing up, and eventually not working, causing the video card to overheat and cut off the feed to our TV. For awhile we were having a large fan of mine blow into the tower, with hopes of delaying the overheating, but one day the fan overheated and didn’t want to work. It’s also a pain in the ass because the fan isn’t quiet. So, yes…. new, nice, and shiny video card please!

Naughty Bear on Xbox 360

It has cute, cuddly teddy bears, and they are fabulously violent. This is a game that Chris and I have been looking at for quite some time. Coming out on the day of my birthday, I really hope I can get a copy, soon. From what I’ve seen in the trailers, Naughty Bear is going to be such a badass game. In one of the trailers, the main bear knocked another bear onto the ground, and then as the bear was struggling to get up, the main bear puts his foot on the other bears throat… crushing it and killing him. I know, it sounds evil and violent… and that’s why I want it. Tee hee!

Two Tickets To The Upcoming Local Deftones Concert

How strange that on the same day I announce on World of Meh! that our Blogathon charity is One Love For Chi, we also find out that Deftones are coming to Fresno on August 7th. I’ve never been able to see the Deftones in concert, but I’ve always wanted to. I remember a few years back they performed here in town on my actual birthday but I was unable to go. What sucks is that the tickets go on sale Saturday morning, making it impossible for us to save up and purchase them – and they are $32 per person (yow). Since it’s a General Admission show, and since it’s at a smaller venue, the odds are not in my favor. By the time we’d be able to afford two tickets, the concert would be sold out… so go birthday wish list!

A Puppy

You all know we have our evil cat, Moogle, but a dog would be great. The last dog we had, Donnie, was great but he had major flaws. One was that his previous owner abused him, making his interactions with Chris a little strange. I’d love to have a puppy so that we can train him or her right from the beginning, and not have any bad habits or traumas to worry about. Since we are in a house now, we have a backyard where the little one could run around, and we have a great dog park right down the street where they could play with the other dogs in our neighborhood. Another great thing is that right down the street, there is a fantastic vet place that does inexpensive spaying, neutering, and vaccinations. With me being home so much, it does get a little boring and lonely, so having a dog around would be a lot of fun. With cats, they are so bitchy and unpredictable, but with a dog, they are always happy to see you.

A Capture Card

If you are unfamiliar with what a capture card is, it’s a card (duh) that goes into your PC and you can record or stream the content of your monitor. Having a capture card would be one way we can connect with our World of Meh! gaming fans, by having our games and playtime constantly streaming on sites like Justin.tv or Ustream. When I would stream, I used our webcam and tied it up using pink ribbon to the tripod we have for our camcorder. Very ghetto, but it worked… sorta.

A Haircut

So, most of the items on this wish list are all tech related, so me throwing in a haircut probably seems strange as Hell, and I agree. Consider this – I haven’t had a hair cut since February of last year. Prior to that, I hadn’t had a haircut since late 2007. Why might you ask? Because haircuts for women are ridiculously expensive. It’s said that a woman should have a haircut about every month and a half, to prevent split ends and all of that other froofy shit, but at close to $100 for each time, that adds up really quickly. So yes, a haircut, and not some Super Cuts crap either. I’m talking about a proper haircut where the edges are even, and I don’t have to worry about getting all jacked up.

Chocobo Racing for PlayStation

Chocobo Racing was a fucking EPIC game. Sadly, it was stolen from me years ago. It’s a difficult game to find, and when you can find it, it’s either in bad condition or very expensive. I loved Chocobo Racing, and when I saw that it was one of my stolen games, I cried. All I want to do is be able to be Bahamut and zoom on the racetracks past Squall, Seifer, White Mage, and other Squaresoft (Square Enix doesn’t exist to me) characters. It was a sad, sad day when I lost my Chocobo Racing. Makes me want to pour out a 40 oz for all my dead homies.

An iPad

If I can want an iPhone 4, then I sure as Hell can want an iPad too! With Chris having to go to bed early for work, there are times where I’m not tired enough to fall asleep. Having an iPad would be great so that I can watch something and not risk him being woken up, like how the TV could. Some of you might say how I can watch videos on an iPhone, but remember… the iPhone has a significantly smaller screen than the iPad. The iPad would also make some games even more awesome, with the larger screen allowing me to see things easier than on the iPad. There have also been a couple of iPad games I had the chance to review, but had to turn it down.

A Real Lightsaber

A red, staff lightsaber would own. Hard. Why red? For the Sith! Why staff? Because that’s what I like. In any Star Wars game I play, I always opt for staff when possible. I’m not a fan of dual-wielding lightsabers, and I honestly don’t know why. Personal preference I suppose. Should red not be available, I am perfectly fine with silver. Blue, purple, or green would be too ‘Jedi’ and the Sith in me wouldn’t be too pleased. Also, I don’t want it to be one of those fake lightsabers, or a replica. I want the real deal people! Lightsaber… make it so.

Dark Phoenix Statue

I’ve wanted this statue for about 10 years now, and when I could find it, it was too expensive. Now, it’s both difficult to find and expensive. Sure there are other Dark Phoenix statues out there, but this one is the best, and I like the best. Jean is in a better pose in this statue than the others, and the Phoenix itself looks better than in the others. The Dark Phoenix is one of my favorite comic book characters, and this statue would make me a giddy fan girl.

GIR or HK-47

Both robots are different, but a shit load of fun. With GIR, I’d have the “Doom Song” and with HK-47, I’d have him calling humans ‘Meatbags‘. I know, HK-47 is technically an evil droid, but was he not loyal to Revan? I rest my case. If I had HK-47, nobody would fuck with me, and I’d have some thing intelligent to converse with – I can’t say that for most of the humans on this planet. GIR would be pure comedic value, and I’d also get the dog I’d want all in one. With GIR, we’d be able to watch TV shows together, discuss our mutual love for bacon, and eat pizza.

So there you have it…. some of the top things on my birthday wish list. Since I’m human, obviously I want more things. I admit it, I’m a greedy bastard, but at least I am honest about it! Odds are, I won’t get a damn thing from this list, but it’s still nice to hope!

- Me

And the good news just keeps on coming! Today BioWare announced the next DLC installment for the popular game Dragon Age: Origins. Last month fans were able to play as a Hurlock Vanguard in Darkspawn Chronicles, and now we get to take a peek into Leliana’s past.

If you’ve played Dragon Age: Origins, you will know that Leliana used to be quite the naughty girl, and worked for a woman named Marjolaine. In Leliana’s Song, you will accompany Marjolaine on a high-risk mission, as Leliana of course, but things spiral out of control and you are left with this decision: kill or be killed. Here are more details from the official press release:

• Explore Leliana’s dangerous past and why she joined the Chantry
• Fully voiced cinematic experience brings the characters to life
• Unlock a unique reward that transfers into your Awakening and Origins campaign

Available on July 6th for Xbox 360, PC, and PS3 there has been no official price announced yet. I assume it will be the standard 400 Microsoft Points and whatever the equivalent will be for PC and PS3. I can only hope that this DLC is better than Return to Ostagar and Darkspawn Chronicles.

- Me

I should probably start this review off saying that I am a big BioWare fan. I cracked out on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire, so I wasn’t shocked when I lost many hours of my life to Dragon Age: Origins. Being a huge RPG fan, I found Dragon Age to be fantastic. When a proper expansion was announced, I was excited and counted down the days. Three DLC packs had already been released – The Stone Prisoner, Return to Ostagar, and Warden’s Keep – but they weren’t long enough, or at least in my opinion. I guess you can say that I am hard to please.

Anyways, knowing that the Dragon Age: Origins Awakening expansion was to be released on a disc, and not DLC, I knew I was in for a treat. You start off having the option of using the character you already have, or starting off as a random Grey Warden sent from Orlais to restore the order in Ferelden. This time your travels take you to Amaranthine, which was once the land belonging to that corrupt asshole Arl Rendon Howe (who, might I add, was wonderfully voiced by the amazing Tim Curry), and now the domain of the Ferelden Grey Wardens. The primary character has been given the title of Warden Commander, and your stronghold is Vigil’s Keep.

I have to admit that I missed my old companions. I put in close to 100 hours in Dragon Age: Origins, and as corny as this may sound, one starts to get attached to their party. I loved the banter between Shale and Alistair, but I was very happy when I saw Ogrhen. For those who might not remember that name, he was the fabulously drunk dwarf, and he is still a little boozer. Depending on the sex of your imported character, and the relationship you went with regarding Alistair, you will get the appropriate conversation when he comes to visit briefly. I did run into Wynne, had a short conversation with her, got a little side quest, and depending on what you did with Loghain and Anora, I know you run into them too. I didn’t see them because I happily slaughtered Loghain and locked Anora away in Origins. At Vigil’s Keep, Herren and Wade, the blacksmiths from Denerim’s Market District, join you and become your go-to guys for armor and other items. Other than that, I didn’t run into any familiar faces.

After awhile I started to get used to having different people, but there was one character I had a hard time with. In the beginning at Vigil’s Keep, you hear of a prisoner who was trying to steal some things. When you go to investigate, you see that he is Nathaniel Howe, the son of Arl Rendon Howe. My imported character is from the female human noble origin, and if you’ve played through that, you know that Arl Rendon Howe was a close friend of your Father, and somebody he trusted. The Arl decides to be a complete dick, betray your family by attacking your home, and in the end you are forced to leave with Duncan while your Mother dies trying to defend your fatally wounded Father. The last thing I wanted was a Howe in my party, but at the time he was the only rogue available and I needed somebody to pick locks open.

Everybody else was pretty basic – two mages, another rogue, etc – except for a warrior named Justice. At one point, you get sucked into The Fade, and you come across a group of people protesting a woman known as Baroness. You are greeted by a Spirit of Justice, who explains what is going on, and after the events unfold you are sent back to the “real” world. Only problem is that Justice gets sent as well, but he inhabits the body of a dead man you were tasked of finding. So yes….you have a Zombie Warrior in the Awakening expansion, and as time goes on, you see his face decompose more and more. I approve BioWare, I approve.

Graphics, controls, and gameplay are the same, and that’s to be expected. The main differences are the locations you go to, the people you interact with, but most importantly the Darkspawn. Before they were mindless drones, but now they plot, have strategies, and can even speak. What were once idiotic creatures are now pains in the ass who have a thought process. Also, this time around you have two big bads to worry about: The Architect, in which there is a method to his madness, and The Mother. I only have two words when describing The Mother – sagging boobs. If you thought the Broodmother was disgusting from Origins, wait until you catch a glimpse of The Mother. Just looking at her for a split second made me want to rush out to the nearest store and buy several bras with underwire support. If those Darkspawn can talk, they need to do her a favor and encourage her to put a top on, even if it’s just a bundle of twigs or something.

Dragon Age: Origins Awakening has a darker feeling to it. There is much more corruption, deceit, betrayal, and manipulation in this than in the original, and I like it. I love the twists in the plot regarding The Architect, because you find out he really isn’t as bad as he seems, but I highly suggest that you pick up the two Dragon Age books that are out there. Not only will you get some fantastic back story regarding Alistair’s bloodline, but you find out more about the bad-ass known as Duncan, and you get to know even more about The Architect. My only complaint is that I wanted it to be longer. I never want to put this game down, but when the credits roll I don’t really have a choice! BioWare has created something really special here with Dragon Age, and I can’t wait to see where they continue to take this already incredible franchise.

I give it an 8 out of 10.

- Me

Today BioWare released it’s recent installment to the Dragon Age franchise, downloadable content titled Darkspawn Chronicles. News broke about this a couple of weeks ago, but details were sparse. Finally getting my hands on it, I have mixed emotions.

Months ago, the Return to Ostagar DLC was released, amid much hype and lots of drama. Unfortunately, it failed to deliver, and it flat out failed. Shortly after that in March, the Awakening expansion was released, and it was fantastic, but that’s to be expected. Darkspawn Chronicles is the first DLC to be released for Dragon Age: Origins following the success of Awakening, and I was a combination of excited and scared. After playing it, I honestly don’t know what to think.

The entire concept is that you are in an alternate universe. The original main character from Origins died during The Joining to become a Grey Warden, and the Darkspawn are kicking ass throughout Ferelden. It’s a nifty concept, but the execution is something to be desired. Upon starting the game, you are thrust into the final battle of the game, at Denerim, and you are playing a character, Hurlock Vanguard, but given absolutely no backstory. Nothing. Your task is to battle through Denerim, with your fellow Darkspawn, and prevent the Archdemon from being overthrown. Sounds pretty simple, no?

Well the controls are a bit strange when commanding Darkspawn to be in your thrall (party), and should you want to swap a Darkspawn for another, you have to select which one, confirm that you wish to kill them (since that is the only way to get rid of them), and then go and select which Darkspawn you wish to take the former ones place. Too much hassle just to swap around characters. Unlike Origins, the Darkspawn aren’t plentiful, so being forced to kill one, and reducing your army considerably, is kind of bullshit. Another downside is that only certain Darkspawn can be healed by health poultices, whereas the other ones can only be healed by a Hurlock Emissary….which you don’t get until a few sections in. The game also doesn’t inform you of that, so when your Ogre is going down in the beginning levels, and you try to heal it with a poultice yet start wondering why in the fuck it’s not working….THEN you find out, and you lose your Ogre.

Everything is the same in terms of graphics, sound, controls, etc…but because you are the Darkspawn, there is absolutely no dialogue. You play throughout the entire hour and a half DLC with no conversation at all. All you hear are the grunts and strange sounds the Darkspawn make, and to be honest, I missed dialogue. Character interaction, whether it be playful banter, taunting, or spouting menacing threats, is fun and helps the player get immersed into the game. Something else that I felt was missing was a proper opening sequence. Upon starting the game you aren’t given a prologue, you aren’t given an opening cinematic, nor are you given any spoken dialogue. What is shown is a short, blink and you’ll miss it part where a shitload of Darkspawn march towards Denerim, and there are about 3 lines of subtitles, again blink and you’ll miss it, of the Archdemon telling you what to do. That’s it. I should add that I am not exaggerating when I say “blink and you’ll miss it” because I actually did, and had to restart.

Many familiar faces are in Darkspawn Chronicles, and the great part is that you get to kill them all. If you didn’t like them, you get to kill them. If you did like them, you still get to kill them. It makes it kind of interesting, especially when killing Alistair’s bitch of a sister Goldanna, because she actually tries to run away from you. Stupid girl. The entire DLC is almost non-stop fighting which can be great, but if you are starting to dwindle down on Darkspawn, it creates a huge problem.

When I was at the Palace section, every single Darkspawn in my thrall and around me was dead, there weren’t any new ones coming, and I was surrounded by loads of Dwarves, several Steel Golems, and a pissed off Sten. Needless to say I didn’t last very long, and it was very frustrating. I should also add how important it is to save a lot in Darkspawn Chronicles. Unlike Origins, your characters don’t accumulate experience, so you never get to level them up. Better weapons rarely pop up, and the only armor I ever came across was a mages cowl. Other than that, I think I found a few accessories and that’s it. The strength of your Army stays static, so don’t be surprised if you die a few times. I know I did, and I got pissed for not saving sooner.

Most of the fights are easy, and most of the main character fights are easy, except for Oghren and Sten. Hell, even the ending was easy. When you finally get to the top of Fort Drakon to aid the Archdemon, you are surrounded by Werewolves, and have to worry about Morrigan, Lelianna, Alistair, and a delightful Mabari named Barkspawn (best.name.ever.). Wanting to go off a strategy, I went for Morrigan. If they have no mage to heal them, then the rest will go down faster. I then went after Lelianna because I find archers to be incredibly annoying, and I didn’t feel like having to deal with her shit. Then I took out Barkspawn, and set my sights on Alistair. Fortunately he had his ass kicked before I got to him, so I just had to throw in a couple of good hits and that was it.

A major letdown was the ending. The Hurlock Vanguard is shown walking up to Alistair, who is face down on the ground, and he plunges his sword straight through his back killing him. Then the Archdemon is shown flying away, and I kid you not, the credits start to roll. There is nothing after the credits either, and we aren’t even given an epilogue to find out what happens. For all we know some people could’ve traveled from Orlais and kicked the Darkspawns ass, or the Archdemon chose to take a vacation to Mexico or whatever. Either way, it was a shitty ending.

Some big problems I kept having to deal with were these strange glitches, and annoying lag. My Hurlock Vanguard would be in the middle of doing something and then the game would freeze (still running music though) for about 3 seconds and then resume with whatever I was doing. If I had to take a guess, I’d say that it happened easily between 15-20 times throughout the hour and a half. That to me is a little excessive. Another problem I had was how accurate you could select a Darkspawn to add to your thrall. There were times where I would clearly have the reticle under whatever Darkspawn I wanted, my Hurlock Vanguard would stomp his feet like he was having a bit of a temper tantrum, but the Darkspawn wouldn’t be added. Add that to the fact that if I was hit it would cancel me adding anybody to my thrall, so I’d get more frustrated.

Right now there are three achievements you can earn from playing through this DLC. All are worth 25 gamerscore points, and obviously you earn one for completing the DLC. The others sound easy, but if you play Darkspawn Chronicles, you will quickly realize they are kind of difficult. One is earned by keeping the original Ogre you save, way early in the DLC at the Gates, alive throughout the entire thing. Since you can’t heal the Ogre with health poultices, you better hope you can keep him alive through the rest of Gates, Market District, and to the beginning of the Elven Alienage where you can add your Hurlock Emissary. The other is by maxing out the approval for each type of Darkspawn you can add to your thrall. When I went through Darkspawn Chronicles I picked up a few gifts, and since the Darkspawn aren’t nearly as picky as the party members in Origins, you can give any gift to any Darkspawn. It will always give them +20 approval, and with almost each enemy you kill, members of your thrall will earn +10 approval. Keep in mind that Genlock Sapper will count as one of those, but you only get him briefly in Market District, so before you take him to the Elven Aienage gate, you better try and hurry up with maxing out his approval.

All in all, this DLC was significantly better than Return to Ostagar. Granted not much had to be done, with the exception of changing the characters you get to play, some actions/spells, etc…but no changes were made to actual Denerim itself, so maybe that’s why BioWare was able to churn it out so fast. I didn’t mind that it was only an hour and a half, because I expected it to be a little less than an hour, but for 400 Microsoft Points (the equivalent of $7.00) I think I should be able to get more than just an hour and a half. There are some 360 titles that we’ve picked up for $12.00 more and they are significantly longer, and then to compare it to some Xbox Live Arcade titles for around the same price, the cost to time ratio doesn’t match. I adore BioWare, I love the universe they’ve created with Dragon Age, and I’ll keep buying whatever content they release for Dragon Age because I am that big of a fan…..but hopefully they know that quality counts just as much as quantity.

If you are a fan of RPG’s then I suggest you get a copy of Dragon Age for 360, PS3, or PC right away because it’s so much fun. If you already have Dragon Age, then go out and get Darkspawn Chronicles right now. I believe it’s free for PC players, so you have no excuse to not get it. If you don’t have the PC version and have to pay for it, just do it anyways. It won’t break the bank, and it was loads of fun being the Ogre – kicking names and taking ass!

- Me