A Game of Thrones Trailer

Winter is coming… and so is this Kick-ass series.

HBO’s Game of Thrones is coming. Why, oh why would I be writing about some high-brow dark age drama series when this is a game blog? Well, the Song of Ice and Fire series of novels (of which Games is but the first part) is one of the sources of inspiration of the very popular Dragon Age franchise.

The novels are a rich tapestry of conspiracy, war, betrayal, power struggles, politics and subtle sorcery with characters that you just get addicted to following through their often bloody paths to either the throne or the grave. Granted, I’m not that hot with quite a few of the characters, but for the most part it’s bliss to read about this dark fantasy world fashioned by George R.R. Martin. Magic is just incidental in this saga, and monsters or supernatural creatures few and far between, at least at first, but surely this show should have watchers spellbound from episode one.

The series will supposedly take on one book per season, which should lock this franchise for the next five or six years, depending on how successful it turns out. As a fan of HBO’s Band of Brothers, I’ve got high hopes for this, and any gamer who loves RPGs and fantasy epics should too. A Game of Thrones kicks off this April on HBO.

Dragon Age: Origins Final Chapter Coming!

Morrigan’s just desserts are about to be served.

Bioware’s hit RPG, Dragon Age: Origins, has seen a lot of expansions since the release of the debut game, and they’ve ranged from okay (Return to Ostagar) to meh (Leiliana’s Song). But really… if there’s any loose end worth chasing down post A.D. (Arch Demon), it’s… finding out where your dog went. NO! Obviously that’s the issue of SPOILER ALERT the fate of Morrigan and her (your) baby. For the benefit of those who didn’t play it (you should have, really)- things happened and you ended up bedwrestling with the Claudia Black-voiced enchantress and conceiving a child. No ordinary child this, but a child with the soul of an ancient god. After the final battle with the Darkspawn, Morrigan left and was never seen again.

Well, till now. Or, will be. Witch Hunt, the final DLC chapter of Dragon Age: Origins prior to Dragon Age 2, will tie up this hanging thread and reveal what happened to Morrigan, her child and what YOU as the Grey Warden Hero, are going to do about it. Will you reconcile and live happily ever after? Or will this all end in tears and bloodstains?

I absolutely loved DAO, so I’ll be picking this up posthaste once it releases on September 7 on both the PSN and Xboxlive Network for about $7. Till then, keep those Dragon Age save files ready!

Dragon Age 2 Confirmed, Coming Next Year?

More adventures in Ferelden, or perhaps somewhere else in the world of Dragon Age, are coming. Well, that’s no surprise, but at least now it’s official. Dragon Age 2 has been confirmed.

I’m actually still working on finishing Awakenings, but surely this is cool news for me. Haven’t gotten into the other expansions (Leilana’s Song is kinda interesting, but I don’t know if I can spare any points), but I’ll most surely get into the next disc-based chapter. Apparently you’ll be taking the role of an all-new hero, with all-new adventures in a never-before-seen part of the DA World. So say goodbye to Ferelden for now, and get set of a whole new Age of… Dragon Age.

Getting into Dragon Age: Origins Awakenings

Welcome to Amaranthine, Grey Warden.

Over the weekend I started playing the just-released RPG DLC/expansion, Dragon Age: Origins Awakenings. Though there are some bits that I wish the game had pushed through more on, overall this is a good return romp to Bioware’s Dark Fantasy gaming realm.

It is highly recommended that you finish the original Dragon Age: Origins first before tackling Awakenings, simply for the continuity. You are given the choice of transferring over your DAO character into the game, conferring your status as the Hero of Ferelden for some satisfying interactions and reactions from some of the folks you’ll encounter. For those not caring about their avatar’s past, you can start off Awakenings as an all-new character, a Grey Warden from the neighboring land of Orlais.

You start off the adventure running, your Hero just arriving at Vigil’s Keep in the new land of Amaranthine. This region, or Arling as its called, is actually connected to the original game; It was the former domain of the late Rendon Howe, ally to Teyrn Loghain and murderer of your Hero’s family (if you played the Human Noble). Obviously, your arrival as the new master of the land and commander of the Grey Wardens comes with pros and cons.

On the pro side, you’re literally THE Boss… how the land is governed or cared for goes by your decisions, and people will hop to your will as you command. On the cons side, there are daggers hidden behind some of the pasty smiles around you, so you’ll have to watch your back else you get yourself nailed. You’ll make good decisions, bad decisions and probably lose a bit of your innocence (in case you still have such going into Amaranthine from Ferelden), but then, everyone in Dragon Age accepts that Not All Heroes are Pure.

Continuing your career in Amaranthine plunks you straight into a freaked-up new workplace that Leon S. Kennedy would feel right at home in. The Grey Wardens’ new HQ has been invaded by Darkspawn, who apparently used subterfuge and strategy… something they never did before. In fact, you soon encounter TALKING Darkspawn, which is apparently a big thing. Eventually in between ruling your new land, dispatching bandits, uncovering conspiracies and gathering new recruits into the Grey Wardens, you’ll have to find out what is behind all the talkative baddies and bring peace to the strife-ridden county. To help you on your way there are new skills and talents, new weapons and armor that will make your Juggernaut Plate Mail look like old junk, and new creatures to use them on. The level cap has been bumped up to 35, so this adventure is really for the big boys now (entry level heroes start at 18).

So far I’m enjoying my romp back in Dragon Age; there’s a pleasant vibe of being kinda familiar and respected, though really- I wish that there was more from the previous game that carried over. SPOILER WARNING! So far I enjoyed having Alistair- scratch that- KING Alistair show up for an all-too-brief reunion and chitchat, although I understand that your former Grey Warden bro can’t go waltzing around Amaranthine with you since he’s busy as the new monarch. Irritatingly they had to pick the one companion from DAO that I liked the least to be your returning ally. To be fair, Ohgren has so far been entertaining (his Joining ritual is priceless) but really… I would have preferred they had given us a choice of two or three of your previous gang to pick, depending on the class of your main Hero. Oh well.

Anyway so far it’s been cool, though I have no idea so far what’s going on with The Architect. Who is this creepy new villain? What is he? What are his plans? Awakenings doesn’t seem to be anywhere as big as Ferelden, but I think I’ll be in for quite a bit of gaming in my first run, and surely I’ll be playing again in repeat plays with other characters soon after. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think there’s a Peasant Revolt I have to put down somewhere…

Dragon Age Origins Awakenings: Nathaniel Howe

The last recruitable character in Awakenings comes from a surprising background.

Anyone who’s played through Dragon Age: Origins surely knows the name Rendon Howe. He was the hatchet man to Teyrn Loghain, the game’s main non-demonic antagonist and, for the players who used the Human Noble origin, the man who killed your parents. Now, the tables are turned as Rendon’s son, Nathaniel, whose life was trashed in the aftermath of his sire’s downfall and subsequent disgrace, has come to collect on his grudge from you. Ain’t revenge sweet indeed?

As this game is wont to do, you’ll probably have some leeway on how to deal with the young Howe- you can probably kill him quite handily, but surely he may also become a strong ally and find redemption for his disgraced house. Since two of my DAO characters are human nobles, this will be pretty interesting for me indeed. Will the son be cut from the same block as his treacherous father? Or will he become a true and valued friend and ally? We’ll just have to see…

Dragon Age Origins Awakening is now available for PC, PS3 and Xbox360 in both disc or DLC. I hope to get my copy soon and continue my romps in Ferelden by the weekend.

The Disciples are Awakening…

The Dragon Age Origins: Awakening expansion is set to arrive in a week or so, along with a slew of other big titles. But this has a special spot for me since I can’t wait to transfer my Grey Warden Rogue into this new adventure. Maybe I’ll try to finish up the game with a couple other characters. Taking off from where the story ended in the original Dragon Age: Origins, Awakenings sees the Grey Wardens extending their attention to the new land of Amarinthine, combatting threats both internal and external. Along with recruiting new comrades and taking on various duties as the new Grey Warden Commander, players will have to contend with The Disciples- a new breed of smarter, more dangerous Darkspawn who have the ability to speak.

Bring it on, I say. The best thing about talking Darkspawn? Now I can understand their last words right before I kill ’em. Heheh. Awakenings drops March 16.

Dragon Age Origins: Awakenings Update

Some Spoilers Ahead!

1Up has just posted a cool article regarding the upcoming expansion for Bioware’s epic dark-fantasy RPG, Dragon Age Origins: Awakenings. As mentioned in previous reports, this extended journey into the world of Ferelden and the new continent of Amaranthine will let players either take control of their existing Grey Warden hero from the first game or start with a totally new protagonist, a Grey Warden from the neighboring land of Orlais. Also mentioned before was that one of your old party members from the first game will be available to join your party for this second outing.

Well, in the videos shown in the preview we can see at least two familiar faces. There’s of course Alistair, your hero’s fellow Grey Warden and ultimately (at least in canon, apparently) the new King of Ferelden. Now, as much as I’d enjoy having Alistair’s wry company again, I seriously doubt that his majesty will be allowed to sally forth for a prolonged period of time (although if he can, I’d love it), so most probably the returning party member is someone else. Also appearing in a vid is the leathery dwarf warrior Ohgren, so he’s probably the one you’ll be taking on again.

The new members that you’ll be able to recruit in Awakenings include Anders, a somewhat sneaky mage who is constantly trying to evade the Circle; Velanna, a Dalish Elf mage with a hatred towards humans and Sigrun, a female dwarf rogue and member of the Legion of the Dead. Each one is supposed to be your tour guide to an extended look at more elements of the Dragon Age world. You can check out the whole 1Up preview article, with vids, here.

Still there’s very little solid info on this expansion, other than that you’re off to strange lands to both strengthen the Grey Wardens’ forces and investigate the rumors of intelligent, talking Darkspawn. I can’t wait to get my high level Rogue hero from Origins into this new adventure. Awakenings gets up and about in mid-March.

Return to Ostagar, Returned!

If you’re still playing Dragon Age: Origins, you’ll be glad to know that you can wring an extra hour or so of play with the Return to Ostagar DLC adventure once again. The DLC episode, which was taken down from the Xboxlive Marketplace shortly after it appeared the first time some weeks ago, has finally been re-upped and is now working perfectly.

RTO lets players revisit the scene of the Grey Wardens’ and Ferelden’s greatest defeat and a veritable murder scene. Ostagar is where the Darkspawn horde massacred the army of King Cailan, your mentor Duncan among the many lost on the field. Now you can go back and mop the floor with the monsters still squatting on the ruins, and recover valuable artifacts such as Cailan’s armor and sword.

The episode is pretty brief, with about three stages, and enemies mostly consisting of Darkspawn. Depending on your characters’ levels, it can take about an hour or less to finish up the DLC, as it’s pretty straightforward. The challenge isn’t that hard, while goodies and loot are pretty good, although you may be underwhelmed by some of the stuff- though some tricks can upgrade the stuff to more impressive levels. It’s better to go after this adventure early on in your quest, so you can perhaps use the equipment found.

Dragon Age fans would do well to get this little bit- it’s a nice little extra and loose end which I think is enjoyable for those who really get into the story. At just 400 MS points, it’s cheap and quick but sweet.

Dragon Age: Endings and Beginnings

As right as rain, I called it correctly and was able to finish off the main quest in Bioware’s RPG epic, Dragon Age: Origins, over the weekend. I did it with my male human noble rogue, twice- each with a slightly different take on the resolution of a certain character but both making sure my adventurer lives to quest again another day. I certainly am looking forward to the sequel/expansion, Dragon Age Awakening this March.

For now though my questing isn’t over in Ferelden even- right afterwards I started off another human noble rogue, this time female, with my eyes on the throne (heheh). I’ll also start off quests for elven and dwarven characters as well. It would be safe to say I’ll still be playing this weeks and weeks still from now. It’s really been a while since I’ve played an RPG I’ve been driven to actually finish, and then want to replay again and again and again, just to see the various aspects and sides to the story. Games like this don’t happen all the time… I’m gonna play this to the bloody hilt. Later then!

Weekend Warrior (and Mage, and Rogue)

FINALLY, at long last, the freakin’ work week is over. Been a long seven days.

I am really looking forward to catching up on sleep, and then hunkering down to finishing my first playthrough in Dragon Age: Origins. It’s the data with my Human Noble Rogue, who at present is at level 15 and pretty much kicking ass wherever he goes with his dual enchantment-enhanced daggers, with a party of comrades who all LOVE him. Playing the Rogue is awesome since you have lockpicking right off the bat, giving you access to tons of locked chests which every other class apparently can’t do crap with (anybody ever heard of Knock spells? Bend Bars??). Anyway, my Rogue’s deep into the last major quest before the big endgame. But as far as I can tell, the final leg of Dragon Age is still pretty chunky, so it may take an entire weekend’s playtime to get to the finish. Then… onto a different class and maybe a different race. Man, this game keeps on giving and giving.

Hope you’re all having as much fun on your weekend break as well. Later!