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Dragon Age: Origins gets patched, tool set released

The still-fresh PC version of Dragon Age: Origins recently got a huge booster shot in two delicious flavors. The first came in the form of Patch v1.01a, which, in addition to fixing a few character corruption issues and display glitches, makes the game easier as a whole. The second, much beefier improvement came with the release of the Dragon Age: Origins tool set, which allows users to create their own adventures using the game's extremely adaptable (and powerful!) engine.

Check out the tool set's capabilities in the trailer posted above. To acquire these modding tools -- or the difficulty-reducing patch -- check out the links below.

Download Dragon Age: Origins v1.01a Patch (13 MB)
Download the Dragon Age: Origins Toolset (472 MB)
Download the EclipseRay Lightmapper Source Code (6 MB)

Download: Dragon Age: Origins Toolset

With the Dragon Age: Origins Toolset, users can create custom adventures for Dragon Age. The toolset can only be installed on a machine that has the full Dragon Age: Origins game installed. The EclipseRay Lightmapper Source Code is an optional add-on.

Download the Dragon Age: Origins Toolset (472 MB)
Download the EclipseRay Lightmapper Source Code (6 MB)
Download HD Dragon Age: Origins Toolset Trailer (80 MB)
Check out all Dragon Age: Origins downloads
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Warhammer Online's endless trial now available

The endless trial has arrived in the land of Warhammer Online, and it's quite the offer. Of course, we've reported on the actual trial before but as of today (post-maintenance) it's officially enacted within the game. So if you've been waiting to go back and check things out but didn't feel like re-subbing or somehow missed out on all the excitement of the game's launch last year, then now is the perfect time to get in and take a look. If you're not sure what the heck this whole "endless trial" thing is all about, here's a handy official FAQ to peruse.

We think it's a good if not bold concept, especially considering players only have to download 1gig of data before the game will dynamically stream the rest as they play. Hopefully it works out for Mythic, who've been putting much blood, sweat and tears in trying to improve perception since its heady launch days.

'Imperial Agent' class sneaks into Star Wars: The Old Republic

The latest playable class to be announced for BioWare's upcoming Star Wars MMO, The Old Republic, is the Imperial Agent, or, as it will more commonly be known, Not Jedi Knight. Inspired by Star Wars characters like Grand Moff Tarkin and Zam Wesell, the latest Not Jedi Knight class will be an expert with technology and espionage, using "abilities of subversion and subterfuge to infiltrate and assassinate enemies of the Sith Empire with deadly efficiency."

Sounds like a good, assassin-style class for players whose friends inform them that not everybody can be a Jedi Knight or a Sith Warrior. Check out screens of the Imperial Agent at IncGamers.

New Star Wars: The Old Republic player class revealed

While the game's official web site has not posted this news year, Eurogamer is reporting that BioWare has revealed the latest player class for their long awaited MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic. During a press event for the game, it was revealed that the Imperial Agent will be one of the eight player classed in the game.

The Imperial Agent, who obviously is with the Empire faction, sounds like the game's version of a super-spy as they have access to lots of high technology and do their work behind the scenes. The Imperial Agent joins the previously revealed classes of Jedi Knights, Smugglers and Troopers on the Republic side and the Sith Warriors and Bounty Hunters working for the Empire. Two more classes are unrevealed.
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Download: Dragon Age: Origins v1.01a Patch

This minor patch fixes a few minor issues found in Dragon Age: Origins. Patch notes are shown after the jump.

Download Dragon Age: Origins v1.01a Patch (13 MB)
Download Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator (318 MB)
Check out all Dragon Age: Origins downloads
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Star Wars: The Old Republic reveals Imperial Agent its newest class

We've got Trooper, Smuggler, Jedi Knight, Bounty Hunter, Sith Warrior, and now Imperial Agent. BioWare revealed the sixth class for Star Wars: The Old Republic today on their forums. This news comes as absolutely no surprise to those who attended the EA Press Tour earlier this week -- they enjoyed advance information from producer Blaine Christine.

Imperial Agents are a rogue class of sorts, doing their work for the Empire with high-tech tools to help them infiltrate the republic and assassinate enemies of the Sith Empire. The announcement from Sean Dahlberg says that Imperial Agents are "heavily inspired by several classic Star Wars characters such as Zam Wessel and Grand Moff Tarkin. [...] Players who choose to be Imperial Agents in The Old Republic (TOR) will see the underbelly of the Empire in a whole new light."

The Holonet will be updated next week with the Imperial Agent, but the class already has its own forum on the official site and discussion is going strong.

Nine straight minutes of Mass Effect 2 gameplay

We get the feeling someone at BioWare has proclaimed this "Epic Week," what with the release of its fantasy RPG stunner Dragon Age: Origins and now an epic new video from its next big game, Mass Effect 2. This isn't a trailer or developer diary -- you're in for nine minutes of unedited, uninterrupted gameplay footage from the most recent build of ME2. In fact, it's the same mission -- set inside Omega's "Inferno" nightclub -- that we ourselves got to play earlier this week. (And yes, we can confirm it looks that good.)

You'll get a sense of the sequel's leap in environmental detail, character modeling and dialog scene camerawork in this clip, along with loads of intense combat. There's even an appearance by returning character (and total badass) Garrus from the first Mass Effect, plus a joke that manages to poke fun at rumors of Commander Shepard's death and the fact players can make him/her look like anyone they choose. Again -- nine minutes.

Hands-on: Mass Effect 2

click to make more MASSive

You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than Mass Effect 2's newly revealed world, Omega. (Well, apart from the Mos Eisley spaceport, that is.) This is where our latest grubby-mitts-on-the-gamepad outing with BioWare's upcoming ~~RPG~~ ~~shooter~~ role-playing shooter took place -- or, rather, inside its favorite hangout for galactic riffraff, the Inferno nightclub.

It turns out there was a purpose in showcasing this location beyond the throbbing music and exotic alien dancers -- it happens to be the same sort of locale that one of the original Mass Effect's earliest combat encounters played out in, and we got this point before our tour guide even had to make it: The environments in Mass Effect 2 are leaps and bounds better the first game's. In fact, this place seemed alive. Oh yeah -- and there just so happened to be a firefight waiting for us as we ventured further into this seedy sin palace.
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Mass Effect 2 video faces its enemies

In this developer video, the development team at BioWare shocases some of the gruesome creatures players will encounter in Mass Effect 2. Some of what you may have experienced in the first game will prepare you, but it looks like the malevolent aliens will be pulling out the big guns for the sequel. Mass Effect 2 will release in 2010.

Download HD Mass Effect 2 'Enemies' Video (292 MB)
Check out all Mass Effect 2 downloads
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The Collectors, and the enemies of Mass Effect 2

Here are some of the creatures that will be wiping out humanity in Mass Effect 2:

Collectors – an insect-like race, controlled by a single leader, that has access to the technology that "no one else in the galaxy" has. They can paralyze humans, and according to the video dev diary above, can abduct entire colonies. Oh, and they have beam weapons.
Abominations – Husks from the first Mass Effect, but now on fire and 100-percent more suicide bomber-y.
Scions – Three transformed human beings that have been grafted together onto a weapon. Essentially, super-zombies. With guns.
Batorians – A "flying suit of armor" apparently made of thirty Husks that can "obliterate everything."

The Geth will also make a return in Mass Effect 2. Legion, a Geth that has gained sentience, will hunt the player through the adventure, and it'll be up to you to figure out why. Provided your Commander Shepard, um, doesn't die first.

EA announces Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition

Do you want your copy of Mass Effect 2 to have more mass? EA has you covered with the newly announced Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition, available for $69.99 on Xbox 360 and $59.99 on PC. It includes pretty much what you'd expect from a collector's edition: a tin box, an art book, a DVD with making-of footage, and Issue 1 of the Mass Effect: Redemption comic. It also includes some unique weapons and armor for the game that are limited to this package.

Of course, if you've bought Dragon Age's collector's edition, this will be the second set of exclusive Mass Effect items you'll have earned from fancy game boxes! Mass Effect 2 (and this classy variant) will be out January 26 in North America and January 29 in Europe. Check out the full box art and the armor in our gallery.
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Don't blame EA for Dragon Age's inventory (or paid DLC)

In a written response to allegations from Fidgit that Electronic Arts had forced developer BioWare to remove features in Dragon Age: Origins with the intention of selling it as future DLC, BioWare lead systems designer Georg Zoeller says the parent company has "nothing" to do with the decision. At the crux of the argument is the game's launch DLC, Warden's Keep, which gives players a "storage chest" to help expand the in-game inventory, among other additions. Fidgit claims the DLC was pre-planned to "bilk users for more money."

According to Zoeller, Dragon Age originally featured a small storage chest in the game's party camp, but quickly became an issue due to story elements in the game that would change the camp's environment; so the storage area was removed. "We decided that it was not really necessary anyway since the item limitation was rather generous compared to the initial designs at least," Zoeller wrote. Later -- during a brainstorm session -- the team decided to include the chest in premium DLC, which was then made available at launch.

Zoeller claims "storage limitations" were never pinpointed as problems by the game's quality assurance team, because "after all, it was part of the design." While the Bioware designer doesn't have an issue with anger toward the decision, he vehemently denies EA was involved for the sole purpose of getting more money out of players. With the DLC already available across all platforms (560 / $7, or free to deluxe edition players), it's up to players to make their opinions heard by voting with their wallets.

Issues with DLC downloads for Dragon Age: Origins reported

While BioWare's just released RPG Dragon Age: Origins is getting great reviews on its own, the same cannot be said of how the game has handled its promised downloadable content. People who bought the game were promised three bits of DLC for the game's release; a new quest, a new character for your party and a new suit of armor. But the process of obtaining said downloads has proven frustrating for at least some owners of the game.

The main issue is that players have to have an account for BioWare's new social networking web site and a separate account for the game's publisher Electronic Arts. Many owners of the game have reported via various message boards that they have encountered issues getting their DLC download codes to work with these accounts with some even having issues signing in with the accounts themselves. A message board post on BioWare's social site has some unofficial workarounds and troubleshooting solutions for these issues. However it's pretty clear that BioWare and EA are making lots of people upset with the number of hoops they need to go through to get the downloadable content they paid for.
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Dragon Age: Origins trailer goes to war with 30 Seconds to Mars at its side

This trailer for Dragon Age: Origins doesn't have any new footage when compared to what's already been released, but the song is performed by 30 Seconds to Mars, which completely ups the level of awesome. The game releases today for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Download HD Dragon Age: Origins 'This is War' Trailer (156 MB)
Download Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator (318 MB)
Check out all Dragon Age: Origins downloads
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Review: Dragon Age: Origins

Hearing the term "RPG" more than likely brings games such as Tales of Vesperia, Persona or, for some of you, Fallout 3 to mind. Not since the earliest days of this current console generation and a little game called The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion have we seen a fantasy role-playing game of this caliber rooted in swords and sorcery you'd find in The Lord of the Rings, Dungeons & Dragons or even World of Warcraft.

The long wait for a true successor to the fantasy throne ends today with the arrival of Dragon Age: Origins. The latest title from Mass Effect and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic developer BioWare is a testament to the company's mastery of the art of building the worlds, characters and stories that constitute a "classic" -- and that's exactly what this excellent experience is.
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Rumor: Mass Effect 2 to have lots more DLC than the original

Some of you may remember that BioWare hyped up all the downloadable content plans they had for the release of the original Mass Effect. However all we got after the game shipped was one downloadable mission and another release, over a year later, that added a combat arena. In other word, the hype didn't live up to the reality.

Now the hype has started again as Destructoid reports they have gotten a look at a quiz from Microsoft designed for retailers. According to their story, the quiz says that BioWare's upcoming sequel, Mass Effect 2, has plans for all sort of downloadable content after the sci-fi RPG is released in late January. The downloads are supposed to include small additions like weapons and characters all the way to new downloadable worlds and campaigns. Frankly we have heard this song and dance before. We will welcome anything we can get, of course, but in this case we will believe it when we download it.
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Star Wars: The Old Republic site launches Jedi class page

There's finally a reason to visit the "professional classifications" section of the official website for the upcoming BioWare MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic. The page for the only class worth playing, the Jedi, has finally been added! The site's got images of Jedi garb and weaponry up, and even a few videos of lightsaber murder.

"But Joystiq, the Jedi isn't the only class worth playing! I want to be a smuggler!" What's that? Sorry, we had a little trouble hearing you while we crushed your windpipe with our minds. Speaking of which, we guess the Sith Warrior is okay, too -- but just barely.

Hungary spanks America in Dragon Age: Origins contest

The dust from the 24-hour Dragon Age: Origins Warden's Quest tournament has begun to settle, and the sleep-deprived, blood-soaked winner has been declared: The team representing the nation of Hungary. The Hungarians trailed in the rankings until the fourth round of the contest, when they rallied to pass the BioWare Community team (who finished in second place). We guess you could say they were just Hungarier for victory than everyone else.

America, however, must have only been slightly peckish, ending up with a disappointing ninth place (or next-to-last place) finish, and getting eliminated in the third round of the competition. This might be a small blow to our egos, but hey -- at least we're still better at dragon slaying than the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Booyah!

[Via Kotaku]

BioWare news: Halloween wallpaper and Dragon Age: Origins tournament winner

BioWare is celebrating Halloween today with special holiday themed wallpapers for both of their upcoming games: the fantasy RPG Dragon Age: Origins and their sci-fi RPG Mass Effect 2. The Dragon Age: Origins wallpapers are pretty blatant but the one for Mass Effect 2 is a little bit more subtle.

Meanwhile the Warden's Quest tournament for Dragon Age: Origins that was held in London earlier this week is long over. The four man team from Hungary emerged as the winner of the tournament as they beat a four man team gathered from the BioWare community. The team from the US came in ninth out of 10 teams. Bummer.
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