BioWare posts(Subscribe to this feed)
BioWare reveals Samara, Mass Effect 2's biotic bombshell
by Randy Nelson 
{ Dec 1st 2009 at 12:00PM }
Samara is an elite Asari warrior who controls some incredibly potent biotic powers. Forget simply tossing enemies around -- she manipulates dark energy in order to levitate herself, as evidenced in the above video. The footage also confirms that there are still five potential party members yet to be introduced before the game ships for PC and Xbox 360 on January 26 (not March 23 as originally noted by Randy, who's clearly met his recommended daily allowance of paste.)
Gallery: Mass Effect 2 - Samara
Return to Alderaan in Star Wars: The Old Republic
by Xav de Matos { Nov 28th 2009 at 11:30AM }
Honestly, while we're excited to see the planet again, we also can't help but be a little sad. Like watching the movie Titanic or Lindsay Lohan's career, it just doesn't feel right when you know the whole thing will end in tragedy. For those of you looking to practice epic MMO-clicking, Bioware's official site houses more media and information on the doomed planet.
Mass Effect 2 vids profile Tali and Adept class
by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 27th 2009 at 11:30AM }
Head past the break to see a video of the Adept class, which has been granted some flashy new tricks.
Gallery: Mass Effect 2 (11-06-09)
Interview: BioWare's Greg Zeschuk on Dragon Age, DLC, and more
by Christopher Grant { Nov 26th 2009 at 3:00PM } 
Joystiq: Dragon Age is the first PS3 game that BioWare's developed. Can you talk about that process?
Greg Zeschuk: We did partner with Edge of Reality, so we partnered with folks who have had the experience, and that was a good process where we actually had some folks that knew how to do it but also, in general, just worked together with them. A lot of it ended up being like we needed a lot of work to get done and a lot of stuff very fast and everyone was very busy on Dragon Age itself. Collectively, on the console, I would say it was very interesting and challenging to take the richness of the PC game of Dragon Age, with all these different powers and everything else, and actually try to transpose it to the consoles. And the interesting thing about that, or where it worked out really well, is that we literally set ourselves a goal: We didn't want console players to fell like we ripped them off by taking anything away, by minimizing or simplifying. We want them to feel they have all the power at their fingertips, but it's very accessible. It's got the multiple rings that sort of have subsets to them, and you can actually pretty much access any power just a couple little joystick twiddles and button presses. And so with that experience, I think we succeeded there.
Another place where we succeeded on both the PS3 and 360 versions: it feels very different from the PC. Where the PC has got the traditional Baldur's Gate top-down [perspective], the PS3 and 360 are over-the-shoulder and they do have that kind of, very KOTOR feel and that's probably what I play, and that's what I feel most familiar with is KOTOR -- and it actually feels more action-y than the PC does, so I think people will find a very different experience. I recommend both platforms actually, PC and console versions.
Gallery: Dragon Age: Origins
Mass Effect 2 system requirements revealed, restrictive DRM removed
by Griffin McElroy { Nov 25th 2009 at 12:30PM }
Now, for the great: The retail version of Mass Effect 2 won't include the restrictive, pestering DRM featured in the franchise's first installment. Rather, the game will simply do a disc check upon boot-up -- the same piracy-preventing measure exercised by Dragon Age: Origins. Activate, dear friends! Activate your game to your heart's content.
Final two Star Wars: The Old Republic classes revealed
by Griffin McElroy { Nov 24th 2009 at 9:45AM }
These two join the six other previously announced classes for the game: Trooper, Imperial Agent, Bounty Hunter, Smuggler, Jedi Knight and Sith Warrior. Tragically, it seems the Fashion Designer class from Star Wars Galaxies won't make a reappearance in Old Republic. As a result, we expect everyone's characters to be dressed in the drabbest of duds.
[Via Shacknews]
Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic
Direct2Drive offering $10 off Dragon Age: Origins through Nov. 30
by Xav de Matos { Nov 24th 2009 at 2:00AM }
The standard edition is priced at $39.95, while the Deluxe edition is priced at $54.95 for the promotion. With the savings we recommend you look into purchasing the (somewhat controversial) downloadable content already available for the title. If paying for storage space is your thing, that is.
Dragon Age: Origins DLC to 'Return to Ostagar' this holiday
by Justin McElroy { Nov 19th 2009 at 12:58PM } 
Listen, we're as big of fans of Dragon Age: Origins as you're likely to meet, but we have to question the scheduling of this DLC release. It's not that we don't want it, but who out there has played so much DA:O that they're bored of what's on the disc? Seriously, the thing's like 340 hours long!
Mass Effect 2 box art affected by massive change
by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 17th 2009 at 5:01PM }
BioWare has apparently changed its mind about the Mass Effect 2 box art, as the developer announced today that it has revealed the "final" image for the game's standard edition release -- the Collector's Edition box art was shown off a couple weeks back.
The new box differs from the original version in that the characters and guns are more prominent, the Wrex-lookin' Krogan is replaced by Thane the Assassin, Miranda Lawson is trying harder, but still failing at a solid Dead Space Girl impression, and Default Shepard from the original Mass Effect cover is again the sorry stranger of the bunch. Who is this cookie-cutter mancake BioWare insists cramp its covers? We've never seen him in our game!
BioWare considers storytelling challenge of multiplayer experiences
by Ludwig Kietzmann { Nov 16th 2009 at 2:00PM }
Among the things to be decided is how best to incorporate your party of friends with, well, your party of in-game friends. "It's hard to weave a great single-player storyline into a multiplayer experience," Muzyka said. "It's not impossible." The good doctor insists that it's been done and points to the developer's anticipated Star Wars MMO as proof. "We've done it, and we're doing it again now in Star Wars: The Old Republic. But it is challenging."
PS3 Dragon Age: Origins out in UK this Friday
by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 16th 2009 at 10:15AM }
The tardiness of the title, according to BioWare CEO Ray Muzyka, was due to certification and manufacturing issues. If you're fan of RPGs (especially those in the BioWare mold), go get Dragon Age!
Dragon Age DLC has earned over $1 million
by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 13th 2009 at 11:09AM }
EA has touted that Dragon Age: Origins has already brought in over $1 million in sales of its launch DLC. G4 reports on CFO Eric Brown's presentation at a recent conference, where the EA exec revealed the figure and reiterated, "The game was designed at the outset to have extensive [paid DLC] at launch, as well through the next 12-plus months of its lifespan."
Dragon Age players should remember to blame developer BioWare and its QA department if they felt obligated to pick up the launch DLC, which expands in-game storage space for items. As shady as that sounds, apparently it wasn't enough to deter significant purchases of the optional content.
Dragon Age: Origins gets patched, tool set released
by Griffin McElroy { Nov 7th 2009 at 7:00PM }
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)
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)
'Imperial Agent' class sneaks into Star Wars: The Old Republic
by JC Fletcher { Nov 6th 2009 at 7:00PM }
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.
None straight minutes of Mass Effect 2 gameplay [update]
by Randy Nelson { Nov 6th 2009 at 4:15AM }
Update: Due to a faulty interstellar communications array (read: a misunderstanding), EA has asked us to jettison the footage.
Original post:
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.
