Dragon Age: Origins

Fans of BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins have already been able to download some extra content for the fantasy RPG. Today BioWare and publisher Electronic Arts announced plans to offer up another extra downloadable quest for the game. The DLC, titled Return to Ostagar, is due for release "this holiday season". That most likely means it will be available for download before the end of 2009.

The new quest will return players "to the fateful battleground in Ostagar" where they will "discover King Cailan's top-secret political agenda." Wow. Sounds a little bit like our world has entered into BioWare's fantasy kingdom. The DLC will cost 400 "BioWare points" (about $5) to download. We don't like the idea of purchasing "BioWare points" to download extra content but . . .oh well.

This minor patch for Dragon Age: Origins addresses a number of issues and makes some tweaks to gameplay stats. Continue reading after the jump for a list of changes.

Download Dragon Age: Origins v1.01b Patch (15 MB)
Download Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator (318 MB)
Check out all Dragon Age: Origins downloads

So much for all the talk about boycotts against Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's PC port. The Infinity Ward-developed shooter is firmly on top of this week's latest top 10 best selling games (according to revenue) on the Steam download service. Steam is the only place (legally anyway) where one can download and purchase Modern Warfare 2. Other download services like Direct2Drive, Impulse and Gamersgate have decided not to make the game available because they have objected to the game's use of Steamworks's features that are required for the PC version.

Valve's zombie co-op shooter Left 4 Dead 2, due to be unlocked at midnight Eastern time tonight on Steam, took the number two sales spot this week. Dragon Age: Origins' regular edition and deluxe edition took the third and fourth spot while Borderlands continues to sell well in fifth position.

1. Modern Warfare 2 - Infinity Ward/Activision
2. Left 4 Dead 2 - Valve
3. Dragon Age Origins - BioWare/EA
4. Dragon Age Origins Digital Deluxe Edition - BioWare/EA
5. Borderlands - Gearbox Software/2K Games
6. Overlord Complete Pack - Triumph Studios/Codemasters
7. Torchlight - Runic Games
8. Crysis Maximum Edition - Crytek/EA
9. Football Manager 2010 - Sega
10. Mass Effect - BioWare/EA

Dragon Age: Origins has already made a mark in terms of its official downloadable content with publisher Electronic Arts stating that the new fantasy RPG has already generated over $1 million in revenue from its current DLC offerings. Now comes word that the new issue of PC Gamer magazine, now on newsstands, has an exclusive Dragon Age: Origins level made by the BioWare team on its magazine DVD.

The mini-campaign is titled A Tale Of Orzammer and according to a post on the game's message boards by BioWare's David Sims, " . . . .this is a short stand-alone adventure, not an expansion of the main game." He added, "It's just something put together in collaboration with the magazine as an example of the kind of content that can be made using the toolset." So don't expect this mini-campaign to have a lot of polish but it's still something fairly unique if you are a Dragon Age: Origins completist.

Welcome to Freeware Friday, a weekly column showcasing excellent games that you can play free of charge!

Dragon Age: Origins is out there amidst consumers, garnering both critical and commercial recognition for its dark atmosphere, excellent story, and entertaining combat. However, there's more to the Dragon Age series besides Origins. EA2D, makers of the excellent Mirror's Edge 2D, decided to take the 2D browser approach to the Dragon Age franchise. The end result is Dragon Age: Journeys, a spin-off game that manages to be good on its own while still providing you with bonuses in the main game itself. Those that love strategy and role-playing games should definitely try it out.

Electronic Arts needs some good news to offset the word that 1,500 of their team members will be laid off by March 2010. They got it with the release of Dragon Age: Origins, the recently released RPG from their BioWare studio. While the game has only been available for just over a week, it looks like their downloadable content has been popular so far.

Speaking at the BMO Capital Markets 17th Annual Digital Entertainment Conference (the audio replay can be heard at EA's investor site), EA's executive vice president and CFO Eric Brown stated that the game's DLC have generated "well past $1 million" in revenues. BioWare has already stated they have long term plans for more downloadable content for the game.

The newest opus from famed developer BioWare is the dark fantasy role-playing game Dragon Age: Origins. This massive game features a story filled with blood, violence and sex topped with BioWare's signature morality system, where players have the option to become saints or ruthless tyrants. Players take the role a newly recruited Grey Warden, an elite group of individuals charged with the responsibility of protecting the world from a catastrophic event called the Blight, which is when evil darkspawn creatures gather together into a massive army under the direction of an arch-demon to ravage the world. Similar to the Spectres from Mass Effect, BioWare's sci-fi role-playing counterpart, Grey Wardens are highly respected and their jurisdiction stretches across all the lands. Their sole purpose is to recruit from all walks of life and do whatever it takes to stop the Blight.

Check the Dragon Age: Origins downloads

BioWare goes in-depth on the combat system of Dragon Age: Origins. Not only does it offer the breadth of control players need to tactically position and use their characters. Combat also works to help define the game as a visceral, dark and mature fantasy role-playing game.

Download HD Dragon Age: Origins 'Designing Combat' Developer Diary HD (331 MB)
Check out all Dragon Age: Origins downloads

BioWare's full return to the PC gaming industry after a few years of PC ports of console games seems to have been embraced by gamers. The latest weekly top 10 sales list on Steam (based on revenue) shows that BioWare's newly released RPG Dragon Age: Origins on top with the deluxe edition at number one and the regular version in the number two slot.

Valve's upcoming shooter Left 4 Dead 2 claims the number 3 spot on the list while Gearbox Software's shooter Borderlands continues to sell well at number four. Newcomer Runic Games' action-RPG Torchlight continues to do well; it shows up at the number five position.

1. Dragon Age Origins Digital Deluxe Edition - BioWare/EA
2. Dragon Age Origins - BioWare/EA
3. Left 4 Dead 2 - Valve
4.Borderlands - Gearbox Software/2K Games
5. Torchlight - Runic Games
6. Modern Warfare 2 - Infinity Ward/Activision
7. Football Manager 2010 - Sega
8. Mass Effect - BioWare/EA
9. Shattered Horizon - Futuremark Games Studio
10. Aion -NCsot

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

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

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.

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

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.

In a high stone fortress tower, the magi study and practice their magical abilities but under a careful eye in case any of them should give in to corruption.

The TV commercial trailer can be seen after the jump. Dragon Age: Origins releases on November 3rd.

Download HD Dragon Age: Origins 'Circle Tower' Trailer (62 MB)
Download HD Dragon Age: Origins TV Spot (33 MB)
Download Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator (318 MB)
Check out all Dragon Age: Origins downloads