RPG

Diablo III female Monk officially revealed

Posted Feb 9th 2010 8:00AM by John Callaham
Filed under: RPG, Diablo III

The Jace Hall Show had the honor of showing off the first images of the Diablo III female Monk character but now the action-RPG's official web site has made the look of the character official. The web page featuring the monk class is now showing the character art for the female version of the class.

There's also a look at what the character's visuals look like with the in-game character model. Both the concept art and the character render make the female monk look like a cross between Annie Lennox and Jennifer Love Hewitt. At least that's how it looks to us. Your mileage may vary.

Gallery: Diablo III Screenshots

What does a "far reaching" plan for Mass Effect 2 mean?

Posted Feb 8th 2010 9:30PM by John Callaham
Filed under: RPG, Mass Effect Series

During Electronic Arts' financial conference call with analysts, EA execs mentioned something in passing; they had "far reaching" plans for their just released sci-fi RPG Mass Effect 2 in their fiscal fourth quarter of 2011 (January-March 2011). While this may mean some kind of downloadable content for the game, the suggestion seems to be something more is in the works?

Is it a big expansion pack? Is it a full-fledged sequel to BioWare' acclaimed game (although that seems unlikely)? At the moment, EA is not saying what that "far reaching" statement means. An EA spokesperson would not comment to our sister site Joystiq on the matter, saying only, "Both Dragon Age and Mass Effect are referenced in the FY11 SKU plan." Hmmmm.....

Gallery: Mass Effect 2 Screenshots

Some Mass Effect 2 save games might not work in Mass Effect 3

Posted Feb 8th 2010 8:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: RPG, Mass Effect Series

BioWare's cool way that they incorporate save games from the original Mass Effect into the new Mass Effect 2 will continue when BioWare comes out with Mass Effect 3 in two year's time. But Game Informer points out that not all Mass Effect 2 save games will work with the third game in the sci-fi RPG trilogy.

The reason? If the main character Shepard gets killed at the end of Mass Effect 2, well, that's a problem. BioWare's Casey Hudson states, "If you have a dead Shepard at the end of Mass Effect 2, that saved game won't import into Mass Effect 3. You can play Mass Effect 3 if you died in Mass Effect 2 of course, but you'll have to create a new Shepard." That means Shepard is supposed to appear in all three games so players should not be cavalier about using him in Mass Effect 2.

Gallery: Mass Effect 2 Screenshots

Free Mass Effect 2 armor and weapon coming Tuesday

Posted Feb 8th 2010 6:30PM by John Callaham
Filed under: Downloads, RPG, Mass Effect Series

BioWare promised last week that some free downloads would be coming for Mass Effect 2 players and today they revealed that a new armor and a new weapon will be made available via the game's Cerberus Network sometime on Tuesday. The first item, the Cerberus assault armor, increase health, sheilds and heavy weapon ammo by 10 percent for the player character that uses it.

The new weapon that will be included in the update is the M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun which uses armor-piercing rounds and has a longer range than normal shotguns. If you use it be aware that this weapon "violates several intergalactic weapons treaties." Which of course makes us want this even more.

Gallery: Mass Effect 2 Screenshots

New Dragon Age game coming in first quarter 2011 [Update]

Posted Feb 8th 2010 4:30PM by John Callaham
Filed under: RPG, Dragon Age: Origins

Electronic Arts is apparently very pleased with the release of BioWare's fantasy RPG Dragon Age Origins. So much so in fact that the publisher has already revealed in their new fiscal 2011 release schedule their plans to release a new game in the franchise sometime in their fourth fiscal quarter. That is equal to a first quarter 2011 (January-March) calendar release date.

Dragon Age Origins was a major critical hit when it was released in November 2009 and the game has already spawned a number of paid downloadable content expansions. A retail expansion, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening, is due for release in March.

Update: During their financial conference call EA exec stated that Dragon Age Origins sold 2.7 million copies worldwide. That total includes both PC and console sales.

Gallery: Dragon Age Origins Screenshots

Battlefield Bad Company 2 and Global Agenda top Steam weekly sale list

Posted Feb 8th 2010 9:00AM by John Callaham
Filed under: FPS, MMO, Multiplayer, RPG, Modern Warfare 2, Mass Effect Series, BioShock 2

Pre-orders for the PC version of Battlefield Bad Company 2 continue to do well on Steam. The latest weekly top 10 sales list for the download service shows the upcoming first person shooter at the number one position. However, the indie FPS MMO Global Agenda from Hi-Rez Studios came in at number two for the past week. The game officially launched on February 1. Steam is currently the only place to download the game (Hi-Rez is also selling a box copy via Amazon.com).

BioShock 2, due for release next week, comes in at number three on the list with Mass Effect 2 and Modern Warfare 2 at number four and five, respectively: The full list is as follows:

1. Battlefield Bad Company 2 - Digital Illusions/EA
2. Global Agenda - Hi-Rez Studios
3. BioShock 2 - 2K Marin/2K Games
4. Mass Effect 2 - BioWare/EA
5. Modern Warfare 2 - Infinity Ward/Activision
6. Aliens Vs Predator - Rebellion/Sega
7. Mass Effect 2 Digital Deluxe Edition - BioWare/EA
8. Titan Quest Gold - THQ
9. Left 4 Dead 2 - Valve
10. Star Trek Online Digital Deluxe Edition - Cryptic Studios/Atari

Fallout New Vegas info from magazines hit the internet

Posted Feb 6th 2010 9:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: RPG, Fallout: New Vegas

With the release of the first Fallout New Vegas trailer earlier this week, we can now expect more info on the next game in the post-apocalypse RPG series to finally start filtering out. Magazines with cover stories on the Obsidian Entertainment-Bethesda Softworks game have started heading to subscribers and Fallout fan site Duck and Cover has some info on the game culled from those print mags.

We won't reveal everything that's been put in those magazines about Fallout New Vegas but here's a few interesting tidbits. Your player character isn't a Vault Dweller this time. And yes, the game is set in and around the former Las Vegas (not Reno as some people have speculated). Apparently the city itself is (mostly) intact. You can also visit Hoover Dan which supplies the power to the city. There's no word yet if this game will get any downloadable content after its release.

Download HD Fallout: New Vegas Trailer (250 MB)

Mass Effect 2 PC multi-core CPU issue workaround released

Posted Feb 6th 2010 8:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: Downloads, RPG, Mass Effect Series, Tools

Mass Effect 2 is a terrific game on the PC. Let's get that out of the way. But for folks who own PCs with multi-core CPUs, there's an issue with very long load times when the player goes through decks of the Normandy space ship. There is a workaround for this issue; simply shut off one of your CPUs and then put it back to two cores. However that's clearly annoying if you have to run BioWare's sci-fi RPG more than once (and that's most of you).

A software developer has created a utility called MassAffinity that, after a brief set up, fixes the issue automatically when you run the app with Mass Effect 2. Obviously this is a third party program not made by BioWare so download and use at your own risk. However if you are experiencing these long Normandy load times and don't want to wait for the developer to issue a patch this is better than nothing.

Gallery: Mass Effect 2 Screenshots

Alpha Protocol delayed (again) to summer 2010

Posted Feb 6th 2010 11:00AM by John Callaham
Filed under: RPG, Alpha Protocol

The super-spy action-RPG Alpha Protocol has had an . . . interesting development history. The Obsidian Entertainment developed game was supposed to be released last October by publisher Sega but then retailers pushed the game's release back to the spring 2010. Sega finally admitted to the delay after the game was supposed to originally ship to stores.

Now Sega has apparently been showing the game to journalists and MTV's Multiplayer blog has posted word that Alpha Protocol has been pushed back yet again to sometime in the summer of this year. That means the game could be delayed nearly a year after its October 2009 release date. It's probably just as well. A Sega exec stated in the MTV article that they decided to delay the game the first time because, "We really wanted to polish the game up, make it everything Obsidian planned it to be, and give the consumer a very polished game." Works for us.

Gallery: Alpha Protocol Screenshots

Freeware Friday: Desktop Dungeons

Posted Feb 5th 2010 9:00PM by James Murff
Filed under: Features, Indie, RPG

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

Much like last week's game, Desktop Dungeons is a streamlined rogue-like. It strays a little further into rogue-like territory with level gaining and such, but like Tiny Crawl, it's a very simple game that just about anyone can understand and get into. However, underneath the layer of simple controls and basics, Desktop Dungeons has a complexity and depth that make it surprisingly engaging and addictive. In fact, we could almost compare it to the title Strange Adventures in Infinite Space. Short, simple to understand, and difficult to master are all characteristics of both games, and this makes Desktop Dungeons a great game if you want to relax for a few minutes over a coffee break with some monster slaughtering. Beware, though, as you might lose track of time and get reprimanded for spending too much time dungeon crawling!

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Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening trailer bears ugly children

Posted Feb 5th 2010 6:30PM by Steven Wong
Filed under: Downloads, RPG, Trailers, Dragon Age: Origins

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Children can be cruel... especially when they're the of the insectoid Darkspawn variety like the ones featured in this Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening trailer. These kids are hungry and looking to munch down on some unwary heroes.

Continue after the jump to watch a trailer introducing Anders, one of the new traveling companions included in Awakening. He's a powerful apostate wizard who goes against the rules governing the Circle of Magi. Ever since hanging out with Morrigan in the main game, adventuring without an apostate just doesn't seem right. Awakening is scheduled to release on March 16.

Download HD Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening 'The Children' Trailer (45MB)
Download HD Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening 'Anders' Trailer (47MB)
Check out all Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening downloads

Gallery: Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening

Continue reading Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening trailer bears ugly children

More Blizzard stuff (Diablo III, StarCraft II) in latest Jace Hall show

Posted Feb 5th 2010 6:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: RPG, RTS, Video, Starcraft II, Diablo III

IGN's second episode of The Jace Hall Show is now online and it has the second part of the former Monolith head's visit to Blizzard offices. We also get to see some funny-weird stuff in this segment including Stan Lee ruining Hall's copy of Incredible Hulk 1 and original V's star Jane Badler seemingly swallowing a real life mouse (and we are not kidding about that).

But you don't really care about that. You want to know if anything was revealed in the Blizzard visit. As a matter of fact the show did show what looks like some legit art designs for the female Monk class in Diablo III . . . which Hall then tried to steal. Nice. And next week's episode takes place in a StarCraft II design meeting. What will we learn, if anything, from that show? Stay tuned. In the meantime you can check out the episode after the jump.

[Via BlizzPlanet]

Gallery: Diablo III Screenshots

Continue reading More Blizzard stuff (Diablo III, StarCraft II) in latest Jace Hall show

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Review: Dragon Age: Origins Return to Ostagar DLC

Posted Feb 5th 2010 4:00PM by Steven Wong
Filed under: Expansions, Features, RPG, Opinion, Dragon Age: Origins

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The newest downloadable content expansion for Dragon Age: Origins takes players back to the scene of the crime, so to speak. Return to Ostagar starts with a clue that leads back to the battlefield where King Cailan and Duncan were betrayed and fell to the Darkspawn horde, kicking off the main Dragon Age storyline. Searching through the Darkspawn filled area reveals secrets Cailan had tucked away while providing a chance to retrieve special items thought lost, like the king's armor and the weapons Duncan had on him. Beyond that, it extends the story of that key event and provides closure, especially if players revisit the area accompanied by Alistair and Wynne, who both took part in the Battle of Ostagar, and offer personal thoughts and commentary while exploring.

Check out all Dragon Age: Origins downloads

Gallery: Dragon Age Origins: Return to Ostagar

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GoG.com adds first Vampire: The Masquerade game to line-up

Posted Feb 4th 2010 2:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: Downloads, Adventure, RPG

Last week, the GoG.com web site began to add classic PC games to its library that are currently owned by Activision. Today they add another game from the publisher to their line-up. It's Vampire: The Masquerade: Redemption, the 2000 released RPG from developer Nihilistic Software. One of the game's more unique features is the ability in multiplayer for one gamer to be a kind of Game Master as he or she guides and inflences the other players in their quests.

Also added to the game's library is Dark Fall 2: Lights Out, a 2004 mystery adventure from XXy Productions. Both games can be bought and downloaded for $5.99 each.

League of Legends downloaded 1 milllion times since launch

Posted Feb 4th 2010 1:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: Downloads, RPG, RTS

Last October developer Riot Games launched League of Legends, their multiplayer oriented fantasy RTS-RPG. The free-to-play game, inspired by and made in part by team members of the WarCraft III mod Defense of the Ancients, has now surpassed over 1 million downloads of the game client, according to a new press released today.

Riot Games also says that 150,000 gamers play the game online each day in the US and Europe. Since its launch the game's developer have added new champions, skins and other content. Future plans include adding in-game tournaments, ranked play, support for teams and clans and more.

Gallery: League Of Legends Screenshots