Gaming Addict

I love BioWare for a variety of reasons.  One of those is their renewed efforts to better support their games via DLC upgrades.  Case in point, the newly announced upcoming DLC pack for Dragon Age: Origins, “Return To Ostagar”.  This pack puts you right into a great revenge fantasy that I’ve been waiting to carry out, taking place after the events of the first battle you encounter in Dragon Age. 

Possible Spoiler Alert!

Priced at only $5, or 400 Microsoft Points, this is pretty much a bargain.  I’m hoping for a good amount of Darkspawn to slay, and some badass armor.  BioWare has teased that you’ll be able to find and use Cailen’s armor.  But how about Duncan?  Duncan had some pretty badass armor, and I’d love to be able to borrow that from his corpse.  Not like it’s getting much use there anyway.  

This does beg the question however, is Return To Ostagar a quest that was to be included in the original game, before BioWare decided they could cut the quest to fans to pay extra?  Seems like content that could have been in the original release.  Obviously it was done in time, considering the pack is to release this holiday season, only weeks after the game’s release.

But hey, it’s cheap, and if I get 5 bucks worth of fun out of it, who cares.  

Joining the bandwagon of excessive collector’s edition games is Bioshock 2.  The just announced set will come with more than a few great extras.  Nothing really that does anything for the gameplay, but if you’re a fan they may be a good addition to your game memorabilia collection.  I’m a bigger fan of special editions that offer free DLC, but I can’t complain about cool extras.  

The Bioshock 2 Special Edition will include:

• 3 posters of vintage ads from around Rapture.
• A vinyl LP featuring the score from the original Bioshock.
• CD featuring Bioshock 2’s score.
• and a 164 page art book, featuring conceptual art and developer commentary.

I guess that’s all pretty cool.  Although I don’t see myself putting up posters from Rapture around my game room.  If you’re a fan I see all of this as pretty cool extras to enhance your game experience.  I just think extras that augment gameplay are more worthwhile.

Like Dragon Age: Origins’ Blood Dragon Armor, and Stone Prisoner DLC that came with every new retail copy.  You can’t beat a whole new character to include in your party, especially when they’re as genius as Shale.  Or armor that’s almost as good as anything else you can find in the later stages of the game. 

BioWare has released new information on another upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic character class.  Joining Trooper, Jedi Knight, Smuggler, Bounty Hunter, and Sith Warrior is the Imperial Agent class.  The Imperial Agent will be a spy of sorts, or more traditionally an RPG Rogue class, having a variety of disguises and ways to conceal themselves.  Also a long range fighter class, favoring sniper rifles and big area of effect weapons like the orbital strike.  Have to say the ability to call in an orbital strike on the battlefield is very intriguing.

Essentially through the Imperial Agent you will be an assassin and stealth infiltration sort of player.  The Imperial Agent uses any means necessary to get the job done for the Empire.  Through the Imperial Agent you’ll gain access to all manner of the Empire’s battlefield goodies. You’ll have to focus on surprising enemies as your best tactic, because this is a ranged fighter, so you’ll find yourself dead pretty quick trying to pick a straight up fight.

I like where this is going.  Each character class seems to have their own unique back story, and quest line, in addition to individual perks.  I’m reminded of what BioWare attempted with Dragon Age: Origins, and I see a reflection of that here.  Every class seems to have their own unique starting point, and will impact the world in a unique way throughout the game.  Considering the success of this experiment in Dragon Age, I can’t wait to see the tactic on a larger MMORPG scale.

Gotta love the innovation of BioWare. 

Borderlands didn’t do something that most modern RPG’s always make sure to include.  That’s character creation/customization.  I’m a big fan of this, as I think spending the time to develop your own character gives you a connection.  This is your creation, and you can play out your role either as an extension of yourself, or who you want to become.

That being said, Borderlands is still a great game.  Diablo as an FPS essentially.  The game’s system of creating guns on the fly as you loot bodies is amazing.  The game hasn’t been out that long, but already we can look forward to DLC support now, and in the future.  

The first DLC will be The Island of Dr. Ned, which will feature a whole new island that you can access via the fast travel network.  Like most of the game the plot here isn’t really important, what really matters is the action.  The Island of Dr. Ned features plenty of action involving zombies, and a giant Frankenstein monster with a chest on his back that you can loot.  

Gearbox promises more Borderlands support, and possibly increasing the level cap, adding a weapons locker, and other much needed improvements.  Let’s hope they come to fruition.  All those adjustments would make a great game even better.

So there isn’t a lot of videogame news today, or at least nothing ground breaking.  So let’s go back to my love for Dragon Age: Origins now that the game released and I’ve been completely addicted since last Tuesday.  Dragon Age is spectacularly difficult in a way that so many RPG’s have seemed to shy away from.  All the big battles will test your strategies to the limits, and your ability to manage your supporter characters, as well as your main to get the job done.

The best part of Dragon Age: Origins, and really any BioWare RPG is the uniqueness of the characters.  There are always a few that will have you interested beyond belief.  Like the way Morrigan and Alistair banter during your journey, any time both are present in your party.  Literally the funniest conversations you’ll hear from any character combination.  

But nothing touches how amazing it is to have Shale in your party.  Shale is of course the stone golem only available through The Stone Prisoner DLC.  But more than that Shale is a living battering ram that you’ll want with you in any combat scenario.  But where Shale really shines is his dialogue.  

Anybody that has played Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic will feel that Shale is somewhat familiar.  I’m always reminded of the interactions with HK-47 his lack of understanding, and complete disdain for humans.  Shale is the same. A logical mind that can’t understand the attitudes of other living things, so naturally responds in the only way possible, sarcasm.

Shale is brilliant, and one of my favorite parts of the game.  The Stone Prisoner DLC is not to be missed, so if you bought a used copy of the game, buy the DLC online.  Sure it’s kind of on the expensive side, and the quest to get Shale himself is only about an hour long.  But you’re not paying the money for the quest, you’re paying to have Shale as a companion.  That’s worth $15 easy.  

World of Warcraft looks like the next game to join in the micro transaction craze, as Blizzard has just opened the Pet Store for business.  Through the pet store Blizzard plans to release all manner of cuddly creatures that you can take with you on your journeys.  Of course these won’t affect gameplay in any way, besides having a different pet available that you can’t find in game.  The part I can’t understand is why the price point is set at $10 per pet. 

Why would you pay $10 for something anyone can get, and that doesn’t affect gameplay at all?

The two pets currently available are the Pandaren Monk and a mini Lich pet version of Kel’Thuzad.  The Pandaren Monk will feature brand new crazy martial arts animations, guaranteed to entertain I guess.  While Kel’Thuzad apparently flexes his wrath against the various woodland critters that cross your path. 

I suppose both of those qualify as being entertaining, but are we talking $10 worth of entertainment?  I’d rather spend a portion of that on a game rental, so I could have better entertainment for my gaming bucks.  I just don’t think the price justifies what you’re getting in return.  You could buy any one of a zillion great Xbox Live Arcade games for that…way more fun than a pet you have no control over, and that doesn’t help you in combat. 

In the growing tradition of other stellar titles, BioWare has announced a special Collector’s Edition release for Mass Effect 2.  The Mass Effect CE will cost you an extra $10 on Xbox 360 and PC, with the Xbox version priced at $69.99 and PC $59.99.  The whole set comes in a premium steel case that will include the following special items:

-48 Page Hardcover art of Mass Effect book.

-Unique DLC content, including weapons and armor only available through the purchase of the Collector’s Edition.  

No word yet as to what weapons and armor will be included.  But knowing BioWare it will be something awesome.  I know in addition to those CE armor items, I’ll also have access to the Blood Dragon Armor for buying Dragon Age: Origins.  I just hope the DLC is worth an extra $10, because I’ll probably end up buying this, but I never care much for art book collections or behind the scenes features.

Here’s to hoping for more badass guns, bigger explosions, and much more effective armor.  

The collector’s edition package for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has finally been released, and dubbed the Ultimate Sith Edition.  This set includes the original game, as well as all of the DLC that has been released for Force Unleashed up to now.  That means here you get the Tatooine and Jedi Academy levels, as well as an exclusive to this edition Hoth level. 

 I remember being disappointed in both the Tatooine and Jedi Academy levels, especially considering how much they cost via Xbox Live, and how little gameplay they had to offer.  All in all I’m just not sold on The Force Unleashed.  I know the game sold horrendously well, but it still wasn’t a spectacular Star Wars game.  Rather, Force Unleashed was a glimpse into how great of a game we could have had if Lucasarts had put in a little bit more time and effort. 

Everything just felt overly simplified.  From the lightsaber combat, to the way your force powers function.  Everything could have used some polish.  Here you get that same unpolished experience, with three new levels.  This collection isn’t worth buying if you already have purchased the DLC levels.  But if you’re new to Force Unleashed, or haven’t sprung for the DLC, maybe the Ultimate Sith Edition is for you.

Just don’t expect a spectacularly different experience.  

Borderlands isn’t without it’s share of problems.  Actually, Borderlands has many games share of problems.  Seems there are more than a few bugs that Gearbox Software hadn’t fully worked out before the game shipped, leaving many gamers to suffer their wrath.  These bugs range anywhere from minor glitches, like ammo clip shortages.  To much more devastating bugs that cause your save files to be corrupted, and your skill points to be reset.  

Of course most of these are tied to multiplayer.  Many players have reported disappearing loot, experience, and many other glitches upon entering and exiting a multiplayer session.  Considering one of Borderlands big selling points is the awesome drop in-drop out co-op, this is a pretty severe problem.

Gearbox maintains that they are hard at work on fixing all the bugs, and you can keep up on the details via their forums a:

http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=77748

For now Gearbox’s list of  known issues is as follows:

Both Consoles

Issue: (360, PS3) Save file is corrupted
Frequency: Very Low
Status: A fix is being investigated

360 only

Issue: (360) Aim-assist does not toggle on and off properly
Frequency: Very Low
Status: The cause of this problem is being investigated

PS3 only

Issue: (PS3) The console freezes during play
Frequency: Low
Status: The cause of this problem is being investigated

Issue: (PS3) Error codes displayed when attempting to sign into multiplayer
Frequency: Low
Status: The cause of this problem is being investigated

Issue: (PS3) Frame rate drops in a game with 3+ players
Frequency: Moderate
Status: The cause of this problem is being investigated

PC

Issue: PC users experience a “General protection fault” error
Frequency: Low
Status: This issue is being investigated

Issue: PC version locks up in server browser
Frequency: Low
Status: The cause of this issue has been identified and a solution is being investigated

All Platforms

Issue: Lilith’s Phase Strike not functioning as intended
Frequency: n/a, all users
Status: A fix is being investigated

Issue: Skill points or items disappear, or skill points are gained, usually after a multiplayer game
Frequency: Low
Status: The cause of this problem is being investigated

Issue: Weapon proficiency progress is lost upon leaving a multiplayer game
Frequency: Moderate
Status: The cause of this problem is being investigated

The next downloadable episode for Grand Theft Auto IV hits the market next week, and what’s a new Grand Theft Auto release without some controversy?  Apparently Rockstar feels that they must keep pushing the limits of what could offend anyone, concerning the content in their games.  The newest spark arises from the inclusion of sex scenes aplenty in the upcoming The Ballad of Gay Tony. 

Reportedly the sex scenes do not contain any nudity, and only featured fully clothed characters.  But considering a large portion of the storyline takes place at a night club, those sex scenes will most likely be peppered generously throughout.  Also, after having pushed the boundary in The Lost and Damned, there’s going to plenty of digital cutscene penis once more.  

I’m sure we all remember the shock of meeting Congressman Stubbs for the first time, during his massage, in which he chose to allow his flaccid penis to breathe throughout the cutscene. 

Expect more of the same I guess.  So if videogame sex and flaccid penises offend you, The Ballad of Gay Tony might be something you want to avoid.