Dragon Age 2

[Darth Payne]

I suspect that super-overpowered items are intended for those that play on the highest difficulty.

I could be wrong though.

[DarthParametric]

That's their reward for buying it early (i.e. buying it new, not secondhand). It has to be some throwaway thing that doesn't take much in the way of dev resources to produce, and items are pretty easy and cheap in that regard. As far as overpowered stuff goes, often that sort of thing is level restricted in some manner. But either way, what's the big deal? It's a single player game - let people play it how they want. If that includes "cheating", what does it matter to you? Nobody is forcing you to use such items yourself, and it's not multiplayer so there is no effect on you if others use them.

[Sabretooth]

Originally Posted by DarthParametric

But either way, what's the big deal? It's a single player game - let people play it how they want. If that includes "cheating", what does it matter to you? Nobody is forcing you to use such items yourself, and it's not multiplayer so there is no effect on you if others use them.

Well I think I'll hold up till they announce the "Instant Victory" DLC that lets you instantly win the game.

[Quanon]

Originally Posted by Sabretooth

Well I think I'll hold up till they announce the "Instant Victory" DLC that lets you instantly win the game.

I"ll wait for the Nude DLC, which shows the main charater has 3 nipples, YES, 3!!!

[Drunkside]

Originally Posted by Quanon

I"ll wait for the Nude DLC, which shows the main charater has 3 nipples, YES, 3!!!

I would download that, even if it cost 1200 xbox **** points.

[Ztalker]

Signature Edition is on it's way for the Z peeps.

Looks so incredible this one...
No I have to find time to create a 'perfect' playthrough once more. My best save was destroyed when Vista decided to commit suiicide. Windows 7 is running smoothly on the exact same machine though.

[Darth Payne]

Found some info about the three new DLCs on the site i usually order my games from.

FADESHEAR
The core of this blade is old. As old as the first smiths who sought a way to battle the nightmares from the land beyond. It has fought the demonic hosts in countless battles. Sometimes it has been held high in triumphant victory. Other times, it has lain broken besides its dying owner. But after every defeat it has always been reclaimed, reforged, and made stronger. Fadeshear has passed through many hands before yours. Now it is your turn to make the demons of the Fade pay for crossing the Veil into the waking world.
• Improves with each level-up
• additional damage vs. demons and undead

THE LION OF ORLAIS
At the height of the Summer War all of Orlais was embroiled in fierce battles. Over the course of the war dozens of contenders for the Imperial Throne emerged – most long forgotten except as footnotes in scholarly tomes. But everyone remembers the gallant young lord Emile Deveraux, 'The Golden Prince'. Thought outnumbered at every turn, he racked victory upon victory culminating in the Seventh Battle of Roses. While wearing this shield he broke through his uncle’s vanguard to win the day. He never knew the taste of defeat, instead meeting his end at the hands of a jealous lover in the dead of night.
• 2 rune slots
• Adds to health
• Adds to % XP gain

BLACK EMPORIUM:
Nestled deep under Kirkwall, you'll find a market with a curious collection of items, some for sale, some for free, and ranging from the mundane to the mysterious! One artifact can even transform your very body, face, hair, eyes—all new! We've even granted you your very own mabari war hound to call to your side with a whistle—a boon in battle and a beloved pet at home. Visit the Black Emporium today, and you’ll be the envy of adventurers everywhere. Your invitation awaits!
Features:
• A magic item store that has some of the best equipment you’ll find in the game. It’s restocked with better items as you progress through the story.
• A loyal mabari hound that fights at your side in battle.
• The 'Mirror of Transformation'. Gaze into it and you can change your very appearance. Hair, eyes, tattoos, and more can be changed with the click of a button.
• A crafting store which sells powerful unique recipes.
• Explore the Black Emporium and uncover its strange secrets and lore. Be sure to see its strange proprietor. It should prove most… memorable.

[Mav]

This is getting retarded, sure those are just items/crap, but if you're a game developer and you're already working on DLC, your game damn well better already be on the ****ing store shelf.

[DarthParametric]

Ugh, the last thing I want to do is defend DLC (which I despise), but to be fair it's very likely that there would be dev team members available to work on that sort of stuff before the main game went gold, as their tasks on that would have already been completed. I think with DA1 they had a secondary team that was working on DLC and Awakening pretty much before DA1 was released (which was probably at least half the reason why all of it was substandard compared to Origins).

[JediAthos]

Since I know how much we love DLC....here's some more for DA 2

Isaac Clarke has already tackled the horrors of space, now he's set to travel to the more mystical realm of BioWare's Dragon Age II. He's been written into the lore of the game as Ser Isaac of Clarke, and players who buy EA's Dead Space 2 before March 31 will be able to unlock a special set of armor modeled after Isaac in Dragon Age II with a special code. Above is a picture of said armor, which isn't just for looks. In fact, it's pretty powerful gear, and EA has even released some info on the in-game perks and buffs it will grant your character.

Ser Isaac of Clarke’s Armor includes:

Isaac’s Armor
o Heavy Armor
o Contains a rune slot
o Increases armor
o Requires high dexterity and cunning
Isaac’s Boots
o Increases armor
o Requires high dexterity and cunning
Isaac’s Gauntlets
o Increases armor
o Requires high dexterity and cunning
Isaac’s Helm
o Contains a rune slot
o Increases armor
o Critical damage factor
o Requires high dexterity and cunning

For more info on this special offer, head over to the Dragon Age II add-on website.

source: http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/a...ace-video.aspx

[Drunkside]

Originally Posted by JediAthos

Since I know how much we love DLC....here's some more for DA 2

Isaac Clarke has already tackled the horrors of space, now he's set to travel to the more mystical realm of BioWare's Dragon Age II. He's been written into the lore of the game as Ser Isaac of Clarke, and players who buy EA's Dead Space 2 before March 31 will be able to unlock a special set of armor modeled after Isaac in Dragon Age II with a special code. Above is a picture of said armor, which isn't just for looks. In fact, it's pretty powerful gear, and EA has even released some info on the in-game perks and buffs it will grant your character.

Ser Isaac of Clarke’s Armor includes:

Isaac’s Armor
o Heavy Armor
o Contains a rune slot
o Increases armor
o Requires high dexterity and cunning
Isaac’s Boots
o Increases armor
o Requires high dexterity and cunning
Isaac’s Gauntlets
o Increases armor
o Requires high dexterity and cunning
Isaac’s Helm
o Contains a rune slot
o Increases armor
o Critical damage factor
o Requires high dexterity and cunning

For more info on this special offer, head over to the Dragon Age II add-on website.

source: http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/a...ace-video.aspx

This is worth a quadruple facepalm:

[Sabretooth]

Alternately, have Isaac do it himself:

[JediAthos]

Ha! I figured that was the reaction this would get which is exactly why I posted it

[Lynk Former]

I can understand the whole thing about not being able to access 100% of the content on the disc that you've rightfully purchased.

Though, I kind of like the idea of this cross promotion... it'd be perfect if they would allow people who don't have Dead Space 2 to unlock Isaac after completing the game or something... you know... like they used to back in the olden days of gaming instead of doing all this stupid exclusive stuff.

[Darth Payne]

I agree.

It kinda pissed me off that some of the gear for ME2 is not availabe where i live.

I think there might've been something for DA and DA:A as well.

[DarthParametric]

Originally Posted by Lynk Former

it'd be perfect if they would allow people who don't have Dead Space 2 to unlock Isaac after completing the game or something...

Get the PC version and undoubtedly someone will make a mod of something similar. I started working on a version of the helmet for DA1 myself the other night, but shelved it due to other things I had on my plate.

[Lynk Former]

Or find someone who has Dead Space 2 and the code but isn't interested in buying Dragon Age 2 to use to code.

[Drunkside]

Originally Posted by Sabretooth

Alternately, have Isaac do it himself:

It was just meth

[Tysyacha]

By the way--this may be an incredibly stupid question--but can Hawke be female, too?

[Alkonium]

Originally Posted by Tysyacha

By the way--this may be an incredibly stupid question--but can Hawke be female, too?

Yes, that's been clear from the start:

Note the similar face, hairstyle, and red mark on the nose.

[Char Ell]

Per BioWare's Dragon Age website Dragon Age 2 went gold yesterday. So now it's just the stamping of discs, printing of boxes and manuals, and creation of digital distribution packages that needs to be done.

[DarthParametric]

Guess they can't use the excuse of it still being a work in progress any more to side-step certain critical points that have been raised.

[Darth Payne]

Huh, just went to my local EA site and found that the demo is supposed to be released on february 23. (I hope their not talking about the FaceBook game again)

Anyone else seeing that on their local EA site?

Edit: And by going to Biowares Dragon Age Site i find that by playing the demo i will unlock another DLC item. Some kind of odd looking sword.

[Char Ell]

DarthParametric,
Which critical points do you refer to? Toolset perhaps?

Darth Payne,
Yep. DA 2 demo should be available for download on Feb. 22. Since I have already pre-ordered DA 2 I had no intentions of playing the demo but with the offer of yet another "free" DLC item I may go ahead and get it after all. Damn OCD...

[DarthParametric]

No, all the various (justifiable) criticisms that have been levelled at the "improved" art style, texture quality, interface, etc. Go back to the start of the thread and you'll see references to it. At the time, devs brushed it off as a legacy of the game still being a work in progress. As I said back then, that was a complete load of BS they served up to dodge the issue. How it looked then is exactly how it looks now. Now that the game has gone gold, they can no longer use the WIP excuse. Of course, I'm sure they'll come up with some new ones.

[igyman]

Originally Posted by DarthParametric

No, all the various (justifiable) criticisms that have been levelled at the "improved" art style, texture quality, interface, etc. Go back to the start of the thread and you'll see references to it. At the time, devs brushed it off as a legacy of the game still being a work in progress. As I said back then, that was a complete load of BS they served up to dodge the issue. How it looked then is exactly how it looks now. Now that the game has gone gold, they can no longer use the WIP excuse. Of course, I'm sure they'll come up with some new ones.

You're absolutely right. I remember the fuss on the official forums, where members were divided into two groups - one that would criticize the "improved" graphics along with changes to certain creature designs (notably the darkspawn), while the other group would vehemently insist that it's "an alpha version", "too early to tell", etc. In the end, I watched the live stream video and while I liked that certain gameplay aspects weren't being changed as much as I thought (though I still think they could and should have at least included other races, if not origins), the graphics were exactly the same as in those early "alpha" videos. Perhaps some environments looked better (they certainly looked bigger), but the characters looked pretty much the same in terms of graphics quality. Not sure yet if I'll check out the demo - right now I'm considering doing another playthrough of Origins, Awakening and relevant DLC to prepare an import save for DA2.

[Canaan Sadow]

Just wanted to say that they've officially released the love interests.

Fenris
Anders
Merrill
Isabella (<-- big surprise there, huh? )

And all four of them are apparently bi

[Alkonium]

Originally Posted by Kael'thas Solo

Just wanted to say that they've officially released the love interests.

Fenris
Anders
Merrill
Isabella (<-- big surprise there, huh? )

And all four of them are apparently bi

Awesome. If it hadn't been for Dawn Star in Jade Empire, that wouldn't be a first. I wonder if BioWare will ever include an exclusively gay or lesbian love interest in a future game. Also, did they say whether or not we can romance all of them in a single playthrough?

[Canaan Sadow]

The developers refused to reveal more than the love interests, but from what I've read all of them are bi (however, that may not be true, just warning you not to yell at me and get angry if they're not ) But... I do not know if they are all romancable through a single playthrough, my guess would be probably not.

[Alkonium]

Originally Posted by Kael'thas Solo

The developers refused to reveal more than the love interests, but from what I've read all of them are bi (however, that may not be true, just warning you not to yell at me and get angry if they're not ) But... I do not know if they are all romancable through a single playthrough, my guess would be probably not.

I only ask because as a male Warden in Dragon Age: Origins, I romanced Leliana, Zevran, and Morrigan in a single playthrough. In that order.

Also, does anyone think this is any indication towards a gay romance in Mass Effect 3?

[Darth Payne]

Huh, seems that if we DA fans manage to DL 1 million copies of the demo, they will release two additional DLC items.

A book that gives money when read, and a book that gives XP when read.

This is a Call To Arms.

http://dragonage.bioware.com/da2/demo/

Edit: Well, the demo has now been released(at least for the 360), happy downloading.

[swphreak]

You can get it off Steam too.

I gave the 360 version a try to see how I'd like the controls. I didn't.

I'm going to stick with the PC version like last time.

[igyman]

After four failed attempts to download the PC version of the demo, I'm ready to give up trying. Already wasted an evening and a whole lot of nerves on it. I might rent the full game, but that's it.

[Canaan Sadow]

Originally Posted by igyman

After four failed attempts to download the PC version of the demo, I'm ready to give up trying. Already wasted an evening and a whole lot of nerves on it. I might rent the full game, but that's it.

Maybe your computer is just outta date >.>

[Alkonium]

I've just finished the demo on the 360, and here are some of my thoughts:

• The class and gender selection screen felt like a nice homage to KOTOR.
• The Mass Effect-style dialogue system was implemented well, if it takes away from the moral ambiguity of the game.
• While entirely real-time and more stylised, combat felt very much like in Origins.
• Though certain UI elements and other things felt reminiscent of the Mass Effect series, the game still feels sufficiently different from both that and Origins to do well.

[Mav]

Downloaded PC demo, I miss the isometric camera already

[Darth Payne]

Wow, apparently close to 350 thousand have downloaded this demo.

We're well on our way to the 1 million mark, and it's been less than a day since the demo came online.

[Astor]

Originally Posted by Alkonium

I've just finished the demo on the 360, and here are some of my thoughts:

• The class and gender selection screen felt like a nice homage to KOTOR.
• The Mass Effect-style dialogue system was implemented well, if it takes away from the moral ambiguity of the game.
• While entirely real-time and more stylised, combat felt very much like in Origins.
• Though certain UI elements and other things felt reminiscent of the Mass Effect series, the game still feels sufficiently different from both that and Origins to do well.

So it's Dragon Effect of the Old Republic?

Originally Posted by Mav

Downloaded PC demo, I miss the isometric camera already

That's what I feared - I doubt I'm going to download the demo, as I'm already predisposed to dislike it based on what I've heard so far.

Yeah, I know, that's not being fair, but I'm not going to waste nearly 2 gigs of bandwidth to play something I'm fairly certain I won't like.

[igyman]

Originally Posted by Kael'thas Solo

Maybe your computer is just outta date >.>

Nope, upgraded it significantly a few weeks ago (core i5 2400 3.1GHz, Asus Ati 5670 1GB DDR5 graphics, 8GB DDR3 RAM...) Trust me dude, everything can work smoothly on this baby, the problem is with Bioware's crappy servers and lack of download mirrors. Someone posted a legitimate torrent link on their forums and I'm trying that now. So far it looks like there won't be any problems with the download and then all that remains is to install and try the friggin' thing out.

EDIT: The torrent link worked and I finally tried out the demo (Yay!). The combat looks pretty awesome, but I can't really say much about anything else, since there isn't much of those other stuff in the demo.

[Drunkside]

Originally Posted by Astor

That's what I feared - I doubt I'm going to download the demo, as I'm already predisposed to dislike it based on what I've heard so far.

Yeah, I know, that's not being fair, but I'm not going to waste nearly 2 gigs of bandwidth to play something I'm fairly certain I won't like.

You know, that comment makes no sense whatsoever... If im unsure if i like a game or not i usually download the demo to see if its any good. You can always delete the demo after you play it. You have just decided that you wont like it no matter what and you are afraid you might like it if you try the demo