Tag Archives: dragon age: origins

PS3 Review: Lord of the Rings: War in the North

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Posted by Rob on November 5, 2011 – 5:07 pm
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That scary dude is Agandaur, and I think he raided the Witch King’s closet

I’m a pretty big Lord of the Rings fan. My mother tried reading The Hobbit to me when I was like eight years old. I’ve read The Lord of the Rings series at least four times, possibly five. I own and cherish the lame 1970′s Hobbit movie. And I spent probably $500 or more on The Midde-Earth CCG game when I was a teenager. So when I heard there would be a Lord of the Rings game that took place at the same time as the War of the Ring, I was pretty darn excited. Oh, and did I mention it’s been developed by Snowblind (the studio behind one of the best hack-and-slash/ dungeon crawlers ever; Champions of Norrath: Return to Arms)? I was so excited I actually decided to pass up Uncharted 3 for the time being so that I could check out Lord of the Rings: War in the North. While it’s not the perfect game, it makes for an above-average RPG that any fan of Tolkien’s work will enjoy.

According to War in the North, Minas Tirith and Rohan are not the only areas threatened by the forces of Sauron. To the northwest of these cities, a necromancer named Agandaur is raising an army of orcs and trolls in support of Sauron. It is up to a different fellowship of heroes to defend this area of Middle-Earth while the Fellowship we all know (Gandalf, Frodo and company) head east in an attempt to destroy the One Ring. This new, smaller fellowship is made up of three heroes; Eradan, Farin and Andriel. These heroes are tasked with hindering Agandaur’s actions and defending western areas such as the Shire and Rivendell. The game draws heavily from Peter Jackson’s trilogy in a visual sense, and you will recognize the looks of creatures like orcs and trolls, as well as major characters like Aragorn and Gandalf. As a fan service to other Tolkien nuts, you will also recognize names and areas that are never or barely mentioned in the movies such as Radagast the Brown, Gundabad, Elladan, and Ettenmoors. If you can’t tell the difference between Elrohir and Gwahir you may not be as awestruck as people familiar with Tolkien’s work, but that won’t stop you from enjoying a really solid RPG.

You were wrong if you thought Legolas and Gimli were the only elf-dwarf tag team around Read More »

PS3 Review: Two Worlds II

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Posted by Rob on February 7, 2011 – 8:21 pm
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Before it was released, Two Worlds II was getting a bad rap due to the failures of the first game in the franchise. Having never played the first game, I had none of these thoughts in my mind. What I saw was a massive RPG that had many similarities to Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and that was enough to catch my interest. I have spent about twelve hours on the single player campaign, and I think I can now give an accurate review of it. I had a semi-complete review ready to go last week, but I ended up writing way too much and it was too in-depth. Instead, I’m just gonna have a list of the good and the bad aspects of the game, and this should help paint an accurate account of the game, while hopefully being more condensed…because there is a lot to say about it!

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360 Review: Mass Effect

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Posted by Rob on August 11, 2010 – 4:26 pm
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Ahh, my first 360 game review. Playing games only on the PS3 until about  a week ago, I missed out on a lot of great RPGs designed by Bioware…the two that come to mind are Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect. I got my first taste of Bioware when I played through Dragon Age: Origins FOUR times (I did get a nice Platinum trophy for that one, too), and I loved it. So when I received my 360 last Thursday, I quickly popped Mass Effect onto the top of my Gamefly queue. I’ve had a few days to check it out, and so far I am totally loving it.

What Mass Effect does is that a fast-paced third person shooter and add to the gameplay possibilities by making it into an RPG. The story is basically about a human who is drafted into an intergalactic organization and must stop an alien from unleashing terror across the galaxy. First off, the main character, last name Shepard, can be a male or female, and there are a variety of different classes to choose from. Like an RPG, the classes are all distinct, ranging from warriors (the soldier, with automatic weaponry and heavy armor) to the “mage” characters, who are able to manipulate machines or create force fields. You can create a party of three out of seven characters (three human, including the main character, and four different alien species), but you can only directly control the main character. However, you are able to bring up a menu during combat to order your allies on which action to take. So it’s basically your typical fantasy RPG in a sci-fi environment, and the combination is pure awesome.

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Book Review: Dragon Age: The Calling

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Posted by Rob on February 8, 2010 – 12:14 pm
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I enjoyed reading the first Dragon Age book, which was The Stolen Throne. It did a great job of beginning to introduce the background which eventually would lead to the Dragon Age: Origins game. The characters were well-developed, and felt like they belonged in the book. However, I did not get the same vibe from The Calling.

The term “The Calling” refers to the fact that, when a Grey Warden ages enough, he/she journey to the Deep Roads so that they can die valiantly fighting darkspawn. In the book, a Grey Warden goes off on his Calling. However, his sister (who is also a Grey Warden) has a vision in that her brother did not die, and instead was captured, which is an odd thing for darkspawn. So a group of Grey Wardens (including the rookie Grey Warden Duncan, who makes an appearance in Dragon Age: Origins) approach King Maric and ask him to guide them through the Deep Roads. Thus, the book follows the adventure of Maric, Duncan, and several other Grey Wardens as they journey through the Deep Roads in search of the imprisoned darkspawn.

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Book Review: Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne

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Posted by Rob on January 31, 2010 – 3:23 pm
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I really enjoyed the story and lore that shaped the RPG Dragon Age: Origins. When perusing the Dragon Age Wiki one day, I saw that there were two novels written by the game’s writer. These novels served as prequels to the game, and I was excited to start reading them to partake of more adventures in Ferelden. The first book in the series, The Stolen Throne, proved to be an excellent edition to Dragon Age lore.

The Stolen Throne starts off depicting the adventures of Prince Maric, the heir to the Ferelden throne. Unfortunately, the Orlesian nation has conquered Ferelden, and the royal family has been running a rebellion against the usurper. After his mother (the Queen) is killed, Maric flees, and eventually meets up with Loghain (who is one of the antagonists of the Dragon Age: Origins game.) The book then follows their adventures over the next few years, as they work to get Maric back on the throne.

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Fourth Platinum Trophy: Dragon Age: Origins

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Posted by Rob on January 26, 2010 – 6:06 pm
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Today I snagged my fourth Platinum trophy, from Dragon Age: Origins. It definitely takes some time, and requires three playthroughs. You get a silver trophy for getting each character class (warrior, mage, and rogue) to level 20. My first playthrough was with the warrior, and at the end of the game I was level 20. My mage ended at level 21, and my rogue ended up at level 22. So you basically have to finish the game with each character to get each of those trophies.

Secondly, one of the trickier trophies to get is the Perfectionist trophy, which you receive for unlocking all the endings in the game. From reading online, Ive heard people say there are two, three, and four endings. I got the trophy for three different endings. Heres what I did:

  • Recruit Loghain, perform the dark ritual with Morrigan and main character
  • Kill Loghain, have Alistar sacrifice himself to kill the Archdemon
  • Kill Loghain, sacrifice self to kill the Archdemon

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Almost Platinumed Dragon Age: Origins

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Posted by Rob on January 20, 2010 – 5:26 pm
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I just finished up my second playthrough of Dragon Age: Origins with my mage. My first playthrough was with a warrior. I have 93% of the trophies for the game. The only ones I am missing (which will be snagged on my third playthrough with a rogue) are:

  • Perfectionist- There are three endings…one where you sacrifice yourself, one where a friend sacrifices himself, and a third where you perform a ritual to avoid sacrificing
  • Sacrilegious- Have to side with a cult in one of the main missions
  • Traveler- Go to every location in the game. Apparently I keep missing someplace since I havent gotten this trophy yet, so I will be using an online guide during my next playthrough to ensure I get it
  • Shadow- I have to get my rogue character to level 20
  • Ultimate Reward- The Platinum Trophy

I enjoyed playing as the mage a lot more than the warrior. In my first two playthroughs I played a “nice guy”, as I was trying to get relationships with the characters for the trophies. This next playthrough, Im gonna play as a badass rogue who is gonna kill first and ask questions later, which will piss off my party but be fun.

Dragon Age: Origins Will Be My Fourth Platinum

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Posted by Rob on January 9, 2010 – 9:28 am
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Im officially calling it now. The next platinum trophy I get on the PS3 will be Dragon Age: Origins. I was looking over the trophy list, and none of them are out of reach. If anything, it will just be time consuming. Luckily there are no online or challenge trophies, so they are all obtained through normal gameplay. Also, there is no trophy for beating the game on a particular difficulty or anything like that. All in all, it will be a relatively easy platinum, and I will enjoy working through it to get it.

Easy Lover…Weirdest Trophy Ever?

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Posted by Rob on January 8, 2010 – 9:30 am
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So as I mentioned in my review of Dragon Age: Origins, one of the concepts of the game is relationships. Your main character, through conversation and giving gifts, can form sexual relationships with four different characters through the course of the game. Normally I wouldnt go through this much trouble, but there is a trophy for getting each character into bed the first time, and a trophy after getting all four. So thats five trophies at stake, and in my first playthrough I will get as many of them as I can.

So for the four characters, there are two female and two male. I assumed I would get the two female on my current playthrough (I am a male warrior right now) and I would snag the two men on a second playthrough with a female mage. Well, I come to find out that one of the male characters I have to seduce is, in fact, a gay elf. That being said, all I really had to do was strike up a few conversations, give him some gloves, and the next thing I knew I was in his tent…

So I got the bronze trophy for bedding him (titled Easy Lover…simply because he was the easiest to seduce for some reason), and all I have to say is that it was truly one of the weirdest (and most uncomfortable) trophies I ever got…

zevrankiss

Snagged Free Dragon Age: Origins DLC

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Posted by Rob on January 6, 2010 – 4:32 pm
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So when I first opened up my Dragon Age: Origins game, there was a little pamphlet inside which contained some codes for free DLC. I assumed it was some lame stuff, so wasnt initially excited. The first piece of DLC unlocks some Blood Armor, which is just a powerful armor set. Then I popped in the code for the second piece of DLC.

The second one unlocks the Stone Prisoner DLC, which sells for $14.99 on PSN. This was a nice DLC as it allows you to recruit a sweet golem as a character, and has some missions for him (and trophies). So the game included a great savings to me in the form of allowing me to snag the most expensive DLC for the game for free. Thanks to this, I am very likely to purchase the other DLC “Wardens Keep” which is only $6.99.

It was a pleasant surprise for sure. From what Ive read online, not all packages have the free DLC offer, so dont come yelling at me if you dont get it with your game purchase.

PS3 Review: Dragon Age: Origins

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Posted by Rob on November 12, 2009 – 6:45 am
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I sent Dragon Age Origins back to Gamefly today. I probably put about ten to twelve hours into it, and barely scratched the surface. Yet, from what I played, I know its a game that I HAVE to own. I was gunning to get Borderlands, but Dragon Age really blew me away, and I just have to have it as my next game. If I hadnt just bought MUA2, Uncharted 2, and WWE 2010 I would have been more inclined to keep it, but Ive been spending too much on games as it is. Regardless, it is safe to say that Dragon Age is the best RPG on the PS3 that I have played, and that says a lot based on how much I loved Sacred 2.

When you start a game, you create a new character by choosing the race, sex, and class. Then, you will select one of six “background stories” which introduce your character and the game. Which story you can choose depends on what kind of character you created. From there, you are thrust right into the game.

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Dragon Age: Origins Going Back to Gamefly

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Posted by Rob on November 11, 2009 – 11:12 pm
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I have a full review partially done and saved as a draft, so I wont get too much into the game here. All Im gonna say is that it is one of the best RPGs on the PS3…it definitely gives Sacred 2 a run for its money. I had it about a week, and have returned it, simply because I know that I have to buy it, and theres no point wasting my Gamefly time on renting it any longer. I will own this game by the end of the year!

I am going for Beatles Rock Band next. I keep meaning to snag it from Gamefly so that Shell and I can give it a run-through, but the past two months have been full of awesome new releases (Uncharted, Borderlands, WWE, Dragon Age), so I kept pushing it back. But now there is nothing else of interest releasing in the near future, so I will go for the Beatles.

How I Spent My Veteran’s Day

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Posted by Rob on November 11, 2009 – 8:56 pm
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Here’s a list of the things I actually accomplished today:

  • Got up at 6am
  • Fooled around on the internet
  • Played Dragon Age: Origins
  • Watched GI Joe
  • Wrote up my resume
  • Watched Simpsons Season 11
  • Created a family/wedding web site
  • Watched Simpsons Season 11
  • Ate dinner
  • Cleaned up around the house
  • Played Dragon Age: Origins

All in all it was a pretty sweet day. I accomplished quite a bit today. Creating the website took a few hours, but Im pretty happy with it so far.

PS3 Quick Review: Dragon Age: Origins

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Posted by Rob on November 8, 2009 – 10:20 am
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I was waiting and waiting to get Fairytale Fights in from Gamefly, but they kept pushing the release date further and further back. Eventually it was pushed back so much that Dragon Age was now releasing before it, so I went for it. The PS3, in my opinion, is lacking in the RPG library, so I wanted to see how Dragon Age was. I had heard lots of good things, but for some reason I wasnt following the game closely, so I had no idea what to expect. I didnt know what kind of RPG it was, how leveling and combat was worked, etc. So when I popped the game in last night, I wasnt sure what to expect.

What from the about two hours I have played so far, I am very impressed and pleased with the game. There are six different stories to choose from, and which story quest you will follow for the game is based on the kind of character you create. There are three races (human, elf, dwarf), three classes (warrior, mage, rogue), and each race can be either male or female, so that makes a total of 18 different character combinations. Depending on which of the three you choose, there are either one or two stories to choose from. The stories are actually more like background information for your character, and give a general sense of where your character will go in the game.

For example, last night I made my first character. I didnt know how the game play or combat was, so I wanted to play it safe. Thus, I created a boring male human warrior. This choice unlocked one story for me, in which I was the son of some Lord. That was all well and good. I played for a bit, and got to see how the game play was, and enjoyed it. I saw that I would definitely be able to play as any character I wanted. So this morning I pop it in, and start up a whole new character. This one is a male elf rogue. Upon choosing him, two of the stories were unlocked…I  could either be a tribal forest elf, or a slave elf that eventually revolts because some king tries to rape my newfound wife. I decided to go with being a slave elf, since the background reminded me of Braveheart.

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