Dragon Age: Origins

Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Genre: Role-Playing
Publisher: EA
Developer: BioWare
Release Date: Nov. 3, 2009 (US), Nov. 6, 2009 (EU)

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'Dragon Age: Origins' (ALL) Premium DLCs At Launch, Some Also in Mass Effect 2

by Rainier on Oct. 8, 2009 @ 8:01 a.m. PDT

Dragon Age: Origins represents BioWare’s return to its roots, delivering a fusion of the best elements of existing fantasy works with stunning visuals, emotionally-driven narrative, heart-pounding combat, powerful magic abilities and credible digital actors. The spirit of classic RPGs comes of age, as Dragon Age: Origins features a dark and mature story and gameplay.

As the spiritual successor to BioWare’s Baldur’s Gate, one of the most successful role-playing games in the industry, Dragon Age: Origins represents BioWare’s return to its roots, delivering a fusion of the best elements of existing fantasy works with stunning visuals, emotionally-driven narrative, heart-pounding combat, powerful magic abilities and credible digital actors. The spirit of classic RPGs comes of age, as Dragon Age: Origins features a dark and mature story and gameplay.

Each Origin Story starts the player off with a unique series of locations, characters and events that establish their motivations and lay the groundwork for the adventure to come.

With each Origin Story boasting several hours of unique game play, as well as challenging strategic combat and exploration, these 6 distinct preludes make Dragon Age: Origins the first BioWare game to offer not only multiple endings, but also multiple beginnings.

The player's choice of Origin Story lays the foundation for a profound journey based on the character's past experiences, establishing how they perceive the world and how the world perceives them. The choices you made during an Origin Story will influence the way the game unfolds, including different story elements, dialogue options and even plot branches, providing a wealth of replayability.

BioWare has crafted special bonus content for Dragon Age: Origins to be released on launch day, as it will release several packs of downloadable content (DLC) including The Stone Prisoner, the Blood Dragon Armor and Warden's Keep.

"BioWare is dedicated to delivering at high quality for our fans, and we've created something quite special here, some really cool new downloadable content. A brand new party member, fresh adventures and environments to explore, plus powerful new items and abilities - together these will enrich and extend the core game experience, and enable our fans to dive even deeper into the dark, heroic fantasy universe of Dragon Age,"said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder of BioWare and the Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group at EA.

The Stone Prisoner will give players access to the mighty stone golem Shale who can become one of the most powerful party members in the game. Shale comes with its own personal back-story and unique quests for the player to discover. The Stone Prisoner DLC will also include new environments, items and hours of additional gameplay, further deepening the epic Dragon Age experience. TheStone Prisoner will be available to original purchasers ofnew copies of Dragon Age: Origins at no additional cost via a code* on an insert card in the retail version or as provided by the retailer for digital purchases. The Stone Prisoner can also be purchased separately for $15 on the PlayStation Store, the PC via the in game menu or for 1200 points on Xbox Live Marketplace.

The Warden's Keep premium DLC will provide players of Dragon Age: Origins with a new dungeon-exploring adventure, new loot including a set of ancient Grey Warden armor, a chance to gain two of six mysterious new abilities, a new base complete with merchants and a party chest to store their hard-earned items. The Warden's Keep adventureis based on an ancient myth in the Dragon Age universe, where two centuries ago the legendary guardians known as the Grey Wardens were expelled from the land amidst a storm of blood and betrayal. Until very recently, the Wardens have been in exile, while their fortress remains overgrown and reportedly haunted. Over the long years, legends of great treasures and forgotten lore have been told of this hidden location, but no one has ever ventured there and returned alive. Warden's Keep gives gamers the chance to unearth this lost chapter of Grey Warden history. With their trusty party and a new guide, Dragon Age: Origins players will have an opportunity to unravel the mystery behind the fall of Warden's Keep, and finally reclaim it for the order. Warden's Keep will be available for $7 on the PlayStation(R) Store, the PC via the in game menu or for 560 points on Xbox LIVE(R) Marketplace. It is also included with the purchase of the Digital Deluxe Edition via a code provided by retailers.

In addition, BioWare will release the Blood Dragon Armor DLC, a set of themed armor that will give players additional protection in combat. This DLC is available to players who purchase a new copy of Dragon Age: Origins (original or Collector's Edition) via a one-time use code (expires April 30, 2010) included with the game. This armor will be available for use in both Dragon Age: Origins on the PS3, X360 and PC and in Mass Effect 2 on the Xbox 360 and PC.

Key Features :

  • Epic Party-Based Combat – Dragon Age: Origins will introduce an innovative, scalable combat system, as players face large-scale battles and use their party’s special abilities to destroy hoardes of enemies and massive creatures.
  • Powerful Magic – Raining down awesome destruction on enemies is even more compelling as players apply “spell combos,” a way of combining together different spells to create emergent unique effects.
  • Deep Customization – Players will develop their characters and gain powerful special abilities (spells, talents and skills) and discover ever-increasing weapons of destruction.
  • Your Story, Your Way – With its emotionally compelling story, players choose with whom they wish to forge alliances or crush under their mighty fist, redefining the world with the choices they make and how they wield their power.
  • Origin Stories – Players will select and play a unique prelude that provides the lens through which the player sees the world and how the world sees the player. The player’s choice of Origin will determine who they are and where they begin the adventure, as they play through a customized story opening that profoundly impacts the course of every adventure.

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