I have fallen in love with BioWare’s RPG’s. Many of you may have been experiencing the quality games they’ve been putting out for quite a while now, but I was a relative RPG newbie – until recently. I had not played Mass Effect 1, but had ME2 on pre-order, especially after having played Dragon Age: Origins. Nearly 3 weeks after I started the game, I have completely finished the game on Insanity difficulty twice. I did it first as a Sentinel and second as a Vanguard. I also played about half the game as an Adept, and a did a few recruiting missions as an Infiltrator. The moral of the story is that I played ME2 alot; I’ve played it daily since I purchased it and enjoyed it immensely.  I thought it was a bit too short, but I’ll not get into that too much as this isn’t a Mass Effect 2 review except to say that I loved the game.

I dove into ME2 so heavily because I wanted to gain some insight as to what the game play is like and to get a taste for next year’s Star Wars: The Old Republic. It has been stated that it will utilize the conversation wheel like ME2, and that seems to work just fine. However, there are more elements both games will have in common.  One of the first things I wondered upon seeing BioWare’s vision for the planet Coruscant was how Mass Effect 2 might give me an accurate feeling of what this “city world” might feel like. After playing it so much, I think Mass Effect 2 does a great job at clueing us in as to how these modern environments will feel in SWTOR. I also wondered if I might be able to get a feel for the Smuggler/Imperial Agent’s cover mechanic in ME2. It appears to me that ME2 shows pretty clearly what the urban Coruscant environment, cover mechanic and blaster fight style game play will feel like. First, look at the urban city world environment from Mass Effect 2 and then the Coruscant video from BioWare and compare:

Mass Effect 2′s “Thane recruitment” mission city scape:

Coruscant “city world” in Star Wars: The Old Republic:

I just have to believe that seeing ME2′s implementation of space age urban cities are exactly what we’ll experience in SWTOR. I realize that the performace issues will be different however. In ME2, I’m the only player connected to that world, but in SWTOR there will be thousands. But from a graphical rendering perspective, I got no graphical stuttering at all despite all the objects appearing on my screen and immediatly thought that my ME2 experience was probably a good preview of what my SWTOR experience might be like in Coruscant.

Next, check out the Smuggler’s cover mechanic:

Compare that to just about any mission in ME2:

You can jump straight to the combat part of the video above at 05:31 to see the cover mechanic in action during a firefight, or watch the whole thing to see some storyline and dialog wheel action as well. While the ME2 footage looks much better in my opinion, but it still illustrates the similarities. Playing a Smuggler/Imperial Agent in SWTOR will probably feel alot like playing Sheperd Mass Effect 2. You will find yourself pinned down with a hail of blaster fire whizzing around and you’ll likely only be able to get out with special moves and/or help from friends. Let’s just hope SWTOR feels more like ME2 at launch in that regard.

So there you have it. My recent (and very much enjoyed) stint with Mass Effect 2, and a few things that give us indicators of the great things to come in SWTOR.  These things indicated by my time in ME2 lead me to believe that we could be in for the next great MMO in 2011.

~br3ntbr0

© Posted by br3ntbr0 for Im Talkin Games with One comment on 02/16/2010.
Posted in: Featured, Misc, Opinion, Video Tags: BioWare, Dragon Age: Origins, RPG, Star Wars: The Old Repbulic

The 1st Annual 2009 Golden Noob Awards

In the same vein as every ceremony that awards a trophy to an actor or musician we bring you ITG’s 1st annual game awards: The Golden Noob Awards! The Golden Noob is a virtual trophy awarded by ITG staff every year as a way to bestow praise (or disdain) upon the games that have crossed our paths in the year that was. Getting a Golden Noob trophy is an honor (or disgrace, depending on why it is awarded) to receive because we are all gamers as well as writers.

Without further delay, here are the ITG staff picks for game of the year, as well as our picks in other categories that we formulated to cover our 2009 gaming experiences. Keep in mind that some of us own consoles, some don’t. Some of us have played certain titles, and some of us didn’t have it in our budgets to play everything out there. We all own PC’s, but please understand that there are many games we haven’t played. These picks cover the things we experienced, and some really good (or bad) games might be left out. Not all games were necessarily launched in 2009, but had an impact on us enough to warrant them finding an award in this post. That said, let’s begin!

Category: Let down of the year. The nominees:

Br3ntbr0 – Aion
Aion was so predictable to me. Flashy graphics with metro-sexual, emo-styled characters and an over abundance of grind. A few gimmicks were there to keep a few hundred thousand around for a while, but that will be crushed under Blizzard’s Cataclysm boot and be in the same boat as Warhammer. I knew it wasn’t the game for me, and that it was very likely to contain all the MMO things that Koreans like and Americans don’t. After reading story after story about boredom, grind fests, PVP problems and the like…no other game can claim this title. I’m glad I resisted the urge to buy this game, simply because it was the popular game to jump to in September. Honorable mentions go out to Warhammer Online, Fallout 3 and Champions Online.

Rackham – Warhammer Online
For me it was Warhammer Online. We all believed the hype and drooled at the IP, but at the end of the day, technical issues and lack of end game draw was enough for me to leave it. It was a gorgeous game and the PVP mechanics are unmatched, but it just was lacking that special something.

Oakstout – Champions Online
Champions Online was a fun and enjoyable game, but overall it felt like a game rushed out the door. It felt like City of Heroes 2, not that this is a bad thing, but it wasn’t going to pull people away from an already well established game, which would have been their core player. It had quest progression issues that left people grinding mobs just to level up without anything substantial for them to do at end game. It was pretty and there were nice effects, but if you don’t have the content to keep people interested your going to lose players. To be honest, it seemed more like a game to generate money while Cryptic worked on bringing Star Trek Online to the masses.

Kaldeem – Warhammer Online
I’d have to agree on this one, as I pre-ordered WAR only to play for 3 months and cancel my subscription. While yes War was fun and a bit different, I think there was more hype then potential in this game, and I hate to see something with so much potential go to such a waste.

Carlosjuero – Aion
I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised at how disappointed I was with Aion – it was truly over hyped for a game that already was released and doing ‘well’ in Asia. That said I did jump in hoping to be proved wrong – sadly, the anticipation I felt for the game for years died out within a few weeks into Beta. While some of the ideas are interesting (Flight), it just has this feel of… well.. mediocrity. Top it off with a community that can, at times, but ‘The Barrens Chat’ to shame – this game definitely is the Bomb of the Year. (Close second: Champions Online)

JoBildo – Champions Online
I wanted to love this game so badly. Part of me still does. The character creator is amazing, the combat can be a lot of fun, and the Crisis Zones are a good way to do story-driven content. But the bugs, the lack of documentation, the rubber-banding, the lack of content in the mid-levels, and of course the infamous launch day patch made this a game I’ll probably check in on from time to time, but never really dig into the way I’d once hoped to.

Genda – Aion
What can I say. Not really surprised here as this was obviously the Flavor of the Month from the get-go. I’m sure it has a lot to recommend it, but I stand by my original call on The Grouchy Gamer. The two biggest things going against it are the Asian influence (the grind) and the PVP-dependency. I still don’t think you can have a persistent world that is based around PVP because of balancing (classes and factions) and lack of actual content. Not hard to see this one coming, obviously if I did.

Winner: Aion.

Category: Surprise of the year. The nominees:

Br3ntbr0 – Dragon Age: Origins
There were a few things I didn’t think were all that great about dragon age, but let me stress the word few. I know its hard to believe that I was surprised by a game so highly hyped and advertised before its launch, but I was someone who wasn’t even really looking forward to playing the game. Maybe I was so surprised because I had never played a BioWare RPG game before, but I was really sucked into this game. I enjoyed the story lines and played through the entire campaign twice. I was really surprised at how much I liked the combat. It was very tactical, but didn’t make me feel like there was more going on than I could handle. It came very close to being my game of the year, and the only reason I didn’t make it my game of the year was that it was such a surprise that I liked it so much. So, I made the surprise of the year category and it fit here just perfect for me. Honorable mentions go out to Modern Warfare 2, Dungeons and Dragons Online (post f2p change), and Torchlight.

Rackham – Wizards 101
Yes, you heard me right! My son was getting bored of his “kids’ MMO”, Fusion Fall, when I decided to look into this game as a possible alternate. I found myself enjoying this game so much that I signed up for two accounts right away. One for my son, and one for me. After showing the game to my (very non-gamer) wife, she was immediately drawn in. Not long after, I found my current Wizards101 account hijacked by my wife and we ended up buying the family subscription to the game. Any MMO that has my ENTIRE family playing together online is something short of miraculous. For those enticed by that story, Wizards 101 is definitely a kids game, but works on a card-combat mechanic. If you’ve ever longingly looked at all those old Magic: the Gathering cards collecting dust on your shelf, then be sure to check this game out. You’ll be hooked during the first tutorial mission!

Oakstout – Torchlight
I can’t say enough about this little game. It is everything a Diablo successor should be and more. So many great innovative features from having a pet that will run to town and sell items out of your inventory to being able to have an account bank that lets you trade items among your different toons. The graphics are superb and don’t require a massive machine to run. It is a great hack and slash game that is easy to get into and out of without too much trouble and for $20.00 it’s a steal.

Kaldeem – Dungeons and Dragons Online:Eberron Unlimited
While I haven’t gotten far in DDO, this is by far the most fun I’ve had in a MMO in a while. The graphics are grade A even comparable to Wow/War. Huge player base from what I can tell and is just really well done. WELL DONE!

Carlosjuero – Torchlight
I probably shouldn’t have been surprised by this game considering the development team (creative minds behind Mythos, and many Diablo development vets) – I was blown away at how fun it was to just dive into and go around chopping things up. Sure, long term-playability (vanilla) isn’t great – but it is an awesome game for a low budget indie title. With a toolset released that is the same as used to develop the game, this game has a ton of potential.

Jobildo – Batman: Arkham Asylum
So many comic book games are utter garbage. Batman has never had a hit, and the closest I’d say he’s come was the movie tie-in of Batman Returns back on the SNES. So I was admittedly skeptical that an unknown studio could make a stellar game based on the Caped Crusader. But the blend of stealth, action, puzzle solving, and story-telling (not to mention a really well done focus on Bruce Wayne’s gadgetry) made this one of my favorite games of this and recent years.

Genda – Torchlight
OK it’s not Diablo, and it’s kinda smallish. But for $20 you can’t find more bang for your gaming buck. Hack and slash your way to the bottom of the dungeon and collect your phat lewts. If this had multiplayer it would probably be my GOTY.

Winner: Torchlight

Category: Best game I didn’t play. The nominees:

Br3ntbr0 – Borderlands
Borderlands looked like a unique game. Cooperative games like Left 4 Dead scratched my small group itch very well, and this game appeared to be in the same mold. I watched plenty of footage, read many articles and followed this game closely. Alas, my budget didn’t allow me to grab this one as it launched in a period when many games were coming to market. Honorable mention goes out to Fallen Earth, but my lack of enthusiasm for post apocalyptic games is very low. However, I have yet to hear any knowledgeable gamer say anything very bad about it.

Rackham – Dragon Age: Origins
I’m breaking from my standard mold by not being one of the millions out there playing this game. If that response sparks the “Aww man! You REALLY gotta try this game!” response in you, then fret not. I may give the game a go around Christmas. Nobody can top Bioware in storytelling, and eventually I’ll cave in and experience this game to the fullest.

Oakstout – Dawn of War 2
Dawn of War 2 is at heart a RTS game that is trying really hard to break into the RPG genre. You can level up your main character, adjust stats, load in and out different squad mates for specific missions and there lots of great loot to be shuffled around. But like all things, I purchased it at the beginning of the year right around the time I got back into World of Warcraft so its been sitting on the hard drive collecting virtual dust, but it is a great game and well worth picking up.

Kaldeem – Tie: Dragon Age/Torchlight/L4D2
Here are three titles that I really want but didn’t get to buy (so far) and have plans on picking them up in the next few months. Not much more to say about these titles but I can ogle a bit for visual effect?

Carlosjuero – Left 4 Dead 2
This iteration of Left 4 Dead seems to build on the promise that the first one just hinted at, with more ‘long term’ love available I think. With all of the hoopla about the ‘Boycott’ the gaming world certainly turned around quick and L4D2 is one of the top played games on Steam (at least in my friends list) from what I have noticed.

Jobilido – Borderlands
I didn’t completely avoid Borderlands. I own it, in fact. But I’ve yet to really dig into it, despite my friends’ begging and pleading that I do. It doesn’t take a lot of brain power to see why a game that blends the loot and leveling addiction of the Diablo series with the run and gun action of Gearbox’s other titles might make for one hell of a co-op experience. I’ll get around to enjoying this one in 2010… maybe.

Genda – Dragon Age: Origins
Just didn’t have time to play it right now. From the looks of the blogosphere and the outrageous amount of attention this got in my Twitter circle, this was an amazing release. I’ll probably give this a look down the line although single-player RPG’s haven’t ever really been my cup of tea. I’ve been able to avoid spoilers thanks to most of the bloggers being really good about posting spoiler alerts. Thanks guys!

Winner: Dragon Age: Origins

Category: 2009 overall game of the year. The nominees:

Br3ntbr0 – Left 4 Dead 2
I’m a huge fan of valve games. Team fortress 1 and 2 will make the top of my all time favorite games lists, and so will Left 4 Dead 1 and 2. Valve continued their great game making by taking a fantastic game and improving and expanding on it in some very good ways. The characters are funny and likeable (Coach’s “one man cheeseburger apocalypse” makes me laugh every time I hear it), the new game play modes add strategic twists to already fun game play, the weapons are just flat out better, and the new special infected shake things up in new, fun and challenging ways. The upcoming Midnight Riders DLC already gives more to look forward to in this game. There’s just not been anything better in 2009 than finding 3 strangers to battle zombie hordes with. If only more on the ITG staff played, we’d have our own regular squad! While some might argue against this game citing “more of the same” I’d just say to each his own. These are opinions we are each entitled to have, and this was – in my opinion – the best game I played in 2009.

Rackham – World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Any game that can keep me returning back to the running treadmills for 5 years must have something going for it. The game has grown to such a degree that it is the benchmark by which other MMOs are measured, whether they intend to or not. Eventually the ivory tower may crack as eventually others games with much more creative thinking behind it will eventually chip away at it. Either that or Blizzard employees will drown to death in their massive stacks of money.

Oakstout – Dragon Age: Origins
This game wasn’t even on my radar. Sure, Pete would blog about it every other day, but still, nothing I would really see myself playing. I’d tried Mass Effect and wasn’t into the whole dialog tree of gaming. If I wanted to read, I would pick up a good book, not play a video game. However, this game is awesome. The dialog is fun and helps propel the story forward as opposed to bogging it down. There are a number of different characters you can play and each story is unique. The best part of the story telling is that it is a doorway to the best part of the game, the fighting. The game is full of the best action I’ve seen in a game in a very long time and it gets pretty tense and hairy at times. Although the game is available for many console systems, I chose the PC version because it gives you the ability to pause the action anytime to reassign melee attacks and spell casting so you can best protect your little adventuring group. The game is full of surprise and it looks fantastic. They did a very good job on the graphics and sound for this game. I can’t think of any other game that I would even consider for game of the year.

Kaldeem- World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Yeah, I would have to agree with Rackham here. I like Wow, and had HIGH hopes for Wotlk upon rushing to Walmart and spending my last $50 on this, I mean it was freaking great the first time I hit 80, and yeah…treadmills suck in real life, and that carries over in game also! Still my GOTY vote!

Carlosjuero – Dragon Age: Origins
I am a complete ‘fanboi’ when it comes to this game, and I am not afraid to admit it! I haven’t played an RPG in many years that drew me in as much as this one has – from the choices that have to be made (some of which may not be your particular cup of tea) to the in depth characters and story… Dragon Age delivers on all levels for me.

Jobildo – Dragon Age: Origins
BioWare has consistently made the best and most engaging role-playing experiences since 1990s and this trend doesn’t change with the spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate. I’d even be bold enough to say that Dragon Age bests the classic Black Isle Studios series to the point where I won’t go back every couple years to play them, and instead I’ll be taking a trip down memory lane by diving into Ferelden once in a blue moon. BioWare’s at the top of their game these past few years, and if Mass Effect 2 is as good as Dragon Age is, I’ll be even more excited to see what the Canucks bring to the MMOG table with Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Genda – Borderlands
I haven’t played this as much as I’d like but the multiplayer is a freaking blast. Good story, good music, fun gameplay. All in all a good run at a console game. Truthfully, I’m looking forward to next year to see what rises up. Some really good games this year, but I’m hoping for greatness in 2010. Especially if Bioware comes through and if Cataclysm is as big an improvement over WOTLK as Wrath was over TBC.

Winner: Dragon Age: Origins

So there you have it. The gamers have spoken, and BioWare’s RPG comes out huge with 2 Golden Noob awards and positive mentions in other categories. Borderlands, Left 4 Dead 2, Torchlight and World of Warcraft come away with positive mentions as well.

What do you think? Agree or disagree with these nominations and the chosen winners? Let us know!

© Posted by br3ntbr0 for Im Talkin Games with 2 comments on 12/07/2009.
Posted in: Featured, Opinion Tags: All Points Bulletin, Awards, BioShock 2, Borderlands, Dragon Age: Origins, Global Agenda, Left 4 Dead 2, Modern Warfare 2, Star Wars: The Old Repbulic, Torchlight, World of Warcraft, WoW

A few weeks ago I completed my first run through BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins on normal mode.  With Allister, Wynne, Morrigan and my rogue Bushwick grouped up we battled through all the campaigns. After winning the support of the mages, elves, dwarves and humans we descended upon the final battle.  We made our way through ogres and darkspawn to reach the top of the fort tower in Denerim to come face to face with the arch demon.  Everything was stacked against us, including the fact that I was out of lyrium potions for mage mana.  Obstacles be damned, we pulled victory from the jaws of defeat.

Check out the videos (two video play list in one embed) below with my play by play commentary of this epic win: And duh…spoiler warning…just in case you hadn’t figured that out yet.  If you don’t want to know how this fight plays out then don’t watch and have fun when you get there.  If you’d like to see a bit about what awaits you, or just to see the miracle I pulled off after running up to the archdemon rather blindly:

Two mages is key for this fight, and for that matter pretty much every encounter in Dragon Age. Force field and dispel magic are clutch, as well as healing spells, obviously. Remember to check out my previous post about 5 things you should know before playing DAO.  This game pretty much guaranteed EA/BioWare another 60 bucks of my paycheck once Mass Effect 2 launches.

- br3ntbr0

© Posted by br3ntbr0 for Im Talkin Games with No comments on 12/05/2009.
Posted in: Commentary, Featured, Video Tags: BioWare, Dragon Age: Origins

Last night brought me to the completion of the main story line in Dragon Age: Origins.  I had alot of fun with this game, and while some parts seemed a bit drawn out, the end campaign was not.  I’ll post full spoilers and video in another post, but for now I thought I’d take the time to pass along some useful information that I would have liked to have known before getting started.  There’s shouldn’t be much in the way of spoilers below, but if you get satisfaction out of doing it all on your own (even if it means making some mistakes) then you might want to pass on reading the rest.  If you could stand to know 5 things that might help your adventure, then take in the items below:

• You can re-specialize your character, or any character in your party.
  While the core game does not provide a way to easily do it by default, you can download this modification from the BioWare Social Network’s projects area.  In reading up on this topic,  I found that is not recommended to use the console to do it as some have.  I’ve used this mod and it worked flawlessly, so I recommend the mod install route, as it works just like installing DLC does.  It places a Raven at your camp (or by the load in area for the Flemeth’s hut area) that you can talk to for a re-spec.  You select the first dialog option to get a potion of re-specialization that you can use to relearn all those skills and talents, so if you messed up and explored a specialization or talent that you regret, you can correct it.  If you are like me and think Morrigan’s shape-shifting skills are not as useful as the Spirit Healer skills are, you can correct that too.  Just make sure you’ve unlocked a specialization before you unlearn it, or you’ll have Allister unable to learn how to be a Templar like I did.  Luckily the book for that one is at the camp’s vendor!

  Tips:  You can re-spec Ohgren from 2-handers to shields for tanking, since you have to take him to certain fights in the Dwarf campaign.  That way you can sit Allister on the bench, especially useful if you want to keep 2 mages in your group.  Also, there is another download in the projects area that will put a chest in your camp that you can use to store items.

• You only need basic Health and Lyrium potions, and you can have them in unlimited supply.
  With basic herbalism you can make these crucial potions in nearly unlimited supply.  Go to the Elf (Brecilian Forest) and Mage (Circle Tower) campaign areas and talk to the quartermaster/vendor there and buy Lyrium dust and Elfroot in unlimited supply.  In the tavern in Denerim you can buy unlimited flasks.  Buy all the stacks you can afford and crank out as many potions you need to ease the burden of healing, crowd controlling and damage on the Mage(s) in your party.  Your Rogues and Warriors will be able to use the health potions quite regularly as well.  Rinse and repeat as  you run low on potions.  There are areas where you can buy unlimited reagents for the larger potions if you wish to go that route, but that is a more expensive thing to do and you can get by without them.

  
  Tip:  Need room for all those potion materials?  Check the full item list of any vendor you interact with, some of them sell backpacks that will add to the total amount of items you can hold at once.  The Dwarf vendor in your camp has one.

• Two Mages are better than one, so pick up Wynne as soon as you can.
  Wynne is a playable party member you pick up during the Circle of Mages campaign. I recommend going to gather that part of your army first since she is there, and so is your unlimited supply of Lyrium dust for mana potions.  Wynne is already specialized into Spirit Healing, but you can change that (see above) later if you wish.  With Wynne and Morrigan re-specialized in Spirit Healing for group support you will struggle less to get through the tough encounters.  You won’t regret having not one – but two – resurrection spells to cast in some of your fights.  If you don’t mind tripping over traps and leaving many doors and chests unlocked because you don’t have a Rogue, you can play a Mage yourself and have 3 in the party!

  Tip: Get one Mage into cold and one Mage into telekinetic spells and have your mages sustain force and cold weapon buffs for your Rogues and Warriors.

• Crowd control is key, and AOE damage is icing on the cake.
  Mages are pretty much the way to go here (see two mages are better than one above), but which skills you choose for Mages is even more critical.  Force field, Cone of cold, Crushing prison and other spells like Blizzard and Fireball for AOE damage also have crowd control components.  You can light the slippery AOE grease spell on fire with any fire spell for the double whammy.  Blood magic specialization has a great crowd control spell, with quick re-use for creatures that have blood – like Darkspawn.  Its not only Mages that are useful here, as your tank’s shield bash or two handed pummel will knock enemies down for s short period.  Shield bash can also interrupt that Ogre from pounding your healer into the Dust too.

  Tips: When faced with a group of nasties coming at you, one or two of them are usually tougher than the rest.  Look for baddies with a yellow or orange colored name, and use force field or crushing prison to take these guys out of the fight while you kill the rest.  Better yet, when a Mage (or anyone in your party) gets aggro and is about to die, have another mage put a force field on them since you can put it on party members to make them invulnerable as well.  When the mob leaves, have the other mage dispel the force field to put them back in action!

• Learn to use your tactics, and the pause and escape keys are your friends.
  I started using tactics way too late in the game, but these basically allow you to program the behaviors of the party members you aren’t controlling at that moment.  You can set Mages with healing spells to heal anyone under 75% health, and you can have Mages drink potions when under 75% mana – automatically.  Have your characters apply the buffs they have automatically with tactics too.  There is much more you can do to program behavior so that these common things you’ll constantly do will happen without you having to do them.  The fights can get large and hectic with many things happening at once.  Not only will tactics help, but so does pausing.  Use the pause button (space bar by default) to plan out every move you need to make to get through a tough fight.  Also, use the escape key to skip dialog.  While the story is great, there are some parts where you just don’t want to hear it.  When you go to the same vendor 20 times in a game, you probably don’t want to hear his diatribe just to see what he’s got to sell.

  Tip:  You can set the game to automatically pause the game when combat starts.  This will help you visually locate and assess the bad guys.  Preparing for that Mage’s fireball by running other people out of the way or crowd controlling them to prevent it are much easier things to do when you pause first.  Having the game automatically do it for you helps you get a jump on the action.

Well that about wraps up the tips.  I hope these help you on your journey in Fereldon without spoiling too much of the game for you!

- br3ntbr0

© Posted by br3ntbr0 for Im Talkin Games with 4 comments on 11/24/2009.
Posted in: Featured, Opinion, Tips Tags: BioWare, Dragon Age: Origins, RPG

Confessions of an RPG Virgin
I was not interested in playing Dragon Age Origins, even through all the pre-launch hype and marketing blitz. I’m a multiplayer kind of guy, and sadly there is no multiplayer in Dragon Age. It’s a single player only game, and my frame of refernce to these kinds of games have been set by my experiences with games like EverQuest and World of Warcraft. My first RPG was an MMORPG. When I first logged into EverQuest some years ago, I was amazed to see all these other players running around and doing their MMORPG things. They were doing their own quests and slaying their own monsters, and I could join them if we both agreed. I was soon raiding with my newfound online friends, and I brought that love of online gaming with me through everything I’ve played ever since. Playing a single player game like this was a sub par experience as far as I was concerned. The explosion of MMORPG’s on the market really makes that point for me, people like playing with other people.

I love multiplayer games because I enjoy interacting with other people in games, and I feel that scripted NPC’s just don’t do it for me. It’s merely a matter of time and some trial and error before I conquer any type of player versus environment (PVE) content. Against other players however, tactics and play style change. We learn from our mistakes and challenge each other (or work cooperatively) in ways that programmed characters simply cannot. There are some good players that I will never beat, no matter how much trial and error I have fighting them.

MMORPG minus the MMO
Despite my love for multiplayer games, it’s been a great change to take the MMO out of the MMORPG game right now. There are many benefits for a long time MMORPG gamer when playing these kinds of single player RPG games. Need a bathroom break, or want to stop to eat lunch? Pause. There’s no need to tell teammates that you are AFK, making them wait for your return or to find a replacement. My NPC team mates wait as long as I need them to wait. If I made a key decision that I regret, I can simply load up a saved game and try the other path.

While playing with friends is still a key component of gaming for me, I must say that it is quite refreshing to sit down for a gaming session and not see something like “lulz”, “wtf”, “chuck norris pwnz” or any sort of juvenile internet speak flying across my screen. There are no loot ninjas to worry about, no getting ganked in the middle of my quest, and no having to run back for minutes just to pick up where I left off. I know that most of that can be avoided in most games with some effort, but Dragon Age: Origins is just what the doctor ordered for me right now. It’s the RPG without the MMO, and it feels like its just what PC gamers need right now.

As much as I love not having to deal with the sewage of juvenile personalities crowding the virtual space of nearly every MMORPG out there right now, I do  miss being unable to experience with friends playing with me. It would be really nice if those other players in my small band of adventurers were some friends of mine instead of computer controlled artificial intelligence. If only there was a game like this out there right now.  A game that tries to bridge this type of RPG experience with an MMO game, allowing those shared experiences. None exist now, but can SWTOR can be the answer here? If it is, we’ll surely see the next big thing to hit MMO gaming next year.

Putting the MMO back into the RPG
I decided to try Dragon Age Origins for MMO reasons, reasons that have so much to do with my love of multiplayer games and Star Wars. BioWare happens to be launching the most anticipated MMORPG in recent history, Star Wars: The Old Republic. I will be playing that game when it launches, so I wanted to see how well BioWare delivers on the “4th pillar” of story in their games. Not only had I never played a pure RPG game, but I had also never played a BioWare game. It was time to kill two birds with one stone.

I purchased DA:O on launch day and I have not played anything else since then. I’ve put in some late nights and I have been really hooked. I’m not necessarily reviewing the game (yet) but I will say that there is much to like in this game and you’ll likely see it snatch up numerous game of the year awards. I’ve progressed quite a way through the main story arc to this point, the result of a monster (pun intended) session till 2 a.m. Saturday night Sunday morning. I very much like this game, despite the poor lip syncing and ever present long-and-drawn-out voice acting. The space bar (pause) and escape key (skip dialog) are my friends. I have been in single player RPG mode for a week now and have been happy without the MMO part. I’ve been itching to do some battlegrounds in World of Warcraft and to beat a few more zombies with a frying pan in LF4D2′s demo, but I have wanted to explore and progress in Dragon Age: Origins more.

Good news for SWTOR fans
Dragon Age Origins has been a gripping experience for me. It’s taken hold of me and provided me with a whole lot of entertainment, with much more waiting over the horizon. This bodes well for BioWare’s upcoming SWTOR MMORPG. I think that I can safely say that things look even more promising for SWTOR than I had originally imagined. If BioWare takes this style of story driven game play and applies it to the leveling process of SWTOR, they will likely have the next 1 million plus subscriber game on their hands. Its a refreshing change from the standard MMORPG, and I think its becoming very clear that BioWare can indeed apply what they do well to their upcoming MMORPG. Playing Dragon Age: Origins has been extremely enjoyable and further increases my anticipation for Star Wars: The Old Republic.

-br3ntbr0

© Posted by br3ntbr0 for Im Talkin Games with 4 comments on 11/09/2009.
Posted in: Analysis, Featured, Impressions, Opinion Tags: BioWare, Dragon Age: Origins, RPG, Star Wars: The Old Repbulic

The web will soon be filled with blogs about the game’s greatness, it’s incredible lore, it’s nostalgic throwback to CRPGs of old, and hot elf-on-girl action (that’s right, Bioware got dirty again).  Pete will likely not come up for air until he’s beaten it.  And I’ve also got the game downloading at home while I work.  Provided my crappy connection stays fit, I should be delving into the world with my dwarven warrior later this evening.

I remember my first days of true PC gaming spent huddled over the keyboard and plugging hour after hour into Black Isle Studios’ original Baldur’s Gate.  I know, I’m the resident tyke here at ITG! but what better games to cut my teeth on than some of the best CRPGs ever made?  And today sees a hopeful return to form for the genre that the early 2000s seemed to have forgotten, and if all goes well, we’re bound to see more quality epic RPGs released in the future.

So let’s use this post as a place to geek-gasm about Bioware’s latest opus.  What are you playing as first?  What system are you playing on?  What do you think of the naked elf women?  And for those of us stuck at work, if you’re home playing it, stop by and make us more jealous by reveling in the game’s glory via text, won’t you?

- JoBildo

© Posted by JoBildo for Im Talkin Games with 8 comments on 11/03/2009.
Posted in: Misc Tags: BioWare, Dragon Age: Origins, RPG

BioWare appears to really be bringin’ it with Dragon Age Origins.  Not to be outdone by Torchlight, Dragon Age Origins is offering an advanced software tool to download which will enable the average Joe like you and me to create “cut scenes, audio/visual effects, conversations, level creation and much more.”  Perhaps you need to be a little more technically savvy than the average Joe, but hopefully you get the point.  The tool set has documentation online here, and really looks to tap into the player generated content that made games like Neverwinter nights so popular.  Check out the clip below which showcases the tools:

© Posted by br3ntbr0 for Im Talkin Games with One comment on 10/26/2009.
Posted in: Featured, News Tags: BioWare, Dragon Age: Origins, RPG, Runic Games, Torchlight

When you subscribe to this many feeds and you are away from your computer for a few days, things get hairy.  With over 500 posts of gaming goodness waiting for me, I settled down with my morning wake up juice and began to plow through them.  There are some definite gems here, and tons of good video to go with them.  The most informative and entertaining of them all was a lengthy clip from GameTrailers TV, dishing out tons of great info on 2k Marin’s upcoming BioShock 2 title:

All I have to say about the clip above is that it looks very delicious.  The muliplayer looks fantastic, but I recommend watching the entire clip for yourself, don’t take my word for it.

Then we have the leaked Left 4 Dead 2 clip that everyone and their grandmother has shown, so you’ve likely seen this one. If not, it is definitely worth a look. This is a must have game if you like any type of shooter or co-op game. Even if you don’t, this game may likely make a fan out of you:

Next up is a little video from from Pete at Dragonchasers on Dragon Age Origins to introduce a rather fierce (yet drunk – go figure) Dwarf character:

Finally, we have BioWare moving forward with yet another great story about the battle of Bothawui:

That’s a whole lotta’ video gaming goodness thar!  Any of these games on your radar?  I know I’m like a kid in a candy store when checking these games out ;p

P.S. Star Trek Online has started closed beta.  That is all.

- Br3ntbr0

© Posted by br3ntbr0 for Im Talkin Games with One comment on 10/24/2009.
Posted in: Featured, News, Video Tags: 2k Marin, BioShock 2, BioWare, Dragon Age: Origins, Left 4 Dead 2

There’s a game being released soon (8 days from the time of this article) by the former developers of Diablo that appears to be doing more than just bringing a game to market. Runic games will soon launch Torchlight, the (dare I say?) “Diablo-esque” action RPG game.  Not having played the game and knowing little about it since it has largely flown under most gamer’s radar, I think I can say that there is alot to like with this game.

Torchlight is going to be releasing a set of development tools along with the game, which should prolong the re-playability of the game.  Starting October 27th, it will be available on Steam for digital download.  The price appears to be right, around $20 bucks in the U.S.  It is being developed by Runic games, and despite the hangups that some people may have with Runic over HellGate London going to hell,  I think that the work they’ve done on Diablo gives them a unique perspective to making this sort of game.  Because of that I feel that the quality should be good.  The graphics look to be low impact, almost WoW like in their light and comic light appearance.  Its my opinion that these things add up to a game that has big potential.  All signs point to a fun, cheap and re-playable game.  Check out the 3 video clips below, which talk about the development tools that will ship with the game, as well as Runic’s philosophy around the game:

However, Torchlight is launching in October.  The same month that another little RPG is launching, Dragon Age Origins.  If you are a fan of action RPG’s, Torchlight just might be worth a look.  I think the signs point to it being a good game, but time will tell. In the mean time check out some video on the playable classes in Torchlight, the Alchemist, Vanquisher and Destroyer.

© Posted by br3ntbr0 for Im Talkin Games with 5 comments on 10/19/2009.
Posted in: Commentary, Featured, Video Tags: Diablo, Dragon Age: Origins, Runic Games, Torchlight

Immediately upon firing up the DAO character creator client you’ll be presented with an intro movie that begins to introduce you to the game’s story.  You’ll learn how the Darkspawn came to be and the Grey Wardens that are mystically attuned to them.  Then you’ll see…aw hell, just check out the clip below:

© Posted by br3ntbr0 for Im Talkin Games with One comment on 10/16/2009.
Posted in: Featured, Video Tags: BioWare, BSN, Dragon Age: Origins, RPG

2009 has been quite a year for gaming. September gave MMO gamers plenty to digest as quite a few noteworthy titles launched. Many players were getting their hero on in Champions Online, dealing with the apocalypse in Fallen Earth, and sprouting their wings in Aion. All of this activity has been keeping gamers occupied well past the free month of game play that most of these games offer.

Normally, this would mean a full gaming plate for the community.  However, November promises to be a month with some solid titles coming out as well, arguably with a better line up than September brought us.  Not only will FE, CO and Aion be getting patched or expanded, but several other established games like WoW, WAR, DDO, etc are seeing plenty of activity. November still promises to bring some new games to the forefront that could make the end of the year very enjoyable.

Consider me booked for the rest of the year:

Borderlands
One type of game play I’m growing very fond of lately is coop team play. 4 team coop games like Left 4 Dead have consumed me. I’ve been playing the Crash Cource DLC for Left 4 Dead alot recently, so I began to pay closer attention to Borderlands. Its an RPGish shooter with 4 person coop team play. This formula has worked well for Valve, and I am interersted in seeing how Borderlands executes this style of game as well. I probably won’t purchase it right away, (damn this budget to hell!) but will definitely be keeping a close eye on the title.

Left 4 Dead 2
Speaking of Left 4 Dead, L4D2 is launching in November. Holy crapola I’m gonna be all over this one! I’ve never had a more fun – yet intense – experience as Valve delivered to me in Left 4 Dead. If they improve on the first game even a little, this is a sure fire bet for game of the year and likely to be a big reason that I won’t see too much of the aforementioned Borderlands. Chainsaw melee weapons to fight a horde of zombies? Hell yeah.

Dragon Age Origins
I’m on the fence with this one. On one hand, I’m desperate to play a BioWare game as a precursor to SWTOR so that I can get a first hand experience of how BioWare will deliver good story and experience. On the other hand, it has some RTS-like game play in regard to micromanaging npc group mates and I’m not sure how much I will like that. It will likely be worth the 50ish bucks to find out, because the video I’ve seen on it has been very interesting and the character creator was fun to play with.

Additionally, I discovered that I was able to save my created characters via BioWare’s new social network.  Great, yet another social network to deal with.  I think that my thoughts on this inundation of social networking has been well stated by others, so just know that I agree with them. To make the point further, look at all the networks ITG is in on the contact page for an example of social network overload.

Ok enough grumbling about social networks…for now. Back to the games. Even if I “only” play 1 or 2 of these games, I’ll have my grubby little paws so full of gaming goodness that I’ll be as happy as a kid in a candy store. Its likely that WoW will release the Icecrown expansion then too, and between these games and woW/CO/DDO I just won’t have enough time in the day to play them all as much as I’d want.

So whaddya’ think, November games > September games for this year?

© Posted by br3ntbr0 for Im Talkin Games with 4 comments on 10/16/2009.
Posted in: Opinion Tags: BioWare, Borderlands, Dragon Age: Origins, Gearbox, Left 4 Dead 2, Valve