Rock, Paper, Shotgun

After hearing the news that both members of BioWare’s doctoral duo are headed for greener (or beerer) pastures, you might have worried that the studio would lose its flair for role-playing epics and start churning out farming sims, 1990s FMV adventures, or tasteful ballroom gowns. In a shocking twist, however, it’s instead going to make more Dragon Age and Mass Effect. On top of that, though, Mass Effect lead Casey Hudson and some members of his team are putting together “an all new game set in a fictional universe.” Which could mean just about anything, but anything is better than nothing. Or something. Words!

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It is Tuesday. You probably ate some cereal, went to work, and pretended to use the Force to open the automatic door at the grocery store – just like any other day. BioWare, meanwhile, ended an era. Specifically, Doctors Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka – the role-playing powerhouse’s co-founders – have left the building. Now then, I will briefly interrupt this message to read your mind. “Kickstarter, Kickstarter? Kickstarter! Kickstarterererer.” Congratulations, you’re thinking the same thing as everyone else on Earth. Unfortunately, based on their goodbye letters, the doctors seem to not only be done with BioWare, but videogames in general.

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BioWare have just officially announced Dragon Age 3. It has, of course, already been discussed in public as long ago as April, making an official announcement a touch silly. But it does at least have a name now. Dragon Age III: Inquisition, and it will be made in the Frostbite 2 engine. Which if you were of a curt enough mind, you might describe as the first full Dragon Age sequel.

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SWTOR‘s fresh content mill continues to crank on the missions for light-saberists and chums. Speaking here, Bioware’s Austin bossbloke Matt Bromberg said: “We’re committed to: about every six weeks, doing a major update for the game — which would be a new Warzone, a new Operation, a new Flashpoint, a new event — and to doing that on a really frequent cadence, every six weeks.” So that’s EVERY SIX WEEKS. Got that? (Nice use of the word “cadence” there, Matt.) The upcoming 1.4 update is proof of this policy, because it contains a new operation called “Terror From Beyond”. This features the Gree planet of Asation, and a “hypergate”, which you can see in action below.

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Really, if you think about it, the ocean is basically space, but more blue. I mean, both are sorely lacking in breathable air, give us the ability to defy basic physics while shouting “wheeeeee,” and are absolutely, positively, I-really-really-hope teeming with life. (What if fish aren’t real?! Wouldn’t that be a total bummer?) Also, Mass Effect 3‘s now claiming that both have Reapers, and I suppose it would know. So now the hunt for Leviathan is on, and you can watch a trailer of some strange bald man wearing Commander Shepard’s clothes take the fight to the ocean’s briniest depths in a trailer beneath the break’s, er, briniest depths.

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↑ that logo is a fake, sorry.

With Mass Effect now concluded, at least until the inevitable announcement of a new trilogy, a first-person shooter and a free-to-play god-knows-what, and SWTOR currently being fitted into its microtransacted iron lung, all eyes turn to the core Bioware team’s next roleplaying move. The smart money is surely on a new Dragon Age game, and tiny wee scraps of hint have seemed to support this. Today we got significantly more than tiny wee scraps, as an alleged survey allegedly leaked by alleged specially-selected community members offers all manner of alleged potential details on a third Dragon Age game.
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EA have cut out a few months of post-launch uhming-and-ahhing by reworking the previously announced Command & Conquer Generals 2 as a free-to-play game, ditching the name and dropping the price. Or, as their press release states: “Today at gamescom, the world’s largest trade fair and event for interactive games and entertainment, Electronic Arts Inc. took a bold step to spearhead the industry’s digital revolution and announced Command & Conquer.” Ahem. “Bold”?

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Well, that took all of about a fortnight. Pretty much everyone called this one, given the age of the expensive monthly subscription game seems to be over, bar a few very particular exceptions. So it is that the struggling juggernaut that is EA/Bioware’s MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic is to join the rapidly-swelling ranks of free to play. They’ve just announced that play up to level 50 will be gratis and open to all as of this Fall Autumn. That’s no moon – it’s a fully-armed and operational new business model.*
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Given its original state at release, it’s a credit to Knights of the Old Republic 2 that people still look back on it with such fondness. Part epic adventure, part brutal deconstruction of Star Wars and many of its most familiar tropes, and unfortunately, only part finished by the time it hit shelves, it was definitely a ride. Now, that ride can be completed properly, with the Sith Lords Restored Content mod hitting v1.8 and declaring its mission finally over.

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Lots of news on that remake of Baldur’s Gate. First of all, a release date – the 18th September. Second, a price – a surprisingly high $20 when it’s released, and a teeny pre-order reduction at $18. There are new adventures, characters, and improvements. Details below.

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