Limited to a run of 25,000 numbered units, Calibur11 is perhaps unwittingly responsible for what future Internet historians will refer to as “The Great Nerd Rage of 2012,” a major topic of discussion and consternation in future-students Early 21st Century Formative Events history classes. I can only hope against hope that those future-people will be excellent to each other, in much the same way that the Calibur11 Mass Effect 3 Collector’s Edition Vault looks to be shaping up into a very nice package (that’s what she said). Read the full story

Bioware has finally announced the star-studded cast for their upcoming action-RPG Mass Effect 3. Will you be hearing the voices you’ve grown accustomed to over the years? Read the full story

This morning I read an article from the Wall Street Journal by author Kay Hymowitz entitled “Where Have The Good Men Gone?” Usually, I enjoy a rant against my gender, but reading what Hymowitz wrote made me unbelievably furious. The piece, linked below, is simply an assault on gamers and “nerds,” one that trivializes our medium and uses it to generalize men in a way that is unfair. It ignores an entire generation’s ideals as a whole, while trying to revitalize that the antiquated concept of the nuclear family is the only respectable path to follow for adults. Read the full story

Last month BioWare teased us all with a trailer saying that, during the 2010 Spike TV Video Game Awards, they would be announcing a new game. Many guesses were thrown around, and many pointed towards Mass Effect 3. I guessed wrong, but that is only because I haven’t played any of the games and actually am not a fan. Don’t judge me.

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Electronic Arts posted the store listing for Mass Effect 3 earlier, and I noticed one thing right away.  The box art displays the PC logo, and over in the “Platform” menu, it only lists the PC. Read the full story

So it turns out that one of Xbox 360′s biggest exclusives is no longer an exclusive. Mass Effect 2 is trotting over to the PS3.

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Since childhood, I have been a great fan of fantasy.  I have played many fantasy-genre RPGs over the last two decades, and they remain one of my favorite genres of video game.  Needless to say, I was excited about the release of Dragon Age: Origins.

One of my favorite RPGs for a very long time was Neverwinter Nights, released in 2002 by Bioware.  Hearing that Bioware, makers of amazing games such as Neverwinter Nights, the Baldur’s Gate series, the Knights of the Old Republic series, Jade Empire, Mass Effect, and more, had developed another fantasy RPG was news of particular significance to me.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to afford the purchase right when it came out, so I had to wait until funds became available.  They became available around Christmas, and I made a gift of it to myself.  Luckily, I had the week following Christmas off from work, so I was able to complete a good portion of the game then (at least, I was able to play when Lindsey would put down the controller long enough for me to get my hands on it…).

Gameplay Screenshot

Bioware is known for their impressive attention to detail in their writing.  The graphics and gameplay rarely disappoint, but their writing is often the star feature of any game they produce.  Stories are given depth and scope, which engage the player and create a connection between them and the world they are playing in.  This makes the gaming experience far more meaningful.  Dragon Age: Origins is no exception to their rule of great writing, and luckily, neither the graphics nor the gameplay have suffered for it.  The graphics, while not groundbreaking, are excellent, and the gameplay is fairly standard for a fantasy RPG, with one major difference: Dragon Age: Origins is not based on the Dungeons & Dragons ruleset, as Baldur’s Gate was.  This is only noteworthy because Dragon Age: Origins is considered the spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate.  The ruleset that was created, however, is excellent, and does not detract from the gameplay.  The party system is similar to that of Knights of the Old Republic, where you have a large group of companions, but can only take three additional companions with you into the world.  You are able to switch between these three additional companions during gameplay and take advantage of their varied skill sets at any time.  Graphically, the game is wonderful.  The cut scenes are gorgeous, and the gameplay graphics are very good.  There are times when you can notice small graphics glitches, but they are very minor and very rare.

Gameplay Screenshot

The game increases in difficulty as you advance in character level, regardless of which path you take.  For example, my final treaty mission was to the Dwarves, which was fiendishly difficult and long.  Lindsey completed the Dwarves earlier in her path, and it was not as difficult or long.  I completed the Dalish Elves earlier in my path, and found it easier than Lindsey’s completion of the Dalish Elves, later into her path.  The game provides many different playthrough opportunities, as well.  Six distinct and unique origins are available, depending on what race/class/origin you choose.  You can play as a Dwarven Noble, a Dwarven Commoner, a Human Noble, a Dalish Elf, a City Elf, or a Mage.  Each origin provides a 1-3 hour playing time unique to the origin, but always pulling the character in to the main story.  The different origins provide different interactions throughout the game, different storylines become available, and different benefits and drawbacks affect your character.  The main story references, in places, the other origins and the characters that are important in the other origins.  This makes playing through the other origins very fun, because you recognize certain people, and you gain a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of the games events.

Gameplay Screenshot

Dragon Age: Origins immerses the player in an incredibly detailed and deep world, with an excellent variety of stories and characters.  The game is long, with a single, 85-95% complete playthrough running well over the 40 hour mark.  With the multiple playthrough options available, completing the game fully, with all possible options explored for each character origin, would be a task that would require hundreds of play hours.  This game is well worth the cost, and easily my favorite game to come out of 2009.

-[insert revolutionary thinking here]