Tue, Jan 05, 2010 | 14:02 GMT
EA announces Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening for March release [Update]
EA’s just announced the first expansion for Dragon Age, known as Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening.
It’ll release on March 16 for PC, 360 and PS3, priced $40.
Awakening will allow players to import and edit their characters from Origins, as well as supplying an increased level cap, five new party members and more.
The add-on should last no longer than 15 hours.
The expansion will obviously require Dragon Age: Origins.
“Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening shows BioWare’s commitment to our fans by delivering new story-driven experiences which enrich the dark heroic fantasy universe our fans have come to know and love,” said BioWare boss, Ray Muzyka.
PR below.
Update – First shots.
EDMONTON, Alberta–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Leading video game developer BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS – News), announced today Dragon Age™: Origins – Awakening, the first official expansion pack to Dragon Age: Origins, the recent recipient of Spike TV’s Best RPG and PC Game of 2009, IGN’s Best RPG of 2009 and CNN.com’s Best RPG of 2009. Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening will be available for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC on March 16, 2010.
Designed and written by the same team that brought you Dragon Age: Origins, the Awakening expansion pack offers a brand new area of the world to explore known as Amaranthine, featuring an epic story that will allow players to unravel the secrets of the darkspawn – and their true motivations! Players will face a range of horrific and terrifying creatures including an evolved, intelligent breed of darkspawn and other menacing creatures such as the Inferno Golem and Spectral Dragon. Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening provides exciting new ways for players to customize their heroes and party, including the ability to re-spec their character attributes, allowing even greater customization and replayability. Featuring an increased level cap, new spells, abilities, specializations and items, plus five all-new party members, players can continue their adventures from Dragon Age: Origins, or begin with a brand new character.
“Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening shows BioWare’s commitment to our fans by delivering new story-driven experiences which enrich the dark heroic fantasy universe our fans have come to know and love,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group, EA, and Co-Founder, BioWare. “The vibrant worldwide community of Dragon Age fans will relish uncovering the secret motivations of the darkspawn, revealing how the darkspawn continue to infest the world despite the defeat of the Archdemon.”
Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening, BioWare’s next thread in the Dragon Age: Origins tapestry, occurs following the events of Dragon Age: Origins and puts players into the role of a Grey Warden Commander entrusted with rebuilding the order of Grey Wardens. In addition to rebuilding the ranks of the Grey Wardens, you will be tasked with uncovering the mystery of how the darkspawn survive after the slaying of the Archdemon. How players choose to rebuild their order, resolve the conflict with the mysterious “Architect,” and determine the fate of the darkspawn are just some of the many intriguing moral choices that will shape each player’s heroic journey. Players will be able to import their character from Dragon Age: Origins or start out as a new Grey Warden from the neighboring land of Orlais.
Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening will be released March 16, 2010 worldwide on the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 console and PC. Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening will be available for $39.99 on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles in North America and will require Dragon Age: Origins to play. Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening is rated M by the ESRB and 18+ by PEGI.
For more information on Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening, please visit www.dragonage.com/awakenin
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Posted in: EA, Hot, PC, PS3, RPG, Xbox 360
Tags: bioware, Dragon Age: Awakening, Dragon Age: Origins
23 comments
#1
Uncontested
05/01/10, 1:33 pm
40 bucks for an expansion? bah
#2
Digital Forge
05/01/10, 1:34 pm
I really do need to go back and finish the game, but what with Xmas it seems to have fallen off track.
What with the games massive amount of play time, all the DLC, and now an expansion I dread to think how many hours I will have sunk into it by the years end.
#3
Phoenixblight
05/01/10, 1:36 pm
SHaweeet. THis going to be on a disc or download. I am assuming disc?
#4
Johnny Cullen
05/01/10, 1:39 pm
Disc.
#5
Phoenixblight
05/01/10, 1:41 pm
Sounds good though, I probably will be playing the shit out of FFXIII by then if not definately will be God of War 3.
#6
Blerk
05/01/10, 1:50 pm
Ah, I see. So ‘Origins’ is the full-fat version and then they ship us packed-lunch add-on discs for the rest of eternity as well as snack-size DLC bits. I bet they make a fortune.
#7
Phoenixblight
05/01/10, 2:06 pm
THey will be doing the same thing for ME2, Blerk, there is even a new book coming in SPring for ME universe.
#8
evilashchris
05/01/10, 2:07 pm
Yeah, the swines.
I’ll still buy it though, it’s one of my favourite games, unfortunately.
#9
Phoenixblight
05/01/10, 2:12 pm
“Yeah, the swines.”
Being Sarcastic? I honestly think its a great idea, DLC are great and all but they feel disconneccted from the main plot for the most part where expansions like this one continue the story for one we get to see the Architect from the book and also see why Darkspawn still spawn even though the Old God is dead.
#10
Hunam
05/01/10, 2:21 pm
Hopefully it follows the Morrigan ending, it’s the most interesting part of the game tbh.
#11
Blerk
05/01/10, 2:26 pm
Yeah, I’d rather have meatier add-ons than the silly bite-size DLC thing. They’re much better value for money.
#12
sleepyfox
05/01/10, 2:26 pm
I bet the 39,99$ price tag won’t stay for too long – you’ll see discounts before the release for pre-orders and some time after the initial release.
That RRP price may be valid for some local retailers.
#13
Phoenixblight
05/01/10, 2:39 pm
As long as it gives 2/3 what the original game, I will be a happy camper.
#14
Mauller
05/01/10, 4:27 pm
$40 for 15 hours seems to be a bit much. Put it closer to the $25-$30 mark for me to really see the value in it. Chance are I’ll still buy it at $40 but I won’t be very happy about it.
#15
Hunam
05/01/10, 4:28 pm
If it even manages 15 hours. I clocked the bulk of Wardens Keep in about 45 minutes.
#16
Phoenixblight
05/01/10, 5:00 pm
What I was talking about is that I have 3 playthroughs all ranging from 55-70 so it better be damn near 40 hours for me. 1$ per hour of gameplay. I will be pissed if its only 15 hours and will not waste another dime on Bioware’s DLC or expansions.
#17
endgame
05/01/10, 5:04 pm
lol. u’ll have to be pretty stupid or pretty desperate to pay that much money for this. smart ppl will wait for the price to drop.
#18
Hunam
05/01/10, 5:08 pm
Depends on how it’s sold. If it’s going by digital retail you’ll get a decent price for it soon enough, but if it’s through their DLC system using Bioware points you’ll have to pay a gay amount of money for it.
#19
Phoenixblight
05/01/10, 5:11 pm
@endgame
I only plan on paying for it when I am done playing FFXIII and God of War 3. Once I am bored with those then I will get it hopefully the price will drop then.
ALso this artcle doesn’t cover the entire load of the expansion:
Designed and written by the same team that brought you Dragon Age: Origins, the Awakening expansion pack offers a brand new area of the world to explore known as Amaranthine, featuring an epic story that will allow players to unravel the secrets of the darkspawn – and their true motivations! Players will face a range of horrific and terrifying creatures including an evolved, intelligent breed of darkspawn and other menacing creatures such as the Inferno Golem and Spectral Dragon.
Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening provides exciting new ways for players to customize their heroes and party, including the ability to re-spec their character attributes, allowing even greater customization and replayability. Featuring an increased level cap, new spells, abilities, specializations and items, plus five all-new party members, players can continue their adventures from Dragon Age, or begin with a brand new party.
With all this stuff I will definately get it. Not with the price mentioned that especially if the rumor is true about 15 hours of gameplay.
#20
KFC
06/01/10, 12:44 am
How come u need DAO bc it says import saves so that means it is on a new disk right? Cause when i get it and if i have to download it to my hard drive i will almost be at 0. I have like 6.5 gb. Yes mine is only a 20 gb
#21
Phoenixblight
06/01/10, 1:14 am
@20 Its a disc you will not be able to download it that is if you are talking about consoles.
#22
RoninJT
06/01/10, 11:37 pm
$40 is a bit steep for 15 hours in the rpg genre. I am hoping 15 is the narrow swift playthrough time. Like, ‘the expansion provides 15-25 hours of new gameplay’ or some such. I am also wondering, as it requires having the original game, if it will also expand and provide more options for the main game. I’m also wondering how much your decisions and events from the main game will carry through to it. I should hope what you did in the main game will have immense impact on your experience in Awakening. Otherwise, why bother making the previous game a requirement if the two are not very closely linked.
#23
Phoenixblight
06/01/10, 11:49 pm
@Ronin
They said that the game will open up more customization for the main game not so much with the 5 new characters or even the new Origin which is just for the expansion. You will be able to respec, there are more specializations and talents than the first. Also There will only be 1 returning member from the original game.
Just look at Post 19 I took it from the site. It has a lot of potential even if it has 15 hours of gameplay.