Just when you thought you could lay your copy of “Dragon Age: Origins” to rest, Bioware puts out something else that makes you love the game even more. So you thought you had defeated the Darkspawn and brought peace to the world? Yeah right, Grey Warden, you’re not that sweet. This expansion, titled “Awakening” will be released upon the gaming world as of March 16th, 2010. What else could they possibly have you doing in this expansion? Well after the events of the core game, the Arch-Demon is defeated, and you must travel to a land called Amaranthine and rebuild the order of Grey Wardens as their Commander. Not only do you have to rebuild the order, you also have to figure out why the hell there are still Darkspawn wondering about. Seeing as how this is an expansion, and not just DLC, we should expect some decent hours of play out of this. Not only are we getting a little more story, we are also getting some new spells, more moral dilemmas, and even a couple new party members!
As for this tale, you can choose to import your character from the core game story, or have a whole new Warden (one that conveniently hails from a neighboring land) handle the dirty business of solving the Darkspawn mystery, dealing with whiny ass party members, and rebuilding the Grey Wardens. Even though you can create that new Warden, you still need to own DA Origins to get down on this bad boy. Expect a wide variety of bizarre NPC’s, a plethora of intimidating enemies, and all those lovely moral choices that Bioware has been known to thrust upon their players. Oh and be on the lookout for the bad guy, some Darkspawn general that leads the remnants of the sore-loser Darkspawn army.
Didn’t really care for the party members from the core game? Well then you may be in luck! Bioware has leaked that you will get help from 5 new homies, and one party member from the previous game. Jesus, who’s coming back? I really hope to it’s not Sten or Alistair! Also, the ability to re-spec the stats of your party is a welcome addition. New spells and skills are always a plus! I wonder what other kinds of magic and abilities they have in this beast.
Here’s the kick in the crotch, “Awakening” is stated to retail at $39.99! Now I know some people may rise up in arms and state that this needs to be priced like a DLC pack, or made into a legit sequel, but all we can really do is hope that Bioware has enough respect for their customers to really pack that expansion with as much content as possible. Hopefully the price is an indication of the level of quality when it comes to the content provided in the expansion.
All of your favorite elements of DA Origins are still here, only in new land with new friends, and new abilities. I’m sure that curiosity will get the better of me and I’ll end up purchasing this expansion. If I do, I’ll be sure to keep you all informed on how it plays! If you loved playing “Dragon Age: Origins” on Xbox360 or PC, then chances are you’ll be just as charmed with the expansion. Only time will tell if “Awakening” is a dirty ploy for dollars or another note-worthy installment in an already immersive story.
Joseph Bryant – SwiftGlassEater
