Dragon Age Grey Hoodie (Medium) Clothing and Merchandise

Dragon Age Grey Hoodie (Medium) Product Details

Released on TBD

• Just one level of Dragon Age III is bigger than all of Dragon Age II

  Various representatives from Bioware took to the stage at the Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo in Canada over the weekend, and let slip a bunch of tantalising new facts about the upcoming third instalment of the Dragon Age series.

  "Just one level in DA3 is as big as all of DA2's levels" was perhaps the most exciting nugget, tweeted by Bioware producer Cameron Lee during the presentation. Dragon Age II took place almost entirely within the vast city of Kirkwall over a span of decades, so it sounds like the next game - which finds the player taking charge of a new military order known as the Inquisition - will be expanding its boundaries considerably.

  Also revealed was the fact that Dragon Age III has had longer in pre-production than both previous games in the series, as well as Mass Effect. Character customisation will return in a big way, after being toned down for Dragon Age II, and there were also playful hints that players will have their own castle in the game. You'll apparently get to upgrade the interior and possibly even defend it from attack.

  Mike Laidlaw, the creative director of the Dragon Age series, revealed that although the team would love to include more playable races, for this game the main character will be human only. You will get to choose an origin story for them, as in the first game. Despite starting over with new characters every time, Bioware is also looking at ways that choices made in the previous two games can be incorporated into Dragon Age III.

  Dragon Age III is still deep in production, and is currently planned for release late next year.

  Published: 22/10/2012

• Dragon Age 3: Inquisition coming next year, Bioware confirms

  The long-rumoured third entry in the Dragon Age saga will launch in late 2013, RPG specialist Bioware has confirmed.

  The game has been in development for two years already and will use an enhanced version of the Frostbite 2 game engine, developed by fellow EA studio DICE for its scenery-destroying Battlefield shooters. This, it is planned, will result in a "more expansive world, better visuals, more reactivity to player choices and more customisation".

  The story will revolve around the rise of a new evil in the land of Ferelden and, as leader of the Inquisition, you'll be tasked with locating and eradicating the threat. The game is likely to include multiplayer arenas, based on not-so-subtle hints dropped by Bioware's Mark Laidlaw. "Any time you have a game that is aware of the advantages of teamwork, what it's like when multiple classes combine their abilities, be it a rogue not just stunning enemies but helping to conceal his friends so that they can take damage better - that's where you do an allegory that says yeah, we could do multiplayer here for sure," he said in November 2011.

  The Dragon Age 3 team is also taking on board feedback from players of Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2 and the relevant DLC expansions. "We've visited message boards, read reviews, and we've gone to events to have direct face to face conversations with some of our most passionate fans," said executive producer Mark Darriah. "We've been listening, and we will continue to listen."

  No platforms have been confirmed for the game. "We are not talking about them at this moment in time" tweeted Bioware community manager Tully Ackland. Could this be a launch title for the next generation of consoles?

  Published: 18/09/2012

• Rolling The Dice: The History of Bioware

  
  

  

  Role-playing fans are used to risking everything on the roll of the dice, but those gambles are usually reserved for the fictional fantasy tales unfolding on kitchen tables and in college dorm rooms. In 1995, doctors Greg Zeschuk, Ray Muzyka and Augustine Yip rolled the dice in real life when they turned their back on lucrative medical careers and decided to devote their time to making computer games instead. They called their company Bioware, and you only have to look at the games bearing that name today to see if their gambit paid off.

  

  This Christmas week sees Bioware release its first online multiplayer RPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic, while next year brings the third (and final?) instalment in their epic sci-fi saga, Mass Effect 3.

  So how did the Canadian code factory reach the top of the RPG tree? Surprisingly, the first game from the newly formed studio wasn't a role-playing game at all, but a 3D action title about combat mechs. Shattered Steel was the title, and by taking advantage of the power of new PC video graphics cards it offered destruction and 3D scope that was beyond the capability of older hardware. Titles like Quake and Half Life were yet to redefine PC gaming, so Shattered Steel's technology earned the fledgling developer a lot of attention.

  That attention wasn't enough to stop Dr Yip from returning to life in a white coat, but Zeschuk and Muzyka weren't about to let go of their dream. They wanted to make games inspired by the lengthy Dungeons & Dragons sessions that had seen them through medical school. And they already had the game in mind - Battleground: Infinity.

  

  Don't be surprised if you've never heard of it. By the time the game arrived on shelves it had been taken on by Interplay. The publisher held the video game rights to the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons brand, and so almost overnight Bioware went from developing games inspired by the role-playing classic to making an official Dungeons & Dragons game.

  Baldur's Gate was the result, and it was an immediate smash. The RPG genre was in rude health in 1998, with The Elder Scrolls, Fallout and Diablo all well established, but Bioware's relative inexperience was balanced with a deep understanding of what made role-playing fun.

  Dungeons & Dragons remained the company's bread and butter for many years after, with expansion packs for Baldur's Gate leading into the sequel, Shadows of Amn, following in 2000. Neverwinter Nights continued the studio's D&D heritage in 2002, reviving the classic AOL online role-player for a more savvy internet audience.

  While these titles were critically acclaimed and embraced by RPG fans worldwide, they were still very much niche games. Few outside of role-playing fandom were aware of the Bioware name. That changed in 2003, when the company launched its first console game, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. At a time when Star Wars fans were torn by misgivings over the prequel movies, and punchdrunk from a slew of half-baked spin-off games, it was Bioware's narrative nous that saved the Jedi. Epic in scale, and with the freedom to explore the galaxy far, far away, it fulfilled the dreams of many Star Wars fans and earned Bioware a promotion to the ranks of legendary game developers.

  

  Buoyed by this success, the company turned its attention to something new, the first original Bioware title since Shattered Steel, in fact. Jade Empire was the game, and it took the RPG framework and applied it to a tale of rival martial arts masters in feudal China. Kung fu combat added a surprising wrinkle to the familiar cloth, but critics noted that the story was a virtual retread of Knights of the Old Republic, with open-palm strikes replacing lightsabers.

  Only a few years later, and with a new console generation to play with, Bioware silenced any doubters with the 2007 smash hit Mass Effect. A slick, thrilling space saga with the pace of an action game and the depth of an RPG, it heralded a new era for the developer. Super-publisher EA swooped in to buy the company, and so began a period of blockbuster genre-hopping that is still in full swing.

  

  Blood-soaked fantasy epic Dragon Age found the company recasting the swords and monster tropes of the D&D years in its own style. Mass Effect 2 reached new heights of cinematic sizzle, showcasing an elastic storyline that allowed any of the characters to pop their clogs during the climactic suicide mission. And Bioware even found time to dabble in less obvious areas, creating a Mass Effect spin-off game for mobile phones and developing Sonic Chronicles for the DS, the first RPG to star Sega's blue spiky mascot.

  Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka are still at the head of the company they found over fifteen years ago, and their passion for role-playing is still tempered by a desire to innovate and stretch the boundaries of what can be done with the genre. With its ties to the developer's first breakout smash hit, and its desire to shake up the world of MMORPG gameplay, Star Wars: The Old Republic is perhaps the quintessential Bioware experience. Enormous in scale, complex in intent yet an absolute joy to play.
  
  Let the dice roll.
  

  Published: 22/12/2011

As a valued customer we now offer you the facility to sign up to email price alerts. Please enter the price you want to be, or below, and if drops to that level we will let you know...