Though their games are original, well-written and fun, I’ve always found similarities in BioWare RPGs – particular clichés unique to their games and even a few of Obsidian’s. Inspired by JackSlack’s “Bioware Trope Chart” [link], currently work-in-progress, I decided to make my own chart based on my experience with their games over the years.



Please note that the list I've created is rather tongue-in-cheek and takes none of the nuances of each game's narrative into proper account. Be sure to click…  More

Bioware has officially launched the toolset for its new RPG, Dragon Age: Origins.

The Dragon Age Toolset, which comes in a 472mb-sized package, provides everything you need to create your own adventures in Dragon Age. The toolset is equipped with the same utilities and features that were used by the designers at Bioware to create all of the game’s content, including the main campaign. Additionally, the toolset includes several enhancements and is polished specifically for the benefit of end users…  More

The Diablo series and other games like it (Titan Quest, Mythos, Torchlight) were always confined to a fixed axonometric camera. With the exception of Mythos, which allowed for WASD controls, Diablo’s fixed view was always one of its greatest strengths as it allowed for the designers to map out locations, pace encounters and design set-piece boss battles based on the confines of the fixed perspective.

Blizzard representative Bashiok addressed the forum’s question regarding the fixed view in Dia…  More

Due to the requirement of Valve’s Steamworks in the PC version of Modern Warfare 2, online retailers like Direct 2 Drive, Impulse and GamersGate are refusing to carry the Infinity Ward title on their lists.

Speaking to Kotaku, a Direct2Drive representative said, “We don’t believe games should force the user to install a Trojan Horse.”

Infinity Ward is using Steamworks to handle everything from installation to save-game management and DRM, similar to Valve’s own games.

Direct2Drive also told…  More

id Software’s John Carmack dropped a bombshell today when he announced that the company’s upcoming game and next-generation FPS, Rage, would have no plans to support dedicated servers.

In the wake of Modern Warfare 2’s omission of dedicated servers on the PC, Variety asked id Software co-founder and video game god John Carmack the company had any plans to follow suit with their upcoming game. Carmack’s replied: “It’s not cast in stone yet, but at this point no, we don’t think we will have dedic…  More

As most of us hack, slash and burn our way through Dragon Age, Mass Effect 2 looms on the horizon. I can almost detect a BioWare plot to keep us permanently indoors and out of sleep during the winter months with their time-devouring role playing games.

Ever eager to cater to the whims and demands of the more ardent collectors among us, BioWare has announced the Mass Effect 2 Collector’s Edition. It includes:
A tin case48-page hardcover art bookIssue 1 of Mass Effect Redemption, the official com…  More

Infinity Ward has released the launch trailer for Modern Warfare 2 and it looks better than anything they've released thus far. It is, in a word, awesome. 



Recent unfortunate controversies aside, Modern Warfare 2's single player campaign is definitely shaping up to deliver the excellent experience that Infinity Ward is best known for. 
…  More

An agency of the Chinese Government has ordered NetEase to immediately suspend its operations of World of Warcraft in China, after the company supposedly violated regulations created by China’s General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) with regards to the Burning Crusade expansion pack.

The government body posted a statement on its website forbidding NetEase from collecting revenue from paying users and to disallow new account registrations.

The news comes in the wake of the gover…  More

G4TV host and game journalist Adam Sessler has spoken up in his latest episode of Sessler’s Soapbox about Infinity Ward’s “Grenade Spamming” viral video that referenced a homophobic slur.

Sessler makes it very clear that he’s not a fan of hate speech and goes on to lament the issue, especially in its rampant use on Xbox Live and PSN.



As for anyone defending the use of the word by claiming that it isn’t being used in a hateful context: I will echo Sessle…  More

Infinity Ward isn’t letting up with their decision to use IWNet and strip Modern Warfare 2 of its dedicated server functionality on the PC.

In a new web-based live chat with the gaming community hosted on BestBuy.com, Infinity Ward’s Ryan Lastimosa, Mackey McCandlish and boss Vince Zampella answered questions regarding the situation with dedicated servers and upheld the idea that the implementation was to the benefit of PC gamers.

Asked if they would consider implementing dedicated servers in …  More

Ernest Hemingway once wrote a story in six words (“For sale: baby shoes, never used.”) and he was purported to have called it his best work. In love with the idea, Wired Magazine challenged writers to take a shot at writing their own six word story, many of which can be found here.

With that in mind, I am happy to announce that Hellforge is hosting the Torchlight Six Word Story Competition in which you, our readers (and would-be writers), will have a chance to win one of two copies of Runic Game…  More

The term "WoW Clone" has inspired thousands of debates but in this case it might be literally a WoW Clone.   Let's start with a proper introduction.  Alganon is an MMORPG developed by Quest Online and scheduled for release on December '09.  Since I have not played the game, I will not be comparing any of the features or classes in the game; however I will point out certain similarities with WoW in the graphical department.   Before I continue please read this excerpt taken from Alganon's wikiped…  More

When support for dedicated servers was cut from the PC version of Modern Warfare 2, it raised the ire of the PC gaming community. Today, Infinity Ward dropped another bomb on the game’s userbase when a poster on NeoGAF discovered that the 360 version of the game would be disabling Party Chat. Attempts to join a game in party chat will prompt players to switch to in-game chat or otherwise leave the game.

Robert Bowling has yet to comment on the absence of party chat, but he did mention on his Tw…  More

Halloween has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy horror movies. With that in mind, CollegeHumor has conceived what it would be like if The Sims were a film; a horror film directed by a player sadistic enough to remove the ladder from the swimming pool and other cruel shenanigans.

…  More