It was a game that I sunk my teeth into and then shook it for all it was worth.

Even after I had “beaten” the game, “beaten” the expansion – Shivering Isles – and created a whole new character, I was still transfixed by the game. Blame it on the open world format or the fact that the story was just that damn good.

Whatever the reason, I still haven’t traded in Elder Scrolls; I trade everything in once I finish a game.

Now, Dragon Age: Origins is out and it looks to be another Oblivion for me. It is definitely a game that I have been looking forward to since I first heard about it.

I was waffling between getting the game for PS3 and PC and once I saw that Bioware had released the Character Creator and Tool Set for Dragon Age, I figured my mind had been made-up.

That is, until I downloaded the Character Creator and installed it on my laptop.

Now, let me first tell you that my laptop is not a piece of crap – it’s a Dell Vostro that lets me run 30 tabs of FireFox, Photoshop and Illustrator and it doesn’t blink an eye. The long and short of it is that I’ve never run into an issue running a game on the system…until the Character Creator.

I just took a look at the minimums to run Dragon Age: Origins and in theory, I should have had no issues but that wasn’t the case. While the program ran just fine, the graphics were screwed up and when I tried to create a character, the chick was covered in intermittent black. I’m going to assume graphics card issue.

Anyway, here are the specs.

Minimums:

OS: Windows XP SP3/Vista SP1
Processor: Intel Core 2 DUO @ 1.4 GHz/AMD Athlon64 X2 @ 1.8 GHz
Memory: 1 GB
Hard Drive: 20 GB Free
Video Memory: 128 MB (nVidia GeForce 6600/ATI Radeon X850)
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
DirectX: 9.0c
Keyboard & Mouse
DVD Rom Drive

Recommended:

OS: Windows XP SP3/Vista SP1
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4 GHz)/AMD Phenom II X3 720 (2.8 GHz)
Memory: 2 GB
Hard Drive: 20 GB Free
Video Memory: 512 MB (nVidia GeForce 8800 GTS/ATI Radeon HD 3850)
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
DirectX: 10
Keyboard & Mouse
DVD Rom Drive

Now that I’m writing this, I’m wondering if maybe it was my install of the Character Creator and not the actual program OR we could probably just go with a graphics card issue…I’ll go with a screwed up install to save my pride.

I know this seems like a “duh” post but if I hadn’t had issues with the Character Creator, I probably would have just bought Dragon’s Age:Origins without a second glance at the system specs and would have been confident that my system could handle the game.

The moral of the story is to read the minimums and the recommended specs before you buy a game.

Image|IGN System Specs|VG Requirements

Post from: EveryJoe

Check Your PC Before You Install Dragon Age

Looks like I just might find that in Dragon Age: Origins.

Even though I am a diehard PS3 fan [fangirl?] this is one game that I’m probably going to get for PC based on the awesome Tool Set. See below.

The character creation reminds me a bit of Oblivion and I’m not complaining. Being able to micromanage the character traits added realism to the game and made me feel more connected with the character that I had lovingly created.

This type of customization is brought to Dragon Age: Origins but with necessary tweaks and it doesn’t seem to be as in-depth as Oblivion. However, I’m not sure that’s necessarily a BAD thing since I did end up spending an hour creating my character for Oblivion.

The intro video does a damn fine job of bringing you up to speed as to what you’re about to encounter with Dragon Age: Origins.

There are way too many videos for me to post here. If you want to watch the rest, check out IGN’s YouTube channel or just click on one of these embedded videos and they should take you to where you need to go.

I’ve also included some screens from the game since I do like my pretty pictures.

Look for Dragon Age: Origins November 3rd.

Images|EA

Post from: EveryJoe

Dragon Age: Origins

If it’s a cut-and-dry RPG then I go into the purchase knowing that I’m probably not going to replay it and I just hope for a really long game. If it’s a FPS then there had better be some good on-line play going on.

Call of Duty:4 is a good cross between the two.

You have a great story when you play the game from start to finish AND you have a solid [and addictive] on-line component.

When I bought Fallout 3, I knew that it was made by the same people that made Oblivion.

I LOVED Oblivion and even though I’ve technically finished the game, I know that there are tons of things that I’ve missed. Also, with Oblivion, you have different “types’ of characters that you can play so the replay value goes up a bit.

With Fallout, I can’t imagine going through all that I’ve gone through again.

Sure, my base stats may change but my character will stay essentially the same and the story progresses about the same.

Also, a key difference between Oblivion and Fallout 3 is the “could this happen in real life” quotient.

Do I expect an Oblivion Gate to open up nextdoor?

No.

Could an atomic bomb be dropped in the near future and the US resemble Fallout’s “Wasteland”?

Well…yeah…maybe. And that’s a hell of a lot closer to home than the Oblivion Gates.

Maybe that’s why I can’t imagine playing Fallout 3 again. Heck, I haven’t even finished Fallout yet and I’m already commiserating the end.

I know what I look for when buying a game. What do you look for?

Image|Bethesda

Post from: EveryJoe

What Makes You Buy a Game?

I love Fallout. I played the first two games with gusto, and I’m looking forward to the third part. Others gamers worry that Fallout 3 would just be “Oblivion with guns” because it’s also being developed by Bethesda so perhaps the video would change your minds.

However, I do have a new concern with Fallout 3.

The animation of the characters doesn’t look very good at this point. And what’s with the Bloody Mess perk that kicked in when an enemy was shot in the head with a sniper rifle? I can understand when a cranium explodes like a watermelon when hit by such firearms, but why did the entire body fall apart?

If you’re reading this Bethesda, please note—the effects of Bloody Mess SHOULD have a basis. If an enemy is shot in the foot (or any other extremity) and the bad guy’s hit points run out, the entire corpse SHOULD NOT explode.

Perhaps it would be more appropriate if this is what happens instead: the entire foot that was shot explodes, bone fragments in said foot splinters, the body loses balance and tips over, then the head hits the ground and the enemy’s neck is broken violently. Feel free to make the broken neck’s angle as grotesque as possible. Now that’s an appropriate Bloody Mess.

I would love to hear any other ideas to make that bloodier. And please keep it in context.

Post from: EveryJoe

Fallout 3’s Bloody Mess perk is a bloody mess

Notice anything odd about the video? The Crytek visuals look like the original Oblivion graphics. That’s what you download tech demo video from YouTube. FYI: The video was created by a modder who transferred the Oblivion assets straight into Crytek’s engine.

Interestingly, it looks like CryEngine is having some difficulty rendering a level the size of the Imperial City. Textures and other details pop in abruptly as if it were Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction for the PS2. One torch light seemed to appear suddenly when the camera is already too close (move the video to 3:23).

For what it’s worth, I’m positive that the video would look breathtaking when recorded in better detail. I can only imagine what the Imperial City would look like with real-time lighting. Now if only Fallout 3 would use the same game engine.

Update: YouTube took out the video, unfortunately. This is probably due to copyright issues with either games. Fortunately, a GameTrailers user was able to snag a copy of the video. Enjoy.

Source: Kotaku

Post from: EveryJoe

See Oblivion rendered in the CryEngine

There are many words to describe Halo 3. Fans would call it “teh awesome,” others think “multiplayer is king,” and I say “Bungie’s on to something here.” But if there’s any description I wouldn’t give Halo 3, it’s what Time Magazine just used:

“Like a pebble that has been rounded over the centuries by the gentle splashing of the ocean waves, Halo 3 has become the perfect hardcore first-person combat simulator.”

Pebble rounded by the gentle splashing of waves? Good grief.

What’s even stranger is Time’s decision to put in Ace Combat 6 and skip out on bigger hits like Crysis, The Burning Crusade, Uncharted, Metroid Prime 3, and even the PS3’s Oblivion.

Unfortunately, this is what can you expect from the mainstream press when it comes to games.

When you thought it couldn’t get any worse, The Orange Box was placed at second. Yes, a boxed set with five (count ‘em) incredible games didn’t make first place. The five games in The Orange Box are individually excellent, so you can just imagine how much the bundle is worth when taken collectively.

Granted that Bungie was on to something with Halo 3. In fact, the very idea of a Halo game without repetitive corridors is very appealing even to Master Chief’s detractors. However, there’s no decision-making needed if you’re to choose between The Orange Box and Halo 3.

Halo 3 is perhaps the best console shooter in its era. However, when you compare it to the best FPS titles that PC games have to offer, Bungie’s best pales in comparison.

Read

Post from: EveryJoe

Time proclaims Halo 3 as 2007’s best game