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Dragon Age: Origins Packs Free DLC in New Copies; Bonus Mass Effect 2 Item Detailed
by Chris Faylor, Aug 12, 2009 7:48am PDTDeveloper BioWare today revealed that those who buy a new copy of Dragon Age: Origins, be it in standard or collector's edition form, will be rewarded with $15 worth of free downloadable content plus armor that can also be used in Mass Effect 2.
The downloadable Stone Prisoner add-on--free with a new copy, otherwise priced at $15--allows players to add the "mighty stone golem" Shale to their party and is said to bring "hours of additional gameply" though new quests, environments, and items.
New copies of Dragon Age will also include a code to download the Blood Dragon Armor, usable in both Dragon Age and BioWare's upcoming Mass Effect 2. It was not specified if the Armor DLC will be sold separately, though it was described as "exclusive."
Publishers such as BioWare owner Electronic Arts have recently begun using downloadable content to fight against piracy and the lost kickbacks of used game sales, though the effectiveness of the approach remains unclear.
In addition, retailers are offering bonus items in exchange for a pre-order. Those that reserve the RPG from participating stores will receiving the +1% experience boosting Memory Band, with outlets like GameStop offering an additional exclusive item.
Recently delayed, Dragon Age: Origins is now slated to hit PC and Xbox 360 on November 3 in North America, with the PlayStation 3 release following later in the month.
A collector's edition, packing "three exclusive downloadable items that will provide special advantages," and other goodies like a documentary DVD, will sell for $75 on consoles and $65 on PC. Going by a retail listing, those three items are:
* Bergen's Honor: A massive helmet made out of dragonbone (+2 to armor, +25 physical resistance, +6 to attack)* Grimoire of the Frozen Wates: A special book that adds +3 to all attributes when read
* Final Reason: A magical staff of immense power (adds to damage, spell power, and fire damage)
The regular edition of the fantasy RPG will be $60 on consoles and $50 on PC.
Comments
So why did they do this? :(
I used to idolize Bioware, not sure so much now...
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DA is already on of my buy list, but anything else they can give out would be a +.
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Seriously, it is like the endless carrot on a fucking stick when it comes to game developers these days. They NEVER needed to even mention this, it could of been a damn surprise not a marketing ploy to get more people to buy (a helmet? a book? seriously?).
I would of been content buying the game and running across something like "oh hey a golem shale" and another useless helmet. Oh wow a book that increases my stats! Why the hell is this news? Why do developers need to endlessly toy with the wording of DLC to make it look like we are going to get more than they initially gave us?
What happened to just packaging fucking games and content with your games and letting gamers be surprised? This is not an attack on DLC, it is an attack on the tactics marketers use to promote it.
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What makes the DLC so pirate-proof? I think console re-buyers are much more hurt here than the pirates would be. The pirates will likely just patch it all up into one bundle.
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I just hate if, like with Gears 2, the additional game content is free but not available in your country (tm), so I'm screwed.
It is very much a bridge between the physical media we have now and the digital distribution we'll eventually and hopefully have in a few years.
Assuming these content packets can stand on their own merit, and aren't simply obvious sections of content cut from the original game, then I'm all for it. Some companies are proving they can deliver, and others are proving they can't. It is going to be hit and miss just like any other type of available entertainment media.
On the other hand, I despise micro-transactional content.
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i think this plays well into a game that has some meat/length to it. as i couldn't see myself giving a crap about this if it was a 15 hour game, for which i would have just waited for a used copy anyway.
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