The first post-release downloadable expansion for Dragon Age: Origins has been announced by developer BioWare, with the content due "this holiday season."

Coming to all three platforms--PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360--"Return to Ostagar" is said to let players "exact their revenge and embark on a quest for the mighty arms and armor of the once great King Cailan when they revisit Ostagar, the site of the Grey Wardens' darkest hour, to reclaim the honor and learn the secrets of Ferelden's fallen king."

Along with battlefields "now thick with darkspawn encamped amidst the snow," players will also encounter "a second chance to add Dog to your party."

The download will go for $4.99 / 400 BioWare Points / 400 Microsoft Points in North America--a worldwide release "this holiday season" was promised, but international pricing was not disclosed. The developer has previously stated its commitment to fleshing out the fantasy RPG with extra content, noting this could last two years.

Update: According to Big Download and Blue's News, Left 4 Dead 2 pre-orders were listed as Steam's second top-grossing game for the week of 11/8 - 11/14, though it seems that listing disappeared after the game launched on November 17.

Original: The week before Left 4 Dead 2's release curiously saw Valve's zombie shooter get left behind by digital customers, as online pre-orders for the sequel slipped from the number three spot on Steam's top ten to, well, a position not listed on the chart.

Unsurprisingly, sales juggernaut Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 topped Steam's charts, with Direct2Drive, which refuses to sell MW2, seeing Dragon Age reign again.

Steam Top Ten (by Revenue): 11/8 - 11/14

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Infinity Ward
2. Dragon Age: Origins - BioWare
3. Dragon Age: Origins Digital Deluxe Edition - BioWare... Read more

Last week was a big one for PC RPGs, as BioWare's long-awaited Dragon Age: Origins dominated the sales charts of digital distribution outlets Steam and Direct2Drive, joined by Gearbox's shooter-RPG Borderlands and Runic's Diablo-esque Torchlight.

Also of note is the fact that the Steam charts include three titles not sold by Direct2Drive: Left 4 Dead 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Shattered Horizon.

Steam Top Ten (by Revenue): 11/1 - 11/7

1. Dragon Age: Origins Digital Deluxe Edition - BioWare
2. Dragon Age: Origins - BioWare
3. Left 4 Dead 2 (pre-order) - Valve... Read more

Dragon Age: Origins PC players struggling with the difficulty of BioWare's fantasy RPG should head on over to FileShack to download the 12MB Patch 1.01a, as should players who don't much fancy the idea of having their character's statistics corrupted.

As well as fixing several bugs, the patch--which has already been deployed to Steam players--tweaks the RPG's difficulty by slightly boosting the combat stats of all party members on the 'Normal' setting and making 'Easy' easier. The full changelog follows.

• Fixed potential corruption of character statistics... Read more

The latest deluge of Dragon Age: Origins media presents us two new videos: one made for the internet, the other for TV. Guess which one features a shower of blood?

First up is the TV commercial, tame by video game standards:

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Click through for the more extreme trailer:... Read more

While the PlayStation 3 of Dragon Age: Origins was looking to be delayed several weeks past the November 3 launch date, BioWare confirmed today that all three versions--Xbox 360, PC and PS3--will ship on the same day.

Three DLC packs--The Stone Prisoner, the Blood Dragon Armor and Warden’s Keep--will also be available at launch.

The company also announced that Dragon Age has gone gold and is now off to manufacturing. To mark the occasion, we've got a new trailer highlighting the character of Oghren, the dwarven gladiator:

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A new Electronic Arts studio dedicated to creating Flash games has revealed its first project, a browser-based take on BioWare's upcoming RPG Dragon Age.

"At EA 2D it is our mission to create blockbusters for the browser," wrote EA 2D producer Ethan Levy in a dev diary. "Some will be original games created by our teams and some will be games within other EA franchises, such as Dragon Age Journeys."

Dragon Age Journeys is aimed to be a "3 chapter, single player, tactical rpg delivered in Flash." The game will function as a stand-alone experience, but is tied to the story and settings of Dragon Age, with the first chapter centered around "the dwarven city of Orzammar and the Deep Roads surrounding it."

The Dragon Age: Origins PC Character Creator is now available on FileShack, allowing you to design your hero (or heroine) weeks before the actual game arrives. Among the various options are gender, race, class, and numerous appearance toggles. You'll also dole out a few attribute points and glimpse some skill and talent trees.

Coming from Baldur's Gate and Mass Effect developer BioWare, Dragon Age: Origins hits PC and Xbox 360 on November 3, with a PlayStation 3 edition later in the month.

With the release of Dragon Age: Origins drawing ever closer, developer BioWare has now called forth a fancy cinematic trailer for the upcoming fantasy RPG. In other words, there's no actual gameplay here, but lots of pretty CGI and action movie-esque stunts.

In related news, BioWare has confirmed that the PC edition will arrive on Steam in addition to Direct2Drive and Impulse. The full game hits PC and Xbox 360 on November 3, with the PlayStation 3 edition due later in the month. Thanks to Eric for the tip.

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With BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins slated to receive two downloadable expansions at launch, the company has now issued screenshots and trailers detailing the add-ons.

All new copies of Dragon Age: Origins--due on PC and Xbox 360 come November 3, then PlayStation 3 later in the month--will include free codes for both the "Stone Prisoner" expansion and "Blood Dragon Armor" also wearable in Mass Effect 2. "Prisoner" will also be available as a $15 (1200 MS Point) download for those that buy used.

The "Warden's Keep" expansion--priced at $7 (560 MS Points)--will also be available at release, though only those who buy the PC Digital Deluxe Edition will... Read more

How, exactly, does one become a Brood Mother? This brief Dragon Age: Origins vignette may not provide the clearest answer to that query, but it does provide a hint or two.

The latest from Baldur's Gate and Mass Effect developer BioWare arrives on PC and Xbox 360 come November 3, alongside a smattering of day-one downloadable content. The PlayStation 3 release of both the game and the DLC are due later in November.

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BioWare has confirmed the Dragon Age: Origins 'Warden's Keep' content included with the PC Digital Deluxe Edition--which is different than the Collector's Edition and only sold via online shops--will also be available as $7 downloadable content at launch.

Warden's Keep brings "a new dungeon-exploring adventure, new loot including a set of ancient Grey Warden armor, a chance to gain two of six mysterious new abilities, a new base complete with merchants and a party chest to store their hard-earned items."

As was previously announced, the 'Stone Prisoner' DLC found free in all new copies of the game will also be released at $15 for those who buy used when the fantasy RPG hits PC and Xbox 360 on November 3--then PlayStation 3 later in the month.

Available only in new copies is the "Blood Dragon Armor," wearable by characters in both Dragon Age and Mass Effect 2. Have a gander through this trailer... Read more

"They'll tell of the ancient Feraldens. They'll tell of the strife with the Devinter empire long ago. They'll tell of the great, wondrous battles that have taken place," says Dragon Age designer Ferret Baudoin of the game's environments in this short dev diary.

An interesting note is that the BioWare dev team used the Neverwinter Nights engine to prototype Dragon Age levels before finally crafting them for the final game.

I can't tell you about the ancient Feraldens, but I can tell you that Dragon Age arrives on PC and Xbox 360 on November 3, with the PS3 release following later that month.

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BioWare has announced that a PC character creation utility for Dragon Age: Origins will be released ahead of the game's release, allowing players to craft their adventurers and load them directly into the final game.

The 320mb application will be released on October 13, while the full game is set to hit shelves on November 3, providing exactly three weeks of time to sculpt the perfect hero.

A new Dragon Age: Origins trailer features only a few bars of industrial rock and not even the faintest whiff of nipple, thankfully choosing instead to show the over-crowded and troubled Ferelden capital city of Denerim--a fine place for a spot of RPG adventuring.

Coming from Mass Effect and Baldur's Gate developer BioWare and published by EA, Dragon Age hits PC and Xbox 360 on November 3 then PlayStation 3 later that month.

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"I grew up around Antivan whores," assassin Zevran declares in his introductory trailer. "What?" another member of your party rightly exclaims in absolute astonishment.

Behind the sex and shlock marketing, though, BioWare's RPG Dragon Age: Origins still packs the tactical combat and engaging fantasy world one would expect from the developer of Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights.

Dragon Age: Origins is slated to hit PC and Xbox 360 on November 3 then PlayStation 3 later in the month, published by EA and packing free downloadable content.

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The latest trailer out of the Dragon Age hype machine introduces the character of Leliana. She kills a couple jerks, slays a few monsters, and has some sex. I suppose there's not much else to do in the age of dragons.

Dragon Age hits the PC and Xbox 360 on November 3, with a PS3 release to follow.

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Fresh from PAX, this new batch of shots from Dragon Age starts bloody and ends booby. There are a few pictures of people standing around inbetween--presumably depicting the founding of a nation, or some other boring thing. Dragon Age hits the PC and Xbox 360 on November 3. The PS3 release will follow later on an unspecified date.

Veteran actor Tim Curry and Star Trek: Voyaher's Kate Mulgrew are both doing voices for Dragon Age: Origins, and this trailer highlights that fact, and BioWare's process of working with the traditional actors on the fantasy RPG project.

Dragon Age hits the PC and Xbox 360 on November 3, with the PS3 release lagging behind.

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Welcome to Dragon Age's city of Haven, which, like every other fictional city named Haven, conceals some manner of dark secret whose resolution will require bloodshed.

BioWare's RPG Dragon Age: Origins will hit PC and Xbox 360 on November 3, with the PlayStation 3 release later in the month. A free piece of downloadable content worth $15 will be included with new copies, presumably to make used copies unattractive.

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