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Expansion Pack for Dragon Age: Origins Announced! wrote: http://dragonage.bioware.com/awakening

Awakening

Dragon Age™: Origins – Awakening

From the Makers of the Best RPG of 2009, Dragon Age: Origins, comes the first official expansion pack.

For centuries, the Grey Wardens—the ancient order of guardians, sworn to unite and defend the lands—have been battling the darkspawn forces. Legend spoke that slaying the Archdemon would have put an end to the darkspawn threat for centuries to come, but somehow they remain.

You are the Grey Warden Commander and have been entrusted with the duty of rebuilding the order of Grey Wardens and uncovering the secrets of the darkspawn and how they managed to remain.

How you choose to rebuild your order, how you resolve the conflict with "The Architect", and how you determine the fate of the darkspawn will be but some of the many complex choices that await and shape your journey as you venture to the new land of Amaranthine.

A Stunning World Expanded: BioWare's deepest universe to date just got bigger with an all new area of the world to explore, Amaranthine

· Unlock the secrets of the Darkspawn and their true motivations

· Rebuild the Grey Warden order and establish their base of operations at Vigil's Keep

All-new Complex Moral Choices: Embark on an epic story that is completely defined and reactive to your play style

· Shape your entire experience based on the choices you make and how your handle complex situations

New Ways to Customize your Hero: Experience additional spells, abilities, specializations, and items to further personalize and customize your hero and party

· Import your character from Dragon Age: Origins or start anew as a Grey Warden from the neighboring land of Orlais

· Encounter five all-new party members and an old favorite from Dragon Age: Origins

Even more Bone-Crushing, Visceral Combat: Battle against a new range of horrific and terrifying creatures

· Put your skills to the test against an evolved, intelligent breed of Darkspawn and other menacing creatures including the Inferno Golem and Spectral Dragon!

More news wrote:

[UPDATE] $40 add-on to BioWare’s critically acclaimed RPG will increase level cap and add new party members, spells, and storyline; Return to Ostagar yanked at last minute for unknown reasons.

Awakening will feature smarter darkspawn….

Canadian developer BioWare was roundly criticized for not providing much additional content for its 2007 sci-fi role-playing game Mass Effect. That criticism certainly can’t be leveled at the Electronic Arts subsidiary's dark fantasy RPG Dragon Age: Origins, GameSpot’s 2009 PC Game of the Year. Also available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the title saw its first downloadable expansion pack launch alongside the game itself in November.

[UPDATE] A second DLC add-on, Return to Ostagar, was set to launch on Tuesday--but its release was stopped at the last minute. "We found a last minute issue and have delayed Return to Ostagar to ensure we deliver the highest quality experience to our fans," a BioWare rep told GameSpot. "We will update you once we have more information regarding the new date and are working hard to get Return to Ostagar out as quickly as possible."

Just over four months after Dragon Age's debut, the game will also be getting its first full-fledged expansion, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening. Available on March 16 worldwide for the PC, 360, and PS3, the major add-on will feature an all-new storyline that focuses on the rebuilding of the Grey Wardens after the bloody events of the original game's campaign. It will allow players to import their Dragon Age characters or start over as an all-new new Grey Warden from the empire of Orlais. It will also delve deeper into the backstory of the Darkspawn and their ongoing objectives.

…and deadlier dragons.

In addition to a new storyline, Awakening will raise the level cap for Dragon Age: Origins. It will also add new foes, with BioWare mentioning such creatures as the Inferno Golem, Spectral Dragon, and a hyperintelligent sub-race of Darkspawn. It will be set in the all-new realm of Amaranthine and will also add new spells, abilities, and five all-new party members, which players can enlist.

[UPDATE] According to EA, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening will cost $40 in the US on all platforms and require the original Dragon Age to play. However, retailer GameStop is listing the PC version of the expansion for just $30--a price that BioWare said was erroneous. "It's $40 on all platforms," a rep confirmed. No UK or EU price was given.)

Available both digitally and as a boxed retail product, Awakening is rated M for Mature by the Entertainment Software Rating Board in North America and 18+ by PEGI in Europe. The expansion’s official Web site has more details.

Tawmis wrote:You're on the Dragon Age/Social Site thing? (That forum is a nightmare...)

AndreaDraco wrote:

Tawmis wrote:You're on the Dragon Age/Social Site thing? (That forum is a nightmare...)

Yeah, a nightmare. But I'm getting used to its hectic rhythms: when Chris Priesly told us that RtO had been delayed, the users filled 70 pages with comments and furious posts in less than three hours.

Tawmis wrote:

AndreaDraco wrote:

Tawmis wrote:You're on the Dragon Age/Social Site thing? (That forum is a nightmare...)

Yeah, a nightmare. But I'm getting used to its hectic rhythms: when Chris Priesly told us that RtO had been delayed, the users filled 70 pages with comments and furious posts in less than three hours.

Ah, yes, a brief reminder why I stay off of it - unless it's to post an issue.
I love how these people EXPECT so much. Like they've never been late for something they promised? Whether a date with a friend. Dinner. Or even something work related. Give me an effin break people. Go play in the sun. The real sun. Not the digital one.