Dragon Age 2 - News Roundup

Here's a small roundup of Dragon Age 2 and related news.
First, Kotaku says Dragon Age: Legends is worth playing. They have a screenshot gallery of Stephen Totilo's time with the Facebook game, along with explanations for each panel.
G4TV has a video interview with composer Inon Zur and GameTrailers has an interview with Felicia Day on the Redemption set. Facebook Friday profiles Associate Producer Heather Rabbatich.
Lastly, the Call to Arms to get 1 million demo downloads worked (what, you're suprised?) and BioWare has unlocked the two promised items. Of course, BioWare has another plan and another in-game item on offer. From Chris Priestly:

Congratulations, You DID IT!

We challenged our fans to reach 1 million downloads of the DragonA ge 2 demo, and we have all helped to reach and beat this goal! As such, the 2 items we promised are now unlocked and will appear in your entitlements page.

Now, a new challenge has appeared. The third and most powerful tome is waiting to be unlocked. To unlock the tome “Of Things Not Lost” visit the Dragon Age Facebook page and share that days post. If each post from now to March 4, 2011 is shared and reaches 1,000,000 Impressions the day it is posted the tome will unlock.

You unlocked the first 2 tomes, now you can unlock the third and final one. Watch the Dragon Age Facebook Page like what is posted and unlock the final tome.

More information.

*roll eyes*

I guess it's marketing for you.


Go lemmings, unlock the last tome for me.

I start to feel a bit like a whore, pimping myself out for some Epix… Oh, well I'll take one for the team

What, if the goal was NOT reached ?

What would have happened with these … books … then ?

I'm starting to feel embarrassed for Bioware. How the mighty have fallen.

Originally Posted by Alrik Fassbauer
What, if the goal was NOT reached ?

What would have happened with these … books … then ?

NOW, I'm interested….

Oh I think they would have reached their "goal" no matter what. If one million ppl hadn't downloaded the demo they would have claimed it to be so no matter what

It is embarrassing - the Facebook game is goddam awful, especially compared to the really good Journeys that had it's first part released with Origins and was canned for this Legends abomination.

Originally Posted by Alrik Fassbauer
What, if the goal was NOT reached ?

Probably they´d just add the necessary numbers as they did in the demo download case.

Seeing as the counter was at 850,000 yesterday and 875,000 just a few hours ago I think this was more than a little fortunate they made the deadline…

The only good thing I can say about it is: at least they're not charging for this crap…

What a joke ! Bioware needs to do their own marketing. Im telling guys everything about this game is for the kids.

Originally Posted by rich ruffo
Im telling guys everything about this game is for the kids.

But boobs and blood are mature and dark! Like, for adults, no?

Well, back on topic. I'm sure they made it regardless of who actually logged in…I can say for fact I never did. Guess I was a bit lazy in that regarde, sorry guys.

This is out on the 8th right? gives me something new to play…so many rpg's to finish right now and no time

Originally Posted by Holly Avenger
Seeing as the counter was at 850,000 yesterday and 875,000 just a few hours ago I think this was more than a little fortunate they made the deadline…

The counter reached 1.5 millions last Wednesday, they "set" it back to 500k on Thursday for some reasons, then it climbed to 800k and was reduced to 750k…

It's like they were trying to achieve 1 millions on the last day…

A business conducted a (highly successful) marketing campaign. Where is the embarrassment? Where have they fallen? They are a highly successful game developer, their games sell millions of copies and DA2 will be no exception.

Some of you really need to learn to distinguish between what is good, or successful, and what is to your own personal taste. You also need to realise that Bioware is a business, their job is to make money, not to make games designed to please you personally.

If the game is not to your taste then move on to something else that is.

Originally Posted by Badesumofu
A business conducted a (highly successful) marketing campaign. Where is the embarrassment? Where have they fallen? They are a highly successful game developer, their games sell millions of copies and DA2 will be no exception.

Some of you really need to learn to distinguish between what is good, or successful, and what is to your own personal taste. You also need to realise that Bioware is a business, their job is to make money, not to make games designed to please you personally.

If the game is not to your taste then move on to something else that is.

Well said, couldn't agree more. It is physically painful to some here that this will happen. If you don't like it fine, don't play and don't buy it. But to crusade like they will fail massively is kinda funny in a tinfoil hat kind of way.

Originally Posted by Badesumofu
A business conducted a (highly successful) marketing campaign. Where is the embarrassment? Where have they fallen? They are a highly successful game developer, their games sell millions of copies and DA2 will be no exception.

Some of you really need to learn to distinguish between what is good, or successful, and what is to your own personal taste. You also need to realise that Bioware is a business, their job is to make money, not to make games designed to please you personally.

If the game is not to your taste then move on to something else that is.

That is excellent advise, and a point that seems to be lost on those who expected more out of Bioware…

In the future I think Bioware would do better to not market their games as RPGs(the stigma associated with such products could hurt sales on the mass market)… I think cinematic story driven Hackn'Slash games would be a better identifier for their future titles. That would help avoid any confusion and keep the rabble-rousers to a minimum.

Originally Posted by rune=74
But to crusade like they will fail massively is kinda funny in a tinfoil hat kind of way.

But they're not going to fail massively, the game will almost assuredly be a financial success… I don't think anyone ever said anything to the contrary, I mean I know I didn't. Heck, DA2 might sell more copies than anything they've ever put out. A financial success? Probably. A good game? Yeah. The aforementioned doesn't necessarily make it a good RPG… Giving the demo the benefit of the doubt, only time will tell.

Will there be anything left to do in the game? Or will we beat it if we reach the next goal.

Now, a new challenge has appeared. The third and most powerful tome is waiting to be unlocked. To unlock the tome “Of Things Not Lost” visit the Dragon Age Facebook page and share that days post. If each post from now to March 4, 2011 is shared and reaches 1,000,000 Impressions the day it is posted the tome will unlock.

Like hell - do your own spamming, Priestly.

The demo downloads has me curious - just how do they measure that? Do they only count downloads from the official sites? The official sites plus some of the most popular mirrors? Maybe the demo itself sends a message that it has been run to some server somewhere? Maybe they are counting EA account logins?