I was lucky enough to get a chance to review both the PC and XBox 360 versions of the game, so I will try and give a few comparisons between the two. However, right from the start I should make one thing clear: This is a GREAT game.

One of the things that sets Dragon Age: Origins apart is the fact that you cannot simply talk about how the story goes. Depending on which race and class you choose for your character, you will play through one of six different introductions. Regardless of which intro you play, you’ll end up as a Grey Warden, a powerful warrior who is sworn to combat the spread of the Darkspawn blight.

As you progress through the game, it’s obvious that this is a Bioware title. You spend a lot of time progressing through dialogue trees, whic actually has quite an effect on how the game progresses. You will recruit a number of fellow adventurers to your cause, but to keep them happy, you must make choices that they agree with. Make enough bad choices, or deal with people in a way they do not approve of, and they will abandon you. Of course, you can switch out party members when you visit your camp, so learning what each character agrees with can allow you to frame a party that fits your playstyle.

One of the basic gameplay features of Dragon Age: Origins will feel familiar to anyone that has played an MMORPG, or a classic RPG, such as Baldur’s Gate. You can choose to play the game in a third person viewpoint, with a hotbar of abilities to use, just like a MOO would offer. Alternatively, you can play the game in a top-down, side-view camera mode that recalls the classic RPG’s of the past. If you prefer both of these modes, you can switch between them at will. Well, at least you can in the PC version. The XBox 360 version is tied down to the third person perspective, but that’s a limitation of the console controller, rather than the game. This is one of the main areas (other than graphics) where the PC version is far ahead of the console iterations of the game.

Graphically, Dragon Age on the PC looks amazing. Blood sprays all over the characters, environments are lush and detailed, and characters and NPCs alike look great. Unfortunately, the 360 version suffers in this respect, falling far behind the PC version in looks.

Regardless of which version you choose, Dragon Age: Origins is a richly detailed, story-driven RPG that fans of the genre absolutely must pick up. If you have the option to do so, I would recommend the PC version of the game, as it brings the most options and the best graphics to the table. However, if a console is your gaming platform of choice, you still owe it to yourself to pick this game up. Just be prepared – As with most Bioware RPGs, you can expect to sink over a hundred hours into this game in the first playthrough.

Gaming Today gives the PC version of Dragon Age: Origins a 9.5, and the 360 version an 8.5.

This is a minor patch to fix a few small bugs found in Dragon Age.

http://www.filefront.com/14870387/Dragon-Age-Patch-v1.01a/

My trepidation was somewhat relieved when I got my hands on the demo and found it to have great atmosphere, great pacing, and great voice acting. Now I’ve had my chance to play the full game, and in short, it far exceeds any expectations I had.

Arkham Asylum opens as Batman transports his arch-nemesis, The Joker, to Arkham Asylum. Soon after arriving there, the Joker breaks free of his restraints and takes over the asylum, leaving Batman to pursue him through a myriad of obstacles the Joker puts in his path.

One of the much ballyhooed features of the game prior to its release was the dynamic combat system, and it does not disappoint. The flow of melee combat is excellent, and the gadgets that one would expect Batman to be packing around become a major part of dispatching your enemies. Batarangs knock foes prone, explosive gel incapacitates enemies, and Batman can even pull foes to him with his grapple.

Chaining together long strings of combos gains you experience that can be spent to improve Batman’s abilities and to unlock new gadgets. Even more fun is the ‘Detective Mode,’ which allows Batman to see his enemies through walls, see their current heart rates and states, and even tell if they are armed or not. Watching a goon’s heart rate increase when he finds the unconscious body of his buddy is satisfying in and of itself. This mode helps tremendously if you’re trying to be very sneaky (my preferred method of playing). While staying completely stealthy is rarely required in the game, it’s more challenging if you try to be the true ‘Invisible Predator.’

Combat is excellent, but where Batman: Arkham Asylum really shines is in its presentation. Arkham is dark, creepy, and reflects the fact that the Joker and his goons have had their way inside its walls. While I don’t want to give away anything that you might encounter in the game, I’ll just say that the morgue scene is very well done, and reminds me a bit of parts of the original Max Payne.

Not only is the atmosphere well done, the voice acting is outstanding. The Joker’s paranoia and lunacy shine through as Mark Hamill brings years of experience in the role to the game, and Kevin Conroy’s Batman is quite fitting. Classic villains like Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and the Scarecrow bring their own unique personalities to life through the quality voice and visual presentations.

I also got a chance to try out the ‘Play as the Joker’ feature in the PlayStation 3 version of the game. While it’s only available on challenge maps, it’s not just a skin. The Joker has a full complement of personalized moves, and even packs a pistol for taking out those really tough guards. It’s enough to make the decision of which console to play this one on a pretty easy choice.

All in all, Batman: Arkham Asylum lives up to all the hype. To this point in 2009, nothing I have played surpasses this game. If I had to submit a vote for Game of the Year right now, there’s no question that Arkham Asylum would get that vote. RockSteady has grabbed ownership of this title, and made a strong case for more games in the same vein, and I have no doubt that Eidos will happily acquiesce.

If you haven’t played Arkham Asylum yet, you need to go out and at the very least grab the demo, and then the full game. Don’t miss out on the chance to play the best superhero game of the year.

Batman: Arkham Asylum receives a 9.5 out of 10 from me, and is definitely a title worth a purchase, even now when money is tighter than normal.

Brutal Legend Tim Schafer Walkthrough Trailer 2

The second in a series, this time Tim brought along some friends in Lee Petty, Art Director on Brutal Legend, and Erik Robson, Lead Designer on Brutal Legend.

http://www.filefront.com/14090905/BrutalLegend_TimcShaferWalkthrough_Trailer2.mp4/

Puzzle Quest: Galactrix v1.01 Retail Patch

This patch will update your Puzzle Quest Galactrix install to version 1.01.

http://www.filefront.com/14090921/PuzzleQuestG_PC_1.01_Update.exe/

Shadow Complex Gameplay Trailer

This trailer shows off Chair Entertainment’s action game for XBox Live, Shadow Complex. The game is set in the world of Orson Scott Card’s Empire novel.

http://www.filefront.com/14091161/Shadow_Complex_Game_Footage_v1.wmv/

NHL 10 Be a GM Trailer

This trailer showcases the Be a GM feature in the upcoming EA Sports hockey title, NHL 10.

http://www.filefront.com/14091167/NHL10_PROD_DIARY_GM_V10_H264.mov/

In this dev diary, developers go in depth about the sequel with the changes made, the differences in the character, and the setting.

Get it at FileFront!

The last release – titled Mothership Zeta will add some new weapons to the game as well as new alien adversaries. Those unfamiliar with the previous games in the series may not realize that Aliens and Fallout go way back – including a mention and random crash site location in the first game and a ray gun that make obliterating enemies that much more fun.

I’ve included the full details as well as some newly released screen shots after the jump.

Overview:
Defy hostile alien abductors and fight your way off of the massive Mothership Zeta, orbiting Earth miles above the Capital Wasteland. Mothership Zeta takes Fallout 3 in an entirely new direction – outer space. Meet new characters and join with them in a desperate bid to escape the Aliens’ clutches. To do so, you’ll wield powerful new weapons, like the Alien Atomizer, Alien Disintegrator, and Drone Cannon, and deck yourself out in brand new outfits, like the Gemini-Era Spacesuit and even Samurai Armor.

Story:
A strange Alien signal is being broadcast throughout the Capital Wasteland, originating from a crashed UFO. Is it a distress call, or something far more sinister? That question is answered when you find yourself beamed aboard an enormous Alien spacecraft, with only one alternative – to fight your way to the bridge of the ship and secure your escape.

Key Features:

• Find and exploit new and destructive alien technology, like the Alien Atomizer and Drone Cannon.
• Explore the vast Mothership and learn the secrets of the Aliens’ master plan.
• Thwart the Aliens’ attempt to stop your escape, and take over the Alien ship before it wreaks havoc on the unsuspecting Earth below.
• Fight against the Alien Invaders, their robot drones, and turn their own horrible experiments against them.
• Ally yourself with an unexpected array of characters, both from the Capital Wasteland and from Earth ’s past.

Regardless of what we may think, Activision isn’t content to sit back and count all the money they’ve made from Guitar Hero so far. No, they’re going to release yet another iteration of the title.

Guitar Hero 5 will add some new functionality to the title, and strangely enough, it’s actually functionality that makes it a better party game than before. Chief among these new additions is the ‘Pick up and Play’ mode. This will allow anyone to grab an instrument, jump in, play for a few minutes, and drop out without failing or causing the rest of the band to fail. It’s perfect for those unscheduled bathroom breaks in the middle of a song.

They’re also including a RockFest mode to let you face off against four players locally, or up to eight online. Heck, you can even throw down with four guitars at once if you so desire. But the question remains: Do we really need another full game for this? Wouldn’t these features be awesome DLC for the folks who spent nearly $200 on Guitar Hero: World Tour? You could probably even convince those folks to pay for them!

Ah well, maybe I’m just a spoilsport. After all, at least they’re including 83 songs in this version, and all the World Tour DLC will carry over as well. Maybe I’m just sick of having all these plastic instruments clogging up my living room.

At any rate, there’s a brand new trailer showing off these new features. You can grab it over at FileFront, or catch the embedded stream after the break.

I think that one of the reasons Batman is so popular is that he is a hero of the people. He isn’t a perfect man, a mutant or an alien. He has no supernatural or magical powers. He’s a man with a mission who struggles to keep from becoming the thing he hates. People can relate to him more readily than say Superman, even if he does have more money than god.

Radical Interactive has released a tips and tricks guide in video form for their latest release, Prototype. Hints, Tips and Stupid Helicopter Tricks may point out a few things you didn’t already come up with on your own. It also has some less useful more fun ideas for you.

Prototype is a mature rated game as you might figure since the main character eats people, so you can download the Prototype Tips & Tricks Trailer off FileFront. Mind the age gate.

The Mini Ninjas -
Where have the animals gone?
September comes soon…

Mini Ninjas will sneaking up on the PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 and the DS September 8, 2009.

According to Robert Bowling, community manager for Infinity Ward (a.k.a. FourZeroTwo), Call of Duty is definitely part of the new title. How can we be sure? Well, he shared this picture with us via his Twitter account.

See, now THAT is definitive. I had thought it strange that Infinity Ward or Activision would remove the CoD title from the game, since that links it into a seriously well-known franchise. Sure, it might confuse the issue of which Call of Duty game is coming next, but I’ll bet it will be totally worth it.

I can assure you all that most of us here at Gaming Today will be available online for you to shoot at on day one of Modern Warfare 2. I know that you will all be happy about that opportunity.

“Command & Conquer is a powerful franchise with an amazing 15-year legacy. We are thrilled to bring the dramatic Tiberium saga to a conclusion in Command & Conquer 4. This game is designed to give fans all the answers they’ve been looking for,” said Mike Glosecki, Lead Producer of Command & Conquer 4 at EA Los Angeles. “With its objective-based multiplayer mode, persistent player progression and all-in-one mobile base, players will experience Command & Conquer like never before.”

Much of the information on C&C4 is being kept under wraps and doled out as exclusive content. For more details on Command & Conquer 4 make sure to catch BattleCast PrimeTime on the July 24th episode. They’ll be revealing exclusive information C&C4. The first glimpse of the game will be the premier cinematic trailer aired exclusively on the July 23rd episode of Gametrailers TV on SPIKE TV. The ETA for Command & Conquer 4 is sometime in 2010.

Behold disciples of Nod, the end is soon upon us. Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that, after almost 15 years and 30 million games sold, EALA is bringing the award-winning Tiberium series to an epic conclusion with Command & Conquer™ 4. Shipping in 2010, Command & Conquer 4 will introduce a multitude of innovations to the to the classic fast and fluid Command & Conquer gameplay while retaining the core compulsions that fans have come to love over the series’ history. Introducing new class-based gameplay, mobile bases and persistent player progression throughout all game modes, Command & Conquer 4 offers players new, innovative and compelling strategic depth. The story of Command & Conquer 4 takes place after the events of the critically acclaimed Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars™. The year is 2062 and humanity is at the brink of extinction. With only six years left until the mysterious crystalline structure Tiberium renders the earth entirely uninhabitable, the two opposing factions – Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the Brotherhood of Nod – inevitably find themselves in desperation for the same cause: to stop Tiberium from extinguishing mankind. The unthinkable becomes reality and Nod’s enigmatic leader Kane takes off for GDI headquarters. What is Kane planning in the heart of his enemies’ base? Command & Conquer 4 draws the epic conclusion to the beloved Tiberium universe, where fans will learn the fate of Earth, Nod, Tiberium, GDI and most importantly, Kane’s motivations behind his decade-long plan. In addition to the two campaigns on the epic battles of GDI and Nod, which players will get to conquer alone or in a cooperative mode, Command & Conquer 4 will also feature a new 5v5 objective-based multiplayer mode, promoting teamwork and cooperation and delivering a social real-time-strategy experience never seen before in a Command & Conquer game. Command & Conquer 4 is being developed at EA Los Angeles and will ship to retailers in 2010 for the PC. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI. For more information about the game, please visit www.commandandconquer.com or follow the community and development team on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ea_apoc.