The first expansion to the hit RPG, Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening offers creative title punctuation and 15+ hours of gameplay.
Update: Bioware has released a trailer for the Awakening expansion which answers at least one question: The “old favorite” character from the original game is most likely your Grey Warden buddy, Alistair.
After rumors flew yesterday, Bioware announced that Awakening will be released on March 16th. Awakening focuses on a new darkspawn threat to the Grey Warden Commander as you try to rebuild the decimated order. You can import your character from the original game or create a new one from the neighboring country of Orlais. The world map expands by adding the realm of Amaranthine, and you will meet five new party members in addition to an “old favorite” from the original. The expansion is available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC for preorder at Gamestop and will cost $40.
It’s interesting that an expansion will be released less than six months after the first game was released, especially since Bioware promised an aggressive DLC schedule. There is no indication that this announcement had anything to do with the first DLC after launch, Return to Ostogar, being delayed, but the proximity of the two announcements seems like more than a coincidence.
Also, with the original Dragon Age clocking in at 70+ hours to complete, it seems a bit steep to charge $40 for what might only amount to what some sources claim is 15 hours of gameplay. With game prices going up, is $40 the new price of quality game expansions?
