Looks like the day all Dragon Age fans have been waiting for is about to come to pass. Come this Tuesday, those fans are about to shut themselves from the rest of the world until Ferelden is safe again. Not a fan of Dragon Age? Well, I hope you’re a baseball fan, or bunnyz, because that’s about the best I can say about this week. Take a look anyways. You might find some hidden gem about which you can brag to your friends.

Remember. Release dates are quite literally made at the whims of the publisher.  The following are subject to change without any warning.

Releases To Watch For This Week

Dragon Age 2 (Xbox 360, PS3)

Tuesday March 8, 2011
Are RPGs these days just not medieval enough for you? Well, Bioware’s got just the right cure for that little ailment. Dragon Age 1 was a roaring success, and despite the various, more action-y changes, Dragon Age 2 looks to hit the right notes for those craving for more dragon slaying action. Set a little bit after the events of DA1 and spanning 10 years, DA 2 has you playing as Hawke, a survivor of the Blight from DA1 and champion to the people of Ferelden. Hawke is probably the part of DA2 that was most influenced by Mass Effect. He has his own voice, and you can customize Hawke Sheppard style, meaning you can choose Hawke’s gender, look, and class. Each of the three classes – Warrior, Mage, and Rogue - can specialize in something more specific like being a two handed weapons Warrior instead of the board and sword Warrior. Like Mass Effect, dialogue is done through the wheel no unlike the one in Mass Effect, with an additional emotion icon in the middle so you know just what kind of tone to expect out of Hawke.

Despite how it sounds, Dragon Age remains distinctly Dragon Age despite Mass Effect’s influence. The combat may look as if DA2 is an action game, but really, that’s just Bioware deciding to make the combat look insanely flashier than it ever did back in DA1. The underlying game is still the same allowing you to pause the battle and issue orders to each and everyone of your allies in addition to Hawke. The skill tree has been vastly changed compared to its much more linear counterpart in DA1. Skill progression has multiple branches along its path to customize the skill further than before.

Back in DA1, your party members can either like you or dislike you. If they dislike you enough, they might just leave your party or even try to kill you. DA2 tweaks that idea into something that’s actually sort of akin to Alpha Protocol of all games. In Alpha Protocol, the characters you meet can either like you or dislike, but either way, it benefits you in some way or another. The same is true with your party members. Each one of your party members is either a friend or a rival. Either way, they get a boost in at least one stat and eventually learn a new ability. Now you don’t have to worry who you piss off with your choices and actions.

Dragon Age is not the only Western RPG out there, but it’s certainly the most mainstream. If you’ve ever wondered what all the fuss is about with these kinds of RPGs, Dragon Age 2 might not be a bad place to start.

MLB 11: The Show (PS3, PSP)

Tuesday March 8, 2011
It's almost time to take me out to the ballgames and take me out to the crowds. But whether you've got season tickets, don't make a game or you want to turn your favorite franchise into a dynasty the king of simulated baseball is back. The PlayStation exclusive features new analog PURE hitting and pitching and co-op play. Road to the Show is back and has been improved upon making creating your own player more intriguing than ever before. PS Move support has been included for Home Run Derby madness. Will the champ still have enough to repeat?
-Mario Marquez

Coming This Week

Tuesday March 8, 2011

Major League Baseball 2K11 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP)

MLB 2K11 has long been the cellar dweller of baseball sims, but with all new dynamic player ratings, a revamped fielding system, established game features the likes of total control pitching & hitting, as well as my player this year's 2k game might have enough to at least claim a Wild Card berth. It should be an interesting season on the field and in the sims.
-Mario Marquez

Yoostar 2 (Xbox 360 Kinect, PS3)

Admit it! You’ve always wanted to be in the movies. Well now you can sans sexual favors. Yoostar has a library of 80 scenes from various movies and TV shows like (The Terminator, Kick-Ass, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and various others) with one of the actors taken out for you to replace. These new scenes can be uploaded to Yoostar’s online community to be viewed, booed, and/or laughed at by strangers. Thankfully, you can do the same thing.

The $1,000,000 Pyramid (Wii)

I cannot wait ‘till the day they make trivia game video game where you actually win real money just by winning in the game. Sure they’ll need some foolproof plan to make sure you don’t cheat, but playing these games is a lot like picking the lottery numbers without buying the ticket. When it actually comes up, no therapist in the world will be able to talk you down from that ledge.

Atari’s Greates Hits Volume 1 (DS)

Wow! I actually recognize some of these names. This here compilation includes the likes of Asteroids, Battlezone, Centipede, Gravitar, Lunar Lander, Missile Comand, Pong, Space Duel and Tempest among other games. Now where did I put that Atari joystick of mine?

Petz: Bunnyz Bunch (DS)

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I almost miss writing about these DS pet simulators. Here’s your chance to care for a bunch of baby rabbits, which apparently have their own personalities. I’d like mine to have the manic depressive personality with a touch of psychosis and dissociative disorder please.

Gods Eater Burst (PSP)

Get out your MHPs folks. What’s that? Oh, that’s Monster Hunter Player, AKA the PSP, to you uninitiated folks. We’ve got ourselves another Monster Hunter clone coming out for your favorite Monster Hunter playing device. In the future monsters roam the Earth eating anything that moves and can only be killed by another monster. Thankfully, your weapon was crafted by their cells, so you’re good. Happy hunting!

Phantom Brave: Heroes of the The Hermuda Triangle (PSP)

Despite the completely different names, this strategy RPG is actually an adaptation of the Wii game Phantom Brave: We Meet Again that came out nearly 2 years ago. Fortunately, this port includes some new story content and new characters including cameos from other NIS titles. You can expect NIS’s brand of humor to be peppered generously through out this game, which a lot of time is usually enough on its own.

Damn my party members in Dragon Age 1! I don’t need you! Dragon Age 2 is just around the corner, and their party members won’t leave me just because I recruited the assassin that tried to kill us. So petty! How about you guys? Who’s up for a little bunnyz love?

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