Yeah, I know—this place is turning into Hardcore Dragon Age Gamer. I can’t help the news is still slow, so read up and hush.

If you can’t get enough of the nostalgic RPG fun in Dragon Age: Origins, worry not. BioWare’s got their fans covered with an upcoming DA:O expansion—yes, a seriously old-school full expansion—called Awakening, due for release this March. The expansion will ship on a retail disc and will be available in downloadable form, and will cost gamers $39.99.

Players can expect new areas, higher level cap, five new characters (although BioWare has been unclear on whether or not they’re all playable), and lots of new loot. BioWare says players can expect roughly 15 hours of new gameplay in the expansion. (more…)

The next DLC for EA and BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins, a heart-warming tale of revenge and ogre massacre called Return to Ostagar, hits Xbox Live and the PC on January 5. PSN will see the DLC pack sometime later. If you want to know what to expect in the pack, catch a glimpse below, courtesy of Gamerfuzion and Youtube.

Thanks to VG247 and Game Informer, we now know a wee bit more about the upcoming sequel to EA’s sci-fi/horror shooter Dead Space. The sequel will be set three years after the original; Isaac Clarke returns; and—gasp!—Isaac will speak this time. The game will take place on a giant space station called Sprawl that makes the Ishimura from Dead Space look like an insect.

Oh, and you’ll be able to fly around in zero-G environments now. No word on how, but I bet that’s an upgrade you’ll find at some point. Rocket boots anyone? Maybe. Isaac will also be able to fire while he’s flying/floating through the air. Say it with me: aaaahhh yeeeaaah.

There will also be a multiplayer component, but EA didn’t say what it would be like, other than you’ll “get to strategically dismember your friends.” Sounds good to me, unnecessary as it is—and let’s face it, this is a game that definitely does not need multiplayer. As for platforms, Dead Space 2 will scare fools on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. So unless you’re one of those crazy Wii-only kids, get ready for more monstrosity-killing fun next year.

The title says it all: EA announced a forthcoming sequel to Dead Space, their popular sci-fi/horror shooter. Details are scarce at this point. We know protagonist Isaac Clarke will return, as will the Necromorphs, but that’s about it.

Check out the official announcement below. Yes, it really is this short.

“We’re thrilled to jump back into the series, making the next chapter in Isaac’s journey,” added Steve Papoutsis, Executive Producer of Dead Space 2. “The infection continues to spread throughout space and our hero Isaac Clarke is the only person able to contain it. There are still loads of Necromorphs that need killing. In Dead Space 2, not everything is exactly as it seems. Expect plot twists that will surprise you and a huge cast of twisted, disgusting monsters that are sure to scare the daylights out of you.”

As usual, we’ll update with more info when it is available. In the meantime, why not check out our first HCG Versus Mode feature, discussing the pros and cons of Dead Space? If you’re still somehow on the fence about it, perhaps our article finally persuade you one way or the other. Oh, one last thing: the image above is the first Dead Space 2 teaser image. The weird writing on the bottom is the Unitarian language, which in this case translates to “the nighmare is over but it will not end.” Weird, right?

Some of you folks might have played around with the Ultimate Team feature in FIFA; most probably have not. For the latter contingent, Ultimate Team is a collectible card game (or CCG as we geeks are prone to say) that works similarly to other CCGs, but with a real-world football theme rather than fantasy or science fiction elements. No +3 to mana boost here. Sorry, nerdlings.

Players will start with a simple deck of cards and play to earn more. There will be Bronze, Silver, and Gold card decks, the latter most likely being something special. Players can buy these decks with earned in-game credits. Players can also use real money to buy said credits. The starter deck is said to consist largely of Bronze cards with a few Silvers thrown in for good measure.

If you’d like to know more about how Ultimate Team works, check out GameSpot’s article on the upcoming feature. FIFA fans, take note: while the FIFA version of Ultimate Team cost a hefty $15, the Madden incarnation will be free. If you feel the need to riot in the streets—as “football” fans are wont to do—go right ahead. The riot will start in January when Ultimate Team releases on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.

It appears EA hasn’t learned anything from it’s past mistakes.  Why they think that giving people an advantage in a game for pre-ordering it is just beyond me.  How about some cool NVGs like Modern Warfare 2 or a gift certificate for all the money we have spent on ridiculous EA DLC that we don’t need.  It’s just stupid, EA. Get a clue.

The Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Limited Edition delivers six special customizations early to give players a day one advantage in multiplayer matches. Four vehicle warfare unlocks will immediately enhance the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 best-in-class online vehicle warfare experience, delivering extra firepower, radar, and armor for the vehicles. Additionally, the tracer dart attaches to any enemy vehicle and allows RPG-toting teammates to track, lock on, and destroy their adversary. Seasoned veterans of Battlefield 1943™ will be able to immediately re-acquaint themselves with two classic and highly powerful weapons, the M1A1 submachine gun and the M1911 pistol.

Before you read my review, please answer these questions:

#1: Do you like to rock and/or roll?

#2: Do you have a deep and abiding love of The Metal™?

#3: Do you like games that experiment with established genres (even with mixed results)?

#4: Do you enjoy a liberal dose of humor injected into your games?

#5: Do you heart Tim Schafer?

If you answered “yes” to any of the preceding questions, you’ll probably dig the heck out of Mr. Schafer and Double Fine’s latest metal-infused creation, Brütal Legend. If they all scored a “no,” go ahead and stop reading. I don’t like wasting anybody’s time.

For those that remain: Brütal Legend is an adventure/real-time strategy hybrid with a wicked sense of humor, metal-inspired fantasy trappings, and Jack Black starring as protagonist Eddie Riggs. Eddie is a roadie who is transported to another world in which everything—and I really mean everything—is inspired by heavy metal. Imagine a world where every environment (and the people and creatures that inhabit them) resembles the cover art for a metal band’s album: that’s the setting for Brütal Legend. (more…)

It was announced back in August but now we have some concrete details on EA Tiburon’s upcoming Madden NFL Arcade. Priced at $15 or 1200 MS points, the game will feature 5 on 5 games with no penalties and no field goals. There will also be power-ups that will do things like remove an opponent’s passing icons, add linebackers to get a sack, or freeze a player. The first team to reach 30 points wins.

The game will also feature support for 4 player local play, online modes, and, of course, leaderboards. It will be out sometime in December.

After several days of headaches brought about by trying to get into matches, I can now confidently review EA and DICE’s Battlefield 1942 download-only sequel, Battlefield 1943. I wish I was joking about the online issues, but sadly they were quite real. Getting into a quick match was incredibly difficult, and playing with friends was all but impossible. DICE stepped up though, adding several additional servers and ironing out most of the connection wrinkles prohibiting gamers from getting into matches.

These issues seem to have largely existed on the Xbox Live side of things, as there are far fewer reports of connectivity issues from PlayStation Network users. I played the Xbox Live Arcade version of Battlefield 1943 for review purposes, but the PSN version is identical in form and function, so PS3 owners may feel free to use my review to aid in their buying decisions.

So, after all those headaches, was the game worth waiting for? The answer to that question depends largely on what kind of gamer you are. If you’re a fan of Battlefield 1942, the answer is an enthusiastic “yes.” Although the DICE team behind 1943 did not develop the original, they paid great homage to the PC classic, and even improved upon the already-stellar gameplay with a few tweaks. Ammo is now infinite; snipers can’t go prone; teams are limited to 12 players; and so on. (more…)

Battlefield 1943 just hit the Xbox Live Marketplace today for the rather high price of 1200 Microsoft Points. I’d love to tell you that the game is fun and worth price, but I haven’t been able to play much—and neither has anyone else, for that matter.

Reports are popping up over at EA Games’ forums and elsewhere online that the Battlefield 1943 servers are totally janked. I can say from first-hand experience that this is quite true. I tried unsuccessfully for several minutes to get into a quick match, and was only able to do so once. I couldn’t get a friends match going at all.

So before you folks drop 1200 points for Battlefield 1943, be aware you might run into similar problems. To be fair, this is the release day, so of course the servers will be swamped, but you’d think EA would have planned for this. Hopefully, the servers will clear out a bit in the coming days.

UPDATE: Looks like the servers are at full capacity, meaning new players can’t join a match until others drop out. Also, the servers are experience date packet loss. DICE hopes to get new servers up and running with minimal packet loss by the end of the day.