For the price of a low-end PC plus a monthly fee you’ll soon be able to play ultra-high-end games like Borderlands, Mass Effect 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, and Crysis. According to VentureBeat, the service, dubbed OnLive, will launch in June after eight years of research and development, offer up to 720p-caliber high-def gameplay, and cost $14.95 a month.
Billed as a games-on-demand service, OnLive handles all the intensive game processing on the server side, so your local computer doesn’t have to. What you see is tantamount to a “screen-scrape” video feed send to your client device. All the intensive computing that might normally convert the insides of your homebrew rig into a mini-bake oven renders instead in the cloud.
It’s an ancient concept in computing terms–the model’s existed since mainframes and green-screens, in fact–but until recently, no one’s come up with a system to transfer high-bandwidth video with low enough latency to pass muster with gamers.
Dragon Age: Origins is a pretty nifty game from Bioware. I do not have the “Collector” so I can’t comment on that part, and haven’t been playing the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 versions, just the PC.
click to browse all screen shots
It is definitely a “dark” game, but hey, it’s ESRB “Mature / 17+ age” rated. Some info from the publisher below . . .
REVIEWS
“Dragon Age is the RPG of the decade.” – PC Gamer UK (94/100)
“One of the most addictive and expansive RPGs of its kind!” –Game Informer (9/10)
ABOUT THE GAME
Blood Dragon Armor
Commissioned by an infamous Nevarran dragon hunter, this armor was crafted in a time when dragons had almost been hunted to extinction. Infused with their blood, the armor gained notoriety after the hunter died at the hands of men rather than the dragons it was designed to protect him from.
Grants exceptional protection in combat
Armor will be usable in BioWare’s upcoming science fiction epic, Mass Effect 2
The Stone Prisoner
The darkspawn-infested village of Honnleath holds a secret: the forgotten stone figure at the town’s heart is a powerful golem frozen in time. Free the creature and reveal a storied quest to unlock its power and mysterious past.
Download The Stone Prisoner and gain access to Shale, a mighty stone golem who can join the party and travel throughout Dragon Age: Origins. One of the most powerful characters in the game, Shale comes with a rich back story, extensive voice acting, and a unique follower quest to explore. The Stone Prisoner also includes new environments, items, and hours of additional gameplay that adds to the Dragon Age: Origins campaign.
A powerful new party member to aid in the epic quest to save Ferelden from the Blight
New areas, including the troubled village of Honnleath
New achievements, items, and unique insights into the Dragon Age: Origins storyline
From the maker of Mass Effect and Baldur’s Gate comes the dark fantasy epic Dragon Age: Origins.
You are a Grey Warden, one of the last of a legendary order of guardians. With the return of an ancient foe and the kingdom engulfed in civil war, you have been chosen by fate to unite the shattered lands and slay the archdemon once and for all.
A Stunning World to Explore
BioWare’s deepest universe to date with over 80 hours of gameplay and more than double the size and scope of Mass Effect
Travel throughout dozens of environments and fully immerse yourself in a shattered world that is on the brink of utter annihilation
An epic story that is completely shaped and reactive to your play style
Complex Moral Choices
There are no easy choices
Tailor your Dragon Age: Origins experience from the very beginning by choose from six different Origin Stories
Decide how to handle complex issues like murder, genocide, betrayal, and the possession/sacrificing of children without the security of a good/bad slider to tell you what to do
Full Character Customization
Sculpt your hero in your own image or fantasy
Elaborate character creator allows you to create your own hero unique from anyone else
Shape your character’s personality and morality based on the choices you make throughout the game
Engage in Bone-Crushing, Visceral Combat
Battle against massive and terrifying creatures
Unleash legendary powers and choose from over 100 different magical spells and skills
Experience the adrenaline rush of brutal combat, beheading your foes or casting spells that make enemies explode from within
System Requirements Minimum:
OS: Windows XP (SP3) or Windows Vista (SP1) or Windows 7
Processor: Intel Core 2 Single 1.6 Ghz Processor (or equivalent) or AMD 64 2.0 GHz Processor (or equivalent)
Memory: 1GB (1.5 GB Vista and Windows 7)
Graphics: ATI Radeon X850 256MB or NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT 128MB or greater (Windows Vista: Radeon X1550 256 MB or NVidia GeForce 7600GT 256MB)
DirectX®: DirectX (November 2007)
Hard Drive: 20 GB HD space
Sound: Direct X Compatible Sound Card
System Requirements Recommended:
OS: Windows XP (SP3) or Windows Vista (SP1) or Windows 7
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 Ghz or AMD Phenom II X2 Dual-Core 2.7 Ghz Processor or equivalent
Memory: 2 GB (3GB Vista and Windows 7)
Graphics: ATI 3850 512 MB or NVidia 8800GTS 512MB or greater
DirectX®: DirectX (November 2007)
Hard Drive: 20 GB HD space
Sound: Direct X Compatible Sound Card
I do like that you can just save it, and come back later. Having a life schedule outside of games means that sometimes you only get 15 minutes, so “save” is pretty handy. While it isn’t a game that you’re going to play with friends so much, at least you don’t have 24 other folks ticked if you can’t make the “game time” that evening
For all IPhone and IPod Touch users!! Michael Roberts and 3 friends have just launched a new application (game) for your ipod and phone. Please check it out!! It’s really fun & cool and if you like it, please send this on to all your friends that have an IPhone or ITouch!! Please download it and see what you think! Thanks!
Let Mike Roberts know what you think of it; he hasn’t had time to do much on his website lately with work and family, but his contact info at the bottom is still good
Blood Dragon Armor
