Darkspawn Chronicles Lets You Play Dragon Age as a Baddie

Just in case you’ve been wondering what goes through the mind of a lonely genlock, the Darkspawn Chronicles DLC pack for Dragon Age: Origins lets you experience a brief portion of the game from the darkspawn’s perspective. The DLC will be available on May 18, 2010 for $4.99 on PS3, 400 BioWare Points on PC, and 400 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360. Here are some highlights from the press release:

  • Imagine a world without heroes, where the greatest among you never became a Grey Warden
  • Play through the Fall of Denerim from the perspective of the darkspawn
  • Complete the module and unlock an epic darkspawn item for use in Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Origins — Awakening
  • Use the “Enthrall” ability – recruit any darkspawn you encounter into your party

As a huge Dragon Age nerd, I’m certainly going to play this batch of DLC, but I’m not super excited for it. As I mentioned in Coffee Talk #36, I just don’t enjoy playing as the villain.

Any of you planning to pick up this Dragon Age: Darkspawn Chronicles?

“The Iceman” Chuck Lidell Hypes UFC Undisputed 2010

MMA legend Chuck Lidell promotes UFC Undisputed 2010 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) in this excellent video clip that features footage of him training, some of his most exciting fights, and astonishing recreations of his fights created in the game. It’s a pretty slick video that “Iceman” fans will totally love. He is, after all, the second-most famous man from San Luis Obispo. (“Weird” Al Yankovic is the first. Duh!)

Sony Selling Extended Warranties for PS3 and PSP Systems

Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced that it will offer extended warranties for its PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles. Retailers like GameStop and Best Buy already offer extended warranties. While the added protection offers gamers peace of mind, warranties have proven to be quite lucrative for retailers.

Sony’s press release lists its warranty pricing as:

  • PS3 — 1-year extension ($49.99) or 2-year extension ($59.99)
  • PSP — 1-year extension ($29.99) or 2-year extension ($39.99)
  • PSP with Accidental Damage — 1-year extension ($39.99) or 2-year extension ($49.99)

It’s a smart move by Sony and I’m sure it will make a lot of money selling warranties. A lot of people don’t take advantage of the warranties they purchase. Some people forget that they even bought them. It’s a safe bet that the money Sony spends on repairing consoles covered by extended warranties will be a drop in the bucket compared to the revenue generated by warranty sales.

Are any of you going to plop down cash for an extended warranty? Or are you confident in the reliability of your PlayStation products?

This Week’s Videogame Releases

Iron Man is set to take on the movie world with his repulsor rays and unibeam, but he’s also saving a few blasts for the realm of videogames. Iron Man 2 comes out this week…for pretty much every platform known to man. PSP owners should keep an eye on Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake; if it’s anything like its PS3 counterpart, it will be a delightfully fun action game that oozes charm. Aside from those two titles, there’s not a lot going on this week.

Any of you buying new games this week? If so, kindly share what’s on your wish list.

UFC Undisputed 2010 Roster Reveal Video

Here’s a great video that shows the entire roster for the upcoming UFC Undisputed 2010. Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, Brock Lesnar, Chuck Lidell, BJ Penn, Quinton Jackson, Kimbo Slice, Diego Sanchez, Shane Carwin, Demian Maia, Rashad Evans, and Lyoto Machida are just some of the fighters in the game. Check the clip for the entire roster!

Zurg Kicks Ass in Toy Story 3 Trailer

Here’s a cute trailer for the upcoming Toy Story 3 videogame. Buzz and Woody take a backseat in this clip, allowing Zurg — complete with maniacal laughter — to shine. The fake AC/DC music is extremely amusing; you need to hear it if you’re a fan of the band. I’m excited for the movie and interested in the game (the tech looks pretty sweet). How about you guys and gals?

PadCast: EEDAR’s Jesse Divnich Talks iPad, DLC, E3, and More

EEDAR vice president of analyst services Jesse Divnich is the latest RPad.tv PadCast guest. My favorite analyst in the business discusses all sorts of videogame topics, answers reader questions, and reveals the super power he covets in this clip. Here’s the laundry list of talking points:

  • The Nintendo 3DS
  • Whether the PSPgo is a dead system
  • How awesome Sony’s E3 press conference would be if it were hosted by Kevin Butler
  • How the Apple iPad impacts the gaming market
  • Whether investors and venture capatilist have cooled on the console market in light of the hotness of mobile and social gaming
  • Whether Sega, as we once knew and loved it, is gone forever
  • DLC trends
  • E3 2010 predictions
  • What’s coming on 10/10/10
  • What super power he would chose and why

Give it a look, give it a listen, and leave any comments you have below.

This Week’s Videogame Releases

There are a bunch of interesting games launching this week. Hitting the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are Super Street Fighter IV, Dead to Rights: Retribution, and Nier. The PlayStation portable has PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe and Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley.

I’m super psyched for the new Street Fighter. This edition lets you host your own tournaments. It sounds perfect for an RPad.tv Invitational, no?

Are you guys and dolls picking up any new games this week? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

MLB.tv Comes to PlayStation 3

Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced that MLB.tv content is now available on the PlayStation 3. Subscriptions for the service start at $19.95 a month or $99.95 for the entire season. A premium package is available for $24.95 a month or $119.95 for the season. Here are some bullet points from the press release:

  • Home and Away Feeds — Choose to watch either the home or away broadcast feed.
  • Live Game DVR Functionality — Use the live video overlay to pause and rewind live games or fast-forward back to live game action.
  • Scrollable Linescore — Go directly to any half-inning to watch only that portion of the game.
  • MLB Scoreboard — Scrollable league-wide scoreboard for each day’s games in three modes: Pre-game with scheduled starting pitchers; Live with up-to-the-minute game status; and Post-game with final pitching decisions and archived feed selection.
  • Favorite Team Selection — Pick a favorite team or teams to be featured first on the daily scoreboard.
  • Calendar Schedule — Scroll through the entire 2010 Major League Baseball schedule in calendar format or the user-designated favorite team’s schedule.

I know that a few of you are baseball fans and that some of you have excellent taste in teams (go Yankees!). Are you interested in MLB.tv‘s offering on the PlayStation 3? I’m very tempted. I’d love to be able to see Phil Hughes’ excellent game from yesterday, but don’t have a legal way to do it at the moment. Streaming live Yankee goodness in HD sounds excellent to me!