BioWare To Show Dragon Age, The Witcher At E3 14
Thanks to 1UP for its article discussing BioWare's brief announcement of two new titles it'll be showcasing at E3 next week. Specifically: "The developer's own new project is Dragon Age, a new PC RPG set in an original fantasy world" - almost no other details are forthcoming for now. The piece also reveals another product to be shown at BioWare's E3 booth: "Polish developer CDProjekt will show The Witcher, a new action-RPG for the PC. It's powered by BioWare's Aurora engine, the 3D technology behind Neverwinter Nights." This title had some early previews, complete with several screenshots, back in 2003, although it's expected to have changed significantly since then.
Re:After a brief trip to google.. (Score:3, Informative)
Well, you missed one small thing: they used "PC CRPG" to describe Dragon Age, not "action RPG." Which hints that it will be more like Baldur's Gate (in concept, not exact implemention, I'm sure). Lots of NPCs, party banter, more stealth/diplomacy options, strategic fighting. Yummy. Or am I reading too much into it? :)
But anyway, I do agree that it's important to note that they're not using D&D or D20 rules. This means they own their content and engine fully. They're beholden to no one, and won't experience what Interplay went through (they had their license revoked before BG3 could be published). I also have high hopes that this will mean no legacy weirdness (the distinction between wizards and sorcerers is, IMHO, wholly done to appease old AD&D players). A new set of classes and skill system could make for a much more enjoyable game.