Darktown.

BioWare has been going back to the drawing board on Dragon Age III for a while now. Dragon Age II, as you may recall, received a mixed critical reception at best— I sure didn't care for it though of course, not everyone hates the game including some thoughtful folks who work here.

With Mass Effect 3 hogging the headlines for all the right (and wrong) reasons this month, BioWare feels now is the time to reveal that the Dragon Age series is in for what sounds like a serious bout of self-reflection.

I have a lot of fun ripping on Dragon Age II. BioWare's 2011 follow-up to their epic and beloved Dragon Age: Origins disappointed and frustrated me in many, many ways.

That's right, Dragon Age is going multiplayer. The role-playing franchise is, according to an insider, going beyond singleplayer for the first time, and warriors won't simply face off against each other in combat.

This must be weird. Nerd starlet Felicia Day, who stars in not just a Dragon Age web series but some Dragon Age II DLC, sits down here to play...Dragon Age II. As herself.

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of virtual world and MMO fashion

Let's start with my love of the Dragon Age universe, as well as Dragon Age: Origins. Man, I loved that game. Okay, we've got that out of the way? Good. Because I've made no bones about the fact that I was profoundly disappointed with Dragon Age II.

Ripped from the trailer for Dragon Age II's Mark of the Assassin downloadable content, two screenshots of a blood-splattered Felicia Day in action and a picture of a courtyard. Man, courtyards are so hot.

On October 11, BioWare will release new DLC for Dragon Age II called Mark of the Assassin, which is interesting in that it features the talents (and face) of The Guild star Felicia Day.

Commenter Supra5mge spends a great many hours squeezing ever ounce of enjoyment out of his role-playing games. How do your numbers compare to his? Show him up in today's Speak Up on Kotaku.

PAX Prime was a great place to catch some cosplay, and if you looked closely enough, find some sassy new friends to help keep you from blowing up the entire convention center in a fit of anger.

This dog is an entrant in a character costume contest being run by the people at BioWare, makers of Mass Effect, Knights of the Old Republic and other video games that include terrific characters. The dog, however, is cosplaying as a Mabari from the Dragon Age games.

Crysis 2 has disappeared from Steam. Ditto for Dragon Age II. There's a war being waged between EA and Steam over online PC gaming, regardless of EA's stated hopes.

Valve's online juggernaut and EA's own upstart service Origin are having some problems of late. Problems continuing through to this week, with Dragon Age II—previously available on Steam—now being withdrawn from sale.

What was wrong with Dragon Age II, Dragon Age fans? Too many recycled environments? Not enough tactical variety?

Dragon Age II was, for many, a bit of a disappointment. Too many recycled environments, too many cheap waves of bad guys to chop through. It was, you could argue, a bit of a rush job.

Every year experts from the fine art world and the interactive entertainment industry bestow upon video game artists the highest honor they can receive — inclusion in the Into the Pixel art collection. Let's take a look at the seventeen pieces that made the cut this year.