Another Reason To Love Google

Yes, I know their march to complete Internet (and soon World) domination steadily soldiers on, but I still can't help but love Google.

I've now made the switch from Firefox to Googgle's Crome, and found their incognito window feature. A neat idea, but here is the message that comes up when you use it.


Make sure to read the last few bullets. How can you not love these guys?

Dragon Age: Origins

Another gift under the tree this year, Origins comes from BioWare, the same folks that gave us Knights of the Old Republic (best Star Wars game ever!) and Mass Effect. However, instead of being set in space, this time we've got ourselves a good old Sword and Sorcery piece. With it's deep malleable story and extensive dialogue trees, Origins is instantly recognizable as a BioWare game, but for those that are familiar with the previous titles there are a number of notable difference.

First off, gone are the good/evil meters judging every one of your decisions. That doesn't mean your decisions don't have consequences. One the contrary, your companions still react to what you do, as does the story. In fact, the permutations as to where the story goes is more extensive then in any of BioWare's predecessors. The game not only has multiple endings, but multiple beginnings and middles, and someone who wants to see them all is going to be kept busy indeed.

Second is the depth of the game play. Origins is a tougher game than Mass Effect, sometimes a bit intimidatingly so. The learning curve at the start is a somewhat steep, but ultimately this game becomes more rewarding for it as you continually discover more abilities and tactics, even during repeated playthroughs. One of my knocks on Mass Effect was how easy it got, even on the highest difficulty level, once you got into the second act of the game. With Origins, I found myself turning it down to "casual" on my first playthrough. On hard, this game is sure to challenge any RPG veteran out there.

Bioware has also put in full, and solid, voice acting for all of their extensive dialogue trees. With far less repetitive side missions than in the previous games, Origins becomes much more engaging. With a deep and engaging story, and intriguing and well voiced characters, Dragon Age Origins is easily one of the best RPGs out there, a must for any fan of the genre and likely a good idea for those that aren't too.

My only knock, what's with the blood? I mean, it's almost comical how much blood gets sprayed around in this game (very Monty Pythonish), and they carry the blood splattered characters right into the dialogue scenes where one can't help but giggle as one blood smeared character calmly talks to another. Oh well, I suppose it is visually distinctive.