Tuesday marks the release of “Return to Ostagar,” a downloadable expansion pack for Dragon Age Origins, BioWare’s hit video game, although it will only be available for Xbox 360; a PS3 version will follow “later on in January.”

As the name suggests, the player returns to Ostagar, which is the ruined city where he or she was inducted into the Grey Wardens by Duncan in the original game. The player battles to retrieve the enchanted armor of the dead king Cailan, but also discovers the king’s secret political agenda, which can lead to a side quest that involves Duncan’s past and includes a new area of Ferelden.

This is different from previous expansions, “The Stone Prisoner” and “Warden’s Keep,” two adventures released concurrently with the game in November.

The pack costs $4.99 or 400 Microsoft Points and is available within the online version of the game itself.

For more information.

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Ever since the days of Mortal Kombat, conservative types have been horrified by what their kids can witness while playing video games, an action that’s often undertaken while not under a parent’s supervision.

Recently, games have been getting into trouble for their sexual content, a notorious example being the Grand Theft Auto series. But as we all know, nothing in the universe gets conservatives more riled up than the possibility that their kids might see something … shudder … gay.

But it’s almost 2010, and the world of video games is finally catching up with what most game-playing youth already know: gay people exist, and guess what? They’re just like everybody else. So it shouldn’t really be so surprising that slowly but surely, gay characters are popping up in video games.
What is surprising to some, however, is the following scene from BioWare’s hit Dragon Age: Origins …

This clip is groundbreaking for two reasons: 1) it probably goes further than any other video game in actually showing images of physical intimacy between men, and 2) it is fully in the genre of high fantasy, and one of those men is actually an elf. (And the fact that he is so clearly modeled after Orlando Bloom’s Legolas should amuse most Lord of the Rings fans. Of course, the less said about the bad Antonio Banderas accent, the better.)

Predictably, conservative groups are crying foul and claiming that this is damaging to children. But let’s put that to bed right now — for one thing, this game is labeled M (for Mature), meaning no minors are allowed to purchase the game themselves, and furthermore, it takes a lot of trying to get your character to this part of the game. You won’t ever stumble across a set of circumstances that accidentally make your character gay. You have to want to do it.

What’s more, isn’t it amazing that you can have a game in which fighting and killing are considered acceptable for youngsters, but two people expressing physical affection will be their undoing? But I digress.

So what does this mean? Little more than just another example of how video games are joining the rest of the world by growing evermore inclusive of people of all walks of life. Good for you, BioWare.

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It’s probably impossible to overstate the sensation that was Dragon’s Lair, the 1983 video game that combined classic animation with laser disk technology to create a “choose-your-own-ending”-type arcade game. Using animation by The Secret of Nimh’s Don Bluth, Dragon’s Lair told the story of Dirk the Daring’s rescue of the Princess Daphne from a dragon and the castle of an evil wizard.

It was one of the first video games to cost fifty cents rather than a quarter — but people willingly lined up to play regardless, because it was so completely different from anything that had come before.

Now Digital Leisure is releasing an iPhone app version of the game before the end of the year.

No word on whether or not Bluth is involved with this project, although he was part of the team that released Banjo the Woodpile Cat, “the first animated feature movie game,” earlier this year.

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Who doesn’t love a good man-lizard every now and then? Or a woman-lizard, for that matter.

If the new (and old) series V tells us anything, it’s that mankind has, well, a thing for mutant humanoid reptiles.

Reptile men have a long and celebrated history of interaction with his mammalian brothers, and it’s usually not one of cooperation and mutual benefit. Possibly the very first reptile man to chillax with his primate brethren was Sobek, the Egyptian god of water, specifically, the waters of the Nile which allowed their crops to be bountiful. He was joined by his reptilian cousin Apep, the snake god (occasionally seen as a crocodile, as well), who was a lot nastier than the benevolent Sobek.

And who can forget the story told in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, in which Eve is tempted by none other than the serpent?

Shoot forward to the ’80s, and there was a veritable lizard man explosion!

First, you had the original V, in which Nazi-esque alien lizards descended upon humanity. Simultaneously, on Third Earth, the heroic Thundercats were dealing with some nasty mutant enemies, among them S-s-slithe, the reptilian leader (and yes, his name had hyphens. Hey, mine has an apostrophe, who am I to judge?). There was also the scaly presence of Cobra Commander in the world of G.I. Joe.

Meanwhile, on the big screen, a bizarre and touching friendship occurred between a human and a reptile being in an obscure but fascinating sci-fi film called Enemy Mine, and down here on Earth, James Earl Jones gamely turned into a giant snake in Conan the Barbarian.

In the ’90s, the world of video games brought us both Mortal Kombat’s Reptile and Soul Calibur’s Lizard Man.

And there’s my favorite bat-crap crazy philosopher, David Icke, who really believes that many of our world leaders are actually hybrids of humans and reptile-aliens (in other words, the exact plot of V), spanning the political spectrum from the first George Bush to Hillary Clinton, and belong to the shady institution known as the Illuminati. The man is insane with a capital WTF, so naturally I love him.

But the question has to be asked, what’s up with our fondness for these reptilians? What’s the dilly-yo?

It could be that we have that very human characteristic of being inexorably drawn to the other, the bizarre, that which is unlike us, and as mammals, a reptilian creature fits that mold. When in the shape of a man, it sort of looks like us, but is actually a funhouse mirror image, a bastardization of humanity, a representation of what we might have been had evolution taken a slightly different course. Reptile men are us, when seen through a glass darkly.

Or it could be that scales are just, you know, awesome.

Suffice it to say, with the new series V doing quite well for itself in the ratings, it would seem that lizard men are here to stay, at least until we find a new animal-man hybrid upon which to languish our affection. Personally, I’m leaning in favor of Bird Men. What do you think?

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A debate has raged around this month’s release of Shadow Complex, the critically-acclaimed (and now bestselling) platform-adventure game based on a series of science fiction books by Orson Scott Card.

Though he is the very successful author of Ender’s Game and many other books, Card has long held extremely anti-gay views, even recently seeming to argue for the violent overthrow of the U.S. government should the state of California continue to legalize same-sex marriage: “How long before married people answer the dictators thus: Regardless of law, marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down.”

Card has also argued that gay people should be put in prison, writing, “Laws against homosexual behavior should remain on the books, not to be indiscriminately enforced against anyone who happens to be caught violating them, but to be used when necessary to send a clear message that those who flagrantly violate society’s regulation of sexual behavior cannot be permitted to remain as acceptable, equal citizens within that society.”

But Shadow Complex does not include any of Card’s anti-gay views, and the author himself reportedly had little to do with its creation.

Still, it is based on his work, and he does receive money from the sale of the game. In simple terms, some gamers don’t want to give their money to a man whose views they despise. And they’re suggesting that others withhold their dollars as well.

A similar controversy swirled around Dragon Quest, because Koichi Sugiyama, the composer for all editions of the game, is a Japanese nationalist activist who openly denies of the Rape of Nanking.

And Card has also been the object of many other protests for his anti-gay views, most recently in early 2008 when he was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award for, ironically, “helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world.”

But the reaction of many gamers to the call for a Shadow Complex boycott has been openly dismissive. At neogaf.com, accusations ranged from “Holy crap, it’s just a game” to “I keep my gaming and my political / personal opinions separate. Therefore this kind of thing doesn’t get in the way of me playing an excellent game.”

At one point, a moderator even shut the thread down, claiming the whole idea of a boycott was “stupid.”

And it’s worth asking: are an artist’s personal views relevant when judging his or her art? Are the calls for a boycott violating Card’s rights to free speech and free expression?

“Card’s political beliefs sure didn’t come up during the game’s development,” Mark Rein, vice president of the company that makes the game, told Kotaku. “Even if they had, we don’t discriminate when hiring or choosing partners based on people’s personal beliefs. Heck, Gears of War was made by Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, and even a few Canadians like me. It takes all kinds to make great creative games.”

But no one is saying that the company didn’t have the right to make the game, or that others can’t choose to buy the game. They’re just saying that they personally find Card’s well-publicized views and open anti-gay activism offensive. And that by supporting him and his work, you’re supporting his views.

No one has a “right” to have their views go unchallenged, especially if they’re as bigoted as Card’s. The call for a boycott is also a part of free speech.

Indeed, part of the boycott, and part of the general push-back against Orson Scott Card is to stigmatize and marginalize him and his opinions. That’s also part of what free speech is about.

“Money is important, but far more important to [Orson Scott Card], and to history, is his legacy,” writes GayGamer, who has mixed feelings about the boycott. “You can tell from his reactions how much being called a homophobe rankles him. Increasingly and through his own work, the line on Orson Scott Card has moved away from ‘respected science fiction author’ to ‘kind of insane about this whole gay thing.’ As his views become more and more fringe, and we continue to gain the rights he’s fighting against, he’ll retreat further into a conservative ghetto.”

GayGamer also has what many are calling the perfect compromise: “I think if you’re obviously too disgusted to enjoy the game, avoid it, and speak out. However, if you want to play the game, play it. Enjoy it, but offset the hate: if you buy Shadow Complex, donate $5, $10, $15 if you can spare it to a gay charity. Let them know why you’re giving the money. Card won’t get nearly that much per game. In message boards or user reviews, in blogs or tweets, if it comes up, let people know exactly what Card has said on the matter, and where, and damn him with his own language.”

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Cinematic interpretations of video games have a, uh, less-than-impressive track-record: Mortal Kombat, Super Mario Brothers, Double Dragon, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, D.O.A., Hitman, Bloodrayne, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, Alone in the Dark…

The list goes on. But it’s possible the psychic damage to gamers everywhere may soon be undone.

Sony’s Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune might possibly be getting the feature film treatment very soon. The game itself has often been compared to a fun summer action-adventure blockbuster, so chances are that if it jumps to the big screen, that’s exactly what they’ll go for.

The story features the Indiana Jones-like treasure hunter, Nate Drake, who is a descendant of famed explorer Sir Francis Drake. He believes he has discovered location of El Dorado, the fabled lost city of gold. Naturally, there’s a rival to contend with and a saucy, sexy lady who factors into the story as well. Furthermore, there are mutated creatures determined to keep Drake from his goal.

(A scribe named Kyle Ward was hired to pen the script. Interestingly, Ward is also involved with game-to-movie projects Hitman 2 and Kane and Lynch.)

God of War, a video game series that takes place in a world of Greek mythology on a cocktail of steroids and mescaline, may also be seeing a film version in the near future. There doesn’t seem to be too much information available yet beyond the canceled plan to have X-men 3 helmer Brett Ratner direct, but given the enormous success of 300 and the spate of Greek mythology movies due out next year, it seems likely that this will happen.

There’s an amusing video of God of War creator David Jaffe meeting notrious(ly bad) film director Uwe Boll, who is responsible for some of the worst video game movies out there. After a few minutes of forced politeness and light discussion about collaboration, Jaffe admits he would not want Boll to direct the potential God of War film:

Finally, there’s the well-publicized upcoming adaptation of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, starring Jake Gyllenhaal — which is significant in and of itself, for its not very often that video game movies score A-list actors to play their leads. It’s a Jerry Bruckheimer production, so expect a lot of action on a grandiose scale, and given all the promotional material, we can be sure we’ll be treated to a great many scenes of Gyllenhaal fighting topless.

Director Mike Newell, perhaps aware of the current perception of video game movies, had this to say concerning the nature of Prince of Persia:

“It’s not a videogame movie. It’s a great story. If you had read the script, you would know that it wasn’t a videogame. It’s very exciting and it’s immensely romantic and it’s like Lost Horizon. It takes you to somewhere you’ve never been.”

Only time will tell the outcome of these projects, but here’s hoping the curse of the video game movies is finally lifted.

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