Bioware Employee caught reviewing Dragon Age 2

[Ian Caronia]

You could always make the kind of important distinction of a game where EA has been part of the project from day 1/ owns the developer

vs.

a game where EA were picked up by the developer near the end of the development to ship boxes.

In the latter case I would buy if the game looks good enough (I can't think of a single reason that could possibly make me not buy The Secret World) and in the prior case they can go chew on a dog boner imo.

Or you could buy used, aka "legal piracy". That way you get your game and none of the money goes to EA. But I prefer your second option if the developer actually deserves credit for something they made. Like say if the developer didn't try to make a third person shooter emulate CoD, with stupid ass red screen blurring effects that was originally made to simulate real life warfare for first person shooters (which is still stupid).

The FUCK is the point of having everything go red and covering the screen in random shit if you give me a HEALTH BAR ANYWAY?!! Just leave the game mechanic out the game so I can see what the hell I'm doing! But what else can we expect? They already established they have no idea what the difference is between an RPG and an FPS (source: http://www.nowgamer.com/news/5141/bioware-we-want-call-of-dutys-audience )
Dragon Age 2's Senior Producer Fernando Melo: "We have data that shows there are a lot of people that enjoy playing RPGs although they won't necessarily call them RPGs. They'll play Fallout, Assassin's Creed and even Call Of Duty, which have these progression elements - you're putting points into things..."

=_= You're putting points into things...so that means it's an RPG. And you're a SENIOR PRODUCER OF AN RPG?! I don't think Bioware cares what an RPG really is. They only care about overhead and appealing to the lowest common denominator to get as much cash as possible, probably because...

THERE IS NO BIOWARE. ONLY EA.

Bioware is just a name now, they died the moment EA bought them. Supporting them means you support EA and all their bullshit.

 

[PerpetualGamer]

...and? He advertised. He said the game was good, which, designing it, he is fairly qualified to say. 'S a damn fun game, and more immersive and character driven than anything in the past few years. Any work done by the man seems to have paid off.

Unless he's the guy that decided we can only interact with our companions at fixed points. Then shame on him.

Ironically that probably makes him the worse person to say that its a good game. Common developer saying is that something along the lines of designers being the worse judge of their own game.

If you were an designer of a feature in a game that you felt proud of, and felt that the complete effort of everyone involved produced a good game, would you not boast? Would you not say with confidence that people would enjoy the features?

I am happy to respond to such a level headed question, and kudos to you for being smart.

I would boast, but not in a public rating system as that is just bad idea for the above reason (invoking the wrath of the public).

But the following

The immersion and combat of this game are unmatched! A truly moving and fun epic. Anything negative you?ll see about this game is an overreaction of personal preference. For what it is, it is flawlessly executed and endlessly entertaining.

Is not a boast, it is a statement that says "if you don't like our features, you are incorrect and your opinion does not matter". You know what, I wouldn't be half suprised if this whole thing was faked by a professional troll, cause thats the kind of review i expect from a troll.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

snip

Keep in mind that these are the same people who had the audacty to say JRPGs weren't RPGs. [http://www.strategyinformer.com/news/8006/bioware-you-can-put-a-j-in-front-of-it-but-final-fantasy-13-isnt-an-rpg] Honestly, it is getting hard to support Bioware these days.

 

[PerpetualGamer]

snip

Keep in mind that these are the same people who had the audacty to say JRPGs weren't RPGs. [http://www.strategyinformer.com/news/8006/bioware-you-can-put-a-j-in-front-of-it-but-final-fantasy-13-isnt-an-rpg] Honestly, it is getting hard to support Bioware these days.

Thank you for showing me this. Alas I didn't think Bioware had fallen that low, quite yet.

 

[Moeez]

Within weeks of each other, people's most beloved game companies (Valve, Bioware) are showing their dark sides.

They said this day wouldn't come. What are they to say now?

 

[BehattedWanderer]

...and? He advertised. He said the game was good, which, designing it, he is fairly qualified to say. 'S a damn fun game, and more immersive and character driven than anything in the past few years. Any work done by the man seems to have paid off.

Unless he's the guy that decided we can only interact with our companions at fixed points. Then shame on him.

Ironically that probably makes him the worse person to say that its a good game. Common developer saying is that something along the lines of designers being the worse judge of their own game.

If you were an designer of a feature in a game that you felt proud of, and felt that the complete effort of everyone involved produced a good game, would you not boast? Would you not say with confidence that people would enjoy the features?

I am happy to respond to such a level headed question, and kudos to you for being smart.

I would boast, but not in a public rating system as that is just bad idea for the above reason (invoking the wrath of the public).

But the following

The immersion and combat of this game are unmatched! A truly moving and fun epic. Anything negative you?ll see about this game is an overreaction of personal preference. For what it is, it is flawlessly executed and endlessly entertaining.

Is not a boast, it is a statement that says "if you don't like our features, you are incorrect and your opinion does not matter". You know what, I wouldn't be half suprised if this whole thing was faked by a professional troll, cause thats the kind of review i expect from a troll.

I will agree that is more than a boast. And I would also agree that the immersion is damn near unparalleled, but to post for the public at the public's expense is imbecilic. And while not condoning his particular choice in words, the point that someone who put an extense of time and labor into a work has the option to review that work howsoever he may choose was the point I was working towards. The comment itself feels very much of Richard Garriot, or of any bigot braggard. But an ad hominem attack was not my point, which is why I avoided the content, going more for the principle. In a public as diverse as ours (a global one, in this case), the posting of any opinion would risk the wrath of someone or other. It is still his opinion, and he's allowed that, as we're allowed to call him a loony and laugh derisively. Just because he worked on the game shouldn't exclude him from that.

 

[PerpetualGamer]

I will agree that is more than a boast. And I would also agree that the immersion is damn near unparalleled, but to post for the public at the public's expense is imbecilic. And while not condoning his particular choice in words, the point that someone who put an extense of time and labor into a work has the option to review that work howsoever he may choose was the point I was working towards. The comment itself feels very much of Richard Garriot, or of any bigot braggard. But an ad hominem attack was not my point, which is why I avoided the content, going more for the principle. In a public as diverse as ours (a global one, in this case), the posting of any opinion would risk the wrath of someone or other. It is still his opinion, and he's allowed that, as we're allowed to call him a loony and laugh derisively. Just because he worked on the game shouldn't exclude him from that.

I understand where you are coming from, but think of a couple of things.

If I made a game, that alot of people didn't like, and then I hid who I was and made a post on metacritic, even if all I said was.

Fun game, cool features, I highly recommend it!

If i said JUST that without mention that hey, I made the game, i'd get the same fallout. What he did is wrong, the principle behind it is wrong. Standing up for your work is one thing, but you need to do it fairly to all and correctly.

Also to focus more importantly on your point of having the right to review.

the point that someone who put an extense of time and labor into a work has the option to review that work howsoever he may choose

Just because he has the right to review it however he wants doesn't make him right.

For example, I am smarter than you, I don't think this, it is fact, any thoughts otherwise is a overreaction of personal preference.

The above is OBVIOUSLY wrong and incorrect, but I have every right to say it. You wouldn't defend what I just said, no one would.

Granted like I said earlier DA:2 isn't a bad game mostly. But what he describes IS NOT Dragon Age 2 he describes some unknown nonexistant supergame.

 

[CCountZero]

Wow.
Was Dragon Age 2 that bad? I thought it was just /v/ being bored.

It's not; I think it's quite good. The problem is it has a very different focus from Origins, so the people who loved that game feel betrayed by BioWare.

While BioWare isn't at fault for deciding to move in a different direction with their franchise (it is theirs after all), they need to accept that in changing direction you're gonna piss off some fans, not try tricking them into liking the new game. I love BioWare and want to overlook this, but it is just so low.

I totally agree with you, and I actually like DA2 as well.

However, I'm also one of the "betrayed", and DA2 is not the first game that made me feel so. I experienced it first with ME2 (which was also a good game).

Basicly, it's BioWare sitting around a pot full of RPG, and pouting a bunch of Action-Adventure into it. But as I said, the pot is already full, so a decent portion of the RPG spills over onto the floor.

Which kinda sucks for those of us who helped make BioWare what they are today, and absolutely loved their older games and style.

But meh... what can you do. It's their descision in the end, as you said.

 

[Redworld13]

Such a shame, just starting playing DA2 today and i already hate it, all pc gamers will hate it, its been dumbed down....... ffs i thought they stopped doing that :S

 

[PerpetualGamer]

Such a shame, just starting playing DA2 today and i already hate it, all pc gamers will hate it, its been dumbed down....... ffs i thought they stopped doing that :S

Not all, please dont ruin what little reputation PC elitests have by making such sweeping statements.

 

[Thyunda]

First off - oh no! Major industry leaders might not be good people!
I don't give one if BioWare have 'sold out' to EA. Let's make that one nice and clear. They're names on a damn box.

Secondly - BioWare indeed have no idea what an RPG is....yet they designed Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Either that was pure luck, or their mouthpiece isn't connected to their brains.
Call of Duty an RPG...indeed!
This fake review most likely came as a response to the Metacritic bombing, in an attempt to salvage the game his friends and colleagues worked so hard on. I doubt this was officially encouraged by the rest of the company.

And thirdly - I don't think Dragon Age 2 is bad as a game. I've not played it yet, just going off what I've heard, it sounds like it'd be fun to play.
However, it simply won't be Dragon Age. I'll be playing an action/adventure in the Dragon Age universe, with the Dragon Age name slapped on the box...but it will not be anywhere close to its prequel.

 

[ImprovizoR]

I don't really care. They had to do something to counter all those trolls bashing the game. It's a good game and there was really no reason to receive those 2/10 user scores. That was just trolling. What that guy did was stupid. But as I said, I just don't care. I'm enjoying the game and I don't give a shit what anyone else thinks of it.

 

[mikespoff]

What's so bad about that? He's reviewing the game as a fan of it and not as a BioWare employee. Holy hell people are nitpicking about anything. There's no rule saying that a person who happens to work for a developer who releases a game he likes can't submit a review for that game on Metacritic. If I worked at BioWare, I'd probably do the same thing.

Absolutely. There is no story - and certainly no scandal - in this situation.

Move along, people, nothing to see here.

 

[Kingsnake661]

THERE IS NO BIOWARE. ONLY EA.

Bioware is just a name now, they died the moment EA bought them. Supporting them means you support EA and all their bullshit.

Then i support EA.. at least until ME3 hits. *shrug*

And, as for the whole DA2 stuff... I have to say, fan's are a fickle bunch to please. Make the game too much like the original, and your just milking a franchise and the game offers nothing new. Really shake things up, and it's a betral. *shrug* Damned if you do, damned if you don't. *shrug*

 

[Kingsnake661]

What's so bad about that? He's reviewing the game as a fan of it and not as a BioWare employee. Holy hell people are nitpicking about anything. There's no rule saying that a person who happens to work for a developer who releases a game he likes can't submit a review for that game on Metacritic. If I worked at BioWare, I'd probably do the same thing.

Absolutely. There is no story - and certainly no scandal - in this situation.

Move along, people, nothing to see here.

I totally agree that this guy didn't REALLY do anything wrong, other then not really thinking it through. When you accually work for a game company, giving a glowing review like that will come accross poorly. Is it fair you can't prase a game you like just because you worked on it? (or at least work for the company that made it?) No, not really. But that's just how it is.

 

[m72_ar]

Meh,
I love DA2.
The people who like the game are actually playing the game and not posting on message board complaining about it.

And did you guys try to look at it from the other side. Bioware guys got caught infiltrating reviews site and forums to give them good reviews. What's stopping say.. Activision guys infiltrate reviews site and forums to give them bad reviews.

For all I know all the haters could possibly Professional Trolls paid by Activision, and all the fanboys are their Bioware counterpart.

I loved BG2, but better RPGs have been made. Alpha Protocol, The Witcher, DA:O, even DA2. All of these are better RPG than BG 2 since my choices actually matter and have the potential to bite me in the ass down the line.in BG 2 not so much. DA2 might not be a better game than BG2 but it's definitely a far superior RPG

 

[justnotcricket]

I'm a tad confused, I reread the article (and it's source) a couple times just to make sure I didn't miss anything blatantly obvious. But one guy who works at bioware, and is probably just angry about all the stupidity going on with DA2, decides to write his own counter review to the trolls and now suddenly it's this huge Bioware/EA conspiracy to dupe people into buying the game?

Was it stupid of him? Yes. Should he have done it? No. But I must be missing the connection point where big brother attempted to dupe us all into making uninformed choices.

Well said. I don't think we should be stringing Bioware/EA up over one guy's actions. The company is probably as unimpressed as we are, if you think about it.

 

[Jezzascmezza]

That's actually pretty damn funny.
But sort of pathetic at the same time.

 

[QuadFish]

Well this IS EA we are talking about.

Plus this. EA eat fucking babies they really do.

As opposed to regular babies?

 

[Perfice]

Oh cool, yet another 'lets get together and all shit on something we don't like' forum.
Rad.