Poll: Which Bioware RPG to start with?

[dyre]

Don't listen to the Baldur's Gate supporters! While it is undoubtedly Bioware's finest game, it's goddawfully difficult for new WRPG players, especially if you're having problems with KOTOR. I'd hate to have you try BG2, then give up because it's too complex. Try one of the newer Bioware games first.

I think you should just try pushing through KOTOR (maybe read a few FAQs about how to build your character and such), then try Baldur's Gate 2. Or 1, I suppose.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Yeah, but as for the rest of the original Deus Ex...Maybe I was just born in the wrong era.

A lot of people played it thinking it was a fps, plus today's gamers are used to auto-regenerating health.

 

[BoredDragon]

The combat system of Dragon Age felt too much like WoW to me so I didn't really enjoy it. It was little more dynamic than WoW, but not by much in opinion. *flame shields engaged*

I haven't played knights of the old republic or jade empire, but I have played Mass Effect. I really liked the first one and I loved the second. I say start with that.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

Yeah, but as for the rest of the original Deus Ex...Maybe I was just born in the wrong era.

A lot of people played it thinking it was a fps, plus today's gamers are used to auto-regenerating health.

It's not really that; more that most of the details are obscured by stuff, like, for instance...where the bloody hell are all the augmentations?!

 

[dyre]

Out of Bioware's games, I have played Mass effect 1 and a bit of the sequel, Kotor 1 and 2, Dragon age: Origins and Baldur's gate 2 about half-way through.
I'd say Mass effect is the best choice as first game, simply becuase it is the most user-friendly. Sure, much of the combat boils down to little more then click-at-target-to-kill, but the story is what really drives the game.

Oh yeah, and one more thing. Whatever everyone else tells you; Don't. Play. Baldur's gate. As. Your. First. Bioware. Game!!!!!
Yeah, yeah, it's a great one and all, but it is also one of the least accessible games you are ever going to find becuase the mechanics of the game is so insanely illogical. For example, in order to have as good armor as possible, your armor stats is supposed to be as LOW as possible. What on earth is up with that??

Ugh, armor class was always the lower the better, until the more recent editions. New to d&d ? If so, it's not some insane concept to try and grasp. LOL

Wow, have games gotten so mindless that Baldurs is now looked as as this incredibly complex rpg ? LOL

As far as I know, most people play 3.5 or 4.0, so it's not like one would expect AC to be a lower-the-better sort of thing.

And it's not that games have become "mindless;" it's that game mechanics are different now. People worry more about timing their spells than the number they have per day. Fast paced, real-time combat means more emphasis on reflexes than numbers for AC. There's no need to be so pretentious about it.

 

[dyre]

Difference is, it's still completely black and white. Are you a shining paragon or a crazy conqueror? At least with Dragon Age you have to deal with each character separately, from what I hear. Still, no RPG will ever have a morality system as good as that of Deus Ex, partly because Deus Ex doesn't give you a karma meter to begin with.

And I'd play that a lot more if the first one didn't look like crap and wasn't hard as hell, and Human Revolution had better boss fights. *eugh*

This could be bad memory, but I don't think it goes beyond "Deus Ex didn't have a karma meter;" Deus Ex really didn't have much of a morality system. I don't recall making many very difficult choices in that game, besides one towards the end. Sometimes people would be pissed off that I killed people, but they'd just let it go later. No one would really stick it to me for being a jerk, or a good guy, or w/e.

I think The Witcher and it's sequel has a superior morality system, one in which there's no good or bad, but your actions will play a big role in how the world is shaped and how people look at you (and there's no way to please everyone).

 

[Enverex]

Baldur's Gate.

Star Wars, Mass Effect and Jade Empire aren't in the same vein as The Elder Scrolls, Baldur's Gate (1 and 2) are much closer and in my opinion, Bioware's best work. Dragon Age was just a mix of their RPG work with Diablo style hack and slash/lots of combat which got boring for me quite quickly (too much repetitive combat, not enough story and adventure).

 

[Gladion]

Wow, have games gotten so mindless that Baldurs is now looked as as this incredibly complex rpg? LOL

The real question is why you are still hanging around on a video game website when clearly the entire medium has become so intellectually stale that you can't even believe it.

 

[tkioz]

Dragon Age or Mass Effect to start with, go with what you feel like, Fantasy or Sci-Fi. Both are good, do the first ones first, before trying 2 of either.

Kotor and BG2 are insanely good games, but a lot of the love people have for them is from when they first came out, face it games don't age well, and since then Bioware has improved a lot. Never a good idea to drop people in an older game, it just puts them off.

 

[dyre]

Out of Bioware's games, I have played Mass effect 1 and a bit of the sequel, Kotor 1 and 2, Dragon age: Origins and Baldur's gate 2 about half-way through.
I'd say Mass effect is the best choice as first game, simply becuase it is the most user-friendly. Sure, much of the combat boils down to little more then click-at-target-to-kill, but the story is what really drives the game.

Oh yeah, and one more thing. Whatever everyone else tells you; Don't. Play. Baldur's gate. As. Your. First. Bioware. Game!!!!!
Yeah, yeah, it's a great one and all, but it is also one of the least accessible games you are ever going to find becuase the mechanics of the game is so insanely illogical. For example, in order to have as good armor as possible, your armor stats is supposed to be as LOW as possible. What on earth is up with that??

Ugh, armor class was always the lower the better, until the more recent editions. New to d&d ? If so, it's not some insane concept to try and grasp. LOL

Wow, have games gotten so mindless that Baldurs is now looked as as this incredibly complex rpg ? LOL

As far as I know, most people play 3.5 or 4.0, so it's not like one would expect AC to be a lower-the-better sort of thing.

And it's not that games have become "mindless;" it's that game mechanics are different now. People worry more about timing their spells than the number they have per day. Fast paced, real-time combat means more emphasis on reflexes than numbers for AC. There's no need to be so pretentious about it.

That's why i like the traditional rpgs. Fully turn based combat, like Temple of Elemental is even better. More strategic and thoughtful, like a game of chess. And more true to real d&d. They obviously dumbed they're games down to appeal to more ppl who don't have the patience for real rpgs and learning everything about them. To me, that's part of the fun, figuring out the game.

Eh, Temple of Elemental Evil is pretty boring. It's like D&D without the roleplaying. Just...numbers. D&D shouldn't just be about strategy...play a turn based strategy game if you want that. It's about playing a role in a story in which you can make major choices that decide both your personality and the fate of the world around you. So I don't consider making gameplay simpler to really be a problem or "stupid." It's just necessary for a different style of gaming. As long as the story and choices are still there, I'm fine

 

[Erttheking]

Gonna have to say Mass Effect, if only because that's the only one that I've played.

 

[endtherapture]

To everyone saying Baldur's Gate 2 is hard for newcomers to RPGs, you are silly. I first played through the game in 2001, when I was 10 years old. And I understood it perfectly. It's the best game ever, never have I got to know the characters so well, know every quest, what the best weapons and armour are. I didn't complete it til I was 13 though (only because I was scared of vampires level draining me though ), and if a 13 year old can understand the game, then so can you! It is worth the reward.

Best plot, characters, game system, visuals, sounds AND morality system in an RPG ever.

It's the only game aside from The Witcher to get morality right in fact.

A masterpiece of a game.

 

[Aircross]

Wait for Steam Holiday sale.

Buy Dragon Age: Origins: Ultimate Edition (colon cancer, ha ha).

 

[nokori3byo]

Mass Effect is my favourite series bar none, but I recommended Dragon Age Origins + Awakening simply because it's about as definitive a western fantasy RPG as I can think of. Despite being somewhat dated visually, it has a pretty good story, intrguing universe, and challenging gameplay. And yeah, it's long, but that also means you'd be getting your money's worth. And when you've plowed through the whole thing, you still have a sequel of uneven quality to look forward to!

 

[dyre]

Out of Bioware's games, I have played Mass effect 1 and a bit of the sequel, Kotor 1 and 2, Dragon age: Origins and Baldur's gate 2 about half-way through.
I'd say Mass effect is the best choice as first game, simply becuase it is the most user-friendly. Sure, much of the combat boils down to little more then click-at-target-to-kill, but the story is what really drives the game.

Oh yeah, and one more thing. Whatever everyone else tells you; Don't. Play. Baldur's gate. As. Your. First. Bioware. Game!!!!!
Yeah, yeah, it's a great one and all, but it is also one of the least accessible games you are ever going to find becuase the mechanics of the game is so insanely illogical. For example, in order to have as good armor as possible, your armor stats is supposed to be as LOW as possible. What on earth is up with that??

Ugh, armor class was always the lower the better, until the more recent editions. New to d&d ? If so, it's not some insane concept to try and grasp. LOL

Wow, have games gotten so mindless that Baldurs is now looked as as this incredibly complex rpg ? LOL

As far as I know, most people play 3.5 or 4.0, so it's not like one would expect AC to be a lower-the-better sort of thing.

And it's not that games have become "mindless;" it's that game mechanics are different now. People worry more about timing their spells than the number they have per day. Fast paced, real-time combat means more emphasis on reflexes than numbers for AC. There's no need to be so pretentious about it.

That's why i like the traditional rpgs. Fully turn based combat, like Temple of Elemental is even better. More strategic and thoughtful, like a game of chess. And more true to real d&d. They obviously dumbed they're games down to appeal to more ppl who don't have the patience for real rpgs and learning everything about them. To me, that's part of the fun, figuring out the game.

Eh, Temple of Elemental Evil is pretty boring. It's like D&D without the roleplaying. Just...numbers. D&D shouldn't just be about strategy...play a turn based strategy game if you want that. It's about playing a role in a story in which you can make major choices that decide both your personality and the fate of the world around you. So I don't consider making gameplay simpler to really be a problem or "stupid." It's just necessary for a different style of gaming. As long as the story and choices are still there, I'm fine

Boring ? Boring to me is Oblivion/Skyrim combat (mashing the buttons until 'i win')

And btw, the old school Gygax modules were all about straight up dungeon crawling. If the combat is well done/tactical with good encounter design, it doesn't need to be story driven at all. Doesn't mean i don't like the Planescape type rpg. (i can enjoy both)

I do like turn based strategy games. Only ones like X-Com and Jagged Alliance 2 with rpg elements too though.

Oh, the combat in Oblivion (haven't played Skyrim yet) is boring, no question. But the storytelling is...well, actually it's boring too. But the exploration is fun. Still, I'm talking about roleplaying games like the Witcher and Deus Ex series. Games that involve a lot more roleplaying than ToEE. I don't think you can fairly say that ToEE is better than those games because the combat is more complex...