What do people think about Bioware right now?

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

EA will be the end of Bioware as we know it. It's already began. Maybe the world should end in 2012, before the entire gaming industry turns into shit. Just give us enough time to play Max Payne 3, Mass Effect 3 and the final Assassin's Creed game and the world can end in peace. Because when the next get comes knocking down the doors with brute force, you're not gonna be able to recognize developers you once loved and respected. It will only get worse with prettier graphics and more dumbing down the gameplay for the casual market that doesn't give a shit about real gaming.

 

[Fredvdp]

Visuals - Backgrouds were ugly, character models stood out and didn't fit into the scene, texture work was inferior, the stylized cartoonish look came off as cheap.

I strongly disagree about the textures. Dragon Age Origins had atrocious textures and at least Dragon Age II allowed you to download the high-res texture patch which had much sharper textures.

If i recall, there was a high-rez texture pack for DA1 as well. Maybe you just missed it...

The horrible Dragon Age Origins textures could only be fixed with unofficial mods. Only Dragon Age II had an official high-res texture patch at launch.

 

[Aurgelmir]

I don't understand all the fuss around Bioware.

I personally think they make good games, DA2 was actually a fun game, except the silly reinforcement mid battle stuff...

But yeah, I feel people just whine to much about nothing.

 

[Gluzzbung]

Bioware is still my favourite developer because ME1 and DAO were INCREDIBLE games (I haven't gotten through ME2 yet) But if I'm honest, I think they're taking their current audience for granted a bit. DA2 was just awful and you could tell it was rushed and they'd changed it to make it simpler. I liked the complexity of the combat in DAO and I liked the different combat in ME1. It wasn't especially chanllenging, in parts it was, but what I liked was that you had a specialised character who could use powers unique to them and that defined how you played the game, and if they proved ineffective, you always had your back up unlimited ammo guns, and I liked the way this was done, it needed a bit of refining but that's what sequels are like, right? Not ot Bioware! put in ME2, ten minutes in, I just think AMMO! But, that's for Call of Duty and Gears of War not you Mass Effect! If DA3 doesn't take us back to the original combat and is another flop then I'm half scared Bioware's going to have to drastically reduce its size. DA2 wasn't up to much and Star Warts TOR will probably crash and burn like most MMOs. If DA3 doesn't like up to expectations (because I'm very much aware that ME3 will be exactly like ME2) I'll just go back to Blizzard being my favourite developer, even though I don't do PC gaming anymore.

 

[Heeman89]

For those who just want my opinion the tl;dr version is I think Bioware is doing just fine

I've been hesitant to post on this topic but hell I just will. I figure that some of the things that I like about Bioware and their games are going to be some of the things people hate (and vice versa) Going to throw a little disclaimer out before I comment that I haven't played any of Bioware's "fantasy" RPGs (Dragon Age etc) So if there is any declining quality or the such (from reading this topic it seems like many people feel that way) I haven't taken that into consideration

My first Bioware game was Mass Effect 2, I was looking for a Battlefront-esque shooter with a deep, engaging, story line in a sci-fi world that I knew NOTHING about. Describing that to a friend, he walked over to his game rack, pulled out Mass Effect 2 and said "Your wish, fulfilled." As with almost any series, I knew starting in the middle had the potential to be problematic but my friend insisted it wouldn't be that bad and in his opinion ME2 fit my style more then ME1 would. After playing through the opening (I was a little lost I'll admit) and I got to the main story arc I found myself having a lot of fun, Leveling up was easy and fun (something that turns me off RPGs in general) and with each level and ability it felt like I was playing more to my style then traditional shooters which pretty much give everyone the same shit, throw them in an arena, and watch them pummel each other. The one thing that I REALLY liked was the Resource Mining, something that I hadn't seen since my RTS days and it gave me a real since of "hey we aren't just going to hand everything to do you, you gotta work for it" I felt the story to be deep and engaging, I felt my self sympathizing with the characters and their troubles and though I lost a few people in the final mission I didn't feel at all slighted in the story in anyway by the ending.

After I finished ME2, I not only went and bought it and all the DLC, I bought ME1 as well. ME1 however, did not give me the same enjoyment as the sequel. The story was very well done, I liked the more missions both main and side quests. But the sheer amount of stuff being thrown at me through completing quests, finding crate, locked crates, lockers, etc and having to go to the Quartermaster after every mission and unload all the crap that I didn't use for me or the 2 people I was had with me just turned me off for some reason. The combat didn't seem to have the same type of flow to it, Once I leveled up and got the best equipment, the game didn't feel like much of a challenge to me and the vehicle sections...I'll just say I would like the planet exploring with the HammerHead more then the MAKO...

I've been following ME3's development extensively and it SOUNDS like they are trying to mix them to together in just the right way that it will appeal to the people who liked ME2 but still appease the fans who thought ME1's style was the better style. I think that having the different modes for different play styles (action, story, and the traditional RPG) is a very good step. I'm a little bummed that the Resource Mining is going away but it seems like I'm in the minority on the enjoyment of that. I'm sure Bioware will do just fine in the new style they use for that. The multiplayer I'm not going to judge just yet because I was heavily critical of Assassin's Creed and the inclusion of multiplayer only to be smacked in the mouth when it was actually good and I found myself enjoying it.

I think people's criticism of Bioware might be premature or unfounded, but that's just me. I think it's too early to judge where Bioware being under EA. They've released a couple games since merging with EA, some good, some maybe not so good. I want to give them more time before I write them off completely

 

[Hides His Eyes]

"We want to appeal to the Call of Duty crowd" does not mean "We want to dumb our game down for petulant children to make more money", it means "We'd like to make our game more accessible and appealing to people unfamiliar with the genre and make a game more people can enjoy."

To me those sound like two different ways of saying exactly the same thing.

 

[Hides His Eyes]

I worry about the two doctors at the head of the company: one came out saying the traditional RPG was dead (and again, Dragon Age: Origins sold far and away ABOVE their expectations, so where he's gotten that idea from is... god knows), whilst the other goes on about being more accessible all the time.

Yeah, this kind of thing worries me too. The traditional RPG will live as long as Bioware want it to, they've been the company keeping it alive for about the last ten years. Bethesda too, but even they have fallen into the habit of removing content (since Morrowind, each successive game has had fewer weapon and spell effects).

Call me a "hipster" and say I'm crying "sell-out" if you want, but I really do think this is down to the EA buyout. Yes, producing games is about making money, but that shouldn't be the ONLY priority. What bothers me is that Bioware already HAS a market, they have hordes of fans who love RPGs like Dragon Age: Origins and will buy their games unquestioningly - as long as that's what they continue to make. So why is it so important to them to get the CoD "casual" crowd too? Hell, there are tons of people who would rather watch The X-Factor than play any games at all, maybe Bioware should try and appeal to them with their next game!

 

[spartandude]

people have said this a few times now but i have to agreem Bioware feels more like a brand than a dev company. before they actually crafted games, and while they arnt pulling them out of their asses, theyve gone from concentrating on one at a time to several at once in the space of a year or two

and tbh yes i do blame EA, them realising bioware has a large fanbase so they milk it, i actually kinda hope this causes bioware to crumble so EA might leave them alone for them to make games as they intended, not the publisher

 

[GonzoGamer]

They're sellouts.
It was annouing enough when they were slicing away content to be pre-order bonuses...but now they decided they need to do that AND squeeze in an online pass.
That's classy.
So, does anyone know how many codes will be needed to punch in before you start playing ME3?

 

[Shavon513]

I owe my induction into 'gamerhood' to Bioware. Sure. I played Nintendo as a kid, played Pokemon when it was popular, etc. Bioware's Jade Empire and Mass Effect, however, introduced me to the world of rpgs. From there, I moved on to the Elder Scroll series, some of Bioware's older games (KotOR 1 and 2, NWN, and BG1 and 2), TW, FF series, etc. So, I will always regard them as my favorite studio.

While DA2 and ME2 are completely different from what Bioware has traditionally done, these games, imho, are AWESOME. I love playing them, and re-playing them. ME3 seems to be continuing this deviation, and although it makes me nervous, it's not necessarily a bad thing. Eventually, rpg fans may have to go elsewhere for traditional rpg-style games, but I'll always consider Bioware as an awesome studio....

 

[Smeggs]

Well, look at it this way. If your girlfriend gets bitten by a zombie or a vampire or somethin', she might still be shambling around, and you might still fondly recall the great times you had together, and she'll still have those great boobs, but you have to keep in mind that she is essentially, and irrevocably, dead.

EA being the virus and Bioware being the hot zombie girlfriend? xD

I'm really hoping ME3 gives me the ending I desire, rather than the cash-in EA is most-likely hoping for.

Watch Shepard kill the Reapers only to find out that they were being controlled by another being themselves, opening the way for another two or three games lol

They're sellouts.
It was annouing enough when they were slicing away content to be pre-order bonuses...but now they decided they need to do that AND squeeze in an online pass.
That's classy.
So, does anyone know how many codes will be needed to punch in before you start playing ME3?

I remember the day I got ME2. Had to set up an account and enter the codes on my computer? lolwut? Why the hell did they have to make it so stupid and not just allow me to do it over XBL? I was downloading crap for something near an hour before actually being able to play it, not counting how long it took me to set everything up.

Probably like 5.

 

[CATB320]

Their games have faults, yeah. I think they're far from sell-outs, though, geez. They've been trying to "modernize" the newer games a bit -- like with DA2 and ME2's combat and such. They've moved away from "traditional" RPG gameplay. I see nothing wrong with that! FPS games aren't like Quake and Unreal Tournament anymore, nor should they be. Bioware has still kept their core values of placing story and characterization first. Changing other aspects of the game -- i.e., combat -- is something that should happen with the times.

For the record, I don't see them trying to appeal to the Call of Duty fans as a reason to stop playing their games altogether. That's completely ridiculous. A lot of people like Call of Duty, a lot of people like Skyrim. I saw it as Bioware trying to figure out what exactly about those games people like so maybe they could include that in their games as well. I certainly don't think it means Mass Effect 3 is going to be a shooter in which one runs from room to room killing everything that moves with the story shoved to the sidelines.

 

[implodinggoat]

My good opinion of Bioware was thrown right in the trash after Mass Effect 2 was released.

That's just ridiculous man. Mass Effect 2 was an amazing game.

It wasn't as ambitious as Mass Effect 1 was since it largely abandoned the exploration of the first game in favor of more linear shooting missions and the main storyline was dull compared to the intergalactic mystery you tackled in Mass Effect 1.

But the combat was exceptional and the powers were more diverse, balanced and functional than the powers in Mass Effect 1. And while the main storyline wasn't spectacular and likely forced you down a path fans of the first game (such as myself) were irritated by the character development of your squadmates was definitely a notch above Mass Effect 1 and the missions revolving around your squad were the highlight of the game.

 

[implodinggoat]

Part of me wonders if Bioware didn't do something really clever by being less ambitious and focusing more on the combat with Mass Effect 2.

Namely they gave themselves room to improve.

If they had refined the combat and fulfilled all the potential of Mass Effect 1's exploration and character building then they wouldn't have had any way to really improve upon the formula for Mass Effect 3.

From what I've seen Mass Effect 3 is doing a lot to refine the character building and leveling in Mass Effect 3 so that it gives you more depth and breadth of options than the Mass Effect 2 system did.

Although I do fear that they've largely abandoned the exploration element since they've stated that the vehicle sections are going to be more periphery in Mass Effect 3.

They did say that the exceptional Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC for Mass Effect 2 was being considered the model for Mass Effect 3 which is definitely an improvement since that mission provided exceptional variety. That DLC had everything (except exploration), action, mystery, drama, romance, great boss fights, and a flying car chase.

If Mass Effect 3 can replicate the quality of Lair of the Shadowbroker throughout then I'll be so blown away that I won't even care that I'm missing the first game's exploration.

 

[Jake0fTrades]

Mass Effect isn't turning into Call of Duty. The story, the characters, everything we like about Mass Effect is still there, all they've done is incorporate one of the more successful facets of a very successful genre.

And the entire Call of Duty community won't suddenly abandon CoD for Mass Effect. You're overreacting.

 

[Lovely Mixture]

I don't really care too much about the Dragon Age series, but after getting some more info I understand why people are angry about it.

The Mass Effect series is one of my favorites though. I can only hope that the third game will have a satisfying conclusion.

In short, I like Bioware because they actually add story to their games. But I understand that doesn't excuse the decisions that they make for other fans.

 

[saruman31]

My good opinion of Bioware was thrown right in the trash after Mass Effect 2 was released.

That's just ridiculous man. Mass Effect 2 was an amazing game.

It wasn't as ambitious as Mass Effect 1 was since it largely abandoned the exploration of the first game in favor of more linear shooting missions and the main storyline was dull compared to the intergalactic mystery you tackled in Mass Effect 1.

But the combat was exceptional and the powers were more diverse, balanced and functional than the powers in Mass Effect 1. And while the main storyline wasn't spectacular and likely forced you down a path fans of the first game (such as myself) were irritated by the character development of your squadmates was definitely a notch above Mass Effect 1 and the missions revolving around your squad were the highlight of the game.

Mass Effect 2 is Dragon Age: Origins in the future. And also, 2 times worse than ME1. It seems that Bioware can only make the first game good. ME2 and DA2 seem to prove that. I blame EA for it.

 

[tarspoon]

Bioware is great. They should do more games. No more MMORPG though. They suck.