What Are the BioWare Founders' 5 Games of the Decade?

[John Funk]

What Are the BioWare Founders' 5 Games of the Decade?

Do you wonder what Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, founders of BioWare, consider the five best games of the past ten years? Wonder no longer.

Human beings are kind of silly sometimes, when you think about it. What makes one ten-year stretch different from any other? Why does that one number, ten, stick with us? We establish special significance to these things but... well, okay, I'm rambling. The fact of the matter is, many different gamers, reviewers, and sites (perhaps including this one...) have been talking at length about the best five games of the past decade.

USA Today's Game Hunters has been posing the question to some famous developers like Peter Molyneux [http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2010/01/games-of-the-decade-epics-cliff-bleszinski/1], and this time around it's the medical duo that founded BioWare - Drs. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk - up in the spotlight. So, Greg and Ray, what were your five favorite games of the decade?

[blockquote]Dr. Ray Muzyka:

-Resident Evil 4 [http://www.amazon.com/Resident-Evil-4-Nintendo-Wii/dp/B000P46NKC/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1280159214&sr=1-1] (2005)
-BioShock [http://www.amazon.com/BioShock-Playstation-3/dp/B001B1W3GG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1279575047&sr=1-1] (2007)
-Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare [http://www.amazon.com/Call-Duty-Modern-Warfare-Xbox-360/dp/B00269QLI8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1278694263&sr=1-1] (2007)
-Fallout 3 [http://www.amazon.com/Fallout-3-Xbox-360/dp/B000UU3SVI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1279568021&sr=1-2] (2008)
-Uncharted 2 [http://www.amazon.com/Uncharted-2-Among-Thieves-Playstation-3/dp/B001JKTC9A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1278970263&sr=1-1] (2009)[/blockquote]

Dr. Muzyka clearly appreciates a good action game, from the "really great pacing" of RE4 to the "beautiful graphics, awesome action shooting and a great story and characters" of Uncharted 2. And what about you, Dr. Zeschuk?

[blockquote]Dr. Greg Zeschuk:

-Vagrant Story [http://www.amazon.com/Vagrant-Story-Playstation/dp/B00004SPW9/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1280159295&sr=1-1] (2000)
-Resident Evil 4 (2005)
-BioShock (2007)
-Fallout 3 (2008)
-LittleBigPlanet [http://www.amazon.com/LittleBigPlanet-Game-Year-Playstation-3/dp/B002ELCUUG/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1280159324&sr=1-1] (2008)[/blockquote]

As it turns out, both Dr. Muzyka and Dr. Zeschuk can agree that RE4, BioShock (the "pinnacle of environmental storytelling"), and Fallout 3 (the "best example of world exploration") kick ass. As can most of you, I wager.

What are your top five?

Permalink

 

[Outlaw Torn]

They're both MDs? PhDs surely?

I'm shocked they didn't pick:

Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
Dragon Age Origins
...Pass
Abstain

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

No Metal Gear games? I'm disappointed. And RE4? Come on.

 

[John Funk]

They're both MDs? PhDs surely?

I'm shocked they didn't pick:

Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
Dragon Age Origins
...Pass
Abstain

Why do you think it's called BioWare?

 

[IrrelevantTangent]

Now they have good taste! Not very surprising, concerning where they hail from, but still. I like how they both included Bioshock- that game was awesome and no matter how many people play it, it can always use more love.

As for my top five, I think it's something like this, copied/pasted from another thread:

[hr]

1. Bioshock
2. Fallout 3
3. Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2
4. Halo 3 and Halo ODST
5. Call of Duty 4 and Modern Warfare 2
​

Honorable Mention: Assassin's Creed and Dead Space.

 

[Outlaw Torn]

They're both MDs? PhDs surely?

I'm shocked they didn't pick:

Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
Dragon Age Origins
...Pass
Abstain

Why do you think it's called BioWare?

The same reason Lionhead is called just that, it sounds cool. Unless Mr Molyneux is secretly half lion.

 

[Woodsey]

Mafia
KotOR
Mass Effect 2
PoP: The Sands of Time
Oblivion/AssCreed 2/Maybe 10 others

Can't choose for the final spot - not in any order although Mafia, KotOR and ME2 are all vying for that number 1 spot.

 

[laryri]

They're both MDs? PhDs surely?

I'm shocked they didn't pick:

Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
Dragon Age Origins
...Pass
Abstain

Why do you think it's called BioWare?

The same reason Lionhead is called just that, it sounds cool. Unless Mr Molyneux is secretly half lion.

Lionhead was the name of one of the staffer's hamster.

 

[Woodsey]

No Metal Gear games? I'm disappointed. And RE4? Come on.

Isn't it one of the most highly rated games of this gen and last?

What are you "come on"ing about?

[small] That err... sounded a little off...[/small]

 

[SirPumpkinLongshanks]

Why do you think it's called BioWare?

Well hey, at least (read: regretfully-insert sobbing noises) I'm not part of Bioware so I can pick some of their games if I want to.

Resident Evil 4
Mass Effect
Arkham Asylum
Final Fantasy IX
Okami

 

[Axolotl]

Both Bioware's founders consider Fallout 3 a game of the decade? Says all you need to know about the current RPG industry really.

 

[Tears of Blood]

1. Mass Effect 2
2. Fallout 3
3. Assassin's Creed 2
4. Mass Effect Metal Gear Solid 4
5. Grand Theft Auto IV

Not necessarily in that order.

 

[Suskie]

Ugh... they both picked BioShock? Really? (Props for Vagrant Story, though.)

Anyway... my favorites of the decade would probably be:

5. Mass Effect
4. Half-Life 2
3. Deus Ex
2. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
1. Metroid Prime

NOTE TO EVERYONE: Mass Effect 2 was released in 2010.

 

[ItsAPaul]

Fallout 3, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2, Kingdom Hearts 2, and Final Fantasy XII. Fallout 3's the only one on my all time favorite list though.

 

[Tears of Blood]

NOTE TO EVERYONE: Mass Effect 2 was released in 2010.

Yes, but that's still within the "last" 10 years. =P

 

[Hurr Durr Derp]

Vagrant Story?

I wouldn't put it in my personal top 5, but you did score a point there, Dr. Greg Zeschuk. Plus one for you.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

They're both MDs? PhDs surely?

I'm shocked they didn't pick:

Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
Dragon Age Origins
...Pass
Abstain

Is this a joke? I know if I was a game developer, I wouldn't pick my own games as my top favorites. Actually, from what I've learned making levels for games, especially with single player levels, by the time your done with it you are so sick of the damn thing you never want to see it again.

Honestly, I don't think I could pick my five favorite games for the decade. There are a lot I liked, but "favorites" is a tad hard to choose. I do agree with them though about BioShock, Fallout 3, CoD4, and LBP. Never played Uncharted 2 and have RE4 on Wii, but never really played it much. Never heard of Vagrant Story though.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

NOTE TO EVERYONE: Mass Effect 2 was released in 2010.

Yes, but that's still within the "last" 10 years. =P

But they are saying "of the decade" (2000-2009). >_>

 

[Jared]

Borderlands
Fallout 3
Star Ocean 4
Mass Effect 2
Final Fantasy X