BioWare Could Move Away from Fantasy and Sci-Fi
- Thread starter John Funk
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I'd be interested in a Bioware venture that's legitimately unique and not filled with the same cookie-cutter gameplay as its recent titles. Like a stealth game, or maybe even a mech-based air/ground warfare... *daydreams*
_Though I always thought maybe a personal drama would be better suited to Bioware were the company to take its games in a new direction. Bioware doesn't have good "epic" story writing (for it's latest titles at least. Can't speak for older ones since I don't know them as intimately). The premise for Mass Effect is lifted from a hard science fiction novel (series) and put into a Space Marine/pseudo Star Trek aesthetic. Not entirely theirs so I won't count it as such. Dragon Age isn't plagiarism-tastic at all (by my knowledge), but the over arcing plot is...well it's kinda...generic. Not entirely bad, since I do like me some DA:O, but it's generic. What can I tell you?
_The reason the games sell (especially ME) is for the characters and character interaction (where the writing actually shines in my opinion...for the most part), and not the plot. Sure some buy them for the plot, but the vast majority just want to see more Tali, Garrus and Alistar, to watch their beloved characters arc as time moves on and see how they're doing. They want to be with them up until the end. This is why I think a game that's mainly a personal drama would be great from them. They already have interesting and romantic characters and their dialogue (at least most of it from ME2 as an indication) is really involving and sometimes moving. No one said there can't be a gun or two firing off, but to make it a mostly grounded drama (grounded even in fantasy) would be gorgeous.
Also, just a pet peeve of mine: Science Fantasy. Science Fiction implies there is actual science and scientific continuity to the universe the story is set in.
There is not.
random guy: "But Mass Effect has-"
Mass Effect isn't bad for having dumb and inconsistent science (in the games, at least. Never read the novels since, you know, it's a game series first and those novels are just tie-ins no matter how great they are supposedly written). It's what separates Science Fantasy from Science Fiction. Just...don't call it Science Fiction. That'd be like calling it an RPG and not a Third-Person Shooter. One may consider it as such, but the facts can say they're wrong.
That's it. Still like ME and adore some characters, Tali especially, but I just gotta get the word out on somethings surrounding the game.
As a matter of fact, a game centered entirely on interpersonal drama in the ME universe wouldn't be half bad...
_Though I always thought maybe a personal drama would be better suited to Bioware were the company to take its games in a new direction. Bioware doesn't have good "epic" story writing (for it's latest titles at least. Can't speak for older ones since I don't know them as intimately). The premise for Mass Effect is lifted from a hard science fiction novel (series) and put into a Space Marine/pseudo Star Trek aesthetic. Not entirely theirs so I won't count it as such. Dragon Age isn't plagiarism-tastic at all (by my knowledge), but the over arcing plot is...well it's kinda...generic. Not entirely bad, since I do like me some DA:O, but it's generic. What can I tell you?
_The reason the games sell (especially ME) is for the characters and character interaction (where the writing actually shines in my opinion...for the most part), and not the plot. Sure some buy them for the plot, but the vast majority just want to see more Tali, Garrus and Alistar, to watch their beloved characters arc as time moves on and see how they're doing. They want to be with them up until the end. This is why I think a game that's mainly a personal drama would be great from them. They already have interesting and romantic characters and their dialogue (at least most of it from ME2 as an indication) is really involving and sometimes moving. No one said there can't be a gun or two firing off, but to make it a mostly grounded drama (grounded even in fantasy) would be gorgeous.
Also, just a pet peeve of mine: Science Fantasy. Science Fiction implies there is actual science and scientific continuity to the universe the story is set in.
There is not.
random guy: "But Mass Effect has-"
A) ME2 clearly states there are multiple black holes at the center of the galaxy. There is not. There is one supermassive black hole.
B) Quarian immune system. As explained in several posts in this thread:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.269401-Talis-immune-system-wait-what
They destroy the continuity to it.
C) MASS EFFECT itself. The games are titled after an inexplicable substance and/or material that not only jumps technology light years but also grants super powers (given a little cyborg-ish brainchip implantation). Also see DARK ENERGY. Not dark matter. DARK ENERGY. Want to bet where that "scientific" term is going to go in ME3?
B) Quarian immune system. As explained in several posts in this thread:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.269401-Talis-immune-system-wait-what
They destroy the continuity to it.
C) MASS EFFECT itself. The games are titled after an inexplicable substance and/or material that not only jumps technology light years but also grants super powers (given a little cyborg-ish brainchip implantation). Also see DARK ENERGY. Not dark matter. DARK ENERGY. Want to bet where that "scientific" term is going to go in ME3?
That's it. Still like ME and adore some characters, Tali especially, but I just gotta get the word out on somethings surrounding the game.
As a matter of fact, a game centered entirely on interpersonal drama in the ME universe wouldn't be half bad...
Read the Revelation Space wiki and learn something:
As I said, I really enjoy Mass Effect, but I won't pretend to be ignorant of the obvious because I like it. Does this change how I view it? Yes, but not much. It's a fun game and I plan on buying more Tali action-er-shooting action (yeah that's what I meant >_>) with ME3.
Does the excuse "nothing is new under the sun" excuse this?
TO answer that: Bioware's next big hit will be a survival horror/RPG series called "In the Nightmare", wherein the protagonist and their friends are hunted in their dreams one-by-one by a clawed villain who abused them when they were children. They have to train and use their psychonautic powers to defeat the serial killer before they're all killed.
Because if you die in the dream, you die for real.
Sounds like a cool game, huh? Also sounds like plagiarism. Not that I wouldn't buy it, just saying I wouldn't defend it's "honor" or anything.
"As Sylveste [Main character & archeologist] and the crew of the Nostalgia for Infinity [tech-enhanced humans] approach Cerberus [a planet, not the organization], Sylveste realizes the massive celestial body isn't a planet at all -- but rather, a massive technological beacon, aimed at alerting machine sentience to the appearance of new star-faring cultures. It is this beacon, Sylveste belatedly realizes, that alerted a machine intelligence known as the Inhibitors to the presence of the Amarantin [the protheans in this case], and ultimately caused the demise of that race."
Does the excuse "nothing is new under the sun" excuse this?
TO answer that: Bioware's next big hit will be a survival horror/RPG series called "In the Nightmare", wherein the protagonist and their friends are hunted in their dreams one-by-one by a clawed villain who abused them when they were children. They have to train and use their psychonautic powers to defeat the serial killer before they're all killed.
Because if you die in the dream, you die for real.
Sounds like a cool game, huh? Also sounds like plagiarism. Not that I wouldn't buy it, just saying I wouldn't defend it's "honor" or anything.
I thought of Jade Empire at the beginning of the article, but only because I'm in the middle of playing through it again right now. If I was not, I prolly woulda jumped to Mass Effect first.
But an interesting thought. I think BioWare could pull it off, and I'd like to see it is they did.
But an interesting thought. I think BioWare could pull it off, and I'd like to see it is they did.
Isn't Jade Empire a Fantasy RPG, too? It's Knights of the Old Republic of China.
I made a funny.
I made a funny.
And McDonalds could move away from burgers. But it might not be the best move. The market is unforgiving, and it's currently full of tons of willing workers. That means, at this point, that you dance with the one that brought you. If you got famous doing X and Y, setting them aside to do Z might not serve you as well as you think.John Funk said:
It's like those actors/actresses that try their hand at singing (or vice versa) to show their versatility, and they quickly realize that fans often are not portable. You might just find yourself at square one again. And now's not a great time to be a square one.
More Jade Empire.
The spy market is glutted and should be avoided. Tom Clancy this Alpha Protocol that blah blah. Bioware has shown their strength lies in universe-creation - that would be completely wasted on a current-day setting.
The spy market is glutted and should be avoided. Tom Clancy this Alpha Protocol that blah blah. Bioware has shown their strength lies in universe-creation - that would be completely wasted on a current-day setting.
The spy one would be great. Alpha Protocol was a massive disappointment and it would be cool to see their take on it.
Why do they have to go away from fantasy and sci fi? Those are my two favorite settings. I would honestly be sad if they abandoned them.
im going to play the cynic and assume this is a prepared excuse for bioware's unannounced modern FPS. or maybe their jealous of LA noire and want to copy that.
im wary to interpret this as anything more than an excuse for moving into different genres that happen to be in different settings, but im just pessimistic like that. maybe they just wanna do alpha protocol right, but given what bioware is "moving away" from with its new releases and announcements, it would probably be a third-person shooter with a dialogue wheel.
im wary to interpret this as anything more than an excuse for moving into different genres that happen to be in different settings, but im just pessimistic like that. maybe they just wanna do alpha protocol right, but given what bioware is "moving away" from with its new releases and announcements, it would probably be a third-person shooter with a dialogue wheel.
*Shudders* Sorry, the thought of seeing a platform mario game with a bioware story....*shudders*de5gravity said:I thought of Mass Effect and Sonicnot sure why I thought of Sonic.
But honestly I feel like good writing transcends "genre"; so if they say one day that they are making a platform game, or a horror game, or even a racing one! I have total faith in them to pull it off (I don't even like DA and Mass Effect, but they are good games).
I guess it'd be ok as long as they keep up the rpg genre i won't be a happy bunny if they start making generic shooters.
I would be open to playing these games, I enjoyed Alpha Protocol's story(shooting in that game sucked). If anyone could pull it off, it is BioWare. As long as it's still an RPG.