Bioware has changed... kinda.

[-Dragmire-]

I wait to see how much Bioware has "changed" after I play ME3 (provided it's not infected by Origin)

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

I actually didn't find Dragon Age to be that great in my opinion. Great story but the gameplay was a bit stale. Perhaps is was because I played it on console but there was some buzzing on the interwebs about how Dragon Age: Origins wasn't the best overall so I know I'm not the only one who thinks this. It graphically didn't look nearly as good as Mass Effect or Oblivion or a lot of open world RPGs that were available, and wasn't as massive as Knights of the Old Republic 1 or 2.

I actually found the combat boring. I did enjoy the story though(even though it was a game called Dragon Age with one freaking dragon...which was optional...).

Now I know that 2's conbat is better but everything else sucked.

And let's not fool ourselves, Mass Effect has always been more shooter than RPG. They took out the stats that a decent amount of people never needed to upgrade. Yeah ME2 was more streamlined but I think for the better.

See, I don't fear Bioware working on The Old Republic. They announced it in 2008 so you know they've been working on it for at least 3 years since.

World of Warcraft came 3 years after it's announcement too. I don't think Bioware would mess this up. They aren't Obsidian.

 

[Grey_Focks]

Oh...this thread....again.

You're never the only one. Ever. Personally, I thought ME2 was a pretty big improvement over ME1. Not saying they didn't do a few things poorly, but the game was definitely overall just better, IMO at least. DA2, on the otherhand......had a lot of problems. I just take comfort in the fact that Mass Effect and TOR are being made by studios separate from Dragon Age.

 

[aashell13]

I liked ME2 a lot better than ME1, mainly because they streamlined the combat and inventory management. Didn't play DA2, had an average time with DA:O.

So no, I don't think BioWare is wrong, dead, dying, , at all.

I'll certainly be buying ME3, assuming I can get ahold of it someplace not Origin, might even get it on release day, which would be a first for me. I'll continue looking at TOR too, even though I'm not a fan of the art style or MMO's generally, and would much rather have had KOTOR 3.

 

[Zeraki]

Oh joy... this thread again.

Considering that bashing Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age 2 is this forums' favorite pass time, no you're not the only one. It seems that the people who actually like the games are the ones in the minority. And gods help you if you have the gall to admit that you like them.

 

[Joccaren]

Wait, You *Like* having broken, uninteresting combat? Look I'm all for heavy RPG elements but when it comes to gunplay, keep your grimy mitts off my aim.

And you *Like* Hiding behind a wall for 90% of a game, waiting for a chance to shoot the same enemy with the same gun, and use the one useful ability you have?
Aim wasn't too badly affected in ME1, except for the sniper rifle sway, that was bullshit. I was always able to aim any gun well with or without skill points in the gun. I however loved the ability to leave cover and live, and the ability to use more than one ability at a time. I'll take slightly harder aiming over extreme monotony any day (seriously, tell me any fight in ME2 had more to it than hide behind wall, shoot, use ability x. I'll give you the one that I found: That cave full of husks, and that was just ludicrously too many husks...)

 

[tmande2nd]

I personally was far more upset that Bioware is stuck in the same rut for every game.

I.E.:
Play the big goddam hero who does cool stuff.

The Bhaalspawn, Revan, Warden, Spirit Monk, Shepard, the Warden, and Hawke are all OP larger then life heroes who kick in doors, murder tons of stuff, and then run off with their LI of choice (depenind on if you played BG2, and not BG1. Or you took the Light Side ending in KOTOR).

I mean its just the same old formula again and again and again. Go down a linear plot route, defeat the big bad, end credits roll.

Hawke was an ATTEMPT to get past this but really .... Hawke is still just a big goddam hero really. If you side with the mages I guess, on the Templar ending, he still is a hero to some I guess.

But no Bioware games get nicer graphics, and better gameplay over time but their stories dont really deviate much.
It gets kind of annoying playing THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON OF ALL TIME in these settings again and again and again.

 

[Da Orky Man]

Haven't played DA2, so couldn't say. However, I do stand on the matter that Mass Effect 2 was awesome. The first Bioware game I played was KotOR, and you can see how they've changed, especially since Mass Effect and KotOR were made by the same team, but it's not for the bad. At least from my POV.

 

[DustyDrB]

I still love their games. I did start with them at Knights of the Old Republic, but have gone back and enjoyed both Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights (just the first game of each series). I like both Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II, though both are probably BioWare's two most flawed games (well...except for the Sonic RPG, I assume). Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect are both classics to me, and Mass Effect 2 is my favorite game of all time.

Tales of their demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Oh, and to continue the trend...Oh look, it's this thread again.

 

[The Hero Killer]

People need to seriously lay off Mass Effect 2 sure it would have been nice to customize your party's equipment but I'd rather them all wear unique stuff instead of the same pink and white space suit like on ME1. Also having to shift though 10 of the same gun just for a few points of attack was just tedious. And people need to realize that scanning planets werent the sidequests of the game the N7 missions were and those looked better and were more unique than riding across a barren planet, scanning the same probes and rock formations, and fighting in the same little base everytime.

ME2 was the best Bioware game to date when it comes to mixing both action and roleplaying which I thought the dialogue and choice system would have been more important than dressing your characters when it came to roleplaying. I agree that the leveling system could have been expanded and I wish that all party memebers had their own unique skills and weapons instead of just mixing them up and spreading them around but thats it. We dont need that Mako or any driving for that matter unless its in a cutscene like during Katsumi's DLC or short sequences like during Shadow Broker and Overlord. I'll be so pissed it they take a step back and bring back all that boring and tedious stuff on ME3. /rant

P.S. I'll be the first to say that I am a shallow aesthetic minded person so bland things are a big turn off for me like ME1's armor system. It was the same thing with Dragon Age: Origins' my main problem was that game seemed to have only 4 or 5 different types of armor but luckily my mods changed that. Thats why I like COD over other shooters due to the constant excitement and scripted events and thats why I like the newer Star Wars movies just AS MUCH as the old ones because the flashier lightsaber fights and environments made up for the lack in storytelling. So take my OPINION as you will.

 

[VulakAerr]

No, you're not the only one, but I personally loved both of those games. Everyone has their own taste. What annoyed me about DA2 has been said countless times before: There was a lack of polish that manifested itself in many many reused assets. Other than that, I actually preferred its story to that of its predecessor. I'm tired of saving the world. I'm actually rather keen on a smaller, more personal story a la DA2. 6 months or so more development and it would have been up there with Bioware's usual standard.

Edit: By the way, Mass Effect 2 is still my all time favourite game, and I've been playing games of all genres for the past 20 years.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Bioware changed alot, RPG games aren't their thing anymore, now they are going towards an action movie blend.

 

[DeathWyrmNexus]

Look, just because their last couple of games (developed by separate teams, no less) have had some subjective missteps (some more vocally addressed than others) does not mean "OMG THEY HAVE CHANGED FOR THE WORSE!" or that they have changed at all. Quit being fickle and give them the benefit of a track record before you start jumping down their throats.

Yaaaa, that is how I am seeing this thread too. I actually enjoyed both of the DA games. I was able to connect to the characters in both games. I also saw more depth in the "shallow" characters (Zevran/Isabella) than most people gave them credit for but that is just a personal gripe.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

omg you have to fck kidding me how the hell is dragon age 2 a better game

are you demented there were none improvements from the first one

Subjectivity for the win!

• A fully voiced main character was an improvement over a mute main character.
  The combat was faster paced (to call DA:O's "glacial" is an understatement)
  The graphics were improved.
  The horrifying crafting from DA:O was simplified.
  The storytelling was more ambitious, although not necessarily better (anyone who approves of DA:O's impossibly hackneyed "the orcs are coming" story line needs a punch to the throat).
  The balancing/difficulty curve was much improved.

That's not to say it was a better game than Origins, but pretending it was a massive step backwards across the board is either showing an irrational hatred for DA2, or hilarious rose colored glasses for DA:O. DA2 was rushed. It shows all over the place that is was rushed, with half-finished, poorly fleshed out narrative arcs and awful re-using of area maps. It wasn't a BAD game. Unfortunately this is an internet forum, where all opinions on everything must be "OMG BEST EVAR" or "BOOGA BOOGA WORST THING I EVER PLAYED SLAP IN MAH FACE!".

 

[SAMURAJ]

I felt that both Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age 2 were improvements on the original games. Especially Dragon Age 2, it had a different story structure to the normal tired Bioware formula, the combat was a million times more fun to play than Origins, and i felt the characters in my party were very good (except Anders, he can fuck off).

omg you have to fck kidding me how the hell is dragon age 2 a better game

are you demented there were none improvements from the first one

and you say that the combat is fun omg what were you playing the combat was litteraly just boring he had two moves that he was doing over and over again and dont get me started on the exploding corpses if youkill it with a slash i mean who ever saw a corpse explode from being poked with a dagger and the fck difference in auto attacking with a two-handed, one-handed or daggers are absolutely zero and it looks so damn retarded when a warrior starts to swing a sword like its made of alluminium filled with helium so it weighs nothing

there is that new style conversation system that is used and their motto is "if you are a retard you wont have any problem talking because we have always 3 options and if you cant read there are pictures" well lets not make a conversation system that makes you read anything and fck think before you click we will do it for those retarded people who want to look at pictures and dont know how to read

so in the end i'll just say that some of the characters were ok (including Anders you little prick) and you can take your Isabela and you precios (wanna beat the crap the hell outa her the moment i see her) Aveline and fck off to some grave you dugg up just so you can kill yourself because you said that dragon age 2 is better than dragon age origins i mean you need to check you eyes and head maybe you are blind or have a tumor in your brain that is putting pressure on your decision-making part of the brain or you are just shizofrenic and thought that you were playing super mario instead off dragon age

go watch Boku no Pico you deranged little man and yes your cat is actualy a dog

ps sorry for bad english on some parts really got mad when i read this

Somebody please report this man....HE STOLE MY WORDS !!!!

I totally agree with this man and now i am going to ask for his hand in marriage as we proceed to cleanse this world from abomination know as dragon age 2 !!!!

Shave my back and call me an elf !!!

 

[DemoBuba]

• A fully voiced main character was an improvement over a mute main character.
  The combat was faster paced (to call DA:O's "glacial" is an understatement)
  The graphics were improved.
  The horrifying crafting from DA:O was simplified.
  The storytelling was more ambitious, although not necessarily better (anyone who approves of DA:O's impossibly hackneyed "the orcs are coming" story line needs a punch to the throat).
  The balancing/difficulty curve was much improved.

That's not to say it was a better game than Origins, but pretending it was a massive step backwards across the board is either showing an irrational hatred for DA2, or hilarious rose colored glasses for DA:O. DA2 was rushed. It shows all over the place that is was rushed, with half-finished, poorly fleshed out narrative arcs and awful re-using of area maps. It wasn't a BAD game. Unfortunately this is an internet forum, where all opinions on everything must be "OMG BEST EVAR" or "BOOGA BOOGA WORST THING I EVER PLAYED SLAP IN MAH FACE!".

i never said that DA:O "OMG BEST EVAR" or "BOOGA BOOGA WORST THING I EVER PLAYED SLAP IN MAH FACE!" and yes i would slap a man who sais that da2 is better than DA:O

who the fck cares if its rushed if you are rushing something then dont release it if its gonna be something like da2

and i wasnt gonna say anything about the maps but you started it IN da2 THERE ARE 2 MAPS so fck go and die in a ditch bioware you dont deserve to live after this

 

[LarenzoAOG]

Am I the only one that was disappointed with Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age II?

Every time you utter the phrase "am I the only one..." all the other people that are/doing/feeling/whatever, what you are about to desribe have their life spans shortened, and that a lot of people, this is the internet, not trying to be rude but if you think you are the only person with a given opinion you are incredibly wrong and you just might have an inflated opinion of yourself.

Again, I'm not trying to be a dick or anything, I'm just laying down some truth, you dig?

Not necessarily , if i say , am i the only one that liked deus ex : invisible war more than the original and HR , i would probably get laughed at , then stoned , then hanged then laughed at some more . And the 5 other people in the world that believes will abstain from agreeing with me .( this is an example i in no way, forme , or manner believe invisible war is better than any game )

Well thats the exception to the rule, and there probably aren't even 5 people in the world who really enjoyed Invisible War to the others.

 

[LarenzoAOG]

Am I the only one that was disappointed with Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age II?

Every time you utter the phrase "am I the only one..." all the other people that are/doing/feeling/whatever, what you are about to desribe have their life spans shortened, and that a lot of people, this is the internet, not trying to be rude but if you think you are the only person with a given opinion you are incredibly wrong and you just might have an inflated opinion of yourself.

Again, I'm not trying to be a dick or anything, I'm just laying down some truth, you dig?

It's kind of astonishing how often I see this response whenever someone says "Am I the only one...?" Do you people just not understand how standard phrases work?

It's insulting to everyone's intelligence when this gets pointed out.

Maybe if people are annoyed when other point out the stupidity of a certain phrase then maybe we should stop using that stupid phrase.

Good day sir.

 

[The Last Nomad]

The only Bioware games I had played before Mass Effect 2 was the Baldur's gate games.
And I was very disappointed with Mass Effect 2. But I only really had one complaint about it. Sure it wasn't a very deep RPG like the brilliant Baldur's Gate games, but it was an excellent third person shooter with RPG elements. And it had a large interesting gameworld to explore with a really cool sci-fi theme which is what I was looking for when I bought the game. I never played the first mass effect game so I can't really comment on it's quality or the Dragon Age games (Though I did hear the 2nd one was un-RPG like). But my only complaint is that Mass Effect 2 ended. Not just its story but I was able to do everything in the gameworld(Dicovering all the planets, landing on all those that I could. All I good do was visit the hub worlds, no combat areas. I was annoyed because with an ENTIRE GALAXY to explore I thought I could have kept playing the game, exploring because there was an entire galaxy to do so in. Thats kinda one of the appealing aspects if a space themed game if you ask me. I realise that thats a big thing to ask of a game, but this was the studio that developed the Baldur's gate games, which had amazingly detailed worlds to explore. Would it have too much to ask for a few more quests in the already visited planets to kill a few more aliens? Maybe some that you can go back to infinitely? I did get a hell of a lot of playtime out of the galaxy but I just expected more. I felt the only thing I could do was start again with a new character but I prefer to be able to do everything a game has to offer with a singular character, which was something the Baldur's Gate games were good at.

 

[Hobonicus]

Am I the only one that was disappointed with Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age II?

Every time you utter the phrase "am I the only one..." all the other people that are/doing/feeling/whatever, what you are about to desribe have their life spans shortened, and that a lot of people, this is the internet, not trying to be rude but if you think you are the only person with a given opinion you are incredibly wrong and you just might have an inflated opinion of yourself.

Again, I'm not trying to be a dick or anything, I'm just laying down some truth, you dig?

It's kind of astonishing how often I see this response whenever someone says "Am I the only one...?" Do you people just not understand how standard phrases work?

It's insulting to everyone's intelligence when this gets pointed out.

Maybe if people are annoyed when other point out the stupidity of a certain phrase then maybe we should stop using that stupid phrase.

Good day sir.

But it's not a stupid phrase... It's just basic exaggeration to get a feeling across, used all the time various ways in conversations. Connotation.

There's just something about that specific phrase that makes all the people who pretend not to understand social norms jump on it every time. I mean let's be serious now, you do know that phrase isn't meant to be taken literally, and you know the OP didn't mean it literally, but you and half a dozen others on this thread decided to play dumb and explain it to him anyway, as if you think he's stupid enough to have meant it literally. So is the problem with the guy who uses a well-known phrase to make a point or the people who have arbitrarily decided that connotation is no longer a thing.

And it's an overwhelmingly specifically targeted phrase. Somewhere on the internet someone complained about it and people said "Look at that cool logical guy" and it's gained popularity ever since. I guarantee that when you and the others in this thread said that, it wasn't the first time they'd seen it written. They saw "Am I the only one...?" and thought "Time for me to show how logical I am!" The same people who would target that phrase are also the ones who would say "I died a little on the inside", so it's not consistent, just an automatic response to that phrase. I'm not trying to be a dick either, but this behavior is not only backwards and filled with irony, but nauseatingly predictable.

OT: If you ignore the plot holes in the grand scheme, I think Mass Effect 2 was definitely better written than the first game, which was incredibly preachy at times. I also think the streamlining worked, the RPG features in the first weren't exactly extensive anyway and often only muddled up the fights. Haven't played DA2, but wasn't a fan of DA:O's writing either. Too heavy handed, too deliberate, felt like they were trying way too hard. DA2, from what I hear, is the only indication of Bioware lacking in quality, but I assume the fault is with EA there.