BioWare Tackles Strategy with Command & Conquer Generals 2

[TheDooD]

I'm sorry EA, but changing the name of the developer of a game to Bioware doesn't make it a real Bioware game.

Next year EA sports will become Bioware sports.

What you don't want sexual harassment, assault, drug possession, DWI and or gun charges in your sports games. It'll add much more immersion to Dynasty Mode to watch your players trainwreck and still win the championship games.

 

[The Funslinger]

What's the real Bioware going to be working on next? That's all I car about.

I wish I could car about. Shame is, we don't do those learner's permit things here in the UK.

OT: I'd be interested in a Mass Effect RTS... with space and land battles. That'd be sexai!

 

[Weaver]

I'm a bit concerned they're bringing "gritty modern war" to fucking command and conquer, which has largely been tongue in cheek if not downright wacky from the get go.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Not too excited, but I will keep an eye out for this, as long as it doesn't require Origin that is.

I enjoyed all the games up until C&C 4 (excluding sole survivor, never played it, have heard it was terrible), one bad game shouldn't be enough to write off a whole series. Generals was my second favorite, so I'm happy to see a return to the universe and hopefully a return to a proper RTS not a Real time tactics game with little tactics.

It sounds like the studio is just a re-branded EA Los Angeles and is using the bioware name for media attention, so mission accomplished there. Hopefully everything works out that well for the game.

In addition they are completely re-developing for the FrostByte 2 engine, there's something I guess.

 

[Amnestic]

I'm a bit concerned they're bringing "gritty modern war" to fucking command and conquer, which has largely been tongue in cheek if not downright wacky from the get go.

Meh, Generals was pretty serious and the Tiberium series, while a bit whacky, was played mostly straight too. It's Red Alert which went tongue in cheek.

 

[Weaver]

I'm a bit concerned they're bringing "gritty modern war" to fucking command and conquer, which has largely been tongue in cheek if not downright wacky from the get go.

Meh, Generals was pretty serious and the Tiberium series, while a bit whacky, was played mostly straight too. It's Red Alert which went tongue in cheek.

I'd say red alert was all the way wacky, but the Tiberium series was so cheesy that there's no way I'd call it played straight

Gernerals was somewhere in between the two. Each of the three factions was practically a hilarious caricature of their real life counterparts.

 

[Generalissimo]

HAHA! Fuck you, and you, and you, and you, and you, and you and EVERYBODY who said that it was DEFINITLEY going to be a grimy, brown FPS because that was the only plausible explanation. WOOOOOOOOOOOO SELF SATISFACTION! I love being proven right. I don't even care if I'm breaking some sort of rule about gloating, stupid people assume things, stupid people are proven wrong, stupid people should be laughed at.

you sir, have earned yourself a report.

OT: if EA/bioware handles this right, it'll be mightly epic.

 

[The Funslinger]

What's the real Bioware going to be working on next? That's all I car about.

I wish I could car about. Shame is, we don't do those learner's permit things here in the UK.

What age can you get a license? Maybe by then we can get a good game from Bioware, like a new Star Wars or Neverwinter that isn't an mmo. JADE EMPIRE 2!!

Thanks for pointing that out btw. The car thing.

17, which I will be in February. Anyway! I said RTS, not MMO. I've got a wonderful mental image of hordes of Gelth marching on the human position. A squad of soldiers flanking a rampant Thresher Maw. The Normandy streaking through space; not the toughest ship, but definitely the hardest to hit...

 

[-Dragmire-]

Eh, it might work. I might get it if it's not Origin dependent.

 

[ReiverCorrupter]

I'm glad most sane game developers have realized that RTS will just never work on consoles - unless Kinect voice commands get a lot better.

Well, they never will with that attitude. I thought Halo Wars did a pretty good job as far as the basic formula goes (though it was incredibly buggy and had its support pulled out from under it almost immediately after launch). You can make a console RTS, you just have to be creative with the formula. Obviously it can't be a hotkey f@&#fest like Star Craft, but you can focus on things the controller is good at, like directly controlling unit movement, etc. The only reason why it hasn't happened is that everyone keeps trying to port PC RTS games into the console instead of starting from scratch.

 

[Spud of Doom]

Generals was my favourite of all the CnC games anyway, I liked it even more than RA2. It just had a nice feel to it. I imagine this next one will take some cues from Company of Heroes though.

 

[willsham45]

Cool. could they remake CnC 4 while they are at it.

And somewhere in it allow you to beat up a depiction of the leads and anyone elce responcable for the pile of ic that is CnC4. Doubley so for the guy who thought tech trees should be replaced with online skirmishes.

 

[Darth_Dude]

Please Please Please Please don't force this on the travisty known as Origin

I'm glad they're remaking this game but may the gods of Skyrim (or whomever) look down and not force it as an Origin SP and/or MP exclusive (which I'm sure EA will do to make it a more 'functional' platform)like BF3 is.

Of the C&C universe, I really only liked RA2 and Generals and the RA universe was tainted with the last version.

Do you complain when Valve games are only distributed on Steam as far as digital distribution is concerned?

No?

But Steam isnt a pile of steaming crap... (no pun intended XD)

OT: Cautious Optimism Rsing....

 

[Kargathia]

I'm a bit concerned they're bringing "gritty modern war" to fucking command and conquer, which has largely been tongue in cheek if not downright wacky from the get go.

Yup, "gritty" also made me flinch. C&C is not - and never should be - gritty, regardless of what buzz words your PR department is telling you are cool this month.

 

[Ashsaver]

I missed Westwood.

 

[Krantos]

I'm predicting EA will open a BioWare Sports studio in no more than six months. Nice way to butcher a brand.

This.

When I read the article and Tito asked "Why BioWare?" my only response was: Have you not been paying attention?

BioWare used to be an single-player RPG studio. Now they make shooters, action-RPGs, a MMORPG, and now an RTS.

They're now just using the name to sell shit. I don't think anyone over there gives a crap anymore. They're just making money at this point.

 

[Brownie101]

The franchise stopped being Venerable after it was no longer handled by Westwood alone.
As for BioWare taking over an RTS? I honestly can't see this working, what with BioWare being reknowned for Story. Good story is great and all, but story's not a huge focus in an RTS. You want solid multiplayer, with plenty of variety in ways to obliterate your opponent. Yea, it'll probably be fun. No, I won't buy it for several reasons.
EA and their DRM being one.
BioWare doing an RTS for two.
A searing hatred of EA for taking my favourite company for three.

 

[TheSYLOH]

Command and Conquers: Generals was a shitty game....
However, if you are able to mentally replace "Command and Conquer:" with "Age of"
Then Age of Generals was a pretty nice game.
Sure it didn't innovate much, heck they just renamed "God Powers" as "General Powers"
But they stuck to a tried and tested formula, and gave it a very entertaining modern spin.

 

[qou2600]

Isn't the C&C franchise the one that uses live actors? So wouldn't this be the perfect RTS for Bioware's character development based narrative style?

 

[Warachia]

At least they've said that Generals 2 will be PC exclusive. I'm glad most sane game developers have realized that RTS will just never work on consoles - unless Kinect voice commands get a lot better.

But RTS games CAN work on consoles, the only one that did it right though was an AVP game on the original Xbox that no one remembers.

Other than that, this came completely out of left field. I don't know why you would try to include character and emotion into an RTS, so Bioware would be the last place I'd look if I wanted to make one.