Cyrax987 said:
Should give them chance though. I mean when has Bioware really disappointed?
Cyrax987 said:
Should give them chance though. I mean when has Bioware really disappointed?
I would say Bioware has disappointed their fan base quite a bit. Specifically the RPG gamer fan base.
"Mass Effect 2" was financially successful and praised by action-oriented shooter fans for simplifying the combat down into a shooter and minimizing the RPG elements to near irrelevency. Something that caused a lot of rage from RPG fans, despite the high reviews from the mainstream.
A lot of people pretty much let this go because "well, we have Dragon Age", however it seems like they are doing the same thing for all intents and purposes. Dragon Age wasn't the deepest RPG system out there to begin with, it's simply been noteworthy because it's deeper than most of what else is out there at the moment. I mean overall your choices largely came down to picking a class and a style of fighting (or what magic spells to use) and then deciding what order to fill up the boxes in as you advanced. Simplifying something like that more is pretty much akin to removing the RPG elements all together. I'm sure a number of mainstreamers will love the idea, since they don't have to really worry about the numbers at all, but for the RPG gamers who are admittedly lower in number this is akin to being stabbed in the back yet again.
As far as Bioware's comments go, I think they are bringing it on themselves. The existing fan base of RPG gamers are concerned, and for good reason. What's more the lack of detailed information being revealed is NOT a defense, but part of the problem in this case. I understand that game companies like to hold their cards close to their chest for a number of reasons, however if you drop a bomb on people like this and then say "hey, don't criticize based on what we've said, you don't have all the information" that's flat out ridiculous.
What's more I'll go so far as to say that right now we're looking at 8 months until release, and delays are always possible. Right now is the time period where central game changes could still be made (perhaps including a further delay to make those changes). That is why people are going to be vocal and try and push.
I'll also be blunt, I think the numbers on "Mass Effect 2" were deceptive. A lot of people rushed out to buy it because they loved the first game and wanted more of the same. For all of the shooter guys turning cartwheels in the street, most of the serious RPG fans were seriously irritated. Truth be told if I had known what that game was actually like when it was released, chances are I would not have pre-ordered a special collector's edition or anything and waited for it to drop in price at least. It was a good game, but I was somewhat disappointed with the way the changes materialied to be blunt.
Hey, I could be wrong, but I'll be honest in saying I have trust issues with Bioware at the moment. I haven't pre-ordered this game way in advance, and despite having supported their RPGs in the past (buying multiple copies of Dragon Age: Origins and the DLC), I think this is a betrayal of that support. Unless something massive happens to convince me otherwise, these announcements have made it so I am unlikely to be a day #1 sale.
I supported Mass Effect 2 (including DLC) because I figure any company can make a misstep and mistreat their core fan base a little without going totally off the deep end. However if "Dragon Age 2" turns out to be "Mass Effect 2" with swords, Bioware is going to lose my pro-active patronage.
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On the off chance anyone from Bioware is actually reading this I'll say this much: I also use the name "Therumancer" as my handle on the Bioware social network. Go check out how much stuff I've bought from you personally. Then consider my father and stepmother are also signed up and have their own copies and DLC (despite being 34, I'm retired on disabillity and live at home). I'm definatly not alone in buying all this stuff (including two copies of everything for DA:O including Awakenings in differant formats) nor is mine the only household of gamers, however if this turns out like it seems like it's going to your going to lose a reliable, paying customer. I simply will not be running out to buy a copy of "Mass Effect 2 with swords", I want my RPG games to be RPG games... not semi-customizable shooters/hackers with a lot of cutscenes and dialogue options.
