Poll: Which Bioware RPG to start with?

[Fredvdp]

Mass Effect is a good casual RPG/shooter hybrid to get you started. It has the best storyline and characters from the Bioware games I've played, though I must admit I haven't played an older BioWare game than KotOR yet.

Dragon Age II is also a casual RPG but a lot of the design is very lazy and it's definitely not BioWare's high point. I like the characters and story more than the original (I don't understand why people like Morrigan so much. The best characters in the party are the dog and the talking rock), but there's also a lack of choice in DA2 that is uncharacteristic for BioWare.

 

[Jenx]

Baldur Gates 2. Yeah, not the first one. Start with 2, if you like it, THEN play trough the rest of the series.

And all of you talking about "difficulty curves" and "not being friendly to new players" - grow a pair. The games are not hard if your brain is not located in your ass, so I think new players will be fine as long as they remember to not make stupid mistakes.

As for not knowning anything about DnD...well, about time they learn, ain't it?

 

[Susurrus]

SNIP

Your poll is inherently stupid, in that it doesn't take into account the two BEST RPG/Bioware-related RPG series - Baldur's Gate and Planescape (Icewind Dale is also not bad).

The gfx for Baldur's Gate aren't horrible, so it's not an unplayable monstrosity that a 2000-era FPS would be, being mostly pretty-art backgrounds. To play Dragon Age without having played these is to fundamentally misunderstand:
a) What DA:O is shooting for
b) That it misses, by quite a margin.

 

[iFail69]

I played KotOR first and absolutely loved it. I would advise it as the first one because the gameplay is great, and the story is also great.

Led me onto play Dragon Age Origins + Awakening multiple times afterwards, and then Mass Effect 2, so I'd say it had significant impact.

 

[KingHodor]

Recently, I've been seeing a lot of hype and a lot of threads for Skyrim. While that may not in itself be a bad thing, except possibly for the game (like Duke Nukem Forever, it has huge shoes to fill), it's slightly out of my price range for a publisher and a genre I'm not normally interested in.

Because of that, I've decided maybe Bioware would get me into WRPGs better. I already own Knights of the Old Republic on Steam (my most convenient way of getting games, although I might find more elsewhere), but I'm finding that a little hard to handle, for two reasons: it's a little tough for me (I got stuck on the first battle in the Lower City) and it's about as buggy as your average Bethesda masterpiece (sometimes my character just stands still for a minute, no matter how many keys I mash.)

If you thought KotOR was too hard, you probably want to stay away from the Baldur's Gate series as its combat system is far more challenging; while both are based on a pseudo-realtime D&D system, KotOR uses a more streamlined version and tries to put as much of it as possible "under the hood"; Baldur's Gate 2, on the other hand, requires you to memorize dozens of spells and their status effects, familiarize yourself with a complex/convoluted rule set, and learn to effectively coordinate a 6-character-party if you want to stand a chance in a boss fight.

If you're hyped for Skyrim and it's out of your price range, I'd say the most obvious solution would be to just get the GOTY edition of Oblivion - for just ~20$, you're easily looking at more than a hundred hours of gameplay (depending on your playing style).

 

[mipper]

OK, so this is my first post ever. I love Bioware, so

I haven't read all of what is posted above, but here is my take:
Mass Effect has a *great* story, but it really isn't an RPG in the number-crunchy sense of the word. That being said, it is totally worth your time.

Dragon Age Origins... I thought was meh. The first time, I did not get past the introduction, the second, I gave up after about 10 hours. I've heard great things about the story, but could not get past the initial slog to get to it.

KOTOR is *amazing*, but you are right, it is buggy. I have played it 4 times through on XBox and loved every moment every time. There was one time where I almost lost my entire game due to a freeze, which was frustrating for a half hour or so. But then I found a way to make the game not freeze (involved switching out characters) and all was well.

A lot of people are recommending Baldur's Gate above, but also how about Planescape:Torment? Amazing game. Developed by Black Isle Studios (who published Baldur's Gate).

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well if you want a low entry point to RPG's then ME2 is the one for you, you can't really get more casual then that.

And if you want to see the full scope of what an RPG can do you go for the Baldur's Gate series, be warned that series is longer then all the others put together.

 

[meowchef]

Play them in order so you can appreciate innovation and graphical evolution.

Baldur's Gate 1 and 2
Neverwinter Nights
Knights of the Old Republic
Jade Empire
Mass Effect
Dragon Age Origins
Mass Effect 2
Dragon Age 2

All the games are either good or great so you definitely can't go wrong.

 

[Wayneguard]

They're all good. I voted Dragon Age for no particular reason. If you've got kotor 1 though, definitely play that (mostly so you can go on and play kotor 2 which is excellent). I hope Jade Empire goes on steam sale soon though b/c I havne't played it in forever. I have a craving.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

Knights of the Old Republic, it's morality system doesn't railroad you like Mass Effect or Dragon Age. In ME or DA you have to save the day, you can choose to be a jerk or a charming stud.

In Knights of the Old

Spoiler

you can save the galaxy or conquer it.

it is the shining example of what a true morality system should be.

Lol, that is a shining example of how NOT to do a morality system. Black-white morality is one of the worst things to ever grace games.
That is one of the reasons I don't like the first KOTOR, but absolutly love the second one.
Because it actually has shade of grey, rather than the usual shitty Star Wars good vs. bad morality.

OT: I would recomend Baldur's gate, but if KOTOR is too hard for you then probably Mass Effect is a more suitable choice, although it's a rather meh game, with a boring setting,a absolutly idiotic morality system, weak combat and gameplay, and the same god-damn story you see in every fucking Bioware game.

You misquoted me. I was quoting someone else saying that. I was pointing out exactly what you did, and giving my own "good morality system" counter-example.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

Difference is, it's still completely black and white. Are you a shining paragon or a crazy conqueror? At least with Dragon Age you have to deal with each character separately, from what I hear. Still, no RPG will ever have a morality system as good as that of Deus Ex, partly because Deus Ex doesn't give you a karma meter to begin with.

And I'd play that a lot more if the first one didn't look like crap and wasn't hard as hell, and Human Revolution had better boss fights. *eugh*

In DA, with the right baubles, you could make everyone your best friend. You got bonuses from having higher friendships with them. DA didn't really have morality per se, it was a crapsack world and you got to save it.

The original Deus Ex, the boss fights were optional. With a little digging around and exploring they could be won without ever firing a shot.

Yeah, but as for the rest of the original Deus Ex...Maybe I was just born in the wrong era.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

SNIP

Your poll is inherently stupid, in that it doesn't take into account the two BEST RPG/Bioware-related RPG series - Baldur's Gate and Planescape (Icewind Dale is also not bad).

The gfx for Baldur's Gate aren't horrible, so it's not an unplayable monstrosity that a 2000-era FPS would be, being mostly pretty-art backgrounds. To play Dragon Age without having played these is to fundamentally misunderstand:
a) What DA:O is shooting for
b) That it misses, by quite a margin.

Guess what? Neither of those games are easily available on Steam, which I stated outright at the top. Besides, both of them are pretty hardcore for someone who doesn't usually play this genre...

 

[NerfedFalcon]

If you're hyped for Skyrim and it's out of your price range, I'd say the most obvious solution would be to just get the GOTY edition of Oblivion - for just ~20$, you're easily looking at more than a hundred hours of gameplay (depending on your playing style).

I'm not hyped for Skyrim, though - that's everyone else's thing. Like I said, I played one Bethesda RPG for about three hours and I have no desire to play any more of their games. (It was Fallout 3, for the record.)

 

[BulletMagTrig]

Mass Effect is my first vote. Start with the first game since it feels like a nice mix of the best of KOTOR and a good hit of Star Trek/Star Wars.

The world is vibrant, the equipment is snazzy, the chicks are green (and blue), and you get to do some real exploring in vastly different environments. It has its hard moments, but there is nothing an average gamer can't handle. Your crew is memorable, and your companions are often capable with little supervision.

Spoiler

Add explosive ammo to your sniper rifle for a good time.

If you want to play a more fantasy oriented RPG go with Dragons Age Origins.

I would also recommend sticking with KOTOR since it has some real gems in it that are still remembered today. It's also a nice intro if you want to get into The Old Republic MMO when it's release next month.

Spoiler

HK-47 makes the game.

 

[Ashadow700]

Out of Bioware's games, I have played Mass effect 1 and a bit of the sequel, Kotor 1 and 2, Dragon age: Origins and Baldur's gate 2 about half-way through.
I'd say Mass effect is the best choice as first game, simply becuase it is the most user-friendly. Sure, much of the combat boils down to little more then click-at-target-to-kill, but the story is what really drives the game.

Oh yeah, and one more thing. Whatever everyone else tells you; Don't. Play. Baldur's gate. As. Your. First. Bioware. Game!!!!!
Yeah, yeah, it's a great one and all, but it is also one of the least accessible games you are ever going to find becuase the mechanics of the game is so insanely illogical. For example, in order to have as good armor as possible, your armor stats is supposed to be as LOW as possible. What on earth is up with that??

 

[Ubermetalhed]

Stick with the Knights games or earlier (Baldurs) as it is all downhill after that.

 

[dyre]

Don't listen to the Baldur's Gate supporters! While it is undoubtedly Bioware's finest game, it's goddawfully difficult for new WRPG players, especially if you're having problems with KOTOR. I'd hate to have you try BG2, then give up because it's too complex. Try one of the newer Bioware games first.

I think you should just try pushing through KOTOR (maybe read a few FAQs about how to build your character and such), then try Baldur's Gate 2. Or 1, I suppose.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Yeah, but as for the rest of the original Deus Ex...Maybe I was just born in the wrong era.

A lot of people played it thinking it was a fps, plus today's gamers are used to auto-regenerating health.

 

[BoredDragon]

The combat system of Dragon Age felt too much like WoW to me so I didn't really enjoy it. It was little more dynamic than WoW, but not by much in opinion. *flame shields engaged*

I haven't played knights of the old republic or jade empire, but I have played Mass Effect. I really liked the first one and I loved the second. I say start with that.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

Yeah, but as for the rest of the original Deus Ex...Maybe I was just born in the wrong era.

A lot of people played it thinking it was a fps, plus today's gamers are used to auto-regenerating health.

It's not really that; more that most of the details are obscured by stuff, like, for instance...where the bloody hell are all the augmentations?!