Poll: Who would you have wanted to develop the actual KOTOR 3?

[Anti Nudist Cupcake]

The recent news about TOR going free-to-play caused me to start thinking about how much of a complete waste of the KOTOR name that it turned out to be, especially since I rather doubt they'll go back, retcon the MMO and do it properly.

So now, in my sorrow at the death of the IP, I'm going to begin some speculation about who would have made a better third game; Bioware or Obsidian?

I think the second game was vastly superior to the first in every way except for the bugs and the content that was cut to mmeet the deadline, though both of those have been more-or-less fixed by the patches and restored content mod. Therefore, I'd say the third game would be better off in Obsidian's hands.

What about you guys?

Here I thought, entering this thread, this page would be full of blind fanboys who favour bioware over obsidian and cannot see how good kotor 2 really was (though if you prefer kotor 1 that's fine). Instead I am treated to this, people who have my exact opinion. YES obsidian would make a damn good dev for the next kotor game, I completely agree. I love kotor 2, it was my first rpg and my favourite game ever.

Looking at the poll; I love you escapists, I really do.

Spoiler

 

[80Maxwell08]

I highly recommend you get around to playing it sooner, rather than later. It has the best choice and consequences in any game I've ever played, easily, without them being black and white.

I think I will once I uninstall some more games. I think I have like 20 games installed at once right now and I'm in the middle of beating some of them so I can get them off my computer for now. From the hour or so I played it was pretty good.

 

[Sutter Cane]

So, this is the thread where all of the Obsidian fans and all of the Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age 2 haters come together and hate Bioware as a team. So let me make absolutely no friends in this thread by saying Obsidian sucks, and the only things they have made since being founded were games i'd charitably call 'Passable.'

But everyone has such short memories with, you know, Alpha Protocol, Dungeon Siege 3, New Vegas. You'd think people would remember the pattern with Obsidian. Everyone defends them, claims their awesome, they release awesome screenshots... And then the game blows.

Alpha Protocol and New Vegas were both really good games, with new vegas making up for the abysmal Fallout 3.

Alpha protocol was essentially trashed for not being exactly like Mass Effect 2, and for having your skill points actually matter, which is not a bad thing. So in short, what the fuck are you talking about?

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

Oh, ho, ho. You want me to explain how KotoR 2 sucked? Alright, let's get started.

One: Peragus was incredibly long and tedious. It overstayed its welcome by a truly remarkable amount. I haven't seen that many grey corridors in a -long- time.

Two: The party members have three types, with a little overlap between them: One note characters like Handmaiden and Visas, and annoying sacks of shit like Atton and Kreia. The only good new character was Mira and even then only because she has a few funny quips. The third group consists of Mandalore, HK-47, and T3-M4. You know what they had in common? They aren't Obsidian characters.

Three: Kreia spends the entire game bagging on about how awesome Revan is. The game essentially tries to suck your dick. Somehow, I found this very obnoxious.

Four: Nothing you ever say or do will ever please Kreia and/or make her shut up. There are a couple points in the game where you're presented with a false binary choice so that Kreia has an excuse to monologue about how you're a failure. The beggar on Nar Shaddaa comes to mind - if you give him credits, you're a failure because he'll just get mugged and killed right after. If you don't give him credits and shout at him, he'll run away crying and then murder somebody. If you walk away and don't make eye contact, you...oh, wait, that option isn't available. And somehow, I don't like being monologued at for how much I suck. Especially when at the same time the same woman is trying to fellate KotoR 1-playing me.

Five: This is the game that introduced the Influence system, a bane of roleplaying if I ever saw one. I mean, I thought karma systems were bad, here you have to jump through hoops to make sure your characters like you or you don't get see half their mediocre stories. And I swear, this thing goes up and down like a hooker's knickers for no readily apparent reason sometimes.

Six: Why can't I stuff Kreia in the airlock and flush her out into space?

Neverwinter Nights 2's sins are far graver.

One: Oh my God, the ending. Rocks fall and everyone dies, are you -shitting me-?

Two: You're really going to make me work with the asshole who killed my favorite party member? The guy is a -warlock- the most useless class that exists.

Three: Oh my God, what the hell is up with the toolset? Why is Neverwinter Nights 2 multiplayer less popular than Neverwinter Nights multiplayer even -now-, this many years after release? Oh that's right, because NWN2's toolset -sucks ass-.

 

[EscapeGoat_v1legacy]

Obsidian, by a long shot. The writing for KotOR II is miles better than that for KotOR, with better themes, characters and plot. I reckon, had Obsidian been given the chance to make KotOR III, and allowed as long as they needed, it could have been a wonderful thing.

 

[Sutter Cane]

Note to self, it seems that many gamers will not only not prefer, but will actually actively reject good writing in video games, as seen above, and with those that prefer Fallout 3s story to New Vegas'(Fallout 3s story has tons of issues with the fallout lore, and just plain old internal logic issues, poor writing and railroading)

 

[Grivahri]

I would prefer a collaboration. Obsidian are better writers by far but Bioware makes much more compelling and interesting characters.

 

[The Madman]

Both ideally. While I do honestly think Bioware have lost something under the reigns of EA I still consider them a fantastic studio, meanwhile while I absolutely love a lot of Obsidians work they're also in much need of improvement as well when it comes to the actual gameplay and polish departments.

So both. As for the whole 'grr Obsidian/Bioware' thing I did want to comment on one thing:

Three: Oh my God, what the hell is up with the toolset? Why is Neverwinter Nights 2 multiplayer less popular than Neverwinter Nights multiplayer even -now-, this many years after release? Oh that's right, because NWN2's toolset -sucks ass-.

No it doesn't. Having spent time with both editors NWN2's is clearly superior in what it allows the user to accomplish. NWN1's tileset and dialogue system were simple to work with, which is why there are so many mods available for it, but it was also by default a terribly simplistic thing that really forces the user to work within a specific set of restraints. By proxy the NWN2 editor is much more complex, which means less mods, but also by far the more malleable in what even by default it allows the user to accomplish. This is why although there might be less mods for NWN2, the quality of many of them is spectacular. Take Misery Stone for example which by all rights has more fresh content and unique mechanics than the entire official Bioware expansion 'Shadows of Urentide' for the first Neverwinter Nights game.

Even just working without added fan content and using almost exclusive the default things available to the user some of the mods for NWN2 have been brilliant. Take The Maimed Gods Saga or Harp and Chrysanthemum as examples of that.

Which isn't to say NWN2's online is superior, it isn't. The major problem there is its download requirements when compared to NWN1's more streamlined online experience. But don't blame the editor, if there's one thing that absolutely excels about NWN2 it's the editor... that and Mask of the Betrayer which was by far the peak of the Neverwinter Nights series in terms of singleplayer content.

 

[Jamous]

I really don't know. Whoever could do the job better, be emotionally involved in the project, and give it to me now.

 

[WinkyTheGreat]

I'd play either but I would prefer Bioware. I just finished the KOTOR 2 with the restored content mod and parts of it make much more sense now. There are cut scenes between characters that make the story flow and I just can't imagine why they would leave all of that out just to rush a holiday release.

 

[The Madman]

But of course, as you probably know, the overall escapist community cling on to nostalgia like bear and honey. So the fact that the mere mention of Obsisdion would bring on those type of people here is a given. Put this thread in giant bomb or the game faqs forums and this thread would go in a complete 180.

"Someone likes something I don't, therefor they must love it for stupid reasons and be wrong!"

I'm sorry but that's pretty much the entire gist of what you just wrote. I never enjoyed Goldeneye but I don't go around saying the only reason anyone ever loved it was James Bond and nostalgia. I mean the controls even at the time were shit and frankly the level design was poor so why other than nostalgia would anyone like it?

See, I don't go around saying that because that would make me an opinionated ass... wait, did I just... dammit!

 

[The Madman]

And you were so close too .

But yeah your right, that's pretty much the gist of it. Does that surprise you? I believe the majority of the world is pretty damn stupid anyway. So why shouldn't I believe that the reasons aren't also stupid? Stupid is as stupid does. (cookie if you get the reference. XD)

Forest Gump isn't exactly an obscure movie, at least that's where I first heard that from.

Anyway my point was at least give a reason you dislike something other than using the ol' nosltagia excuse. I might not agree with PrinceOfShapeir above for example, but I can at least respect he took the time to try and outline what he disliked.