First of all, I'm not going through all the previous posts. I pretty much read most of the first page and the last one before me. So if I hit points other have covered, and/or "refuted" I don't really care to be honest.
Anyway, I love Bioware. If Bioware had tits I'd primally fornicate her/it. Baldur's Gate, KOTOR, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect, Dragon Age: Origins, MDK2, Jade Empire, all great games. Quite a few are among my all-time favorite games. Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect both always battling for that number one spot I doubt I'll ever determine in my life time. So suffice it to say I do have my fair share of "fanboy" qualities.
All of this being said, they have scared me lately. I love Mass Effect 2. They did dumb down some of the role-playing elements, but really what they got rid of was mostly tedious things no one ever complimented to begin with. The story-telling and dialogue was still great and it left you with even more to do than the first. Which to be quite blunt is quite a feat. I was very happy with the game but I did worry about them taking the elimination of RPG elements and the slasher/shooter transition too far, but had no evidence as of yet that this would actually be the case.
We all know what's coming next. Dragon Age II. First, since so many have done so, allow me to give my take on Origins. I loved Origins. It was a great story, as is typical of Bioware, It all felt very epic and grand. Fantasy enough to get my nerd senses tingling but not far-fetched enough to to irk the over-analytical and logicy (that'll be a word some day, mark my words, so to speak) side of me. I don't know why the graphics get so much heat. I like them. They weren't stellar, but considering the scope of the game and the fact that it started development in the previous console generation, I thought it held up rather well graphically and is far from ugly. But really, who cares about graphics? They're a nice touch, one Bioware tends to excel at, but it's pretty much the least significant factor in a game if you ask me. As long as they're not so sloppily thrown together that I can't figure out what's happening in the game. I thought Origins was a great adventure, well worth a few playthroughs, and another typically great Bioware title. Being a Bioware game, I knew it'd get at least one sequel, and probably two considering the obsession they and every other graphically artistic medium in the world has grown with three-parters recently. For this, I was hard.
Then, Dragon Age II. I was so excited for this game. I rushed to gamestop right after class and scopped up my copy. Forgoing any contact with schoolwork until at least a couple hours were logged into the game. It starts off actually pretty fun and engaging. I loved the opening fight with your high-powered mage/rogue/warrior, and being able to experience just how beastly you could become. Reminded me of the beginning of Symphony of the Night before you're stripped of all your powers or Mega Man X when you're getting your ass kicked and Zero comes in and effs shiz up and is all "Don't worry kid. You'll grow to be big and strong. Just like me." I always liked when games did that. Shows you just how much your hard work can pay off and it gives you a goal to strive toward beside the obvious main quest. But I digress.
Now to the REAL beginning of the game. The controls are smooth, and action flows a lot better than the first, though not quite as strategically demanding. Then again, neither was the first in the first few hours of Origins when you know nothing about anything. The story's pretty cool to start. The final moments of the intro level actually being rather touching. I was in for a grand adventure. Unfortunately, I was left unsated. Increasingly toned down controls, repetitive locations (applying to the few locations even available), and the total lack of any sense of a tight story. A confusing, thrown together story. From Bioware? This I could never have Imagined. It's a short campaign where you never have a tight grasp of what's going on or what you're working toward. It's like three lazily fleshed out mini-stories slapped onto a disc with no attempt at creating cohesion between them. I'm promised a world-changing epic tale even by the damned promos and the best I get is some guy becomes fairly famous in the smallest kingdom ever and kills a "Qunari" that reminds me of a very violent grandfather prattling on about how everything was better back in the day (what the hell happened with those qunari anyway?) and a crazy blonde with power issues. That's the gist of it. Oh, also the button-mashy combat system makes the game stupid easy. I don't want a Bioware game holding my hand through a clunky at best story with a horribly overpowered protagonist and mages that take their cues from The Force Unleashed. I will give that some of the dialogue was rather amusing, but when that's my favorite part of a game, that's a real problem.
I give that lengthy rant because that game was the turning point for me. I went from expecting anything Bioware touched to be pure gold, to half-worrying every time I see a number slapped next to one of their titles. They made small, subtle changes in Mass Effect 2. Didn't really effect me much. But the whole 360 the did from what makes a Bioware game a damn Bioware game really freaks me out. I still trust that they can make masterpieces of gaming without breaking a sweat. I just don't have near the confidence I did that they will. I'm optimistic about Mass Effect 3, though with a tad caution. If the bomb that game, I'll have to have a hard look followed by a very lengthy talk, followed by some furniture thrown around about our relationship, that'll hopefully end in some intense make-up sex. But here's hoping they stop down the path they're treading.
My wrists hurt and I need those functioning later. So I'm done for now.