I greatly respect Bioware for their superlative character and story writing. The problem is that they don't really know how to make games; rather, those games of theirs which I have played range from boring to infuriating.
I played the first Mass Effect, and aside from its middling shooter controls and average rpg elements, it had a blatantly cliched sci-fi setting that utterly failed to engage me. It also seems that it favored conversation and wandering around corridors above the actual shooting. I still finished it, however, because it had halfway decent gameplay and an excellent story. Garrus and Wrex are two of the best characters I've ever encountered in video games. I got Mass Effect 2, then, to see if they could improve upon it, only to find that they had shoe-horned in a limited ammo system where previously there was none, thus effectively ruining the gunplay for me. Not to mention that I found their attempt at making it "darker and edgier" came across as cartoonish. Most of what I noticed is that they just threw in more racism and allusions to lousy government. I did not enjoy or finish Mass Effect 2.
Then came Dragon Age, the worst of the bunch. It had the worst characters, them being ones I perpetually wanted to throttle, a groan-inducingly cliched setting, and combat that was utterly insufferable. Worst of all, I didn't appreciate their foray into "dark fantasy." I found it was just "standard" fantasy, but with a story that never rewarded you. I returned Dragon Age the very next day after I got it, disgusted and angry.
Given such a lukewarm track record, I'd be hard pressed to consider Bioware anything more than a curiosity. They have the potential to create something genuinely worthwhile, but they can't seem to get it together. I hadn't heard of this supposed appeal to the Call of Duty audience, but I agree, it sounds like a sad, cynical, move and a turn for the worst. If their intention is to appeal to THAT market, I fear they may never get around to making a great game.
