Bioware - Once again showing Bethesda how it's done - Poll

Lol, anyone who picks bethesda is a LIAR.

dommeus

Proof?

Bethesda is a way better dev IMO....

I can't personally get into Dragon Age due to the fierce medievalness of it all. But overall I much prefer Bioware's efforts. Bethesda's writing is terrible, there are no interesting characters and you don't give a **** about the world or what's happening to it. And the voice acting overall is not very good. NENENENENENENENENE

I feel the opposite TC. I liked DA, but it was a step down from games like Oblivion/Morrowind/Fallout. Yes, it's more of a traditional RPG in the sense that it follows D&D style rules more closely. But does that make it more fun? I play a lot of PS1 RPG's and DA just felt like one of those, but not as good. From the simplistic world travel system and lack of actual world travel, it just wasn't what I expect from a modern RPG. Especially from a company like Bioware. It used the same old decision system that Bioware has been using all these years. It's predictable. It's two clear cut paths. It's fake freedom. Once you understand the mechanics, the games talking become dull. While I can also say this about Bethesda games, at least they have freedom. I can't help but think how much more beautiful their worlds are compared to DA. They create an entire world where DA merely creates a lifeless map. It's not a quantity over quality thing. I just feel Bethesda is able to give both, and Bioware merely focused on one. Yet it still didn't do it perfectly. Granted, I've only played the console versions of the games. But judging from all the review averages... It seems like I wasn't the only one disappointed in DA. dr-venkman

Bethesda's open world is hollow and meaningless.

"Hey, yet another Oblivion gate just like the 50 or so I just closed down before this one, with just as boring mobs and just as boring loot". "Oh another meaningless crypt with no history that ends up having the great loot of a fork and a decayed skull".

I spent hundreds of hours in Oblivion... only after it got heavily modified. What exactly DID you expect from Bioware? Bioware never made a sandbox RPG as far as I can remember. From Baldur's gate through Neverwinter Nights through KOTOR and Mass Effect. They were all "maps" and "locations" driven by stories and parties.

In fact Dragon Age is EXACTLY what you would expect from Bioware. As to the choice system, at least you have one. Fallout 3's "choice" system was laughable, as it only affected the direct outcomes of the missions and not the big picture.

I do wish Bioware would one day create a sand box world with JUST as much story, deep combat and character depth as their typical games. But if I had to choose between the two, I'd take story / deep characters over repetitive pseudo-nonlinear first person action RPGs any day.

Ugh all these people complaining that DA's combat is old and needs to oblivionized make me a sad panda. Its people like you that make us old crpg fans have to wait ages before a developer throws us a bone and gives us the detailed, intricate crpg goodness that was soo common in the late mid-late 90's. Action rpg-lite drivel like Oblivion and Fallout 3 are a regression of the genre, buh-buh IMMERSHUN! How CAnz U plaY RPGZ WiTHouT IMMERSHUN?? I need TO liek RLLY SwinG SWORD when I plaY RPGZ, not clickz and AUTO attack LOLOLOLOL! I think some of you mid 2000 "rpg" bandwagon jumpers are ruining the genre for us rpg vets, but hopefully DA is a sign of more hardcore rpg goodness to come.

The best game developer? Both of them still makes great or at least decent games. The best RPG developer? Bioware for sure. Bethesda hasn't done a real RPG since The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Oblivion is a decent game and Fallout 3 is an amazing game, but both are mediocre as RPGs. Dragon Age is an outstanding RPG, an example for Bethesda and for every developer out there of how to make a really great role playing experience.

For everyone complaining about Oblivion's battle system being too easy with no strategy, there are MODs that make it a lot better. MODs that fix the AI and made it a lot harder as well as having constant companions in the game changed the game play a lot.

I wouldn't play the game without the MODs. It made it really good. I can't wait to see what people make for DAO.

Bioware for me, I enjoyed almost all of there game which includes Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and there is many more that I can't list of the top off my head at the moment. Bethesda has some good games too but as for the better of the two I will go with Bioware.

BioWare. Bethesda just lost their touch.

Bethesda's games are first-person, so they insta-fail in my book.

I like Oblivion better than Dragon Age. I didn't like the combat of Dragon Age.

It is a shame the combat in Dragon Age is unbalanced. Fallout 3 was just crappy mechanics, but Dragon Age is loaded with mages that spam the same move with no problems.

The 2 best right here. Bioware gets the nod, but not by much!

[QUOTE="myke2010"]Jandurin

I like Oblivion better than Dragon Age. I didn't like the combat of Dragon Age.

good_sk8er7

[QUOTE="ThatGuyFromB4"]

[QUOTE="110million"] But if you're talking about simple combat, it doesn't get much more basic or mindless then Oblivion, it takes no skill whatsoever, Dragon Age requires a lot, thats what you don't understand about DA, I've played every major MMO ranging from 20-30 hours, all the way into days, and DA does not play like any MMO, maybe DnD:O because I haven't played it. Its nothing like WoW, no matter how many times you say it, I've played both, you have not. myke2010

The core combat mechanics are taken straight from WoW. There are differences and it's not the same experience of course, but the core combat mechanics are the same.

Oblivion's combat needed more depth and hopefully they expand upon it in the next ES, but it was still fun.

You really need to play DA:O or at least try the combat because it's appalling how clueless you sound in these posts. As a former WOW addict I can honestly say the two games have very little in common.

First off, you do realize that WOW combat mechanics are loosely based on classic D&D mechanics to begin with, don't you? DA doesn't base itself off WOW, but rather D&D, which is why it is so much deeper and more thoroughly satifying, as the devs didn't dumb the combat mechanics down to appease the ADD generation.

Next, you do have to aim spells in DA. If you think otherwise then go ahead and aim that cone of cold into the middle of your group and curse the game as the enemy proceeds to shatter your allies in a single hit. Or better yet, launch a fireball and just kill your party members yourself, saving the enemy the trouble.

Also, last I checked, WOW didn't have flanking positions to worry about. You could run circles around a mob while whittling away their health. There is no combat on the move in DA:O. For ranged, distance plays a huge part, as well on what type of bow you have equipped, in how well archers fare as well. In WOW you either were in range or you weren't and bow type was irrelevant.

In WOW healers could spam heals until they went OOM. In DA:O heals have lengthy cool downs forcing you to make good use of snares, roots and stuns to mitigate the number of opponenet until you can cast another heal on your party.

DA:O also have active abilities that affect the total amount of mana or stamina available in combat. You can have high threat and protection as a tank, but it comes at the cost of having a fraction of the stamina available for stuns and CC. Also, the type of armor worn has a direct affect on the mana/stamina cost of abilities. This forces you to choose between having an extremely hard to kill tank, or having one that may be more vulnerable but better able to control the flow of battle.

You either need to actually play this game or stop making such outlandish and unfounded criticisms.

At least Oblivion didn't have gameplay straight out of the damn 90's.

ThatGuyFromB4

The number of people accusing Dragon Age of having dated game play...

Player driven twitch combat, this is progress to these people in a 'RPG'? Whatever happened to actual role play, you know, success being determined by the 'characters' ability? People are looking to RPGs and complaining they are not more like fps/action games.

Honestly with these people making up the majority these days is it any wonder every game is being dumbed down into a mindless action fest?

Am I the only one that thinks Bethesda gets TOO much hate?

Anyway, they're a tie for me. *Gets shot, burned, slashed, diced, sliced, and nuked* ...ouch.

The number of people accusing Dragon Age of having dated game play...

Player driven twitch combat, this is progress to these people in a 'RPG'? Whatever happened to actual role play, you know, success being determined by the 'characters' ability? People are looking to RPGs and complaining they are not more like fps/action games.

Honestly with these people making up the majority these days is it any wonder every game is being dumbed down into a mindless action fest?

AnnoyedDragon

Am I the only one that thinks Bethesda gets TOO much hate?

Anyway, they're a tie for me. *Gets shot, burned, slashed, diced, sliced, and nuked* ...ouch.

I'd vote on this one, but I honestly can't just by looking at this gen. Because I liked Fallout more than Mass Effect, haven't played DragonAge, but it looks much much better than Oblivion. so we go to X-Box and winner by default is BioWare, because KOTOR.

God forbid RPGs start having fun combat.

ThatGuyFromB4

Translation: RPGs should only have combat that is fun to me.

The thing is there are countless action RPGs out there today, they have pretty much become the standard because of the mainstreams tastes. It's what makes it all the more irritating when people complain about games like Dragon Age, god forbid the people who actually like these sort of games get one every couple of years.

Umm, just because you don't like tactical party based battles does not mean they aren't fun to many others. We get it, you want to play some game where you can hack n slash to your hearts delight and good for you, but there is a substantial portion of rpg gamers who very much prefer the more tactical, nuanced party based battles that games like Dragon Age provide. I mean the late 90s had bar none the best rpgs EVER. Baldur's Gate 2 and its infinity engine cousins defecate all over newer rpg-lite games like Oblivion and FO3, and you cant even swing your swords when you want to in those games like oblivion! What you are looking for is the Action-RPG genre, don't confuse it with the big boys of CRPG's, of which Dragon Age remarkably is able to compare with.

I'm glad that Bioware went back to its roots and gave us the type of game they built their name upon, we don't need rpg-lite haters to come in and have them dumb down DAO2 for you less mentally able gamers.

[QUOTE="AnnoyedDragon"]

The number of people accusing Dragon Age of having dated game play...

Player driven twitch combat, this is progress to these people in a 'RPG'? Whatever happened to actual role play, you know, success being determined by the 'characters' ability? People are looking to RPGs and complaining they are not more like fps/action games.

Honestly with these people making up the majority these days is it any wonder every game is being dumbed down into a mindless action fest?

ThatGuyFromB4

The votes are in andthevast majoritycan see the better RPG company.

The comments about making DAO up to date with shooter mechanicsare laughable. They made you a game like that, it's calledBorderlands so you should go play it :).

I knew the old Baldurs Gate crew wouldn't let me down. I'm half way through and savouring it. This should be GOTY in my humble opinion.

See that game called Dragon Age Bethesda? That is what Oblivion should have been, that's the sort of depth of characters Fallout should have had. In a Bioware RPG your choices affect the outcome of the story where as a Bethesda RPG your choices affect how big your knife or gun is allowed to be.

All flash and no substance make Bethesda RPG's appeal to the shooter generation. It is good to see a company take an old premise and bring it bang up to date without losing core values, well done Bioware.

So who do you think is best, and why?

1080pOnly

I liked both!

get over it :P

why cant I like both. Why must I always choose