How did Bioware go so wrong?

After playing Skyrim for all weekend, I decided to slightly mix things up a little earlier today by pulling out my copy of Dragon Age: Origins.

Now, I don't know if you've actually played Dragon Age: Origins. The problem with the game is that it gets a stigma attached to it simply because of Dragon Age II, that bastardized excuse for a game that is supposed to be its sequel, and because Bioware made it, who seem to have no f***ing clue these days.

But the thing with Origins is, it is great. Fantastic. It is arguably Bioware's last great game, and definitely the last great RPG they developed. It stands as a masterpiece in its genre, and is one of the deepest, most complex RPGs developed in the last decade and a half, and it is indisputably Bioware's best work since Baldur's Gate 2. It also stands as one of the greatest RPGs ever developed.

The story may have been nothing special, and the overall setting may have been highly derivative, but the overall atmosphere was brilliant, the quest structure is probably second to none, the music was wonderful, the characterization was great, the dialog was tightly written, the combat and gameplay mechanics were great, and overall, it was probably the last bastion of the true old complex RPG that made no bones about what it was, and did not even attempt to streamline any of its components for the mass audience (Skyrim, great game though it is, does streamline its elements heavily to keep them accessible. I have no issues with this, as unlike other games, streamlining here does not mean that said elements are compromised)

My question is, how did Bioware go from making a game as good as this, a game that borders on being an all time masterpiece, to the worthless piece of s**t that was Dragon Age II? How did they go so wrong? Where did they go so wrong?

And considering their increased (misguided) push towards moving away from the traditional RPG market, is there really no chance that I can see a true sequel to Dragon Age Origins, a game that proudly upholds the tradition of the old WRPG that Origins so proudly tried to usher into the 21st century?

Just last year Bioware released its best game ever.
.
DA2 was really below what you expect from them, though.

Bioware saw how much ME2 sold after trying to appeal to a "wider" audience. Since they saw money in that market, they jumped at a heartbeat.

EADavidCage00

Pretty much this. They a dev slaughterer.

EADavidCage00

This is the only right answer.

EADavidCage00

Mass effect is the only bioware series that i enjoyed, and i always gave the other ones chances because of the "bioware legacy", so they are doing something right with mass effect.

Your post just screams at me to nitpick at the things you say, but I will try my hardest to resist. EA is the correct answer tho.

Mass effect is the only bioware series that i enjoyed, and i always gave the other ones chances because of the "bioware legacy", so they are doing something right with mass effect.

lostfan132

My question is, how did Bioware go from making a game as good as this, a game that borders on being an all time masterpiece, to the worthless piece of s**t that was Dragon Age II? How did they go so wrong? Where did they go so wrong?

And considering their increased (misguided) push towards moving away from the traditional RPG market, is there really no chance that I can see a true sequel to Dragon Age Origins, a game that proudly upholds the tradition of the old WRPG that Origins so proudly tried to usher into the 21st century?

charizard1605

Somehere between Shattered Steel (a MechWarrior clone and BioWare's first game; 1996), MDK2 (a TPS and their follow-up to Baldur's Gate 1; 2000) and Jade Empire (even less RPG-y than Mass Effect; 2005) I reckon.

Bioware has declined significantly. But I don't think you can blame EA entirely. Bioware was in a weird position before EA bought them out. Something about an equity firm spending $300 million before the EA acquisition. And this happened two years prior.

Probably because they got stretched thin by EA, Bioware isn't just one studio anymore they are in charge of EA's entire RPG division.ferret-gamer

Bioware Austin was created out of thin air for TOR but then hired 200+ quickly for it. So not much stretching thin for that.

There's something else wrong at Bioware but I don't know what it is.

You're overrating origins a lot. It's a good game, but there's a lot wrong with it. Skills are horribly balanced, some are clearly superior than others. There's sections that are very boring and go on for way too long. There's way too many enemies as well, it gets boring fighting the same things over and over.

stEAl.

;)

Dragon Age II, that bastardized excuse for a game that is supposed to be its sequelcharizard1605

EA, well considering both mass effect(original) and DA:O were both created before the merge. Now? lol.

After playing Skyrim for all weekend, I decided to slightly mix things up a little earlier today by pulling out my copy of Dragon Age: Origins.

Now, I don't know if you've actually played Dragon Age: Origins. The problem with the game is that it gets a stigma attached to it simply because of Dragon Age II, that bastardized excuse for a game that is supposed to be its sequel, and because Bioware made it, who seem to have no f***ing clue these days.

But the thing with Origins is, it is great. Fantastic. It is arguably Bioware's last great game, and definitely the last great RPG they developed. It stands as a masterpiece in its genre, and is one of the deepest, most complex RPGs developed in the last decade and a half, and it is indisputably Bioware's best work since Baldur's Gate 2. It also stands as one of the greatest RPGs ever developed.

The story may have been nothing special, and the overall setting may have been highly derivative, but the overall atmosphere was brilliant, the quest structure is probably second to none, the music was wonderful, the characterization was great, the dialog was tightly written, the combat and gameplay mechanics were great, and overall, it was probably the last bastion of the true old complex RPG that made no bones about what it was, and did not even attempt to streamline any of its components for the mass audience (Skyrim, great game though it is, does streamline its elements heavily to keep them accessible. I have no issues with this, as unlike other games, streamlining here does not mean that said elements are compromised)

My question is, how did Bioware go from making a game as good as this, a game that borders on being an all time masterpiece, to the worthless piece of s**t that was Dragon Age II? How did they go so wrong? Where did they go so wrong?

And considering their increased (misguided) push towards moving away from the traditional RPG market, is there really no chance that I can see a true sequel to Dragon Age Origins, a game that proudly upholds the tradition of the old WRPG that Origins so proudly tried to usher into the 21st century?

charizard1605

Bioware was murdered....

All we have nowadays is BiowarEA..... :(

Hm.

I enjoy what they offer still to this day. And the OP isa little too head over heels aboutthe greatness of DA:Origins.

Hm.

I enjoy what they offer still to this day. And the OP isa little too head over heels aboutthe greatness of DA:Origins.

[QUOTE="MLBknights58"]

Hm.

I enjoy what they offer still to this day. And the OP isa little too head over heels aboutthe greatness of DA:Origins.

edo-tensei

So... because of one bad game, the entire company has gone down the drain??

Jade Empire was nothing special either..

Dragon Age was awful. Maybe EA will make them actually start KotOR 3

[QUOTE="edo-tensei"][QUOTE="MLBknights58"]

Hm.

I enjoy what they offer still to this day. And the OP isa little too head over heels aboutthe greatness of DA:Origins.

[QUOTE="MLBknights58"]

Hm.

I enjoy what they offer still to this day. And the OP isa little too head over heels aboutthe greatness of DA:Origins.

edo-tensei

Sure Origins is the better game than Dragon Age II (I assume that's what you're comparing). Not one of the greatest RPG's ever, I just disagree with charizard on that point. I still enjoy Bioware titles. I don't expect every game with Bioware on the label to be a masterpiece. I take it for what it is and have fun. Bottom line is I enjoy what they put out, even it doesn't top their previous works.

So... because of one bad game, the entire company has gone down the drain??

Jade Empire was nothing special either..

starwarsgeek112

I love Bioware... they make great games and tell awesome stories. I wish more devs were like them.

I the course of two years, bioware created the sequall just to troll. Games like new vegas got lower scores for other reasons like bugs in the game, while this game just has a troll design.edo-tensei

[QUOTE="edo-tensei"][QUOTE="MLBknights58"]

Hm.

I enjoy what they offer still to this day. And the OP isa little too head over heels aboutthe greatness of DA:Origins.

Sure Origins is the better game than Dragon Age II (I assume that's what you're comparing). Not one of the greatest RPG's ever, I just disagree with charizard on that point. I still enjoy Bioware titles. I don't expect every game with Bioware on the label to be a masterpiece. I take it for what it is and have fun. Bottom line is I enjoy what they put out, even it doesn't top their previous works.

one of the best games released last year and 2+ million sales... yee...bioware are doing stuff wrong..campzor

You didn't play it, did you?

[QUOTE="edo-tensei"]I the course of two years, bioware created the sequall just to troll. Games like new vegas got lower scores for other reasons like bugs in the game, while this game just has a troll design.cain006

[QUOTE="campzor"]one of the best games released last year and 2+ million sales... yee...bioware are doing stuff wrong..DarkLink77

You didn't play it, did you?

[QUOTE="DarkLink77"]

[QUOTE="campzor"]one of the best games released last year and 2+ million sales... yee...bioware are doing stuff wrong..edo-tensei

You didn't play it, did you?

They didnt, they are still making great games as we speak.

[QUOTE="cain006"]

[QUOTE="edo-tensei"]I the course of two years, bioware created the sequall just to troll. Games like new vegas got lower scores for other reasons like bugs in the game, while this game just has a troll design.edo-tensei

After playing Skyrim for all weekend, I decided to slightly mix things up a little earlier today by pulling out my copy of Dragon Age: Origins.

Now, I don't know if you've actually played Dragon Age: Origins. The problem with the game is that it gets a stigma attached to it simply because of Dragon Age II, that bastardized excuse for a game that is supposed to be its sequel, and because Bioware made it, who seem to have no f***ing clue these days.

But the thing with Origins is, it is great. Fantastic. It is arguably Bioware's last great game, and definitely the last great RPG they developed. It stands as a masterpiece in its genre, and is one of the deepest, most complex RPGs developed in the last decade and a half, and it is indisputably Bioware's best work since Baldur's Gate 2. It also stands as one of the greatest RPGs ever developed.

The story may have been nothing special, and the overall setting may have been highly derivative, but the overall atmosphere was brilliant, the quest structure is probably second to none, the music was wonderful, the characterization was great, the dialog was tightly written, the combat and gameplay mechanics were great, and overall, it was probably the last bastion of the true old complex RPG that made no bones about what it was, and did not even attempt to streamline any of its components for the mass audience (Skyrim, great game though it is, does streamline its elements heavily to keep them accessible. I have no issues with this, as unlike other games, streamlining here does not mean that said elements are compromised)

My question is, how did Bioware go from making a game as good as this, a game that borders on being an all time masterpiece, to the worthless piece of s**t that was Dragon Age II? How did they go so wrong? Where did they go so wrong?

And considering their increased (misguided) push towards moving away from the traditional RPG market, is there really no chance that I can see a true sequel to Dragon Age Origins, a game that proudly upholds the tradition of the old WRPG that Origins so proudly tried to usher into the 21st century?

charizard1605

[QUOTE="edo-tensei"][QUOTE="cain006"]Nobody's saying that dragon age 2 is better than origins, that guy was just saying that TC is overrating Origins, which he is.

[QUOTE="MLBknights58"]

[QUOTE="edo-tensei"] 9.5 >8.0edo-tensei

Sure Origins is the better game than Dragon Age II (I assume that's what you're comparing). Not one of the greatest RPG's ever, I just disagree with charizard on that point. I still enjoy Bioware titles. I don't expect every game with Bioware on the label to be a masterpiece. I take it for what it is and have fun. Bottom line is I enjoy what they put out, even it doesn't top their previous works.

A game developer, aka a business, creates a video game for PROFIT? For the MONEY?

Why I never. :P

I understand DA II was drasticallly different than Origins, and it wasn't as good. Wasn't arguing that. All I said was I simply take the game for what it is, without comparing it to previous installments, or other works of said developer, and enjoy it for it is. And assuming that they made the game simply to "troll" the fans makes me think you're a little weird mate. They played around with the formula, and pissed off the dedicated fanbase. I'm sure they get that, but I'm also 100% certain that during development they didn't change the game up simply for the "lulz" and retaliation from their fanbases.