Next Bio "CRPG of the Year" (ie NWN mod) coming

[Jed]

Pointy end first.

 

[Naked_Lunch]

Yeah, that's what I meant.

 

[Volourn]

"Now the thing is, if a troika fan was to post what you've posted, you would viciously attack him with no regard for morals or mercy."

Damn straight. That's because Troika sucks, and is no more.

BIO RULES ALL! THEY CAN'T BE STOPPED! MAUAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!

 

[Sol Invictus]

I'm still looking forward to Dragon Age. Couldn't care less about the next-gen games, but anyone who couldn't guess that they would be developing an RPG for the XBOX360 with their UE3 Engine licence was an idiot, anyhow.

As usual, GameSpot is paid by Microsoft to hype the XBOX360 so they add in the "plans to make Dragon Age into a series that may appear on next-generation consoles later on" line without BioWare ever having mentioned that specifically.

BioWare said on the matter:

RM: There might be some of each. For instance, with Dragon Age--the first iteration of it, anyway--we're focusing on making it the most ambitious PC RPG we've ever done at BioWare. It's a franchise we own, so there will be other versions that will be on other platforms. And there are other titles that are designed for a console. We certainly want to support our PC audience in the future too. We've got both a console community and a PC community, and we recognize there's overlap between them, but we also recognize that there are design preferences that are different between the two. The interesting thing is that with next generation, [hardware platforms] are evolving together, but they're also staying separate, so we want to make sure we accommodate both audiences and make games that are going to be seen as platform-defining games, no matter what platform they're on.

I don't see how this translates into "PLANS TO MAKE DRAGON AGE 2 ON THE NEXT GEN CONSOLE". GameSpot are a bunch of stupid idiots.

About this:

GS: So you think that at some point, BioWare might really pursue a massively multiplayer game of its own?

RM: We're certainly very interested in the idea.

Translation: Sure, it sounds interesting, but no. I'm sure that Bioware, more than anyone else, knows that the MMORPG market is fucking saturated. On the other hand, they might just pursue ArenaNet's online business model and make a cooperative online RPG like Guild Wars with no monthly fee, so they don't have to compete with shit like WOW and Lineage 2.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Andrew Park sucks with interviews.

RM: Our core values are quality in our products and quality in our workplace, also with a focus on humility and integrity. I think our view is, "you're only as good as your next game." We're really proud of the team that worked on Jade Empire--they're smart, passionate, and hardworking...but our future games have to be better still! That's our philosophy.

GZ: We're really proud of [Jade Empire]. We managed to do it. We managed to get that new intellectual property out.

Is that a question? No. You basically just repeated everything Ray said in three sentences. Great job dude.

 

[Mendoza]

I'm still looking forward to Dragon Age. Couldn't care less about the next-gen games, but anyone who couldn't guess that they would be developing an RPG for the XBOX360 with their UE3 Engine licence was an idiot, anyhow.

As usual, GameSpot is paid by Microsoft to hype the XBOX360 so they add in the "plans to make Dragon Age into a series that may appear on next-generation consoles later on" line without BioWare ever having mentioned that specifically.

BioWare said on the matter:

RM: There might be some of each. For instance, with Dragon Age--the first iteration of it, anyway--we're focusing on making it the most ambitious PC RPG we've ever done at BioWare. It's a franchise we own, so there will be other versions that will be on other platforms. And there are other titles that are designed for a console. We certainly want to support our PC audience in the future too. We've got both a console community and a PC community, and we recognize there's overlap between them, but we also recognize that there are design preferences that are different between the two. The interesting thing is that with next generation, [hardware platforms] are evolving together, but they're also staying separate, so we want to make sure we accommodate both audiences and make games that are going to be seen as platform-defining games, no matter what platform they're on.

I don't see how this translates into "PLANS TO MAKE DRAGON AGE 2 ON THE NEXT GEN CONSOLE". GameSpot are a bunch of stupid idiots.

Really? It doesn't say that explicitly, but it comes pretty close. 'It's a franchise we own, so there will be other versions that will be on other platforms' at the very least means they will create Dragon Age branded games for consoles. That may not be Dragon Age 2, but it will be a Dragpn Age game and is very close to Gamespot's "plans to make Dragon Age into a series that may appear on next-generation consoles later on".

Really, Gamespot and the gaming press generally sucks, but they're hardly hugely misquoting Bio here. If anything, Gamespot are underplaying it, since they're saying 'may' and Bio is saying 'will'.

About this:

GS: So you think that at some point, BioWare might really pursue a massively multiplayer game of its own?

RM: We're certainly very interested in the idea.

Translation: Sure, it sounds interesting, but no. I'm sure that Bioware, more than anyone else, knows that the MMORPG market is fucking saturated. On the other hand, they might just pursue ArenaNet's online business model and make a cooperative online RPG like Guild Wars with no monthly fee, so they don't have to compete with shit like WOW and Lineage 2.

Personally I don't thing Bio saying they're very interested in the idea of making MMO's is dismissing the idea. It's easily the most positive statement about it I can recall them saying. If they wanted to say they're not planning to make an MMO they could certainly say it a lot more clearly.

 

[Greatatlantic]

The thing with a Saturated market... then everyone thinks there is surely room for just one more, and since their entry is going to be so much better than the competition, who cares if its saturated? Anyways, there was no shortage of MMOs at E3 this year, so the movers and shakers must think they are profitable. So, maybe Bioware is looking into making an MMO. This might be a good time to whine that the CRPG PC scene is dying, single player at least.

The only PC RPGs coming out that I can think of are Dragon Age, Neverwinter Nights 2, Oblivion, and Fallout 3 (I think its safe to assume it will beon the PC at least). I'm not counting Hellgate since right now it seems more like a combat then an RPG, but if you want to consider an RPG go right ahead. Of these, Oblivion and Fallout 3 (?) will be cross platform releases. Obsidians New Jersey project is rumored to be console only. Troika is out of business... I have a bad feeling Dragon Age might be the last PC single player RPG Bioware does. Nothing to confirm this, just market trends.

Europe is better off, with Gothic III, Divine Divinity 2, and the Witcher(which may or may not be an RPG, I'm willing to put it into the same category as Hellgate). Anyways, whether or not any of these games will be sold in America is another story. Especially after the Fall and Night of the Raven don't seem to be on their way here.

So, be glad Fallout and company have so much replayability.

 

[LlamaGod]

The problem with BioWare making an MMORPG is that it would be exactly the same as all the other ones: it would be fantasy, have stupid named junk and mostly PvE (if not totally).

I mean crud, they make their own IP for a Single-Player RPG and still cant bear to shift away from crappy generic high fantasy.

Isnt NWN mostly selling because of multiplayer and stuff anyways?

 

[MarFish]

I mean crud, they make their own IP for a Single-Player RPG and still cant bear to shift away from crappy generic high fantasy.

You mean high fantasy like Jade Empire?

So what you are saying is that it is a good idea to completely abandon the part of the genre that made them successful (high fantasy titles) and do something radically different - and with all their new IPs, not just Jade Empire. Sounds like a plan to pull an Interplay for me.

The question is what is bad about high fantasy. It sells, it's popular, that's all you need, you can leave the critically acclaimed but commercial failure stuff to other companies.

I think we went through this already once, but the best selling games in the RPG sector for a while have been high fantasy, latest being Guildwars or World of Warcraft, but not forgetting BG and NWN. And even the less successful ones (Gothic, Sacred, ToEE, etc) all rely on parts of the good ol' high fantasy theme in one or another way. It's popular, it sells and it would be very stupid to abandon that market and leave it up for grabs for other companies.

The ultimate goal for a company should be to sell games, not to be become the next Looking Glass or Troika.

Isnt NWN mostly selling because of multiplayer and stuff anyways?

Today probably since multiplayer tends to extend the lifespan of a title, but you can assume that the majority of units were sold to people who bought it for other reasons. NWN seems to have quite some multiplayer following, still around 7k players online on the weekend according to Gamespy, but I doubt that they sold 2.5 million copies because of multiplayer.

 

[Percolator Fish]

HIGH FANTASY RULES ALL!!!!!!

WOOOOOO!!!!!

ELVES ARE AWESOME!

WIZARDS ARE AWESOME!

BEARDLINGS ARE AWESOME!

MAGIC MISSILE IS AWESOME!

MIGHTY AXE IS AWESOME!

DRAGONS ARE AWESOME!

THIEVES ARE meh

THE KING is a meh

LONG LIVE HIGH FANTASY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT IS PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

[MarFish]

http://www.geekfantasies.com/ (might not be availble at times, but worth it)

Magic missile has never been more sexy!

 

[Volourn]

"Isnt NWN mostly selling because of multiplayer and stuff anyways?"

No.


"This might be a good time to whine that the CRPG PC scene is dying, single player at least."

No. Only stupid people would whine about that. You also forgot about Gothic 3. Besdies, even if BIO makes a MMORPG which I'd only buy if it's 'free' like GW; it doens't mean they'll abandon single player gamers. Afterall, they ahve nearly 300 employees. Geez.. People. You make it sound like BIO is a couple of guys in their basement like Troika was. R00fles!

And, oh, one last thing,

BIO IS THE BESTEST! THEY RULE THE GAMING WORLD! LONG LIVE BIO! THEY ARE PERFECT! WOO HOO!

 

[Sol Invictus]

Without being sarcastic, I agree that Bioware is awesome. Except for NWN, that is. NWN sucked. HOTU was better, though.

 

[Baley]

Screw that..NWN was greatness compared to K1

MDK2 best Bio game EVAH...

...it even had a dog with 4 arms :wink:

 

[LlamaGod]

The question is what is bad about high fantasy. It sells, it's popular, that's all you need, you can leave the critically acclaimed but commercial failure stuff to other companies.

People like you need to commit suicide more often (and also stop becoming writers or designers).

 

[Drakron]

I have no problem with classic fantasy but I do when they try to make it "unique" by putting crap as airplanes and similar rubbish or they just rip-off Tolkien.

A RPG set in modern days would rock ... pity nobody want to to try it.

Oh and Jade Empire is "High Fantasy", I found the game to be interesting until leaving Tien's Landing and then it just became usuall BioWare rubbish, a BioWare MMORPG would sell as World of WarCraft sells since BioWare is similar to Blizzard, they have a unusual high number of fanboys despite lacking a reason for it.

 

[Volourn]

And, one of them is you as you continue to whine yet still buy nad play their games. Moron.

LONG LIVE BIO! THEYA RE PERFECT! MUAHAHAHAHA!

 

[Drakron]

I dont "whine", I point out flaws ... percived or not (the "not" being technical ones).

I was a Square fanboy but as a PAL gamer is hard to be a fanboy of a japanse developer (except perhaps Konami that I am somewhat a fanboy of) so I got a cure of fanboyish real fast ... I

BioWare hype machine is a bit too much for me to be a fanboy of then, I read Kojima interview that shown a natural biased towards his own work but it was a balanced interview (he correctly pointed out the "next gen" consoles are very similar in terms of abilities as so the war will be about titles, its not going to be as PS2 vs Xbox with Xbox multiplayer abilities) and he was not hyping Konami titles or even his work (he got the guts to talk about Zone of Enders being something that would sell in Japan but not in US or Europe and that is true).

 

[Volourn]

BIOWARE IS THE GREATEST GAME COMPANY OF ALL TIME! ANYONE WHO DISAGREES SUCKS! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!



P.S. You are a fanboy. You say their games suck yet you continue to buy them. Hence, your moron tag.



BIOWARE RULESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Greatatlantic]

The ultimate goal for a company should be to sell games, not to be become the next Looking Glass or Troika.

What the heck? How commercially successful a company is has nothing to do the quality of their games. Every year EA makes a boatload of money from its Madden franchise, a lot more money then the game's quality would suggest. Now, they can make more money with less quality because of the exclusitivity agreement. Frankly, I don't care if EA is commercially succesful or not(other than the condolences to people who lost their jobs), they don't make the games I like to play. More over, the fact the high fantasy setting is "commercially viable" won't make me suddenly think it hasn't been done to death. There are ways to make even a familiar setting more interesting, but I think Bioware is going with the DnD-clone all the way. Also, I think it will be their last PC single player RPG in a long time. If we are lucky, maybe we'll still get cross platform releases from them.

I should also point out their are plenty of instances of a company taking risks with a game and getting a big payoff, then their are instances where a company goes with the proven formula and ends up getting lost in the crowd.

 

[Volourn]

"Every year EA makes a boatload of money from its Madden franchise, a lot more money then the game's quality would suggest."

Madden franchise is one of the best series of games ever. It has earned every cent it has made. Every single cent.

 

[Baley]

The PC version's controls are horrible...

 

[Volourn]

Ha. I don't play PC versions of sports games. Consoles do them better. <>

 

[MarFish]

The ultimate goal for a company should be to sell games, not to be become the next Looking Glass or Troika.

What the heck? How commercially successful a company is has nothing to do the quality of their games. Every year EA makes a boatload of money from its Madden franchise, a lot more money then the game's quality would suggest. .

Maybe you should take the business classes in school, then you would understand the relationship between quality and sold products.

 

[Naked_Lunch]

Maybe you shouldn't be such a cunt.