So when did most people give up on BioWare?

[SCO]

A prosper antediluvian rises...

 

[zool]

Only played both Baldur's Gate games and KOTOR. While I enjoyed both BGs, I felt kind of split on KOTOR. Overall, I would say I liked it, probably because I like the SW universe. But the whole game felt kinda dull. I never played NWN and when I saw trailers for JE and ME, I understood that Bioware had built on KOTOR's legacy. It really wasn't what I had hoped for, so I gave up on Bioware.

So, basically, I didn't give up because I found KOTOR to be unbearable. I gave up because I understood that Bioware's subsequent games would be much further down the fag path than KOTOR.

 

[dragonbait]

While I did play through the Baldur's Gate Series, I found that I preferred older games like the SSI's gold box series and Wizardry and Bard's Tale releases. Never had much interest in Bioware since the Baldur's Gate games. Actually I even preferred the Icewind Dale series to Baldur's Gate so not much confidence in Bioware here.

 

[DraQ]

After BG1.

 

[Cassidy]

Neverwinter Nights was the only Bioware game I tried. Only reason it wasn't a total disappointment was because of the modding community having a few pearls amidst a sea of mediocrity.

After it I didn't even bother not removing Bioware shit from an inventory. And never will as it's blatantly obvious their shit will get worse and worse until it goes 100% derp and practically noninteractive retarded 3d movie pretending to be a game.

 

[Radisshu]

A prosper antediluvian rises...

That's pretty much what I thought as well

 

[Gosling]

I'm really interested to see Skyway's answer to this poll.

 

[Stinger]

I guess it's DA2 for me. I dunno Kotor was the first Bio game I played (was, like 12 or something when I played, yeah yeah youngfag) so while I replayed it years later and found it to be actually pretty bad I was still willing to give Bioware a chance. DA: O might have had terrible filler combat but it seemed like a step back towards more traditional crpgs and it probably has the greatest degree of C&C of any Biogame ever (not saying much though I suppose) so I thought that maybe Mass Effect was the game that pays the cheques to fund games like this.

With DA2 it became clear that Bioware is just interested in making shitty action games with atrociously written romances and general other crap.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

After BG1.

Same here. I finally got into BG only because of modding and still was rather unsatisfied by it. The same with BG2, though I hoped they'll notice how archaic are their designs.

 

[mondblut]

Never been a fan in the first place, but the BGs were moderately entertaining about halfway through them. After that, it's all stinky shit.

...Oh, disregard that. When I've read on IPLY forums that highly anticipated AD&D reborn game will NOT have turn based combat, then it went downhill.

 

[Quetzacoatl]

Dragon Age was the last straw for me. I had genuine hope that this game would be good after reading VD's review. Instead I got a pos with a generic save the world story that once again used the Bioware formula, shitty combat that was made worse by all the trash mobs, and worst of all was the realization that this was the closest Bioware will ever get to an oldschool rpg.

 

[acolyte]

After NWN.

So devastatingly empty, I had to force myself to complete it to believe it. After BG and the step forward in complexity with BG2, this was an unbelievable regression... regression that went past the 1st BG but didn't stop there, it had to go even further back. Might have been tolerable as the company's 1st RPG, but not it's 3rd one, not after what they had already shown they could do. So, it was obvious that this was deliberate.

Going from a full party of 6 to just 1, with uncontrollable and stupid henchmen being salt in the wound, as was their spawning place that followed where you went (I'm sorry, I mean the inn). And the party was really all that gave depth to BG1/2 combat. World completely closed and un-explorable, unmaking anything BG1(mainly)/2 tried to do. Transition to 3D was premature, resulting in mostly empty spaces with the occasional low-poly/jarring structure/item/character model, and perceived detail being severely reduced in all art assets, to the point that it regressed in the art department too, past BG1's lush outer and fleshed inner environments. I can't remember a single NPC (except Aribeth - also dragons!!!), quest or situation in this game. The ending was fitting though, I think it was basically a slide show devoid of any actual content, summarizing the game well.

NWN: welcome to the void. After that, only BioWare game I played was KOTOR, but only because I liked Obsidian's KOTORII a lot and wanted some more after finishing it in a week or two (in retrospect, that was a mistake).

Only thing that might be considered positive about NWN was the potential of the modular architecture and online DMing. That was something different and thus interesting, but personally I couldn't care less; the single player and campaign was what I wanted, and it simply was an afterthought; or worse, deliberately cut "down to size" for new players.

 

[Hamster]

I actually gave up on Bioware twice. First time was after Jade Empire, not because the game itself was that bad, it's just that after all those years of waiting for another BG2 i finally understood it will never happen. This actually helped me enjoy Mass Effect 1-2 in a "good for what it is" way because i didn't care about rpg elements in Bio's games at that point.

And then DA, despite all the derp, ressurected my hope for again seeing something good in RPG field from Bioware. Hey, if they can improve in a sequel similiar to BG 1 - BG 2 transition, we can have a great game! You know how this story ends...

 

[Roguey]

I'll never give up on Bioware since I judge everything on a case by case basis.

r00fles!

 

[Relay]

Looking back TOB was an announcement of decline to come, but I actually sorta enjoyed it at the time, even though epic levels suck ass. Once I played NWN however and saw all the praise it got I knew Bioware would never again make a game I would really like. 10 years later this still holds true. However, I've managed to get some amusement out of some of their games. But I haven't touched DA2 and have no plans on touching ME3, so I guess I really am done with them.

ToB had shit gameplay until the mod made by gaider to greatly enhance the powers of some of the enemies, which I really enjoyed. The new demogorgon was ton of fun when I tried to beat it with a friend in multiplayer with only two characters. (yes, I'm one of the few who played both BG1 and BG2 in multiplayer, it can be a fun experience if you restrict to one character per player and play in tandem.)
http://weidu.org/asc.html

Just thinking about it makes me yearn for more RPG that can be played in coop. My ideal dream coop RPG would feature challenging encounters and less storyfaggotry. It sucks that the market is all about either solo RPGs or massively shitty online rpg, playing with a close friend is much better than playing with hundreds of idiots.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

I voted for KOTOR. I didn't play NWN until around 2005, and KOTOR in 2006.

The NWN OC was a huge letdown. Here was a system that clearly allowed for so much more interaction in the game world (at the cost of immershun), but it was used for absolutely fucking nothing. A good example is the dying soldier you come across. Your only option is to listen to him gasp his final breath, you cannot try to save him, or even raise him from the dead, even if you have the power to do so. Compared to the options available to you in BG (or heaven forbid, PS:T), this was just a slap in the face.

Aribeth de Tylmarande was a good NPC, though. The only character in all of NWN that had any depth.

KOTOR... just felt like NWN and BG in space, and by then I could tell that Bioware was just running on a formula and past glory. KOTOR was also a disappointment to me, it never felt like a Star Wars game at all. But that's what you get when lightsabers don't instantly dismember your opponents, or allow you to "redesign" a level to suit your needs.

I haven't touched, or considered, any Bioware title since then. Judging by the look of things, I haven't missed out on anything.

 

[Ruprekt]

I didn't think much of BG on release. Shelved it until many years later for a playthrough of the complete 'saga'.

Enjoyed IWD. Never got round to PST.

NWN was terrible.

KoTOR was a poor game but great star wars*

DAO was 'ok'. I took it for a herald of better things to come... yeah.

The rest I couldn't summon the motivation even to 'remove from inventory'. I HAVE NEVER PLAYED ASS EFFECT!


*at least compared with the prequel movies

 

[Humanity has risen!]

Most of all, I miss the meaty, flowery dialogue of BG1 and 2. Sure it was awkward at times, but it was just so full of heart. It was the same kind of sillly atmosphere as when you play a PnP game with your friends. It doesn't come off well but it's memorable, and you can't blame someone for trying when they put their heart to it.

Most unimportant NPCs of these games with next to no exposure had more character than most characters in BioWare's later games. All I got out of Dragon Age's characters was that Alistair was a pansy, Morrigan a stuck-up slut, and Zevran a homo.

I think that what insulted me the most was when one of the BioWare guys came out and said he was proud that Dragon Age 2 had half the dialogue of DAO.

 

[Serious_Business]

I enjoy Balders Gate and all associate games, such as Elders scrolls daggerfell

 

[Forest Dweller]

I never believed in them.

 

[Demnogonis Saastuttaja]

Well I didn't enjoy BG2 back then because I had just got an overdose of classic games and it really paled in comparison. NWN I just didn't get, it seemed like a bad joke, "Hey so I'm this paladin chick, go save the city". KOTOR was the only good Xbox game that existed sans maybe Steel Battalion that I never got to try. Jade Empire had pretty BS'y mechanics but for whatever reason I liked it, perhaps it was because the setting seemed so fresh (bear in mind my knowledge of pop culture has always been so limited that I didn't get any of the references in FO2).

So Mass Effect was probably the first real disappointment, as I had thought hey - this could be good, a sci-fi game set in a fresh universe. But it was pretty meh, it had a lame story, exploration was boring and pointless, combat lacked the kind of oomph an action game should have, it didn't have spaceships in a way that would matter, instead you got to drive a gimmicky zero-mass car... The inventory and item management were completely terrible as well. About the only above average thing about it was the music.

Well, I voted NWN anyway, because it was the first Bioware game I just couldn't believe was made and quit it right in the beginning.

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

never gave up

still waiting for jade empire 2

in your face malcontents

 

[Infinitron]

The people who are remarking on NWN without having played the expansions (especially HOTU) are Doing It Wrong.

 

[deuxhero]

Really only gave KotOR a full look. Is BG/BG2 OK, or should I expect the same shit?

 

[sea]

Really only gave KotOR a full look. Is BG/BG2 OK, or should I expect the same shit?

If you played Icewind Dale or Planescape, the combat is basically that (though it's less refined in Planescape and more refined in Icewind Dale). Story-wise, Baldur's Gate is really simple, but the game is more or less a huge open world D&D adventure, while the second game is much more directed and somewhat more linear, but also generally is a better game overall despite being smaller. They're worth a look if you're not the type who hates the Infinity Engine, just be sure to install all the latest mods.