Interview BioNews at 11

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: BioWare; Dragon Age

<p>Gaming Bits had a <a href="http://www.gamingbits.com/content/view/7884/1/" target="_blank">brief chat</a> with BioWare's Shane Hawco and Clove Roy.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Which games are you looking forward to playing in the next year?</strong><br /> Shane: Definitely more SC2 to see what they&rsquo;ve done with the single player campaign and I&rsquo;m really looking forward to Portal 2 whenever that arrives! I really enjoyed the unique game play and problem solving of the original.<br /> <br /> Clove: I&rsquo;ve had my head down for a while but I&rsquo;m hoping there will be more to look forward to out of the Left 4 Dead franchise. You can&rsquo;t train enough for the inevitable Zombie invasion. Hopefully it won&rsquo;t happen before I&rsquo;ve completed my zombie survival kit.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As you can see, BioDevs don't actually play RPGs. Which explains a lot.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>In other news Eurogamer <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/dragon-age-origins-the-darkspawn-chronicles-review" target="_blank">reviewed</a> the latest DA DLC, the Darkspawn Chronicles, and enthusiastically scored it 6,5/10.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>So, another Dragon Age episode, another hour that just offers the bare minimum of gaming, another shrug of disappointment. Of course, there's a very boring practical reason for this: new stories need writers, voice actors and animators, all of which cost time and money. A quick loot grind through an existing map? That's a far more economical prospect. They can't all be Awakenings, of course, but it's becoming increasingly clear that only the very naive will still be holding out for lovingly crafted bite-sized stories in future instalments. For a narrative powerhouse like BioWare, that seems like a terrible waste.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Seems as if BioWare quickly caught up with Bethesda in terms of DLC quality. Congratulations.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Spotted at: <a href="http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/97978-dragon-age-originsmass-effect-interview.html">GB</a></p>

 

[shihonage]

DLC as a concept should go die in a fire. A good DLC is a dead DLC. That is all.

 

[Konjad]

but WHY? It's Bioware, how could they give them less than 9/10? Fortunately they gave it 6.5 which is still above average and means it's good.

 

[M_I_C_K_E_Y_M_O_U_S_E]

but WHY? It's Bioware, how could they give them less than 9/10? Fortunately they gave it 6.5 which is still above average and means it's good.

It's gaming journalism, 6.5 is at least one whole point below average.

 

[circ]

6.5 is enough to make BW fans consider suicide. Surprising though, shittalking DA, sort of, already? I didn't know DA 2 was out yet.

 

[Tycn]

Permissible since Mass Effect 2 is the new shit now.

 

[Lothers]

Where is Volourn?

 

[I.C. Wiener]

And Bethesda devs do play RPGs, or at least claim to, what's their excuse? It has everything to do with talent when they're doing their job, not what they do when they're off of their job.

PS Tim Cain likes Oblivion, I'm jus sayin

 

[Achilles]

I read the Eurogamer review minutes after they posted it online and the score was 4/10! WTF?

 

[entertainer]

it is 4/10

 

[Raghar]

I read the Eurogamer review minutes after they posted it online and the score was 4/10! WTF?

They forgot bribes.

So, another Dragon Age episode, another hour that just offers the bare minimum of gaming, another shrug of disappointment. Of course, there's a very boring practical reason for this: new stories need writers, voice actors and animators, all of which cost time and money. A quick loot grind through an existing map? That's a far more economical prospect. They can't all be Awakenings, of course, but it's becoming increasingly clear that only the very naive will still be holding out for lovingly crafted bite-sized stories in future instalments. For a narrative powerhouse like BioWare, that seems like a terrible waste.

No money for authors, no money for bribes.

 

[Mortmal]

Yup 4/10 after return to ostragar scoring 4/10 , that translates in non mainstream review by a score of 0/10 . I guess volourn is setting up the funeral pyre of bioware fans before commiting suicide as well.
Honestly that really dont make me laugh to see bioware games quality going down the toilet , i enjoyed a lot pre EA bioware games era. Mass effect 2 despite some qualities end up a disapointment , even my brother whos a casual gamer was disapointed at how short and limited it was.Awakening short and overall while still ok was a disapointment as well.

A luck we still have a quality obsidian/bethesda upcoming quality RPGS!

 

[Jaedar]

but WHY? It's Bioware, how could they give them less than 9/10? Fortunately they gave it 6.5 which is still above average and means it's good.

It's gaming journalism, 6.5 is at least one whole point below average.

No, but it may very well be one point beneath the average of games they review. Most reviewers totally ignore reviewing anything they don't already know will be good, because they think their readers won't care. Journalistic integrity it is not. But it ain't poor understanding of the word 'average' either.

 

[Micmu]

"narrative powerhouse like BioWare"

Signature material.

 

[Arcanoix]

Where is Volourn?

Crying itself to sleep probably.

i enjoyed a lot pre EA bioware games era. Mass effect 2 despite some qualities end up a disapointment , even my brother whos a casual gamer was disapointed at how short and limited it was.Awakening short and overall while still ok was a disapointment as well.

Remember DA:O was about 80% through development when EA acquired BioWare. That's why up until the Landsmeet the game is half way decent, but then you travel half way across the country to battle a horde that somehow managed to maneuver itself around your army back to the capital city you just came from, all in a day or twos time. That's EA for you.

 

[Serious_Business]

Stop this shit immediately. Bioware being shitty is Bioware's fault, not EA. This is a new myth I feel needs to be quickly debunked before it starts taking absurd proportions. In a couple of years everyone will praise pre-EA Bioware for some twisted nostalgia reason. Fuck this. Bioware is shit as was always shit, apologists can't go fuck themselves, thank you

 

[Micmu]

That's why up until the Landsmeet the game is half way decent

You're a fucking idiot. The game is equally shitty from start 'till end.

 

[Lothers]

KOTOR wasn't shit.

 

[GarfunkeL]

Stop this shit immediately. Bioware being shitty is Bioware's fault, not EA. This is a new myth I feel needs to be quickly debunked before it starts taking absurd proportions.

+1. Definitely.

 

[Mortmal]

Not EA fault ? well what was bioware pre EA? NWN1 had a support for years, they even released a patch much later to allow dual core optimization. Now since they are in EA its buggy rushed releases , come on the equipment from dragon age wasnt even transfering to awakening, my character was thrown naked in the middle of the fight .
Now its ts shitty DLC after shitty DLC, ME2 new romance DLC etc..What we had before EA was called premium modules, they lasted longer and they were trying something new, like in kingmaker or those robert bartle modules . Its all over what happened to origin altough its not he same guys leading EA. They certainly press them for more profit.

 

[GarfunkeL]

That's all true.

But it doesn't change the fact that even without EA, we got Jade Empire and NWN and KotOR (D&D in SPACE!) So design-wise they were already declining, though there is signs of :decline in BG1/2 already so...

 

[Mortmal]

Yes maybe some decline signs before, the nwn OC wasnt nearly as good as bg 2 but still enjoyable , the support , toolset and dm client really make up for that. But since its EA its more like a jump from the cliff than a decline, the DLC stuff is everything i stand against for , its fast food video game industry, the latest DLC are clearly fraud its getting the most money possible with the minimum effort.
Now a collector edition , that means a box and a few virtual gimmicks, a regular edition is a plastic dv box with 2 sheet of paper as manual,, a shitload of optional stuff you have to buy online after the registering chore of course, thats why i am no longer buying boxes i may as well get it on steam or D2D.
If i look in my RPG collection , in utlima 6 for example i get a big manual , a moonstone a cloth map,a game that lasted me weeks, those were not collector editions crap .

 

[1eyedking]

Stop this shit immediately. Bioware being shitty is Bioware's fault, not EA. This is a new myth I feel needs to be quickly debunked before it starts taking absurd proportions. In a couple of years everyone will praise pre-EA Bioware for some twisted nostalgia reason. Fuck this. Bioware is shit as was always shit, apologists can't go fuck themselves, thank you

+1

 

[CrimsonAngel]

I hate to say this, but the Fallout 3 DLC was better.

Now i have not tried the pitt, but the UFO DLC and the redneck DLC all where better made then any of the PAY to play DLC for Dragon age.

The UFO had loads of Custom content and even if Fallout 3 is shit the mission was fun.
The Redneck DLC where you fight Texans (what ever it is called) it also had loads of extra custom content and some 3+ hours of game play easy.

To be fair it is a bit like eating a turd sandwish. It might be more shit, but at least it is not worse shit.

 

[bhlaab]

Bioware is not that good of a developer (and never were)

 

[Xor]

Bioware is not that good of a developer (and never were)

Baldur's Gate 2 was pretty good. Unfortunately they haven't come close to that level since. Today they're decent for an RPG developer, but I'd say that's more due to the sad state of the RPG market than their skill.