Dragon Age 4 - Before and after GaaS

Big news, but I’m not as familiar with the inside of the game industry as many around here. What would the impact of their exits really mean for the games? Does it shift anything or is it really business as usual because they are just a [top-level] cog in the machine? Company line and not burning any bridges doesn’t give you much to go on.

My first instinct, like many, is oh-oh, what’s happening, but maybe it’s not a big deal?

It really depends on the dynamics of the studio. Some thrive only because of strong leaders and others (usually smaller) achieve more through democratic collaboration.

So wait, are we worried about BioWare’s… quality… declining with these folks leaving?

Yeah this might be an improvement!

I am glad someone else said it.

I don’t know what I am expecting from that studio anymore, but whatever it is would only be at the top of any list after… no, it just wouldn’t be.

Isn’t this the second time Casey has left BioWare?

Sure is.

The studio’s finished products since 2012 haven’t given me any faith that they are capable of producing a game I will remember six months later. But hey, you never know. I still check threads like these out of some kind of obligation to games they made 10+ years ago in the hope that they will re-bottle the lightning but realistically I know there is virtually no chance of it.

I had a blast playing Inquisition. I know there was a lot of filler content and the controls didn’t line up well with the gameplay. But it was gorgeous, had decent-to-good writing, and some excellent voice acting. I found it very immersive and a really good fun fantasy romp. The DLC was cool, answered questions and created even more, and I picked up the whole package at a good price.

I’d happily trade 4 hours of filler side quests for half an hour of good story, but I sort of wonder if that’s even a return they could provide.

Negative 10 years?

Bioware games I own but haven’t played yet:

Mass Effect 3 DLC Citadel (might have to do that one on a Mass Effect trilogy re-run)
Dragon Age 2
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Dragon Age: Awakenings (Origins Standalone DLC)
Baldur’s Gate 2
Anthem

And I still have to finish Mass Effect: Andromeda. I got bogged down in the swamp planet in which you couldn’t ride around in a vehicle. I love that game, but on that planet, I just got turned around and kept going in circles and couldn’t figure out where I was supposed to go next.

So my point is, if I want Bioware games, I’ve got plenty to choose from, even if they get shut down.

To me, the most amazing thing about Bioware will always be their ability to adapt and change. I hated their early games with a burning passion, but then I played KOTOR, and despite hating Star Wars and Bioware at the time, and despite being an RPG on a console, I loved that game. It completely won me over.

MDK2: 1/5 stars. Hated it.
Baldur’s Gate: 1/5 stars. Hated it.
Neverwinter Nights: 1/5 stars. Hated it.
KOTOR: 5/5 Stars. Loved it. Where the fuck did this come from? Is this really Bioware?
Jade Empire: 3/5 Stars. I liked it a lot. Very enjoyable little action RPG.
Mass Effect 5/5 Stars. Loved it. It was 3 stars until you reach that one planet and the game takes off into another stratosphere. Holy shit.
Dragon Age: Origins. 3/5 Stars. I didn’t enjoy the gameplay or the world, but I loved the characters.
Mass Effect 2. 3/5 Stars. Liked it a lot.
Mass Effect 3. 4/5 Stars. I really really liked most of it.
Mass Effect Andromeda. 5/5 Stars. I loved it so far, but maybe it will pull a Mass Effect 3 with its ending, who knows.
Anthem: 1/5 Stars. I was bored out of my mind. I couldn’t get far.

Anthem’s on both your didn’t play and hated lists. You must have blotted out the memory :)

Even if you don’t like Andromeda’s ending, and I don’t feel like it does anything particularly wrong myself, it’s never going to be as frustratingly poor a payoff as 3 because it’s the end of one game, not a trilogy.

Heh, yeah, like I said, I didn’t get far in it. Maybe I didn’t give it a fair shake yet.

It’s ok to hate something before playing it. :)

fyeah7lm

I actually thought Andromeda had one of the few ending that didn’t end with a thud. Thoroughly entertaining climactic sequence with a satisfying close to many of your friends/allies before the credits roll.

Any disappointment with the ending was knowing you’ll never get to see the final Ark with some of the more interesting races from the original trilogy.

On the upside, we should expect a look at Dragon Age 4 at the Game Awards next week.

Geoff Keighley on Twitter: “Don’t miss a special look at the next DRAGON AGE from @bioware during #TheGameAwards next Thursday. https://t.co/zPKHWroH7i” / Twitter

Anthem is a better game than Inquisition. I actually finished Anthem.