Bioware

[WarriorDrgnMage]

I apologize for in advance for the following rant:

Why does Bioware always use MALE PC's in their trailers! I find it annoying. They did it for knights of the Old Republic, for Dragon Age, and for both Mass Effects why? You'd think they would mix it up. You know considering in Dragon Age they set the cannon charcaters for three of the origins stories as female. But no they have have to play up their male pc...

[AntiNaba]

Consider that Bioware really shot up after the Balders Gate and Icewind Dale series. Now, how many ladies do you know who would be interested in a game set in D&D? Not nearly as many as the menz.

[gman391]

Like Anti said it's all about the Marketing. The target audience is males 18-24. So guys in the trailers.

[AntiNaba]

And since it takes itself seriously (Although it does understand its demograph) it won't show a great many prosterior shots of the assorted cast.

[Dervon]

Yup, it's all marketing. Appealing to the larger demographic and all that. Kinda' the same force that spawned 4E, but let's not go there, shall we? :D

[AntiNaba]

Oh, you didn't.

[Dervon]

Oh, you didn't.

See, I said "Let's not go there". Let's not, given that I spent a wonderful time on /tg/ during the edition-wars.

[AntiNaba]

That emphasis gives me a certain insiight as to the nature of this wonderment and joy.

[DidelotM1]

As a gamer that tends to be very very very picky about the games he buys, in that even if I LIKE a game it has to have certain extra 'something' for me to plunk down $$ for it, Bioware's games since the first Baldur's Gate have been on my 'buy list' with whatever they come up with. I don't think I've ever been disappointed in a game of theirs in a 'this game is trash' manner. As such they tend to be the only company that I have a great deal of trust in to make decent(Jade Empire) to Good(KOTOR) to Outstanding(Mass Effect, Baldur's Gate trilogy,Dragon Age) games. They ain't perfect by any means whatsoever, but if I want a STORY in my game, as apposed to 'shoot the bad guys' or 'steal these cars' ect. , their the first people I turn to. Can't wait for The Old Republic MMO, Story in an MMO? My god the sky is falling....

[AntiNaba]

And everything looked so dark before. And now, lo! Bringing us to the Utopia of great characterization, immersive storylines and settings and excellent gameplay forever are Bioware, Lionhead and Starbreeze to the fore! Up with the sons of Bullfrog, Black Isle and ID! Down with EA!

[Dervon]

That emphasis gives me a certain insiight as to the nature of this wonderment and joy.

You have NO idea how bad it was... And I swear, you couldn't get a decent thread about 3.5 going THE WHOLE TIME since it ALWAYS, WITHOUT FAIL, turned into yet another edition flame thread. I've never seen /tg/ go to hell quite so thoroughly, and I was there during some pretty grim times, mind.

...

On topic:

I will agree that Bioware make good games. Hell, I've bought almost every RPG they've churned out since KoTOR. However, I would never call them "great", in a Valve-level sense.

They make good RPGs, but make no mistake, these games are "light" on the RP-scale. For example, the fact that you can essentially use Jedi mind-tricks in every game so far is frankly ridiculous. That is to say, any number of murderous, pig-headed or simply stubborn idiots could challenge you dialog-wise, and you could probably get them all to back down with the simplest of phrases. Seriously, it's kinda funny when the text you've high-lighted in blue basically boils down to "please calm yourself", and of course the bleedin' idiots listen. Meh meh, just feels very artificial to me.

Also, Bioware are to the dating/relations-feature what Bethesda are to the morality-feature.

...

Doesn't change the fact that I'll be shelling out for Mass Effect 2 the moment I finish the first one, likewise to any major expansions/sequels to Dragon Age. :P

[AntiNaba]

Well, nobody's perfect. Although I didn't really like MAss Effect. Having to rely on Headspeakers from so long (I game at a net cafe) hurts the ears tremendously.