Are you disappointed with Obsidian?

[Girias_Solo]

It isn't likely that we'll ever see a game like those again. The age is gone where a team can make an epic engrossing story/character based RPG for the PC and be able to sell enough copies to make a profit. The economics of today just don't support it. The team required to make such a game is large, the time required would likely be a couple years, and selling 500k copies, which is probably being optimistic just doesn't justify the expense in many publishers eyes. And games don't get made without publisher support. I'm guessing probably every RPG dev house would love to make a game like that, but having it funded is the problem.

 

I disagree.

 

Troika always had a smaller team than most. And look at the size of the Torment team, much smaller team than most newer games.

 

And you don't need a publisher to make a game, if you have enough capital or skills to make one. There are plenty of indy devs out there making RPG's right now.

 

Also, by selling without a middle man or publisher, virtually all profit goes directly to the company, therefore needing less copies sold in order to make a decent profit.

 

I also would have thought some of these development studios would have the capital and experience to make a lesser budget game to cater for the niche market. Bioware has surely had enough clout to do this for years by using a team of 10-15 members and using older tech. The problem is many companies are only interested in blockbusters, and never take any chances whatsoever.

[Gromnir]

slightly disappointed.

 

kotor 2 had some inexplicably terrible characters and dialogues, and the ending were horrible. mostly a good game, but obsidian/bis has a bit o' a problem with conclusions. iwd might be only bis game we weren't disappointed with conclusion and it seems like obsidian ain't learned much in the intervening years, 'cause kotor2 and nwn2 both had mostly terrible conclusions.

 

nwn2

[Sand]

You do have a point there, Grommie. I do hope they give Aliens a better clincher than KotOR2 and NWN2.

[Volourn]

Meh. Neither ending was THAT horrible. It kinda fits the entire game(s), IMO.

[DemonKing]

I guess I'm moderately disappointed, but they seem to be heading (slowly) in the right direction.

 

KOTOR 2 was a sequel to a BIO game clealry pumped out before it was baked properly to capitalise on the success of the first game.

 

NWN 2 was another sequel to a BIO game but at least there was evidence of some new tech (the KOTOR 2 engine seemed identical to the first game) and some evolution to the gameplay mechanics of the original, albeit often poorly implemented.

 

Next up is an Aliens CRPG, which while still a licenced product, is at least an original concept for the licence.

 

With the above trend there's some hope that having "paid their dues" they will produce an original new IP sometime in the future.

[kumquatq3]

Too soon to tell. Both of their titles have been good. Not stunning, but solid.

 

I'm sorry, while there was things to like about it, K2 was FAR from solid.

And K1 wouldn't run without crashing before a patch.

 

It, however, had an ending

[Llyranor]

Ending != good ending.

[metadigital]

[Volourn]

"And K1 wouldn't run without crashing before a patch."

 

Not true. For both KOTORs.

 

 

"Ending != good ending."

 

True; but KOTOR's ending was good. And, KOTOR2's ending was better - at least more 'complete' - than people think.

[Dark Helmet]

I think I remember reading in the patch notes for the first game that it fixed a bug that crashed the game when you entered the apartment areas. So it wasn't game-breaking, but still annoying. I think it was only on computers with low specs, though (like mine). Good games, had to play around with the first one a bit to make it run on my machine, though.

Edited March 29, 2007 by Dark Helmet

[Humodour]

****. I just looked at my join date and realized that Ive been waiting over three years for Obsidian to make a Fallout/Torment style RPG with none in sight. The situation is truly hopeless.....

 

Heh. I gave up after the first year. I know they'll pull out a stunner eventually, but I'm not holding my breath as to when.

[karka]

I played KOTOR1 without the patch and didn't find noticible issues.

[Tasaio]

Vote no.

 

The amount they've accomplished in such a short development time is incredible. Wasn't NWN2's release date pushed ahead a year? Yet the game is playable. Unfinished. but playable.

 

I can't wait for the expansion.

[Sand]

****. I just looked at my join date and realized that Ive been waiting over three years for Obsidian to make a Fallout/Torment style RPG with none in sight. The situation is truly hopeless.....

 

Heh. I gave up after the first year. I know they'll pull out a stunner eventually, but I'm not holding my breath as to when.

 

Then why are you here if you don't like their games?

[Girias_Solo]

Then why are you here if you don't like their games?

 

Who says he doesn't like them? You? He said he gave up on them making a brilliant game, not gave up on them making a game that he still enjoys.

 

Not to mention its healthier for Obsidian having some sane critics around than all hand clapping fanboys fawning over their every move

[Sand]

Sorry, but if I "gave up" on someone or something I wouldn't be hanging around them. I would move on to something that I haven't yet "gave up" on. Given the context of what he said it is obvious that he doesn't like their games for he "gave up" on them.

Edited April 3, 2007 by Sand

[Volourn]

"Sorry, but if I "gave up" on someone or something I wouldn't be hanging around them. "

 

You supposedly 'gave up' on BIO yet you still buy their games and keep going back to their forums despite having been banned there numerous times.

[Hurlshort]

I've been very happy with their two titles. KotOR 2 was a great play through for me, and I've enjoyed the NWN2 campaign much more than the original. I also see that the mod community is gaining steam as people get comfortable with the toolset. I'm not sure if either title breaks my top 10 list, but I don't need a game to be epic to entertain me.

[Maria Caliban]

Roshan:

" What exactly do you mean by this?"

 

" ****. I just looked at my join date and realized that Ive been waiting over three years for Obsidian to make a Fallout/Torment style RPG with none in sight. The situation is truly hopeless....."

 

Exactly.

 

I was disappointed in their sequel to Knights of the Old Republic. After that, I lowered my expectations and have not been disappointed since.

[Schazzwozzer]

I, perhaps unfairly, still see Obsidian as the TRUE scion of the Fallout bloodline. And I say unfairly because there may only be a couple people at Obsidian who actually worked closely on either of the Fallout projects for all I know. Obviously the Fallout IP is in different hands now, but I still hold hope that Obsidian will come in and create something that fits betwen the free-form play of Oblivion and the tight, controlled design of Bioware games, which is exactly what I think Fallout did so well.

 

So, perhaps I'm a little disappointed, but I understand why they would take the two projects they have. And I appreciate a lot of the design decisions in their games. The execution in both has obviously left a lot to be desired, but the spark of potential is clearly there.

[Maria Caliban]

Fallout - three years in the making, over a decade in the dying.

[Dark_Raven]

I, perhaps unfairly, still see Obsidian as the TRUE scion of the Fallout bloodline. And I say unfairly because there may only be a couple people at Obsidian who actually worked closely on either of the Fallout projects for all I know. Obviously the Fallout IP is in different hands now, but I still hold hope that Obsidian will come in and create something that fits betwen the free-form play of Oblivion and the tight, controlled design of Bioware games, which is exactly what I think Fallout did so well.

 

So, perhaps I'm a little disappointed, but I understand why they would take the two projects they have. And I appreciate a lot of the design decisions in their games. The execution in both has obviously left a lot to be desired, but the spark of potential is clearly there.

Feargus and Chris Avellone are some of the Obsidian people who did the Fallout games. Most of the Fallout people went to Troika.

[Dark_Raven]

Fallout - three years in the making, over a decade in the dying.

Fallout is the undead of games.

[Maria Caliban]

Fallout is the undead of games.

 

But is it a Brujah or Malky?

[Dark_Raven]

Brujah. It kicks ass and takes names.