Dragon Age: Inquisition

[Orogun01]

Your evidence doesn't support your conclusion, maybe BW is just are bad at making games or maybe they just chew more than they could handle. I see no proof of EA stranglehold on game companies, don't get me wrong there are still plenty of reasons to hate them. From changing established IP to fit more popular genres to wantonly buying and closing studios. But so far there is no evidence that word came from up high that ME was going to be transformed into a shooter and that DA was going to have more action, those decisions rest on BW's shoulders. 

[Nepenthe]

Your evidence doesn't support your conclusion, maybe BW is just are bad at making games or maybe they just chew more than they could handle. I see no proof of EA stranglehold on game companies, don't get me wrong there are still plenty of reasons to hate them. From changing established IP to fit more popular genres to wantonly buying and closing studios. But so far there is no evidence that word came from up high that ME was going to be transformed into a shooter and that DA was going to have more action, those decisions rest on BW's shoulders. 

 

There's also no proof that either of those decisions was objectively bad.

Edited September 18, 2013 by Nepenthe

[Orogun01]

 

Your evidence doesn't support your conclusion, maybe BW is just are bad at making games or maybe they just chew more than they could handle. I see no proof of EA stranglehold on game companies, don't get me wrong there are still plenty of reasons to hate them. From changing established IP to fit more popular genres to wantonly buying and closing studios. But so far there is no evidence that word came from up high that ME was going to be transformed into a shooter and that DA was going to have more action, those decisions rest on BW's shoulders. 

 

There's also no proof that either of those decisions was objectively bad.

 

The implementation let a lot to be desired in my book, so I just decided that BW's games weren't targeted at myself anymore and didn't get ME3. I am cautiously looking forward to DA:I though.

[NOK222]

I still don't get why Alanchu's trying to steer the blame away from EA. 

[Nepenthe]

I still don't get why Alanchu's trying to steer the blame away from EA. 

 

He's probably tired of the "it was all brilliant and then EA came and DESTROYED EVERYTHING" attitude. As he obviously knows better where decisions have come from and what has been the pressure of lack of it placed on the studio.

[Orogun01]

 

I still don't get why Alanchu's trying to steer the blame away from EA. 

 

He's probably tired of the "it was all brilliant and then EA came and DESTROYED EVERYTHING" attitude. As he obviously knows better where decisions have come from and what has been the pressure of lack of it placed on the studio.

 

If you ever need evidence to support this just refer people to ME and JE, BW's game releases prior to joining with EA. They were already making hybrid RPGs and trying to have a more cinematic experience.

[NOK222]

 

 

I still don't get why Alanchu's trying to steer the blame away from EA. 

 

He's probably tired of the "it was all brilliant and then EA came and DESTROYED EVERYTHING" attitude. As he obviously knows better where decisions have come from and what has been the pressure of lack of it placed on the studio.

 

If you ever need evidence to support this just refer people to ME and JE, BW's game releases prior to joining with EA. They were already making hybrid RPGs and trying to have a more cinematic experience.

 

 

Well I'm talking specifically about the decision to make a game in 11 months. 

[Hurlshort]

 

I still don't get why Alanchu's trying to steer the blame away from EA. 

 

He's probably tired of the "it was all brilliant and then EA came and DESTROYED EVERYTHING" attitude. 

 

 

He's not the only one

[Orogun01]

 

 

 

I still don't get why Alanchu's trying to steer the blame away from EA. 

 

He's probably tired of the "it was all brilliant and then EA came and DESTROYED EVERYTHING" attitude. As he obviously knows better where decisions have come from and what has been the pressure of lack of it placed on the studio.

 

If you ever need evidence to support this just refer people to ME and JE, BW's game releases prior to joining with EA. They were already making hybrid RPGs and trying to have a more cinematic experience.

 

 

Well I'm talking specifically about the decision to make a game in 11 months. 

 

Ok, that one could have gone three different ways:

 

1-"EA sends word from up high that they want a next year release to fill in some quarterly goal"

2-"EA ask BW if they can deliver the next game within a year, maybe they offer a bonus as an incentive and BW says yes"

3-"BW told EA they would have the game done in a year"

[Nepenthe]

 

 

I still don't get why Alanchu's trying to steer the blame away from EA.

 

 

He's probably tired of the "it was all brilliant and then EA came and DESTROYED EVERYTHING" attitude.

 

He's not the only one

That was implied in my post, as well

[licketysplit]

I still don't get why Alanchu's trying to steer the blame away from EA. 

 

Since EA and Bioware are basically one and the same, I tend to go with the incompetence explanation. They made a bad game, hopefully they learned from it.

[Nepenthe]

 

I still don't get why Alanchu's trying to steer the blame away from EA. 

 

Since EA and Bioware are basically one and the same, I tend to go with the incompetence explanation. They made a bad game, hopefully they learned from it.

 

 

If bad means a game that is still better than 85 % of other games, then, yes.

[Sarex]

If bad means a game that is still better than 85 % of other games, then, yes.

 

Does it matter if it's better then other bad game, but it's still overall bad?

[Nepenthe]

What?

[BruceVC]

 

If bad means a game that is still better than 85 % of other games, then, yes.

 

Does it matter if it's better then other bad game, but it's still overall bad?

 

 

That statement is difficult to answer because its subjective. I would say DA2 was a good game, not fantastic but entertaining

But if you didn't enjoy it you would say its a bad game. So it matters if you think that 85 % of all games are bad because then you aren't raising the bar in any respects and you are just adding to the list of bad games, who wants to know about that? However if you think that 85 % are good and so is DA2 then your view does matter as you would be endorsing it for someone else?

[Hurlshort]

DA2 really rubbed me the wrong way, more than any Bioware game ever, so I get the concerns.  But even then, once I pushed past the first act, I got into the flow and there were plenty of redeeming characteristics.  Still, it definitely created some concerns that I've never had over Bioware games in the past.

[Tale]

I still like DA2 more than ME3, anyway. I can actually like Dragon Age 2, I just can't praise it and I get annoyed by latter parts of it.

 

The plot wanders too much, the area reuse doesn't even try to look natural (cemented over passageways and a minimap filled with areas you can't access), and a lack of agency that is a disincentive to replay.

 

But the characters grow and have their arcs. They feel appropriate and well thought out, though not all of them are as interesting as even Origins. They still have a role to play and perspectives to give. And however wandering the plot may be, it's thematically consistent for the most part, down to the ending. If you can get past the lack of agency that even allows for those themes to recur throughout the game.

[entrerix]

DA 2 was a bit of a letdown, ME 3 was a terrible game imo

[Hurlshort]

I had a blast playing ME3 and enjoyed the conclusion of the series.  I wasn't happy about the ending, but the extended ending they released gave me enough closure to feel good about the odyssey of my Captain.  It was nowhere near the disappointment I had with DA2.

[Nepenthe]

I had a blast playing ME3 and enjoyed the conclusion of the series.  I wasn't happy about the ending, but the extended ending they released gave me enough closure to feel good about the odyssey of my Captain.  It was nowhere near the disappointment I had with DA2.

I hate the contrived forced failure aspects of the me3 ending, especially since leviathan etc. convinced me "destroy" is the only real alternative. I won't repeat my other issues with the game, but let's just say it's probably the only one ever that has upset me in any way. And it made up for quite a few other non-disappointments.

[entrerix]

meh, i feel like i have talked to death all the reasons i hated ME3 (and why i stopped playing it after about 8 hours)

 

I can't get money back from the purchase though, so all i can do as a frustrated consumer is not buy the next ME game. 

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I disliked both DA2 and ME3 for mechanical reasons myself. Then again, I generally dislike action games and shooters so YMMV.

[anubite]

 

I still don't get why Alanchu's trying to steer the blame away from EA. 

 

He's probably tired of the "it was all brilliant and then EA came and DESTROYED EVERYTHING" attitude. As he obviously knows better where decisions have come from and what has been the pressure of lack of it placed on the studio.

 

I think you're way too optimistic. EA might not send boogey men down to tell BioWare what it wants to do, but you're crazy if they'd finance SWTOR without having significant oversight. SWTOR is almost as big as GTAV in terms of budget. As far as DA or ME go, they would at least have indirect influence...

 

EA: "BioWare Boss A, we need to show our profits are growing by 26% next quarter. You will need to move X units of your next game or Y units with Z units of DLC. We've provided some market surveys which might help direct the finalization of your game's features."

 

EA has already said all EA games will have online functionality. They have made formal announcements saying this. To accomplish this, they have directly provided instructions to their publishers - that they need to have teams developing systems for online play, that they need to ship online functionality. These developers did not volunteer to do this individually.

 

I don't think they have people looking over artists' shoulders telling them to draw big breasts or transvestites to try and appease certain demographics (though I'm sure BioWare bosses givethe Y or N to concept art, and their Y or N comes from the frame of view, which is greatly influenced by EA)! I do think they tell the honchos at BioWare to make a profit - and not only that - they go so far as to say how they should make a profit. The BioWare bosses listen because they know if they don't do as they're told and things don't go well, at the very least, EA will be less happy to listen to their ideas in the future, nevermind their job could be at risk.

 

Alan might be shaking his head - but he's not a head honcho, not from my understanding. He might be at 'all the meetings' but he's not at the ones behind closed doors. He isn't involved in financial decisions, or in gross company-wide movements like EA and upper echelon managers are. Granted, I am just making assumptions about BioWare's structuring, but there's no way EA lets BioWare be. No freaking way. They are very invested in BioWare, or at least, they were with SWTOR.

Edited September 19, 2013 by anubite

[alanschu]

I thought this was an interesting article written by a comedian.

 

http://pattonoswalt.com/index.cfm?page=spew&id=167

[entrerix]

I thought this was an interesting article written by a comedian.

 

http://pattonoswalt.com/index.cfm?page=spew&id=167

 

interesting stuff, most of which touching on things i had never even contemplated before (i know very little about comedy as an industry)