Mass Effect Franchise Put on Ice, BioWare New IP Delayed, Montreal Studio Downsized

[kensu]

I dunno, Mission seemed like what Han Solo would be like if played by Mindy Kaling. I think I was okay with Mission the first time I played through KOTOR, but the companions are such a joke compared to what Obsidian did in the sequel. I don't know if people still think of it this way, but at the time, KOTOR2 was seen as a spiritual successor to Planescape:Torment, with most of the companions having similar level of depth and interaction.

[SonicMage117]

I dunno, Mission seemed like what Han Solo would be like if played by Mindy Kaling. I think I was okay with Mission the first time I played through KOTOR, but the companions are such a joke compared to what Obsidian did in the sequel. I don't know if people still think of it this way, but at the time, KOTOR2 was seen as a spiritual successor to Planescape:Torment, with most of the companions having similar level of depth and interaction.

They were a joke... I always thought almost everything about Kotor 2 was better than the first.

 

I've never heard of Kotor 2 being a spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment so that's new to me. I guess I have a modern way of looking at Kotor 1 ans Kotor 2. The first Kotor is like Fallout 3 while Kotor 2 is more like New Vegas. I think that's a safe way to put it anyway.

[ktchong]

[GhostofAnakin]

I dunno, Mission seemed like what Han Solo would be like if played by Mindy Kaling. I think I was okay with Mission the first time I played through KOTOR, but the companions are such a joke compared to what Obsidian did in the sequel. I don't know if people still think of it this way, but at the time, KOTOR2 was seen as a spiritual successor to Planescape:Torment, with most of the companions having similar level of depth and interaction.

I only brought along the Jedi in my party.  I don't think I ever used Mission (been a while since I played).

[Nonek]

That is actually one of the few Bioware set pieces that I'd (almost) unequivocally praise. Credit where due, for once they didn't pull their punches on dark side/ evil options.

 

I'd have to admit to liking Mission though. If only you could have got big Z to throttle Carth instead, but no, he's got less courage than a 14 year old girl and just runs off.

As a father the mere inclusion of a little girl in Revan's cadre made me somewhat uncomfortable, and yet I was not at all troubled by taking along Spark in Ultima 7, maybe a double standard or maybe a response to the differing amounts of combat indulged in per game. I have to agree though that spurring uncomfortable and challenging options (such as Mission's murder) is a far more brave move than Bioware usually indulge in.

 

 

I dunno, Mission seemed like what Han Solo would be like if played by Mindy Kaling. I think I was okay with Mission the first time I played through KOTOR, but the companions are such a joke compared to what Obsidian did in the sequel. I don't know if people still think of it this way, but at the time, KOTOR2 was seen as a spiritual successor to Planescape:Torment, with most of the companions having similar level of depth and interaction.

They were a joke... I always thought almost everything about Kotor 2 was better than the first.

 

I've never heard of Kotor 2 being a spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment so that's new to me. I guess I have a modern way of looking at Kotor 1 ans Kotor 2. The first Kotor is like Fallout 3 while Kotor 2 is more like New Vegas. I think that's a safe way to put it anyway.

 

I believe Mr Avellone wanted to explore the character he began developing with Ravel Puzzlewell, and thus began the genesis of Darth Traya, which obviously also bore some elements of Trias the Deva. There are some other themes and mechanics utilised in Torment that crop up in the Sith Lords as well, such as a wound eating away at reality, the odd fascination Mr Avellone has with visual impairment, and the metaphysical link the Exile and his companions share etcetera.

[Zoraptor]

There's also Nihilus <--> Vhailor and Sion <--> Ignus as well as Atris <--> Trias (and Kreia <--> Ravel*). You can go for parallels on most of the other new party NPCs as well, though they're less direct, eg Atton <--> Morte. It is mostly the thematics though, which fit PST a lot better than the rather vanilla 'standard' Star Wars. Mask of the Betrayer also has the strong thematic parallels to PST, though with less of the direct parallels.

 

*Kreia actually has a strong philosophical parallel to the EU now non canon character of Vergere though, even more so than to Ravel.

[Nonek]

Yes the differences between Kreia and Ravel are also quite interesting: For instance Kreias brave, lone crusade against the force, and her belief that apathy is death is an almost perfect opposite to Ravels self imposed exile in her prison, where her only desire is to once again puzzle at the only riddle she cannot unravel, and leave the planes to grind against themselves. Ravel almost seems like an after image of Kreia, one who has struggled, lost and accepted their defeat. Perhaps a lesson to the Nameless One that some victories carry too high a price?

[HoonDing]

most memorable Avellone character will always be Annah

 

she had big b00bs

[Gizmo]

Well whoever is to blame the mantra seems to hold true. Everything EA acquires turns to ****. 

It certainly did for Westwood, and Bullfrog.  Not only that, but IRRC, EA took them off DK3 and set them to work on a Harry Potter game.

 

 

most memorable Avellone character will always be Annah

 

she had big b00bs

I think it was the 28 foot naked statue of her that cemented it.

Edited May 21, 2017 by Gizmo

[majestic]

*Kreia actually has a strong philosophical parallel to the EU now non canon character of Vergere though, even more so than to Ravel.

 

Not surprising given that MCA stated he's read through much (if not all) of the EU novels to prepare for writing a Star Wars game.

 

The New Jedi Order series also has a scene early on where Anakin Solo travels with Mara Jade Skywalker to a planet for some R&R and she chews him out after using the force to set up camp because Jedi often forget to train other skills in favor of the force - and has him do everything withot aid from the force.

 

Kreia's skills rant is pretty much the same. Except it was always misplaced because every time I play Kotor 2 I end up with an INT 16 Sentinel and loads and loads of skill points. *shrug*

[SonicMage117]

most memorable Avellone character will always be Annah

 

she had big b00bs

Sometimes I look back on games and suddenly realize how drag those character look, and cringe to think the young me actually thought they were sexy. Annah being one of those lol

[kensu]

I always saw Sion as an expy for the Nameless One. Aren't they even missing the same eye? (in some of the artwork the Nameless One is missing an eye. In-game it's the one you can pop out and replace)

Edited May 22, 2017 by kensu

[Zoraptor]

Pretty sure TNO is not missing an eye per se, since you start with a default eye equipped. But yeah, you are certainly able to replace it (and get the original modified by Ignus or Mebbeth as well, iirc).

 

The main link between Ignus and Sion is that they share a particular theme/ philosophy which allows them to survive circumstances which ought to have left them both dead. I've swiped a couple of quotes from the relevant fan wikis to illustrate: "This incarnation was a brutal teacher who believed that suffering is a necessity for learning, and subjected the young Ignus to many torments in order to teach him to master fire" and "Rather than die, though, Sion found that by calling on his pain, anger, and hatred, he could rise from certain death and achieve immortality, at the cost of all-consuming agony". Of course, we don't know who if anyone taught Sion that (though if you're a female Exile Sion seems to have a bit of a crush on you...), but it's very close to Ignus being able to survive his linkage to the plane of fire due to TNO's teachings.