81 réponses à ce sujet

[goishen]

I was watching G4 last night, and they just could not say enough good things about SW:TOR.  Now I know that this may be a little bit of wishful thinking here...   But is BioWare the new Blizzard?   Let's take a walk through my thinking.  

Blizzard has long been the king of...  Well, everything (PC gaming related, of course) in my opinion.   But ever since I played ME2 and I started hearing about SW:TOR, my opinion has changed. 

It's the story, dummy.

Now, one way or the other, I am gonna get SW:TOR, hopefully for Christmas.  If not, I'll get it soon after with my own money.  (As I write this it's 12-22-11)  Now I know that WoW has been out for 7 years?   8 years?  Anyway, it's been around a while.   And I also know that several companies have come out with MMO's with amazing first day sales, only to see them go to F2P or have them close up shop altogether.  (Hellgate : London, The Matrix online, Vanguard : Saga Of Heroes, DC Universe, etc.  I could go on, but I think you get the point.)

With BioWare it's all about the story.   The story wraps it all together.  However, Blizzard does kind'a ...    Hmmm.   Well, how should I put this?   Well, they do kind'a suck at telling a story.  I want to know why I'm fighting a corrupted angel.   Not just, "Corrupted angel, go fight.  If not, that's cool bro."  (I refuse to use the word "bra" for brother, because a bra is something completely different.)  This is one thing that I think that the entire Warcraft series is lacking, the entire Starcraft series is lacking, and the entire Diablo series is lacking.  Uncompleted quests, loot runs, and e-jocks seem to be running rampant at Blizzard. 

I own the poster of the team (Go go Jack) from ME2, the first Normandy, sweatshirt, and two tees.   I have completed numerous (265 hours worth, thanks Steam for letting me know how much of a geek I am) playthroughs of it.  I've already pre-ordered the ME3 collectors edition.  Let me just tell you...   This is the first time I've ever been so pumped about a game that I've actually bought this stuff.  SW:TOR sounds the same.   In their quest to be the best, has BioWare come out and slammed down the gauntlet, saying, "It's about the story, dummy!"? 

I will state that Blizzard has the best graphics in game to date.  Their trailers and teasers look amazing.  Hell, even their games look amazing.  But with that comes the best video cards and a healthy price tag.   It looks good, but there's just not much really there to care about.  

Am I just tired of Blizzard's games (even though I haven't played one in months)?  Am I just tired of upgrading my computer, and spending thousands of dollars to do it, just to play a game?  I should add an addendum here :  I'm 38.  Been playing PC games since I was 18.  I realize that no one piece of equipment costs thousands of dollars.  Or rather, no one piece of equipment that anyone in their right mind would buy.   Or is it just wishful thinking?  Or am I just too out of touch thinking that Blizzard is untouchable?  Or is the fact that we now have these jounalists to thank for the monacle of of being able to dissect games?

Thoughts?

Modifié par goishen, 22 décembre 2011 - 05:42 .

[Stanley Woo]

No, BioWare is not the new Blizzard. BioWare is BioWare, which is different than Blizzard, but there's nothing wrong with that. You don't have to label us or use us to replace a company you already love. It's okay to love BioWare for what we are (awesome!) and still love Blizzard for what they are (also awesome!).

We have many fans of Blizzard in the office, and many who have been playing WoW since the beginning. There's no harm in being game company non-monogamous.

[KenKenpachi]

*Reads OP* Hmmm....

Lol Wut?

[Dominus]

Blizzard does kind'a ... Hmmm. Well, how should I put this? Well, they do kind'a suck at telling a story.

Well, Every company has their pros and cons. Even if a person doesn't give a hoot about a storyline from blizzard, they'll know the gameplay is balanced and entertaining. The Millions who bought World of Warcraft in the day, or Starcraft II are not necessarily going in for a coherent narrative.

BioWare, on the other hand, has released quite a few games which had iffy gameplay balance, but the storyline made up for it(Jade Empire as an example).

There's no harm in being game company non-monogamous.

*Intervened by BioWare and Bethesda*

BioWare: I'm sorry, but you're going to have to make a decision between the two of us.
Dom: ...Can't I have you both?
Bethesda: In your dreams, fanboy.

[ObserverStatus]

goishen wrote...
With BioWare it's all about the story.   The story wraps it all together.  However, Blizzard does kind'a ...    Hmmm.   Well, how should I put this?   Well, they do kind'a suck at telling a story.  I want to know why I'm fighting a corrupted angel.   Not just, "Corrupted angel, go fight.  If not, that's cool bro."  (I refuse to use the word "bra" for brother, because a bra is something completely different.)  This is one thing that I think that the entire Warcraft series is lacking, the entire Starcraft series is lacking, and the entire Diablo series is lacking.  Uncompleted quests, loot runs, and e-jocks seem to be running rampant at Blizzard. 

Them fighting words!  I don't care what you say, the storytelling may have sucked in StarCraft II, but not StarCraft or Brood War!

Modifié par bobobo878, 22 décembre 2011 - 06:21 .

[turian councilor Knockout]

Blizzard king ? maybe, Bioware no  but WTF Valve is as good too.

Modifié par turian councilor Knockout, 22 décembre 2011 - 08:16 .

[saMoorai]

Ivandra Ceruden wrote...

After Dragon Age 2 I definitely wouldn't grant Bioware the title of 'King of PC gaming', lol...

Yeah, after Dragon Age 2 I'd just grant Bioware the title of  'King of'gaming'. 

Also Valve and Bethesda are the kings of PC gaming.

Modifié par saMOOrai182, 22 décembre 2011 - 07:52 .

[xkg]

King of PC gaming ? When it comes to PC game sales not even close.
When it comes to game quality - not for me nor for you to judge - everyone has his own "king of games".

[naughty99]

I thought the king of PC gaming was Zynga?

[jerst]

You can't assess the success of a MMORPG just after the release, especially if based on such a huge licence as Star Wars. We'll see how SW TOR stands in one or two year.

As for the king, it is hard to say. Blizzard did create some great, original and persistant lore in the PC universe, it's hard the overcome. They were among the first to introduce a Tolkien-like lore in video games and it ended up being the most successful MMORPG to this day.
The diablo franchise was a huge step in the action-RPG universe and maybe the spiritual father of multiple game.
Starcraft created a new path for the RTS and their multiplayer mode with a very well balanced gameplay, still used today.

But I must admit that Blizzard is not what it used to be, thus if you think Bioware is following their path, it's probably not a good thing.

[Kaiser Arian XVII]

There is no King of the Hill - Top of the hip!
Only some strong warlords (developers) and politicians (publishers) who can't hold it for a long time ...

[AngryFrozenWater]

BioWare the king of PC gaming? Nah. Not by a long shot.

From a PC user's point of view it appears to me that BioWare does not bring much to the table. First the Origin distribution system is collecting unknown data and its EULA is very vague, so I have to assume that it is violating my privacy. From a customer's point of view it limits where I can buy their downloadable products. From a gaming point of view I don't see BioWare actively supporting the PC. Games which support both consoles and PCs are designed with consoles in mind and have no active PC support. And thus the tech behind them in the PC versions suffer from the least common denominator syndrome. That means these games don't push the limits of the tech and feel dated. The user interfaces are clearly designed with consoles in mind. Even simple user interface adaptions for the mouse and keyboard are just enough to allow the game to be played. In Dragon Age 2 it is even worse, and features like tactical view are removed. According to the company it is too expensive for that feature to be implemented for the PC. All that means is that BioWare simply does not care, because the PC platform is one they can do without.

Modifié par AngryFrozenWater, 22 décembre 2011 - 09:40 .

[bmwcrazy]

[inappropriate comment removed]

Modifié par Stanley Woo, 22 décembre 2011 - 10:32 .

[Someonepunchme]

No, no they are not
Valve is the current 'king of PC gaming'
all hail the mighty GabeN

P.S. Dragon Age 2 sucked ass

[Jjilatt12]

Bioware? Kings of the PC? I'd have to disagree, they're not above other companie (Blizzard included) by any stretch.

I still like their products (most of them anyways, SWTOR was somewhat disappointing in my eyes, and DA2... let's not even go there. but I'm ill somewhat hopeful for ME3 though), I'd have to completely disagree.

Of anyone, Valve is probably the closest to the title of "King of PC gaming", with the massive market share they hold in digital game distribution via Steam, as well as owning Team Fortress 2 which is still thriving and is currently developing the much anticipated DotA 2. Not to mention I once met Gabe Newell in real life and he's just an awesome guy- would give his company support any day of the week. I'd even throw Riot in there above Bioware for the PC title right now, considering League of Legends had like 30 million players or some absurd number like that.

Then there's the issue of dumbing down their games to function better on consoles, something which I personally disagree with. In ME2 it was fine, because you didn't have an auto-aiming function in it on the PC (like most console shooters tend to do to make up for the lack of accuracy in a pad), but then you have examples like DA2, more elaborated in AngryFrozenWater's post, which had more than a few things removed that blatantly dumbed the game down for PCs so it could function on a console. I can understand them wanting to get at a console market, but alienating their PC gamers at the same time is just not OK in my books.

Lastly, there's Origin, the bastard child of EA trying to get a share in Valve's market. With all the unsettling things I have heard about it regarding spyware and things like that, and refusing PC gamers to buy any of their games except through Origin, I can safely say I am not touching that unless I absolutely have to.

Again, I still like most of Bioware's games, that's why I have an account on their bloody social site. But to be frank, calling them the "Kings of PC gaming"? That would be going a little far, with all this in mind.

[Fathnir]

King of PC Gaming? Wouldn't count on it, not with Steam and Valve being as popular as they are.

BioWare used to be known as the "King of RPGs" at one point in time, but as I'm sure you're aware, times change. Now I'd say CD Projekt or Obsidian Entertainment are the Kings of RPGs. Probably CD Projekt more than Obsidian.

[Marionetten]

It's just another MMO riding on the coattails of a far more successful one. I truly don't get the hype.

[Docter_Sanchez32]

GabeN is the only true king of PC gaming, no pretender may ever take his throne

[redditsocool]

Bioware, the developer that suckles at the teet of whatever game is the most pop culture at the moment. First they want call of dutys audience and now they want skyrims audience.

A "king" of PC gaming would do its own thing instead of following fads. And to be honest they have been dethroned from the one seat they had wich was story, and after DA:2 they writhe in the slums with all the others.

[Russalka]

Everyone has their own.