Sheepie Crusher wrote...
1. I don't know how much say BW has but what I do know is that their recent games have been less and less RPG and more and more action
You don't know how much say BioWare has and yet you made the declaration that they were having less and less with each game. You know that faster paced action games generally sell better than straight RPGs, right? DAO was seen as a quintessential RPG, but it was considered slow. The plot was super huge, Orzammar took up half the game, combat was slow, and whenever you entered dialogue, you stopped and went into talking heads mode. So they changed things for DA2. Mass Effect 1 used more RPG rules for combat rather than player skill, which didn't work for a shooter. So they changed things for ME2.
However much you like a straight RPG, gamers seem to have been trending toward faster paced games, shooters, and more cinematic game experiences. Trend-chasing? Maybe, but no more trend-chasing than people wanting to work in the videogame industry or wanting promotions and raises. I mean, everyone does that!
I also know that DA2 was aimed at the Call Of Duty audience and I have a hard time believing it was Bioware's idea
source: http://n4g.com/news/...-dutys-audience
Incorrect and incorrectly reported by those who have the same knee-jerk reaction you do when you hear that phrase. DAO was arguable a great BioWare RPG, but even DAO sales paled in comparison to huge releases like Call of Duty games and other shooters and action games. The idea was that many of those games contained features similar to level-up mechanics, character interaction and development, inventory systems, crafting, etc., which meant people were enjoying RPG-type game mechanics without knowing or admitting it! BioWare thought that if they could give those types of players, who represented a
huge potential new fanbase, the kind of game they wanted, then Bioware could sell more games and addict a whole new group of players to their awesome games.
"We want COD's audience" was less of a "we're going to abandon RPGs for shooters" statement and more of a "action game fans might already be playing RPGs and don't know it."
Bioware is responsible for Bioware games, problem is Bioware answers to EA aand EA answers it's shareholders. the shareholders want to make money, the easiest way to make money is by copying whats popular, problem is: what is popular and what is right for the game are rarely the same things
Here's where we're going to disagree.
the easiest way to make money is by copying whats popular
Disagree. If a game is seen by the general audience as a direct copy, it's generally not going to do well and you might open yourself up to lawsuits. But
similar games, settings, and concepts sell well
because they're popular. Shooters were super popular a couple of years ago, so everyone wanted to make a shooter. While many had similar mechanics and controls, stories, settings, characters, and even visuals were usually different, and several franchises became really popular. Zombie games are super popular now, and while many wil have similar gameplay and settings, the stories, characters, and visuals will be different. "Copying what's popular," as you describe it, is a way to reduce risk. If you were spending millions of dollars developing an entertainment product, you'd want to minimize the risk of losing all of it too.
problem is: what is popular and what is right for the game are rarely the same things
If making something because it's popular is going to reduce your risk and make you more money, then it's more likely to be right for the game if you want that game to succeed in the marketplace. Your definition of "right for the game" is "what I want for my $60." BioWare and EA's definition of "right for the game" is "what fits the story and gameplay" and "what helps sell the game we've invested millions of dollars on." BioWare and EA have reasons for making the decisions they make, but they might not be obvious or even intuitive to the gamers whose only risk is $60. Companies are risking millions of dollars and potentially the livelihoods of their employees, not to mention their reputations and other people's (their investors) money.
I am not saying EA wants to drive costumers away, what I am saying is that EA thinks it can sales by forcing as many popular gameplay and story elements as they can, essentially trying to appeal to everyone
Yes, EA wants its games to appeal to as many potential customers as possible. Because they want to sell to as many of those people as they can. They are a business who make products to sell. They sell products to make money, and the more they sell, the more money they make. To do this, they are giving players popular features and gameplay, familiar stories and recognizable franchises. Reduce the risk of losing their investment on the product. Increase potential for recouping expenses and maybe make a profit on the game.
It's what they do. Because they are a business. Operating with budgets orders of magnitude greater than any of us will ever make in our lifetimes.
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