I feel like in the case of BioWare's older games, most of that effort went into story =P
I've still enjoyed them all so far but the combat is really clunky and awkward a lot of the times, especially in KotoR.
The combat in KOTOR is the only reason I can't get past Taris in that game ;-;
KOTOR was first bioware game i played i believe and what i liked abotut the combat was it felt cinematic as your character and enemies continued to attack abd parry and fight in between turns.
So tell me a story about the brilliant storytelling in Baldur's Gate or Jade Empire.
You'll need a pair of rose-colored binoculars.
I missed BG2 the first time around, but as far as I'm concerned, Bioware's storytelling really started coming into it's own with "that Star Wars Game" (I can't agree with you when you say it was bad, though I would agree that KoTOR 2 edges it out, with all the community patches. DND RPGs are not always to everyone's taste).
The writing and characterization in any of their recent games now runs circles around most of the early ones, but BG holds up especially poorly in comparison (which isn't to say it wasn't a great game 18 years ago, just... c'mon now).
It's not just nostalgia. Old games are better because, once upon a time, shiny graphics couldn't be used to disguise low quality, so developers had to put more effort into story and gameplay.
"Old games" aren't any better or worse than games now, games from a year ago, or games that will be released in the future. There's no way to quantify an era.
Numerically speaking, there were WAAAAAAAY more sh*tty older games in comparison to the good ones, simply because DOS, Commodore, the NES chipset, and those other older operating systems were easy to work with, so a lot of shady, awful games were made to cash in on the 'omg video games are cool' craze.
Speaking of the NES, that system had so many hardware knock-offs.
"Old games" aren't any better or worse than games now, games from a year ago, or games that will be released in the future. There's no way to quantify an era.
Numerically speaking, there were WAAAAAAAY more sh*tty older games in comparison to the good ones, simply because DOS, Commodore, the NES chipset, and those other older operating systems were easy to work with, so a lot of shady, awful games were made to cash in on the 'omg video games are cool' craze.
Speaking of the NES, that system had so many hardware knock-offs.
I largely agree with this. It's mostly nostalgia. And to be honest, I think most players my age and older (I was 14 or 15 when BG came out) are probably jaded. It comes with age and experience, and seeing a lot of stuff come out, mostly bullshit (like rise of DLC).
I think Origins is 130% better than BG in pretty much every applicable aspect, and I love it. I would say it's the better game any day of the week. But thinking back to my first playthrough doesn't generate the same warm fuzzies as thinking back to the days of getting up early before middle school to play games like BG (or Daggerfall, or Diablo). The successors to these games arguably improved them, but they didn't catch me at the same time and place, so they didn't grab me quite as hard.
KOTOR was first bioware game i played i believe and what i liked abotut the combat was it felt cinematic as your character and enemies continued to attack abd parry and fight in between turns.
This would of been cool to see implemented in n action Rpg where as you might be attacking by ressing whatever attack buttons, but each time the animation may be different. Based on your sword skill/parry sill/and agility as well as your current opponent, you would either strike smoothly, strike off balance, get blocked, get parried, get counterd or save yourself from a counter with a real time dodge move or passive dodge move. Now any counters your character makes or any that he has to take aren't as affective as a couter you initiate with a real time parry ability but its mostly for show and mostly TO SHOW the difference in fighting skill between opponents in a visual context.. Passive Abilities would change the animations as you start out raw a gritty until your attacks are smooth and efficient.
I loved the difficulty of games back then. Even lobotomized baboons can beat most of today's games.
Well, I lost that XCOM game and had to start a new one. Remember when games were tough enough that you could lose without making any obvious mistakes?
Well, I lost that XCOM game and had to start a new one. Remember when games were tough enough that you could lose without making any obvious mistakes?
That's what i was hoping Inquisition would kind of be like. Not exatly but sorta. Your the Inquisiot this is your base, their are invading evils out there. Hoorah! And perhaps every companions life was on the line maybe you could even loose like when you do die and it says Journey Ends and then has a small description like "The Breach was never closed because..." basically because you died.
In XCOM on Ironman (No saving except auto saving so no going back to save spots what happens happens) and some other advancd and 2nd wave options (I like to use ALL are Not Equal) and Hidden Potential whilst Ironman on Hard. Imagine com but with full real time combat and no turn based just the paused Tac Cam? You could control your squad of 5-7 the whole way thru while every rank up after sergeant gives yu new squads to manage in later in game major battles
I loved the difficulty of games back then. Even lobotomized baboons can beat most of today's games.
As is wont to happen when people don't play on the harder difficulties. Your average person doesn't even finish most games, let alone on the high difficulties.
Some of the more recent games off the top of my head from the last and current generation that are pretty tough at max difficulty: ME1, ME2, Call of Duty World at War, Call of Duty Black Ops (the first one, I can't speak for the second one), Demon's Souls (obviously), Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2 (obviously as well for both of those), Alien: Isolation, Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Mortal Kombat 9, Injustice, Far Cry 2, Strider, and all of the Ninja Gaiden games (obviously).
I wish BioWare still did UIs like that.I tried playing BG1 the other day.
I can't get past the UI T_T
Why would anyone interested in winning ever make an obvious mistake?Well, I lost that XCOM game and had to start a new one. Remember when games were tough enough that you could lose without making any obvious mistakes?
Why would anyone interested in winning ever make an obvious mistake?
Most obvious mistakes are only obvious in hindsight.
E.G. Not building enough satellites in the early game before nations start dropping.
After 36 hours, I am going to Redcliffe for the first time....
I am Explore Man 
I understand now. Thanks.Most obvious mistakes are only obvious in hindsight.
E.G. Not building enough satellites in the early game before nations start dropping.
I don't feel any nostalgia for the old days because I wasn't around in the old days. Dragon Age is the first Bioware game I've played. It's the only Bioware game I've played.
My first BioWare game was DAO but what really kept me following them was ME1
and Kaidan.
Some of the more recent games off the top of my head from the last and current generation that are pretty tough at max difficulty: ME1, ME2, Call of Duty World at War, Call of Duty Black Ops (the first one, I can't speak for the second one), Demon's Souls (obviously), Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2 (obviously as well for both of those), Alien: Isolation, Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Mortal Kombat 9, Injustice, Far Cry 2, Strider, and all of the Ninja Gaiden games (obviously).
There's also Dragon Age 2. On Nightmare, of course.
Eh. Notable exception being Mass Effect 2 and 3 (in my opinion), their stories have gotten progressively better as time passes, both in inception and execution. I love KoTOR, but DAO is better than KoTOR. I haven't played JE since release, so I barely remember much of it.
Dragon Age 2 is still the most interesting and distinctive story they've told yet (hobbled my massive, massive issues in other areas granted), partially because it was so risky.
I largely agree with this. It's mostly nostalgia. And to be honest, I think most players my age and older (I was 14 or 15 when BG came out) are probably jaded. It comes with age and experience, and seeing a lot of stuff come out, mostly bullshit (like rise of DLC).
I think Origins is 130% better than BG in pretty much every applicable aspect, and I love it. I would say it's the better game any day of the week. But thinking back to my first playthrough doesn't generate the same warm fuzzies as thinking back to the days of getting up early before middle school to play games like BG (or Daggerfall, or Diablo). The successors to these games arguably improved them, but they didn't catch me at the same time and place, so they didn't grab me quite as hard.
I got into BW games (and cRPGs in general) with BG, and the nostalgia question is something I've wondered about in the last few years. So I've gone back and replayed those older games relatviely recently, and my "current" impressions are somewhat varied.
The first BG has not aged well. It's not bad, but it doesn't do much worthy of note. The overarcing story is reasonably good, but not fleshed out the way later games did, the characters (particularly companions) have...pretty much no depth whatsoever, and the game mechanics, UI and general playability are pretty poor.
BG2:SoA on the other hand, is still a great RPG. The playability issues with the first game remain (and some stuff such as high level mages become agonising excercises in tedious micromanagament), but the story and characters more than make up for it. The main plot remains Biowares best IMO - admittedly, that opinion might be tainted by my dislike of "you're the chosen one and last hope to save the world" stories that they have used in every game bar DA2 since then, but even considering that, its thoroughly engrossing - your companions, while maybe not as fleshed out quite as much as in the more recent games are still interesting believable characters, and the big bad is utterly phenomonal. ToB let it slip somewhat, but was still reasonably fun.
NWN...well, I never completed the OC when the game first came out, and I couldn't do so when trying it again. It is utterly god awful, with a pathetic excuse for a story and boring characters laid over a functional but unspectacular game engine. Good mods though...
KotOR I actually feel has lost some of its greatness. Maybe because I've lost some of my love for Star Wars (well, the expanded universe) due to the horrible mechanics of the setting, maybe because after all these years, the big moment in the game just isn't special anymore, or maybe just because it's been outclassed, but I didn't enjoy the game nearly as much as when I played it new. It wasn't bad by any means, it's still a game I would recommend people play if they like RPGs, but doesn't quite live up to my memories (KotOR 2 on the other hand, is IMO, the finest thing to come out of Star Wars since the orginal films...)
Jade Empire on the other hand, seems better these days. When I first played it, I was actually quite disappointed. I didn't dislike it, but it didn't live up to what I though BW were capable of. Now though, I consider it probably their second best game behind BG2. The game mechanics are resonable - combat can get a bit repetative by the end of the game and/or with mulitple playthoughs, but it's not bad by any means - but the setting is utterly phenomonal (and the fact that it's never been revisited is an utter crime), the story engrossing, and the characters interesting. And, much like BG2, the big bad is brilliant. (Actually, that's something I feel Bioware have really lost in recent games - really good villains. Nothing they've done in any of the DA or ME games can compare the Irenicus or the Glorious Strategist. Hell, even Sarevok was probably more interesting, despite how reletively un-fleshed out he was.)
I'll say one thing re: Jade Empire
Best reveal of of the identity of the antagonist EVER. BioWare villains are usually pretty predictable as such but I did not see THAT coming. Good times!
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