Does anybody else hate Bioware games?

I always felt like they were horribly paced to what was going on. I hated all the micromanaging when some parts felt like an action RPG. They were great stories, but I felt like that was the only thing they really excelled in. KOTORs were my least favorite in this spectrum. Loved the story. Hated every other aspect.

Then I played Mass Effect. Much better, but still, too much going on behind the scenes. It was ridiculous for me, completely the opposite of my taste.
I feel like there is just too much micromanaging going on. I feel like all the games are too slowly paced where they shouldn't be. Things are too linear sometimes. Sometimes I felt like it tried to give you freedom, but it didn't give you any wanderlust to do so.

I recently beta tested SWTOR. Amazing MMO. My favorite Bioware game ever. Everything I hated about BW games were gone. But still, it felt like it was all about the leveling process...lots of loading screens, combat not particulalry innovative (what you're doing for the hours and hours you play), and when you hit top level it was like "um now what". I also felt like it wasn't community accommodating like Star Wars Galaxies was.

I don't know the whole micromanaging aspect of BW games have strayed me away from them. Even without Micromanaging I feel like they have severely lacked in important areas. Anybody else have thoughts, or the same thoughts? I expect flaming to this thread, but I do understand why people enjoy them, and that's great for them. I am just not a fan at all.

I liked KOTOR and Mass Effect but not DA.

Can't say I hate them, but none of their games are my style.

He likes MMORPGs, but hates singleplayer RPGs.
I dunno, man....

Eightz said:

He likes MMORPGs, but hates singleplayer RPGs.
I dunno, man....

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Never said either of those, thanxbye

If you enjoy an MMORPG, but dislike Bioware RPG's, it's kind of suggestive.

lol.

I like bioware but I believe some of their design decisions over the years could have been better. I haven't played any of the Mass effect games and haven't tried KOTOR either.

I really loved Baldurs Gate years back and Baldurs Gate 2 and Icewind Dale, also ended up playing but not really liking Never winter nights. NWN2 was an improvement. I loved DA:O but am not impressed by the reviews of is sequel. I really wish somehow they could make a rich party based game in an more open world setting but i could imagine that would be a bug fest.

Ultimately what has always struck me about many of Biowares games is the quality in voice acting which has often helped to set the atmos.

@Quixote I just watched both your sigs like 5 times... They suck.

Eightz said:

If you enjoy an MMORPG, but dislike Bioware RPG's, it's kind of suggestive.

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Sorry but no. That's stupid gibberish, who are you to assume my taste? Are you kidding me? I love single player RPG's. I respect those who like Bioware games, because I understand. I dislike many aspects of MMO's. I don't have to love MMO's to say that I liked one over others.

Stories and characters  really the only thing they can get mostly right. They always mess up with everything else. I still like Kotor and Mass Effect though, but I'm done with the Dragon Age game and I don't care about games that require a subscription.

Quixote said:

I love single player RPG's.

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Yet you dislike the levelling, dislike the pacing and object to the combat. Cognitive dissonance much?

Maybe if you explained what you actually like about RPGs (possibly with some examples of RPGs you have particularly enjoyed) your argument would make more sense, because at the moment it does indeed read like you simply don't like RPGs.

The other question of course is why, if you don't like Bioware RPGs, you keep buying them

Say, Quixote, did you ever play a Bioware game before they let go more and more of the RPG aspect in favour of action?

KotOR 1: Excellent blend of combat with story, but I much preferred the second.
SW:TOR: Looking forward to the train crash.
Mass Effect 1: Tedium interspersed with fun. Like a warzone, really.
Mass Effect 2: Much improved over the first. Could've done with more RPG though.
Dragon Age Origins: Fun, if a bit heavy on the idiot ball.
Dragon Age Awakening: Even more broken, but still fun. Needed more length.
Dragon Age 2: Pile of ****.
Neverwinter Nights: Fetch quests set to the backdrop of your average D&D campaign.
Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of the Undrentide: Fetch quests set to the backdrop of a terrible D&D campaign.
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark: Fetch quests set to the backdrop of your average epic D&D campaign. Single-handedly saved saved from mediocrity by Deekin.

Have yet to play Jade Empire, MDK or Shattered Steel.

People played the original campaigns of NWN and NWN2? Interesting. I just made all of my own modules or downloaded them.

They were really more geared towards multiplayer as well.

Austupaio said:

People played the original campaigns of NWN and NWN2? Interesting. I just made all of my own modules or downloaded them.

They were really more geared towards multiplayer as well.

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Indeed, the whole point of NWN was to provide an engine for people to recreate their P&P campaigns on the PC.
As for Quixote: it's like you want RPGs not to be RPGs. Maybe you should play other genres, because roleplaying games are obviously not your thing. They have always been about micromanagement of skills and inventory, levelling up and combat not focused on fast paced action, but on turns, dice rolls and clever use of abilities. If you think the likes of Mass Effect have "just too much micromanaging going on" and "too much going on behind the scenes" then you would cringe at the sight of an old Ultima game or even the Baldur's gate saga.

I mus admit admit I really don't like the latest trend of turning RPGs into shooters. With that said, I've also found that many recent hybrid realtime squad-based RPG games to be very limited in their actual strategy. It's basically "pick these skills to be really strong, any deviation will not be rewarded". Followed by "the only real strategy is to focus everything on one enemy at a time".

Love/hate. Except not really love, just enjoy. There are flaws in all their games that prevent me from calling any of them "good" games.

Nope. Loved every one I played.

Nahkuri said:

Nope. Loved every one I played.

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^