This article is just a very quick look at each Bioware game I've played and a small amount of information about each. Reviews on some of these may follow in the future, if people would like this just drop us a line!
It’s no secret to anyone that knows me that Bioware is one of the developers I really do respect and tend to pretty much adore whatever work they do be it with names and brands already established such as Star Wars or their own endeavours such as Mass Effect. In this posting I’m going to be recalling upon older entries by Bioware and the newer ones, talking you through my experiences with each and my feelings on the good and the bad. The first place I’ll be taking you to is the world of Knights of the Old Republic, I’d delve further back than that and talk about Baldur’s Gate and the like however I’m afraid those games escaped me, although one day I will get to them so who knows maybe I’ll write about my experience with them some time!
Knights of the Old Republic
Released in 2003 for both the original Xbox and PC Kotor released to immediate critical acclaim and this was definitely well deserved. The prospect of playing a full role playing experience set within Star Wars lore is mouth watering to just about anyone, and with Bioware at the helm everyone was in for a treat.
Set roughly 4000 years before the rise of the Galactic Empire in the Star Wars Universe players got to take on the role of either a male or female who would for all intents and purposes appear to be a nobody without any recollection of their memories. Okay, so the start may sound a little shaky but for those of you out that have played it you know how this quickly turns into an epic adventure wherein you meet some truly memorable characters and slowly but surely obtain a lightsaber of your very own.
I think what made this game so much fun was the amount of stuff to do and the high level of interaction that would of been fun with any backdrop as a universe but remember, this was Star Wars. So you’ll be seeing Sith, Wookies, Jawas, Jedi, Twi’leks and even a Rancaar in one instance, some which you’ll assimilate into your ragtag bunch. This game also spawned one of the more memorable side characters in a Bioware game in the form of HK-47, an android that refers to humans as ‘meatbags’. Honestly, some of the conversations you could have with this whacky mech were pretty awesome.
Bioware once again let players become a character of their own choosing with a complex branching dialogue option and a simple Light/Dark side moral meter. Tie all this in with a relatively fun combat system, force powers, deep customisation and a twist that at the time blew my mind and you’re in for a fantastic wild ride filled with all the things that made you love Star Wars in the first place.
Jade Empire
I only really played this game through luck, and I’m genuinely thankful that I did. Released in 2005 Bioware took a chance and wanted to show that they can make fantastic IP’s on their own, so rather than work on Kotor II they left that to Obsidian and instead worked on the heavily Asian inspired Jade Empire.
The format to this game was extremely similar to that of other Bioware made games in the sense that you create your character male/female and assign them their stat points and made your way through the game talking to characters in the same way seen in previous games. One largely different aspect, however, was the combat system seen here, rather than opt for the more strategic style gameplay you’d expect Jade Empire offered a pseudo hack and slash type fighting system. Players were allowed to have any four ‘styles’ equipped at any time and could switch between them in combat, these ranged from hand to hand, weapons, magic and even supportive styles that offered some variation when taking on the enemies the game had to offer. For some people this combat was too simple or just straight up not enjoyable, that wasn’t the case for me though as I enjoyed all my time with this game.
Bioware again took a lot of care when creating the characters you’d be running into and in the world of Jade Empire your cohorts could range from Dawn Star (the main characters childhood friend) to Black Whirlwind (an alcohol crazed mercenary with duel axes) to even Wild Flower (a small girl who is currently playing host to a demon). Everyone in your crew in Jade Empire is noteworthy to some extent, the variety in each personality was great and when you add to that an overall satisfying plot, intriguing mythos and the typical side quests and overall this was a great little package that, at least to me, deserves a sequel.
Mass Effect
Ah Mass Effect. This game did so much right and came out in what was all round a brilliant year for gaming – 2007. This was another independent endeavour by Bioware and players were thrust into the role of Commander Shepard, a lucrative soldier in the human alliance and one that is apparently climbing the ranks pretty quick as the opening mission of the game is essentially a trial to become a ‘Spectre’ (think special agent only on a galactic level, badass will also suffice).
Gone were the extensive dialogue trees of old and instead came the ‘dialogue wheel’ which offers players three choices on either side, these typically being good/neutral/evil. This was incredibly different to previous games and allowed Bioware to build a much more focused story on the character of Shepard. You still chose your characters background and also what class they were which factored into some conversations which is a nice touch as it feels that bit more personal.
The science fiction setting here allowed for a lot of design choices in both gameplay and the lore of Mass Effect, there are aliens aplenty, spaceships, loads of planets to explore and futuristic weaponry to down your enemies with. But what truly shined here were the characters again, you felt part of the squad and cared for each and every one of your crew, this was in large part to terrific acting on behalf of everyone involved and the writing was great. In particular Wrex, Garrus and Tali were three of my favourite characters in just about any game and to see them all again in the sequel was fantastic (more on that later) each of these had truly interesting stories to tell, backgrounds to share and witty remarks to be said upon downing foes.
The game did a lot right but that didn’t stop it from having its fair share of flaws, such as lack of variety in terms of weaponry model design and armour variety, the same could be said for the side missions as, while plentiful, a lot of them felt incredibly samey. The combat also felt a little awkward but for the first real foray into third person shooters mixed with roleplaying you can’t complain too much. Even with those however, reaching the conclusion of this entry to the series was fantastic. Plus, the alien sex controversy made for amusing news right?
Dragon Age: Origins
Released just 2 years after the original Mass Effect, what was said to be a ‘spiritual successor’ to the Baldur’s Gate series turned out to be one of my favourite games of all time, while I can’t really comment on the likeness to BG, I can go on to explain why I loved this game as much as I did.
Another new IP from Bioware and this time we got a more old school fantasy settings with enemies that look like they’ve just crawled out of Lord of the Rings, there are ogres, dragons, dwarves and elves a plenty in this epic fantasy RPG. While it may look on the surface to have no real ‘personality’ of its own this is quickly dismissed once you begin playing as the setting of the game, Ferelden, is full to the brim with interesting, quirky characters. Some will join you, others you’ll ignore or even kill inadvertently without even knowing they could be members! For the most part however they are unique and you’ll enjoy wandering the cities, being at camp and chatting with your group.
A step away from Mass Effect’s dialogue wheel was seen here as players could now select anything ranging from 1 to 7 or more choices, giving each person that plays a much more distinct feeling that they are getting to choose exactly what type of character they want to be. The lack of any sort of moral indicator was also interesting as this was instead reflected in the way that people reacted to you or treated you from then on, in some extreme cases it could even turn friend into foe.
Some great voice work has to be noted again here as each character is brought to life fantastically, be it the witty but foolhardy Alistair or the she witch Morrigan, all characters found in here are likely to resonate with you in one way or another.
I wouldn’t say this is a game for everyone however, the combat system is fairly slow paced and leans more toward strategy and the overall main plot may be a bit too simple/boring for some. This was not the case for me though and I am happily awaiting the sequel.
Mass Effect 2
Released at the beginning of this year Mass Effect 2 hit stores and immediately became a contender for Game of the Year in my opinion. It took the game we already loved and made it much darker, and a whole lot more epic. Some favourite characters returned (if you kept them alive from the original that is) and a whole new bunch were thrown in there as well. And being told before we even got the game that its about a suicide mission and not everyone will make it back (if anyone) only added to the intrigue.
Gameplay wise a lot had changed in terms of combat, it was still a third person shooter yes. But this time around it felt closer to something like Gears of War and not just a clunky shooter with fantastic RPG elements. We had the whole package this time around, now shooting down enemies was just as smooth and fun to do as conversing with your allies. One drawback I found though was a lack of variety in weapons and armour again, there was even less to be found in the original and no upgrades in the usual sense of the word. This was due to the game being more streamlined for a smoother experience and in the end this did pay off as ME2 was a truly fantastic game, most aspects this time around were back but improved such as the side quests. This time each and every one of them had their own background, layout and theme and were classed as N7 missions for Shepherd and his crew to complete, add to these each characters ‘loyalty’ mission which let you see new sides of characters and learn about them that much more and you had many hours to waste away on these alone.
My biggest gripe about this game was the structure of the main narrative however, while the over arcing plot was satisfying I felt that the way in which you got the game’s final events were a bit underwhelming. The idea behind it was that you assemble a team, make them loyal and go on this crazy suicide mission and yet there was something missing from all this as once you have got all the members, you’re pretty much pushed on towards the end with no real feeling. I mean this in the sense that there was no ‘team building’, I strongly feel that there should of been some main plot missions that had your whole squad going along and seeing the bond between them grow to the point of trust, rather than just the trust of Shepherd him/herself.
Saying this though I still thoroughly enjoyed Mass Effect 2 and look forward to Bioware’s third and final instalment to the Commander Shepherd story arc, I hope that they take the best from both games and leave out the smaller nitpick issues so that we are left with the definitive TPS/RPG experience to date.
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