Dragon Age 2 - The End of BioWare as a Traditional RPG Creator?

I loved both ME2 and DAO. But I don't like the idea of mixing elements of two games together. They were two different games and that allowed me to approach each games in different way, getting unique experience out of each game.

Still, trying to keep open minded about DA2. Might surprise me. Who knows.
 
Imo, it's a mistake to try and compare crpgs to PnP rpgs, because they're an entirely different experience altogether.

This is true, but the title was "The End of BioWare as a Traditional RGP Creator"… Again it's all opinion/perspective, but if anything PnP has the strongest case for traditional RPG:

1) It predates cRPGs.
2) It is still enjoyed to this day.
3) Most importantly, PnP, as a medium has remained static throughout the years.

For the sake of discussion let us consider the two mediums as separate, which IMO you should. Unlike PnP the PC has undergone constant changes(text, 2d, 3d - soon to be stereoscopic - then maybe holographic - and finally VR?) and with each change an era was, for all intents and purposes, left behind. So how can we have a traditional cRPG if the medium(PC) is constantly in flux? Add to that there is no universally accepted definition of RPG within computer gaming and the term "traditional cRPG" becomes even more difficult to apply…

-EDIT-

Anyway, my whole point is - despite the fact that I truly dislike Bioware's new direction for DA2(perhaps all their upcoming games?) - it's is entirely pointless to say Bioware no longer produces "Traditional RPGs". Because it is a lot like saying the sun no longer farts, what the hell was a sun fart in the first place?
 
Joined
Feb 28, 2010
Messages
380
But P'n'P RPGing isn't static. It has evolved (or devolved depending on your viewpoint) from its roots as an exotic offshoot of tabletop wargamming, and CRPGs have (d)evolved with it. For example, in the '70s and '80s static classes were the norm. There was no opportunity to allocate points on level up. Now custom builds are the norm (although JRPGs still favour the static model).

There's also the schism between 'power-gaming' (gaming the rules, 'cause, well … it's actually a game) and 'role-playing' (playing amateur dramatics 'cause, well … only dorks play games). In the '70s and first half of the '80s everyone was what is now termed a 'power-gamer'. Now there are many who argue that 'power-gaming' not "real roleplaying". Bioware is a classic example of that schism translated to CRPGs. They've gone the interactive (teenage fan-)fiction route rather than the, well … developing an actual game route. Personally I like a bit of both in harmony, like the Baldur's Gate games, rather than one extreme (e.g. Diablo) or the other (everything Bioware has developed since NWN).

Anyhow, to me, "The End of BioWare as a Traditional RGP Creator" is a gigantic red herring. I simply can't imagine modren Bioware developing a good RPG of any stripe. Their products are slash fan-fic where the burning issue for hardcore fans is not that the rule system is a poorly conceived pile-of-crap-where-cone-of-cold-auto-wins-every-battle, but the fact that their male PC can't cop off with Alistair.
 
Joined
Jun 24, 2009
Messages
90
Back
Top Bottom