Wave goodbye to good U.S. RPGs
OttoDestruct
Join Date: 2002-11-08 Member: 7790Members
Join Date: 2002-11-08 Member: 7790Members
in Off-Topic
<a href="http://kotaku.com/gaming/ea/ea-buys-bioware-pandemic-309937.php" target="_blank">http://kotaku.com/gaming/ea/ea-buys-biowar...emic-309937.php</a>
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Electronic Arts just announced that they have "acquired" both BioWare and Pandemic Studios. EA cut a deal with Elevation Partners to buy up VG Holding Corp, which owns both companies.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />
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<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Electronic Arts just announced that they have "acquired" both BioWare and Pandemic Studios. EA cut a deal with Elevation Partners to buy up VG Holding Corp, which owns both companies.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />
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Comments
1. Obsidian
2. Bioware
3. Bethesda
I'm probably forgetting a lot of US RPG developers but I can't think of any others right now, at least any others still alive. That at least takes care of the ones mentioned int his thread so far <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" /> I miss Troika and Black Isle.
Edit: And I'm not counting MMORPGs or Guild "Sorta MMO" Wars.
1. Obsidian
2. Bioware
3. Bethesda
I'm probably forgetting a lot of US RPG developers but I can't think of any others right now, at least any others still alive. That at least takes care of the ones mentioned int his thread so far <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" /> I miss Troika and Black Isle.
Edit: And I'm not counting MMORPGs or Guild "Sorta MMO" Wars.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Dude, i would definately put Bethesda at the top... but that's just me....
I can just imagine.
A small team of bright and brilliant minds make a video game development company. They make money through little $10 - $20 games on the internet here and there, but they're just surviving. One day, one of them has idea. A brilliant idea. A brilliant idea for a brilliant game that could be released retail for $50 - $60 dollars and get them in the big leagues. The game would be incredibly awesome and vast and fun and expandable and amazing. Every gamer would know their company name.
But the company president realizes, they don't have enough manpower nor NEARLY enough money to make it. It would a be huge endeavor that would require more programmers, more artists, more designers, more animators, more sound engineers, more voice actors, etc and that costs money. Plus the money for marketing it and other stuff. "Damnit!" He yells as he slams his fist on the desk, covered in paperwork. He's just spent hours trying to figure out how this game could be made without going bankrupt. "It's impossible! There's no one who will give us a big enough loan, the publishers we've gone to aren't interested, and even cutting down on equipment and staff and parts of the game and marketing wouldn't conserve enough money in the long run." He's on the verge of tears with frustration. "<i>If only we had the money...</i>"
"<b>Money?</b>" Says a booming and echoing voice, seeming to come from everywhere. "<b>If money is your problem, then perhaps we could of service.</b>" In a dramatic explosion and puff of deep red smoke, a red man with pointy ears and a tail appears, dressed in a business suit carrying a briefcase. He bows and says to the man, "How do you do, Mr. President. I am Mr. Red, and I think I have a solution to your problem."
"W-h-What kind of solution?" stammers the president. "Why, by funding you with the money you need, of course." Mr. Red says with a slightly sinister grin revealing a row of pointed teeth. He tosses a business card onto the president's desk, continuing "I am a representative of Electronic Arts Incorporated. Your game idea has reached our ears, and we are...<i>very</i> interested in it." The president collects himself, and studies the business card intently. "EA? What interest does EA have in our game?" "Why, to see it get made, of course!" Mr. Red replies. "It's a brilliant idea for a game, the kind of game that could change the world! It would make you successful and famous beyond your wildest dreams...If only you had the money for it." The president frowns. "I know how EA works," he growls, "You buy out video game developers left and right, incorporate them into your own and work them like slaves. Impossible time schedules, inhuman work hours, and poor salaries. You may be interested in buying this company, but we are not interested in joining the likes of you."
"Ah," says the professional businessman, "Such utter nonsense, rumors and fables spoonfed by the press and fanatical fools. We're one of the most successful businesses, and we wouldn't be if we treated our people as in the stories you've no doubt heard. Yes, we are interested in purchasing your team, but think of it as us working for you. All our highly skilled and talented developers and specialists, all our high-tech equipment, all our top-of-the-line facilities, all our veteran marketers, all our crack legal teams, and of course, all our money at your disposal." Mr. Red leans foward, into the president's face. "Tell me, how much do you care about making your game? Only we can make your dream a reality. And guessing from all this paperwork, you must realize that too." The president, now full of doubt and fear, looks away and shuts his eyes to think about it. He's strongly dedicated to see this idea of a game through, and he knows the rest of his team is too. They were even willing to sell their cars, houses and stock to make enough budget. It would be a crime to let something so potentially awesome slip away. The company truly believes in this game. It was the only way, and like Mr. Red said, he knew it. He sighs, a defeated man, and turns back the representative.
"You have a deal. Where do I sign."
The devil opens his briefcase and smiles...
Of course, I'm sure EA actually IS a company that does care about good games, since only good games sell.
Bethesda's stuff is fun, but I wouldn't even call Oblivion a bona fide RPG, especially compared to something like Fallout or even something lighter like KOTOR. With mods Oblivion definitely gets a lot more complex and better, but vanilla it's way too simple for me. Morrowind, etc. is better, but you can see with Bethesda that the trend is TOWARDS Oblivion rather than away from it. That said, Fallout 3 definitely looks pretty good, at least from what we've seen. It just doesn't seem like it could compete with, say, KOTOR2.
Also, I guess it should be me to bring this up: it looks like EA is trying to kill Star Wars or something. Bioware (KOTOR) and Pandemic (Battlefront, Battlefront 2) were two of the recent developers to get the Star Wars license outside of Lucasarts. Maybe EA wants to make Star Wars games itself, but I don't see how that can work. Lucasarts publishes its own stuff and there's no reason for them to submit to EA's will, unless it forces them to buckle under or something by snapping up every worthwile developer.
Well, suddenly it all makes sense. More sense. Not only do they want to own all the good developers, maybe they want all the good licenses.
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultima_VII#Technical" target="_blank">Origin KNEW.</a>
Bioware made KOTOR... Obsidian made KOTOR II... There's no real question here which one of them is better story tellers. The only RPG I know of Obsidian making was KOTOR II and after the ending of that game I find myself not looking forward to any other titles by them. Bioware is however a different story, being as they followed up KOTOR with Jade Empire both of which had superb stories. With Mass Effect on the way, they are soon to be giants in the gaming industry. EA seems to be making a good move on their part. They just better give Bioware the space they need to create genius.
Dumb. Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is the best Lovecraftian piece in a media outside of his own stories.
DICE is to blame if you don't like the Battlefield series, not EA.
Wasn't KOTOR II written by the guy who wrote Planescape: Torment, which is undeniably the best-written video game ever created? The ending of KOTOR II certainly sucked because the game was rushed out and unfinished, but that's no fault of the developer... but I guess we're splitting hairs. =p
You're right - it was totally Pong.
The BoS is a bunch of screaming cowboys with armor they seem to have hammered on their free time. They wish to start a fresh new fallout setting they claim, but take the best out of Fallout and kicks it to hard in the face several times before implenting.
Radiation is treated like a cold, get exposed and just wait for it to disperse.
Slapstick humor "You meet the sheriff of the town" He: "Hey there stranger" Your choice of witty response "Nice hat Calmaty Jane".
No more crotch shots.
Super mutants are evil, period.
Semi round based combat with "cinematic" effects each time all actions are performed.
Exploding cars, millions of them.
No children to whack (highly likely to be modded but still).
Some strange choices of modern weaponry (it was something about Chinese assault rifles).
Pretty much yeah. My mistake, should have used 'North American' or 'Western'. Blame my American ethnocentrism. I forgot about Bethesda and Obsidian. Neither of those really puts out the high volume of games Bioware did, though. Unless I just missed a crapton of games they did.
no no, you got that all wrong <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
Everything after Forgotten Hope was... bad. FH a mod that BF1942 should've been from the start. I just hope they can make FH2 an even nicer game on the crappy BF2 engine o.O"