The Glade 4.0

While true, this is only accurate if you believe BioWare's work to be deficient in the first place, whereas it's my opinion (as well as Taly's and others') that it isn't.

BioWare writes well. There are precious few other games as well-written as a BioWare title. BioShock (OHAI 'bio-' prefix!) is one of the only others I could consider "well-written."

I'm struggling to come up with others, and I'm sure there are a handful, but I can't summon their names right now.

I realize I'm a bit of an aesthete when it comes to all things literary, but this is one of those cases where relativism really doesn't help your argument.

Given that Bioware "writes" video games.

Given that Bioware "writes" "better" video games than other video game companies.

Therefore, Bioware "writes" "good" video games.

That syllogism is flawed, but it is precisely the argument being fostered in this thread ...

Of course, if Bioware "writes" "good" games, that's a compliment to Tite Kubo and Akira Toriyama's sense of pacing.

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Is it your claim then, that there are no good games, but Bioware's games are better than most, however, none of them rise to the level of "good"?

Except, I didn't make any claims in that post.

My contention is that Bioware is over-hyped and over-followed, just like Square-Enix's Final Fantasy franchise post 6.

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With the discussion of games with the best writing, and no mention of Planescape: Torment? :p

But yeah, DA2 didn't grab me; I felt it was weaker in almost every aspect than DA1. It kinda started with such a glaring flaw in the storyline early on that it kinda impacted how critical I was of the game (I gave up playing in Act 2)...

But yeah, starting off in a situation where "omg, we need money and there's no work to be had!" to find out "Oh, here's a job that will fix the money problem, we only need to find enough work to earn the gold in a city where there's no work...yet there's enough work to earn enough money (which btw is enough money a family could retire on) so that I can afford to work..."

Then add to the enemies that would come in waves spawning out of thin air, the itemization, and, well the other criticisms are well known.

I prefer to think of it as sly social commentary on the USA.

I didn't finish DA2 .. It didn't seem worth it.(I was close too) I just lost any interest in it.

Let's pretend you're willing to be straight forward so I can ask:

What game(s) do you consider to be well-written?

Leather Goddesses of Phobos.

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I think Knights of the Old Republic and Neverwinter Nights were both well written for their time; I think they are also the formula to which Bioware has returned for every other title. Thus, their games have become stale, predictable, and stagnant. Square fell into the same trap with the Final Fantasy franchise. Even Bungie did so with Halo. Halo: Combat Evolved was well written, but subsequent chapters are not as good; although Reach might be close. Braid is an off beat contender; and I'm inclined to include Starcraft II and parts of Cataclysm

Right now, I'm inclined to offer Deus Ex: Human Revolution as something written better.

Bioware's fundamental problem arises with their lack of pacing and development. Quite simply, they can make longer, more involved games that take advantage of all the details that don't really mean anything when they precipitously force you into micro-transaction content.

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Comeon, Khross, you admitted to me in googletalk that you felt there more recent titles -- especially Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age 2 -- were breaking free of the "formula" you decry here.

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Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

No, I said "moving away from but fundamentally still reliant upon" that formula.

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