Bioware fans - new, current, or lapsed - what can Bioware do to regain your trust?

[Kemono]

Make a good game.

- A game that was planned as a single player rpg from the start. No other game they changed midway into a rpg.
- Don't try to use an engine that isn't suited for this kind of experience or at least don't let it be the very first experiment to see if it works
- Don't try to keep players engaged for months after the main and side quests are over.
- If you have to make DLCs do story heavy dlcs like Add-ons of old
- Don't release the game just because you want to take advantage of a certain sales period.
- Only give us a firm relese date if the game is 100% done. Then add a few more months on top for polish.
- no ingame currency that we can buy for real money (no tricks to work around this and sell it to us with another name)
- Don't try to create a sequel to one of your best series ever and give it to an unexperienced team. Or at least give them enough time and money to actually be able to create a game worthy of the franchise.

 

[Altair]

See above. A lot of people DO consider Andromeda a good game, including the majority of critics and player-submitted reviews, though it's certainly a divisive game, particularly pre-patched, launch reception. I don't think a 72 on Metacritic is a bad score (and it sits at 76 on Xbox One). Clearly, a 76 on Metacritic wouldn't cut it for the players here, but that's not a bad score. I don't see people calling Hyrule Warriors on Wii U a bad game with its 76 metacritic score, for instance (among others).

That's not to say Andromeda wasn't without problems (which I will readily acknowledge and complain about), nor that it's not my least-favorite Mass Effect game, but that's why when I created this thread asking for constructive feedback, "make a good game" is not very constructive because your subjective definition of what is good and satisfying is not in line with many, MANY other people's.

As someone else here already pointed out, you have people who claim Bioware hasn't made a good game since Dragon Age: Origins or Mass Effect 1. That's insane to me, and it needs a better explanation for why that stance is taken and if it has merit then what lessons Bioware should take away from it.

Click to shrink...

You asked the question. That's you inviting my opinion on Bioware's recent output. That opinion being that it's been awful and the only way to course correct that and earn my trust back is deliver a good game. I can't elaborate on that because these 2 games aren't out yet which means I have no opinion on them until they are. How they earn my trust back has nothing to do with how others perceive a game but rather how I perceive it.

There's a reason plenty of other people are in here saying make a good game as well.

 

[oracledragon]

I feel like I may be in the minority, but I've never had any issue with Bioware. The only game I haven't played of theirs is Anthem. And it is on the list; I just haven't had the time. Now that it is on GamePass via EA Play, I'll probably get around to trying it over the holidays.

I've played all of their other games and enjoyed them. Some are better than others, but personally I never found any of them to be "bad", even the less popular releases.

 

[Vyrance]

I enjoyed both Andromeda and Inquisition, so I'll be getting both of the next ones at launch. I don't feel like Dragon Age really has any problems with their franchise right now. Mass Effect has a lot more question marks, but I'm hopeful they'll figure it out.

 

[Ultra]

Make great games. Anthem and Dragon Age: Inquisition aren't bad games by any stretch but I'd like to think Bioware are capable of so much more. They're in the same boat as Bethesda Game Studios for me, they have a fresh start here, a new generation to work with. Smash it out the park.

 

[Aladan]

They have my trust. For me Andromeda from the former team in Montreal was a fun game and so was Anthem from Edmonton despite the lack of content (I'm not the guy that plays games like Anthem, Destiny or others for hundreds of hours).

Inquisition is still my favorite Dragon Age game even with the lack of content in the different zones. The Trespasser epilog is one of my favorite DLC of all time with a simply amazing end.

 

[CarlSagan94]

Do we also feel that a few missteps doom a franchise or company beyond repair?

What aspects of the past do they need to preserve? What did you love before that you feel is missing now? Is it mostly technical stuff? Gameplay? Story? Characters? Is it lessons from other games in the industry, or stuff that only Bioware was doing that set them apart?

Click to shrink...

Having so little faith in Bioware today saddens so much, believe me, but this has come after more than just a few missteps. Everything after Mass Effect 2 has been in a declining trajectory. DA2 was a huge disappointment compared to the greatness of DA:O, and ME3 failed to deliver as a conclusion to the trilogy and had an incredibly controversial ending (among other things). DA:I offered a slight up tick but even then, while the game was an overall improvement over 2 it was still far below Origins and offered its share of serious problems. Then comes Andromeda which wiped out so much of my confidence for the studio (even though it was from Bioware Montreal, it was still supposed to be the new Mass Effect game). Then comes Anthem, and I don't have to rehash everything that has been said.

The series of critical failures, in my opinion of course, also came with a series of departures from major figures: The two doctors, Casey Hudson (both times), Mark Darrah, Mike Laidlaw, David Gaider, Drew Karpyshyn etc. The brain drain from Bioware from the last decade has been extremely hard to watch, and sadly it feels like it has been reflected in the quality and in the direction of their creations.

So to answer your question...what would personally make me hope again, would be the return of the doctors as it would make me feel like the studio would again show interest in their past work such as the focus on industry leading stories and worlds. This probably won't happen so the other options would simply be that with their next game, they are able to match the past quality in storytelling.

 

[mrjohill]

They need to stop with these massive open world games.

 

[Garlador]

You asked the question. That's you inviting my opinion on Bioware's recent output. That opinion being that it's been awful and the only way to course correct that and earn my trust back is deliver a good game. I can't elaborate on that because these 2 games aren't out yet which means I have no opinion on them until they are. How they earn my trust back has nothing to do with how others perceive a game but rather how I perceive it.

There's a reason plenty of other people are in here saying make a good game as well.

Click to shrink...

You're being obtuse.

Let me ask, for the THIRD time, what do you consider to be a "good game"? Because by all critical and public reception - my own included - Andromeda is merely a "good" game, and that's very disappointing. You clearly would be incredibly upset if the next Mass Effect game was like Andromeda.

WHAT about Andromeda is so awful that you never want to see it replicated again?

What about those games in the past was so "good" that you didn't find those qualities in Andromeda?

I will also again take this moment to say that my OP chiefly requested an avoidance of overt and pointless negativity. I don't want to consider asking moderators to enforce that because criticisms are worth discussing, but if anyone wants to just vent their frustrations about Bioware and their games without any positive, constructive suggestions or explanations, go elsewhere. There's dozens of threads for you to do that.

I'm looking for thoughtful answers and solutions here, not a place for people to keep saying "Bioware is dead. What's the point?".

It's as stupid and meaningless as someone asking for help in Dark Souls with people just responding "Git Gud". How frustrating, and absolutely not what I want to see in this thread.

 

[Deleted member 1476]

Sure, but what about all the OTHER Zelda games? What about Spirit Tracks? What about A Link Between Worlds? What about Tri-Force Heroes? What about Four Swords Adventures? Nintendo has always been open to new, fresh talent experimenting with even a legendary franchise to give us curious surprise Zelda games, ranging from Hyrule Warriors to Link's Crossbow Training to Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland.

While, yeah, guidance from the old guard is nice, COUNTLESS franchises have continued - and thrived - out of the watch of the old guard. We have entirely brand new studios picking up franchises like Gears of War, Killer Instinct, and Halo from their original creators. New teams with new devs are constantly tacking classic IPs to revive them and give them a new coat of paint. Sometimes a classic dev will return, and sometimes not. That doesn't make Deus Ex: Human Revolution any less of a good game than the original Dues Ex, or Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver any less amazing just because nobody from the original Blood Omen creative team returned, etc.

I can give you dozens of examples of thriving franchises that did well outside of the shadow of the original developers, and Mass Effect and Dragon Age don't even fit this bill consider how many developers of those games are still there or are confirmed to be returning.

Click to shrink...

Nintendo likes to experimentate, but I'm not seeing what that has to do with making the next mainline version of one your flagship IPs. While they love to play aroung with Star Fox, Mario, Zelda, the big ones are always follow the same mindset. 2D / 3D Marios, 2D / 3D Zeldas, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Smash. Doesn't mean they are the same, but anyone can understand how and why they went there. That care, that attention, is something I haven't seen in Bioware for many games.

You created this thread to ask what people thought, and yet you don't accept that others think differently than you. If you're going to go that route, don't bother next time.

 

[Buff DrinkLots]

Stop the massive open world ubisoft garbage, the cameos and other panderings and just give me an interesting story that takes itself seriously with great characters that I actually care about.

I don't think they're capable of any of that though, other than the characters.

 

[Arkanim94]

I hope they understand that after anthem they basically have to rebuild how they develop games from the ground up.
A lot of humility and less smelling their own fart would be a good start.

 

[Shodan14]

Bioware is dead to me.

 

[Garlador]

Nintendo likes to experimentate, but I'm not seeing what that has to do with making the next mainline version of one your flagship IPs. While they love to play aroung with Star Fox, Mario, Zelda, the big ones are always follow the same mindset. 2D / 3D Marios, 2D / 3D Zeldas, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Smash. Doesn't mean they are the same, but anyone can understand how and why they went there. That care, that attention, is something I haven't seen in Bioware for many games.

You created this thread to ask what people thought, and yet you don't accept that others think differently than you. If you're going to go that route, don't bother next time.

Click to shrink...

Don't put words in my mouth. I asked to hear your opinion, and I then asked you to better explain it. Thank you for doing so, but this is part of a larger discussion, and I'll be playing devil's advocate for a lot of answers.

There's an assumption that I don't agree with your stances either. That's far from the truth. I've had routine disappointments in Bioware for quite some time, but I've noticed so many people want and expect DIFFERENT things out of the studio. What feedback should they listen to? What things are in their control and what are beyond their control?

I, again, am volunteering to mention dozens of games - big ones - whose creative heads and original studios changed things up so drastically that it was pretty much entirely new faces developing the games, and those franchises thrived under new blood, with new ideas, new direction, and new approaches.

I reject the idea that just because the old guard can leave (and, again, MANY have tweeted that they will be RETURNING) that new developers can't do incredible things. So, even say you're 100% right and they're starting from scratch with 100% new developers, what lessons should they be learning from the previous developers, both the mistakes and the successes?

Bioware is dead to me.

Click to shrink...

Oh, for the love of...

 

[Altair]

You're being obtuse.

Let me ask, for the THIRD time, what do you consider to be a "good game"? Because by all critical and public reception - my own included - Andromeda is merely a "good" game, and that's very disappointing. You clearly would be incredibly upset if the next Mass Effect game was like Andromeda.

WHAT about Andromeda is so awful that you never want to see it replicated again?

What about those games in the past was so "good" that you didn't find those qualities in Andromeda?

I will also again take this moment to say that my OP chiefly requested an avoidance of overt and pointless negativity. I don't want to consider asking moderators to enforce that because criticisms are worth discussing, but if anyone wants to just vent their frustrations about Bioware and their games without any positive, constructive suggestions or explanations, go elsewhere. There's dozens of threads for you to do that.

I'm looking for thoughtful answers and solutions here, not a place for people to keep saying "Bioware is dead. What's the point?".

It's as stupid and meaningless as someone asking for help in Dark Souls with people just responding "Git Gud". How frustrating, and absolutely not what I want to see in this thread.

Click to shrink...

Stop projecting your opinion on me. No, Andromeda isn't a good game to me. It was a far cry from what I expect from a ME game. They decided to chase trends instead of stay with what made ME great. The open world was boring. The characters were flat. The story was uninspired. The game was filled with bugs. It was a far cry from what made me fall in love with the series in the first place. The combat was the only part of the game that I found any enjoyment from.

If you don't like my opinion then that's your problem. I'm not here to shit on Bioware for the sake of it, but they need to deliver results if they want trust back. It's that simple. You opened the thread asking a question. You got an answer. Sorry the answer you got wasn't the answer you wanted.

 

[Shodan14]

Oh, for the love of...

Click to shrink...

I'm tired of the endless cock-teasing, either release some games or fuck off.

 

[Toli08]

Release a game that isn't filled with lies like how Anthem was. Stop with the usual EA style of showing a game 5 years in advance only for the final product to be nothing like what you promised. Stop with the annoying open world settings that are filled with pointless fetch quests. Make your games like Dragon Age 1, Mass Effect trilogy.

At the end of the day there is nothing they can show or do to make me buy their next game day one. Will wait for reviews and word of mouth from the community before I spend a dollar.

 

[Mona]

release good games, stop biting off more than you can chew and then cutting corners (ME3), stay the fuck away from anthem and anything like it

 

[Garlador]

Stop projecting your opinion on me.

Click to shrink...

Never did.

No, Andromeda isn't a good game to me.

Click to shrink...

Never said it was.

It was a far cry from what I expect from a ME game.

Click to shrink...

Exactly what I said.

They decided to chase trends instead of stay with what made ME great. The open world was boring. The characters were flat. The story was uninspired. The game was filled with bugs. It was a far cry from what made me fall in love with the series in the first place. The combat was the only part of the game that I found any enjoyment from.

Click to shrink...

Thank you. That's what I trying to get.

If you don't like my opinion then that's your problem.

Click to shrink...

Again, I actually share your opinion. I just needed it fleshed out to have my original question answered adequately.

I'm not here to shit on Bioware for the sake of it, but they need to deliver results if they want trust back. It's that simple. You opened the thread asking a question. You got an answer. Sorry the answer you got wasn't the answer you wanted.

Click to shrink...

A question with stipulations about the answer, which I've just received. This was an answer with substance that can actually be applied towards improvement.

It's better than just "make it good".

 

[Staf]

Give more Inquisition but with better side-quests and I'll be happy. I really loved the characters and the combat in Inquisition. I know few like the combat but i loved playing it as a hybrid action/strategic combat game. Worked great with a controller.

 

[Menchin]

Just don't outright lie to everyone, like they did with Anthem

 

[hydruxo]

Releasing a game that is actually worth playing and is well received again would be a good start. Bioware used to be one of my favorite devs but now I won't touch the new Dragon Age or Mass Effect until I know for certain that it's good enough to justify buying. I gave them the benefit of the doubt with Andromeda and Anthem and got burned for it. They need to stop trying to make open world games and go back to the semi-linear style that they had in Mass Effect 1-3 and even Inquisition to a lesser extent. They were always better at making semi-linear areas that felt handcrafted rather than massive open world areas that are completely barren and devoid of anything interesting.

 

[FisherTea]

Honestly they can just start by making this Mass Effect remaster good enough, include all the dlc and special edition extras while also giving a decent visual bump without breaking anything too much.

Also, reign in the ambition a little, not every game has a to be a huge open world (or worlds). Mass Effect Andromeda did not benefit from following the Dragon Age Inquisition formula in this regard and it just created a game filled with to-do lists and empty feeling and shallow environments.

There is nothing wrong having a focused narrative with a few branching points, side missions, and open areas.

I'm more worried about how BioWare will handle Mass Effect than Dragon Age. Andromeda was just not a fun game mechanically. I'm sure Dragon Age will be fine at the very least.

 

[Mr Spasiba]

You seem to be overthinking this, it's really as simple as making a good game again. Hell, even a mid game like DA:I will suffice.

 

[Sabin]

The Bioware i once loved is dead and i have zero expectations and hope for everything they are currently working.

Bioware is just another name now.

 

[Garlador]

The Bioware i once loved is dead and i have zero expectations and hope for everything they are currently working.

Bioware is just another name now.

Click to shrink...

Great.

Now how can "this" Bioware change your mind? What do they need to do?

 

[ascii42]

For all its faults, I would still play a sequel to Mass Effect: Andromeda.

 

[SofNascimento]

Almost NO other game in history has the critical reception of Mass Effect 2. That's an insanely high bar for any game - even Bioware in their prime - to match.

While I found Andromeda disappointing, it's still considered a "good" game by critics and players at large. Not great, but solid. That's a massive step-down from ME2, obviously, but there's a reason it's been more warmly received in recent years and it's Steam reception sits at around "Very Positive" out of over 2000 player reviews. I, personally, found it lacking, but I don't regret my time with it.

And that's ultimately why saying "make a good game" needs more descriptors of what you find "good", because I openly find Andromeda good, but people here would fly into a rage if the next Mass Effect was only as "good" as Andromeda.

Click to shrink...

I believe that if you call Andromeda good, then there is no thing such as a bad game. This is a issue with gaming as a whole I find. Most AAA titles have at least some merit on account of the sheer volume of resources put behind them, and so, there will always be an argument that a game is good. That's why the vast majority of AAA games fall into a very narrow score range on Metacritic for example, and Andromeda is at the low end of that small range. A 71 on Metacritic is disastrous for an game of its caliber. So I don't think most critics agree Andromeda is good. About the Steam reviews, it's a very small sample and probably from people that are rebuying the game and already liked it in the first place. But that's beyond the point. The point is that regardless of ones personal feeling, realizing Andromeda was a disaster isn't hard. Realizing it's a massive step down in quality compared to previous Bioware games, especially the ME trilogy, is also not hard.

And yes, if the next Bioware game is as good as Andromeda, then it would be a further disaster. Because you can't move around the good is subjective point of view, but the way Andromda was received is there to anyone to see. And it wasn't well received.

About ME2, I don't think a good game needs to be as good as ME2. As you said, it's a rare game. As far as I'm concerned, Bioware only released three games of this level of excellence, ME2, KoTOR and BG2. Which is a ridiculous high amount by the way, most companies would call themselves luck to make a single one of those. But games like Jade Empire and the Dragon Ages are excellent as well.

Their last two games were not. And even though ME3 is, the ending controversy tainted the entire trilogy.

 

[Deleted member 8468]

Release a good video game.

Which is an incredibly low bar for how I used to think of Bioware. I'd say something around good story, well written characters, and player choice, but they should focus on the basics first.

 

[Samiya]

Make a good game that's not a focus-group tested shootbang game. Don't worry about chasing GTA numbers and instead be confident in your skillsets and brand.

 

[Kill3r7]

Release a great game in one of the beloved franchises. I will no longer preorder/blind buy their games.

 

[Deleted member 2834]

BG2 and Kotor 1 are their only A tier games. I haven't been impressed with Bioware in a long time. Jade Empire, Mass Effect, Dragon Age were just bleh.

 

[LapinAgile]

They can fix anthem. After andromeda and anthem I will never day one buy a BioWare game again

 

[Ra]

Make a good game? What other answer is there?

 

[Quinton]

They haven't lost much trust from me. Just keep making good games. Andromeda was middling but far from the Canadian Horror Story it's been made out to be. Anthem was a mess but not my cup of tea, regardless.

Dragon Age: Inquisition remains my 2014 GOTY no matter the changing shape of outlooks toward it. And Mass Effect 3 is all over the place qualitatively speaking, but when it's good, it's good.

Just give me Dragon Age as strong as DAI and another Mass Effect as strong as ME3. Shrug. I'm happy.

 

[medinaria]

so I think "make a good game" is the obvious answer, but more than that, I'd like them to make a game that shows they understand what people liked about the prior ones

to draw a parallel of sorts, this exact same question came up a lot with square enix and final fantasy. and while I was never really off the final fantasy series, ff14 2.0 did a ton to regain the trust of tons of players, because it showed that they understood what people were looking for - memorable characters, strong story beats, jobs/classes, interesting designs and music, familiar enemies, recognizable summons with some twists. they showed that, even in a different genre, they could make a game that feels like final fantasy. it doesn't feel like a generic mmo with a coat of final fantasy paint on it, it feels like a final fantasy mmo.

bioware needs to try and do something similar (albeit without being an mmo). figure out what people really like in the dragon age and mass effect series, and make sure to put a lot of it in there. my guess is that much of what they're looking for is very similar to the previous example - memorable characters, interesting and different races, lots of conversations with your party members, romance options, story beats and choices that feel consequential, side quests that feel important and aren't just filler to waste time (or have some ability to show something memorable, e.g. quests that force you to tour the citadel). it's not really a question of making a generically "good" game - it's a question of making a good bioware game.

 

[J_Atlas]

Completely restructure and change management, change how the work schedule is, have minimum of 20 days of mandatory paid time off, etc.

Basically it has nothing to do with the games, but how they function as a company that I feel needs to change no matter what.

 

[AWizardDidIt]

I think fundamentally, they need to narrow their focus and stop trying to make massive open world games. Go back to a focused storytelling experience. Also, the thread about AAA RPGs really highlighted to me how much Bioware really needs to continue focusing on their RPGs on player choice and expression.

 

[mrchowderclam]

figure out what people really like in the dragon age and mass effect series, and make sure to put a lot of it in there.

Click to shrink...

Basically this. I don't actually think that internally, Bioware has consensus on what makes its franchises great. I'm sure that the employees all have their own ideas of what makes them great, but I don't think they've really codified and internalized that in a way that more successful studios have.

IMO this is what causes their games to be so divisive. I think Andromeda actually has a pretty fun combat system, but it fails so hard "as a Bioware game" because for a lot of fans, combat comes after story, narrative, and worldbuilding. So when push comes to shove, developers don't have anything solid to fall back on: "Is this an exploration game? Or should it be a more intimate character-driven story? If we only have the resources to nail one thing, what is it?" Those answers need to be crystal clear so you can at least understand when the studio is doing something outside of its comfort zone.

If you don't have that locked down, you're really just flying blind. Sure you may have one or two hits because you throw enough good stuff in a game and it's bound to be good, but it makes it hard to be consistent, and to grow a franchise into something that lasts through generations.

IMO this is why game direction is so important - the directors and executives are the ones who are making the macro-level decisions around which areas to cut/edit and which to invest in. We know from the Anthem and Andromeda postmortems that direction seemed to be lacking in both of those games. It's concerning that the same issue led to two huge misses for Bioware. Until they start taking this seriously enough, I don't think it's reasonable to conclude that their upcoming games will fare any differently.

 

[Lunchbox]

BioWare barely has my trust still, I won't count Anthem against DA I liked Inquisition way more than DA 2 so I'm actually cautiously optimistic.

 

[Xiao Hu]

Producing RPGs instead of action games with some RPG mechanics perhaps?

 

[MrCibb]

They never lost it. Andromeda and Anthem were let-downs, but I know why there were let-downs. There were huge articles about Bioware around both those times that explained what went on. So I've still got full trust that if given the time, resources and proper management that Bioware can make incredible games still, the studio is full of really talented devs. I just hope my trust is rewarded with awesome games! And Garrus. Put Garrus in the next ME.

 

[trashbandit]

Just do it well. And I would include in that statement the requirements that the folks making Mass Effect and Dragon Age don't go through the deathmarch the Inquisition/Andromeda teams went through. Make a smaller experience if necessary. Don't shoot for an open world structure, because it works against the story and pacing.

 

[Garlador]

IMO this is what causes their games to be so divisive. I think Andromeda actually has a pretty fun combat system, but it fails so hard "as a Bioware game" because for a lot of fans, combat comes after story, narrative, and worldbuilding. So when push comes to shove, developers don't have anything solid to fall back on: "Is this an exploration game? Or should it be a more intimate character-driven story? If we only have the resources to nail one thing, what is it?" Those answers need to be crystal clear so you can at least understand when the studio is doing something outside of its comfort zone.

Click to shrink...

You bring up a very good point, which is just how important story and RPG elements are to a Bioware game, because, objectively, you can look at the combat and general gameplay of many of their earlier RPGs and it's... clunky and cumbersome. Mass Effect 1's combat is extremely poor, especially compared to Andromeda. Dragon Age: Origin's combat feels incredibly archaic compared to something like Inquisition's. They're far more abstract and stat-driven, lacking immediacy and responsiveness. Jade Empire's combat was something I was able to button-mash through with one combo from start to finish. KOTOR's feels every bit its age.

AND YET... nobody is going to say that Andromeda, despite superior combat, is a better Mass Effect game than the original. Many will staunchly claim Inquisition to be inferior to Origins. Despite the "better" combat and immediate gameplay, those systems are working in service to a larger experience that didn't hold up. People are infinitely more forgiving when the story is well-crated, the party members are charming and memorable, the player-choices feel earned and consequential, the RPG systems integrated well, the world fully-realized, etc.

So, yes, I think they should take a big step back and look at what their games struggled with, but also what elements were there that were so good that people still heralded these experiences as some of the best in the industry. Janky combat exists in Mass Effect 1, but so much else was done well that it was far from a deal-breaker.

 

[Deleted member 23475]

To answer op: just do a good BioWare RPG game like Mass Effect and Dragon age.
I'm waiting dragon age 4 to see if they learn from their mistakes.

As a Mass Effect fan, i can't deny that the announcement of Mass Effect next is making me even more curious toward DAIV

 

[Deleted member 22651]

It's not really about trust it's just that "Bioware" per se can't live up to its own history. They make perfectly competent and enjoyable gaming experiences but they stopped producing outstanding games back in 2010 with Mass Effect 2.

They need to somehow differentiate themselves. Right now they are just a synonym for EA.

 

[Stowaway Silfer]

I just need to see the next Mass Effect look good when it's shown before release and then to see it get well-received.

 

[TheUnsungHero26]

Move away from the Inquisition format they used as a blue print for their RPGs this generation. Rather than big bloated RPGs, make more focused experiences that lend themselves to replayability.

My favourite era of BioWare games was the period they made KotOR, Jade Empire, and Mass Effect. The industry is very different, so I don't expect a return to that, but I do hope to see them improve this coming gen. They went from creating some of the 360 gen's best, to being 0 for 3 in this last gen.

 

[The Silver]

I hope that Anthem ends up being their RE6 moment where they realize they've strayed too far from their roots with this Frankenstein monster of a game.

They need an RE7 comeback moment. Something that harkens back to what they used to do best while still taking risks and evolving.

These teasers aren't it, they need to show something with substance and god knows how long that's gonna take. Right now it all feels like damage control.

What do I want them to do? Well I want a new Jade Empire but really......I mean what more can be said besides.....make a good game? We all know what the old Bioware formula was. You don't need another world ending scenario, Dragon Age 2 was something that could have been incredible if they weren't rushed and focused hard on fleshing out Kirkwall and it changing over the years.

Nail the characters and your interactions with them. Narrow your focus a little instead of trying to be some gargantuan AAA "do everything" game like Skyrim or Assassin Creed. Make a tight experience, make it replayble. Andromeda tried to fulfill the promise of ME1 with massive worlds to explore but it was too much and clashed with the focus of telling a tight story. Look at what just happened with Cyberpunk and how it's open world ended up compared to what was hyped up, 7 fucking years.

 

[Cyclonesweep]

It's very simple. Make a good game.