General Discussion

I'm not liking the sound of this. A potential TV tie in and EA involvement makes this reek of dumbed down craptastic mediocrity the likes of which have never been seen before.

If you had asked me without mentioning those things then I would said this was guarenteed win even though Bioware haven't made an mmorpg before.    

Originally posted by Decadentia

Sadly the dramatic thread title does not surprise me. We are all hopefuls, hoping something new will come out and take the twiddling of our thumbs away.

"Who else could possibly come and save the masses. Such great storytelling, such inventive and creative development teams..." .Bioware is a great company, fair enough.  But doesn't this all sound so  familiar?

"Turbine...they created Asheron's Call, a great initial MMO that many fans adored, they know how to build a great game..."

"Oh Vanguard...it will be the Everquest junkies homecoming...The creator GETS it, he just does."

"Funcom, creator of the ever great Anarchy Online. Though it had a buggy start, it was a great salvation to many gamers...AOC will be so creative it can't fail."

"Mythic...Ultima Online...DAOC...the WoW killer..."

Highly condensed? Yes. But nonetheless these buzz sentences were overflowing in the MMO community for every game. I was one of the believers of almost everyone of them, even the games I didn't think interested me (WAR) I bought anyhow. Why? Because i'm looking to enjoy myself in an MMO like times past like so many other people.

There is going to be a large black hole here for awhile, in a way we were very fortunate to have Lotro, Vanguard, Aoc, and WAR titles on the horizon. It gave us all hope for awhile that better days were to come.

I guess what i'm saying is, if you don't have a sense of cynicism towards future MMO games..perhaps you should. I for one would like nothing more than a big juicy steak instead of the single-serving helpings we've been led to believe were something....otherwise. But we've all shelled out decent cash for something we played for 1 to 2 (if we had the patience) months.

There's almost nothing else to look forward to, I get it. That doesn't translate into one single company being the savior of a bunch of bored folk. I'm just as afraid as anyone else, afraid that it won't turn out that romantic.

You sir, have hit the nail on the head. BioWare could fail as all the rest but compared to the others they also have the ability to succeed having not been tainted by the industry yet.

Most of us want so badly to recreate those first moments they stepped into a good MMO. Why is it that other games don't have this problem? Answer is competition and innovation. The tyrant must fall!!!!

Originally posted by Blodpls

I'm not liking the sound of this. A potential TV tie in and EA involvement makes this reek of dumbed down craptastic mediocrity the likes of which have never been seen before.

If you had asked me without mentioning those things then I would said this was guarenteed win even though Bioware haven't made an mmorpg before.    

EA is resurgent in the minds of gamers as of now. Go look at NeoGAF. I have never seen so many people absolutly praising EA before.

When did the change happen?

Well when BioWare's old boss John Ricaccelo was hired as head of EA things immediatly changed for the better. They are a great company now that has, under John, completely changed its image.

Plus BioWare will have the most creative freedom having their former Boss in charge of EA. Fear not!

I think the sad truth in my opinion that pretty much every MMO is mediocre. I play them, and I enjoy them to some extent, but there hasn't been a game in years that has kept my interest for more than a month. I don't know if the fate of the genre is up to Bioware, and I really don't care.I only hope Bioware makes a good game and lives up to their potential like they have in every single game that they've created.

A kotor mmo would be fun I guess but I more looking foward to Dragon Age Origins(even though it's room based) I loved Baldur's gate 1 and 2.

Originally posted by Koolaider

I think the sad truth in my opinion that pretty much every MMO is mediocre. I play them, and I enjoy them to some extent, but there hasn't been a game in years that has kept my interest for more than a month. I don't know if the fate of the genre is up to Bioware, and I really don't care.I only hope Bioware makes a good game and lives up to their potential like they have in every single game that they've created.

Originally posted by newone1

A kotor mmo would be fun I guess but I more looking foward to Dragon Age Origins(even though it's room based) I loved Baldur's gate 1 and 2.

I am looking forward to DA:O as well. But that is made by BioWare Edmenton. BioWare Austin is developing the MMO and has been for 3 years. I read an article in EGM that was an interview of the BioWare Austin guys. They said they are using the Hero Engine for thier game and that it was playable. They even said they were having a blast playing it in the office. So that tells me that it is atleast feature complete. We might see late Alpha or early beta images on the 21st.

Originally posted by BioNut

Lets face it, MMORPGs have not evoled one bit since WoW came out. The genre is now overflowing with clones and scams.  What MMOs need now is a breath of fresh air.

In comes BioWare.

Arguably the best "story telling" RPG developer out there, BioWare is making a bold move by attempting to take on the MMO market. Sort of like another company that made only RTS games did years ago...cough....blizzard...cough. This gives BioWare the oportunity to revolutionize the industry and get us out of the wow clone fest we have today. 

Or they can fall in step behind blizzard and put out another clone dooming us to another 1000000 years of mediocrity.

Hyperbole aside, we are at a pivotal point for MMOs. No established big wig of MMOdom will get thier heads out  of blizzards arse long enough to make anything worthwhile so its up to a new comer to tow the line of change.  Can BioWare do it.? They certainly can make some good RPGs but making an MMO interesting and engaging is a much harder a task. Plus Lucas Arts will be a part of the mix. Something I never thought BioWare would put up with again.

Word is this might be a KoTOR MMO. Thats fine and dandy if done right. But I am really hoping that this new MMO ties into the new Star Wars live action tv show (not animated). I have heard rumors that this is the case and that you can watch the show and then hop on the game and visit the locations just explored in the show. Maybe even updates could coincide with showtimes so that after the show diologue could change "in game" to reflect what happened in the show. I am talking total integration of tv and games that has never been seen before. Hell the possiblities are endless and it would definately revolutionize the industry combined with BioWare's track record of good stroy telling.

Or it could just be a KoTOR MMO.

 

If the last three "live" movies and the animated film were any indication of Lucas Arts ability to tell a story, or make a good film, I am afraid that bodes poorly for Bioware when it comes to a tie in with the series. Bioware is capable of making good games. but I think they would have been better off going with their own IP. Do they own mass effect? It seems like a very good lore to build upon.

Of course I am interested in another Star Wars MMO, but after what has been done to Star Wars over the past 8 years, I am starting to think they would have been better off leaving it a what if rather than a has been.

Originally posted by paulscott

BIOWARE IS NOT making a normal MMO.

It WILL be a heavily instanced story driven game.   I'm sure a vast majority of people would be surprised if it wasn't.

I've been saying this since the Kotor MMO hint a few months ago.

Kotor 3 will me Guildwars with lightsabers.

It will be a fanastic game just not the evolution you guys want.