Bioware vs. Bethesda: Battle of the western rpg Giants

Bioware > Bethesda

I enjoy BioWare's games more than Bethesda's. Some comments on both houses' games, in the approximate order in which I played them:

• Baldur's Gate: This is my all-time favorite RPG. I've never played a game that was so epic, yet so personal.
• Morrowind: This was a really cool RPG experience. This game had so much content, and so many things to do, all while supporting an intriuging plot.
• Neverwinter Nights: A solid RPG experience, but not truely spectacular in my opinion.
• Knight of the Old Republic: The best Star Wars gaming experience I'd had since TIE Fighter. A great story with great, memorable characters.
• Oblivion: Oblivion looked incredible. Like, what the hell, RPGs aren't supposed to look this good! :) There were some flaws with the game, though, that really interfered with my enjoyment of it, most notably the scaling, and the player's lack of responsibility to the narrative. I almost put Oblivion into the action/adventure category more than the RPG genre.
• Mass Effect: Mass Effect is a game that I had wanted to play for a long, long time. I loved every bit of this game, and the only complaint I have is that there wasn't more of it.

I think BioWare makes RPGs with greater depth, while Bethesda makes one with greater breadth. There is a lot to do in an Elder Scrolls game, to the point that you can easily spend 500 hours in one (which I have, III and IV). BioWare games have a much tighter focus and narrative. You can't do as much in them, but in my opinion, what you do is much more emotionally impacting.

There's also the issue of the characters. Name me some characters from an Elder Scrolls game, besides Vivec, Dagoth Ur, Sheogorath, or one of the Septims. I could come up with a few, but I couldn't tell you a lot about them. (Hell, the most memorable line of all time from any Elder Scrolls game was the Ordinators in Morrowind saying, "Praise Vivec!" and they're generic NPCs.) Oblivion's characters are hardly even characters; they're plot devices, which are slightly more interesting than MMO quest-dispensing terminals.

Compare that to Baldur's Gate, Knights, or Mass Effect, which are full of memorable characters. Minsc has got to be one of the all-time favorite companions in any RPG, and he certainly wasn't the only one I remember fondly from Baldur's Gate. Knights and Mass Effect had a great cast of characters as well, real people, not just plot devices to get you from Point A to Point B. BioWare RPGs also have deep, memorable villians, like Jon Irenicus and Saren.

Anyway, I prefer the tight, personal stories in games like Baldur's Gate, Knights of the Old Republic, and Mass Effect, so my vote goes to BioWare.

Bioware even though the mass effect elavator rides drove me crazy

quader_ac400

Oh come on, would you rather have just stared at a loading screen?

When you say BioWare tend to be weaker from a technical standpoint, I know you're talking about Mass Effect exclusively. NO OTHER BioWare game I've played (and I've played them all!) has had bad technical problems.

Quintinius

I'm not sure he's talking about technical problems there, Quintinius. Both Elder Scrolls III and IV were graphical powerhouses, and redefined what an RPG can look like. BioWare's RPGs have always had good graphics, from the beautiful hand-painted background of Baldur's Gate to Mass Effect's solid presentation (minus the texture pop-in), but never exceptional graphics. So in that sense, Bethesda's games are superior to BioWare's, from a technical standpoint.

IMO Bethesda makes better games. Funny really cause from the two developers total I have only played one game that I truely enjoyed. Oblivion. I'm looking foward to playing Fallout 3. I have given up on Bioware completely as I have tried KOTOR, Jade Empire, And Mass Effect for several hour each and did not feel entertained in the least for an instant. I actually went out and bought Mass Effect on launch day I tried so hard to like it, but alas it was not for me.

Since Bioware is NO LONGER A COMPANY of its own I go with Bethesda on this one. Only time will tell if the division of EA know as Bioware will continue to produce killer games or not.

zintarr

Are you unaware that Bethesda Softworks has a corporate parent in exactly the same manner as BioWare? What's more, this is a red herring. Everyone in this thread has been judging these two development houses on the merits of the games they have produced, not to which megacorporation is wrong.

Bioware gives better stories.

Bethesda gives more freedom.

[QUOTE="zintarr"]

Since Bioware is NO LONGER A COMPANY of its own I go with Bethesda on this one. Only time will tell if the division of EA know as Bioware will continue to produce killer games or not.

Palantas

Are you unaware that Bethesda Softworks has a corporate parent in exactly the same manner as BioWare? What's more, this is a red herring. Everyone in this thread has been judging these two development houses on the merits of the games they have produced, not to which megacorporation is wrong.

• Neverwinter Nights: A solid RPG experience, but not truely spectacular in my opinion.

Palantas

Are you judging this based on the packaged content? In that respect, I would agree, but NWN was like the Little Big Planet of RPGs. From the beginning NWN was intended to be an experience revolving around user-created modules. In that regard, I feel it was one of Bioware's biggest successes. Sure, the packaged campaigns are pretty bland, but there are some fantastic modules out there with storylines and gameplay experiences rivaling retail titles.

Are you judging this based on the packaged content? In that respect, I would agree, but NWN was like the Little Big Planet of RPGs. From the beginning NWN was intended to be an experience revolving around user-created modules. In that regard, I feel it was one of Bioware's biggest successes. Sure, the packaged campaigns are pretty bland, but there are some fantastic modules out there with storylines and gameplay experiences rivaling retail titles.

Ish_basic

Yes, I'm judging it based off the official campaign. I know there's a lot of user-created content for the game. I played an Eye of the Beholder module, which was an interesting experience.

I prefer Bioware. Not only do I find their storylines to be better. I believe they make the better games. Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, and Mass Effect were great games. I haven't been impressed with anything Bethesda has developed.SavoyPrime

So have we agreed that Bioware won this oneStar-Killer

No we have not

Kinda arrogant to just ''conclude'' it like that, if youre a Bioware supporter just say so

I am going with Bethesda. More content and more buck for your money. More headaches as well with all the bugs and glitches...

this is rediculously old thread but i guess its relevant with mass effect 3 and skyrim on the horizon. ive played alot more bioware games but i love the open world aspect to TES, its like you have a seperate life which is why its so addictive

I'm on team Bioware.

Don't get me wrong, I love the stuff Bethesda has put out. But a lot of Biowares games end up being on my list of favorites after playing them.