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BioWare: The Pixar of Game Developers

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This article details BioWare's meteoric rise to the top of the console RPG heap as they supplanted former genre mainstay Square-Enix. By drawing a parallel between the game and animation industries, the author describes how Western RPGs like Mass Effect eventually gained more mind-share than the Japanese juggernauts in this open love-letter to BioWare.

Quote: "Bioware is in a good place. Recently being eaten up by Electronic Arts, they now have the unlimited resources that only EA can provide."
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donalbane - contributor
Published: 470 days 4 hours ago | Article | Xbox 360 | Nintendo DS | Gaming | Dev News
 
 

Showing: 1 - 27 of 27 Comments
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harry190 - 470 days 3 hours ago
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1 - Well,
That makes Team Ico the Ghibli Studios of game developers then.
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badz149 - 470 days ago
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1.1 - er..what?
but Bioware is Pixar of gaming? maybe just in terms of resources/fund! quality? not so much!
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Overr8ed - 469 days 23 hours ago
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1.2 -
Insomniac games with R&C should be the pixar of gaming.
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JohnnyMann420 - 470 days 3 hours ago
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2 - Pixar of Game Developers?
Yeah, I don't see the resemblance at all, sorry.

I understand what the Author is trying to say...but you could say that about any decent dev on the market then.

They all draw influences on their previous titles and strive for good
art in their mind.

Anyways .... Comparing Pixar and Bioware sells both companies short, because they are nothing alike and the comparisons are not cohesive to eachother.

I am not ripping on either company, I promise I love them both... they are not only in two different fields, the artwork and the way their stories are told are completely different.
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morganfell - 470 days 3 hours ago
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2.1 -
Agreed. Insomniac is the Pixar of game development. Ratchet and Clank, end of story. Bioware? Please. Their last game was a glitchy, laggy, jagfest, elevator simulator. That isn't Pixar.
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deeznuts - 470 days 3 hours ago
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3 - Square Enix supplanted?
Is square known for glitchy games too? Because mass effect had mass slowdowns with no enemies on teh screen for me. Framerate dips galore. I had fun with the game, don't get me wrong. But I don't see how that can be ignored.

Bethedsa may have issue with this premise as well.
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Xavier_X - 470 days 3 hours ago
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4 -
BioWare has been on a straight downhill slide since the Baldur's Gate days.

With Mass Effect they seemed to have completely lost their focus and instead became fixeated on silly fake Unreal Engine marketing shots of close ups of faces.

The chances that they will ever return to their glory days from their low point with the buggy and incredibly dull Mass Effect now that they are part of EA is zero.
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Adamalicious - 470 days 3 hours ago
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5 -
Everyone knows that Insomniac is the Pixar of Gaming.
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morganfell - 470 days 3 hours ago
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5.1 -
Absolutely. As stated above, absolutely right.
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harry190 - 470 days 3 hours ago
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5.2 - Indeed,
very well said.

Btw, did Chris Bucca Taylor just say that Square turned into the Disney of Game Developers because of Kingdom Hearts? Did he actually say that?
I don't know if he ever played the game because if he did, he would know that there is nothing kiddy about the game except for some of the characters.

Perhaps I misinterpreted his point or it is mental masturbation of his part(which I actually think it is) but I always thought Kingdom Hearts had some very dark themes coupled with not so accessible difficulty for children. The dark themes obviously contrast with the more 'jolly' Disney characters and confer a certain panache to the overall atmosphere.

I also really like Winnie the Pooh and Donald Duck as well as Goofy and Uncle Scrooge, so bite me if you think it's made only for children.

By Jove,this turned out to be quite a rant.
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Xi - 470 days 2 hours ago
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5.3 - why?
I would think rare.
banjo
conkers
kameo
viva

all seem very Pixaresque.
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morganfell - 470 days 2 hours ago
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5.4 -
Nothing comes as close as R&C though.

Now this is Pixar style:

http://ps3.ign.com/dor/obje...
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Gitaroo - 470 days 3 hours ago
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6 -
I live in the same city as the company and Im not even supporting them. Boring game is so not pixar, glitchy and unpolished as hell game is so not Square.
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BigMassacre - 470 days 2 hours ago
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7 - Meh.
Once Fabula Nova Crystallis arrives to the front lines, no one will remember this.

Mass Effect may be a good game, but once XIII hits, I'm pretty sure it would look and play better than the eventual Mass Effect 2.
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8 NanoGeekTech | 470 days 2 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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morganfell - 470 days 2 hours ago
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8.1 -
That is not your opinion, well it is, but it also happens to be fact.

http://ps3.ign.com/dor/obje...

No contest.
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pshizle - 470 days 2 hours ago
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9 - bioware never fails
they make the best games

MASS EFFECT one of the best games of all time!

knights of the old republic was amazing too!
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RadientFlux - 470 days 2 hours ago
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10 -
Well I'm not sure it's a good comparison, as I am not fond of the last three pixar movies.

But it is in my opinion that Bioware is one of the worlds greatest RPG developers.
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LeonSKennedy4Life - 470 days 1 hour ago
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11 - wait
You're all dissing a game with incredible reviews...

It was an awesome game...especially the PC version! I LOVE IT!

Insomniac is Pixar though...
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ChefDejon - 470 days 1 hour ago
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12 - Insomniac is Pixar
till Naughty Dog makes the new Jak game

Jak > ratchet anyday
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djroberts - 470 days ago
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13 -
Hardly. Pixar's movies don't constantly crash, e.g. KOTOR
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BaschPS3 - 469 days 23 hours ago
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14 -
Insomniac = Pixar
Naughty Dog = WETA
Sucker Punch = Marvel
Bioware = Firefly/Serenity
RARE = Dreamworks

'Nuff said? Maybe. Ask if you want me to explain. :D
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TheDesperado - 469 days 23 hours ago
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15 - What the f*ck is this sh!t?
Bioware never supplanted Square Enix, Bioware doesn't constantly put out the best in the genre (animation vs RPGs) - Bioware has terrible writing, terrible characters, and because of that, their RPGs fail.
(So do SE's, but they're not being wrongly boosted up to Pixar status.)

Screw you Bioware.
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TheDesperado - 469 days 23 hours ago
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16 - @Xi
As for Rare, holy sh!t no. They succeed in making ugly cartoon trash.

Insomniac make beautiful CG-looking-but-actually-realti me games.
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17 Agent VX | 469 days 22 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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realistgamer - 469 days 11 hours ago
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18 -
nice i love bioware there my favorite dev.
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pain777pas - 469 days 7 hours ago
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19 -
Great games are not being bought anymore the masterpieces like okami and SoC should be selling millions. ME was good but in no way shape or form have they overtaken Square yet. They are about equal both have their drawbacks but this is going to far.
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