My favorite flavor is Bioware

Who is Bioware?

Bioware is a company founded in 1995 by three doctors. Yes, that’s right, doctors (real ones). Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, and Augustine Yip were on a mission. A mission to save the world from boring video games made by businessmen who wanted to steal your hard-earned money! Okay, not really, but they still had capes on their backs for daring to switch from being physicians to the unknown world of video game development. 

How did they do it?

Most of you reading this will know that being a developer or publisher in the video game market can be fantastically rewarding, or a very painful experience. We hear about game companies laying off employees and closing their doors all the time. So how did they do it? Balls. These three men – fresh graduates of the University of Alberta – decided that they wanted to make games. It did not matter what their families had planned for their lives. All that mattered to them was the desire to chase their dream.

Success!

Like a professional wrestler, the company went on to become a huge success with many titles under its belt. Most of the games have accumulated droves of fans. Even to this day, fans of the older games still cling to hope that tomorrow a sequel to their favorite will be announced. Let’s walk down memory lane and wave at these marvelous beauties, shall we?

• Shattered Steel (1996) – Simulation. Pilot a giant robot and blow sh*t up! What more can a person say? A thing of beauty.
• Baldur’s Gate (1998) – RPG. Top down isometric camera view and shinies. The recipe for a perfectly crafted addiction that lasts and lasts.
• MDK2 (2000) – Shooter. Sequel to the 1997 game MDK. I remember playing the original and I would sum it up in one word: odd. This guy has a sniper rifle on his head!
• Neverwinter Nights (2002) – RPG. Created a strong sense of community due to player ability to create extensive custom content. There are even community created expansion packs.
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003) – RPG. Under the hood this game played like a Dungeons and Dragons game, but what the player saw was Star Wars. It is an awesome combination of razzle and dazzle (I think they retired to Florida).
• Jade Empire (2005) – RPG. Kung Fu, tigers, and green stones, oh my!
• Mass Effect (2007) – RPG.  A space odyssey that even Homer would be jealous of (the old Homer, no the older one).
• Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (2008) – RPG. Ever wanted to play as Sonic the Hedgehog while also playing Dragon Warrior? This is for you.
• Dragon Age: Origins (2009) – RPG. An insanely long game. Nobody in my house has finished this one yet. Great story, and it is always hilarious when you kill your own companions with an area spell. Try it.
• Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011) – MMORPG. Rumored to be the most expensive MMO ever created because of high development costs. The first and only MMO made by Bioware to date. The game had over a million paying customers in the first three days of launching.

Built on History

Each game that Bioware came out with was built on top of technology used in its predecessors. The storytelling may have improved, and the content may have changed, but many of the ways in which the player interacted with the world remained similar. I see the most similarities between KOTOR and Jade Empire. The way in which conversations take place, and even the way you move through the world are noticeably related. By recycling individual units the developer was able to improve and expand the experiences that the player engaged in. This increased the quality of each one.

The Future?

In 2007 Bioware was bought by Electronic Arts. Since that time it has released multiple hit games under the umbrella of what has been called “The worst company in America” two years in a row. Bioware is now poised to release a new Dragon Age game in 2014. The success of a video game company can be measured by its’ fans. After counting heads, this company has been great and I do not foresee a them backing down anytime soon.