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Star Wars: The Old Republic to have choreographed combat
For some MMO players, nothing kills immersion more than the constant reminder that your avatar is a hollow, ephemeral character model, with every weapon strike that passes right through your ghostly form driving that point home. Star Wars: The Old Republic has a new take on MMO combat that should come as welcome news to anyone who faults the way combat looks in most massively multiplayer online titles.Bioware president Greg Zeschuk has told videogaming247 that combatants in SWTOR won't be 'swinging through each other', largely due to the fact that choreography will play a major role in the forthcoming title's combat system. "Star Wars is choreographed, it's elegant; it's big, powerful moves and lightning bolt flashes, but in a way that makes sense visually and aesthetically. One of the goals we have is to create this choreographed type of combat that looks as though it could be taking place in a Star Wars movie," he recently commented to videogaming247. Is this a welcome change for you as an MMO player, or is the way avatar combat presently looks in most massively multiplayer titles fine for you? BioWare has finally unveiled Star Wars: The Old Republic, their new MMO! Massively's got you covered on all the details -- from liveblogging the announcement to screenshot galleries and more. Join us in the Galaxy far, far away!
First look at Star Wars: The Old Republic in PC Gamer magazine
If ever there was a thing to go all googly-eyed over, it's the first look a Star Wars: The Old Republic. While it's a shame that such information isn't being released onto the web, at least we've got it earlier than most people were expecting. PC Gamer magazine has gotten an exclusive first look at BioWare's incubating MMO, including interviews with creative director James Ohlen, principal lead writer Daniel Erickson, and BioWare co-founders Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk.The issue also apparently has exclusive screenshots for anyone brave enough to look. We're sure that what we've seen so far are very early conceptual designs, but it still pains us to see log-sized lightsabers -- even if BioWare is willing to laugh at themselves over it.
Industry vets sound off on sex, violence, ratings and design
Peter Molyneux, Greg Zeschuk, Cliff Bleszinski and David Jaffe are four of the industries most respected, creative developers working today and also have the distinction of creating some of the industry's most controversial titles. From the over-the-top violence in Gears of War to the sexual content found in Mass Effect, this quintet of creators know their way around industry hot-buttons.Over the past few months the team at the content knowledge site What They Play have interviewed each of the creators for their distinctive views on the sex, violence, ratings and design in videogames."If the blood is graphic, exploding out and all over the screen, you instantly know you're successful. I'd use flowers and confetti but I don't think it would be nearly as effective," Bleszinski said of the violence level found in the upcoming Gears of War 2. "You know, there's a huge M on the freaking box. If your eight year-old kids can acquire $60 and you're not aware what they're doing with it, you've got bigger problems than your kid playing God of War. You're a sh*tty parent," adds Jaffe.BioWare president Greg Zeschuk, whose 2007 role-playing title Mass Effect was lambasted by the mainstream media for its sexual content, pointed out how our society is dictating content. "It's all obviously a reflection on society," says Zeschuk. "The bottom line is that violence is just more acceptable than sexual content in the U.S., which makes an interesting situation for game developers. You have to really balance these tolerances."Check out the entire feature at What They Play and let us know what you think about sex, violence, ratings and design of videogames in the comments.
BioWare 'talking about' more Mass Effect DLC
BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk was talking to MTV Multiplayer about the company's upcoming Dragon Age, when he took a left turn at Alpha Centauri and discussed future Mass Effect DLC. He tells the site that it's still a trilogy and that the company is "looking at some other post-release content." He won't confirm anything, but says the company is "talking about" more DLC.The space opera has only had one episodic DLC adventure with Bring Down the Sky, which was made available free for PC purchasers of the game. Since then, the space around The Citadel has been pretty quiet ... but not in that normal space sort of way ... you know what we mean.
E308: Dragon Age Origins will see life on consoles
In case you missed it during our Live Blog of the Electronic Arts press conference, there's some new information from the guys at BioWare. BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk announced that the upcoming PC title Dragon Age Origins will also see life on consoles, in the future. Expected to be exclusive to the PC initially, the dungeon crawler will feel familiar to fans of Baldur's Gate -- another BioWare franchise. No other information on a console release schedule for Dragon Age Origins is available yet, but we expect it won't be for quite some time.
Bioware devs debate whether Wii is part of gaming
CEO Ray Muzyka and President Greg Zeschuk of Bioware, a company founded on narrative-centric RPGs, can't seem to decide if the Wii is a game (as opposed to, from what we gather, a toy). In an interview with GameDaily, Zeschuk said, "If gaming is defined by story, then generally Wii may not be," though he immediately expands on that, "The game [4 to 5 people together are] playing is actually very different than the rest of us. What they're doing as a company is like a different flavor."Providing a counterpoint, Muzyaka noted that the Wii experience is "more toy-like" but also said, "there's also a narrative between the players outside the game and kind of fulfills the same things games do. Games are 'toys' in the sense that they're fun." Warren Spector had made a similar designation in an Escapist piece last year, categorizing games like Tetris and Madden akin as "retold" narratives. The above is a rather bare-bones highlight of their discussion, so check out the full interview for more.
BioWare founders: 'We're not done yet'
Right after our demo of the PC version of Mass Effect, we had the chance to sit with BioWare founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk for a quick catch-up on recent events. The two men were overjoyed to talk about Mass Effect's success and critical reception, as well as the uplifting effect the EA buyout has had on the company. The impression the two give are of guys who have just been given a chance at the brass ring. Their comments, intimating that BioWare itself is now a micro-publisher, praising their new co-worker's common sense, hint at a new era of opportunity for the company. We've already posted the audio from the interview, but for a full transcript of our discussion just read on below the cut. You can get a better sense of Ray and Greg's cheery outlook, see them again discuss the reason Mass Effect on the 360 had the UI it did, and watch them stonewall on a question about their in-development MMO title. The bottom line, unsaid in the interview itself, is a clear message: "Fans shouldn't worry. We're not, and neither should you." Here's hoping that they've got the right of it.%Gallery-16537%
GDC08: Audio of BioWare founders talking EA, Mass Effect PC
Just after lunch we had the chance to sit in on a demo of the PC version of Mass Effect. It was a great opportunity to check out the changes and tweaks to the Xbox 360 title we all know and love. Add-ons like the improved equipment UI (pictured above), more deliberate squad commands, and a great-looking new 'hacking' mini-game spoke volumes about BioWare's commitment to keeping PC gamers happy.Afterwards we spoke briefly with Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, the driving minds behind BioWare, about Mass on the PC. They expounded on their background with the WASD crowd, hopes for the future of the Mass Effect franchise, and offered a few words on what it's like to work for EA. We even asked them about their upcoming Massively Multiplayer Online Game ... and got shot down. You have to ask, right?We're going to have full writeup of the interview on the site soon, but in the meantime you can listen to the full audio of our conversation with The Doctors below the cut.%Gallery-16537%
BioWare likes WoW but thinks it can do better
GameInformer published an interview with BioWare President Greg Zeschuk and CEO Ray Muzyka in its December 2007 issue. Most of the questions in the interview focused on the EA acquisition, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age, but one did probe for information on the (KotOR?) MMO in development at BioWare's Austin studio.Both Zeschuk and Muzyka admitted to being players and fans of World of Warcraft, but expressed dissatisfaction with the way that making progress in the game is so time-consuming that "it's almost like having another job." They said they are thinking about ways to make the genre more accessible and easier to "pick up and play and have fun.""We certainly like the games," said Muzyka, "but the staying power hasn't been as strong. They totally enthrall a certain set of people, but we thought about how to make it an experience where you don't have to have a massive investment of itme."Blizzard had similar aspirations with World of Warcraft, and it succeeded in its goal; WoW is far more accessible than previous entries in the genre. Can BioWare expand the appeal of MMOs even further?
Fancast Xtra -- BioWare interview with Greg Zeschuk
We got a chance to sit down with Dr. Greg Zeshuk, president of BioWare, to talk about Mass Effect. The interview was conducted by Joystiq's Ludwig Kietzmann. We captured the audio, which you can download on MP3 (Fancast subscribers will receive the audio automatically). A breakdown of our discussion can be found after the break.
