Company News Bioware wants to make more RPGs...

[suibhne]

I think Fallout would be perfect on the DS. If the handheld market had been more mature at the time, a handheld FO remake - re-using the whole design, dialog, quests, etc. - could've helped Interplay stay afloat awhile longer.

Not that we would've wanted that...

 

[Mr. Teatime]

I think Fallout would be perfect on the DS. If the handheld market had been more mature at the time, a handheld FO remake - re-using the whole design, dialog, quests, etc. - could've helped Interplay stay afloat awhile longer.

Not that we would've wanted that...

I remember someone at Bethsoft saying that DS Fallout would be really cool. It would work pretty well I think.

 

[Admiral Rimjob POOBUM]

I think Fallout would be perfect on the DS. If the handheld market had been more mature at the time, a handheld FO remake - re-using the whole design, dialog, quests, etc. - could've helped Interplay stay afloat awhile longer.

Not that we would've wanted that...

Apparently people've got DOS emulators working on DS with homebrew kits... no Fallout, obviously, but Beneath a Steel Sky etc. have been reported to work well.

 

[suibhne]

I remember someone at Bethsoft saying that DS Fallout would be really cool. It would work pretty well I think.

If it were a faithful port, that's about the only thing Beth could ever do to earn more of my money.

 

[Llyranor]

Heh, making handheld games would just up the likelihood (somewhat ) of them being turn-based. Since I already have a DS, it's all good.

 

[Stephen Amber]

Someone is making a turn based D&D game for the psp, so it's not surprising Bioware would want to jump into the market with something similar on the rival platform the DS. I've been thinking of getting one or the other. And there's some good stuff on the GBA... Rebelstar Tactical Command and Eye of the Beholder(old school gold box), for instance.

 

[heiamll]

When I'm home I can't see me picking up a handheld over my PC.

Thats what I said before I purchased a DS Lite.

 

[Keldryn]

Of course not. Everyone knows that employees work for free and managing 10 teams is as easy as managing 5.

Well, of course not. But making a handheld RPG might require a much smaller team than would be required to make a high-end PC or Xbox 360 game. Particularly in terms of the number of artists and coders required. If they can pump out a decent RPG on the DS in half the time it takes them to develop one installment of Mass Effect or Dragon Age, and with a smaller team to boot, then it makes good financial sense.

Plus there is also the issue of competing with their own products. If they release 2 or 3 PC RPGs too close together (because they are being developed simultaneously), their management might see that as competition within their own products.

Atari's been selling assets and IPs like crazy lately. Who knows?

I think Atari might still own the BG license. I downloaded a Baldur's Gate game for my cell phone fairly recently, and it had the Atari logo on the title screen. The game sucks ass, by the way. It feels like it was designed for a Gameboy Advance or something and then ported over to use the number keys in place of a D-pad. Blech. Back to playing Bejewelled on my phone, I guess.

Interplay lost the license when Herve decided to bet on a console DnD BG game. He paid for the console DnD license and lost the PC one, despite the fact that BG3 was in development. It's a long and sad story of greed and stupidity.

Yeah... The console BG game performed pretty well, sales-wise, didn't it? I don't mind the game myself, and I much prefer it to Diablo, but it gets boring and repetitive fairly quickly. Was fun for my wife and I to play together though.

 

[Keldryn]

Thats what I said before I purchased a DS Lite.

What titles do you recommend? I've been thinking of picking one up, especially if I need to start doing some travelling for work again. All I've got for a handheld is an original GBA, with no backlit screen that is a huge pain in the ass to play most of the time.

I've got to say though, if the rumoured Civilization DS game ever comes out, I'm definitely getting a DS if I don't already have one.

 

[Stephen Amber]

I think Atari might still own the BG license. I downloaded a Baldur's Gate game for my cell phone fairly recently, and it had the Atari logo on the title screen. The game sucks ass, by the way. It feels like it was designed for a Gameboy Advance or something and then ported over to use the number keys in place of a D-pad. Blech. Back to playing Bejewelled on my phone, I guess.

There actually is a Barldur's Gate game for GBA called Dark Alliance. I've been curious as to it's quality. Maybe it's the same game?...it has to play differently then the standard console versions. And, as others have commented, DS Fallout would have a tremendous amount of potential. Non-anime, mature themed rpg on a nintendo platform?... that's the problem as pretty much the entire roster is kiddy anime stuff.

 

[suibhne]

What titles do you recommend? I've been thinking of picking one up, especially if I need to start doing some travelling for work again. All I've got for a handheld is an original GBA, with no backlit screen that is a huge pain in the ass to play most of the time.

This is big enough for a separate thread. :D My current DS lineup: Mario Kart DS, New Super Mario Bros., Advance Wars DS, Castlevania DS, Kirby Canvas Curse, Matroid Prime: Hunters, and Meteos. I'm just about finished with Castlevania, just about bored with Advance Wars, and just about semi-comfortable with Metroid's control scheme.

Don't miss out on the fantastic GBA games available, tho, since the DS is a better way to play GBA than the actual GBA (even the SP). I'm currently playing the GBA title Rebelstar Tactical Command, which is phenomenal - easily the best strategy/RPG-lite handheld game I've ever played, more engaging (to me) than either Advance Wars DS or Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. In fact, it's more sophisticated and fun than most combat in PC RPGs; the only limitations inherent to the platform are the size of the sprites (so it's tough to differentiate between some of them) and the size of the viewscreen itself (which necessitates scrolling for medium- or long-range fighting), both of which could be mitigated somewhat by a good DS game due to the DS's slightly larger view and higher resolution.

I'm leaving tonight on a weeklong trip and am bringing just Mario Bros., Rebelstar, and Meteos.

 

[Keldryn]

There actually is a Barldur's Gate game for GBA called Dark Alliance. I've been curious as to it's quality. Maybe it's the same game?...it has to play differently then the standard console versions.

Didn't know there was a GBA version...

Just looked at some screenshots of it, and I don't think it's the same game. I didn't play the cell version long enough to get a feel for it though. The controls were just too shitty to deal with.

 

[Keldryn]

This is big enough for a separate thread. :D My current DS lineup: Mario Kart DS, New Super Mario Bros., Advance Wars DS, Castlevania DS, Kirby Canvas Curse, Matroid Prime: Hunters, and Meteos. I'm just about finished with Castlevania, just about bored with Advance Wars, and just about semi-comfortable with Metroid's control scheme.

Sounds like a pretty solid lineup. And my wife wants to play Nintendogs if I ever get a DS. Considering our dog (1.5 years old) doesn't listen very well, and doesn't have an off button, I can see the appeal of Nintendogs. ;-)

Don't miss out on the fantastic GBA games available, tho, since the DS is a better way to play GBA than the actual GBA (even the SP).

I thought about buying an SP, as the original GBA is pretty much worthless to play... anywhere. On days when I don't drive to work and take transit, the screen doesn't show up very well in sunlight. It doesn't show up well at home unless I have a lamp shining directly on it, and why would I want to play on that tiny screen at home anyway (I have a GBA player for the Gamecube). And there isn't enough direct light to see the screen properly when sitting on the can, either. However, the DS isn't that much more expensive than a GBA SP or Micro, so if I'm going to replace the GBA, might as well be with a DS.

I'm currently playing the GBA title Rebelstar Tactical Command, which is phenomenal - easily the best strategy/RPG-lite handheld game I've ever played, more engaging (to me) than either Advance Wars DS or Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.

Is it a typical strategy RPG title? I confess that I don't really enjoy them very much. I got really bored with FF Tactics (PS), Shining Force, Gladius, Disgaea, La Pucelle Tactics... An endless stream of turn-based battles really doesn't do much for me.

I agree that a Fallout DS could be really cool. Ultima VII DS would work pretty well too. And I'm dying for a good portable Civilization fix. Civ DS would be awesome. Can't say the same for a Civ PSP though... it takes forever to play Civ II on the original PS with just a gamepad.

 

[Mantra_n]

they'd most likely contract someone out to do it, and you never know could turn out good, smaller budget, more opportunities to experiment, and if its an outside team it could turn out interesting.

 

[Thrawn05]

... that's the problem as pretty much the entire roster is kiddy anime stuff.

The only one I can think of off hand that wasn't anime style was for the N64. Aidyn Chronicles. Never really got to play it so I don't know how good it was.

 

[POOPERSCOOPER]

Thats because it was American made despite it sucking major chunks of ass and it came out during the last days of the n64.

 

[Mantra_n]

the GBA bg dark alliance plays almost exactly like diablo, it looks nice though and is kind of fun. not much of a reply value though.

 

[Astromarine]

The best game for the DS is, in my opinion, The Secret of Monkey Island

 

[Thrawn05]

The best game for the DS is, in my opinion, The Secret of Monkey Island

Now I got a reason to buy a DS. :D

 

[obediah]

I must be the only gamer to have gotten a PSP before a DS. I just don't like console button mashers. I love Mario Kart, but only when it involves four drunks sitting in a room together. I've only had the PSP a month, and will be getting one of the black DS Lites, so it was close.

 

[suibhne]

I'm currently playing the GBA title Rebelstar Tactical Command, which is phenomenal - easily the best strategy/RPG-lite handheld game I've ever played, more engaging (to me) than either Advance Wars DS or Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.

Is it a typical strategy RPG title? I confess that I don't really enjoy them very much. I got really bored with FF Tactics (PS), Shining Force, Gladius, Disgaea, La Pucelle Tactics... An endless stream of turn-based battles really doesn't do much for me.

Yeah, it's not too unusual, but it also has a really different feel from the ones you mentioned. It's linear and mission-based, so there's no world map or randomness. If anything, it's more similar to the old X-Com, and it's not coincidental that two of the original X-Com team designed Rebelstar. IGN actually got it right (for once) when they described Rebelstar as "portable old-school PC strategy". Of course, whether that floats your boat is another question entirely. :wink:

Anyway, it sells new for only $20, so it's not like it's a big risk.

 

[peak]

Apparently, this has now been confirmed.

"The new project offers tremendous opportunities, and we're looking for talented and passionate developers to become part of that," said Greg Zeschuk, president of BioWare.

"As always, we are committed to creating the best story-driven games in the world, and the Nintendo DS offers us an exciting new platform to engage," he added.

 

[Vandal]

OooOooo... revolt, PC gamers!

 

[obediah]

My biggest complaint with the DS Lite so far is the ergonomics. My hands cramp up with it, a problem I haven't had with my SP or PSP. I think it's because the buttons and d-pad are so close to the edge of the unit.

 

[Jason]

Interview with Dan Tudge

Are there any challenges you anticipate in particular when you’re creating a story-driven game for the small, small screen?

Sure. There are the obvious technical challenges. I mean, there are quite a few tight constraints within the architecture of the system. That’s definitely an issue. Just the size and scope of a BioWare game is something that will have to be carefully thought of. From a pure technical standpoint, you know, hundreds of thousands of lines of dialog is not necessarily going to fit on the DS.