Bioware.

If you’re a gamer, the name might give you goosebumps, thinking of all the magnificent worlds, both original and licensed, the developer has built complex, emotional games around. In fact, much like another developer whose name starts with a “B,” Bioware carries a “do no wrong” reputation for many: if “Bioware” is on the game box, the game is going to be good. This tenet is emphasized when other developers take on development of sequels to a Bioware game. The sometimes subtle differences in quality and execution are apparent, though Bioware often designs such solid gameplay systems and worlds that a secondary developer is already off to a good start when taking the reins of something like Knights of the Old Republic II.

Yet hold on a moment…

Now under the umbrella of Electronic Arts, we may start seeing what happens when a mega publisher pushes for more content faster. Mass Effect 3 is being cranked out barely a year after its well-received prequel (which got two years’ worth of work), and Dragon Age II was just shot out to stores less than a year and a half after Dragon Age: Origins was released, which took at least five years to incubate.

And if you ask Bioware fanboys Mark and Jason what they think of the new Dragon Age game? Underwhelming and disappointing. It’s still a solid game, but it’s not at the same level of quality as they expected. We’ll get into why that is in our podcast coming out later this week, and also talk about why we still love the developer, and what we think will happen with future releases Mass Effect 3 and, of course, the company’s first MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic.

In the meantime, how about you share a little of your Bioware love (should it exist) and tell us which of the following franchises started or worked on by Bioware is your favorite. Yeah, we know that other developers handled some sequels in these series. Forget that. We want to know what you think, Bioware vs. Bioware: which of their work is your favorite?

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