Shack Chat: Which BioWare game is your favorite?

BioWare has been developing games for decades and has some of the most popular games under its belt. With the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, we’ve been thinking about all the other games in the company’s portfolio and which ones are our absolute favorites. Join us as we take a walk down memory lane. Be sure to let us know your favorites too!

Question: What is your favorite BioWare game?

Star Wars: The Old Republic – Ozzie Mejia, Senior Jedi Knight

I certainly foresee some backlash from people who will read this and say, “Ozzy, you must mean the Knights of the Old Republic.” To these people I will say: I said what I said. That’s because, to my great shame, I didn’t actually play Knights of the Old Republic all the way through. Instead, I spent hours playing BioWare’s MMORPG, The Old Republic, which is still running today, even though BioWare Austin has since left the project in the capable hands of Broadsword Online Games.

While I had issues with some aspects of the gameplay, I can’t deny that BioWare didn’t make the most of the opportunities it was given. Essentially, the team was given a blank slate in an era of Star Wars untouched by any other media. It is not a strict slave to the continuity of what happens in film or television. BioWare was free to tell its own stories and told some of the great stories of the Jedi and Sith at the height of their careers. This is an era of Star Wars that is still fun to visit.

Jade Empire – TJ Denzer, “The Way of the Printing Fist”

“Jade Empire” will always have a place in my heart because I don’t think there is anything like it. By this I mean a true martial arts RPG, and mostly martial arts. I always thought it was pretty damn cool that you could learn one style, get the hang of it, and then discover a few more. The wide variety of enemies also ensured that you’ll have to use these moves effectively, whether you prefer fast and rushing styles or hefty and powerful styles.

I don’t fully understand why no one has actually done anything like Jade Empire to the level that BioWare did (at least to my knowledge). It was truly something amazing.

Baldur’s Gate – Asif Khan, CEO EIC/EIEIO

Let me take you back to 1998. Video game developers have been trying to recreate the magic of tabletop D&D for over a decade. BioWare has taken an impressive new level of CRPG design by introducing Baldur’s Gate with its expansive world. It looked like a city.

Looking at the studio’s huge track record of releasing games, it’s clear that the team is capable of making solid RPGs, but Baldur’s Gate opened the door to many more modern and highly popular franchises such as Dragon Age and Mass Effect.

It’s interesting to see that the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 reflects the mood of the first part of the series.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard – Bill Lavoy, Mayor of Mystic Lake

I almost chose Anthem as my default because I haven’t played or don’t remember playing any other BioWare games. I have a bunch of games, including all the Mass Effect games, but I’ve never touched them. I haven’t played Veilguard either, but I’m picking it because I’ve seen the gameplay, heard TJ Denzer say it’s beautiful, and can’t bring myself to pick Anthem.

Mass Effect – Sam Chandler, approves of this message

There’s something about the beginning of the Mass Effect saga that has stuck with me all these years. It is a sense of a universe filled with potential, with many unique paths of development, imbued with knowledge and ideas to be explored. I also love the music in this game, even the atmospheric sounds of navigating the map and choosing where to go next. Perhaps it’s time for another playthrough.

Mass Effect – Donovan Erskine, Commander

I completely missed the Mass Effect games when they first came out, so the remaster was the perfect opportunity for me to return. Having completed parts one and two (sorry, I was a little burnt out by part three), I was very impressed with the story. I know that the second part of the trilogy received the most critical acclaim, but I really liked the original. It provides a great introduction to the world and sets the stage for an amazing journey. Franchise launch scheme.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Steve Tyminski, Jedi Mind Tricks!

What’s my favorite BioWare game? I’ve only played a select few BioWare games. I remember I had the original Xbox and some of my friends were talking about Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. I’ve always been a little interested in the Star Wars movies that were coming out, but I never went out of my way to get my hands on one. I remember getting the game and I think I also had a player’s manual. I thought it would be cool to play as a Star Wars character and really create my own story. I give credit to Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. It was the DS RPG Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic doesn’t get this treatment too often, and since the Dark Brotherhood failed, I doubt he’ll get this treatment many more times. I don’t have many BioWare games to answer this question, but my pick is Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

There you have it, quite a varied set of answers! It’s crazy to think that the studio is capable of creating hits in the biggest genres of storytelling, science fiction and fantasy. What’s your favorite BioWare game?

Shack Staff Stories are a team effort involving multiple employees. Many of our lists often include articles from multiple editors, and we all contribute together in our weekly Shack Chat.