BioWare staff writer Patrick Weekes does not like to be a mocked. A fan recently created an "RPG cliche chart" to poke fun at what he believes is a predictable story structure in BioWare games. Apparently, Weekes took great offense to the criticism and has ranted about it on the Mass Effect forums, claiming that there is "nothing wrong" with the way BioWare spins a yarn.
"So I'm supposed to believe someone is smart enough to do a big Excel spreadsheet with color coding and stuff but not smart enough to know about Campbellian archetypes," complains Weekes. "Yeah, guys, every BioWare game has the same plot! See, things are kind of normal, and then things change and you have to go out and do stuff, and you go to crazy weird places! Aaaaaand so yeah, totally the same story."
"Humorously snarking that our games have a beginning part that is streamlined and introduces you to the game, a middle that allows you the freedom to go to several places and have adventures, and then a tightly focused ending is like riffing on how romance novels generally start out with two people being attracted to each other but having emotional issues, then gradually building trust, then having a complication that splits them up, and then in the end they get together and are happy.
"People who create fiction in any form use a structure appropriate to that form. They do it because their audience understands and responds on an emotional level to that structure."
Wow ... this guy must be great at parties. Remind me not to crack any jokes about Dragon Age getting a 7.5 near this guy anytime soon.
Contest:
12:40 PM on 11.09.2009
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Nearly every story has been the same for thousands of years.
Not that I dislike JRPG's, mind you. Still waiting on Resonance of Fate.
Also, no matter how many times I hear or read the word 'butthurt', it never stops being funny.
oh, and a 91 average is not bad Jim. I'm pretty sure your 7.5 is the lowest score I've seen. And since a 7.5 isn't a "bad" score as I know you know why flame bait?
guy should have just laughed it off. its just a chart. as he said, you can do this with any genre of story telling so why he takes such offense to it i don't know. maybe its a deep seeded feeling of guilt or shame.
eurogamer gave the console version a 6. and people were not happy over there.
i love the stories, mass effect in particular. i mean of all the games, dragon age has had so much put into it storywise. and it flows, it never feels like your doing part 1 part 2 etc
Yeah, I'm 'playing' MGS4 right now...
Seriously though - bioware has great stories, but they are by-the-book. Nothing worth crying over.
That said who cares about cliche? The story is usually less important than how you TELL that story as far as entertainment value goes.
Like everyone does, I guess. They just happen to make their pieces very pronounced.
Structure aside, the meat of a BioWare joint is in the storytelling, and I think they've really out done themselves with Dragon Age (so far).
Ignorance is bliss.
I can't really agree with saying that he spent "years" writing ME2. ME1 came out 2 years ago, and I doubt that it took him more than a year to write this story up.
Also this.
The basic shit may be generic, but they mix it up fabulously. I really liked the twist with the Citadel at the end of ME, for example. HOW THE FUCK IS THAT GENERIC, EH?
In other words it's a silly thing to get upset over, Bioware is good at telling stories.
Personally, I love Bioware stories, and the dude has every right to respond to something on his own Web site.
At least the humor in his response would have been intentional that way.
And not only that, but they've had Carth in every goddamn game.
I think the real question here is that every other RPG gets hammered for using "tired ideas" or "generic stories" but why does Bioware get away with it? They shouldn't.
Story aside, if he defended constant buggy-ness in Bioware games, that's pure hilarity.
"This coming from someone who only responds to negative comments on his articles."
hahaha.. nice one. Well played. It is funny how suddenly the humor goes out the window during that moment.
Whatever, this guy just responded appropriately to some criticism. You're trying to make a story here, about a guy who is "butthurt", when he doesn't really seem to be to me. I'm sure he's crying the entire time he's cashing his big checks.
Lame attempt at sensationalism, in my opinion.