Because they released lots of really awesome games back in the golden age of CRPGs in the late '90s, and they're one of the few names from that period that still survives. Alas, they are but a shadow of their former selves.

Before they released Dragon Age II, I'd have said they haven't released a game that's disappointed me. Not that I've been enamored of all their titles, but until Dragon Age II there wasn't a single game of theirs that I thought wasn't worth the money. So yeah, I like any company that consistently delivers games that I find fun. We'll see what happens with the Dragon Age franchise though. Not impressed with the turn it's taken.

Some people like some things in a game and others - other things. And it's a matter of timing, in many cases. I, for instance, tried to play Planscape: Torment several years ago. Couldn't. I chose instead to read the 'novelized game'. Bad writing. Stopped that, too. Perhaps I'll try again. I'm sure this was a great game at THAT time, because so many people say it's a masterpiece. However, if somebody published it today for the first time, I wonder how many good reviews would receive and how many people would play it and find it interesting. Me... count me out already, been there, seen it. Other top games/ series (according to those who liked them) I couldn't play: Half Life, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Dragon Age, FIFA, Warcraft, Need for Speed, Gothic, Dead Space, Sins of a Solar Empire etc. etc. etc...

On the other hand, I loved Mass Effect 2 (part of one of my favourite series, along with other series: Max Payne, Mechwarrior, The King's Bounty, The Witcher, Age of Empires, The Longest Journey, Jagged Alliance, Heroes of Might and Magic, Operation Flashpoint/ArmA, Fallout, STALKER and so on). And this was BioWare, and not '90s. And so many people liked those series and defend them fiercely when somebody say they are garbage. However, if I played AoE 1 or Master of Orion 1 today for the first time, I'd probably find them not that great. Or the Mass Effect series in 10 years from now, when the whole immersive cinematic experience would be dated and everyone will have holodecks in basement and the PC/PS/XBox/whatever games won't be remembered anymore.

So, in my opinion: 1. it's timing and personal preferences and 2. whoever worked hard and brought such great games on shelves deserves to be remembered (and this is the case with both CD and Bio).

Anyway, this doesn't matter, it's just popcorn. The real issue here is the fast food - the above comment regarding the unhealthy vs. healthy food, with all due respect, is uneducated and misleading. Several years ago this religion got a bit of a hold on me, but meanwhile I went to school and (nicely) recovered. There is no scientific proof or study supporting the 'theory' that the fast food is unhealthy.

On the other hand, those who don't know how or can't afford to make good and inexpensive stuff, in my experience, will always complain about the unhealthy competition :))

...This is sad, actually, because this way there are no fast-food restos nearby and I have to buy whatever healthy (the preferred word for 'often less tasty, longer to prepare and more expensive') food I find around the corner :p Longing for a burger, the last time I had one was 4-5 years ago...

I'm glad your second post re-affirmed my thoughts on you being crazy for disliking Torment and Half-Life. You don't play either of those games, they play you!!

Crazy weirdo!

A careful observer and analyst will indeed note that sometimes games arrive at the right time, right place and with the right content to capture the hearts and minds of their players (at least most of them). Those players happen to find themselves in a right mindset and on the lookout for the right adventure at the time (and time and tide wait for no man). Call this phenomenon (if you so desire) 80% hard work, 20% magic.

Every company (BioWare especially) should understand that the above plays an important role in a release of any new game, and that their skill alone is not enough to turn a good game into a legendary game. However, many established companies suffer from major hubris and sometimes cannot imagine a world in which they did not succeed (after all show me one post where BioWare officially admits their failures in Dragon Age 2).

11 years ago I ran a particularly successful pen and paper role playing campaign for a group of 9 players. Till today it was one of the best gaming we have ever done. Yet in following years carefully designed continuations of the said campaign with better stories, better mechanics and with some very careful attention to what we thought was responsible for the success in the past did not produce the same effect…

In short, the game we played we did so at the right time, right place and in a right mindset… a more skilled group (of the same individuals) with best intention is still unable to reproduce and repeat the success achieved in the past… till today.

As for the future, remember your mistakes or you are bound to repeat them still sounds true… Yet after mistakes of Origin and Westwood… EA still continues the same approach to their acquisitions and BioWare still allows itself to fall into the same traps that, in a past, have swallowed legends larger than them.

I cautiously observe the success demonstrated by CD Projekt, always hoping that they just might be the ones that will break the cycle… even if the odds are against them.

Bioware successor sold themselves to the devil for $1B if not mistaken. Who will not sell their arse for that amount is beyond my imagination.

Gamer respect is every bit as valuable as money, though. Money can be pissed away in a night (I would know), but a legacy of respect lasts for a long time.

Hopefully some game companies are beginning to understand this with the massive backlash against Bioware.

Probably not, but I hold out hope because I'm an optimist (read: gullible).

Sir, that is very well said.

I had the same experiences with pen and paper RPGs too.

I've had very similar experiences. The best stuff happens entirely by accident. You can't plan it. In fact, to me, careful planning basically guarantees that it's going to fail, whereas my group still asks if we're ever going to continue with a few improvised one-shot adventures I ran ages ago.

BioWare aare like CDP. They are a nice company, they make great games, they talk with fans and listen to them. They were simply unlucky to fall into EA hairy hands before they could have the money to become a published themselves. Or maybe they simply lack people that understand economics. DA2 as well as the paid DLCs that are annoying as hell are EA doing and NOT BioWare's.

True but it is ruining bioware's reputation because it's being done on bioware's games. I think bioware might get shut down in a few years if this go on like this. Though bioware getting shutdown doesn't mean all the people worked in it will simply vanish off the earth but we'll still be in loss of a company that was great just a few years back then because even though most of those people, especially the ones that aren't in higher positions, are going to work in other studios, they'll probably be not working together and great studios are as they are not just because their workers are great but also their workers work well when they work together. For example think of some armor pieces in some rpgs, the pieces are great by themselves but if you have more than one piece of the same set it will give you a bonus, resulting in an even greater effectiveness. This is also true for the armors in real life(but not the bonus part, ofcourse) but we are in a rpg forum talking about a rpg forum so the example with armor sets in rpgs suits more.