Apples and Oranges

There's a post in masseffect about Bethesda versus Bioware. There are some interesting things to discuss there, even if it's silly on its face. I dislike choosing a favorite one of anything, on the principle that variety is the spice of life and sometimes one is just Not In That Mood. The two game companies do different things well, and that's great. They cater to different moods.

For those who don't spend hours on video games, the differences can be summarized thusly: Bioware tells stories in which the player controls the main member of an ensemble cast. The stories have a beginning, middle, and end, and while there are slightly different ways to reach The Final Epic Conclusion, and several ways the Epic Conclusion can go down, It Will Happen. Bethesda creates a giant, and I mean giant, world, in which there happens to be a Main Quest which people almost always ignore. Everything is open-ended -- no begginning/middle/end here. There are many more people in their world, but they're not as fleshed out, and any personality in the player-character must be provided in the head of the player.

I explained it over there by saying that Bioware's games make want to write character-driven fiction*. Bethesda's make me think of writing a travelogue.

Incidentally, I finally realized why all the characters I make in bethesda games are feckless. Running off to explore the giant world is most of the fun; usually this results in ignoring the main quest. Which means, basically, that right at the beginning of the game my PC heard the Dying Emporer Himself say "Find my heir immediately, our world depends on it!" and she went "Yeah, sure, whatever old dude, Imma go in the opposite direction. Hey! I found a horse!"

It's like my sidequest icon only ever-so-much-more-so.

PS: At least one commenter suggested that those who find Bethesda's games insufficiently immersive are lacking in creativity. I scoff at this. The voices in my head are present even when I'm playing civilization, as I imagine just exactly what kind of hell I, the Mighty God-Emperor, am giving those annoying advisors. I occasionally ascribe human motivations to the blocks in tetris. Creating characters is not a problem for me.**


*Which happens to be my preference when reading, which explains why I have a slight preference for their stuff.

**Er, I suppose someone would call that a problem, actually...

Apples & Oranges: The Journeys of Zkalune & Horse

I've been playing Oblivion, and this is what goes on in my head as I run my sex-changin' albino amphibi-lizard, Zkalune, around the countryside (No knowledge of the Elder Scrolls needed.).

( Travelogue! )