Top 5 count down part 3

XL here back to our exciting countdown of my top 5 video game developers of all time. Previously I have listed the father of all modern console games, Nintendo and developer behind Internet Behemoth game World of Warcraft, Blizzard. With 3 spots left things will surely get interesting, and with all the big name developers out there who will make it to my list?

Number 3. Bioware.

Bioware did not changing lives like Nintendo did, nor does it have a game that suck in 12 million people a year like Blizzard has but that won't stop it from being one of the most sensational video game developer in the world.

Started in 1995 Bioware is a relatively young company in the industry, and it didn't take long for them to leave their mark in the history books. Released first in 1998, Baldur's Gate series was a immediate success that even today is still the benchmark of all other Western RPGs. Bioware was not the first company to take a shot of making a paper and pencil RPG based on the dungeons and dragons formula, but they have been the best hands down so far. From the beginning Bioware was set to make games with the most epic story telling and character development and boy have they succeeded in a huge way. Lot of times people are so mesmerized with the story and the characters in the game they often forget just how good the game play was too. The story and conversation choices in those games are so complex and extensive it feels like every Bioware game was written with quality and length of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Another thing that is amazing about Bioware is they will leave a game with a story and cast which they have built from ground up only to do another game with completely new setting and new beginning but to end up with equally mind blowing stories.

Many fans of their games have criticized them for leaving a golden franchise behind only after the first game, but that is what I admire about Bioware. They rather leave on a high note then have to do what many other developers tend to do which is "milking" a cash cow franchise to death. Therefore this is what sets Bioware apart from other developers, they are not afraid of new challenges. I remember people were skeptical about Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic saying things such as Star Wars theme has been done to death, dungeons and dragons formula only fits with swords and magic and etc. Well if you haven't played the game yet let me just say this there is something wrong if a Star Wars game end up having Better story, Better characters, and Better sequences than the actual Star Wars prequel trilogies. George Lucus, please take a note from the writers of Bioware. Same thing with Mass Effect which is my favorite game is generation, and people were still bitter about Bioware refusing to do a sequel for Star Wars. The same people that were saying Star Wars would fail. Also without spoiling the game, all I can say about Mass Effect is I have not seen a Sci Fi so well done in any form since watching Battle Star Galactica and Mass Effect can definitely give a run for its money if Bioware ever decide to turn it into a TV show.

Sure maybe Bioware games are not perfect and are not for everyone as their will always be people complaining about how their games has been dumb down for consoles or they are just bitter that Bioware decided not to milk Baldur's Gate franchise. Now I agree that game play has not been perfect in their recent games such as Mass Effect or Star Wars, but how the story can make you forget those short comings is astonishing. In the end of the day, a company deserve to be in my top 5 if I have played their games more than 5 times and still haven't had enough.

Must play Bioware games:

Baldur's Gate 1&2
Neverwinter Nights
Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic
Mass Effect
Dragon Age Origins (for being the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate)