An article on VideoGamer.com explores the notion that BioWare is becoming a bit crass in their approach to sexual encounters in their games. Many actually agree and the article explores some scenes that eventually lead to sex (if you choose the appropriate options) in the game. It’s not the sex itself that is bothering some players but rather the way in which it is embedded in the story line.
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The writer explains:
These are just some examples of the stranger notches on BioWare’s bedpost since the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Despite the studio’s effort to create “real human relationships”, TOR is a juggling act between two different approaches to mature content, and only one of which follows in line with BioWare’s typical style.
It then explains further:
The Old Republic maintains the same companion relationships that exist in any of BioWare’s single-player titles. Users can flirt, have sex, and even marry their companions as part of the development of their single-player storyline. Depending on your class, you can even break those relationships through insults or torture. Like Mass Effect or Dragon Age, anything lurid is the result of a long-running relationship arc – and it’s an impressive display of how to design credible relationships between player-characters and sidekicks.
The story explores the notion that some of the NPC-player character scenes in SWTOR dialogue are odd, stilted and even cheap/sleazy. It would seem to be a complete reversal of what BioWare has gone for in the past with such storyline.
Emily ends with this note:
Is BioWare becoming crass? It’s certainly dipping its toes into murky waters, and if the trend continues the studio could tarnish a reputation that has taken years to build.
And on the one hand, I have to agree. One commenter sums up my opinions fairly well:
“It’s not a question of maturity necessarily, if a game includes adult themes thats fine. My issue stems from the fact it’s soooo shalllowly depicted. This, coming from a company that has such a good history of creating relationships with playable or non-playable characters in their games. You can speak about 4 lines of dialog before leaping into a shoddy; sexual cut scene.”
I have not chosen the options that lead down that path. In fact, I’ve seen few options to flirt in the game at all. Perhaps it is because I am playing a female character? (The two scenes shown as examples were female NPCs) or maybe it’s because my main was leveled up with a partner and we always do all quests as a group. I’m not really sure…
But the point is, BioWare has let a lot of long time fans down with the way they are handling such relationships in SWTOR. What do you think about it? Is BioWare becoming crass?
