Our interview with BioWare CEO Ray Muzyka and president Greg Zeschuk concludes in this second part, which finds them continuing to discuss the PC gaming scene and additionally talking jokingly about their dream game and what games they're looking forward to this year... (Missed part one of the interview? Fear not, as you can play catch-up simply by hitting this handy link).
What's your take on Microsoft's Games for Windows initiative? Do you think this is a driving force that PC gaming needs?
Ray Muzyka: The Gaming for Windows initiative is a very good idea and we're definitely excited about it. It holds the promise of bringing more awareness of PC games to gamers by thinking about PC gaming as a platform in its own right.
Windows Vista of course heralds the arrival of DirectX 10. What excites you about Microsoft's new version of DirectX and how do you see it being employed to change the face of PC gaming as we currently know it?
Greg Zeschuk: DirectX 10 is only part of the picture and the core features of Vista itself potentially will do more to drive the success of PC gaming. DX10 will add significant performance improvements across the board and it will make things much easier for developers, but the Vista features like easy Install, parental controls and the Game Explorer will make it easier and more seamless for people to manage, install and play games. PC gaming has been challenged significantly by things like the 45 minute install and I'm hopeful that Vista will provide a much better user experience for not only the gaming, but also everything else surrounding the experience of actually playing.
In what areas do you think the PC gaming scene needs to develop, and as a developer what efforts are you making to move it in that direction?
Ray Muzyka: In many ways the PC gaming scene is developing in the ways we think it should - developers are taking advantage of the PC's strengths by building online-enabled games (both MMOs and games with connectivity, strong post-release content as featured in BioWare's Dragon Age etc). Some developers are building the more casual games which draw in non-gamers to the PC gaming market and others are focusing on episodic content - both are exciting initiatives.
At BioWare we're trying to be innovative and push the realm of story- and character-based games in new directions. In our upcoming title Jade Empire: Special Edition for PC, we're combining a couple of different ideas - a really strong role-playing game with a great storyline with a martial arts setting and combat system. With Dragon Age we're pushing the boundaries of post-release content and user-generated content - we're really excited about what we have planned for DA to continue the storyline and expand the epic world for our fans.
And for the BioWare Austin MMO we're incorporating a really compelling non-linear storyline and strong characters, together with all the fun things MMO players expect and deserve (great progression and customization, social systems and exploration) - truly a first and what promises to be a major innovation in the field of online massively multiplayer gaming.
Let's enter dream land for a second - if you asked Santa Claus for your perfect or dream videogame, what would that videogame be and why choose it?
Greg Zeschuk: Hmm...Viva Guitar Hero Zelda Pinball Music RPG. I'd explain the features but it'd take too long :)
Finally, what are you most looking forward to in the world of videogames in 2007, and why?
Ray Muzyka: So many games, so little time! A number of titles stand out as games I'm really looking forward to. Speaking as both a gamer fan and as the CEO of BioWare, our own Mass Effect is a game I am incredibly excited to play once it's finally released (even though Greg and I are both playing it over and over to help the team find and solve bugs and provide gameplay suggestions as our awesome Mass Effect team works hard to bring it to conclusion in the next few months).
Mass Effect will be truly innovative in a number of respects over past games - as an epic RPG, the digital actors are probably going to be the most credible, realistic characters ever yet seen in a videogame and the uncharted worlds promise amazing exploration and depth. As well, the story is really good and the game is quite seamless in terms of accessibility fused with great depth. Another BioWare title, Jade Empire: Special Edition is also a really great game - something BioWare's RPG fans on PC will be able to sink their teeth into before Mass Effect when Jade SE comes out early this year!
Other games I'm looking forward to checking out in 2007 (assuming they all come out in 2007 that is :) - Spore on PC, Halo 3 on 360, Guitar Hero 2 on 360, Dragon Quest IX on DS, Crysis on PC, Supreme Commander on PC, Grand Theft Auto IV (multi-SKU), and a bunch of other games too. I also still have to pick up my copy of Burning Crusade (which just came out of course) but I'm looking forward to dusting off my copy of World of Warcraft and re-entering Azeroth! Need to finish off Gothic 3 first though...
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