Key Takeaways
- Neverwinter Nights offers intense D&D experiences with deep storytelling, numerous enemies, and realm-saving quests.
- Mass Effect captivates with memorable characters, complex storytelling, and enjoyable RPG mechanics.
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic tells enthralling stories, features memorable characters, and is a fan-favorite series.
BioWare is one of the most recognized game-developing companies in existence, with dozens of titles published and quite a pool of talented individuals working at its headquarters. Throughout its history, the company has crafted some of the best RPGs ever and even worked with important IPs such as Dungeons & Dragons and Star Wars.
Some of the greatest video game franchises ever exist thanks to BioWare, but not all of them were created equal. Some stand out from the crowd for various reasons. For those looking to get lost in BioWare’s best video game franchises, the following collections of games are must-plays.
5 Neverwinter
Filled To The Brim With D&D Goodness
Neverwinter Nights is one of the most intense Dungeons & Dragons experiences available, featuring a heartbreaking and tremendously dark story, thousands of enemies to beat, and several realms to save from the forces of evil. The game received dozens of updates and several DLCs in the form of campaigns that added hundreds of hours of gameplay and challenging new enemies.
The franchise is also famous for allowing players to test out the D&D 3.0 ruleset, which was quite the rage at that time. The sequel, Neverwinter Nights 2, used D&D 3.5, but to be fair, the first game is a little better, both in terms of narrative and character background depth. Still, undoubtedly, this is one of BioWare’s best franchises, and it is still fairly playable today, allowing for an integrated modding system and hundreds of custom campaigns crafted by a community of enthusiastic DMs.
4 Mass Effect
One Of The Best Sci-Fi Franchises Of All Times
From the beginning, Mass Effect has always been quite a flashy IP, and BioWare knew how to make the most out of it with memorable characters, incredibly deep storytelling, and thrilling world-building that has captivated the minds of millions of fans worldwide. The story narrates the adventures of Captain Shepard and their colorful crew, looking for a way to co-exist amidst a galaxy-wide crisis that threatens to wipe out all sentient species for good.
The games were critically acclaimed (except for Mass Effect: Andromeda) for their revolutionary take on character relationships and deeply intertwined RPG mechanics. With so many points in its favor, it is no surprise that it has become one of the top sci-fi game franchises of all time. Perhaps the best thing about Mass Effect is that it proposes a scenario where mankind and other species have gathered together and work for a common goal, despite all cultural (and biological) differences, providing players with a promising future to look forward to.
3 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
Arguably, The Best Star Wars Game Series Made To Date
Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (or KOTOR) is another one of BioWare’s greatest hits, created using the piece of the expanded universe written by the legendary Drew Karpyshyn. The game narrates the events prior to the Imperial Period, approximately 4000 years before the Battle of Yavin (BBY), and tells the tale of Revan, a former Jedi who fell to the Dark Side and then redeemed himself (somewhat) by trying to stop Darth Malak in his rise to power.
The sequel follows up the steps of Revan and the Exile, another controversial figure of the Old Republic age, who abandoned the Jedi order under similar terms, and then, upon meeting a mysterious undead woman (Kreia) and reconnecting to the Force, was sent on a quest to stop Darth Sion and Darth Nihilus from finding the Star Forge and unleashing its power upon the Galaxy. The story of the franchise is enthralling and deep, featuring a lot of memorable characters and incredible dialog lines. It has become something of a fan favorite Star Wars game series, and there are constant rumors about it being turned into a movie, a show, or receiving a remake. And that speaks louder than anything about how deep the fans’ love for the franchise is.
2 Dragon Age
The Perfect Dark Fantasy Experience
Dragon Age was one of the greatest revelations of the past 15 years, featuring a dark, mature fantasy setting, and some incredibly well-developed characters. The franchise has a wide casting of wholesome, lovable, and believable characters who have sprouted from the imagination of really talented people, like The Gray Warden, Morrigan, Hawke, Varric, Sera, and Cassandra Penthagast (among others). And of course, some of the greatest villains, too, including the mysterious (and dead) Flemeth, the gruesome Corypheus, and Solas, the traitor of the hour.
With the upcoming launch of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, fans are tremendously excited about the sequel of Dragon Age: Inquisition finally bringing closure to a decade of mystery about the motivations of its main antagonist and his evil plan to bend the reality of Thedas to his will. So, in other words, Dragon Age might very well be one of the best fantasy franchises that has ever surfaced from this powerhouse of a game development company.
1 Baldur’s Gate
The Pinnacle Of BioWare’s Masterful Storytelling
BioWare developed its magnum opus using a skillful narrative, a great soundtrack, and the ruleset for AD&D 2nd Edition, and that was a combination that gave birth to the Baldur’s Gate franchise. Of course, many players are more accustomed to the modern version of BG developed by Larian Studios, but back in the day when the franchise first saw the light of day, it went up with a bang. From the incredibly well-narrated main storyline to its final iteration, Throne Of Bhaal, the franchise has given birth to many memorable characters, with Minsc, the Rashemaar Range, and his pet “Miniature Giant Space Hamster” Boo being some the most notorious ones.
Of course, the legend of Baldur’s Gate didn’t end up staying for too long with BioWare, and there were a lot of incredible spin-offs of the series developed by other developers, like the Dark Alliance series delivered to players by Snowblind Studios and Black Isle Studios. And though the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 was considerable, gamers should never forget about the studio that set the foothold for the franchise to grow into the incredible success that it is today.
