It seems unusual that the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) would offer their users the option to rate video games too. However, some video games, especially those credited to BioWare, a Canadian-based gaming company, design their games with cinematic motifs, featuring lengthy cut scenes in addition to stunning gameplay.
BioWare's narrative formula has remained consistent over the years. Their playable characters interact with other non-playable characters by charming or intimidating them and striking up romances. Their decisions usually shape the outcome of the story.
Neverwinter Nights - 7.9
The quest to cure a plague tearing through the great city of Neverwinter begins this 2002 part-RPG and part-MMORPG fantasy. In single-player mode, the protagonist must first collect samples from the remains of monsters to formulate the cure. For the duration, they pursue a cult responsible for unleashing the weapon of mass destruction and the ancient wisdom they possess known as the Words of Power.
Neverwinter Nights is primarily in the third person and is one of the earliest examples of a hybrid single and multi-player environment. BioWare incorporated the classic dice roll combat system while keeping its signature dialogue menu options that give the player direct influence with NPCs that drive the story's direction.
Jade Empire - 8.4
True to BioWare's formula of choice-based gameplay, in Jade Empire, the player chooses one of several playable martial arts students navigating a vast open province inspired by ancient China. With fluid combat (and learned magical powers), the student must travel through the game's world with companions, eliminating monsters and other apocalyptic enemies to preserve the sovereignty of the empire.
As with many BioWare games, the playable character (male or female) will be tempted to adopt one of two paths in the light or darkness, as in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. In this case, an "open palm" or a "closed fist." Jade Empire marked the first standalone BioWare game which is known primarily for its ongoing Star Wars, Mass Effect and Dragon Age series.
Star Wars: The Old Republic - 8.5
Expanding on the universe created by the acclaimed Knights of the Old Republic, BioWare shifted from single-player RPGs to an online multi-player setting while retaining the aesthetic and atmosphere of their 2003 blockbuster. In The Old Republic, players can fully customize their own Star Wars character with the option to become a Jedi Knight, a Sith officer, or perhaps an independent contractor and engage in free or paid co-op play on PC.
The concept of combining offline RPG stories and online multi-player has become a trend recently. The MMORPG began in 2011 and continues today, thanks to the ever-growing fanbase of Star Wars movies and extensive adaptation of other media. The game is exclusively internet-based and unavailable on consoles such as a PlayStation, Xbox, or a Nintendo Switch, for example.
Dragon Age: Inquisition - 8.6
The kingdom of Thedas falls into turmoil when its conclave is nearly wiped out in a devastating event evidenced by a portal opening to another realm unleashing a horde of demons. Playing as the sole survivor, the protagonist finds war in every corner where those with magical talents battle a group known as the Templars. Inheriting the title of Inquisitor, the player embarks on a journey to bring every faction and nation together to confront both the Templar Order and the supernatural phenomenon.
Dragon Age: Inquisition bares similarities to the Mass Effect franchise, as it features a vast map with various optional and mandatory locations explorable throughout the main storyline and side missions. While some quests are optional, the benefits of completing them afford the player experience statistics that translate into better upgrades that lower the difficulty as the player progresses toward the game's climax.
Baldur's Gate - 8.9
Tasked with exploring the territory of the Sword Crest, the playable character is involved in a murder-mystery centering around the protagonist's master and how it connects to a shortage of iron in the metropolis of Baldur's Gate. Players will assemble a team of compatriots to help them solve the crisis by completing main and optional objectives both in the city and the outside world against human and mythological foes.
Baldur's Gate takes place within the Forgotten Realms sector of the Dungeons and Dragons universe. It uses a turn-based system similar to early Final Fantasy titles. The game's unique construction utilizes visual art with text-based exposition to advance the narrative. Being a pre-console PC-only release, it does not include BioWare's traditional third-person perspective.
Mass Effect 3 - 9.1
With the arrival of the Reapers, the galaxy has been plunged into an all-out war. Commander Shepard reunites with members of his or her previous adventures to pursue alliances with every major alien race in the galaxy. Against all odds, the player must forge a united front for one last stand against the enemy on Earth and thwart Cerberus, a human-first organization, with different plans for the Reapers post-war.
Mass Effect 3 is often cited for its controversial ambiguous ending involving the fate of both Shepard and the Reapers. In response to the negative feedback, BioWare released a downloadable content (DLC) expansion titled "Citadel" where a clone of Shepard wreaks havoc aboard the space station and attempts to steal his or her identity and his or her ship.
Dragon Age: Origins - 9.1
As a member of a time-honored fraternity of guardians, the Grey Wardens, the player is tasked to uncover the origin of a blight sweeping the land of Ferelden and the person responsible. To accomplish the main goal, the player's character must traverse the kingdom in search of allies and partake in dangerous missions against human warriors and mythical creatures that hold the key to ending the threat.
Dragon Age: Origins' gameplay is dependent on the player's mastering a combination of weapon attacks and utilizing their powers or spells and talents. The usual amount of side adventures and NPC romantic pursuits are optional as the player makes their way through the main story. Two sequels alternated with BioWare's other (space) fantasy series Mass Effect with Dragon Age II (2011) and Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014).
Mass Effect - 9.2
A rogue agent of the SPECTRE agency for the Citadel aligns with a synthetic race, the Geth, to summon the return of an ancient race of machines, the Reapers. They purge the galaxy of all organic life every 50,000 years. For Shepard, the commander of the SSV Normandy, (and the player character), he or she traverses an open world of solar systems and habitable planets to recruit the best and brightest operatives to track down the fugitive and thwart his nefarious plan.
BioWare updated their positive and negative dialogue options from their previous titles to reflect either a diplomatic paragon or maverick renegade leaving the choice up to the individual player's style. Each action earns the player style points which lead to power and weapon upgrades. A player's customized character, game save, and decision profile can be imported to its sequels Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 creating a cause and effect dynamic across the entire series as it is played.
Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic - 9.5
Set four millennia before the Skywalker saga, the struggle between the Jedi Order and the Sith brings together an iconic amnesic protagonist with a squad of characters as familiar Star Wars alien species. They are tasked with following a path to uncover an ancient weapon that two former Jedi named Revan and Malek have supposedly harnessed that will bring about the destruction of the Republic.
Fans of the popular RPG affectionally refer to it as KOTOR. And it is because of this game's enduring popularity that Star Wars fans have called for a silver screen adaptation. A sequel titled The Sith Lords was created in 2004 by Obsidian Entertainment. BioWare's parent company, Electronic Arts, currently holds the licensing for future Star Wars games. Some of their past credits include Star Wars Battlefront (2015), its 2017 sequel, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019).
Mass Effect 2 - 9.6
Two years after being presumed dead, Commander Shepard returns as a reluctant agent of Cerberus, a human paramilitary group that believes the Reapers' return is imminent. With a new ship and team of misfits, Shepard and his crew search for clues to defeat a subordinate species of the Reapers, the Collectors. To eliminate the threat, they must infiltrate the Collectors' home base in a probable suicide mission.
The first Mass Effect game featured side missions located on isolated planets rich in minerals or artifacts with the occasional shootout in random spots such as a cave or laboratory structure. Mass Effect 2 changed the experience by shifting the mining to probes onboard the Normandy while maintaining an extensive amount of side quests that allow the player to prepare for the game's final mission by upgrading their ship's design and their crew's skills.