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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic hits iPad - here are 5 other BioWare games we want on iOS

How do you follow up Star Wars?

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic hits iPad - here are 5 other BioWare games we want on iOS
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Aspyr Media's ace iPad Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) conversion went live on the App Store a week ago, but it's still fresh in our minds and sucking up our time.

Seriously, it's huge.

I thought I'd take a breather from acting all proto-Vader (Mon Jundy makes Darth Maul seem like an Ewok) and consider some of the other potential iOS conversion treats in developer BioWare's back catalogue.

This distinguished Canadian developer has been going for 18 years. During this time, it has turned out some of the finest and most influential RPGs ever seen. It's also thrown the odd finely executed curveball into the mix, as we'll see later.

We doubt many of these conversions will happen. Heck, some of them probably aren't even technically possible at present. But KOTOR has left us with us an itch that only BioWare's immersive, widescreen productions can scratch.

Which BioWare games would YOU like to see on iOS, by the way? Share your suggestions in the comments section below.

Jade Empire

Jade Empire's oft-maligned (or just plain forgotten) mish-mash of heavily Westernised Chinese myths and cliches didn't please everyone, but the game did at least contain a cohesive and beautifully rendered world.

This mash-up of mythologies also represented a refreshing departure from the usual Tolkien-aping Western fantasy tropes we're often presented with in RPGs.

But BioWare's first crack at a console-focused RPG doesn't win top billing on our list because it's BioWare's best game. It's not BioWare's best game, you see. Rather, it gets top billing because it seems like the best fit for iOS.

Jade Empire is built on the same engine as KOTOR, so we know it will run just fine on iPad. It also features a heavily streamlined interface and simplified battle and character progression systems, so it would be even more accessible to a curious iOS audience.

Mass Effect

Take Jade Empire's console-focused class; restore some of KOTOR's complexity and widescreen sci-fi setting (albeit without the Star Wars licence); and use the shiny Unreal Engine 3 to power it.

Whadyya get? Well, Mass Effect, of course.

You might think that a full-blown Mass Effect is too much of a technical challenge to squeeze onto iOS, and that might be so. But keep in mind that Unreal Engine 3 already powers iOS game like Infinity Blade 2 and Dungeon Defenders - though admittedly on a much smaller scale.

So, maybe we won't see BioWare's space-faring epic on iOS any time soon, but we hold high hopes of playing it on our iPad 6 sometime around, oh, 2015.

MDK2

People often forget that BioWare crafted this fantastically quirky third-person shooter sequel. That's because, well, it's a third-person shooter sequel. And, well, that's something for which the company isn't best known.

In MDK2, you run around large hub-like levels, blasting enemies with your unusual futuristic arsenal (including one of the best sniper rifles ever) and solving sprawling spatial puzzles.

MDK2 debuted on the Sega Dreamcast, so we've got no doubts that any modern iOS device could run MDK2 without a hitch. Our only concern is the fact that third-person shooters tend to be, let's face it, a bit rubbish on iOS.

Still, MDK2's more open, unusual, and diverse gameplay could lessen the impact of those awkward virtual controls.

I'd do anything for BioWare to resurrect this forgotten gem. Okay, almost anything. I won't do THAT.

Dragon Age: Origins

Like Mass Effect, Dragon Age: Origins sits firmly in the "I don't know if this is technically possible on iPad but I want it now" category of childish wish making.

Released in between the first two Mass Effect games on PC and console, Dragon Age marks a return for BioWare to the realms of classic fantasy.

Some felt it was a little generic and uninspired as a result, but there was nothing common about its epic, intricate world and the multiple layers of political and social intrigue.

Otherwise, it's a comfortably familiar case of running around; chatting to people; taking it in turns to bash enemies; and making tough moral decisions that shape both your character and the world around you.

Think of it as KOTOR meets Game of Thrones, and you'll probably start wanting it on iOS as much as we do.

Baldur's Gate II

This is mainly to make up for the disappointing job that was done on the first Baldur's Gate conversion. However, Baldur's Gate II also deserves its place on this list as it's often considered one of the best RPGs ever made.

Yes, it's a bit of a step back from every other game on this list in terms of visuals. We're talking relatively basic 2D sprite work and a fixed isometric viewpoint here.

But it's still a massive, absorbing old skool RPG with an enthralling story and a much-improved battle system.

It's also the only game on this list that we know is definitely in production. It should be out sometime this year, too.

Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.