I think the followers in Fallout 4 are much better than the ones in Fallout 3 and Skyrim, they seem to more personality, they have contextual remarks, etc. But I haven't played Dragon Age Inquisition yet and some people say Bethesda asn't matched Bioware companions yet, is that true? I mean deeper dialogue, more background story, more reactions to player actions, etc. I am quite pleased with Bethesdas progress in this area.

Bioware games are centered around the characters, and especially the PARTY MEMBERS. They aren't optional companions. They're core to the game design.

^^^As stated above

Though, in my opinion, Inquisition was and still is an absolutely terrible game. I would not even bother attempting to compare aspects of it with Fallout 4.

Bioware focuses on the story and characters, while Bethesda focuses on the game's world as a character in and of itself. DA:I gives some measure of open-world gameplay, but not nearly to the depth that Bethesda has with TES and Fallout.

Really, they're kinda on the opposite ends of the spectrum. I love both studios (although Bioware has quite a bit to do to redeem themselves after the Mass Effect debacle) but I play 'em for vastly different reasons and for vastly different experiences.

Eh, I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a terrible game. Certainly not on par with Origins, but better than DA2, I think. I just wish they'd pull back on the over-done gameplay mechanics and focus on story and characters more, like they used to.

I liked it too, but this really isn't the place to discuss whether or not DAI svcks, is it?

@OP: yes, they are.

However, like you already said, BGS is getting better at this, same as BioWare is getting better at world design as well. It's win-win for everybody.

Serana in Skyrim was pretty good I think.

Heh. Point taken. Wasn't trying to rustle anyone's jimmies. I'll be the good little boy and drop it.

Pretty good? She is amazing, she carried the questline - an absolute masterpiece !

Piper is my favorite so far in FO4.

Well yes but as someone said Bioware party members play a big role in the story. For example Cassandra and Solas play huge roles in DAI story but Piper and Dogmeat really don't.

Off topic: I thought DAI was pretty good.

Pretty much this. Which also means they have more content, because they are not really optional, or some are. Fallout 4 can be played with or without, which is great though.

Yeah, in a strongly story-based game, with a party of characters who are around a lot of the time and are worked into the storyline/conversations/etc..... they will be better developed. Of course.

(personally, I can't tell you how the FO4 companions compare, because I'm avoiding them this character. Which I can't really do in a Bioware game. Which is kind of the point. )

DAI characters are better because that's what those games are focused on. I actually felt the New Vegas characters were better than FO4. Boone's story, for example, was really cool. The companions in FO4 are much better than FO3s characters which had zero story, but I still find them a bit shallow and felt they could be expanded a bit more. Especially the affection system. It's weird that most of my affection with Piper came from me picking locks.

Great answers everybody, thank you, is in tone with what I read on other forums. I will try DA:I at some point myself, but right now I'm too absorbed in Fallout 4 to play anything else.

I found origins on an incredible discount, and when I played it I still felt like I should have bought a couple of ice creams instead.

I recently went back and tried playing it also. The gameplay really felt dated, and I had newer, shinier games to play. But Origins probably had one of the better overall story lines, along with some of the stronger characters, in relatively modern RPG history.

I wouldn't call it the greatest game of all time, by any means, but it's in my top 10, maybe my top 5 if I ever sat down and figured out what my top 5 would be...

I don't know about Inquisition...But I'm finding at least most of the companions in Fallout 4 to be pretty interesting people. Like me an Hancock? Very much in the same vein. He knows what's up. And he gives me drugs.

oh there's no comparison. at all.

In Inquisition, the companions are fully-written, fully acted, have something to say about everything, you can talk to them for HOURS. Also, they are integral to the storyline. They are in a different league to any other game/company around. It's what Bioware do best.

In FO4 you meet someone, they give you a few lines about their lifestory, you pile all your junk on them, they give you some more lines about their life, give you a perk, then you dismiss them and go onto the next. They are "NPCs with Benefits" rather than companions in the way the Inquisition ones are.

One day, in my head, when Fallout 6 comes out, Obsidian will write the story arc, Bethesda will do the open world and combat, and Bioware will do the people. It would be the best game ever made. Ever.

Not too much of a fair comparison. Both developers have different focuses in their RPGs. Bioware likes their characters. Bethesda their game world.

But you can at least tell Bethesda is trying to improve on their characters this time around compared to predecessors. And for that, I can commend them on.

Bioware companions tend to be more fleshed out since, like people have already mentioned, they're a big part of the game and have heaps of content. But personality/concept wise? I'd say yes it's as good as something Bioware would come up with, if they were more fleshed out they'd be on par.

I love both games for different reasons.

To say BioWare do better characters is kind of obvious because that is their forte.

But Bethesda have improved characters in Fallout 4 significantly.

Bioware has much more detailed characters, but they also tend to be gimmicky and somewhat formulaic. And there's often a sort of teen soap opera vibe to interactions.

BGS has traditionally been bad until Serena, but I'm really impressed with FO4. Though the companions aren't as fleshed out as in a Bioware game, it's a huge improvement, and the characters are interesting. You could argue that their are gimmicks a la Nick Valentine, but that's a joke or homage rather than being the same note struck over and over again.