Dragon Age: The Veilguard - A woke disaster? Yep!

[Miller]

It was really never going to live up to the fandom hype. Translation: "No fun allowed! Trans power!"
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and yet they all decided that it was a "return to form".

 

[Anon88]

- Going semi-open world, when BioWare clearly had no idea how to make a compelling open world. You had a main storyline that comprised maybe 20 hours of gameplay (generously, and if you include companion quests which are generally optional), with 80+ hours of pretty lame padding. Some of the areas were pretty, there were a few interesting side quests (the haunted villa, capturing Keeps, dragon hunting), but for the most part the regions were barren and lifeless. An artifact of when it was an MMORPG, I guess, in which case it probably needed another year or two to cook. Really, it needed at least three or four more main story quests, ideally incorporating the open world in a way the existing ones don't.

This by far was my biggest issue with the game and why I'll probably never play it a second time. The main plot gets slowed down so much as the game forces you to shutdown a crap ton of rifts and do a bunch of other boring things so you can get enough points to activate the next story part. If they would've just got rid of that stupid power system they had the game would be so much better.

It was really never going to live up to the fandom hype. Translation: "No fun allowed! Trans power!"
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Veilgaurd was never going to be a good game is a great take for Bioware to have.

You have so many bloated RPGs around, especially when you look at the likes of Pathfinder these days

I'm not sure the Pathfinder games count as bloated as there's a lot to do but none of it really feels like filler. Also you can just skip all of the side stuff if you want there's nothing making you do any of it.

It's true.
Highlands is fucking huge, and the worst map.

The highlands is so funny to me. It's such a bad open world that even Bioware themselves used to advise people to just leave as soon as possible. Even the people who made it don't like it and that's really telling about the state of the open world in the DA:I.

 

[Prokhor Zakharov]

The worst part of Inquisition is if you never played Legacy DLC, you don't even know wtf is Corypheus.

Yeah, it's hard to believe they made the next major entries dependent on DLC twice in a row. Legacy for Inquisition, and Trespasser for Veilguard. It's not hard to see why people say that they are assholes for not including the DLC as part of the main game.

That was always one of the strengths of BioWare games to me, they didn't take that long to finish. You have so many bloated RPGs around, especially when you look at the likes of Pathfinder these days and the 30-50 hour mark Bioware aimed for is just about the right length, not too short and doesn't overstay its welcome. The plot doesn't drag on and on etc.
It made replaying them fun. How many times have you finished Mass Effect or KOTOR? How many times have you finished Wrath of the Righteous or similarly bloated monstrosities?(I know there's some people who are really into that but you know, generally speaking) or indeed, DA:Inquisition.

I don't think I've ever completed a DA or ME game with less than 120+ hours on a first run. DAI was 170 hours for me. DA:V was my shortest run in any DA or ME game by far with just 89 hours (which I am not complaining about, given how crap it was).

 

[Overdrive MASK_de_SMITH]

What hype? OG fans checked out long ago along with most of Bioware's veteran staff.

After 10 years and several reboots, I personally didn't know anyone who had any hopes for the game.

OG fans knew the game was cooked the moment "Dragon Age: The Dreadwolf" became "Dragon Age: The Veilguard."

Solas, the aforementioned Dreadwolf, took a backseat in his own game just to be turned into a Temu version of Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077, just some presence in your head that pops in and tells you shit. But at least Johnny was his own character, was accurate to pre-established lore, and the player had the ability to shape their relationship with him and how he sees himself and the world he vicariously interacts with.

Solas is a returning character who was built-up in Inquisition only to be tossed aside for... what exactly? An infantile plot with shitty Marvel humor, gender bullshit, wacky and OMG-SO-QUIRKY characters and one of the weakest soft reboots I've ever seen in games. A major character gets booted from the plot, and the trade off isn't even worth it. The only thing it managed to do was ruin fifteen years of established lore and worldbuilding in the span of 10 hours of gameplay. Veilguard isn't just shitty, it's meaningless.

 

[X Prime]

WOM is bad, for sure. Even the unapologetic gooners who played the game for ships complained about how "immature" the writing is. Imagine, Marvelslop enjoyers saying the writing is immature.

My brain is addled; what is WOM?

 

[BlankSpaceBaby]

My brain is addled; what is WOM?

I take it to be word of mouth.

The best thing about Dragon Age: Inquisition, IMO, is Vivienne. She's a much needed counterpoint to the whole "Circle bad! Templars bad!" perspective, but at the same time, she doesn't view the Circle situation as anything but a power grab. She looks down on those that can't elevate themselves, but she ended up in a privileged and protection position that few Circle mages have by fucking basically a rich white dude, which in turn opened doors to become Empress Celine's court jester. She's a fascinating paradox and contradictions, and I just adore her because of what a complex character she is. Of course, Indira Varma was the perfect voice actress for her.

I just wish they had given her a proper specialization centering around ice magic, like in her cutscene, or perhaps a magical version of Dragon Age 2's rogue Scoundrel specialization. Just like how it makes little sense for Dorian the Tevinter mage that hates blood magic to have a Necromancy specialization, Vivienne doesn't seem like the type that swings a light saber in everyone's face.

 

[Prophetic Spirit]

I take it to be word of mouth.

The best thing about Dragon Age: Inquisition, IMO, is Vivienne. She's a much needed counterpoint to the whole "Circle bad! Templars bad!" perspective, but at the same time, she doesn't view the Circle situation as anything but a power grab. She looks down on those that can't elevate themselves, but she ended up in a privileged and protection position that few Circle mages have by fucking basically a rich white dude, which in turn opened doors to become Empress Celine's court jester. She's a fascinating paradox and contradictions, and I just adore her because of what a complex character she is. Of course, Indira Varma was the perfect voice actress for her.

I just wish they had given her a proper specialization centering around ice magic, like in her cutscene, or perhaps a magical version of Dragon Age 2's rogue Scoundrel specialization. Just like how it makes little sense for Dorian the Tevinter mage that hates blood magic to have a Necromancy specialization, Vivienne doesn't seem like the type that swings a light saber in everyone's face.

You mention Vivienne. I'm gonna mention Cole.
Dude is too based for that game. A perfect contrapoint of Justice (later Vengeance in DA2).

 

[BlankSpaceBaby]

Cole is ruined by how the game insisted on pairing him off with one of the rainbow mutants toward the end of the game.

 

[LazyLizard]

OG fans knew the game was cooked the moment "Dragon Age: The Dreadwolf" became "Dragon Age: The Veilguard."

i didn't even realize that dreadwolf had become veilguard until like a month before release, i really just thought it was a shitty little side game while the main team worked on the real next DA game, nope a decade of waiting and that is what we got...

 

[Mola Ram]

If they would've just got rid of that stupid power system they had the game would be so much better.

I dunno, I never found the Power required to activate a quest to be a particularly onerous barrier. I usually end up with Power in the low 100s by the end of the game, and at that point the only stuff to spend it on is various DLC areas. There are some incredibly boring ways to accrue it, of course, like doing requisitions. I think it's more that so very many of the quests aren't that much more interesting, not least because the gameplay itself is pretty lackluster. If DA2 was a halfway transition to DA being an action RPG, DAI went all the way with it, and not to the game's benefit. It doesn't help that trash mobs endlessly spawn in pretty much every area, sometimes just when you swing the camera around from a group you just defeated.

The best thing about Dragon Age: Inquisition, IMO, is Vivienne.

A great character who deserved way more development than she gets. Her personal quest could have been an incredibly rich story element if they had bothered to introduce Bastien earlier in the game -- he is one of the most powerful politicians in Orlais in the middle of a civil war; putting him on his deathbed from the jump was a total waste.

Cole is ruined by how the game insisted on pairing him off with one of the rainbow mutants toward the end of the game.

If Cole is made more human he ends up with Maryden, who is kind of silly but isn't part of the Rainbow Patrol. You might be thinking of Maryden ending up with Krem if Cole is made more spirit. And of course Sera ends up with Dagna, which is not just a crack pairing but vaguely creepy.

 

[Kane Lives]

My brain is addled; what is WOM?

Turns out it's my writing that's addled. I meant to say Veilguard but WOM slipped in somehow. Never write posts while sleep deprived, kids.

 

[bort420]

i didn't even realize that dreadwolf had become veilguard until like a month before release, i really just thought it was a shitty little side game while the main team worked on the real next DA game, nope a decade of waiting and that is what we got...

lmao that's what it must have been, dreadwolf must have imploded and then they just slapped some single player on the live service/mobile bits

why else would you get the director for mobile sims to make dragon age? it's cause """"she"""" was likely originally there for a sims mobile like live service game with the DA skin to appease the recurring revenue gods

 

[Weltraumfürst]

Ah to be young again I remember this faggot. That was the start of the downfall of Bioware.
His desk filled with snot rag tissues everywhere.

Different faggot, the guy with the cum tissues was "Evil" Chris Priestly, the chink was Stanley Woo.

 

[Battlefield2142EU]

We are seeing IGN and others damage control giving Dragon Age trannyguard good reviews. I have a feeling we will see the same from Youtubers giving the new Indiana Jones game good reviews.

 

[Oliver Onions]

And for what?

The only reason I can think for releasing the character creator post-launch is that they actually believe people will use it to make a character they think is cool and that will in turn make them buy the game to go on an adventure with them.

TL;DR This shit flopped and they are desperate

>It was really never going to live up to the fandom hype
Yeah, nice cope, faggots.

Didn't the devs of Star Wars Outlaws say almost the exact same thing when that game flopped, that gamer expectations are simply too high now? Or was that the AC: BIX NOOD devs?

 

[p1138]

The only reason I can think for releasing the character creator post-launch is that they actually believe people will use it to make a character they think is cool and that will in turn make them buy the game to go on an adventure with them.

TL;DR This shit flopped and they are desperate

Sure, but even then it's incredibly strange. Having a character creator for an RPG out before launch would satisfy the people who sperg the fuck out spending 8 hours playing around with character sliders, potentially allowing people to get more hyped for a game to be released so they can then just import their previously created character. Releasing it weeks after the fact when it's already flopped is a waste of time.

The people running the studios have no idea what the fuck they're doing.

Didn't the devs of Star Wars Outlaws say almost the exact same thing when that game flopped, that gamer expectations are simply too high now? Or was that the AC: BIX NOOD devs?

It was the ubisoft CEO himself

https://www.gamesradar.com/games/open-world/making-solid-games-isnt-enough-when-you-have-gamers-expecting-extraordinary-experiences-ubisoft-ceo-says-after-star-wars-outlaws/

"In today's challenging market and with gamers expecting extraordinary experiences, delivering solid quality is no longer enough," the CEO said

Their idea of "solid quality" is laughable, and yes for $70 on a game that cost 100, 200, 400 million fucking dollars I do expect an extraordinary experience for an extraordinary development cost. But no, it's those damned gamers with unrealistic expectations who expect when half a billion dollars is spent to make something, that it won't be garbage.

 

[Oliver Onions]

Releasing it weeks after the fact when it's already flopped is a waste of time.

Yeah that's what I'm saying, it's really stupid but that's the only reason I can think of why they'd do it. Sales must have been really bad if they're trying these post-hoc marketing gimmicks.

 

[Deus Exica]

It was really never going to live up to the fandom hype. Translation: "No fun allowed! Trans power!"
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I like this idea that there was just no way the game could have lived up to the hype. As if people wouldn't have been perfectly fine with a somewhat traditional and pared back version of Inquisition with less busywork and a bit more choice and consequence.

You fucking retards could have just copy and pasted Inquisition's mechanics and UI over into a new map and people would have been satisfied, not me, but your core demo of sycophantic slampiggies would have been.

Just admit you're incompetent fucking buffoons.

I also love the recent cope I saw from the head developer about how your choices from previous games could still totally matter in a sequel you guys! We won't just waste the keep again like we did this time! It was just it's own story bro! Whether or not you spared Loghain could totally still matter, disregard that the entire continent was apparently wiped the fuck out.

Oh OG fans knew the game was cooked the moment "Dragon Age: The Dreadwolf" became "Dragon Age: The Veilguard

This was really the precursor and major hint the game was going to be a shit show, followed by that God awful reveal trailer. "Dreadwolf", imposing, dangerous, dark, mysterious, ominous, epic. "Veilguard", confusing, nounverber, generic, unappealing.

The focus shifted away from the legacy villain with a prior game of buildup to a generic Marvely teamup of writers pets that the dev team clearly grew way, way, too attached to.

 

[Forgotten Beast]

"Dragon Age was never going to live up to fan hype"

Hahaha, what hype? What fans? This isn't a really big franchise, this isn't Star Wars, the last two games in the franchise were mediocre at best, and the last game to bear the BioWare name was a fucking bomb, nobody expected this to be above a 5/10. Hell, there wasn't even that much marketing before launch. The few fans that still gave a fuck were used to disappointment at that point, trailers had embarrassingly low views and even worse engagement (the reveal trailer alone had a 5+ dislike/like ratio), even journos didn't start to care until the pronouns and top scars showed up.

This excuse doesn't work here, try another one.

I know it's just corpo/cope-speak but it's kind of funny seeing those incompetent devs admitting that asking today for yesterday's mediocrity is excessive entitlement (and probably racist, somehow), as if the Videogamium mines dried up on 2014 and the technique of making games that don't suck was lost to time like the formula for Damascus steel. It's like a burger corporate guy saying "Well, if people don't want salmonella they shouldn't be eating at McDonald's, what the fuck are they thinking". Not the easy way out or the dunk they think it is.
There isn't another industry that insists so vehemently that the lack of quality of its products is the customer's fault, every single time. I wonder what causes this.

 

[God of Nothing]

"Dragon Age was never going to live up to fan hype"

Hahaha, what hype? What fans? This isn't a really big franchise, this isn't Star Wars, the last two games in the franchise were mediocre at best, the last game to bear the BioWare name was a fucking bomb, nobody expected this to be above a 5/10. Hell, there wasn't even that much marketing before launch. The few fans that still gave a fuck were used to disappointment at that point, trailers had embarrassingly low views and even worse engagement (the reveal trailer alone had a 5+ dislike/like ratio), even journos didn't start to care until the pronouns and top scars showed up.

This excuse doesn't work here, try another one.

I know it's just corpo/cope-speak but it's kind of funny seeing those incompetent devs admitting that asking today for yesterday's mediocrity is excessive entitlement (and probably racist, somehow), as if the Videogamium mines dried up on 2014 and the technique of making games that don't suck was lost to time like the formula for Damascus steel. It's like a burger corporate guy saying "Well, if people dont want salmonella they shouldn't be eating at McDonald's, what the fuck are they thinking". Not the easy way out or the dunk they think it is.
There isn't another industry that insists so vehemently that the lack of quality of its products is the customer's faultzl, every single time. I wonder what causes this.

it's been fifteen years since origins
i know i already said something along those lines but it's been nearly two fucking decades since and they still haven't made a dragon age game better than origins
fuck, origins holds up compared to other games outside of its franchise released these days