Gaming The Inquisition's Here and It's Here To Stay: The Dragon Age Series

I'm getting my copy on November 4th, day before my bday. I wish I would've gotten it tomorrow but oh well. Honestly, this is probably the most excited I've ever been for a video game in a long time

 

Maybe the game could teleport in your console or PC for 5-7 seconds.

 

Pre ordered on my Xbox, presuming it will unlock from midnight I’ll probably not be sleeping tonight.

 

I think i will get this for Chismass

 

You would have loved Karlach in BG3....

 

Voice in my head: You are here.

If I’m up at 12 i’ll create my dude and then probably crash, so somewhere around 2am.

 

So had a look at ShillUp's fast becoming notorious review (1.4m views). Next, as he's been mentioned here and elsewhere, will be Mortismal.

Is that review that bad? No. I do think it highlights an interesting perception of Bioware, namely, as they were and not what they are now. Because the Bioware that did DA Origins, DA2, Inquisition and Mass Effect trilogy? That company is gone, the name remains.

It also highlights I'm rather more forgiving towards games. Along with being with JRPGs, some of whose tricks Bioware look to be borrowing.

Then there's the "choices", which I've bracketed as it's choices within a confined area, even on a titanic game like BG3. And it pretty much always was, we just convinced ourselves it was more.

 

Meanwhile DAO/2/I and ME/2/3/A are a shell of the BioWare that made BG, NWN, and KOTOR...

 

There's nothing inherently wrong with SkillUp's review of the game. He's entitled to his opinions and they're not right or wrong (anymore than anyone's opinions about whether something is good or bad is wrong). But people who have it out for Bioware (because Bioware has spent the last 10 years sucking) and people who are gamergate types are using his review as the singular piece of evidence that the game is objectively bad. They're then going to reviewers who gave the game a good review and accusing them of taking money from Bioware or for being a sellout/shill, etc. The guy who wrote the positive review for it on RollingStone is having his profile screenshotted and people pointing to his pronouns (he/they) as evidence that he's biased. It's ridiculous. People are allowed to like this game and people are allowed to dislike this game.

Both SkillUp and Mortismal point to a similar thing in the game as criticism: the dialogue is safe. You can't really be a jerk to people (think Renegade Shepard). Obviously, SkillUp finds this to be a larger negative than Mortismal does. The line SkillUp says is "everyone talks like HR is in the room with you" and everyone is taking that as a big deal but it's not having the effect on me that it has on others because from my experience the only people who complain about HR are sex pests and office bullies.

 

CRPGs went to **** after Akalabeth.

 

Yeah, there's a host of extra stuff swirling around the game.

Of that, the "woke" schism is the most hilarious to me. On a series like Dragon Age? Tell me you know nothing of it and I'm a casual fan of it.

Of course on social media it'll the usual suspects declaring crusades from their armchairs.

For myself? I enjoyed both FF XVI and ShillUp's review. His one for Veilguard is similar and, like that earlier one, shouldn't be something to rage. On both reviews he emphasised that he is, to borrow Alanah Pearce's line, "one ****in' guy". Somehow, lots of people don't register that bit.

 

Different times. Just a bit more civilised.

 

I think what has been missing from these reviews is the big "wow" moment in the plot. Reviews generally are most positive about the characters, often negative about the enemy repetition in combat, which are both expected from Bioware games. But there's no big "wow" moment in the plot that shatters our opinion of the Dragon Age story. I haven't seen detailed spoilers yet, but so far the main ones are somewhat anticipated. The game sounds like a good Dragon Age addition, but not earth-shattering.

Somebody needs to find these folks a room and let them vent. Audience game (and movie and show) ratings are useless now that they hatebomb everything.

 

Yeah, DA: Veilguard sounds like a good, conventional game.

After the goddamn awful last decade Bioware has had, while skirting the edge of the destruction maw of Unicronic Arts, I think people are inclined to be forgiving.

 

To no one's surprise, the ending has started doing the rounds on social media.

 

It does sound like the game is a bit "safe", which isn't really in keeping with the other DA titles of the past or the ME games ( or KOTOR). Nothing wrong with that per se, but what made the previous Bioware games good was that your choices had serious impacts on squad unity, romance, the fate of entire regions etc.

This does sound like, as one review said - A great fantasy adventure game, but not a great Dragon Age game

 

I still haven't played the third one, but I remember when Inquisition came out and people made a huge deal about it. Folks might not have been on the same page about it, but it took the universe (Age?) in a different direction. Before I played the first two, I knew a ton about DA1&3 but virtually nothing about DA2 aside from the fact most people didn't talk about it. Having now played them, I really liked DA2 but it rode entirely on the characters; it's not anything major like Oirigins, where the main plot is about the fate of humanity (and dwarves, elves, etc). Origins was massively epic while DA2 was almost like a glorified expansion pack or extended sidequest.

The news/spoilers for Veilguard sounds somwhere between DA2 and Inquisition -- it's not as small-scale as DA2 but the plot is not reshaking what we already know.

Also unrelated, type "Dragon Age" into Google and check the "About" section on the side (this might not be new, but I didn't catch it before):

Spoiler

 

they're...they're making up fake NDAs that reviewers supposedly had to sign lmao

 

Imagine sucking so much that Colin Moriarty gets to dunk on you.

 

This is unreal. Thumbs down one sentence review at 0.2 hours played, 300 people found it helpful. People are legit buying, reviewing, and refunding, just so they can review bomb.

 

This is why we cannot have good things. Haters take their jobs seriously. Playing isn't an option.

 

You know you're old when you're back on BioWare Forums.

Ugh.

 

One thing that's amusing is that prior to Veilguard's release, "anti-woke" grifters were saying it was going to flop. Reality: