Dragon Age Dragon Age: The Veilguard Thread

[Reinhardt]

Infinitron delivering "presents" to the Codex:

What's the difference between Santa and a Jew?

Santa goes up and down the chimney, but the Jew only goes up.

and what's common between them? both things are never happened.

 

[Naraya]

Guys, it's all market's fault. The game is perfectly fine, but the damn market!

 

[HumanTotemPole]

Its joever

The European gaming market didn't have a great year for sales. GamesIndustry's Christopher Dring revealed this tidbit during the latest episode of the GI Microcast show, confirming that sales of new games went down by 29% compared to last year, as registered by GSD data.

2024 just didn't have the same sheer triple-A power when it came to its schedule. Dring admitted as much in the podcast while also singling out two games that underperformed: Star Wars Outlaws and Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

In terms of the traditional big blockbuster Christmas games, you had Call of Duty, which did well, and you had Dragon Age, which did not. That is disappointing, though, that position. That was it. Dragon Age had the market to itself and it couldn't find an audience, and that really is scary as we move into the following year.

Star Wars Outlaws and Dragon Age: The Veilguard ranked #14 and #19, respectively, when it comes to the new games European chart. But switching to the full chart that also includes games released in previous years, they drop to #45 and #68

Source

One can only hope the customer base is starting to learn. There's already a lifetime's worth of entertainment in available in gaming without needing to play a single title released this year, much less mediocre-at-best stuff like Veilguard or Outlaws.

 

[Old Hans]

I'm gonna farm so many shit ratings my account will be considered a holy river in the Hindu religion. But I stand by it. Man was not meant to game on a typewriter.

There are some games that just play better with a console controller, I use one all the time for them. But no idea about the Dragon Age series, I just could not get into it.

Dragon Age Origin is fucking terrible on a controller. It didn’t need to be, (Knights of the Old Republic worked just fine on a controller) but BioWare redid the combat to function more like an action game and what they turned out ended up playing like a terrible action game. But it sold better than the PC version, which is probably why Dragon Age 2 went the way it did with its combat system. Console Origin feels like an even worse version of Dragon Age 2 combat.

I thought DA2 combat was actually pretty good. it's just a better version of Origins combat.

They're on par, really. Both have trash mobs up the ass and you don't really have to think while you fight.

I agree the combat encounters were absolute poop, but the systems and animations were cleaned up and improved in the 2nd game.

 

[UndeadHalfOrc]

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.pcgamer.com/games/drago...24-was-the-year-i-finally-gave-up-on-bioware/

After years of holding out hope, 2024 was the year I finally gave up on BioWare​

The Veilguard was the very shiny, very pretty nail in the coffin.

After BioWare bid farewell to the Forgotten Realms following the modders' playground that was Neverwinter Nights, I—a fantasy-obsessed 19-year-old—was beyond excited to hear that it was building its own fantasy realm. The first screenshots of Dragon Age—which bore no resemblance to the game we eventually got—instantly became my desktop wallpaper. It took a long ass time, but when Origins finally materialised, it convinced me that it was more than worth the wait.

I was 24 when I at last got my hands on the RPG I was sure would reveal the future of the genre; the same year I decided to stop trying to find a real job and instead embarked on my questionable career as a videogame critic. Dragon Age: Origins was everything I'd hoped for, but I would have perhaps been less enthusiastic had I known that it served more as the conclusion of an era of exceptional CRPGs.

(Image credit: Future)
Every BioWare game since then has shifted further away from the design philosophy that had initially enthralled me. Dragon Age 2 with its rushed dungeons and action-RPG combat; Inquisition with its big open-world-inspired maps and reduced character agency; and of course the second and third Mass Effect games, which existed in a completely different RPG space.


I loved them all the same. Hawke's misadventures featured some of BioWare's strongest, boldest writing; Inquisition boasted an epic scope, companions I couldn't help become smitten with, and a brilliant extension of BG2's strongholds as you became the leader of the titular organisation; and while Mass Effect may have been a million miles away from the CRPGs of yore, Shep's quest to save the galaxy over and over again absolutely gripped me.

So as I mourned the loss of the old design, I still accepted that things had moved on. People didn't want CRPGs anymore, I kept being told. So I just accepted modernity and found plenty of things to love about the new games. These were still, ultimately, BioWare RPGs, after all.

(Image credit: EA)
With Andromeda, though, that all changed. I genuinely could not tell you a single character's name. I can't even be arsed looking them up. I just do not care. From a combat perspective, it was a decent shooter, but that's as much faint praise as I can muster. Dull story, forgettable characters and choices I didn't give a hoot about—it was the first BioWare game I didn't bother finishing. Until Anthem, anyway. I put maybe five hours into that multiplayer disaster before I just ejected forever.

Not my Thedas​

So I was simultaneously excited and extremely worried when BioWare announced that it was finally returning to Thedas. What changes were in store for us this time? Unlike Andromeda, this new Dragon Age was a direct continuation of Inquisition, as we hunted down our treacherous pal, Solas, the titular Dreadwolf—at least until the game was renamed as The Veilguard. This connection to a game that, while not reaching the heights of Origins, had so many brilliant qualities reassured me. What an idiot.

I really tried to enjoy myself. God, I tried so hard. I attempted to find nuggets of joy within its hamfisted dialogue, one-note companions and the flashy but soulless fights. But I just couldn't do it. Every time there was a glimmer of hope, it was dashed against the rocks of infinite disappointment.

(Image credit: BioWare, Electronic Arts)
Honestly, I'm amazed I finished it. There was certainly a point where I was starting to feel like I'd rather do anything else than listen to a hot Grey Warden talk about his big dumb bird for the hundredth time, or play therapist to a giant dragon slayer who just wants to moan about how their mum doesn't understand them. These should have been great characters. A veteran knight reclaiming his order's lost legacy, a proud warrior wrestling with their cultural and gender identity—there's so much good stuff to mine here. But nope, they're just plain boring. All of them.

I'm beating a dead horse, I know. I've already said my piece. But it's just a real shame. When I got to the final cutscene that teased what we can expect from the next Dragon Age, it really sealed the deal. I'm out. BioWare just isn't telling stories I care about anymore. Instead of moping around, I'm moving on. BioWare had an exceptional run, but that developer is long gone. What's left is just an EA studio that makes middling games I'm not really interested in.

The silver lining, of course, is that all the claims about nobody wanting CRPGs proved to be complete nonsense. We've got plenty of them again, not least of which is Baldur's Gate 3. Waiting to find out what Larian's planning for us next, I feel like I'm that eager 19-year-old again. So instead of being bummed out about The Veilguard, I choose to be excited about what other developers are doing. I'm choosing optimism, it's just not directed towards BioWare.

 

[Fedora Master]

https://www.pcgamer.com/games/drago...24-was-the-year-i-finally-gave-up-on-bioware/

After years of holding out hope, 2024 was the year I finally gave up on BioWare​

The Veilguard was the very shiny, very pretty nail in the coffin.

After BioWare bid farewell to the Forgotten Realms following the modders' playground that was Neverwinter Nights, I—a fantasy-obsessed 19-year-old—was beyond excited to hear that it was building its own fantasy realm. The first screenshots of Dragon Age—which bore no resemblance to the game we eventually got—instantly became my desktop wallpaper. It took a long ass time, but when Origins finally materialised, it convinced me that it was more than worth the wait.

I was 24 when I at last got my hands on the RPG I was sure would reveal the future of the genre; the same year I decided to stop trying to find a real job and instead embarked on my questionable career as a videogame critic. Dragon Age: Origins was everything I'd hoped for, but I would have perhaps been less enthusiastic had I known that it served more as the conclusion of an era of exceptional CRPGs.

(Image credit: Future)
Every BioWare game since then has shifted further away from the design philosophy that had initially enthralled me. Dragon Age 2 with its rushed dungeons and action-RPG combat; Inquisition with its big open-world-inspired maps and reduced character agency; and of course the second and third Mass Effect games, which existed in a completely different RPG space.


I loved them all the same. Hawke's misadventures featured some of BioWare's strongest, boldest writing; Inquisition boasted an epic scope, companions I couldn't help become smitten with, and a brilliant extension of BG2's strongholds as you became the leader of the titular organisation; and while Mass Effect may have been a million miles away from the CRPGs of yore, Shep's quest to save the galaxy over and over again absolutely gripped me.

So as I mourned the loss of the old design, I still accepted that things had moved on. People didn't want CRPGs anymore, I kept being told. So I just accepted modernity and found plenty of things to love about the new games. These were still, ultimately, BioWare RPGs, after all.

(Image credit: EA)
With Andromeda, though, that all changed. I genuinely could not tell you a single character's name. I can't even be arsed looking them up. I just do not care. From a combat perspective, it was a decent shooter, but that's as much faint praise as I can muster. Dull story, forgettable characters and choices I didn't give a hoot about—it was the first BioWare game I didn't bother finishing. Until Anthem, anyway. I put maybe five hours into that multiplayer disaster before I just ejected forever.

Not my Thedas​

So I was simultaneously excited and extremely worried when BioWare announced that it was finally returning to Thedas. What changes were in store for us this time? Unlike Andromeda, this new Dragon Age was a direct continuation of Inquisition, as we hunted down our treacherous pal, Solas, the titular Dreadwolf—at least until the game was renamed as The Veilguard. This connection to a game that, while not reaching the heights of Origins, had so many brilliant qualities reassured me. What an idiot.

I really tried to enjoy myself. God, I tried so hard. I attempted to find nuggets of joy within its hamfisted dialogue, one-note companions and the flashy but soulless fights. But I just couldn't do it. Every time there was a glimmer of hope, it was dashed against the rocks of infinite disappointment.

(Image credit: BioWare, Electronic Arts)
Honestly, I'm amazed I finished it. There was certainly a point where I was starting to feel like I'd rather do anything else than listen to a hot Grey Warden talk about his big dumb bird for the hundredth time, or play therapist to a giant dragon slayer who just wants to moan about how their mum doesn't understand them. These should have been great characters. A veteran knight reclaiming his order's lost legacy, a proud warrior wrestling with their cultural and gender identity—there's so much good stuff to mine here. But nope, they're just plain boring. All of them.

I'm beating a dead horse, I know. I've already said my piece. But it's just a real shame. When I got to the final cutscene that teased what we can expect from the next Dragon Age, it really sealed the deal. I'm out. BioWare just isn't telling stories I care about anymore. Instead of moping around, I'm moving on. BioWare had an exceptional run, but that developer is long gone. What's left is just an EA studio that makes middling games I'm not really interested in.

The silver lining, of course, is that all the claims about nobody wanting CRPGs proved to be complete nonsense. We've got plenty of them again, not least of which is Baldur's Gate 3. Waiting to find out what Larian's planning for us next, I feel like I'm that eager 19-year-old again. So instead of being bummed out about The Veilguard, I choose to be excited about what other developers are doing. I'm choosing optimism, it's just not directed towards BioWare.

Not news + Nobody cares + You're Jewish

 

[Tyranicon]

After years of holding out hope, 2024 was the year I finally gave up on BioWare​

The Veilguard was the very shiny, very pretty nail in the coffin.

If you didn't already write this IP off after DA2 and Inquisition, I don't know what to tell you. Especially after BioWare produced nothing but flop after flop for years.

I'm actually fairly impressed that an EA-owned studio could push out 3 gigantic, watershed disasters (in a row) and still likely have the chance for a fourth.

 

[fantadomat]

After years of holding out hope, 2024 was the year I finally gave up on BioWare​

The Veilguard was the very shiny, very pretty nail in the coffin.

If you didn't already write this IP off after DA2 and Inquisition, I don't know what to tell you. Especially after BioWare produced nothing but flop after flop for years.

I'm actually fairly impressed that an EA-owned studio could push out 3 gigantic, watershed disasters (in a row) and still likely have the chance for a fourth.

Lets be honest,bioware never disappoints. All of their games are very entertaining,some as games....others as glorious dumpster fire watched from a far.

 

[Volourn]

DA2 had flaws, but it was still awesome. It also allowed you to make choices, has companions wuth personality, and big tits. I mean, your sister in the game was rather attractive.

Da4 is clearly shit.

 

[Gargaune]

DA2 had flaws, but it was still awesome.

Dragon Age 2 was utter shit and it should be altogether deleted from human history. It has no value as a work of art, as an entertainment product, nor even as a cautionary tale, and both it and Dragon Age 4 can be utter shit entirely independent of each other.

Also note that this isn't the alcohol talking. I have been drinking, but the alcohol and I have had a discussion and we're in agreement, I speak for both of us when I say that Dragon Age 2 is utter shit.

 

[Skinwalker]

DA2 had flaws, but it was still awesome.

Dragon Age Inquisition was utter shit and it should be altogether deleted from human history. It has no value as a work of art, as an entertainment product, nor even as a cautionary tale, and both it and Dragon Age 4 can be utter shit entirely independent of each other.

ftfy

 

[Volourn]

Da2 haters are clearly sjw nazis who are anti b00bies and freedom.

 

[Child of Malkav]

Dragon Age 2 was utter shit

And

Dragon Age Inquisition was utter shit and it should be altogether deleted from human history. It has no value as a work of art, as an entertainment product, nor even as a cautionary tale, and both it and Dragon Age 4 can be utter shit entirely independent of each other.

ftfy

 

[Skinwalker]

Dragon Age 2 was utter shit

And

Dragon Age Inquisition was utter shit and it should be altogether deleted from human history. It has no value as a work of art, as an entertainment product, nor even as a cautionary tale, and both it and Dragon Age 4 can be utter shit entirely independent of each other.

ftfy

Because DA2 was a hilarious failure. It has value as an example of how not to develop your video game: unrealistically large initial scope resulting in horribly underdeveloped environments, terrible pacing with that stupid three act structure, epitome of Bharvoware's meaningless choices, a failed attempt at using the Mass Effect protagonist and dialogue wheel formula (they had every opportunity to make it better, instead it became even worse somehow), and annoyingly preachy leftist writing (muh Chantry bad, muh Qunari have a point, muh poor oppressed mages who were actually practicing blood magic left and right but it's all the templars' fault anyway).

And the cheapest plot device in history: all the drama happens because the womynz in charge happens to go insane as a result of exposure to a magical thing that had thematically nothing to do with her whatsoever.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

isabella had massive tits tho

 

[Cael]

Dragon Age 2 was utter shit

And

Dragon Age Inquisition was utter shit and it should be altogether deleted from human history. It has no value as a work of art, as an entertainment product, nor even as a cautionary tale, and both it and Dragon Age 4 can be utter shit entirely independent of each other.

ftfy

Because DA2 was a hilarious failure. It has value as an example of how not to develop your video game: unrealistically large initial scope resulting in horribly underdeveloped environments, terrible pacing with that stupid three act structure, epitome of Bharvoware's meaningless choices, a failed attempt at using the Mass Effect protagonist and dialogue wheel formula (they had every opportunity to make it better, instead it became even worse somehow), and annoyingly preachy leftist writing (muh Chantry bad, muh Qunari have a point, muh poor oppressed mages who were actually practicing blood magic left and right but it's all the templars' fault anyway).

And the cheapest plot device in history: all the drama happens because the womynz in charge happens to go insane as a result of exposure to a magical thing that had thematically nothing to do with her whatsoever.

The magical thing was just the scapegoat. The woman in charge didn't need it to go insane. She was already well on her way to insanity before she got her hands on the magical doohickey, given what the Templars were doing to the Tranquil under her watch.

 

[Skinwalker]

The magical thing was just the scapegoat. The woman in charge didn't need it to go insane. She was already well on her way to insanity before she got her hands on the magical doohickey, given what the Templars were doing to the Tranquil under her watch.

Which makes the red lyrium completely redundant. "The cruel, oppressive military dictatrix has gotten possession of a magical thing that makes her even moar cruel and oppressive, oh no!"

It removes all agency from the main villain. The game's plot should have been about the mage vs templar seething eventually blowing up into an outright rebellion, with plenty of bad shit going on with both sides (templar abuse of tranquilization, mages actually practicing blood magic, templars justifying their abuse of trannyquilization by the mages' use of blood magic, mages justifying their use of blood magic by the templar abuse of tranquilization, etc). No need for an insanity device whatsoever. But then, nothing would tie anything that Hawke does in the first act to the rest of the game.

They wanted to also have the Qunari but couldn't think of a way to organically weave them into the plot, so the game was segmented into three isolated acts with tension-destroying timeskips between them. What a trainwreck.

 

[markec]

PC Gamer playing for both teams.

 

[Fedora Master]

DA2 had flaws, but it was still awesome. It also allowed you to make choices, has companions wuth personality, and big tits. I mean, your sister in the game was rather attractive.

Da4 is clearly shit.

You're goddamn retarded

 

[Assisted Living Godzilla]

PC Gamer playing for both teams.

View attachment 59244

It looks like they put two jeweled butt plugs in that skeletons eye sockets.

 

[Konjad]

tbh Veilguard is one of my favorite games of this year too, it gave me more entertainment than many games i've played.

 

[Gargaune]

Dragon Age 2 was utter shit

And

Dragon Age Inquisition was utter shit and it should be altogether deleted from human history. It has no value as a work of art, as an entertainment product, nor even as a cautionary tale, and both it and Dragon Age 4 can be utter shit entirely independent of each other.

ftfy

Because [...]

1. Skinwalker

 

[Poseidon00]

I'm gonna farm so many shit ratings my account will be considered a holy river in the Hindu religion. But I stand by it. Man was not meant to game on a typewriter.

There are some games that just play better with a console controller, I use one all the time for them. But no idea about the Dragon Age series, I just could not get into it.

Dragon Age Origin is fucking terrible on a controller. It didn’t need to be, (Knights of the Old Republic worked just fine on a controller) but BioWare redid the combat to function more like an action game and what they turned out ended up playing like a terrible action game. But it sold better than the PC version, which is probably why Dragon Age 2 went the way it did with its combat system. Console Origin feels like an even worse version of Dragon Age 2 combat.

I thought DA2 combat was actually pretty good. it's just a better version of Origins combat.

There's actually not a hell of a lot wrong with what BioWare did in terms of combat throughout their games. They'd been fishing around for a more action-ey combat style since KOTOR and they'd tried various angles, sometimes failing (NWN/2 control systems) sometimes succeeding (DA2/DAI).

NWN and KOTOR have a far more preferable style of combat than DA2/DAI. KOTOR's combat animations look orders of magnitude better than DA2/DAI's generic slashing in the vague direction of the enemy.

 

[Skinwalker]

Dragon Age 2 was utter shit

And

Dragon Age Inquisition was utter shit and it should be altogether deleted from human history. It has no value as a work of art, as an entertainment product, nor even as a cautionary tale, and both it and Dragon Age 4 can be utter shit entirely independent of each other.

ftfy

Because [...]

1. Skinwalker

Have fun making a list of everyone who has ever played DA2.