The article was not talking about Bioware games only, it was talking about EA as a publisher, literally just a few sentences onwards it mentions Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which released last year, so not just a bunch of old games as per your post.
So I tried the game first for an hour....the arrr way. Showed my wife and she said let's gets this on ps5. So bought it and about 5 hours in.
Game is good not the best thing I have ever played but really solid. Combat is basically out of hogwarts legacy as a mage which is a good thing because that is the best part of that game. Graphics and game stabilty are like 10/10. Story could be better but it's enjoyable enough, I think the voice actors sound squeaky and the can get irritating which ruin the story a bit.
Worse thing for me is I am huge rpg fan and it is missing all the things I like about an rpg. I like spending an hour in menus optimizing ever aspect of my character and this is missing. My wife on the other hand hates optimizing characters so it's easier for her.
I am having fun haven't seen any woke stuff...yet. As an old school DA fan I can see the irritation with this game but for a new comer to DA I think you would enjoy the game more. Once I am further in I will give updates but so far so good.
I'm the same as your wife in this situation, I never played any of the other games, Dragon Age is just what the game is called to me.
While I do enjoy a proper full fat RPG every once in a while I am enjoying the RPG lite experience of this without feeling I need to min max everything because I get really into that stuff with other games.
No, I'm saying that EA/Bioware knew that after 10 years of development and with the hindsight of recent AAA games being undone by push back from gamers that they would need to control the narrative at launch, hence the well reported on review copy controversy.
They are not the first to do it and they wont be the last.
Well, enraged is a strong word. I prefer apathetic towards the game itself and mildly concerned about where gaming in general is headed.
I think its pretty apparent here that you've ignored most of my last 2 posts where I spell out exactly what my issues with the game are since you keep coming back to one reason as being the only deciding factor. I wont be repeating it for the 3rd time.
I never said there wasn't an audience for complete drek. People have been shoveling the latest Marvel movies into the eyes/brains for decades now, which is proof alone that consumers will consume....to a point.
Game companies are interested in making money. Studios are majorly funded by large corporate investors with certain DEI qualifiers that result in the need to push equity targets. This is no secret.
As a result certain ideologically obsessed individuals find their way into the industry. These individuals do not care about making money for said companies, they are interested in pushing their narratives and are often not picked on merit.
Unfortunately these narratives dont sell games and often result in a poor return on investment.
The game as a whole is underperforming based on the metrics that have been shown to date (e.g. Steam concurrent players) versus expected hype around such a massive franchise in development for 10 years.
So while people may not care about the LGBTQ elements they are certainly not buying the game in their droves...why is that?
The game is EA's biggest game ever on steam. Under performing is simply wrong. Not smashing absolute records sure but no one has claimed it would.
Game has big positive user ratings on all of steam, PlayStation and Xbox. The places were it has long user scores are rating sites that allow reviews with no proof of game ownership.
For those with an agenda it needed to do bg3 numbers or multiplayer numbers to be successful . If that is the new standard only 5 games a year will be successful.
Cyberpunk in its present state is probably one of the best PC games ever made... not to mention that Phantom liberty is only about a year old.
I would play Dragon Age tomorrow, but at the price of current games, am waiting for the steam discount. Just like a lot of people currently playing Cyberpunk I'll wager.
I got it on EA so at least it was 100 bucks less than on steam
I spent about 7 hours on the game and I've had enough
It's not good
I'm going to skip over the tranny stuff, it's there, it's bad and modern garbage like that just doesn't fit in this fantasy setting, but it's been discussed enough. Yes, it is as intrusive as you thought it would be
So
The combat is passable. It's very cinematic, but extremely basic. It's Witcher 3 levels of basic.
Once you've seen all the cool animations, it becomes as monotonous as you'd think it will
Companions may as well not be there. I only use them to heal me on occasion. Beyond that they do very little and most of the time the enemies completely ignore them and lock on to you even as companions kinda sorted attack them
May as well be a horde shooter
The companions?
Terrible. No personality. Written like they are children. There is a entire quest to take one of them out for coffee. I **** you not. A Demon possessed assassin wants to go for coffee.
There is a chick with one leg missing. She has a metal prosthetic. A metal prosthetic that constantly assaults your ears as she walks around clinking everywhere
Harding has been butchered. In DA:I she was endearing. Here she is just annoying.
There are two personalities. Bubbly and childish! or broody and moody.
I hate them all
The writing
well
This is a fantasy setting that takes place in a arguably medieval time period
We were talking with someone who said they may possibly end up dead
One of my dialogue options were
'oof'
****ing OOF
That's when I quit the game and immediately uninstalled
Doubt I will succeed, but I will push for a refund regadless
This game is a mess
While I do enjoy a proper full fat RPG every once in a while I am enjoying the RPG lite experience of this without feeling I need to min max everything because I get really into that stuff with other games.
It's clear that they still have a lot of talent. But the game direction is driven by those with agendas. The writing is clearly curated to avoid offending, which in itself goes against everything Dragon Age (and Bioware), given that conflict has always been core to their RPGs...
Level ART is fantastic, not level design. Which I would easily agree with.
Along with the Hair Physics and character creator, are some of the few highlights of the game.
Music is mostly good, but the use of the music is hit or miss. Sometimes they play this epic music, but the visuals do not match it.
Then there are the scenes with what I can only call Disney music, which I hate for a DA game, fortunately they only appear with Bellara.
The level design is simplistic, tiny and linear. Limiting the scope all the puzzles can have. Literally pick up a thing 3 meters away from where you place it.
Like some "puzzles" you walk up to the area, and you immediately can see both the gem to pick up and the pedestal to place it at the same time.
Like why even bother at that point.
The level art team could make levels look good because the level scale is minuscule.
This was the primary complaint against DA2. Levels were small & linear with many being re-used.
Companions in DA:VG make comments like "Looks like this is the right way" when you literally only have one path you can take.
Blocking off areas with immersion breaking glowing barriers that literally tell you, you can't go there yet.
Would have been better if the entire area was mostly open to you and instead of immersion breaking barriers, just have physical obstacles you need special unlockable abilities to cross them, like how most other games have done it since idk Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver from 1999.
There is also too much telling, not enough showing. For example, like the Rook backstory, you get told who you are.
Would have been much more interesting if you have a few mini missions with time jumps in between,
That give you the opportunity to establish who your character is through decisions.
The constant affirmation that you are just amazing and perfect is also grating. Especially by Varrick. Like dude, you literally fought dragons, a Darkspawn invasion and a man who literally aspired to god hood and here you are worshipping at the feet of some rookie. As the kids would say, the glazing is insane.
The game uses these older characters only as ham-fisted tools to glorify the new characters. "Oh, if Varrick is impressed by them, they must REALLY be amazing."
There is also so much hand holding, like for example in combat, you have visual ESP indicators showing who is targeting you with a ranged attack, then also companions continuously callout "From ranged", so you don't even look at the enemies, you are not even taking in their animation ques or nothing. Also, the ESP warning for AOE spells is just not the right way to do it. DA:VG feels too game-ified. Sure, it is a game, but Veilgaurd makes no attempt to immerse you in the word, constantly reminded this is a game.
When more than 2-3 spell casters are present, it just becomes a cluster *uck with the number of special effects.
Modern western devs need to learn "less is more" when it comes to special effects.
I mean compare DA:VG to Dragons Dogma 2 and its plain to see, one dev knows how to create special effects without being obnoxious.
Even Dragon age Inquisition did it better and that game already started to have some of these obnoxious spell effects.
I do not like any companions, more of a competition who I dislike the most, if I had to choose, Bellara is the most annoying followed by Neve. Bellara because of the cutesy wootsy, whimsy dimsy, oopsie doopsie, oh so silly behavior. Neve because the lines and the delivery of the lines are just 100% cringe.
Also why does Harding unlock and use magic abilities before you have her companion side quest to unlock them??
Lasty the redesigned demons and darkspawn are downgrades imo. Especially the pride demon.
End of the day, this game feels more like an adventure game masquerading as an RPG. The Rook character can only be one archetype.
You do not have your own personality; you are a sounding board for other characters. Mindlessly trudging forward on a quest, I could not care about if you paid me. This game is confused about what it is trying to be. Wants to be serious dark Fantasy but the art style works against that, wants to be an RPG but you are given no freedom to choose. Wants to be a portrayal of Thedas, a medieval fantasy work, but the dialogue places it squarely in 2020s. Wants to be taken seriously but at every turn there is no serious consequences. I mean, why even have balancing beams to cross if there is no way to fail crossing them??
Watched someone stream a full playthrough on my second screen while I am busy with my 100th Baldur's Gate 2 playthrough.
So frustrating seeing how this game is, because I would have liked to have another RPG to enjoy.
TLDR. If it was disconnected from the Dragon age universe, it would be ok as a game. Not bad but not great either.
However, as a Dragon Age sequel, when you consider the past titles. It falls way short.
I think what it boils down to is that although it looks big in scope, it's not
Does not come close to the complexity in plot like in Inquisition
There is no intrigue, political backstabbing, choosing who you need as allies and who you need to eliminate as threats
No big army you amass. I also miss the mission table in Inquisition where you had little side choices to make which end up affecting your game
(At least, in the time spent with it nothing like this is in Veilguard)
It's just mundane. Almost boring.
Just think back on the mountain scene in Inquisition where everyone thought you were dead only for you to appear on the horizon.
Lelliana singing at the campfire to lift everyone's spirits, one by one everyone starts singing along and then that final moment that orchestral music kicks in
Goosebumps
Inquisition was filled with epic moments like those that made you feel important to the plot.
Veilguard has none of that
Like you said. Rook is forced into the story with exposition and you must just accept your character is super important even though nothing happens to establish the character as such
Now that I think back on the big moments in Inquisition - Veilguard actually fekking sucks
I think what it boils down to is that although it looks big in scope, it's not
Does not come close to the complexity in plot like in Inquisition
There is no intrigue, political backstabbing, choosing who you need as allies and who you need to eliminate as threats
No big army you amass. I also miss the mission table in Inquisition where you had little side choices to make which end up affecting your game
(At least, in the time spent with it nothing like this is in Veilguard)
It's just mundane. Almost boring.
Just think back on the mountain scene in Inquisition where everyone thought you were dead only for you to appear on the horizon.
Lelliana singing at the campfire to lift everyone's spirits, one by one everyone starts singing along and then that final moment that orchestral music kicks in
Goosebumps
Inquisition was filled with epic moments like those that made you feel important to the plot.
Veilguard has none of that
Like you said. Rook is forced into the story with exposition and you must just accept your character is super important even though nothing happens to establish the character as such
Now that I think back on the big moments in Inquisition - Veilguard actually fekking sucks
Begs the question, who was this made for? The casual fan who checks IGN for reviews on new games is my bet. They obviously tried to play it super safe whilst also trying to please a modern audience.
Sales seem good so it is a win for them perhaps but doesn't bode well for future games as they will copy paste this formula if they deem it successful.
Begs the question, who was this made for? The casual fan who checks IGN for reviews on new games is my bet. They obviously tried to play it super safe whilst also trying to please a modern audience.
Sales seem good so it is a win for them perhaps but doesn't bode well for future games as they will copy paste this formula if they deem it successful.
This for me is the biggest thing. As much as I love DA and haven't had an issue with the previous games, I love ME more. They've already fcked up ME once, they absolutely cannot do it again. If they do, I will swear this company off forever...
