I saw a bluesky thread where he said he won't be playing the game because it would be unfair to both himself, AND to the current team as he would have his own expectations :( Im just sad he's gone. I really hope he might get the rights to Dragon Age back with his new game studio for the next games ...
@kamrynhende he did say he will play it eventually, but he won't share his thoughts because that would be unfair. He did say, though, that if he knew the Well of Sorrows would have only an impact in the Inquisition, he would make a bigger deal out of it back then 🫠
@@pativi6643That statement from Gaider alone speaks volumes. If he were confident the game was good, he could just openly give his honest opinion. But even Gaider knows they messed up.
@@pativi6643 It's doubly a shame because it was meant to have an impact in the sequel, even within Veilguard, but the world state choice was cut; still has strings left. In fact, Veilguard has a lot of cut or unfinished content, even stuff like hair showing under helmets (hence the sock helmets). It's such a bummer.
@,erlylvsm Yep, I saw all the datamined bits. The fact that there are bits in the gamecode that show that the Well of Sorrows were supposed to be included, or Inky's class says that they were supposed to have a much bigger involvement in the game. Even early datamined notes did say that Inky was supposed to act to Rook as a mentor and boss, recruiting them to act on their behalf to stop Solas, because Inky has too much fame. Charter was supposed to act as a mouthpiece between Rook and the Inquisition. It was a good concept, and it makes so much more sense considering how Trespasser ended and the threat the Thedas was facing - and in the Veilguard Inky only sends Varric and Harding - like?
This is by far the best review of Veilguard so far. Spot on. Beyond words. I just want to cry. I have tried to make many of the points you have made and not been able to. Why does the whole game feel like a disrespectful retcon of the lore? Because it is! Literally one of the first encounters in the game - with those Veilguards - had me jumping in my seat in disbelief, how the frick did those elves know or even think those two gods are evil? Like, we literally just learned this from Solas, how... who...? It was the most immersive breaking thing. I have been crying through your video. This is goodbye to the Dragon Age lore and world and franchise after all that love since the release of Dragon Age: Origins. My most beloved series, the one to which I measured every other RPG. It is insane that it game to this, and it is immesurably sad. Thank you for making this video! T_T PS. The only thing I have a rebuttal for is that they actually try to somewhat explain the "demon in non mage" by detailing some crazy venatori blood mage and potion experiments. It's not deep, not it's a try XD
right there with you. I did finish it, and I've just been immersing myself in the fandom since to find other people who feel the same because it's just too sad to deal with alone.
This is why the game needed the origin stories for the different Rook’s. A Veil Jumpers origin story could have explained how Strife and Irelin learned the truth of the Evanuris and hint at how far that truth had spread. A Shadow Dragon origin could have explained more of the Venatori story from the past 10 years. Also, the fact that they didn’t have any missions into the upper city was stupid.
Refreshing to see an (excellent) good-faith critique from an actual fan and lore expert. It’s hard to parse through the anti-woke reactionaries and the toxically positive fans that can’t stop coping. It’ll be really interesting to see how DAV ages in the fandom’s eyes. I don’t think it’ll have a positive reevaluation like DA2 has had. Because as flawed as DA2 was from a design standpoint, the story, characters, and lore were still (mostly) fantastic.
The soundtrack comparison was nostalgia-inducing. In each of those games I would sit in the opening screen and soak in the music. Inon Zur's Dragon Age: Origins still gives me chills. It breaks my heart to see how far Dragon Age has fallen.
Great critique - you're the first critique vid I've seen that mentions how ridiculous it is that we can walk physically in the fade and there's no reaction. Really interesting points about the live action carry overs, I don't play those so wasn't as clear to me, it just felt that the game play mechanics felt off. I was so hyped when the reveal video that you appended first came out - sobering how many people involved in that left or were firing, really makes it clear that the drop off in experience led to questionable decisions and writing
It bothers me people forget that the companions brought with you on “Here Lies the Abyss” are physically in the fade. Never explained how. Oh… and the Divine was physically in the fade too. She sacrificed her life to ensure you escaped. The Tevinter magisters did too. They only got messed up because they let the blight out. I’m not seeing a problem
I'm glad to see someone not afraid to thoroughly criticize the companions, especially Neve. She's one of the most disappointing and boring characters for me and the line delivery is awful.
I think my least favorite taash line is when taash(I think talking about the antaam) states “they go hard.” It is just absolute modern/millennial cringe and taash speaks like that ALL the time. It is incredibly immersive breaking. Other characters also do it to an extent but taash is probably the worst offender. I think this very modern type of speech that is prevalent in the game (and not just a joke throwaway line here and there) is a big part of what makes veilguard feel like fanfiction to me
Your review puts into words what I felt while playing Veilguard. Veilguard does not take place in the same world as the other games. It’s a fever dream. What also irks me is that Solas said his people need him in Trespasser. He cared for his people most of all. In Veilguard, it’s more about Mythal is the reason for his actions. His whole purpose changed between the games?
I was bothered by how his "memories" were all him sacrificing spirits so casually. Seeing them as cannon fodder and never really grieving lost friends was so out of character from him in Inquisition.
My friend, these were the devnotes for the meeting between Solas and FleMythal at the end of the Inquisition: Designer's Notes: This is Flemeth from the previous two games. In this game, Flemeth's story comes to a head -- she knew that Solas would summon her, and that he would need to steal her power to further his plans. She knew that because they are both elven gods...yet Solas has slept for a thousand years and his power dwindled, while she was killed long ago and a spark escaped from her into the body she now holds. She has nurtured that spark, and knew that Solas would need it. He was once her oldest friend, but she knows in his drive to save the elven people he will kill anyone -- even her. She intends to let him have the power, so long as she can pass the essence of her god-hood onto Morrigan, a gift Flemeth had always planned for her daughter yet one Morrigan misunderstood as hostile possession. Both FleMythal's and Solas' motivations have been changed, which is why it is so jarring for players who were following this story in a more-than-a-surface level. Flemeth was also shouting in the Inquisition to Morrigan and Inky: "[Mythal] came to me for a reckoning that will shake the very heavens! (you mean... like the Veil coming down? It was so clear that FleMythal knew Solas' plans and had her own agenda in these plans) She was betrayed, as I was betrayed! As the world was betrayed! Mythal clawed and crawled her way through the ages to me and I will see her avenged!".
They did the exact same thing with Mass Effect: Andromeda. Watered down the writing, favored the online service route, moved so far away from the any of the lore in the previous entries, with a time skip (at least ME:A reasoned it with a 600 year gap) but it’s just like wow, how do you fumble so bad with all the material in front of you, twice. The potential was right there. So many times playing Veilguard, I was like ooh finally, THIS is gonna stir things up, or this person is DEFINITELY going to say something about this, and then… nothing. And to say it’s because they wanted new players, I don’t buy it at all. We’re in the fourth entry of the series, and this one is coming off a cliffhanger from the last. WHY WOULD THIS BE THE TIME TO DEDICATE A GAME TO NEW PLAYERS? And to do it in such a unfulfilling way. Might as well have had Solas actually complete the ritual, and cause the world changing calamity that sets up a new story entirely. But I digress. I’m disheartened, disappointed, confused, and tired. It’s just a real shame.
All they had to do was not call it dragon age, i legit would have thought of it as a meh game that was kinda cringe every now and again but as a dragon age fan I automatically had higher standards
This game is a perfect example of not understanding or caring who is one's true players and fans. This was a grab to try and pull in a new younger audiance of players at the cost of all the loyal generations that were fans before. Our choices being dismissed and reduced down to three is a slap in the face. But at least there is Baldur's Gate 3 to help dry our tears. If you want to still play this, Steam has a way to share games with a friend or family memember you trust. Don't pay full price for this game. Buy it on sale if you have to, vote with your wallet because apparently that's all EA worries about or understand.
Agreed with you, 100%. I had fun playing it mostly? it was pretty but it wasn't an RPG and it didn't feel like Dragon Age at all. It has zero replayability (since the combat is so repetitive and there isn't really a role playing aspect), so I've played it and now I guess I'm done with the franchise, which is sad after so many years.The abandon with which they threw so much lore and so many characters and old stories out the window was kind of shocking to me.
18:21 This is what was missing in the game. We visit two Chantries in the game. One in Minrathous and one in Treviso. Yet, not a single Chantry sister (or brother in Tevinter) or Revered Mother (Father) was to be found in the game. Also, you are right about the end of Trespasser. Where are all the Agents of Fen'harel?
@@jonathanweed6683I was so looking forward to religious debate, discussion and banter specifically about Tevinter style andrastrianism due to how radically different it is to Southern Thedas adrastrianism! Why set the game in Tevinter which has always been talk about having a radically different culture than the south (a lot of the south’s culture seems to be collective trauma informed retributive practices against Tevinteren culture…which would have also been cool to see discussed in game from at least one companion) if you’re not…going to actually showcase that culture…warts (slavery, magi supremacy and imperial assimilation of peoples) and beauty (gender egalitarianism in religious roles, architecture and more ability to experiment with magic (which can get disastrous and still allows for more thorough exploration and thus new ways to practice magic))…we wanted to see the culture and discussions!
I just finished by playthrough a few days ago, and it feels like a dream that I can barely remember. I waited a decade for a game that I forgot in less than a week. This video made me realize why. So much of Thedas's depth and nuance was flushed down the toilet.
This review makes me so very livid! Every time you made a point, I was angry! Because everything you said de-tangled my thoughts in a way my frustrated brain would not be able to but felt with all its fury. I waited for over 10 years, I could have waited for more for something a little more DA worthy.
3:00 "popcorn pleasing sort of fantasy Marvel level media" is the BEST way to describe this lol. Saying you enjoyed yet hate the game at the same time is exactly how I feel. When i disassociated the game from Dragon Age, I enjoyed it. But once I started getting back into the questions I have regarding the Dragon Age Universe, I started to get frustrated. I replayed DAO and DA2 a stupid amount of times, feeling unique each time. I'm on my second playthrough with Veilguard and I'm both having fun yet struggling. This is honestly one of the best reviews I've listened to so far. I love how you don't outright hate the game. Even from the beginning where you discuss that you're here to play for good narrative and lore discussion, I knew this review would be a good one, as I felt that is what I'm missing from Veilguard ... the lack of dialogue and storytelling content, which long time DA fans are typically expecting in a DA game. I just couldn't understand how we went from 3 (plus DLC) DA games that pretty much CENTERED around heavier and in-depth topics on religion, social customs, cultures, etc. to just ... being okay with everything and going forward? The game felt very black and white, good vs evil. I miss when the games felt challenging on a moral level, where some decisions REALLY changed the narrative of the story and how the world and your companions saw you.
It's not a good game full stop. Its competently made and has high quality production values and...... thats about it. The story and gameplay are both boring and flawed on a fundamental level.
You hit every nail on the head! Especially music.. it’s so bad. It doesn’t evoke any emotion from me but when the inquisition music would slip in the game, it was like an instant flashback. I noticed that even the sound design with magic and stuff is reused from mass effect. The flame staff has the ‘meteor’ sound from ME1.. also yes to the dialogue! Everyone talks like you’re two, like we get it! It’s the GODS! lol They don’t care about the lore at all. They literally called it andraste temple when you first visit dock town and not chantry. It took me out of the game so fast
There is actually an in universe reason for it having a different name in Tevinter. It isn’t the chantry. Tevinter has its own version of the chantry and the Templars. They have their own divine. Do you REALLY think Tevinter would embrace a doctrine that calls them stupid and sinful and the reason for all the world’s suffering? Sorry champ, this one’s on you. You haven’t been paying attention to the lore, nothing to do with the writers. Edit: in fact, Tevinter is a direct analogue to Imperial Rome, right down to the head of its faith always being male. The Tevinter Divine is ALWAYS a male, to set him apart from the Divine in the rest of Thedas. The religion itself is called Andrastianism, practiced in the Temples of Andraste. It is obviously RELATED to the Orleasian Andrastianism practiced in the rest of Thedas, and is considered a schismatic breakaway by the Orleasian Chantry, a historical nod to the time that France sacked Rome and kidnapped the pope for 100 years and the Papacy was based in Avignon, but more or less was dismissed by the other Catholic nations as simply being a tool of French influence. The lore isn’t even hidden. In Dorian’s companion quest involving his father, the whole thing kicks off after Mother Giselle receives a letter asking for her assistance in the family matter. Dorian speculates his father sent the letter to Mother Giselle because she serves a “similar role” to the fathers of the Tevinter church
@ except divine is still divine and chantry is still chantry. They just put imperial in front of it. And they definitely wouldn’t call it andraste temple considering they don’t like andraste. She was literally fighting them back in the day. hence why they have a male divine.
Thank you! The music was incredibly disappointing for me. It was so incredibly generic and felt like mostly background or ambient music. It held no emotion whatsoever. As much as I miss Trevor Morris I’m glad his name wasn’t tied to this subpar game 😅
I would love to see how Veilguard was developed. But I suppose we only get that with good games. Repurposing a live service game to be a single player RPG was just a bad idea. The foundation for this game is bad, and it should have just been scrapped. I don't think this game does any service to the franchise. It has done more harm than good. The few good things that we did get are completely overshadowed by how bland and boring the game is. With that said, even if we got a full fledged game, I doubt the current devs care enough about the lore and the game's history to create a product of service. This game felt nothing like Dragon Age, and more about "this is how we want to do things now." To save on money, they could have gotten rid of Rook's voice actor, and just have your choices be what characters react to (like in Origins and BG3). I think what's most telling is how we as gamers are willing to put up with a "bad" game if the story, characters, and music can carry the game. Combat in Origins was mad clunky, Dragon Age 2 felt unfinished, and Inquisition was WAY WAY TOO grindy, with way too many side quests, and yet, we have fond memories of those games because the characters, the story, and the music carried us through the bad parts of the game. Objectively speaking, Veilguard is a competent game. But the characters, the story, the music, the dialogue, everything about this game is just not good enough to carry the Dragon Age name. This doesn't feel like a Dragon Age game. This game should have been it's own separate story, with nothing to do with Dragon Age characters. I personally believe if this game didn't carry the Dragon Age moniker, it would have done. But EA Bioware got greedy, and wanted to use the fan's loyalty to sell a rebranded product. As a result, Dragon Age might actually be finished, and it went out with a wimper.
After making my bf pirate veilguard for me (i refuse to pay for that) i was complaining about how different it was and he hit me with "well when was the last time you played the last one? Maybe it's always been like that" i needed to know i wasn't insane. So i then re-downloaded inquisition and played through that. Man. It's so wildly different and truly sad. I think dragon age is dead after this installment, really.
Ah. The woke stuff was really 10 minutes in a 60 hour game. The problem of veilguard was the director decision to strip out all the grit and darkness and conflict, making everyone "nice"
What are you talking about? Every single review says the gameplay and the mechanics and the puzzles and the story and the combat are all mediocre without even having to talk about the identity politics
"woke bad" is a genuine and comprehensive critique of the game. People who complain about this mostly just showcase their own intellectual failing to comprehend the critique.
@@TheNSJaws I think the oversimplification is why people who dont get the criticism brush it off as simply people being sexist, racist etc. Hell it might be true of those whom simply parrot woke bad. However there is a deeper problem that this game thankfully exhibits that we can point at when it comes to mediocre identity politic driven garbage.
My favourite asset reuse was how every single building in Treviso had a portrait of either Celene or Gaspard despite the South's political situation apparently being totally irrelevant. Honestly if asset reuse had been done thoughtfully in a way that let them build more unique environments while saving resources I'd have had no issue with it. But it really was egregious.
As articulated from the perspective of the ancient wisdom of elven gods from the leader of the scholars of such wisdom: "Shit. If this game was delivered by the same nascent dev team which tried to supplant an RPG studio w a looter shooter live service, that explains a lot." This has become my favorite look into how V was a failure- watched it in entirety. The side-by-side lore and dialog contrasts of DA v V, or V v genuine RPGs, was exceptionally poignant w great surgically pinpointed examples from game footage. I knew they were playing fast and loose w the lore, but this went the full distance to disclose it. Once I saw the hostility in the new dev team toward the franchise and its fans, I could never play it on principle, so I'll never know just how bad the departures were. They've already put it on sale, but at 90% off I wouldn't dare touch it for the damage it does to canon. So many excellent insights I can't echo in entirety. For me the biggest "red flag" of V is the lore/gameworld-destroying stuff that sticks out like an elephant standing on the player's toe: the bitter breakup letters from our ex-protagonist telling how "the South" is being summarily wiped from the map and the epilogue reveal about EA "Execs" that wipes the previous games (and V) from relevance beyond the moves of pawns in a larger chess game. That damage to Thedas and its story is far too sweeping and arbitrary and completely unearned. From that every other slap in the face then appears to come from a similar source, particularly the removal of reference to previous games: a dev team that resents the work of the previous dev team and the players who enjoyed that team's work. I wouldn't doubt it if they were pissed at that team for largely abandoning ship- at Gaider more than the others (despite his ironic defense of the game)- and at the players for rejecting Anthem.
I wish I had paid attention to the neon warning signs about this game (as you did) and never bought it. I wish I had made the decision to stop playing it when after a couple hours I was no longer having fun, but I forced myself to finish it because it was a dragon age game, but for what? To feel hollow and hurt and angry after? Looking back, I wouldn’t play this game for free. It’s already uninstalled. You made the right choice. Genuinely I would pay to have this game and how it massacred the worldbuilding and lore of thedas erased from my brain
I’ve completed every Dragon Age multiple times, including all DLC, yet I have no interest in The Veilguard. After Andromeda and Anthem I vowed to never pre order another BioWare game preferring to wait on reviews. Given the reviews we’ve seen from UA-camrs with integrity I stand by my decision not to buy this game.
The companion quests reminds me of Liam's loyalty mission from ME: Andromeda. It was some weird quippy, Star Wars fanfic mission about helping him help someone who helped him go behind my back, steal resources, and essentially hinder my mission as Pathfinder. I wanted to space him so bad but I had no option to boot him from the team. The only thing I could do was just not choose him for missions.
As a gamer who is not overly conservative and can handle playing games with a diverse cast I could never quite put the finger on why I felt so disappointed and annoyed playing Veilguard. This video explains it all nicely, I can finally see what exactly I was missing. Thank you!
@@MarwolfAeducan 10 whole years, although this game wasn't in development for 10 years. What makes it worse, is for some reason, they didn't understand that if we waited for 10 years, what is a few more years to give us something we'd truly enjoy? Honestly though, even if they had 2 more years, it's clear the devs who worked on it didn't respect or even understand the lore, so I doubt anymore time would have given us a better product if it was made by the same people.
Excellent video, from beginning to end. Just a little mention here. 1:35:32, Mark Darrah returned to Bioware and was part of Veilguard's team, and he is very happy with how Veilguard resulted to be (very disappointing, if you ask me).
I’m so glad that enough time has finally passed that people can post nuanced critiques of the game! The whole woke discourse and then the reactionary defense of the game was so tiring. I’ve been looking for critiques like this and it’s hard to weed out the wokism ones (and also difficult to weed out the people who praise the game because they are still in the honeymoon phase/excited by the novelty of the game but not looking at it critically).
Almost every review out there does that. Come on, this is very disingenuous. Since the very first negative reviews, Skill Up and Mr Matty plays, both of them criticized the game, and there wasn't any single time they mentioned the wokeness of it (tho, even if you like it or not, the "woke" is a big source and reason for the lack of quality of Veilguard).
Agree with all your points - except for calling Lucanis Italian 😂 they’re analogues for Spain in the Iberian peninsula. They speak Spanish constantly and the voice actors are all Hispanic loooolll
Me, 30 seconds in: DA2 really gets no love ;.; yet will always be unapologetically my favorite. I'm a sucker for a good tragedy. I want my heroes to suffer for their heroics apparently, lol! In seriousness, excited to watch this. It'll be years before I play this game, since I want to replay the others beforehand and I still haven't finished Inquisition first time through (I pre-ordered it in 2014, lmao). So I figure spoiling it for myself won't make a difference, I'll forget it all before I actually buy it on sale down the line!
While Origins is my favorite in the franchise, DA2 is, actually, my close second favorite. I love Origins and DA2 a lot. Inquisition is the one I just...like, but it wasn't that great for me (not bad either), but still way better than Veilguard (this game is not even Dragon Age for me).
Well done video thanks for the effort. It seems a larger channels and smaller are all saying the same thing. Pretty much everything I've noticed that really hurts to see. Because of the astronomical amount of mythos and lore the original dragon age games was built on, it was always so Immersive to play. To throw all that away on terrible companions and bad writing is heartbreaking.
its a small thing but when the game talks about the lords of fortune, a group of treasure hunters and pirates, but they actually care more about cultural sensitivity than making money, that was the drop that filled the cup for me, too much BS, lile what? this is not dragon age, this is a cheap spin off written by amateur fanfic harry potter writers that only care about their modern politics and opinions, its like the game was done by and for that specific group of people everyone hates, and this is coming from an lgbt person that actually has a brain and doesnt agree with them
I really think the outcome to Wicked Hearts, Wicked Eyes with the best results is reuniting Celene and Briala. It leads to the most stable government possible, and with Celene’s political influence and Briala’s spies, ensuring the restoration of Orlais’ internal security is swift. Celene also reforms Orlais and raises Briala to the nobility. Elven discrimination eases. I mean for Dragon Age, this result is terrifyingly optimistic.
Agree on all points. I dont mind a few retcons if they allow for some epic story moments that are otherwise impossible to pull off. But it really bothered me that there were no slaves anywhere, no extreme racism against elves (which should have been exacerbated by the ELVEN GODS massacring Thedas). The pirates were not pirates. The assassins (who train slave kids, half of whom die) were all warm hearted defenders of their home. The Dalish should have been divided in turmoil at the revelations of who their gods were, with many flocking to E+G. It also bothered me that all characters (companions and factions) were "nice", supportive, with zero darkness and no conflict with Rook or Eachother. They are all "GoTeam" all the time. And the game never really established why Rook was leading at all. Solas clearly knew who he was. So it wasnt because he was unknown. I can only assume Rook takes the lead because he is the most competent fighter? I wish there was some kind of prologue where we see Rook bond with Verric, and show some quality that makes Rook best to lead. I still really enjoyed Veilguard. For what it was. Itnwas beautifully made, with some nice lore tying together dwarves and elves. The cinematics were great, and the main story better than most games. I just wish it felt like Thedas. You know? Thedas? A place so grim that it's dangerous and heartbreaking on a good day.
I hear you, the game wasn't a "bad" game, but it wasn't a Dragon Age game. I feel that's why everyone hates it. Not because the game is completely incompetent, but because we were sold a Dragon Age game, but what we got was Guardian's of the Galaxy Veilguard.
Playing through the first two games. Its hard for me to give a fair criticism since I havent played the game and probably wont knowing they erased most of the lore and doesnt match the tone of my beloved franchise. I will say what disappoints me though. I am disappointed that all that fantastic world building was ignored and that the story developed through our gameplay meant nothing. Its the same shit that ruined the Star Wars sequels. So many fantastic plot threads that we where following hand waved. It makes me so mad as it was a series I was looking forward to seeing how the story progressed but no longer. I can now only go back and enjoy the old games knowing we will never really get to delve deeper.
Thank you for making this video. Truly, DA:TV has left me feeling empty. Prior to release, I was fully prepared to start another playthrough and go through every codex entry, fly through the environments with the camera tool, try to discover hidden secrets, as I did with Inquisition and all it's DLCs. But the game is just... devoid of everything. Truthfully I am left wondering what the game was even about? Regret? They changed Solas' motivations so much, it's all about Mythal no more. The Veil should've come down, it was set up so long ago. Just a grand disappointment overall -- I was prepared for the game to not meet all expectations that got pent up throughout the years, but truly, they met none
I will defend the music. Re-used assets aside, I don't think this was a step down, it just doesn't yet rest in that nostalgic part of our brains. And the game does have its merits too. But in general this is a pretty thoughtful and accurate summary of the flaws of the game. After 10 years, it's fair to ask whether this is still the same game series we fell in love with. And I think the answer now really is 'no' - not because Veilguard is flawed (God knows every other DA game was as well), but specifically because the game is weak precisely where the previous games were strong - in the writing and world crafting. This is a whole new Bioware with a whole new vision for the DA IP.
I agree with you for the most part. The only thing I would note is regarding the blood magic comment. I think that was a purposeful misdirection by Solas.
I miss when dragon age had funny things that were actually funny. And interpersonal conflict. Vivienne and Sera are fucking GOLD levels of party banter. Just compare this to literally ANY scene in Veilguard ua-cam.com/video/tSPU-iPTdRE/v-deo.htmlsi=CoZHJSD5ksn9lvU4
I've seen countless reviews and yours is by far my favourite, finally someone who truly gets it! Mentioning all the lore inconsistencies paired with a comparison with the other games was perfect. The Mortalitasi lore, Fade lore, Forgotten Ones lore (no one montioned them in their reviews! Bellara's quest was so disappoining, I really couldn't believe they were casually like oh btw there's also a FORGOTTEN ONE loose and I was so naively excited -even though it was just a side quest so I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up anyway- but it was so so bad I still have no words) Also in other reviews they usually praise the enviromnent design but if paying attention it's easy to see how lazy and inconsistent with the lore it is. The morally gray decision-making that made other DA titles and other games like The Witcher so great was also such a well made point, that's what makes us love the games and discuss them. I love all the lore concerning the Chantry, Circles, mages and templar conflict, not to mention the alienages, dalish vs city elf, caste vs casteless, it made for great storytelling and roleplaying, and I miss that. Without it, it's not Dragon Age.
I played Veil Guard. On my first play through, I did everything and saved all my side kicks. On my second, I only did the main quest and let everyone die.
Comment: Nothing Merril said necessarily conflicted with what actually happened. The elves DIDN'T know for sure but followed the teachings. Solas *did* two-time the other gods, and there *was* weapon that was used to bind them. If anything it's also prophetic because his dagger and the blight dagger could be the heavenly and abyssal weapons that would defeat them all. Secondarily, it's been pretty upfront that the southern continent (the Fereldans) are more devout Abdrastens than the northern where they have a kind of hybrid religions. Regarding the Antaam, they've been adding/altering the Qun every game... but in this instance, it's important to remember that the Dragon King was ALREADY corrupted by the gods and his contingent was loyal to *him*. He wasn't representative of the whole Qun, but it is important to acknowledge that the Qun DOES encourage conquest, that has been a backdrop for the last 3 games, and alluded to in Origins. That said, aside from handwaving a few of the things as "magic" and "artists direction", you do have OTHER good points, but i just wanted to present the previous points as other ways to approach.
This is probably the best review of the game. Thank you for putting words to my chaotic thoughts about the game, I couldn't really explain what my issues with the game was, but its all here in this video
The Veilguard feels more like a broad stokes adaptation of Dragon Age than a sequel as it simplifies the setting and themes rather than adapt them fully and/or respectfully. The writers were clearly inspired by Guardians of the Galaxy and Critical Role which were a big part of pop culture during the game's development and it shows in the dialogue which seems to be have written for late-10s/early-20s year olds, and the setting which had nearly all of its rough edges removed to avoid offending progressive audiences that want a fun-first D&D experience. All of this at the expense of the old fans including Inquisition's. Both Game Lead Corinne Burshe and writer John Epler subtly admitted that the game was made for a new younger audience in mind during a Reddit AMA, and promised fans that the next Dragon Age game would be darker and would bring back past player choices.
😂. The "promise" you mention in your last paragraph was mere gaslighting because of all the backlash. I hope you didn't believe it. You can't be that naive. In any case, I find it very difficult there will be another Dragon Age game. I don't even think Bioware will survive for too long.
Yeah I miss the SHARPNESS of the older DA's It is all so CUMBAYA now... whut? I loved the fact that there was racism in the older games, and that certain things were certain ways. Is racism good? No but that was the point... it shows just how bad Racism was! How bad slavery is, how bad it all is. By removing all that you have...eh... eh nothing?
Great critique, it's feel so refreshing and thought out compared to all the countless "taash bad and woke agenda killed dragon age" that I saw all over YT I honestly didn't even noticed that we went in the Fade in my playthrough and I wouldn't have known if I hadn't watch your critique, I'm truly baffled by what the end product of DA4 was compared to what the early project (Joplin) looked like and so sad of what could have been
This video perfectly sums up my feelings about Veilguard. Goodbye to Dragon Age indeed. I will always love DA1-3, but it's unlikely I'll play another Dragon age game unless user reviews point to a return to form. Mass Effect 5 is being worked on by a different team than veilguard was, so I still have some small hope for it, but I'll be hesitant to buy it before seeing long time fan reviews.
I'd like to think there is a argument to made that it depends on the developer on how important they make combat. My case is being made on basis that I'm a heavy lore guy. I know the lore of this universe and I think combat could easily learn a lot about a character by the way they approach battle doesn't always have to be said. Mage uses staffs, warrior shields and swords or bigger sword ect. So let me give a example the way specializations are introduced in dao to us is through conversation or the upgrade page depends. You unlock these by exploring the world with your character seeing how they fight along side you. Especially for me seeing morrigian mage abilities first time. Then opening her upgrade tree to see all her abilities she can unlock I spent time reading everyone. Then engage in convo and you get to ask them more about it getting little nuggets of lore ever time. Then there would be Da2 where your companies power are adjusted or act different depending on there story which I will admit Datv did implement but was executed to my expectations. But giving you different abilities but less lore and more of a fancy title with increased stats. DAI also added a lot to the capabilities of combat. While still giving you lore giving almost a good blance. You get a teacher, you get a custom mission for the specialization you get companions comments on your specialization plus cool new abilities open up.
The worst offender about lore and combat is still how as a warrior, you can summon reaping scythe or fierce fire spears from the skies like it's normal. C'mon, I'm supposed to play a warrior.
@@garroshhellscream594yeah I played a warrior in my first (and only) playthrough and it was pretty ridiculous all of the colors and flashing lights and magic I was doing. It just all felt way too flashy and I felt like I was playing a mage/arcane warrior, not a genuine warrior. I think it made every class feel/look for same-y
Everything is WRONG about the Veilguard, they changed the lore, made a game for teens and peeps who need to be reminded every five minutes about whats been said five minutes ago, the game is BORING, the characters aren't interesting,they are annoying. Harding lost her confidence and cannot even tell Lucanis that she doesn't like coffee on the other hand she is annoyed at Emmrich fighting over books,they even failed in keeping the new Harding personality consistent. One minute the people pleaser the next she is able to talk about things she doesn't agree with when talking to Emmrich. The factions are all good in The Veilguard ignoring the history behind old familiar factions like the killer crows for example. You aren't allowed to put Taash in her place telling her that she can't expect others to respect her if she doesn't treat others with respect. She calls Emmrich names like a spoiled brat who never experienced good parenting. Taash also comments on Neves clothing..damn those who like Taash are weird she's personified selfishness.
Great review! Refreshing to have critiques that aren’t following the “woke whambulance.” Inquisition was also my favourite in the series, Origins definitely has the best writing but I can easily replay Inquisition again and again vs the clunkiness of Origins lol The biggest problem in DAYV imo is the lack of world state. You nailed it with your example of your Inky’s choices. It’s insulting and no longer feels like “our” DA worlds.
Nah it’s definitely bad. I feel like this game is the epitome of what’s wrong with so many AAA games at the moment. It feels like they’re so worried about HR breathing down their necks that they don’t get the chance to actually focus on making the game good
I am so tired of hearing the same “everything is woke” idiocy. There are a number of REAL reasons Veilguard ended up the way it is. Spewing that political sludge muddies the water and makes it hard for ACTUAL criticism to be taken seriously and acted upon. If you had taken 2 minutes to do some research, you would have found the ACTUAL story behind what went wrong. It all comes down to BioWare trying to chase the fad of “live service” games that became really popular for a while there in the 2010’s. Work on this “live” Dragon Age game was apparently far enough along to have a barebone but functional alpha. Of course, the “live” game bubble burst. BioWare had to choose to either continue on with the current iteration of the game, or scrap it and start over. They scrapped it. The next issue came a few years later and was entirely self-inflicted. There was a conflict between the direction BioWare wanted the game to go and the direction the writers wanted to keep going because they had 3 previous games worth of lore and story to stay faithful to. BioWare fired EVERY writer than had been a part of the teams working on the previous games. They were replaced with writers new to to the Dragon Age lore who would be more compliant with the demands of the money men. If you picked up on the fact that Veilguard lacks any internal consistency, this was the reason why. The WHOLE story wasn’t just thrown out. In fact, the beginning and the end of the game are leftovers from the original script, and you can see the difference in quality with what happened between them. Veilguard isn’t a horrible game. It has some bright spots. But I will NEVER be able to forgive the fact that the solution BioWare came up with to make writing Veilguard easier was to just destroy half of Thedas. Off screen. In dialogue. They resolved the “problem” of player choice influencing the narrative by literally destroying the people and places that were the heart of the previous games. I almost don’t want a Dragon Age 5. I don’t think BioWare will respect the history and characters any more than they did in Veilguard
Even though you use "she" every time you mention Taash, I do appreciate what you have to say about the character. As a nonbinary person, I hate the inclusion of the *word* instead of just the concept. Instead of having a deep conversation with their mom about how their identity is different from the canon established term for trans, we get them just having an absolutely juvenile fit over their moms reaction. Some of us can only fantasize about a parent who is so open to the concept, and Taash's mom gets absolutely shit on for the way she reacts. So yeah, I kinda hate the way they handled Taash, and I feel like that character is emblematic of the writing issues with the game in a lot of ways.
@@BossAttackAt most you could add a pinned comment or something in your description apologizing for misgendering at times. That’s pretty low effort. It happens!
@@BossAttack no biggie, I'm not a person who cares about misgendering in person, and I don't care about it here, just pointing it out. I actually do agree with you on the Taash issue anyways :p
The reason why dragon age origins was a success coz it was kept a secret until it was dropped in the market silently. It was a pleasant surprise. Nobody knew what they were cooking. It didn't suffer from overmarketing. Dragon age 2 was saved by the talent of the original developers despite the greedy intentions of EA. So, they tried to improvise on their mistakes through the Inquisition but the greed was still there lying dormant. It was going good for the next Dragon Age in the developing phase until the Left came into power and the damage was done now regardless of Right back in power. People destroy good things. Especially never let your enemies know your moves. Just move silently. Dragon Age has such a massive fan base that even a surprise release two months before would have done wonders for them provided they managed to preserve and protect the magic it had. No wonder most of the original developers left the studio. Sadly, the IP is dead I guess...Dragon age had a really very special place in my heart...Its true when they say that all good things come to an end...
What I mean is, if they don't want to throw money away on what they planned on developing, release it anyway with the honest statement it's a filler game that is more for socialising while fighting till they get the actual story finished
loveloveloooove this video u did an amazing job! me and my sister have been watching it twice already and finally somebody who doesnt just go "woke bad" lmao ❤❤❤
Yeah - are you going through include the clip in Veilguard where Morrigan admits that being condescending to Solas about elven mytholigy wasnt her finest hour or that recieving Mythral's memories changed her perspective or the bit where she gets sassy during the Mythral conversation. No? Ok then.
To say that you liked Inquisition best and then go into a critique of Veilguard just means you don't know what you're criticizing and have only seen that the tide of public opinion has turned against it and decided it's time to turn your cloak. If you liked Inquisition best you should like the Veilguard since it is just Inquisition with the volume turned up. There is no flaw, or excess or overindulgence or writing faux-pas in Veilguard that was not tried out in Inquisition first. Maybe it's just that they finally managed to make the sex boring because that's all Inquisition fans were ever here for.
Over half of his criticisms are direct comparisons between Veilguard and Inquisition with the footage to back up why they are totally different. Did you even watch the video past where he said Inquisition was his favourite? I've loved every DA game before this, Inquisition is my favourite too and yet Veilguard was such a huge disappointment to the point I don't have any interest in the series going forward. It is completely different to Inquition. No roleplay, choices, consistent lore, nor any depth to characters, factions, moral dillemas, nothing that Inquisition, DA2, or Origins had.
When you said Inquisition is your favourite instead Origins, i knew wherethis was going... Yes, this is not bad, It's terrible, a piece of shit! And no, it's not a Dragon Age game this dung heap!
I think regardless of the criticisms people have of the first three game it was always just something like preference of gameplay and design but the glue of the franchise has always been the writing or world building. Veilguard trivializes and throws all that away. It might be a decently designed game but its not a good roleplaying experience.
@redstarstorm2599 i haven't played the 1st and 2nd but i played base game inquisition. Idk man atp I'll just quit the series as a whole. It's so depressing seeing people fight in the community it's as close to irl politics. But i still do like veilguard,but i think what makes me feel empty is the backlashes and hate etc it's just not fun playing whilst just remembering all the hate and fear monger. This game left me more depressed
I didn’t like Veilguard either, but that doesn’t mean everyone hated it. If you like the game, you like the game. Don’t let others dictate how you feel about something. I know stuff I enjoy gets shit on a lot, like the campy sappy WB/ABC shows like Smallville. Or the dark ages of modern Sonic games like Unleashed or 06. I understand the criticisms and the general consensus of Smallville/Modern Sonic being negative. But I still love it cause I still find enjoyment watching or playing them.
I think my least favorite taash line is when taash(I think talking about the antaam) states “they go hard.” It is just absolute modern/millennial cringe and taash speaks like that ALL the time. It is incredibly immersive breaking. Other characters also do it to an extent but taash is probably the worst offender. I think this very modern type of speech that is prevalent in the game (and not just a joke throwaway line here and there) is a big part of what makes veilguard feel like fanfiction to me
Veilguard trivializes every aspect of the Dragon Age lore and world. It's such a shame. David Gaider must HATE what they did to the world he created.
I saw a bluesky thread where he said he won't be playing the game because it would be unfair to both himself, AND to the current team as he would have his own expectations :( Im just sad he's gone. I really hope he might get the rights to Dragon Age back with his new game studio for the next games ...
@kamrynhende he did say he will play it eventually, but he won't share his thoughts because that would be unfair.
He did say, though, that if he knew the Well of Sorrows would have only an impact in the Inquisition, he would make a bigger deal out of it back then 🫠
@@pativi6643That statement from Gaider alone speaks volumes. If he were confident the game was good, he could just openly give his honest opinion. But even Gaider knows they messed up.
@@pativi6643 It's doubly a shame because it was meant to have an impact in the sequel, even within Veilguard, but the world state choice was cut; still has strings left.
In fact, Veilguard has a lot of cut or unfinished content, even stuff like hair showing under helmets (hence the sock helmets). It's such a bummer.
@,erlylvsm Yep, I saw all the datamined bits. The fact that there are bits in the gamecode that show that the Well of Sorrows were supposed to be included, or Inky's class says that they were supposed to have a much bigger involvement in the game. Even early datamined notes did say that Inky was supposed to act to Rook as a mentor and boss, recruiting them to act on their behalf to stop Solas, because Inky has too much fame. Charter was supposed to act as a mouthpiece between Rook and the Inquisition. It was a good concept, and it makes so much more sense considering how Trespasser ended and the threat the Thedas was facing - and in the Veilguard Inky only sends Varric and Harding - like?
Making a binary choice for a nonbinary character regarding which culture they should embrace was wild.
This is by far the best review of Veilguard so far. Spot on. Beyond words. I just want to cry.
I have tried to make many of the points you have made and not been able to. Why does the whole game feel like a disrespectful retcon of the lore? Because it is! Literally one of the first encounters in the game - with those Veilguards - had me jumping in my seat in disbelief, how the frick did those elves know or even think those two gods are evil? Like, we literally just learned this from Solas, how... who...? It was the most immersive breaking thing.
I have been crying through your video. This is goodbye to the Dragon Age lore and world and franchise after all that love since the release of Dragon Age: Origins. My most beloved series, the one to which I measured every other RPG. It is insane that it game to this, and it is immesurably sad.
Thank you for making this video! T_T
PS. The only thing I have a rebuttal for is that they actually try to somewhat explain the "demon in non mage" by detailing some crazy venatori blood mage and potion experiments. It's not deep, not it's a try XD
right there with you. I did finish it, and I've just been immersing myself in the fandom since to find other people who feel the same because it's just too sad to deal with alone.
This is why the game needed the origin stories for the different Rook’s. A Veil Jumpers origin story could have explained how Strife and Irelin learned the truth of the Evanuris and hint at how far that truth had spread.
A Shadow Dragon origin could have explained more of the Venatori story from the past 10 years. Also, the fact that they didn’t have any missions into the upper city was stupid.
PS: Mother Giselle in DAI was the BEST!!!
Refreshing to see an (excellent) good-faith critique from an actual fan and lore expert. It’s hard to parse through the anti-woke reactionaries and the toxically positive fans that can’t stop coping.
It’ll be really interesting to see how DAV ages in the fandom’s eyes. I don’t think it’ll have a positive reevaluation like DA2 has had. Because as flawed as DA2 was from a design standpoint, the story, characters, and lore were still (mostly) fantastic.
yeh it'll age like milk imo
The soundtrack comparison was nostalgia-inducing. In each of those games I would sit in the opening screen and soak in the music. Inon Zur's Dragon Age: Origins still gives me chills. It breaks my heart to see how far Dragon Age has fallen.
Great critique - you're the first critique vid I've seen that mentions how ridiculous it is that we can walk physically in the fade and there's no reaction. Really interesting points about the live action carry overs, I don't play those so wasn't as clear to me, it just felt that the game play mechanics felt off. I was so hyped when the reveal video that you appended first came out - sobering how many people involved in that left or were firing, really makes it clear that the drop off in experience led to questionable decisions and writing
It bothers me people forget that the companions brought with you on “Here Lies the Abyss” are physically in the fade. Never explained how.
Oh… and the Divine was physically in the fade too. She sacrificed her life to ensure you escaped.
The Tevinter magisters did too. They only got messed up because they let the blight out.
I’m not seeing a problem
I'm glad to see someone not afraid to thoroughly criticize the companions, especially Neve. She's one of the most disappointing and boring characters for me and the line delivery is awful.
I think my least favorite taash line is when taash(I think talking about the antaam) states “they go hard.” It is just absolute modern/millennial cringe and taash speaks like that ALL the time. It is incredibly immersive breaking. Other characters also do it to an extent but taash is probably the worst offender. I think this very modern type of speech that is prevalent in the game (and not just a joke throwaway line here and there) is a big part of what makes veilguard feel like fanfiction to me
I wonder if they used ai for more than Illario's Lion King speech :p
Your review puts into words what I felt while playing Veilguard. Veilguard does not take place in the same world as the other games. It’s a fever dream.
What also irks me is that Solas said his people need him in Trespasser. He cared for his people most of all. In Veilguard, it’s more about Mythal is the reason for his actions. His whole purpose changed between the games?
I was bothered by how his "memories" were all him sacrificing spirits so casually. Seeing them as cannon fodder and never really grieving lost friends was so out of character from him in Inquisition.
My friend, these were the devnotes for the meeting between Solas and FleMythal at the end of the Inquisition:
Designer's Notes: This is Flemeth from the previous two games. In this game, Flemeth's story comes to a head -- she knew that Solas would summon her, and that he would need to steal her power to further his plans. She knew that because they are both elven gods...yet Solas has slept for a thousand years and his power dwindled, while she was killed long ago and a spark escaped from her into the body she now holds. She has nurtured that spark, and knew that Solas would need it. He was once her oldest friend, but she knows in his drive to save the elven people he will kill anyone -- even her. She intends to let him have the power, so long as she can pass the essence of her god-hood onto Morrigan, a gift Flemeth had always planned for her daughter yet one Morrigan misunderstood as hostile possession.
Both FleMythal's and Solas' motivations have been changed, which is why it is so jarring for players who were following this story in a more-than-a-surface level. Flemeth was also shouting in the Inquisition to Morrigan and Inky: "[Mythal] came to me for a reckoning that will shake the very heavens! (you mean... like the Veil coming down? It was so clear that FleMythal knew Solas' plans and had her own agenda in these plans) She was betrayed, as I was betrayed! As the world was betrayed! Mythal clawed and crawled her way through the ages to me and I will see her avenged!".
@@pativi6643Your comment is pure gold. I was not hallucinating after all.
They did the exact same thing with Mass Effect: Andromeda. Watered down the writing, favored the online service route, moved so far away from the any of the lore in the previous entries, with a time skip (at least ME:A reasoned it with a 600 year gap) but it’s just like wow, how do you fumble so bad with all the material in front of you, twice. The potential was right there. So many times playing Veilguard, I was like ooh finally, THIS is gonna stir things up, or this person is DEFINITELY going to say something about this, and then… nothing. And to say it’s because they wanted new players, I don’t buy it at all. We’re in the fourth entry of the series, and this one is coming off a cliffhanger from the last. WHY WOULD THIS BE THE TIME TO DEDICATE A GAME TO NEW PLAYERS? And to do it in such a unfulfilling way. Might as well have had Solas actually complete the ritual, and cause the world changing calamity that sets up a new story entirely. But I digress. I’m disheartened, disappointed, confused, and tired. It’s just a real shame.
All they had to do was not call it dragon age, i legit would have thought of it as a meh game that was kinda cringe every now and again but as a dragon age fan I automatically had higher standards
If they call it something like: Tales of the Dragon Age or something and gone full spinoff, it would have been better received
This game is a perfect example of not understanding or caring who is one's true players and fans. This was a grab to try and pull in a new younger audiance of players at the cost of all the loyal generations that were fans before. Our choices being dismissed and reduced down to three is a slap in the face. But at least there is Baldur's Gate 3 to help dry our tears.
If you want to still play this, Steam has a way to share games with a friend or family memember you trust. Don't pay full price for this game. Buy it on sale if you have to, vote with your wallet because apparently that's all EA worries about or understand.
Also, we will have the original trilogy, always.
Agreed with you, 100%. I had fun playing it mostly? it was pretty but it wasn't an RPG and it didn't feel like Dragon Age at all. It has zero replayability (since the combat is so repetitive and there isn't really a role playing aspect), so I've played it and now I guess I'm done with the franchise, which is sad after so many years.The abandon with which they threw so much lore and so many characters and old stories out the window was kind of shocking to me.
18:21 This is what was missing in the game.
We visit two Chantries in the game. One in Minrathous and one in Treviso. Yet, not a single Chantry sister (or brother in Tevinter) or Revered Mother (Father) was to be found in the game.
Also, you are right about the end of Trespasser. Where are all the Agents of Fen'harel?
They could have so much of Minrathous culture (the black divine, the imperial chantry, politics) and all of that is just not there in this game.
@@jonathanweed6683I was so looking forward to religious debate, discussion and banter specifically about Tevinter style andrastrianism due to how radically different it is to Southern Thedas adrastrianism!
Why set the game in Tevinter which has always been talk about having a radically different culture than the south (a lot of the south’s culture seems to be collective trauma informed retributive practices against Tevinteren culture…which would have also been cool to see discussed in game from at least one companion) if you’re not…going to actually showcase that culture…warts (slavery, magi supremacy and imperial assimilation of peoples) and beauty (gender egalitarianism in religious roles, architecture and more ability to experiment with magic (which can get disastrous and still allows for more thorough exploration and thus new ways to practice magic))…we wanted to see the culture and discussions!
I just finished by playthrough a few days ago, and it feels like a dream that I can barely remember. I waited a decade for a game that I forgot in less than a week. This video made me realize why. So much of Thedas's depth and nuance was flushed down the toilet.
That last part was like a tribute to everyone who got laid off or left. Really hit me in the feels.
This review makes me so very livid! Every time you made a point, I was angry! Because everything you said de-tangled my thoughts in a way my frustrated brain would not be able to but felt with all its fury.
I waited for over 10 years, I could have waited for more for something a little more DA worthy.
As a recovering Destiny 2 player, I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M BACK IN THE BUILDING AGAAN AND I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE
3:00 "popcorn pleasing sort of fantasy Marvel level media" is the BEST way to describe this lol. Saying you enjoyed yet hate the game at the same time is exactly how I feel. When i disassociated the game from Dragon Age, I enjoyed it. But once I started getting back into the questions I have regarding the Dragon Age Universe, I started to get frustrated. I replayed DAO and DA2 a stupid amount of times, feeling unique each time. I'm on my second playthrough with Veilguard and I'm both having fun yet struggling.
This is honestly one of the best reviews I've listened to so far. I love how you don't outright hate the game. Even from the beginning where you discuss that you're here to play for good narrative and lore discussion, I knew this review would be a good one, as I felt that is what I'm missing from Veilguard ... the lack of dialogue and storytelling content, which long time DA fans are typically expecting in a DA game. I just couldn't understand how we went from 3 (plus DLC) DA games that pretty much CENTERED around heavier and in-depth topics on religion, social customs, cultures, etc. to just ... being okay with everything and going forward? The game felt very black and white, good vs evil. I miss when the games felt challenging on a moral level, where some decisions REALLY changed the narrative of the story and how the world and your companions saw you.
It's not a good game full stop. Its competently made and has high quality production values and...... thats about it. The story and gameplay are both boring and flawed on a fundamental level.
You hit every nail on the head! Especially music.. it’s so bad. It doesn’t evoke any emotion from me but when the inquisition music would slip in the game, it was like an instant flashback. I noticed that even the sound design with magic and stuff is reused from mass effect. The flame staff has the ‘meteor’ sound from ME1..
also yes to the dialogue! Everyone talks like you’re two, like we get it! It’s the GODS! lol
They don’t care about the lore at all. They literally called it andraste temple when you first visit dock town and not chantry. It took me out of the game so fast
There is actually an in universe reason for it having a different name in Tevinter.
It isn’t the chantry.
Tevinter has its own version of the chantry and the Templars. They have their own divine.
Do you REALLY think Tevinter would embrace a doctrine that calls them stupid and sinful and the reason for all the world’s suffering?
Sorry champ, this one’s on you. You haven’t been paying attention to the lore, nothing to do with the writers.
Edit: in fact, Tevinter is a direct analogue to Imperial Rome, right down to the head of its faith always being male. The Tevinter Divine is ALWAYS a male, to set him apart from the Divine in the rest of Thedas. The religion itself is called Andrastianism, practiced in the Temples of Andraste. It is obviously RELATED to the Orleasian Andrastianism practiced in the rest of Thedas, and is considered a schismatic breakaway by the Orleasian Chantry, a historical nod to the time that France sacked Rome and kidnapped the pope for 100 years and the Papacy was based in Avignon, but more or less was dismissed by the other Catholic nations as simply being a tool of French influence.
The lore isn’t even hidden. In Dorian’s companion quest involving his father, the whole thing kicks off after Mother Giselle receives a letter asking for her assistance in the family matter. Dorian speculates his father sent the letter to Mother Giselle because she serves a “similar role” to the fathers of the Tevinter church
@ except divine is still divine and chantry is still chantry. They just put imperial in front of it. And they definitely wouldn’t call it andraste temple considering they don’t like andraste. She was literally fighting them back in the day. hence why they have a male divine.
Thank you! The music was incredibly disappointing for me. It was so incredibly generic and felt like mostly background or ambient music. It held no emotion whatsoever. As much as I miss Trevor Morris I’m glad his name wasn’t tied to this subpar game 😅
I would love to see how Veilguard was developed. But I suppose we only get that with good games. Repurposing a live service game to be a single player RPG was just a bad idea. The foundation for this game is bad, and it should have just been scrapped. I don't think this game does any service to the franchise. It has done more harm than good. The few good things that we did get are completely overshadowed by how bland and boring the game is. With that said, even if we got a full fledged game, I doubt the current devs care enough about the lore and the game's history to create a product of service. This game felt nothing like Dragon Age, and more about "this is how we want to do things now." To save on money, they could have gotten rid of Rook's voice actor, and just have your choices be what characters react to (like in Origins and BG3). I think what's most telling is how we as gamers are willing to put up with a "bad" game if the story, characters, and music can carry the game. Combat in Origins was mad clunky, Dragon Age 2 felt unfinished, and Inquisition was WAY WAY TOO grindy, with way too many side quests, and yet, we have fond memories of those games because the characters, the story, and the music carried us through the bad parts of the game. Objectively speaking, Veilguard is a competent game. But the characters, the story, the music, the dialogue, everything about this game is just not good enough to carry the Dragon Age name. This doesn't feel like a Dragon Age game. This game should have been it's own separate story, with nothing to do with Dragon Age characters. I personally believe if this game didn't carry the Dragon Age moniker, it would have done. But EA Bioware got greedy, and wanted to use the fan's loyalty to sell a rebranded product. As a result, Dragon Age might actually be finished, and it went out with a wimper.
After making my bf pirate veilguard for me (i refuse to pay for that) i was complaining about how different it was and he hit me with "well when was the last time you played the last one? Maybe it's always been like that" i needed to know i wasn't insane. So i then re-downloaded inquisition and played through that. Man. It's so wildly different and truly sad. I think dragon age is dead after this installment, really.
Glad to finally see a genuine critique of this game that isn’t just “woke bad.”
Ah. The woke stuff was really 10 minutes in a 60 hour game. The problem of veilguard was the director decision to strip out all the grit and darkness and conflict, making everyone "nice"
@@RandomWandrerit wasn’t just 10 minutes but it’s just the easiest reason to center why the game went wrong vs what is actually wrong with the game.
What are you talking about? Every single review says the gameplay and the mechanics and the puzzles and the story and the combat are all mediocre without even having to talk about the identity politics
"woke bad" is a genuine and comprehensive critique of the game. People who complain about this mostly just showcase their own intellectual failing to comprehend the critique.
@@TheNSJaws I think the oversimplification is why people who dont get the criticism brush it off as simply people being sexist, racist etc. Hell it might be true of those whom simply parrot woke bad. However there is a deeper problem that this game thankfully exhibits that we can point at when it comes to mediocre identity politic driven garbage.
My favourite asset reuse was how every single building in Treviso had a portrait of either Celene or Gaspard despite the South's political situation apparently being totally irrelevant. Honestly if asset reuse had been done thoughtfully in a way that let them build more unique environments while saving resources I'd have had no issue with it. But it really was egregious.
As articulated from the perspective of the ancient wisdom of elven gods from the leader of the scholars of such wisdom: "Shit. If this game was delivered by the same nascent dev team which tried to supplant an RPG studio w a looter shooter live service, that explains a lot."
This has become my favorite look into how V was a failure- watched it in entirety. The side-by-side lore and dialog contrasts of DA v V, or V v genuine RPGs, was exceptionally poignant w great surgically pinpointed examples from game footage. I knew they were playing fast and loose w the lore, but this went the full distance to disclose it. Once I saw the hostility in the new dev team toward the franchise and its fans, I could never play it on principle, so I'll never know just how bad the departures were. They've already put it on sale, but at 90% off I wouldn't dare touch it for the damage it does to canon.
So many excellent insights I can't echo in entirety. For me the biggest "red flag" of V is the lore/gameworld-destroying stuff that sticks out like an elephant standing on the player's toe: the bitter breakup letters from our ex-protagonist telling how "the South" is being summarily wiped from the map and the epilogue reveal about EA "Execs" that wipes the previous games (and V) from relevance beyond the moves of pawns in a larger chess game. That damage to Thedas and its story is far too sweeping and arbitrary and completely unearned. From that every other slap in the face then appears to come from a similar source, particularly the removal of reference to previous games: a dev team that resents the work of the previous dev team and the players who enjoyed that team's work. I wouldn't doubt it if they were pissed at that team for largely abandoning ship- at Gaider more than the others (despite his ironic defense of the game)- and at the players for rejecting Anthem.
I wish I had paid attention to the neon warning signs about this game (as you did) and never bought it. I wish I had made the decision to stop playing it when after a couple hours I was no longer having fun, but I forced myself to finish it because it was a dragon age game, but for what? To feel hollow and hurt and angry after?
Looking back, I wouldn’t play this game for free. It’s already uninstalled. You made the right choice. Genuinely I would pay to have this game and how it massacred the worldbuilding and lore of thedas erased from my brain
Thank you for actually explaining what the Marvel criticism means
I’ve completed every Dragon Age multiple times, including all DLC, yet I have no interest in The Veilguard. After Andromeda and Anthem I vowed to never pre order another BioWare game preferring to wait on reviews. Given the reviews we’ve seen from UA-camrs with integrity I stand by my decision not to buy this game.
The companion quests reminds me of Liam's loyalty mission from ME: Andromeda. It was some weird quippy, Star Wars fanfic mission about helping him help someone who helped him go behind my back, steal resources, and essentially hinder my mission as Pathfinder. I wanted to space him so bad but I had no option to boot him from the team. The only thing I could do was just not choose him for missions.
Yes, very much so. My Shepard would've probably shot Liam, whereas Ryder could only give an "oh you" face.
“I wanted to debate the black divine!” Don’t worry you meet him (spoilers) his name is Viper and you ONLY FIND OUT through codex entries.
@@KayofAllTrades You're shitting me, right?!
@ I haven’t confirmed it myself yet but that’s what I’ve been seeing
As a gamer who is not overly conservative and can handle playing games with a diverse cast I could never quite put the finger on why I felt so disappointed and annoyed playing Veilguard. This video explains it all nicely, I can finally see what exactly I was missing. Thank you!
Biggest disappointment of the decade. I hope someone writes a competent retelling of what we would have had. Even if it's a fucking fanfic.
They had 10 years man .that's all I'm gonna say
@@MarwolfAeducan 10 whole years, although this game wasn't in development for 10 years. What makes it worse, is for some reason, they didn't understand that if we waited for 10 years, what is a few more years to give us something we'd truly enjoy? Honestly though, even if they had 2 more years, it's clear the devs who worked on it didn't respect or even understand the lore, so I doubt anymore time would have given us a better product if it was made by the same people.
@@Kenshin6321 DA2 had only a year and a half, of which it was in development for only 6-9 months, and they still made a superior game.
Excellent video, from beginning to end.
Just a little mention here. 1:35:32, Mark Darrah returned to Bioware and was part of Veilguard's team, and he is very happy with how Veilguard resulted to be (very disappointing, if you ask me).
Honestly he's probably happy to have ended up with anything at all - and if he's back at Bioware he's kind of obligated to only say good things
I’m so glad that enough time has finally passed that people can post nuanced critiques of the game! The whole woke discourse and then the reactionary defense of the game was so tiring.
I’ve been looking for critiques like this and it’s hard to weed out the wokism ones (and also difficult to weed out the people who praise the game because they are still in the honeymoon phase/excited by the novelty of the game but not looking at it critically).
Almost every review out there does that. Come on, this is very disingenuous.
Since the very first negative reviews, Skill Up and Mr Matty plays, both of them criticized the game, and there wasn't any single time they mentioned the wokeness of it (tho, even if you like it or not, the "woke" is a big source and reason for the lack of quality of Veilguard).
Agree with all your points - except for calling Lucanis Italian 😂 they’re analogues for Spain in the Iberian peninsula. They speak Spanish constantly and the voice actors are all Hispanic loooolll
Me, 30 seconds in: DA2 really gets no love ;.; yet will always be unapologetically my favorite. I'm a sucker for a good tragedy. I want my heroes to suffer for their heroics apparently, lol!
In seriousness, excited to watch this. It'll be years before I play this game, since I want to replay the others beforehand and I still haven't finished Inquisition first time through (I pre-ordered it in 2014, lmao). So I figure spoiling it for myself won't make a difference, I'll forget it all before I actually buy it on sale down the line!
I'm with you on DA2. By far my favorite. And don't even bother buying failguard. Save your momey
While Origins is my favorite in the franchise, DA2 is, actually, my close second favorite.
I love Origins and DA2 a lot. Inquisition is the one I just...like, but it wasn't that great for me (not bad either), but still way better than Veilguard (this game is not even Dragon Age for me).
Well done video thanks for the effort. It seems a larger channels and smaller are all saying the same thing. Pretty much everything I've noticed that really hurts to see. Because of the astronomical amount of mythos and lore the original dragon age games was built on, it was always so Immersive to play. To throw all that away on terrible companions and bad writing is heartbreaking.
Thanks for the reminder of why Baldur's Gate 3 laps circles around The Vielguard
its a small thing but when the game talks about the lords of fortune, a group of treasure hunters and pirates, but they actually care more about cultural sensitivity than making money, that was the drop that filled the cup for me, too much BS, lile what? this is not dragon age, this is a cheap spin off written by amateur fanfic harry potter writers that only care about their modern politics and opinions, its like the game was done by and for that specific group of people everyone hates, and this is coming from an lgbt person that actually has a brain and doesnt agree with them
I really think the outcome to Wicked Hearts, Wicked Eyes with the best results is reuniting Celene and Briala. It leads to the most stable government possible, and with Celene’s political influence and Briala’s spies, ensuring the restoration of Orlais’ internal security is swift.
Celene also reforms Orlais and raises Briala to the nobility. Elven discrimination eases. I mean for Dragon Age, this result is terrifyingly optimistic.
I agree with the majority of these. Also concerning Dock Town, I felt nothing of Tevinter in it. It might as well has been a dock anywhere.
Finally an in-depth analysis on the Veilguard without all the anti-woke nonsense
amazing critique, every word I agree with. I feel betrayed and disappointed by this game and for believing it could be good
Agree on all points. I dont mind a few retcons if they allow for some epic story moments that are otherwise impossible to pull off. But it really bothered me that there were no slaves anywhere, no extreme racism against elves (which should have been exacerbated by the ELVEN GODS massacring Thedas). The pirates were not pirates. The assassins (who train slave kids, half of whom die) were all warm hearted defenders of their home. The Dalish should have been divided in turmoil at the revelations of who their gods were, with many flocking to E+G.
It also bothered me that all characters (companions and factions) were "nice", supportive, with zero darkness and no conflict with Rook or Eachother. They are all "GoTeam" all the time.
And the game never really established why Rook was leading at all. Solas clearly knew who he was. So it wasnt because he was unknown. I can only assume Rook takes the lead because he is the most competent fighter? I wish there was some kind of prologue where we see Rook bond with Verric, and show some quality that makes Rook best to lead.
I still really enjoyed Veilguard. For what it was. Itnwas beautifully made, with some nice lore tying together dwarves and elves. The cinematics were great, and the main story better than most games.
I just wish it felt like Thedas. You know? Thedas? A place so grim that it's dangerous and heartbreaking on a good day.
I hear you, the game wasn't a "bad" game, but it wasn't a Dragon Age game. I feel that's why everyone hates it. Not because the game is completely incompetent, but because we were sold a Dragon Age game, but what we got was Guardian's of the Galaxy Veilguard.
Playing through the first two games. Its hard for me to give a fair criticism since I havent played the game and probably wont knowing they erased most of the lore and doesnt match the tone of my beloved franchise. I will say what disappoints me though. I am disappointed that all that fantastic world building was ignored and that the story developed through our gameplay meant nothing. Its the same shit that ruined the Star Wars sequels. So many fantastic plot threads that we where following hand waved. It makes me so mad as it was a series I was looking forward to seeing how the story progressed but no longer. I can now only go back and enjoy the old games knowing we will never really get to delve deeper.
Thank you for making this video. Truly, DA:TV has left me feeling empty. Prior to release, I was fully prepared to start another playthrough and go through every codex entry, fly through the environments with the camera tool, try to discover hidden secrets, as I did with Inquisition and all it's DLCs. But the game is just... devoid of everything. Truthfully I am left wondering what the game was even about? Regret? They changed Solas' motivations so much, it's all about Mythal no more. The Veil should've come down, it was set up so long ago. Just a grand disappointment overall -- I was prepared for the game to not meet all expectations that got pent up throughout the years, but truly, they met none
I will defend the music. Re-used assets aside, I don't think this was a step down, it just doesn't yet rest in that nostalgic part of our brains. And the game does have its merits too. But in general this is a pretty thoughtful and accurate summary of the flaws of the game.
After 10 years, it's fair to ask whether this is still the same game series we fell in love with. And I think the answer now really is 'no' - not because Veilguard is flawed (God knows every other DA game was as well), but specifically because the game is weak precisely where the previous games were strong - in the writing and world crafting. This is a whole new Bioware with a whole new vision for the DA IP.
Very glad I didn't spend a cent on this. The entire package just looks disappointing.
This is not a good game but still would have been 10x worse.as a live service game.
Dragon Age Andromeda...
I agree with you for the most part. The only thing I would note is regarding the blood magic comment. I think that was a purposeful misdirection by Solas.
I miss when dragon age had funny things that were actually funny. And interpersonal conflict. Vivienne and Sera are fucking GOLD levels of party banter.
Just compare this to literally ANY scene in Veilguard
ua-cam.com/video/tSPU-iPTdRE/v-deo.htmlsi=CoZHJSD5ksn9lvU4
I've seen countless reviews and yours is by far my favourite, finally someone who truly gets it!
Mentioning all the lore inconsistencies paired with a comparison with the other games was perfect.
The Mortalitasi lore, Fade lore, Forgotten Ones lore (no one montioned them in their reviews! Bellara's quest was so disappoining, I really couldn't believe they were casually like oh btw there's also a FORGOTTEN ONE loose and I was so naively excited -even though it was just a side quest so I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up anyway- but it was so so bad I still have no words)
Also in other reviews they usually praise the enviromnent design but if paying attention it's easy to see how lazy and inconsistent with the lore it is.
The morally gray decision-making that made other DA titles and other games like The Witcher so great was also such a well made point, that's what makes us love the games and discuss them. I love all the lore concerning the Chantry, Circles, mages and templar conflict, not to mention the alienages, dalish vs city elf, caste vs casteless, it made for great storytelling and roleplaying, and I miss that. Without it, it's not Dragon Age.
I played Veil Guard. On my first play through, I did everything and saved all my side kicks. On my second, I only did the main quest and let everyone die.
Finally a review that takes into account the lore and the story of these games prior to whatever tf Veilguard turned out to be! Thank you so much!
Comment: Nothing Merril said necessarily conflicted with what actually happened. The elves DIDN'T know for sure but followed the teachings. Solas *did* two-time the other gods, and there *was* weapon that was used to bind them. If anything it's also prophetic because his dagger and the blight dagger could be the heavenly and abyssal weapons that would defeat them all.
Secondarily, it's been pretty upfront that the southern continent (the Fereldans) are more devout Abdrastens than the northern where they have a kind of hybrid religions.
Regarding the Antaam, they've been adding/altering the Qun every game... but in this instance, it's important to remember that the Dragon King was ALREADY corrupted by the gods and his contingent was loyal to *him*. He wasn't representative of the whole Qun, but it is important to acknowledge that the Qun DOES encourage conquest, that has been a backdrop for the last 3 games, and alluded to in Origins.
That said, aside from handwaving a few of the things as "magic" and "artists direction", you do have OTHER good points, but i just wanted to present the previous points as other ways to approach.
Excellent analysis as to the flaws in this game. Thanks! Well Done!
This is probably the best review of the game. Thank you for putting words to my chaotic thoughts about the game, I couldn't really explain what my issues with the game was, but its all here in this video
The Veilguard feels more like a broad stokes adaptation of Dragon Age than a sequel as it simplifies the setting and themes rather than adapt them fully and/or respectfully.
The writers were clearly inspired by Guardians of the Galaxy and Critical Role which were a big part of pop culture during the game's development and it shows in the dialogue which seems to be have written for late-10s/early-20s year olds, and the setting which had nearly all of its rough edges removed to avoid offending progressive audiences that want a fun-first D&D experience. All of this at the expense of the old fans including Inquisition's.
Both Game Lead Corinne Burshe and writer John Epler subtly admitted that the game was made for a new younger audience in mind during a Reddit AMA, and promised fans that the next Dragon Age game would be darker and would bring back past player choices.
😂. The "promise" you mention in your last paragraph was mere gaslighting because of all the backlash. I hope you didn't believe it. You can't be that naive.
In any case, I find it very difficult there will be another Dragon Age game. I don't even think Bioware will survive for too long.
Yeah I miss the SHARPNESS of the older DA's
It is all so CUMBAYA now... whut?
I loved the fact that there was racism in the older games, and that certain things were certain ways. Is racism good? No but that was the point... it shows just how bad Racism was! How bad slavery is, how bad it all is. By removing all that you have...eh... eh nothing?
Great critique, it's feel so refreshing and thought out compared to all the countless "taash bad and woke agenda killed dragon age" that I saw all over YT
I honestly didn't even noticed that we went in the Fade in my playthrough and I wouldn't have known if I hadn't watch your critique, I'm truly baffled by what the end product of DA4 was compared to what the early project (Joplin) looked like and so sad of what could have been
This video perfectly sums up my feelings about Veilguard. Goodbye to Dragon Age indeed. I will always love DA1-3, but it's unlikely I'll play another Dragon age game unless user reviews point to a return to form. Mass Effect 5 is being worked on by a different team than veilguard was, so I still have some small hope for it, but I'll be hesitant to buy it before seeing long time fan reviews.
Welp unfortunately Sylvia has announced on her Bsky she has left BW so I’m feeling nervous about what the narrative design will be like in the future
The only way they could redeem themselves now is retconning Veilguard and making proper DA 4 with your past decisions mattering, making a good finale
i will play dragon age as soon it reach his 20 € and the mods will be out to fix it
I'd like to think there is a argument to made that it depends on the developer on how important they make combat. My case is being made on basis that I'm a heavy lore guy. I know the lore of this universe and I think combat could easily learn a lot about a character by the way they approach battle doesn't always have to be said. Mage uses staffs, warrior shields and swords or bigger sword ect.
So let me give a example the way specializations are introduced in dao to us is through conversation or the upgrade page depends. You unlock these by exploring the world with your character seeing how they fight along side you. Especially for me seeing morrigian mage abilities first time. Then opening her upgrade tree to see all her abilities she can unlock I spent time reading everyone. Then engage in convo and you get to ask them more about it getting little nuggets of lore ever time. Then there would be Da2 where your companies power are adjusted or act different depending on there story which I will admit Datv did implement but was executed to my expectations. But giving you different abilities but less lore and more of a fancy title with increased stats.
DAI also added a lot to the capabilities of combat. While still giving you lore giving almost a good blance. You get a teacher, you get a custom mission for the specialization you get companions comments on your specialization plus cool new abilities open up.
The worst offender about lore and combat is still how as a warrior, you can summon reaping scythe or fierce fire spears from the skies like it's normal. C'mon, I'm supposed to play a warrior.
@@garroshhellscream594yeah I played a warrior in my first (and only) playthrough and it was pretty ridiculous all of the colors and flashing lights and magic I was doing. It just all felt way too flashy and I felt like I was playing a mage/arcane warrior, not a genuine warrior. I think it made every class feel/look for same-y
3:53. Yes! This! Same.
This is such a great review for a long time fan of the series. So tired of the grifter bs permeating through the fanbase
Everything is WRONG about the Veilguard, they changed the lore, made a game for teens and peeps who need to be reminded every five minutes about whats been said five minutes ago, the game is BORING, the characters aren't interesting,they are annoying. Harding lost her confidence and cannot even tell Lucanis that she doesn't like coffee on the other hand she is annoyed at Emmrich fighting over books,they even failed in keeping the new Harding personality consistent. One minute the people pleaser the next she is able to talk about things she doesn't agree with when talking to Emmrich.
The factions are all good in The Veilguard ignoring the history behind old familiar factions like the killer crows for example.
You aren't allowed to put Taash in her place telling her that she can't expect others to respect her if she doesn't treat others with respect. She calls Emmrich names like a spoiled brat who never experienced good parenting. Taash also comments on Neves clothing..damn those who like Taash are weird she's personified selfishness.
Now that's what i called a good review, i hope Bioware take notes from you, good job!!!
Great review! Refreshing to have critiques that aren’t following the “woke whambulance.”
Inquisition was also my favourite in the series, Origins definitely has the best writing but I can easily replay Inquisition again and again vs the clunkiness of Origins lol
The biggest problem in DAYV imo is the lack of world state. You nailed it with your example of your Inky’s choices. It’s insulting and no longer feels like “our” DA worlds.
I watched your andromeda series and loved it. Glad your back to making videos
Might be the best video on veilguard i seen so far.
Yeah, it's a good characteristic. Not a bad game, but not a Dragon Age game.
Made me appreciate previous games more.
This makes sense
Nah it’s definitely bad. I feel like this game is the epitome of what’s wrong with so many AAA games at the moment. It feels like they’re so worried about HR breathing down their necks that they don’t get the chance to actually focus on making the game good
I am so tired of hearing the same “everything is woke” idiocy.
There are a number of REAL reasons Veilguard ended up the way it is. Spewing that political sludge muddies the water and makes it hard for ACTUAL criticism to be taken seriously and acted upon.
If you had taken 2 minutes to do some research, you would have found the ACTUAL story behind what went wrong. It all comes down to BioWare trying to chase the fad of “live service” games that became really popular for a while there in the 2010’s.
Work on this “live” Dragon Age game was apparently far enough along to have a barebone but functional alpha.
Of course, the “live” game bubble burst. BioWare had to choose to either continue on with the current iteration of the game, or scrap it and start over. They scrapped it.
The next issue came a few years later and was entirely self-inflicted. There was a conflict between the direction BioWare wanted the game to go and the direction the writers wanted to keep going because they had 3 previous games worth of lore and story to stay faithful to. BioWare fired EVERY writer than had been a part of the teams working on the previous games. They were replaced with writers new to to the Dragon Age lore who would be more compliant with the demands of the money men.
If you picked up on the fact that Veilguard lacks any internal consistency, this was the reason why. The WHOLE story wasn’t just thrown out. In fact, the beginning and the end of the game are leftovers from the original script, and you can see the difference in quality with what happened between them.
Veilguard isn’t a horrible game. It has some bright spots. But I will NEVER be able to forgive the fact that the solution BioWare came up with to make writing Veilguard easier was to just destroy half of Thedas. Off screen. In dialogue. They resolved the “problem” of player choice influencing the narrative by literally destroying the people and places that were the heart of the previous games.
I almost don’t want a Dragon Age 5. I don’t think BioWare will respect the history and characters any more than they did in Veilguard
Great review. I just got this game on sale and tried to give it a chance. It’s just so lackluster 😭
Very good review. Critical but not filled with hate. Please do more long form videos like these on more games.
Even though you use "she" every time you mention Taash, I do appreciate what you have to say about the character. As a nonbinary person, I hate the inclusion of the *word* instead of just the concept. Instead of having a deep conversation with their mom about how their identity is different from the canon established term for trans, we get them just having an absolutely juvenile fit over their moms reaction. Some of us can only fantasize about a parent who is so open to the concept, and Taash's mom gets absolutely shit on for the way she reacts. So yeah, I kinda hate the way they handled Taash, and I feel like that character is emblematic of the writing issues with the game in a lot of ways.
@@LizzzardWizzzard Yeah, that was a big oversight on my part. But was too tired to re-record before publishing.
@@BossAttackAt most you could add a pinned comment or something in your description apologizing for misgendering at times. That’s pretty low effort. It happens!
@@BossAttack no biggie, I'm not a person who cares about misgendering in person, and I don't care about it here, just pointing it out. I actually do agree with you on the Taash issue anyways :p
@@serpentenya Done.
@@serpentenya You might as well be ordering the man to pull a Bharv.
Thank you so much for making this. It really sums up how sad I am.
The reason why dragon age origins was a success coz it was kept a secret until it was dropped in the market silently. It was a pleasant surprise. Nobody knew what they were cooking. It didn't suffer from overmarketing. Dragon age 2 was saved by the talent of the original developers despite the greedy intentions of EA. So, they tried to improvise on their mistakes through the Inquisition but the greed was still there lying dormant. It was going good for the next Dragon Age in the developing phase until the Left came into power and the damage was done now regardless of Right back in power. People destroy good things. Especially never let your enemies know your moves. Just move silently. Dragon Age has such a massive fan base that even a surprise release two months before would have done wonders for them provided they managed to preserve and protect the magic it had. No wonder most of the original developers left the studio. Sadly, the IP is dead I guess...Dragon age had a really very special place in my heart...Its true when they say that all good things come to an end...
Love the music from the original 3 games 👍🏻
I wonder if they should have released a bad live service game and spend a few years on a new proper game?
Also, will they learn the wrong lesson?
What I mean is, if they don't want to throw money away on what they planned on developing, release it anyway with the honest statement it's a filler game that is more for socialising while fighting till they get the actual story finished
This is a solid review
Amazing review.
🎯
loveloveloooove this video u did an amazing job! me and my sister have been watching it twice already and finally somebody who doesnt just go "woke bad" lmao
❤❤❤
Thx ^^
You actually made the video lmao
very well put Thank you!
Even if it wasn’t a dragon age game it would be still trash! 🚮
Yeah - are you going through include the clip in Veilguard where Morrigan admits that being condescending to Solas about elven mytholigy wasnt her finest hour or that recieving Mythral's memories changed her perspective or the bit where she gets sassy during the Mythral conversation. No? Ok then.
yeah but dragon age has like one good game in the entire franchise.
maybe we should just let it die.
Very bad. But not dragon age.
To say that you liked Inquisition best and then go into a critique of Veilguard just means you don't know what you're criticizing and have only seen that the tide of public opinion has turned against it and decided it's time to turn your cloak. If you liked Inquisition best you should like the Veilguard since it is just Inquisition with the volume turned up. There is no flaw, or excess or overindulgence or writing faux-pas in Veilguard that was not tried out in Inquisition first. Maybe it's just that they finally managed to make the sex boring because that's all Inquisition fans were ever here for.
There's so much wrong in your statement bro.
Over half of his criticisms are direct comparisons between Veilguard and Inquisition with the footage to back up why they are totally different. Did you even watch the video past where he said Inquisition was his favourite? I've loved every DA game before this, Inquisition is my favourite too and yet Veilguard was such a huge disappointment to the point I don't have any interest in the series going forward. It is completely different to Inquition. No roleplay, choices, consistent lore, nor any depth to characters, factions, moral dillemas, nothing that Inquisition, DA2, or Origins had.
have you perhaps played Inquisition once ten years ago and are basing your comment on that vague recollection? Because otherwise this makes no sense.
When you said Inquisition is your favourite instead Origins, i knew wherethis was going... Yes, this is not bad, It's terrible, a piece of shit! And no, it's not a Dragon Age game this dung heap!
I think regardless of the criticisms people have of the first three game it was always just something like preference of gameplay and design but the glue of the franchise has always been the writing or world building. Veilguard trivializes and throws all that away. It might be a decently designed game but its not a good roleplaying experience.
Am i a loser for liking Veilguard?
Up to you . I hate it but have u played the others? I try see it as a dlc of a dlc and not part of the original games
@redstarstorm2599 makes it less my opinion and more yours
@redstarstorm2599 i haven't played the 1st and 2nd but i played base game inquisition. Idk man atp I'll just quit the series as a whole. It's so depressing seeing people fight in the community it's as close to irl politics. But i still do like veilguard,but i think what makes me feel empty is the backlashes and hate etc it's just not fun playing whilst just remembering all the hate and fear monger. This game left me more depressed
I didn’t like Veilguard either, but that doesn’t mean everyone hated it. If you like the game, you like the game. Don’t let others dictate how you feel about something. I know stuff I enjoy gets shit on a lot, like the campy sappy WB/ABC shows like Smallville. Or the dark ages of modern Sonic games like Unleashed or 06. I understand the criticisms and the general consensus of Smallville/Modern Sonic being negative. But I still love it cause I still find enjoyment watching or playing them.
Not a loser, just a slop enjoyer 🤷♂
The childish woke ridicoulous comversations are beyond me. It completely destroys the rest of the game. I skip it.
I think my least favorite taash line is when taash(I think talking about the antaam) states “they go hard.” It is just absolute modern/millennial cringe and taash speaks like that ALL the time. It is incredibly immersive breaking. Other characters also do it to an extent but taash is probably the worst offender. I think this very modern type of speech that is prevalent in the game (and not just a joke throwaway line here and there) is a big part of what makes veilguard feel like fanfiction to me