This game will have soft sales and if the next Mass Effect follows suit then its the end of Bioware. The dev team is doing what they know and is important to them and its really going to hurt the game. Its just the age of the devs and where society is now. Add to the fact the publisher and studio head and their overlord fingers telling them what is appropiate and what they can't do.This is not how you create a game and one thats truly sucsessful.
The elves don't talk or act like elves, dwarves don't talk or act like dwarves, etc... Everyone just acts and talks like a human millennial or zoomer from CA, or some other 1st world modern country in "current year".
I think this is what I hate the most about contemporary fantasy RPGs. Demihuman races like dwarves, elves, half-races, etc. always just end up being no different from humans other than appearance. It's all just cosplay or a surface level veneer of being different and special, but it's all fake and shallow. Everything has to be reflective now of real people and cultures in our world. It's not fantasy at all. Wizards of the Coast making orcs Mexican in the latest edition of D&D, perfect example. What the hell, man?
@@rexpelagiusanother example is LotR: Rings of Power. Elves do not have that majestic mystical aura they have in the books and in the movie. They're just humans with pointy ears.
@@level9drow856yes, Warhammer is the next IP to go, specially since its becoming so popular and therefore mainstream. Most of it will be tone down definitely. Also the Judge Dredd, Tank Girl, Dune, 200AD generation are now long gone, so that dark, sarcastic, provocative way of thinking is giving way to people who grew up very sheltered and fed by absolute corporativism since very young. And since corporations have finally managed to even make ethical and social issues into commodities get ready for those to be over used since they are now currency for employees to prove they “fit” into the “culture”.
OMG yes! I remember being so pissed at him at the end of inquisition. I didn't like the cliffhanger, but many great stories have left on cliffhangers and payed them off in the next instalment. They clearly dropped the ball here.
Something pretty drastic happened around Solas on their end. Inquisition ends with a cliffhanger setting him up as this global threat and reveals him as that god you've heard about throughout each game. Even Flemeth, another god, sacrifices herself for him. Then 10 years roll by, a game named after him gets rebranded, and he is sidelined. I think those changes to what this game even was left Solas with little to do.
Doesn't look like Dragon Age Doesn't sound like Dragon Age Doesn't take place in a world that feels like Dragon Age Doesn't have characters that feel like they belong in Dragon Age Doesn't have gameplay like Dragon Age Doesn't meaningfully build on the story of Dragon Age Doesn't connect to past choices in Dragon Age It isn't Dragon Age. That isn't Bioware. This franchise is over. That studio is gone.
@@Ilearnedtodayy I honestly liked the more mmo basic attack type combat ngl. also you can pause and tell your mates where to go how to attack or even play them. now we have another hack and slash basically
I can not belive how we got from DA:O to this. The first game had so much horror, dread, misery... It was really, really dark man. And now we get a Saturday Morning cartoon. How can you spit on your own legacy like that? The OG dark spawn gave me the chills back in the day. When the first Oger rushed at me, ready to tear of limbs i had adrenaline as fuck pumping through my veins. I was devastated when duncan died. Mesmerized by Lilianas Song. The good old days man. I see nothing in this caricature of Dragon Age.
@@highroller6244remember how chilling the broodmother mission was? How tf do you go from that to this? I have no problem if they wanna make a child friendly Disney type game. Just make another IP.
I can not agree with you more!! It’s so, so cringeworthy. “MCU humour” when done right is great, but it’s incredibly hard to get it right and there’s a time and a place.
@@Mockle07 Yes. Comedy in general is hard. Especially today with all the HR takeover, DEI initiatives, PC language, guardrails, sensitivity readings, onset therapists, romance coordinators, consultant companies and so on. No wonder why nobody can make real art in these western studios.
Completely agree, I'm so glad I'm not the only one who found this one of most annoying issues amidst all this backlash. Some of the complaints I have aren't from issues being brought up about identity and how a character feels about who they are, it's... this creepy insert of real-world labels that just... wouldn't exist in Thedas. Have these talks, but ugh, why didn't the writers set up some compelling scenes where characters open up about it and talk like real people do? Not just dropping buzzwords and platitudes. Really sucks lol
@@Mockle07 Yep. Everybody in these studios are afraid of one another. (Toxic positivity) even execs and CEO’s are afraid to tell them no. This is how you get flops like concord with those characters. In 8 years nobody told them no change this. These characters don’t look good. Guaranteed most of them all though the chars were hideous but all afraid of HR.
toxic positivity at its finest.. I was hoping to at least want to play for the story's sake. but I think I'll pick up another bg3 playthrough instead and watch a UA-cam cutscene compilation for veilguard.
SkillUp definitely said it best. “Every time someone speaks it’s like HR is in the room.” We are officially coming to a point where even an opposing perspective, however valid it may be, will be considered insensitive and get censored.
Hearing some of the characters interact with each other feels so dead and emotionless, like the voice actors don't even want to care. Not to mention when the main character tries to end "arguments" it's like an adult talking to toddlers. Looking back at Mass Effect with Jack fighting with Miranda and all the other character interactions, and now we have this boring-ass eggshell stuff. I'm pretty liberal and shit, but I'm also not a p*ssy. This toxic positivity in the game is gross.
Its what Steve Jobs said in that interview. When a company first becomes successful its because the Creatives brought it there. But the Sales people get the promotions because of the sales and the next thing you know, they are in charge and the Creatives aren't even at the decision table anymore.
@@UA-camCensors Jobs was a creative director of user experience. His ability to talk to crowds and sell his vision didn't make him a salesman, although I understand why you say that. People think creators live in ivory towers but the best ones are in the trenches where the users are.
@@eugenehavens Jobs hid his and co-workers' porsche and BMWs because he wanted to SELL the appearance of a "guy in the trenches", he was definitely a salesman and his contribution to Apple's success was solely his fabricated persona and charisma, he was NOT behind creative design decisions at the company, despite whatever he said or what accompanied his nameplate at his office door. If you want to know what Steve Jobs was really like, ask the people that worked under him if they have anything nice to say about him.
@@themilkman9451 I was a user and Apple watcher during Jobs entire career at Apple. Were you? Jobs set the goals for user experience of a product. That is an undeniable fact. You can drag him for whatever you think he did wrong, but the products at Apple were influenced by Jobs to be the legendary products they were. If Jobs did something personally to your family, I’m sorry.
Dragon Age’s graphics were pretty mediocre…but guess what, nobody cares. Graphics are the last thing you consider when getting immersed. Style is so much more important and Veilguard doesn’t seem to have any, along with a bunch of other things.
dont confuse quality with a mirror image of origins,its normal for a game to evolve over time,specialy when graphics and game ability has grown allot. i was very sceptical at first aswel but i saw someone play for a fuw hours and honestly it looks fun and since the first game we are already in ingame years decades ahead so its normal that the people and the culture slightly changes nothing stays the same.
@ I don’t need a carbon copy but accepting anything less than what was achieved a long long time ago isn’t a good thing. The issue these days is studios releasing mediocre 6 or 7/10 games and acting like it’s a damn masterpiece and they know it isn’t. People should expect a quality product no matter what they purchase. And not accept mediocre products just to have a product.
Disney had amazing artist that have work which stands the test of time. Just because you’re mad at Star Wars doesn’t mean their animation sucks. Kids these days. 🤦♂️
I would even go as far as saying that the art style is pretty close to the lego cartoons that my son watches in the morning, same for the writing style.
@@Xathos Yes it did you absolute turdmonger! Mass Effect released in 2007, Mass Effect 2 released in 2010, Mass Effect 3 released in 2012. If you perfom simple addition those years add up to 5, so yes... the Mass Effect series released within a span of 5 years you total nincompoop.
Between 2007 and 2013 we got: - Mass Effect - Mass Effect 2 - Mass Effect 3 - Dragon Age - Dragon Age 2 - Dragon Age Inquisition + Several Extensive Story DLC Packs and Content in the almost 15 years since then? - Mass Effect Andromeda - Anthem - This R.I.P. BioWare
I think SkillUp said it right when he said that the conversations within this game are as if "HR is in the room." Nothing can be "offensive" nothing can show genuine mature conversations. Everything has to sound like me when I talk to my 3 and 1 year old children. There can't be any sharp edges. Everything has to be rounded off so that you can't hurt someone's feelings.
They literally removed spiders from the game so that people with arachnophobia wouldn't be triggered. They couldn't even be bothered to implement an arachnophobia mode like Grounded or Satisfactory did.
@@samvimes9510 That's just sad. What's worse, but not surprising is how much the mainstream "review" and "games journalists" are praising this game for everything Matt and SkillUp have fairly criticized it. It's definitely going to circle the internet from "games journalists publications" that the anti-woke Gamers are hating on a game because of something that we don't really care about. We just care that a game is good. End of story. If it tells a narrative. It has to tell it well and with genuine intentions. Not this ham fisted shit that is shoved in our faces and told to like when the story is boring and contrived and the moment to moment gameplay is boring that people are lowering the difficulty. Not because it is hard, but just so they can steam roll it and get back to whatever narrative you are haphazardly trying to tell.
I could already not really get into Inquisition.. tried multiple times (got over 100 hours) but it was already so different from Origin which i liked a lot... So was very careful with feeling any hype for this one... Looks like the stayed the coarse, right off a cliff
@@Darqion The core story was solid. It was just so infested with tedious filler, dull fetch quests and mindless busy-work that it kind of sucked all the life out of it. It didn't help that the Hinterlands was one of the first places you visited, and it was pretty much one long, insufferable slog from beginning to end. I've played the first two games multiple times. I still haven't finished Inquisition. And Veilguard can get bent.
@@Darqion I felt the same way about Inquisition. I did beat it but it was nowhere nearly as good as Origins. Bioware has been dead for a while now, Veilguard is the last nail in the coffin.
I honestly cant believe this game is getting praised. The writing alone is enough to push me away. There is no nuance or subtlety. I think there is an influx of fan fiction readers and creators that like this kind of cynical, surface level writing. They are okay with a cute skeleton and the ability to "ship" generic unlikable companions. Bioware is not who they used to be and you could have seen this coming but they completely changed course. I think that will disappoint a lot of previous fans. Ive seen professional writers on youtube analyse datv's writing and just how awful it is. The gameplay is "go there and fight that" over and over again. There is no variation in quest design. The maps feel gamey and fake. I was so disappointed.
And certain fans get offended when the stories did attempt nuance. They wanted a dating sim and complained when either their self-insert or their favorite character looked bad in any way. This is what happens if those fans get what they ask for.
They sadly replaced the VA Director for all three DA games and Mass Effects (Caroline Livingstone, she left BW in 2021), and it seems like the new person just cannot wrangle the actors properly...
Skill up took my already low opinion of character models and made it worse by saying they look like Prince Charming from Shrek. I just can’t unsee it now
It's not just games, even TV shows and movies. House of the Dragon (especially season 2) looks like a Saturday morning cartoon show... filled to the brim with modern day ideals and DEI. Netflix's The Witcher (especially season 3) did not feel like a gritty fantasy medieval TV show, it felt like I was watching a bunch of modern day New Yorkers playing a game of LARP... and among those LARPers, there's a few legit actors.
I truly fell in love with RPGs thanks in large part to Origins and Oblivion, Fallout 3, Mass Effect, etc. I am so afraid that the genre is lost to the "Hollywood syndrome" where new stories are as deep as a puddle, new games are either recycled garbage or are a half hearted "remaster" of something that was actually good...15 years ago.
@@darianstarfrogNo it’s a lack talent and writers being hyper obsessed with being as commercial as possible. The Original writers of Dragon Age were scrawny nerds just like the current writers, not hardened war veterans lol. The 2000s gaming media just didn’t have execs and advertisers on the writer’s room like now
As an adult, I can't express how much, in a single player game, a compelling story, and good voice acting matters to me. I have a real life week with real problems. If I have the time to game, I need something compelling enough it draws me in to where I can forget about eventing else. If the story is that good, I can look right past most bugs. However, if the story is meh, and I keep getting drawn out of it by thoughts of real life, I kinda just feel like I'm eating time.
That's the bare minimum for me in narration. Ambiance (lighting, NPC animations, music, etc) and interactions (dialogue choices, etc) are the game changer, but it's all pointless without a good voice actor and a good script. Whenever I look at the difference between a game like Starfield and Cyberpunk dialogue, it's night and day and it doesn't matter how well the voice actor is doing his job or how well the line is written in Starfield, without good interaction and a good, fitting ambiance, it just end up really dull.
Absolutely. And that is what they want. To constantly remind you of current modern trash and prevent you from escaping. This is in all media and why good movies and games went from common to extremely rare.
Hearing this clips of dialogue is just so disheartening. The gameplay of the series has always been hit or miss, but strong writing and compelling characters has long been a hallmark. It's kind of funny thinking back to a comment Bioware gave during an interview saying the writing in this game was their best yet and they intentionally made good characters this time. Really wanted this game to be good.
Reminds me of how Bethesda designed Starfield to be infinitely replayable, with the intention of milking it's long lifespan through DLC, yet it's actually their least replayable RPG. Amazing that some of these old guard studios don't understand their own games.
@strangestecho5088 its because it's not the same people. The people who made it great moved on. And those few who do remain I start to feel the games succeeded in spite of them, not because of them.
Yep he's right I'm 70% done with the game right now and I'm just speeding up to get through it Combat was nice in the beginning but barely any enemy variety starts to get pretty boring soon enough so just lower enemy heath Dialogue starts off okay but middle to later is just bad....probably made for the " Modern " audience I am not gonna be playing the next dragon age game day one if there is ever going to be one
I doubt there will be one. Not because of sales, because the game is doing very well, but because they have no direction and the lack of DLC indicates they just wanted to push the game out and walk away from the franchise. I'm loving the game, but the future of the franchise doesn't look good.
@@uploadinstuff He said that after he played a 'highlight' reel without knowing it was, so I'm gonna give Matty a pass on that. They straight up lied to him and everyone else who played that initial showcase
@@uploadinstuff He only experienced 6 hours worth of content. There's nothing inconsistent about saying what he saw was promising but the game as a whole doesn't live up to it.
I'm shocked EA kept them around long enough to botch yet another franchise... They haven't made a decent game since Inquisition (which was mid) and haven't made a really great game since DA:O and ME1/2. Maybe Larian will get a chance to make DA relevant in 5 years, just like they brought BG back from the dead.
Don't listen to the people raging about this review and Matty. We know you're one of the most positive, thoughtful, and heartfelt gaming channels, Matty. I do hope the stuff about the leaked footage is wrong, only because I enjoy watching your reviews and perspective. Take care, and only listen to people who actually care about your best interest.
Bro ngl that scene with Harding, is actually something straight out of Disney or recent Marvel projects. There’s nothing wrong with that style of entertainment, but this is dragon age. They have massacred this franchise
The thing that's going to prevent me from buying this will undoubtedly be the writing. Why everything has to have a light hearted guardian of the galaxy MCU approach is becoming increasingly exhausting
Fr, especially seeing that taash character and the fact you can't deny her and tell her what a piece of shit she is and accept that she treats you like garbage just writes off as those twitter wokeys feeling like they're invincible to consequences.
@@jfelton3583 Millennial writing. Joss Whedon has corrupted an entire generation of script writers. Same reason I could never get into Borderlands. I despise all the characters and the way they talk.
@@amouramarie To be fair Andromeda didn't look this bad. Andromeda was the result of a not so experienced team being told to use a game engine that pretty much even the top end teams with experience didn't know how to use. Witcher 3 did get some facelifts over its 9-year existence. Baldur's Gate 3 has good graphics a good story and memorable characters with an excellent soundtrack and sound design. Also had allot of humor here and there. Like the hardest boss fight in the game having the boss singing his own battle music.
Yeah I’m sad over this, I’m sick of everyone saying it’s not that bad when it is actually that bad, this game is a 6/10 and it had the potential to be 14/10 it met my expectations which were low to begin with
I remember Dragon Age Origins. The bloodsplatters on armor and face of your character. Tactical fighting. Grim world. Good looking characters with good sense of humor and good written dialogs. This game should be entirely different franchise.
@@andresbogado7133 All Bioware had to do is give us another Origins but in a different setting and with a bit more polish here and there, and everyone would have been extremely happy. You don't fix something that isn't broke.
I remember Origins's greasy characters, wooden hair, regular crashes, in-game ads for its dlc, inane mission board quests, and easily solvable combat. I don't know where this "DAO was amazing" sentiment came from over time. Every game in the DA series has been a 3/5. The writing was never as solid as it was with Mass Effect or Jade Empire.
@@AngryCosmonautwhat you are describing is either age or technical problems. Not writing or art style. None of what your saying holds any weight to the problems being seen here
I’m more surprised by the good reviews. The dialogue i’ve seen is absolutely horrendous. How do these writers even have jobs? Does nobody give a fuck about good writing anymore?
It's a direct correlation between the rise of DEI at dev studios as a response to horrible workplace treatment and the increase in people with bad taste entering these studios and having too much influence. You don't get Dragon Age: Veilguard without the DEI hires that think teen dramas are peak entertainment. The solution to that very real problem is what is killing creativity in the games industry now.
@@BackwardsCombatable This thread had more comment in it last time I looked and the google AI bot is so left leaning say anything it's gone, I suspect yours will too
We could argue that they horribly redesigned her to look more like a Pixar princess because that's the art style they were going for. But I'm gonna act like 90% of the incels in the comments and just say "tHeY maDe hEr WOKe!!!!1😡🤬" instead.
@@Myplaylists93 This is influenced by SBI of course its woke. You calling out fans who calls out this kind of BS nonsense shows the level of stupidity and ignorance you exhibit
so. yall just completely ignored Solas was sidelined and showed up briefly at the very beginning and the very end, and how it was leaked like 2 weeks ago? maybe get some better sources.
A trans character was in Inquisition and they were handled beautifully. Great back story of tragedy and prejudice, an escape for a better life, finding a strong support system in the most unlikely place, and living their truth while thriving. Krem was an awesome character so it's crazy to see how hard they fumbled this LGBT related character.
If you like the current woke psychosis jammed into your throat with another tale of woe of cruel world - fine. I, for one, is not interested in yet another line to bugger an elf or get bugged by a boar - it’s so uninteresting and put in because writers don’t have a story to write.
Yeah Nu-Bioware is just a shambling zombie corpse of the old Bioware. Anthem killed the old Bioware I think unfortunately. Good news is it seems like Larian picked up the torch and is going full steam ahead.
@@maccagrabme seems that there will be no intense catfight or party banter like aveline and isabelle (i loved how they acted during each other's personnel quest), or alistair and morrigan, or wynne and loghain or how we(hero of fereldan) reacted to loghain after losing alistair (romanced). or how we can punch solas at the end of the inquisition dlc 😂
Came here just to show support for you being honest about the game and not just doing the easy thing and lying about the game to help them make sales they dont deserve. I hope youre doing alright man
Previous DA game: Player is incentivized to defile the ashes of a Saint into to unlock a class, which results in some party members attacking you unless you have worked with them enough to harden them. You end up killing one and intimidating the other into obedience. Veilguard looks like you can't even hurt your party members feelings.
@@MMORPGFreaky It would be healthier for art and the gaming industry in the long run if Veilguard flopped, lessons need to be learned. Unfortunately a lot of people are so shallow that they will buy it on the brand name, colourful graphics, game journo shill ratings etc. Maybe it just underperforming will be enough to communicate to the industry they need to avoid this kind of thing.
I’ve been uttering this sentence way too often as of late: “who the hell wrote this, and how old are they? Because there’s no way this could’ve been written by an adult, right?”
I've been asking myself the same things over and over again, every time I saw more of the dialogue in gameplay footage online. I CANNOT understand how the same writers who worked on Inquisition, and some of them even writing on DA since Origins, could write this crap.
Sometimes it seems like the games nowadays are being made by activist types that used to make fun of the game nerds. So maybe these writers really believe they are making something for an inferior class of people, thus, the writing that seems it's written for a 4 year old by an evil step parent that hates you.
@@Disconnis It's just the ultimate decision making process is not in the hands of developers, but investors. And investors don't understand art. It's not intentional, it's just our economic model.
The best review ever. You incapaulated my own conflicted feelings after playing the game perfectly. "What could've been". Edit. YES! Rook IS horrible and not relatable. YES! Emmrich was the best thing in this game. Harding was surprisingly good aswell, although she started a bit 'too nice', but then it all played out perfectly. I also kinda liked Neve, she was nice. Where I sort of disagree is the combat. For me, that combat hit the mark, or more like building the character I guess. I loved equipment effects and how they can change your build. Well maybe I would enjoy it to be even more challenging, cause in the end my build was so strong, last boss couldn't even damage me (I've played the hardest difficulty). I do love my d&d strategic combats, but I am also an action rpg enjoyer, so I can see how some people want DAO combat back.
In dragon age 1 one of the bosses was the brood mother. Female dwarves that had been completely corrupted by the darkspawn to become breeding machines, always creating more darkspawn. THAT was a strong scene, showing what the enemy was willing to do, how they were evil encarnated, what would happen if they weren't stopped. That was no mercy to be showed for them, no diplomacy. It was a fight for mankind's survival, and whatever had to be done, no matter how cruel, was justified for it. Veilguard: "What you mean he doesn't like dragons? omg! my fee fees are hurt." Bioware needs to go be closed down for its own good.
"First day, they come and catch everyone. Second day, they beat us and eat some for meat. Third day, the men are all gnawed on again. Fourth day, we wait and fear for our fate. Fifth day, they return and it's another girl's turn. Sixth day, her screams we hear in our dreams. Seventh day, she grew as in her mouth they spew. Eighth day, we hated as she is violated. Ninth day, she grins and devours her kin. Now she does feast, as she's become the beast. Now you lay and wait, for their screams will haunt you in your dreams." Broodmother poem from the DAO.
What a world we live in. MrMattyPlays gives the game a negative review, while Mortismal Gaming treats it as his game of the year and best game in the franchise. Am I in the mirror universe? I can't tell, I already have a goatee.
Don't know if its true or not, but I have seen on various comments on other youtubers channels that Mort was flow own to EA/Bioware to see this game early.. If true then yeah.. if its true of course.
if you'd actually watched the reviews, you'd know they've essentially said the same things. Mortismal also says that the story is good "for an arpg" and "mostly solves problems by smashing through them" that there is almost no opportunities for roleplay.
Mortismal Gaming has sold out. It should tell you a lot that he was willing to advertise Unknown 9: Awakening despite it being a total disaster. It should also tell you a lot that tons of his fanbase said "That is awesome you got your bag. We know this game sucks, but we totally support you!". If he's willing to take the payoff to promote something that was that bad, what else is he willing to do? Is he willing to say a game is amazing because he knows if he doesn't he won't get a review key in the future? To me, it seems like it. Guy used to be my favorite gaming channel. Couldn't trust him less now. :(
They really need to stop sanitizing RPGs. Sanitize everything else, I don’t care. But sanitizing an RPG is like taking the football out of football and asking why nobody is coming to the games. If I play a role, I want to be able to choose between asshole and hero and varying degrees between those extremes.
My gripe is the combat. Yes it's flashy and fun but it lacks depth. in Origins, 2 and inq characters had roles. I played a sword and shield warrior through ALL games and was the tank I rushed in protected the others while my rogue did damage either from afar or up close via subterfuge, mage one healed and CC's and mage 2 blasted from Afar with AOE spells. My party had unique builds and rolls. Now it's just an action game. Class....won't matter not really it seems.
@@christopherdsuza7531 Or you should blame the people that worked in upper management that actually hired these people and enforced this culture into these companies. Remember, those people are the ones that can steer a company into a specific direction, not soccer moms lol.
Hey Matty, thanks for the video, I really wanted this to be a return to form for Bioware. Unfortunately, it isn't. Because of your review I can safely say I'll be holding onto my money.
I cracked it last night, i deleted today, as soon as i saw NONE of my choices from DA3 and before mattered... edited: oh wait just 3 1- romanced Sera (i doubt it matters since you dont use the same) 2- wanting to chase Solas 3- iInquisition disbanded
"I'm not expecting them to give me Dragon Age: Origins levels of choice..." Why? Why were you NOT expecting AT LEAST that level of choice? This is a AAA studio, and this game has been in development since Inquisition released. That was a DECADE AGO. Meanwhile, Baldur's Gate 3 had less dev time, less money and a smaller team behind it, and Larian crafted what is arguably the greatest multiple-choice, decision-driven, party-based CRPG of all time. This game had every means to craft an experience FAR beyond any other DA title, every tool at the table to surpass BG3. And make no mistake, this game was DESTINED for comparison to BG3, and should NEVER have been targeting some sort of God of War (2018) ARPG style of gameplay. Dragon Age is a spiritual successor IP from the same studio that made Baldur's Gate 1 and 2. And while the original team that crafted those games are no longer at Bioware, EVERYONE should have known after the release of BG3 that Larian would be the competition to beat. It's no wonder so many AAA devs complained about gamers "expecting too much" after seeing the scope of BG3, if stuff like this is what they knew was forthcoming.
You're absolutely correct that DA could've been and should've been up there with the Baldur's Gate. They're like siblings in terms of having been growing up in the same era, genre, fanbase and so on.
Because Bioware hasn't hade a good game in over a decade. It would be dumb to expect they'd suddenly return to form and make a game better than DA:O when all the original creators are gone. Don't expect anything from a studio that hasn't earned those expectations beyond being a AAA studio
It remains to be seen if people will answer with their wallets or not, the damage is done, Skillup review is trending just like the inflated score on metacritic. If rpg fans expect the BG3 quality standard to remain a thing, they should buy ReFantazio and Rogue Trader instead of this game or FF7 ReNomura
Was obvious at 'trans surgery scars' People who care more about identity than gameplay also don't have the life experience to tell interesting story. They only know their own experience and can only write a self insert. We've seen this trend enough times at this point.
“I’m non-binary” Taash said to a bunch of people who don’t even know what a car is. This is what an intern writes as their first character. There could’ve been at least 70 ways Taash could’ve described their identity, subtlety is so foreign to this game lol They told us they implored EA to turn this game into single player which means STORY AND COMPANIONS NEED TO CARRY THE GAME. And this is what we got? LMAO What an RPG. Without the RP. Love that.
If you actually said, "Non-binary" to any of these dark fantasy medieval characters who still use swords and bows, they would think you were casting a spell.
@@williamedwards4151read a book. First mentions of nonbinary people go back to early Mesopotamia, and Acient Egypt. Well before Medieval Times. You want closer to European Medieval times? Try 11 century were the AngloSaxon language had a word for intersex people. Educate yourself, and stop trying to justify your bigotry
@@nikkitrabucho2534you're misinforming people the use of non binary in the same terms of today was used in 1940s the ancients civilizations weren't woke like today's alphabet mafia
1) EA allowed the game to be a single player only game 2) EA allowed it to be released without Denuvo or EA launcher requirement 3) EA gave them enough time to make it, so it's released in a good technical state It seems to me that EA wanted to make sure that, should this game fail and/or get bad reception from the gamers, it was seen as Bioware's own fault and EA has nothing to do with it.
@@antonkirilenko3116 1) so they gave the studio creative freedom to make the game they wanted 2) so they gave the studio creative freedom to make the game they wanted hey wanted 3) so they gave the studio time to make the game they wanted Making me defend EA...keep carrying water for Bioware though. It can be true, that execs made made decisions, AND bioware aint talented enough to make a good game.
@@antonkirilenko3116 Plausible deniability for the win. Bonus: They get to shut down Bioware and add another corpse to their already giant pile of dead studios.
After Mass Effect Andromeda, I knew for a fact that any and all of my favorite Bioware franchises were gone forever. Veilguard and ME 4 were never going to meet the same quality as the trilogies
Why does it seem like, ever since Covid, companies afraid of producing things with a dark theme - seems like a game where the situation is dire yet everybody asks like the unfunny bard in your D&D runs following a really bad Guardians of the Galaxy script that got tossed out
@@gustavgustav2670 People who are hired on the basis of identity or politics rather than the talent and/or skills required for the position. It's not that hard to understand if you are not disingenuous.
@@gustavgustav2670 when people are hired to check ideological boxes, rather than their qualifications, poor quality products are the result. This game is a shining example of that.
I really appreciate the honesty of your review, Matty, along with other critics who were not afraid to voice their criticisms about how this game misunderstands and/or disregards what make a Dragon Age (and BioWare) game special. Not pandering. Just honest. I was really hoping that this Dragon Age would be a glimpse of OG BioWare games, but perhaps that was unrealistic. I wish the best for others who enjoy the game, but this is a definite skip for me. At least we have other developers who carry on that BioWare rpg spirit, like Larian. Maybe I will finally give BG3 a chance. I love action rpgs, and I am always hesitant to try out turn-based and/or strategy rpgs.
this is a proper review where the reviewer is transparent and very very clear about what they want and like in Dragon Age games. You remind me of Matt Colville. subbing
In addition to Larian, CDPR, & Warhorse - I would also keep an eye on these upcoming RPG studios: 1. Archetype Entertainment - making ‘Exodus’ (space RPG from ex BioWare devs). 2. Rebel Wolves - making ‘Dawnwalker’ (vampire medieval game from ex CDPR devs). 3. Once Lost Games - making ‘the Wayward Realms’ (they are the original Elder Scrolls creators/ devs). 4. Something Wicked Games - making ‘Wyrdsong’ (medieval dark fantasy RPG ex BGS / BioWare & Obsidian devs). 5. Fools Theory - Witcher 1 remake (ex CDPR devs).
Thank you fellow gamer of culture. I needed this list to soothe my pain, after all the waiting I have done for another masterpiece like Dragon Age Origins.
Despite not having the Open World element that I love in games, DA:O compesated it so good with its tone, dialogue, story, music... Will never forget the feeling of seeing the wardens sorrounded by dsrkspawn, the shock to see the other initiates we got to meet dying after trying to join, hearing Leliana's song for the first time. I miss that game. They shoild hsve just remastered it
Dude you should’ve never backed down you should’ve never apologized, it’s our money at the end of the day and we should have a say on what we can and will not buy. Dragon age veilguard is bad game, bad writing, bad characters, bad gameplay. It should be exposed it should be criticized. Do not let others guilt you for breaking nda. The gaming industry needs to change as a whole. Please stay strong.
Matty has no existence without being able to call himself an "insider". Can you imagine how fast he'd spiral if Todd Howard or EA told him something mean like "You get no access."? It's why he is, and always will be, a shill for the industry. He's only being tepidly critical because these games are being slammed by everyone else and he can't do blatant fanboi mode right now.
You’re not wrong, but what you’re asking him to do is go against liberal/progressive controlled media and entertainment and as we all know that can put these reviewers in a compromising position socially and financially based on the ideals of the following they already have, which is why these creators often tend to bend the knee sadly. It’s just the reality of the situation.
When you say, "I'm not expecting 'Dragon Age: Origins' level of writing or anything..." I have to respectfully disagree--why should we expect *less* out of a new game in 2024 than we expected out of a game from 2009? Why have we allowed our standards to drop so low that we don't even hope for a game to be able to achieve the gameplay and narrative heights of titles from 15 years ago? I don't know when we all gave up on gaming, but it's so tragic to see the modern state of it.
I checked out of the series after Inquisition. And after hearing your and SkillUp’s critique, I’m definitely not going to bother. Both of you had the same points and I doubt it’s a coincidence. I like good writing, good characters and important decisions in my RPG’s. I’ve got lots of other things to do in my life than spend it on a subpar RPG. Thank you for saving my time and money.
Hello Matty, I have a bit of possibly controversial news for you. I'm a game dev of 16 years with titles like DayZ, Kingdom Come Deliverance and Dying Light 2 in my portfolio and I used recent Skill Up review and the points he is making in it to write a post about quality of writing in contemporary AAA games using Dragon Age Veilguard as an example, all in a very respectful manner ofc. Guess what happened? My linkedin profile got blocked and I'm now waiting for their team to hopefully reinstate it. I went to Bioware official UA-cam channel to tell them to stop using trolls to deplatfrom veteran devs from linkedin that speak critially about their game and ofc they blocked me there too and now I can't find their official UA-cam channel at all while signed in to the same UA-cam account I used to write that comment under the launch trailer. Maybe it's time to start talking about their really shady practices to your huge audience.
They blocked me for defining the word "woke" and marked as "bigotry, hate speech". I didn't even make a single judgement. I just gave a definition because someone asked. I think it's pretty clear this company is filled with agenda-driven activists. They are not a business. That is also why their dialogue sounds like sermons, as asmongold put it.
Because everyone who disagrees or criticise the game is bad person, in in their believes a straight white male full of -isms. They are lying to themselves, celebrate false reviews, but a couple of weeks after launch this game is just another flop like the many we have had.
@@threestars2164 You are half right, this is a typical modern Bioware game, meaning it is a soulless flop. The dark theme of the DA series made it stand out from other RPGs, now the game just feels generic.
Dude, thank you for your honesty. People need to understand that criticism is good for growth. I hope this game flots so we can have a great new Dragon Age game again.
@@inquerion8867It's funny because Swen Vincke from Larian said he wants the next project to be Sci-Fi so i would say Larian for mass effect and CDPR,with Witcher experience, could be amazing fit for Dragon Age.
Said the same thing about fallout and elder scrolls I would LOVE for another developer to take over them but it ain’t gonna happen. Nobody is gonna freely give up a goldmine
Dude, don't be afraid to lose access. If you truly give a damn and love reviewing games, pay for them, give your honest no f's given opinion. Come to the other side of the fence, the grass is greener and it's just grass! good old fashioned grass. You won't get thrown under the bus either.
the fact that the trans self insert character is written like a headstrong bully that isn't allowed to be disagreed with is such a mining canary. not a good look bioware
Bioware took a millenial-genderstudies dump on the Mass Effect trilogy and now apparently has done the same with their other hit IP. This studio isnt what it has been anyways, the Mass Effect IP is better off getting handled by another studio, better that before they take an even bigger rainbow colored dump with Mass Effect 4.
well thank god i have a ton of games from the past to play. skyrim, oblivion, morrowind, fallout 3&4, dragons dogma, witcher 2&3, red dead redemption 1&2, bioshock, and… dragonage origin, part 2 and inquisition etc etc
I think Solas was put on the shelf because the writers couldn’t pull it off with him being the big bad. Less talented people are getting into these big companies and they don’t know that they aren’t talented because no one is willing to tell them you suck.
@@jdphillips7539 I always thought he was pretty boring in DAI, and the big reveal at the end of the game really threw me off. Felt like it came out of no where
@@dogman6687 I don't know how people put up with DAI. I tried 4 times and couldn't get past 10 hours max. The gameplay is just so boring, basically an offline MMORPG.
Based on everything I've heard and seen it looks like this is a Dragon Age game in name only. The only reason they went with DA is because they lack the creativity to create a new universe, it's easier to operate within an existing one, (and ofc they wanted to capitalize on the franchise's fans) what sucks is that the studio never understood or knew the DA universe well enough to make a proper DA game. It's sad.
@@ManCaveRo it’s written by the Libtards that have infested all these companies. Not even being political, it’s literally an ideology problem. They cannot be offensive, and this is how dialogue sounds when everyone subscribes to that.
I think you are correct, they have made the dialogue for ages 6 to 14, dumb enough so that they get it, and if they don't, the companions will keep telling you exactly what it is they want to tell you.
He doesn't want our support, he's already on X groveling before EA and the cancellation mob angry about this review. Very disappointing of him, but I guess the pressure and fear of losing his livelihood was too big. In what messed up times we live...
Forget about the new Dragon Age... Mass Effect Andromeda is currently available for a few bucks, I think it's a good price and time to finally play this game ;-)
Keep an eye on "Exodus Become the Traveler". James Ohlen, previously the Senior Creative Director of Bioware Drew Karpyshyn, worked on SW:Kotor and ME1,2 Both of them are working on Exodus, a AAA Sci-Fi RPG. :)
oh, I remember Drew! his vision for Mass Effect 3 would have involved Dark Matter, and the hints had already been there in 1 & 2. oh, what we could have had...
@@kokosan09 Iirc he envisioned the Reapers as a neutral force that tries to save the galaxy by harvesting intelligent life, because the overuse of E-Zero(f.e. biotics, mass accelerators) causes problems with Dark Matter, like suns growing exponentially fast and going supernova like on Talis recruitment mission.
@@smantill It looks like end of 25 or the beginning of 26 but no one knows unfortunately, they are still working on it and they recently started to upload lore videos. Let them cook in peace, we need a new real Mass Effect.
@@a.l.pvonriva3420yes, exactly! I read up on it again yesterday. it could have all ended with quite similar endings, like sacrificing humanity to become another reaper in the off chance that it could stop the entropy or Shepard going "nah, we're going to find another way", but especially The Illusive Man's motives and actions in 2 could have made way more sense. ah, well. thank you for bringing Exodus to my attention, I love the trailer.
I think one of the things that bothered me the most about Mass Effect: Andromeda was the lack of friction within my party. Apart from some passive aggressiveness, everyone was always super friends all the time and it saddens me that this seems to be the same in Veilguard. To be clear: I don't need my companions to be at each others throats all the time, but them having strong opinions and disagreeing with me or with each other created some of the most memorable moments in older Bioware games. Remember Mass Effect, where we had a xenophobic space redneck and a hyperviolent turtle on the same team? I remember fondly the times I wanted to throw said space redneck out of the airlock and almost had to shoot the turtle because hyperviolence. Or Morrigan vom DA:O, the evil witch who basically shat on everyone in the party but depending on how you handled her behaviour, by the end of the game she was YOUR evil witch. Man, I really miss those times.
What I noticed in ME:A, nobody respected Rider even if they liked him. In the trilogy, mostly everyone respected Shepard. If they didn't respect Shepard, they were portrayed as fools.
The trouble with DA is Bioware wants to make every new party feel like a family in their first outing. Mass Effect was the only saga to pull that off and it took three games for the relationships to develop organically. In the first ME your squad feel simply like coworkers. In ME2 bonds start to become stronger and you learn even more from the characters and by the time of ME3 most, if not all, start to feel like family, even if they disagree with each other from time to time.
Not to mention by the 3rd game, you fucking LOVED every single member of the team. Wrex, Garrus, Liara, Ashley (at least for me, Kaidan was pretty boring), and Tali (best girl!).You cared about them. I remember in 2 I tried so hard to keep the whole team alive and in 3 when I didn't have enough Paragon and all the Quarians and Tali died (and Legion!) I reverted back to an old save immediately to try and fix it. Andromeda, I could not have cared any less about the team (cept Drack and Vetra). They were so boring, static, and generic they just didn't stick with you (PeeBee was fucking annoying).
@@enrique6335 Couldn't have said it better. 1 was the bedrock that shaped it all and introduced the team. In 2 I remember being so damn excited when I saw both Tali and Garrus again and got to recruit them. They were my dream team in that game, I took them everywhere I could (Tali best girl!). Even more so with 3, it felt so great having pretty much all the familiar faces from 1 back on the team (Wrex in Citadel was just such a treat). Then you get Andromeda and you throw a bunch of randos at me, and I could not care any less about them (cept maybe Drack and Vetra, and PeeBee was so fucking annoying).
The more i see reviews and examples of the dialogue... some are the same... but they just further ingrain in my mind the dialogue is entirely forced inclusivity and toxic positivity. Taash for example. Her statement about the Qun and taking care of each other. That is not what the Qun says. Go talk to any of the Qunari in the first 3 games. It is a harsh society where you give your all and play your role or you get crushed and left to become dust.
Yep...... and at this point, I actually wish EA would just get on with it. I'd rather they finish what they started years ago, and put Bioware out of their misery now, instead of dragging it out.
This has always been true though. AAA has always been normie slop. AA is that sweet spot where you've still got that indie studio but with a budget. But it's also bitter sweet because success in the AA space ends up devolving into being bought out and turned into a AAA slop factory.
@@maryapple7108They took too long it was a mistake that they didn't focus on The Dreadwolf immediately after Trespasser. Wasted time and money on Anthem. All of the talented writers left replaced by ''woke'' weirdos. Wanted all of our choices matter. Wanted to see reunion between Solas and Lavellan. They don't care about our companions. Look what they did to our girl Morrigan. Most of us waited 10 years (well 9 if we count Trespasser) to see how it ends. I was 14 now i am 24 and i feel like i got slapped in the face and like they ruined a part of my childhood. I just wanna see what is gonna happen with Solas but i am not buying the game.
Taash and Krem being Aqun'Athlok is a retcon of the Qun 100% Aqun"Athlok did not exist since Sten made it clear on the gender roles of the Qun which is resolute and uncompromising and unchanging for the Qunari, and anything that goes against what the Qun says, even a slight deviation from it would most likely result in execution. If you unlocked Sten's cage in origins without giving him a reason to set him free, he will close the gates on himself because he believes he deserves his fate for murdering innocent farmers. If he had return to Par Vollen, he would be executed either way when they find out. That's how rigid the Qun is. If Aqun'Athlok was in the Qun since origins, Sten would not question female Wardens for being a Grey Warden, he would have instead understood them as Aqun'Athlok.
This comment deserves more likes. They could have made female warriors of any other race, but noooo, because we need to fuck the patriarchal Qun in the ass. How lovely.
90% of the og staff quit, retired or got laid off. Dragon Age will never be the same without them and this game proves that.
Aye, we had good times, but the curtain is closeing. I have a feeling , casey didnt leave MEffect for no reason, probobly saw his team and noped out.
A lot of the writers for the game were ogs.
All of them went working for Larian on Baldur's Gate 3.
Funny because Larian team made DA Origins.
Yep. Watching this review reminds me of the Saints Row reviews.
This game will have soft sales and if the next Mass Effect follows suit then its the end of Bioware. The dev team is doing what they know and is important to them and its really going to hurt the game. Its just the age of the devs and where society is now. Add to the fact the publisher and studio head and their overlord fingers telling them what is appropiate and what they can't do.This is not how you create a game and one thats truly sucsessful.
The elves don't talk or act like elves, dwarves don't talk or act like dwarves, etc... Everyone just acts and talks like a human millennial or zoomer from CA, or some other 1st world modern country in "current year".
I think this is what I hate the most about contemporary fantasy RPGs. Demihuman races like dwarves, elves, half-races, etc. always just end up being no different from humans other than appearance. It's all just cosplay or a surface level veneer of being different and special, but it's all fake and shallow. Everything has to be reflective now of real people and cultures in our world. It's not fantasy at all. Wizards of the Coast making orcs Mexican in the latest edition of D&D, perfect example. What the hell, man?
@@rexpelagiusanother example is LotR: Rings of Power. Elves do not have that majestic mystical aura they have in the books and in the movie. They're just humans with pointy ears.
@@rexpelagius And they're beginning to destroy Warhammer.
@@level9drow856yes, Warhammer is the next IP to go, specially since its becoming so popular and therefore mainstream. Most of it will be tone down definitely.
Also the Judge Dredd, Tank Girl, Dune, 200AD generation are now long gone, so that dark, sarcastic, provocative way of thinking is giving way to people who grew up very sheltered and fed by absolute corporativism since very young.
And since corporations have finally managed to even make ethical and social issues into commodities get ready for those to be over used since they are now currency for employees to prove they “fit” into the “culture”.
@@Daniel__NobreI miss the late 80s to 90s sci fi bro 🙁
>can't be mean
>don't talk to Solas much
One of the main draws to this game was to be mean, TO Solas.
OMG yes! I remember being so pissed at him at the end of inquisition. I didn't like the cliffhanger, but many great stories have left on cliffhangers and payed them off in the next instalment. They clearly dropped the ball here.
so we can't punch solas...again ? and rook can follow up with 'the inquisitor sends his/her regards'
Something pretty drastic happened around Solas on their end. Inquisition ends with a cliffhanger setting him up as this global threat and reveals him as that god you've heard about throughout each game. Even Flemeth, another god, sacrifices herself for him. Then 10 years roll by, a game named after him gets rebranded, and he is sidelined. I think those changes to what this game even was left Solas with little to do.
At this point I'd honestly help him with his doomsday plan
@@averydonsilva5283i 2nd that
Doesn't look like Dragon Age
Doesn't sound like Dragon Age
Doesn't take place in a world that feels like Dragon Age
Doesn't have characters that feel like they belong in Dragon Age
Doesn't have gameplay like Dragon Age
Doesn't meaningfully build on the story of Dragon Age
Doesn't connect to past choices in Dragon Age
It isn't Dragon Age.
That isn't Bioware.
This franchise is over.
That studio is gone.
Gameplay part is probably a good thing the combat of inquisition is fucking awful, I thought Skyrim had bad combat
@@Ilearnedtodayy I honestly liked the more mmo basic attack type combat ngl. also you can pause and tell your mates where to go how to attack or even play them.
now we have another hack and slash basically
How depressing 😮💨
Baldur's Gate is Dragon Age now
The world is still dragon age and feels like it
Duncan died for this ?
LMAO! When you put it like that. 😅👏
I can not belive how we got from DA:O to this. The first game had so much horror, dread, misery... It was really, really dark man. And now we get a Saturday Morning cartoon. How can you spit on your own legacy like that?
The OG dark spawn gave me the chills back in the day. When the first Oger rushed at me, ready to tear of limbs i had adrenaline as fuck pumping through my veins. I was devastated when duncan died. Mesmerized by Lilianas Song. The good old days man. I see nothing in this caricature of Dragon Age.
Hahaha Duncan!
Archdemon wanted to save us from this future and we killed him 😞
@@highroller6244remember how chilling the broodmother mission was? How tf do you go from that to this? I have no problem if they wanna make a child friendly Disney type game. Just make another IP.
Modern language in a fantasy world is so gross. It’s like Vikings saying that’s cap and that’s lit. Or a samurai saying I’m triggered. lol
I can not agree with you more!! It’s so, so cringeworthy.
“MCU humour” when done right is great, but it’s incredibly hard to get it right and there’s a time and a place.
@@Mockle07 Yes. Comedy in general is hard. Especially today with all the HR takeover, DEI initiatives, PC language, guardrails, sensitivity readings, onset therapists, romance coordinators, consultant companies and so on. No wonder why nobody can make real art in these western studios.
Completely agree, I'm so glad I'm not the only one who found this one of most annoying issues amidst all this backlash. Some of the complaints I have aren't from issues being brought up about identity and how a character feels about who they are, it's... this creepy insert of real-world labels that just... wouldn't exist in Thedas. Have these talks, but ugh, why didn't the writers set up some compelling scenes where characters open up about it and talk like real people do? Not just dropping buzzwords and platitudes. Really sucks lol
@@The_Primary_Axiom Another reviewer said it best: “Every conversation sounds like HR is in the room”, which is a very accurate and damning comment!
@@Mockle07 Yep. Everybody in these studios are afraid of one another. (Toxic positivity) even execs and CEO’s are afraid to tell them no. This is how you get flops like concord with those characters. In 8 years nobody told them no change this. These characters don’t look good. Guaranteed most of them all though the chars were hideous but all afraid of HR.
Not being able to even disagree with party members is the MOST "we can't offend" anyone shit I've ever heard.
you TRUMPtards should start your own gaming studios so you can make all the INCEL games you want
toxic positivity at its finest.. I was hoping to at least want to play for the story's sake. but I think I'll pick up another bg3 playthrough instead and watch a UA-cam cutscene compilation for veilguard.
It's the woke mentality. This new generation has doomed us
SkillUp definitely said it best. “Every time someone speaks it’s like HR is in the room.” We are officially coming to a point where even an opposing perspective, however valid it may be, will be considered insensitive and get censored.
Hearing some of the characters interact with each other feels so dead and emotionless, like the voice actors don't even want to care. Not to mention when the main character tries to end "arguments" it's like an adult talking to toddlers.
Looking back at Mass Effect with Jack fighting with Miranda and all the other character interactions, and now we have this boring-ass eggshell stuff.
I'm pretty liberal and shit, but I'm also not a p*ssy. This toxic positivity in the game is gross.
I don't think ANYONE would have cared if you spoiled the story.
They pretend varric is alive until the end when they say rook made him up in her head all along. Pissed me off.
Its what Steve Jobs said in that interview. When a company first becomes successful its because the Creatives brought it there. But the Sales people get the promotions because of the sales and the next thing you know, they are in charge and the Creatives aren't even at the decision table anymore.
@@Silversmith70 exactly. So much ruined art because of this.
Funny because Jobs was a salesman as well but at least he understood the reality
@@UA-camCensors Jobs was a creative director of user experience. His ability to talk to crowds and sell his vision didn't make him a salesman, although I understand why you say that. People think creators live in ivory towers but the best ones are in the trenches where the users are.
@@eugenehavens Jobs hid his and co-workers' porsche and BMWs because he wanted to SELL the appearance of a "guy in the trenches", he was definitely a salesman and his contribution to Apple's success was solely his fabricated persona and charisma, he was NOT behind creative design decisions at the company, despite whatever he said or what accompanied his nameplate at his office door.
If you want to know what Steve Jobs was really like, ask the people that worked under him if they have anything nice to say about him.
@@themilkman9451 I was a user and Apple watcher during Jobs entire career at Apple. Were you? Jobs set the goals for user experience of a product. That is an undeniable fact. You can drag him for whatever you think he did wrong, but the products at Apple were influenced by Jobs to be the legendary products they were. If Jobs did something personally to your family, I’m sorry.
“I don’t expect origins level of quality”. Is something I hear alot these days. Well we should. It’s time everyone stops accepting mediocrity
My thoughts exactly. I do expect Origin levels of quality.
There's a lot of great games out there. Earn my time and money or move along.
Dragon Age’s graphics were pretty mediocre…but guess what, nobody cares. Graphics are the last thing you consider when getting immersed. Style is so much more important and Veilguard doesn’t seem to have any, along with a bunch of other things.
the fact that he uses the ambient music from DA:O just says a lot
dont confuse quality with a mirror image of origins,its normal for a game to evolve over time,specialy when graphics and game ability has grown allot.
i was very sceptical at first aswel but i saw someone play for a fuw hours and honestly it looks fun and since the first game we are already in ingame years decades ahead so its normal that the people and the culture slightly changes nothing stays the same.
@ I don’t need a carbon copy but accepting anything less than what was achieved a long long time ago isn’t a good thing.
The issue these days is studios releasing mediocre 6 or 7/10 games and acting like it’s a damn masterpiece and they know it isn’t.
People should expect a quality product no matter what they purchase. And not accept mediocre products just to have a product.
The Disneyfied art style is off-putting.
They’re probably all CalArts grads
there is already talk and videos about the "marvelization of media"
Disney had amazing artist that have work which stands the test of time. Just because you’re mad at Star Wars doesn’t mean their animation sucks. Kids these days.
🤦♂️
Still better than Disneyfied story and character. that's the real tragedy
I would even go as far as saying that the art style is pretty close to the lego cartoons that my son watches in the morning, same for the writing style.
The art looks more cartoonish. I think I will stick with BG3 for the coming months....
Yea
The game has an actual dialogue choice of "oof"
That's all I need to know
Well that word did originate in 1777. I'm not defending it though it is not good.
We went from deep dark fantasy with nudity, genocide, gore and murder to Sesame Street.
Sesame Street 😂
We never had nudity tbf
@@ashwath5733 In Inquisition we did
@@jotaro28338 Cassandra was hot
@@Space_Man909 and that secretary chick
10 years this game took. 10 years...In less time we got the three Mass Effect games.
Three S-TIER ME games.
They didn't develop it over 10 years. Try again.
Entire point is now moot because it was developed in 9 years. Get dunked on incorrect person lmao
@@Xathos Yes it did you absolute turdmonger! Mass Effect released in 2007, Mass Effect 2 released in 2010, Mass Effect 3 released in 2012. If you perfom simple addition those years add up to 5, so yes... the Mass Effect series released within a span of 5 years you total nincompoop.
@@douxillyfr They didn't even develop it in 9 years.
Between 2007 and 2013 we got:
- Mass Effect
- Mass Effect 2
- Mass Effect 3
- Dragon Age
- Dragon Age 2
- Dragon Age Inquisition
+ Several Extensive Story DLC Packs and Content
in the almost 15 years since then?
- Mass Effect Andromeda
- Anthem
- This
R.I.P. BioWare
I think DAI was released in 2014, but totally agree otherwise :(
Yea crazy
The huge gap in quality AND quantity is very sad to see.
Real shit
Only 4 years off for Andromeda
I think SkillUp said it right when he said that the conversations within this game are as if "HR is in the room." Nothing can be "offensive" nothing can show genuine mature conversations. Everything has to sound like me when I talk to my 3 and 1 year old children. There can't be any sharp edges. Everything has to be rounded off so that you can't hurt someone's feelings.
They literally removed spiders from the game so that people with arachnophobia wouldn't be triggered. They couldn't even be bothered to implement an arachnophobia mode like Grounded or Satisfactory did.
@@samvimes9510 That's just sad. What's worse, but not surprising is how much the mainstream "review" and "games journalists" are praising this game for everything Matt and SkillUp have fairly criticized it. It's definitely going to circle the internet from "games journalists publications" that the anti-woke Gamers are hating on a game because of something that we don't really care about. We just care that a game is good. End of story. If it tells a narrative. It has to tell it well and with genuine intentions. Not this ham fisted shit that is shoved in our faces and told to like when the story is boring and contrived and the moment to moment gameplay is boring that people are lowering the difficulty. Not because it is hard, but just so they can steam roll it and get back to whatever narrative you are haphazardly trying to tell.
what or who is HR?
@@takeyourtime3328 "Human Resources"
@@takeyourtime3328 Human Resources. The people at a company that make sure you don't do or say anything that could be perceived as negative.
Yeah, Dragon Age is done. This will be my first time not buying a Dragon Age game. Sad...
Same here.
I could already not really get into Inquisition.. tried multiple times (got over 100 hours) but it was already so different from Origin which i liked a lot... So was very careful with feeling any hype for this one... Looks like the stayed the coarse, right off a cliff
@@Darqion The core story was solid. It was just so infested with tedious filler, dull fetch quests and mindless busy-work that it kind of sucked all the life out of it. It didn't help that the Hinterlands was one of the first places you visited, and it was pretty much one long, insufferable slog from beginning to end.
I've played the first two games multiple times. I still haven't finished Inquisition. And Veilguard can get bent.
@@Darqion I felt the same way about Inquisition. I did beat it but it was nowhere nearly as good as Origins. Bioware has been dead for a while now, Veilguard is the last nail in the coffin.
Rip to one of my favorite franchises 😢
I honestly cant believe this game is getting praised. The writing alone is enough to push me away. There is no nuance or subtlety. I think there is an influx of fan fiction readers and creators that like this kind of cynical, surface level writing. They are okay with a cute skeleton and the ability to "ship" generic unlikable companions. Bioware is not who they used to be and you could have seen this coming but they completely changed course. I think that will disappoint a lot of previous fans. Ive seen professional writers on youtube analyse datv's writing and just how awful it is. The gameplay is "go there and fight that" over and over again. There is no variation in quest design. The maps feel gamey and fake. I was so disappointed.
Hey! I'm a ff writer and there is NO WAY I would compare my skill or ability to the old Bioware!
It'd probably be better than this though 😂
And certain fans get offended when the stories did attempt nuance. They wanted a dating sim and complained when either their self-insert or their favorite character looked bad in any way. This is what happens if those fans get what they ask for.
Why do all the characters talk with the highschool play cadence?
becuasse 'Marvel Movies'. You can thank Joss Whedon for that. Guy has been such a detriment to American-Pop Culture it's actually insane.
Because that's the target audience
They sadly replaced the VA Director for all three DA games and Mass Effects (Caroline Livingstone, she left BW in 2021), and it seems like the new person just cannot wrangle the actors properly...
It’s the Reddit humour which is everywhere at the moment. It is terrible,
@@georgeh4171Reddit and it's consequences...many such cases
Skill up took my already low opinion of character models and made it worse by saying they look like Prince Charming from Shrek. I just can’t unsee it now
i kinda like it
I want Prince Charming in the game now.
His character literally looked like a less masculine version of Human Shrek
They wish they had 1% of Prince Charming personality!
Prince Charming was butch compared to the characters of Veilguard😂
*Listens to the dialogue*
I now believe the Darkspawn did nothing wrong.
I am on the side of the arch demon now. It all must burn
That was my exact thoughts, we been fighting the wrong enemy the whole time the darkspawn was actually trying to save us.
@@ernestisom5878 Corypheus should have won. I beg for his forgiveness.
@@ericcanup4994 Vote Urthemiel
@@ericcanup4994 I'm on Solas's side now
Thanks for the Review. Saved me the Money. After seeing this video I stick with playing baldurs gate 3.
This is not Dragon Age anymore. The soul of what was once Origins, has been ripped out.
It's not just games, even TV shows and movies.
House of the Dragon (especially season 2) looks like a Saturday morning cartoon show... filled to the brim with modern day ideals and DEI.
Netflix's The Witcher (especially season 3) did not feel like a gritty fantasy medieval TV show, it felt like I was watching a bunch of modern day New Yorkers playing a game of LARP... and among those LARPers, there's a few legit actors.
@Factboy12 witcher was garbage from beginning. Very bad cast and terrible writing. Books 10 times better. Even polish series from 2000s is better.
It went freaking woke!!! Its trans age now! the character creator is weird for that stuff.
I truly fell in love with RPGs thanks in large part to Origins and Oblivion, Fallout 3, Mass Effect, etc. I am so afraid that the genre is lost to the "Hollywood syndrome" where new stories are as deep as a puddle, new games are either recycled garbage or are a half hearted "remaster" of something that was actually good...15 years ago.
It's almost as if it's been that way since 2012...oh wait, IT HAS.
I dont understand why all "edge" is being removed from these games and its absolutely maddening.
Peaceful times..weak men..by design
@@darianstarfrogNo it’s a lack talent and writers being hyper obsessed with being as commercial as possible. The Original writers of Dragon Age were scrawny nerds just like the current writers, not hardened war veterans lol. The 2000s gaming media just didn’t have execs and advertisers on the writer’s room like now
I'll start edging to make up for lost edge
@@darianstarfrog why is it always neckbeards saying this?
@@soundthatyoucansee123 unironically the ppl saying this are weaker than the ones they think of
The Darkspawn look like they rolled out of Kingdom Hearts.
Thats an insult to Kingdom Hearts at least some of the Heartless are scary
@@BodaciousDerb And memorable!
Kingdom Hearts art design is very old Square Final Fantasy.
Yeah no even the kingdom hearts creatures are more intimidating
Safe space spawn
So you can't be a complete bastard? That is half the fun of rpg games. My motivation to even play this on Gamepass is gone.
As an adult, I can't express how much, in a single player game, a compelling story, and good voice acting matters to me. I have a real life week with real problems. If I have the time to game, I need something compelling enough it draws me in to where I can forget about eventing else. If the story is that good, I can look right past most bugs. However, if the story is meh, and I keep getting drawn out of it by thoughts of real life, I kinda just feel like I'm eating time.
That's the bare minimum for me in narration. Ambiance (lighting, NPC animations, music, etc) and interactions (dialogue choices, etc) are the game changer, but it's all pointless without a good voice actor and a good script. Whenever I look at the difference between a game like Starfield and Cyberpunk dialogue, it's night and day and it doesn't matter how well the voice actor is doing his job or how well the line is written in Starfield, without good interaction and a good, fitting ambiance, it just end up really dull.
Any games like this?
Yeah, I just started sekiro and it is so good story wise, voice acting is also superb. Hell, even one of my choices with npc pretty dreading.
Absolutely. And that is what they want. To constantly remind you of current modern trash and prevent you from escaping. This is in all media and why good movies and games went from common to extremely rare.
@@Landonias93I'm sorry but why are you people always trying to constantly escape life instead of working on making your lives better?
they took the the Roleplay outta the Roleplay game.
Yeah! This is happening in other games too. Hopefully BG3 has managed to convince the industry that people still look for rp
and the game, don't forget the game part
Roleplay as a democrat for sure
Im all for shitting on this game..but 'role playing' is so lame in rpgs. and bg3 sucked
And put Draq into Dragon...
Hearing this clips of dialogue is just so disheartening. The gameplay of the series has always been hit or miss, but strong writing and compelling characters has long been a hallmark. It's kind of funny thinking back to a comment Bioware gave during an interview saying the writing in this game was their best yet and they intentionally made good characters this time. Really wanted this game to be good.
Reminds me of how Bethesda designed Starfield to be infinitely replayable, with the intention of milking it's long lifespan through DLC, yet it's actually their least replayable RPG. Amazing that some of these old guard studios don't understand their own games.
@strangestecho5088 its because it's not the same people. The people who made it great moved on. And those few who do remain I start to feel the games succeeded in spite of them, not because of them.
@@strangestecho5088 Same with Halo Infinite
Yep he's right I'm 70% done with the game right now and I'm just speeding up to get through it
Combat was nice in the beginning but barely any enemy variety starts to get pretty boring soon enough so just lower enemy heath
Dialogue starts off okay but middle to later is just bad....probably made for the " Modern " audience
I am not gonna be playing the next dragon age game day one if there is ever going to be one
I doubt there will be one. Not because of sales, because the game is doing very well, but because they have no direction and the lack of DLC indicates they just wanted to push the game out and walk away from the franchise. I'm loving the game, but the future of the franchise doesn't look good.
Honestly, are any of us surprised by this?
Im a little surprised after this same guy was like its actually really good like a month ago.
@@uploadinstuff^ this
@@uploadinstuff He said that after he played a 'highlight' reel without knowing it was, so I'm gonna give Matty a pass on that. They straight up lied to him and everyone else who played that initial showcase
@@uploadinstuff and a lot of other reviews that are coming out are praising it
@@uploadinstuff He only experienced 6 hours worth of content. There's nothing inconsistent about saying what he saw was promising but the game as a whole doesn't live up to it.
"He's right behind me, isn't he" ahh dialogue
You've gotta do better senator!
''Shepard turns off the life support machine that keeps Bioware alive''
Liara: That was the compassionate thing to do, Shepard.
“Everyone liked that”
"Sorry Bioware, I have to charge my Switch."
We'll bang later, okay?
@@piratekingthaszar7912 double nice.
I'm shocked EA kept them around long enough to botch yet another franchise... They haven't made a decent game since Inquisition (which was mid) and haven't made a really great game since DA:O and ME1/2.
Maybe Larian will get a chance to make DA relevant in 5 years, just like they brought BG back from the dead.
Don't listen to the people raging about this review and Matty. We know you're one of the most positive, thoughtful, and heartfelt gaming channels, Matty. I do hope the stuff about the leaked footage is wrong, only because I enjoy watching your reviews and perspective. Take care, and only listen to people who actually care about your best interest.
Bro ngl that scene with Harding, is actually something straight out of Disney or recent Marvel projects. There’s nothing wrong with that style of entertainment, but this is dragon age. They have massacred this franchise
Millenial writing is awful.
The thing that's going to prevent me from buying this will undoubtedly be the writing. Why everything has to have a light hearted guardian of the galaxy MCU approach is becoming increasingly exhausting
Fr, especially seeing that taash character and the fact you can't deny her and tell her what a piece of shit she is and accept that she treats you like garbage just writes off as those twitter wokeys feeling like they're invincible to consequences.
For me its the writing and the pixar look they went for.
Guardians of the Galaxy has ruined clever writing.
@@jfelton3583 Millennial writing. Joss Whedon has corrupted an entire generation of script writers.
Same reason I could never get into Borderlands. I despise all the characters and the way they talk.
I think it's because it's considered a safe and inoffensive style that, theoretically, is supposed to appeal to a wider audience.
The game doesn’t look good especially in a post Witcher 3 and Baldurs gate 3 world thank you for saving me from buying this game and wasting my time.
Witcher 3 looks much better than this and its 9 years old now
I can't express how much I hate this Andromeda look.
@@rykehuss3435
Yes. Especially, Tussaint, from Blood & Wine.
@@amouramarie To be fair Andromeda didn't look this bad. Andromeda was the result of a not so experienced team being told to use a game engine that pretty much even the top end teams with experience didn't know how to use. Witcher 3 did get some facelifts over its 9-year existence. Baldur's Gate 3 has good graphics a good story and memorable characters with an excellent soundtrack and sound design. Also had allot of humor here and there. Like the hardest boss fight in the game having the boss singing his own battle music.
@02091992able when I first heard him singing his own music I laughed my ass off clapping bravo I thought it was genius and comedy gold
Yeah I’m sad over this, I’m sick of everyone saying it’s not that bad when it is actually that bad, this game is a 6/10 and it had the potential to be 14/10 it met my expectations which were low to begin with
Like 3/10 to me if that.
I remember Dragon Age Origins. The bloodsplatters on armor and face of your character. Tactical fighting. Grim world. Good looking characters with good sense of humor and good written dialogs.
This game should be entirely different franchise.
@@andresbogado7133 All Bioware had to do is give us another Origins but in a different setting and with a bit more polish here and there, and everyone would have been extremely happy. You don't fix something that isn't broke.
I remember Origins's greasy characters, wooden hair, regular crashes, in-game ads for its dlc, inane mission board quests, and easily solvable combat. I don't know where this "DAO was amazing" sentiment came from over time. Every game in the DA series has been a 3/5. The writing was never as solid as it was with Mass Effect or Jade Empire.
@@AngryCosmonautwhat you are describing is either age or technical problems. Not writing or art style. None of what your saying holds any weight to the problems being seen here
@@AngryCosmonaut Yeah, I agree DAO was pretty mid compared to other BioWare titles. But they can't even match that this days.
@@AngryCosmonaut Get off the drugs kid.
I’m more surprised by the good reviews. The dialogue i’ve seen is absolutely horrendous. How do these writers even have jobs? Does nobody give a fuck about good writing anymore?
They are paid for
So many hidden replies. Shills the lot of them
It's a direct correlation between the rise of DEI at dev studios as a response to horrible workplace treatment and the increase in people with bad taste entering these studios and having too much influence. You don't get Dragon Age: Veilguard without the DEI hires that think teen dramas are peak entertainment. The solution to that very real problem is what is killing creativity in the games industry now.
@@BackwardsCombatable This thread had more comment in it last time I looked and the google AI bot is so left leaning say anything it's gone, I suspect yours will too
@@Jabarri74 It's sad really. Just like the game we can't say anything real here if it might hurt someone's feelings.
What the actual fuck did they do to Morrigan????
Turned her into Rita Repulsa.
I just saw a screenshot of Isabella....she looks better in 2
We could argue that they horribly redesigned her to look more like a Pixar princess because that's the art style they were going for. But I'm gonna act like 90% of the incels in the comments and just say "tHeY maDe hEr WOKe!!!!1😡🤬" instead.
@@Myplaylists93 If that's the argument then that just proves the art direction was one of the worst choices they made during development
@@Myplaylists93 This is influenced by SBI of course its woke. You calling out fans who calls out this kind of BS nonsense shows the level of stupidity and ignorance you exhibit
Thanks to you, I have now bought and started playing Dragon Age Origin. Thank you!
So they went from a Solas game to a soulless game. Gotcha.
😂
Well said! You win the comments section. 😎
+1 thumbs up for a terrible pun (my favourite kind). I salute you sir.
Gatcha.
so. yall just completely ignored Solas was sidelined and showed up briefly at the very beginning and the very end, and how it was leaked like 2 weeks ago? maybe get some better sources.
A trans character was in Inquisition and they were handled beautifully. Great back story of tragedy and prejudice, an escape for a better life, finding a strong support system in the most unlikely place, and living their truth while thriving. Krem was an awesome character so it's crazy to see how hard they fumbled this LGBT related character.
If you like the current woke psychosis jammed into your throat with another tale of woe of cruel world - fine. I, for one, is not interested in yet another line to bugger an elf or get bugged by a boar - it’s so uninteresting and put in because writers don’t have a story to write.
@@pavelrott311Damn they were just saying they liked how one character was handled versus another. No need to go on a rambled lol
@@TabbyWithMittensclueless.
@@pavelrott311 K
@@pavelrott311 time to take your meds grandpa
No way I'm playing 40 hours of bullshit for 5 hours of something decent. I "loved" Bioware, the Bioware of old, may it rest in peace.
Yeah Nu-Bioware is just a shambling zombie corpse of the old Bioware. Anthem killed the old Bioware I think unfortunately. Good news is it seems like Larian picked up the torch and is going full steam ahead.
Maybe just wait till its massive discounted few months later, or just do a Jack Sparrow off this game, if you want to find out how bad it is. Win-win.
@@FPchie im just be a backseat viewer (watching people play it). i dont have any space in my hardrive even if im getting it from the high sea 😅😅
The dialogue sounds pixar level cringe.
@@maccagrabme seems that there will be no intense catfight or party banter like aveline and isabelle (i loved how they acted during each other's personnel quest), or alistair and morrigan, or wynne and loghain or how we(hero of fereldan) reacted to loghain after losing alistair (romanced). or how we can punch solas at the end of the inquisition dlc 😂
Came here just to show support for you being honest about the game and not just doing the easy thing and lying about the game to help them make sales they dont deserve. I hope youre doing alright man
Previous DA game: Player is incentivized to defile the ashes of a Saint into to unlock a class, which results in some party members attacking you unless you have worked with them enough to harden them. You end up killing one and intimidating the other into obedience.
Veilguard looks like you can't even hurt your party members feelings.
toxic positivity
Its unreal, this game cannot sell well
And even if you don't bring those party members with you when you do the deed, one eventually finds out and permanently leaves in disgust.
@@MMORPGFreaky It would be healthier for art and the gaming industry in the long run if Veilguard flopped, lessons need to be learned. Unfortunately a lot of people are so shallow that they will buy it on the brand name, colourful graphics, game journo shill ratings etc. Maybe it just underperforming will be enough to communicate to the industry they need to avoid this kind of thing.
I’ve been uttering this sentence way too often as of late: “who the hell wrote this, and how old are they? Because there’s no way this could’ve been written by an adult, right?”
grownups with a mind that of a teenager
I've been asking myself the same things over and over again, every time I saw more of the dialogue in gameplay footage online. I CANNOT understand how the same writers who worked on Inquisition, and some of them even writing on DA since Origins, could write this crap.
Written by HR
Sometimes it seems like the games nowadays are being made by activist types that used to make fun of the game nerds.
So maybe these writers really believe they are making something for an inferior class of people, thus, the writing that seems it's written for a 4 year old by an evil step parent that hates you.
The same adults that think men can be women and vice versa. Welcome to the modern day psychosis of western civilization.
Triple A studios killing their IP's is one of my favourite subgenres
Then they blame and scold us for not buying it. I can't wait for them to go on about how "racists" are the reason this game failed.
Some of those IPs are my favourites if anything it makes me sad that they're literally killing them.
it's so fucking sad dude
It's systematic and intentional
@@Disconnis It's just the ultimate decision making process is not in the hands of developers, but investors. And investors don't understand art. It's not intentional, it's just our economic model.
The best review ever. You incapaulated my own conflicted feelings after playing the game perfectly. "What could've been".
Edit. YES! Rook IS horrible and not relatable. YES! Emmrich was the best thing in this game. Harding was surprisingly good aswell, although she started a bit 'too nice', but then it all played out perfectly. I also kinda liked Neve, she was nice.
Where I sort of disagree is the combat. For me, that combat hit the mark, or more like building the character I guess. I loved equipment effects and how they can change your build. Well maybe I would enjoy it to be even more challenging, cause in the end my build was so strong, last boss couldn't even damage me (I've played the hardest difficulty). I do love my d&d strategic combats, but I am also an action rpg enjoyer, so I can see how some people want DAO combat back.
In dragon age 1 one of the bosses was the brood mother. Female dwarves that had been completely corrupted by the darkspawn to become breeding machines, always creating more darkspawn. THAT was a strong scene, showing what the enemy was willing to do, how they were evil encarnated, what would happen if they weren't stopped. That was no mercy to be showed for them, no diplomacy. It was a fight for mankind's survival, and whatever had to be done, no matter how cruel, was justified for it.
Veilguard: "What you mean he doesn't like dragons? omg! my fee fees are hurt."
Bioware needs to go be closed down for its own good.
They also removed blood magic too.
Can't be a blood mage or reaver any more.
Origins had tons of comedic moments. Replayed it again recently
Back when dark fantasy didn't mind being dark and having an edge.
This comment single handedly showcases how bad they fuced up in the theme of this game
"First day, they come and catch everyone.
Second day, they beat us and eat some for meat.
Third day, the men are all gnawed on again.
Fourth day, we wait and fear for our fate.
Fifth day, they return and it's another girl's turn.
Sixth day, her screams we hear in our dreams.
Seventh day, she grew as in her mouth they spew.
Eighth day, we hated as she is violated.
Ninth day, she grins and devours her kin.
Now she does feast, as she's become the beast.
Now you lay and wait, for their screams will haunt you in your dreams."
Broodmother poem from the DAO.
What a world we live in. MrMattyPlays gives the game a negative review, while Mortismal Gaming treats it as his game of the year and best game in the franchise. Am I in the mirror universe? I can't tell, I already have a goatee.
It probably shows what type of game and tone he likes.
The game looks to be extremely divisive. I’m seeing scores all over the place
Don't know if its true or not, but I have seen on various comments on other youtubers channels that Mort was flow own to EA/Bioware to see this game early.. If true then yeah.. if its true of course.
if you'd actually watched the reviews, you'd know they've essentially said the same things. Mortismal also says that the story is good "for an arpg" and "mostly solves problems by smashing through them" that there is almost no opportunities for roleplay.
Mortismal Gaming has sold out. It should tell you a lot that he was willing to advertise Unknown 9: Awakening despite it being a total disaster. It should also tell you a lot that tons of his fanbase said "That is awesome you got your bag. We know this game sucks, but we totally support you!".
If he's willing to take the payoff to promote something that was that bad, what else is he willing to do? Is he willing to say a game is amazing because he knows if he doesn't he won't get a review key in the future? To me, it seems like it.
Guy used to be my favorite gaming channel. Couldn't trust him less now. :(
They really need to stop sanitizing RPGs. Sanitize everything else, I don’t care. But sanitizing an RPG is like taking the football out of football and asking why nobody is coming to the games.
If I play a role, I want to be able to choose between asshole and hero and varying degrees between those extremes.
Blame all the karens, soccer moms, and tree huggers that now work at these companies. They trying to sanitize the next gta as well.
My gripe is the combat. Yes it's flashy and fun but it lacks depth. in Origins, 2 and inq characters had roles. I played a sword and shield warrior through ALL games and was the tank I rushed in protected the others while my rogue did damage either from afar or up close via subterfuge, mage one healed and CC's and mage 2 blasted from Afar with AOE spells. My party had unique builds and rolls. Now it's just an action game. Class....won't matter not really it seems.
@@christopherdsuza7531 Or you should blame the people that worked in upper management that actually hired these people and enforced this culture into these companies. Remember, those people are the ones that can steer a company into a specific direction, not soccer moms lol.
We have RPGs like Fallout 4 that don't even have skill points lol. It's like driving a car with rims and no tires
@@christopherdsuza7531 and social media too
Hey Matty, thanks for the video, I really wanted this to be a return to form for Bioware. Unfortunately, it isn't. Because of your review I can safely say I'll be holding onto my money.
I really hate the cartoony art style. Is like the devs love pixar movies and wanted to do a game like that.
Except Pixar movies generally look good.
that's not even what makes the game bad...
cartoony can still be fun....
Everyone got botox.
Overwatch hero shooter rpg is Veilguard
But it doesnt fit Dragon Age at all @@joelrene1559
I will never spend one dollar in this game.
same. My wallet is closed whenever I detect even a smidge of activism in a game. No thanks !
@@randalthor6872you’re so weird guess what Kamala’s gonna win! Get used to wokeness pussy!
I cracked it last night, i deleted today, as soon as i saw NONE of my choices from DA3 and before mattered...
edited: oh wait just 3
1- romanced Sera (i doubt it matters since you dont use the same)
2- wanting to chase Solas
3- iInquisition disbanded
@@randalthor6872 based incel take.
@@qgamer
"I'm not expecting them to give me Dragon Age: Origins levels of choice..."
Why? Why were you NOT expecting AT LEAST that level of choice? This is a AAA studio, and this game has been in development since Inquisition released. That was a DECADE AGO. Meanwhile, Baldur's Gate 3 had less dev time, less money and a smaller team behind it, and Larian crafted what is arguably the greatest multiple-choice, decision-driven, party-based CRPG of all time. This game had every means to craft an experience FAR beyond any other DA title, every tool at the table to surpass BG3. And make no mistake, this game was DESTINED for comparison to BG3, and should NEVER have been targeting some sort of God of War (2018) ARPG style of gameplay. Dragon Age is a spiritual successor IP from the same studio that made Baldur's Gate 1 and 2. And while the original team that crafted those games are no longer at Bioware, EVERYONE should have known after the release of BG3 that Larian would be the competition to beat. It's no wonder so many AAA devs complained about gamers "expecting too much" after seeing the scope of BG3, if stuff like this is what they knew was forthcoming.
Yeah but they wanted to make worse rpg than bg3 and worse arpg than GoW2018 at the same time :D
The developers that made thst game are long gone. Bioware in name only.
You're absolutely correct that DA could've been and should've been up there with the Baldur's Gate. They're like siblings in terms of having been growing up in the same era, genre, fanbase and so on.
Because Bioware hasn't hade a good game in over a decade. It would be dumb to expect they'd suddenly return to form and make a game better than DA:O when all the original creators are gone. Don't expect anything from a studio that hasn't earned those expectations beyond being a AAA studio
It remains to be seen if people will answer with their wallets or not, the damage is done, Skillup review is trending just like the inflated score on metacritic. If rpg fans expect the BG3 quality standard to remain a thing, they should buy ReFantazio and Rogue Trader instead of this game or FF7 ReNomura
I am sorry about how the Internet reacted. I am here to show support however small it may be.
Let's be real, very few are actually surprised that this game is disappointing.
Anyone awake..
True, I know I'm not
Yet it's critical reception is still surprising. "Professional journalists" liked and claimed to have enjoyed it enough akin to Starfield's launch.
Was obvious at 'trans surgery scars'
People who care more about identity than gameplay also don't have the life experience to tell interesting story. They only know their own experience and can only write a self insert.
We've seen this trend enough times at this point.
You’d be surprised how embarrassingly gullible and masochistic consumers can be
whos the target audience? drooling idiots? children? Cus it sure doesn't seem like its aimed at adult fantasy fans.
Troons
Drooling woke idiots.
It’s for Disney adults. They have child-like minds in adult bodies
Aficionados of fantasy satires? Because this looks like pure gold if not taken seriously.
Shareholders and virtue signaling dipshits.
“I’m non-binary” Taash said to a bunch of people who don’t even know what a car is.
This is what an intern writes as their first character. There could’ve been at least 70 ways Taash could’ve described their identity, subtlety is so foreign to this game lol
They told us they implored EA to turn this game into single player which means STORY AND COMPANIONS NEED TO CARRY THE GAME.
And this is what we got? LMAO
What an RPG. Without the RP. Love that.
If you actually said, "Non-binary" to any of these dark fantasy medieval characters who still use swords and bows, they would think you were casting a spell.
@@williamedwards4151read a book. First mentions of nonbinary people go back to early Mesopotamia, and Acient Egypt. Well before Medieval Times. You want closer to European Medieval times? Try 11 century were the AngloSaxon language had a word for intersex people.
Educate yourself, and stop trying to justify your bigotry
@@nikkitrabucho2534you're misinforming people the use of non binary in the same terms of today was used in 1940s the ancients civilizations weren't woke like today's alphabet mafia
@@nikkitrabucho2534oh I forgot dragon age was real life 😂
Funny because nonbinary doesnt even exist in the real world.
I TOTALLY SUPPORT YOU.
F them shills at Twitter
People need to stop thinking this is a misstep. This is the best current BioWare can do.
this
1) EA allowed the game to be a single player only game
2) EA allowed it to be released without Denuvo or EA launcher requirement
3) EA gave them enough time to make it, so it's released in a good technical state
It seems to me that EA wanted to make sure that, should this game fail and/or get bad reception from the gamers, it was seen as Bioware's own fault and EA has nothing to do with it.
@@antonkirilenko3116 1) so they gave the studio creative freedom to make the game they wanted
2) so they gave the studio creative freedom to make the game they wanted
hey wanted
3) so they gave the studio time to make the game they wanted
Making me defend EA...keep carrying water for Bioware though. It can be true, that execs made made decisions, AND bioware aint talented enough to make a good game.
@@antonkirilenko3116 This game won't need Denuvo, no ones going to want to play it.
@@antonkirilenko3116 Plausible deniability for the win. Bonus: They get to shut down Bioware and add another corpse to their already giant pile of dead studios.
Wow. Now I can't decide whether I'm sad this means Mass Effect 5 may not be made, or whether I'm glad Mass Effect 5 may not be made.
Be happy. It would be a gigantic letdown.
After Mass Effect Andromeda, I knew for a fact that any and all of my favorite Bioware franchises were gone forever. Veilguard and ME 4 were never going to meet the same quality as the trilogies
@@OwMyLiver why would you think any game from BioWare even has a chance at being good at this point?
@@bobby_c07 Hope springs eternal? But sadly, you have a good point.
@@TheSergio1021 I always chalked Andromeda up to being dumped on another dev team. But of course, the ME dev team is mostly long gone, too.
Why does it seem like, ever since Covid, companies afraid of producing things with a dark theme - seems like a game where the situation is dire yet everybody asks like the unfunny bard in your D&D runs following a really bad Guardians of the Galaxy script that got tossed out
Dei hires
DEI took off in 2020 after the BLM riots. Election year BS
@@omensoffateWhat exactly does that mean? You're just spouting a grifting buzzword.
@@gustavgustav2670 People who are hired on the basis of identity or politics rather than the talent and/or skills required for the position. It's not that hard to understand if you are not disingenuous.
@@gustavgustav2670 when people are hired to check ideological boxes, rather than their qualifications, poor quality products are the result. This game is a shining example of that.
I really appreciate the honesty of your review, Matty, along with other critics who were not afraid to voice their criticisms about how this game misunderstands and/or disregards what make a Dragon Age (and BioWare) game special. Not pandering. Just honest. I was really hoping that this Dragon Age would be a glimpse of OG BioWare games, but perhaps that was unrealistic. I wish the best for others who enjoy the game, but this is a definite skip for me. At least we have other developers who carry on that BioWare rpg spirit, like Larian. Maybe I will finally give BG3 a chance. I love action rpgs, and I am always hesitant to try out turn-based and/or strategy rpgs.
How TF have we gone backwards soooo many times when it comes to writing in games. Even more so with RPG's. It's beyond infuriating.
American politics, thats how
DEI. Simple as.
Modern means, clean, innofensive and boring. Soulless like a shopping mall, or mcdonalds.
@@hvkreaper542 have you played the game? How do you know what the writing is like? Because some guy on UA-cam told you how to feel?
Gen z, indoctrinated ze zers….they have no understanding of earning anything because victimhood.
Well let these companies hurt in their wallets.
Skill up channel summed up the review as "Every interaction sounds like HR is in the room"
He also said, that this is more dissapointing than Anthem :DDD brutal
@@kristapsvidzups1050 Thats a low blow ok
Hahaha, that's a great way of describing!
Who Is HR?
@@francescosiragusa1135Human Resources.
I was afraid of this... Now I know (for certain) why so many people didn't get a review code.
Is it even suprising? They're doing the same thing Bethesda did with shattered space where they hid the fact that it sucks from the fans
The game us doing just fine on Metacrtic, Matty opinion does not matter. He's just doing it for clicks. Stop with the negatively.
@@monetaryalex680 facts, I don't think he's ever liked a DA game.
@@mycazglinski2302 agree, he's a hater 💅
yeah
this is a proper review where the reviewer is transparent and very very clear about what they want and like in Dragon Age games. You remind me of Matt Colville. subbing
In addition to Larian, CDPR, & Warhorse - I would also keep an eye on these upcoming RPG studios:
1. Archetype Entertainment - making ‘Exodus’ (space RPG from ex BioWare devs).
2. Rebel Wolves - making ‘Dawnwalker’ (vampire medieval game from ex CDPR devs).
3. Once Lost Games - making ‘the Wayward Realms’ (they are the original Elder Scrolls creators/ devs).
4. Something Wicked Games - making ‘Wyrdsong’ (medieval dark fantasy RPG ex BGS / BioWare & Obsidian devs).
5. Fools Theory - Witcher 1 remake (ex CDPR devs).
Ty
I got really sad when reviews of this started rolling out
You are a gentleperson & a scholar for these leads
Sandfall Entertainment - Expedition 33 Clair Obscure !!!
Thank you fellow gamer of culture. I needed this list to soothe my pain, after all the waiting I have done for another masterpiece like Dragon Age Origins.
CDPR realy whished to be like EA or Actvision... but has a very talented studio that save them.
Remember how dark and gritty Origins was, Morrigan is one of my favorite characters... This doesnt look or feel like Dragon Age at all
Despite not having the Open World element that I love in games, DA:O compesated it so good with its tone, dialogue, story, music...
Will never forget the feeling of seeing the wardens sorrounded by dsrkspawn, the shock to see the other initiates we got to meet dying after trying to join, hearing Leliana's song for the first time.
I miss that game. They shoild hsve just remastered it
Dude you should’ve never backed down you should’ve never apologized, it’s our money at the end of the day and we should have a say on what we can and will not buy. Dragon age veilguard is bad game, bad writing, bad characters, bad gameplay. It should be exposed it should be criticized. Do not let others guilt you for breaking nda. The gaming industry needs to change as a whole. Please stay strong.
He bent the knee with the 🧚 but thx for the head up
Matty has no existence without being able to call himself an "insider". Can you imagine how fast he'd spiral if Todd Howard or EA told him something mean like "You get no access."? It's why he is, and always will be, a shill for the industry. He's only being tepidly critical because these games are being slammed by everyone else and he can't do blatant fanboi mode right now.
You’re not wrong, but what you’re asking him to do is go against liberal/progressive controlled media and entertainment and as we all know that can put these reviewers in a compromising position socially and financially based on the ideals of the following they already have, which is why these creators often tend to bend the knee sadly. It’s just the reality of the situation.
@@GrimDaysAreHere same thing happened with outlaw he shill that game but when reviews came out he also gave a critical review
It’s not a bad game i wanna punch your face right now
When you say, "I'm not expecting 'Dragon Age: Origins' level of writing or anything..." I have to respectfully disagree--why should we expect *less* out of a new game in 2024 than we expected out of a game from 2009?
Why have we allowed our standards to drop so low that we don't even hope for a game to be able to achieve the gameplay and narrative heights of titles from 15 years ago? I don't know when we all gave up on gaming, but it's so tragic to see the modern state of it.
I checked out of the series after Inquisition. And after hearing your and SkillUp’s critique, I’m definitely not going to bother. Both of you had the same points and I doubt it’s a coincidence. I like good writing, good characters and important decisions in my RPG’s. I’ve got lots of other things to do in my life than spend it on a subpar RPG. Thank you for saving my time and money.
Hello Matty, I have a bit of possibly controversial news for you. I'm a game dev of 16 years with titles like DayZ, Kingdom Come Deliverance and Dying Light 2 in my portfolio and I used recent Skill Up review and the points he is making in it to write a post about quality of writing in contemporary AAA games using Dragon Age Veilguard as an example, all in a very respectful manner ofc. Guess what happened? My linkedin profile got blocked and I'm now waiting for their team to hopefully reinstate it. I went to Bioware official UA-cam channel to tell them to stop using trolls to deplatfrom veteran devs from linkedin that speak critially about their game and ofc they blocked me there too and now I can't find their official UA-cam channel at all while signed in to the same UA-cam account I used to write that comment under the launch trailer. Maybe it's time to start talking about their really shady practices to your huge audience.
They blocked me for defining the word "woke" and marked as "bigotry, hate speech". I didn't even make a single judgement. I just gave a definition because someone asked.
I think it's pretty clear this company is filled with agenda-driven activists. They are not a business. That is also why their dialogue sounds like sermons, as asmongold put it.
Because everyone who disagrees or criticise the game is bad person, in in their believes a straight white male full of -isms. They are lying to themselves, celebrate false reviews, but a couple of weeks after launch this game is just another flop like the many we have had.
If this is true thats very wild from bioware
@@maxmuller9834 my profile just got reinstated, no specific word from LinkedIn about why exactly it happened.
@@martinstrnad641 man my comments gets deleted everytime, and i wasnt cursing or whatever.
Where is the darkness and rpg element here? Why so childish? I'm out.
This. DA Origins and DA 2 were gritty and dark.
????
What are you talking about? It's a typical bioware rpg. And the "darkness" of this overrated series is greatly exaggerated.
@@threestars2164 You are half right, this is a typical modern Bioware game, meaning it is a soulless flop. The dark theme of the DA series made it stand out from other RPGs, now the game just feels generic.
Dude, thank you for your honesty. People need to understand that criticism is good for growth. I hope this game flots so we can have a great new Dragon Age game again.
They fucked up mass effect. They fucked up dragon age. Think it's time someone else gets these ip's...
Larian: Dragon Age
Archetype or CDPR: Mass Effect
@@inquerion8867It's funny because Swen Vincke from Larian said he wants the next project to be Sci-Fi
so i would say Larian for mass effect and CDPR,with Witcher experience, could be amazing fit for Dragon Age.
I will never forgive them for making Andromeda
Said the same thing about fallout and elder scrolls I would LOVE for another developer to take over them but it ain’t gonna happen. Nobody is gonna freely give up a goldmine
@@VespsitLarian can make their own thing. I dont think larian can write characters as good as og bioware did.
Dude, don't be afraid to lose access. If you truly give a damn and love reviewing games, pay for them, give your honest no f's given opinion. Come to the other side of the fence, the grass is greener and it's just grass! good old fashioned grass. You won't get thrown under the bus either.
There are people who will kick up a fuss on either side if you don’t toe their line. But yeah, just keep doing your thing. People just love drama
Veilguard is a tumbler fanfic identifying as a dragon age game.
the fact that the trans self insert character is written like a headstrong bully that isn't allowed to be disagreed with is such a mining canary. not a good look bioware
People really need to stop using that word. Fanfiction implies these people are fans. These devs haven't even played DA:O or 2.
Bioware took a millenial-genderstudies dump on the Mass Effect trilogy and now apparently has done the same with their other hit IP. This studio isnt what it has been anyways, the Mass Effect IP is better off getting handled by another studio, better that before they take an even bigger rainbow colored dump with Mass Effect 4.
That’s an insult to tumblr fics. This is mid-2000s Wattpad level bad
@@nickh4354 so it's the trans video game version of The Room lul
well thank god i have a ton of games from the past to play. skyrim, oblivion, morrowind, fallout 3&4, dragons dogma, witcher 2&3, red dead redemption 1&2, bioshock, and… dragonage origin, part 2 and inquisition etc etc
DAO graphics are more appealing. It came out fifteen years ago.
You are a literal psycho if you think that.
I think Solas was put on the shelf because the writers couldn’t pull it off with him being the big bad. Less talented people are getting into these big companies and they don’t know that they aren’t talented because no one is willing to tell them you suck.
You cnt tell them they suck without them pulling out the race or sexuality card.
I hated the egg anyway. Personally glad he’s not the center stage.
@@jdphillips7539 I always thought he was pretty boring in DAI, and the big reveal at the end of the game really threw me off. Felt like it came out of no where
He never really was the big bad to be fair. The blight was.
@@dogman6687 I don't know how people put up with DAI. I tried 4 times and couldn't get past 10 hours max. The gameplay is just so boring, basically an offline MMORPG.
Based on everything I've heard and seen it looks like this is a Dragon Age game in name only. The only reason they went with DA is because they lack the creativity to create a new universe, it's easier to operate within an existing one, (and ofc they wanted to capitalize on the franchise's fans) what sucks is that the studio never understood or knew the DA universe well enough to make a proper DA game. It's sad.
just the best, thanks for not selling out and not bending under the agenda and corporations. Honesty should always be on the 1st place
So it's a kids game?
brought to you by middle class millennials
for kids to brainwash them
It is for modern audience
@@ManCaveRo it’s written by the Libtards that have infested all these companies. Not even being political, it’s literally an ideology problem. They cannot be offensive, and this is how dialogue sounds when everyone subscribes to that.
I think you are correct, they have made the dialogue for ages 6 to 14, dumb enough so that they get it, and if they don't, the companions will keep telling you exactly what it is they want to tell you.
Dude, the amount of dragon age ads that youtube sprinkled through out this video is almost hilarious.
Ive seen 5 now... half way thru the video
lol, brave browser is the way. No ads. Ever.
I think I had 7 to 9 by the end… and another one for the after video.
I know it’s mind numbing!!! lol
Imagine not having UA-cam premium lol
Thank you for being honest. Just saw that you were getting backlash for this review, and we are here to give you support!
He doesn't want our support, he's already on X groveling before EA and the cancellation mob angry about this review. Very disappointing of him, but I guess the pressure and fear of losing his livelihood was too big. In what messed up times we live...
@@mimamo That's disappointing...
@@mimamo Lol he’s not apologising for his review, he’s apologising for his editor leaking the footage.
@@marekprochazka1284 Look at the tweet yourself, this guy was twisting the context.
Forget about the new Dragon Age... Mass Effect Andromeda is currently available for a few bucks, I think it's a good price and time to finally play this game ;-)
Keep an eye on "Exodus Become the Traveler".
James Ohlen, previously the Senior Creative Director of Bioware
Drew Karpyshyn, worked on SW:Kotor and ME1,2
Both of them are working on Exodus, a AAA Sci-Fi RPG. :)
oh, I remember Drew! his vision for Mass Effect 3 would have involved Dark Matter, and the hints had already been there in 1 & 2. oh, what we could have had...
release date?
@@kokosan09 Iirc he envisioned the Reapers as a neutral force that tries to save the galaxy by harvesting intelligent life, because the overuse of E-Zero(f.e. biotics, mass accelerators) causes problems with Dark Matter, like suns growing exponentially fast and going supernova like on Talis recruitment mission.
@@smantill It looks like end of 25 or the beginning of 26 but no one knows unfortunately, they are still working on it and they recently started to upload lore videos.
Let them cook in peace, we need a new real Mass Effect.
@@a.l.pvonriva3420yes, exactly! I read up on it again yesterday. it could have all ended with quite similar endings, like sacrificing humanity to become another reaper in the off chance that it could stop the entropy or Shepard going "nah, we're going to find another way", but especially The Illusive Man's motives and actions in 2 could have made way more sense.
ah, well.
thank you for bringing Exodus to my attention, I love the trailer.
I think one of the things that bothered me the most about Mass Effect: Andromeda was the lack of friction within my party. Apart from some passive aggressiveness, everyone was always super friends all the time and it saddens me that this seems to be the same in Veilguard. To be clear: I don't need my companions to be at each others throats all the time, but them having strong opinions and disagreeing with me or with each other created some of the most memorable moments in older Bioware games.
Remember Mass Effect, where we had a xenophobic space redneck and a hyperviolent turtle on the same team? I remember fondly the times I wanted to throw said space redneck out of the airlock and almost had to shoot the turtle because hyperviolence. Or Morrigan vom DA:O, the evil witch who basically shat on everyone in the party but depending on how you handled her behaviour, by the end of the game she was YOUR evil witch. Man, I really miss those times.
What I noticed in ME:A, nobody respected Rider even if they liked him. In the trilogy, mostly everyone respected Shepard. If they didn't respect Shepard, they were portrayed as fools.
The trouble with DA is Bioware wants to make every new party feel like a family in their first outing. Mass Effect was the only saga to pull that off and it took three games for the relationships to develop organically. In the first ME your squad feel simply like coworkers. In ME2 bonds start to become stronger and you learn even more from the characters and by the time of ME3 most, if not all, start to feel like family, even if they disagree with each other from time to time.
Not to mention by the 3rd game, you fucking LOVED every single member of the team. Wrex, Garrus, Liara, Ashley (at least for me, Kaidan was pretty boring), and Tali (best girl!).You cared about them. I remember in 2 I tried so hard to keep the whole team alive and in 3 when I didn't have enough Paragon and all the Quarians and Tali died (and Legion!) I reverted back to an old save immediately to try and fix it.
Andromeda, I could not have cared any less about the team (cept Drack and Vetra). They were so boring, static, and generic they just didn't stick with you (PeeBee was fucking annoying).
@@enrique6335
Couldn't have said it better. 1 was the bedrock that shaped it all and introduced the team. In 2 I remember being so damn excited when I saw both Tali and Garrus again and got to recruit them. They were my dream team in that game, I took them everywhere I could (Tali best girl!). Even more so with 3, it felt so great having pretty much all the familiar faces from 1 back on the team (Wrex in Citadel was just such a treat).
Then you get Andromeda and you throw a bunch of randos at me, and I could not care any less about them (cept maybe Drack and Vetra, and PeeBee was so fucking annoying).
Weird tangent but I'm disappointed the animals in newer Animal Crossing games don't roast you and talk shit like they used to.
The more i see reviews and examples of the dialogue... some are the same... but they just further ingrain in my mind the dialogue is entirely forced inclusivity and toxic positivity.
Taash for example. Her statement about the Qun and taking care of each other. That is not what the Qun says. Go talk to any of the Qunari in the first 3 games. It is a harsh society where you give your all and play your role or you get crushed and left to become dust.
Dragon Age: I will go with thee.
Dragon Age Veilguard: Yo dawg that's whatsup!
I'm not angry.
I'm not even disappointed.
I just don't care anymore.
Bioware died years ago, EA will just bury its rotting corpse.
Apathy is the end of the road after going through disappointment and anger
Yep...... and at this point, I actually wish EA would just get on with it. I'd rather they finish what they started years ago, and put Bioware out of their misery now, instead of dragging it out.
My face is tired. Veilguard made my face tired.
Double A is the new Triple A. Triple A games are crashing out. That’s where the crash is happening.
This!
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is literally GOTY
This has always been true though. AAA has always been normie slop. AA is that sweet spot where you've still got that indie studio but with a budget. But it's also bitter sweet because success in the AA space ends up devolving into being bought out and turned into a AAA slop factory.
Do you even know what "AAA" even means? Number of "A"s has nothing to do with quality. It is related with budget of game.
@@jesuswenceslao4909not really
Trespasser was the ENTIRE reason to create a sequel. Im done with this nonsense from Bioware. They are just pi**ing all over the games legacy.
Agreed so much. I still remember how excited I was for DA4 when the Trespasser credits rolled. So much potential wasted.
I never got into dragon age, rpgs aren’t really my thing but I watched a retrospective on the series and its story and even I’m pissed at this game 🤣
@@maryapple7108They took too long it was a mistake that they didn't focus on The Dreadwolf immediately after Trespasser. Wasted time and money on Anthem. All of the talented writers left replaced by ''woke'' weirdos. Wanted all of our choices matter. Wanted to see reunion between Solas and Lavellan. They don't care about our companions. Look what they did to our girl Morrigan. Most of us waited 10 years (well 9 if we count Trespasser) to see how it ends. I was 14 now i am 24 and i feel like i got slapped in the face and like they ruined a part of my childhood. I just wanna see what is gonna happen with Solas but i am not buying the game.
RIP Bioware.. I will never forget your golden years 😢 DA and ME got me through my tough years... 💔
Taash and Krem being Aqun'Athlok is a retcon of the Qun 100% Aqun"Athlok did not exist since Sten made it clear on the gender roles of the Qun which is resolute and uncompromising and unchanging for the Qunari, and anything that goes against what the Qun says, even a slight deviation from it would most likely result in execution. If you unlocked Sten's cage in origins without giving him a reason to set him free, he will close the gates on himself because he believes he deserves his fate for murdering innocent farmers. If he had return to Par Vollen, he would be executed either way when they find out. That's how rigid the Qun is. If Aqun'Athlok was in the Qun since origins, Sten would not question female Wardens for being a Grey Warden, he would have instead understood them as Aqun'Athlok.
This comment deserves more likes. They could have made female warriors of any other race, but noooo, because we need to fuck the patriarchal Qun in the ass. How lovely.