actually, ranni's ending is the most popular because lonely, socially awkard gamers will do literally anything if a cute girl asks them too. cool analysis though

I'd just like to say I've been enjoying this video piece-by-piece and it's been a lovely part of my evenings these past 2 days.

If you are ever here I am happy to see you, and if you are ever gone I hope you are taking the time for yourself

Skipped to Veilguard part and yep. Unsub.

oh yesss this is perfect

Been watching you since I was a late teen. I use you as one of a few creators to help put me to sleep, but also captive me with thoughtful insight. But I mainly binge watch many episodes over the span of a few days

Hey my favorite channel uploaded!!!!

Lucanis is not an abomination that is like Wynn or Anders, he isn't a mage and the demon did not choose to posses him, Spite was forced into Lucanis.

The king is back! Glad to see you uploading again Noah, you still have my absolute favorite videos on KZbin

You're like a fresh, warm cup of tea in the morning, Noah. Always glad to see you.

This comment is only to make the algorithm happy. I haven't finished the video.

The bad writing is threefold: 1. Why does Joel, Mr. "He ain't even hurt" trust Abby? 2. Why does Abby let Ellie gow when she is screaming "I'm gonna kill you". 3. Failure to make the player sympathize with abbie, making Ellie letting go of revenge not mutual, and ultimately creating an anti climactic mess. Bonus points: a pregnant woman slamming her unborn child into a concrete slab. Flashbacks that add nothing, playing fetch with a dog to convince the player Abby is human. The most disturbing sex scene (predating Veil guard).

Ultimately Veilguard was a fascinating mess, but one that compelled me all the way to the end. It absolutely had problems, but I couldn't stop myself from playing simply because of what it did so well.

2:37:26 missed oportunity for a hawk tuah joke Mr. Gervais

34:00-38:00 I always play a circle mage origin , partially because it's interesting to view everything from the perspective of someone who lived in a somewhat sheltered life and because it creates an interesting juxtaposition of a former mage and former Templar having to team up and save the world from a threat that both are somewhat familiar with (corrupting magic ) but blown up to an amazing degree (the blight ). It also gives him an interesting POV when meeting Morrigan and makes their potential romance an interesting dynamic of the hopeful circle magi meeting the jaded wild witch.

Woke up my whole family cackling like a demented hyena at your Hardy Boys/Hero of Fereldan joke.

Dragon Age: Veilguard is more like Kingdom of Amalur 2 we never got

*DA 2* For this game I have similar feelings. I miss the old Noah, whose opinions and focuses I grew accustomed to. But this time I appreciate the new coverage far more than with Origins. I always loved the meandering storytelling vibe of Noah's videos - this is less present here in DA2 coverage. Instead what Noah opts to have is a less personal, more objective attempt at describing the game. More structured. I understand what the goal is here and - with a full franchise retrospective - this approach seems more fitting than the one taken in the old single video. Still the old vid should be required reading. I especially miss the way that "The Exiled Prince" was covered back in the day - the start of which was one of my favorite "Noah-sarks" of all time. I also don't care much about the new perspective on trans issues, but Noah is a leftie at heart and sometimes that heart needs to be worn on a sleeve - I understand. I do think however, that Legacy was covered better here.

Truly masterful flow to this video. So much more natural than “now I’m talking about the ALL companions” “now I’m talking about the quests in order”.

I don't see Veilguard as heightened and elevated by its style. I see it distorted and cartoonish in all the worst ways. It's tacky, it's grotesque, more like a parody of Dragon Age, than a meaningful evolution. I really can't watch the rest of the video. Everything about that game feels off. The character design, the lighting, the dialogue, the acting, the scene directing, the tone, the combat, the sense of realness just isn't... If this game wasn't Dragon Age, I wouldn't be bothered as much, but I wouldn't bother with it anyway.

tbh i just really enjoy listening to Noah's style of writing even if iv never played the game. so well written

i think an indication that emmrich is the best written character of veilguard is that hes the only character i want to debate about. i would argue remaining mortal is what indicates emmrich has come to peace with death rather than the lich ending. emmrich is terrified of death but he is willing to give up any chance of immortality for manfred. in a sense, he sacrifices himself for manfred on a long term scale. emmrich will inevitably die and in turn manfred can live. those sorts of debates on character paths and morals are the bread and butter of what make dragon age dragon age for me. and i sincerely wish there were more of them in veilguard.

Not everyone finds the right vocation for them. Everytime I listen to you, I get a deep conviction that this is your calling. Keep up the good work and take care of yourself.

Me: "It's hard to have a nuanced discussion of Veilguard because you would kind of have to do a breakdown of the entire series to give it the proper context." Noah Caldwell-Gervais: [uploads]

Heh I remember Dragon Age 2 was the first ever Dx11 game I ever played. Don't remember much else about the game thought. It was a rushed mesh filled with copy paste dungeons. Honestly it would be a much better experience as some sort of a visual novel without the pointless drivel of combat.

Understand this Noah. The incredible quality of your work and the way you fully explore in incredible depth how your own experiences impact your perspective on games and and their storytelling. Combined with years of standing firm on your personal values and ethics, further reinforced by a decade of always holding those values with no comprise means one thing. When you ask for help from your community with some aspect of your life, whatever that is. You will be shocked at how quickly people will be there for you regardless of how much you need, nobody will question your motives and everyone will do whatever they can.

speaking of rob zombie, Bill Brown & Rob Zombie did make "Ntro " for quake2

5:11:02 is “Disco Elysium” a choice forward crpg? That was in the last 10 years.

I am new to your channel and was honestly a little apprehensive when someone recommended this video after the last 8 months of antiwoke bullshit and bad faith takes But you blew me away, to have such a comprehensive retrospective, with fair criticisms and acknowledgements of the good the bad and the ugly was just so refreshing and it was a great way to look back at the series I so love I appreciate the inclusion of dev commentary as the development cycle and limitations is something that's so rarely considered in these kinds of discussions and is pretty vital to understanding how these games came to be This was a nice way to commemorate BioWare's 30th anniversary, by celebrating the actual work done by the people, most of which lost their jobs in the last couple days Thank you ❤

Why yes, I literally was just thinking "man, I could really go for a 6 1/2+ hour Noah Caldwell-Jervais video essay" and lo and behold one appeared ❤❤

I accidentally played the legacy dlc very early into my DA2 run back in 2018 after listening to your first video on Dragon Age and it was very difficult and because I did it so early, the cool weapon you get was outscored almost immediately later

Great! Love your voice!

You‘ve done a very wonderful job with this comprehensive beast of a video, Noah, and made me reaaaally wanna play dragon age when I’m done with my thesis! Hope you‘re doing well!

quake 1 was already retro when i started playing PC shooters (1999, and i was a kid so yes it felt like an old game already) but godDAMN, i got to play quake1 when it was new-ish and i definitely felt like i was part of something epic. both doom and quake still feel so fucking GOOD to me, even tho the gameplay bores me to tears. they are magical. the esthetics are iconic and even while the gameplay is incredibly ancient these days, still feels special.

yay new long video, when veilguard came out i was thinking "wonder if gervais will do a video...." and as an internet stranger, im sorry about your mother.

You had me at "A"

I really like how your Rook looks like Frances McDormand

Owlcat's 'Wrath of the Righteous' has more than 6 unique paths through its storyline, each with their own quests, mechanics, and vibe. It's well worth taking a look at if you're serious about critiquing CRPGs.

It's quite serendipitous that you published this video while I am quite ill

You're back! Missed you bro!

I'm currently at 1 hour 56 minutes, and maybe you'll change my mind later, but I completely disagree that DA2 and Veilguard are the same, in term of tone and writing departure. Firstly because DA2 is smaller in scale, had 16 months to do everything, and while it did change tone and style, it wasn't as prominent as within Veilguard. Lots of storylines stay within at least some of the tone of Origins, while Veilguard seems to miss most of its marks. To be clear, I'm not a Veilguard hater, far from it. But I feel it's not really fair to compare the two games. (Again, maybe it's just my reaction in the moment, and maybe you'll change my mind, hence the clear timestamp at the beginning of my comment).

Very, VERY, disingenuous to compare the rage baiters of today to the FOX news of the 2000s. Firstly, rage baiting DID exist at that time, it was just less common because less people were online. Second, even it was as common to rage bait then as it is now, no one would have complained about mass effect or dragon age at all. Games today have zero subtlety, and leave no room for ambiguity because they're little more than the mouthpiece for the writer.

Yeah, I don't think there's gonna be a Dragon Age 5...

after this rewatch i’m hopeful that Noah will find some time to talk about the next wave of RE, especially given his skepticism about an actual remake of 4

"Veilguard is, in fact, not a departure from the formula of Dragon Age; it is a fulfillment of the template established here in Dragon Age 2" This rings so true. Love it or hate it, the departure from Origins started here, and somehow a lot of people still somehow hoped that Veilguard would be a return to the old format.

Thank you for sharing the story of your mother. I, too, don’t speak to my mom, I’m not even sure she’s still alive really. It’s a curious guilt to cut someone harmful out of your life, yet knowing that caused them great harm You’re not alone, friend

Everyone's a bigot blah blah blah. The writing in veilguard is unforgivable. All the modern day stuff aside. People who called this out are not "grifters". Jesus

2:37:27 ... say that again

Hey Noah, I'm sorry about what happened with your mom. I also lost my mom last year to a blisteringly fast decline to cancer; didn't even get to say goodbye cause she didn't want to talk to anyone. My thoughts are with you and your family. Grief and complicated feelings come in waves, but time trends towards healing. I wish you all the best.

Joyous to hear you call DA2 one of BioWare’s best scripts. I love that story so much, flaws and all, and I think that the script is horribly underrated.