Dragon Age situation is crazy | Friends Per Second Episode #57

[@SkillUp]

Visit buyraycon.com/friends to get at least 15% of your purchase of the all new Everyday Earbuds.

[@Sunneyred]

fire thumbnail

[@darugdawg2453]

Do you really need 2 hrs for this? F no

[@brownMonkey03]

​@@darugdawg2453then dont watch or listen i guess... sheesh

[@chickenwings6172]

So Paul likes woke dei trash games The woke writing is garbage and trans pandering.

[@theInfiniteEgg-z8i]

Bahahahahaha raycons 😂

[@JonOhFun]

Hearing Paul say he enjoyed it and Lucy say she was mixed all the while Ralph down in the corner looking like he's loading a shotgun to take old yella out back is amazing 😂

[@matthewfairchild3846]

Off to the gravel pit😂

[@TheOtherOtherAccount]

You can see the moment he writes off Paul as having bad taste in video games

[@JonOhFun]

Probably worth saying I'm referring to him offloading on the game not Paul 😅

[@Olter_]

@@TheOtherOtherAccount Played 20 hrs of BG3. 12 hrs in all DA games combined. Doesn't play turn based games. Is this the guy that reviews all those walking simulator games lmao?

[@makasete30]

Jake looking on, eating popcorn 😂. Ralph clearly hated the game, but was respectful throughout and so was Paul. There were clearly moments Ralph was holding back though. When Paul said his favourite character was the necromancer, Ralph looked incredulous; in his review he used the necromancer as an example of how bad the characterisation was. A good show. Two people with polar opposite viewpoints having a civil conversation. But then, it’s only a game, after all.

[@IbbyMelbourne]

I completely disagree with Paul when he says you can't compare Dragon Age with Baldur's Gate 3. You absolutely can. You know who made Baldur's Gate 1 & 2? Bioware. Dragon Age was literally created as a spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate. It is completely justifiable for a customer spending 70 dollars on a Dragon Age game to compare them.

[@GoldenLeafsMovies]

I think when he said that, he meant as in BG is just way better so there's no point comparing it. Like saying "you can't compare a free resort vacation to a $5 Burger King coupon." At least that's the impression I got when he said that (I haven't watched the whole video but he said it early on in the discussion). Edit: Upon reading replies, I agree with what you guys are saying but I never said I agreed with him, just what I thought he was trying to say.

[@Ball.Daily11]

@@CodeYaMasterSo we should accept storytelling getting worst while we get charged more money for it ?

[@maduross]

Maybe some people have very narrow preferences but I don't see why you can't compare different RPG subgenres either. If the game is good then it's good, it shouldn't be "good for an action rpg".

[@jimbob1862]

​​@@CodeYaMasterI mean just going 'nobody worked on these games is on the new team, give up expecting it" isn't really fair either when the entire series up to that point has it's roots in it. A ton of people on BG3 likely didn't work on the original two either for example. I think the issue too is there's a whole middle ground of people (like me personally) who are just kind of eh on it because it doesn't feel like DA in gameplay or writing and nobody is even looking at them, outside of Ralph 90% of that content is the anti woke stuff. I'm glad people who enjoy it are, but it also kind of sucks to have waited 10 years for a sequel and seeing nothing that makes me think "this is a good sequel to Inquisition, I want to buy this". Especially after the trailers up until this year sold it as something much closer to original DA.

[@IbbyMelbourne]

@@GoldenLeafsMovies I do get that, and I'm not saying it needed to be a 10/10, but it's fair for a Dragon Age customer to expect Dragon Age/Baldur's Gate DNA in their purchased product. Especially when they waited a decade for an DA:I sequel, and then BG3 comes out between then. The comparison is unavoidable at that point.

[@rsegld1146]

this is the greatest Skillup thumbnail of all time.

[@ThePokestopPapi]

Genuinely 😂

[@sanield2782]

It's so good 😂

[@thunderbandit5172]

Yes!

[@lukas753331]

The video is even better, you literally see how much skillup is pissed off every single time Tassi speaks up lmao

[@wilhufftarkin8543]

It confused me, lol

[@lexam8320]

8.5 to a game he "wouldn't have played if he didn't get a code" that "no one is gonna talk about in a year" which also happens to be the "first DA I could ever finish" and mad at comparing to BG which is from the SAME studio and DA being made as a spiritual successor to BG, while also saying it's filled with "memeorable characters" and at the same time "my favorite character is the necromancer guy". My brother in Christ.

[@AxolotlOnCoffee]

I do generally get the vibe that a lot of the positive reviews are "eh, it's good enough. 9/10". I wouldn't claim that they didn't enjoy it and are lying about it, but it does seem like the numbers should be more around 6/7 given their own logic, as you show in your comment. I´d wager the reviews are a mix of people that genuinely liked it, people that didn't care too much about the game in the first place and people that are just glad that Bioware hasn't completely dropped the ball for once. And all of that combines into a overall number that appears way too high given what I've seen of the game.

[@PaladinfffLeeroy]

A whole bunch of contradictions wrapped up in a blanket of nothing words. YEP, modern journalism.

[@Nickulator]

That's because Paul wants to be appear "trustworthy" to the public while still retaining his access journalism which is why his argumentation is all over the place. Notice how he never brings out any examples either when he talks about something that he likes, he never explains WHY. Huge red flag right there.

[@bigmack70]

"It's shoving "THE MESSAGE" down everyone's throat all over the place and I don't want to deal with the crazy woke internet mob attacking me if I give an honest opinion that it's mediocre/bad, therefore 9/10 great game." ~ most DA:VG reviewers

[@GeneralLeeRetarded]

By 20 minutes in every "Well I have a counter", like bro I get it, you want to keep getting codes, but shut the eff up cmon, stop riding it sooo hard, you can have some critique about it...

[@chaosreich2318]

SkillUp, I appreciate the fact that you essentially hated this game yet you allowed the other more enthusiastic people to share their personal takes more. To me that shows your willingness and ability to allow for a truly open discussion regardless of personal feelings. I’d much rather have that than some suffocating echo chamber

[@niallmccann6780]

He did say it was just his opinion at the start of his video on it. He clearly didn't like it but knew some people would. I like his reviews. No score, just recommend or not.

[@sleepiestofall]

THIS.

[@abhayxv76]

I wish a lot of others in the gaming community were capable of this level of open discussion. It seems a lot of people are just way too aggressive and hyperbolic in their arguments and opinions these days

[@bjwal6]

Agree

[@francischeng6365]

It’s sad though that the people who watch his videos aren’t capable of the same. The number of people who insulted the others who pointed out things they liked about the game is disturbing.

[@allstatejake]

It’s hilarious that Paul Tassi said his favorite character was “the old necromancer guy”. The character was so memorable and well written that he couldn’t remember his name. That speaks volumes in my opinion.

[@Thelkonic]

Noticed the same thing. What a joke lol. The gaming journalism space is in shambles

[@rossmorton7002]

To be fair, I can never remember the names of some people I know in real life...

[@johnbach2380]

@@rossmorton7002 they must be your "favorite" people as well. 🤣

[@Someguy1357]

NGL, I don't really like Paul as a "journalist." But that's just me.

[@ye9945]

This is Pauls bread and butter. He loves consuming slop

[@LaughingLiftingGaming]

16:38 I really dislike the idea that Paul is trying to set a precedent that if a game is too good, its place in a conversation when critiquing another game is irrelevant. It’s extremely damning that on paper The Veilgaurd should AT LEAST have one or two elements comparable to BG3, but it doesn’t. Despite it’s long development cycle, despite its budget likely being more than double and the team working on it being larger, they weren’t able to create a single element of the game that stands up to BG3 (Paul even said so) , and the fact that he is trying to sweep that under the rug by just accepting its multiverse level inadequacy is (imo) bad for the industry as a whole.

[@CmdrDaniel]

I don't think he was saying you can't, just that isn't very helpful. He clearly says he doesn't think its as good as BG3, and that BG3 will have a much better legacy. Think he meant that using more comparable games that are closer to its level would be a little clearer or a better comparison.

[@kidrevos557]

I dont think he's sweeping it under the rug, but think about it .BG#3 came out last year. This games likely already done ( at least the dialogue parts) and they are just putting the finishing touches on it.BG3 is in a space of its own & with how safe most companies play it, it could be some time before something even scratch the surface of the character depth BG# 3 has & i think that is what Paul is pointing out.

[@jordannoell4222]

I mean BG3 is like a once a decade game. It was the perfect storm of talent, method of development, IP, and innovation and iteration that made the game a knock out hit. That is not to say we shouldn't expect better from games, but just that it is a rarity for a genre defining game to come out that will probably be ranked up there as one of the best of the generation.

[@nailinthefashion]

And this is who they listen to most lol. The next game is gonna somehow be even worse

[@Writkin]

I was so let down with DAO after playing bg. Felt dumbed down

[@The.Side.Quest19]

Paul Tassi is just talking waffle, pure and simple. Ralph comes out from this whole thing as one of the only big reviewers with his integrity in tact. This game clearly is a below average AAA game and an objectively bad ‘dragon age’ game.. How can the critic score and the user score be so wildly different? On a side note, Larian are in a completely different stratosphere in every metric to BioWare

[@bencarlson4300]

The BioWare that made Veilguard, Andromeda, and Anthem (literally had to Google the name) is not the same BioWare that made BG 1 and 2 and the rest of the actual quality BioWare games. Same thing with Rocksteady: the people who made Kill the Justice League are not the same as the Arkham trilogy Rocksteady.

[@The.Side.Quest19]

@ you’re right man, BioWare in name only :(

[@asterozo]

thats the sad part, it used to not be, and dragons age origin is basically boulders gate 3 since they lost the licence.

[@svenskhund3603]

​@@bencarlson4300 Then rename your company if you gonna use that excuse. You either ride the reputation of those who came before you and deliver, or change the studio name so that no one can expect from you what they got from your predecessors. You can't have your cake and eat it too. The reputation of development companies are an important part of consumer trust in the product and loyalty to the IP.

[@Phillipmurr]

@@svenskhund3603 this is BioWare blue haired edition 😂😂😂

[@Klue_EoL]

That thumbnail goes hard!

[@aldoblack5982]

Difference between having fun and jerking around (Laymen Gaming channel) and full time job with responsibilities (SkullUp)

[@Jumsut_]

skillupz0

[@MilesTsang]

Lookin moist

[@strykerx2461]

Is Ralphcritical

[@thecriticandi]

Burst into laughter upon sight.

[@TheZealo]

Honestly, I didnt dislike the combat as much as Ralph did. But Jesus Christ the writing is the worst I've ever experienced (not that I've seen, but I didn't play those). Ralph mentioned that it felt like HR was in the room. But I think its worse. It feels like it was literally written as an education video by HR. Those cringe training videos you're forced to watch every year.

[@Prizzadar]

Exactly!

[@NaviRyan]

Apparently it seems the role he was playing just doesn’t have much bonuses late game making it a slog. It’s weird how BioWare didn’t manage progression or abilities well to keep the game from feeling stale.

[@WookieWarriorz]

mate you just mash 1 button at the spongy enemies, theres just no way you can like that in any capacity i dont get it, its bland, lifeless and dull, theres nothing satisfying about it and its that terrible old outdated 3rd person action style of gameplay where you press x and your character starts teleporting around the screen, you dont have to aim your attacks like in fromsoft games, theres no positioning to worry about. It plays like a random no name game you'd find in a bargin bin at walmart in the mid 2000's

[@alexlyster3459]

To me it feel more like it was written for a CW channel teen drama show?

[@lucaleone4331]

Really? The worst writing experience? I work at a corporation and have sat through many of those mind numbing session and didn't get anything close to that experience while playing. But kudos for being dramatic lol

[@fd1216]

Why do journalists keep saying you can't compare Dragon Age Veilguard to BG3?? Of course you can? They cost the same, are both role-playing games that came out within a year of each other, and both come from big studios?

[@solidkwon]

@@fd1216 i think people who say this arent into turn-based games. So for them, the two are not comparable

[@Ashtari]

@@solidkwon The only thing you can't compare are the combat systems just simply because one is real time with pause and the other is turn based. Otherwise, Veilguard and BG3 are VERY comparable.

[@solidkwon]

@ of course. I complete agree they’re comparable. Im just saying someone like Paul who cant stand turn-based games wont be able to tolerate something like BG3 long enough to even be able to compare

[@nothingisawesome]

you can but like every game is shit compared to BG3 so I don’t get the point. If we want to measure every game by how good it is compared to BG3 I’ll support that

[@acronen]

The irony in all of this is Baldur's Gate 3 was more inspired by, and borrowed more from Dragon Age Origins than the current Dragon Age game did. Dragon Age has always struggled to find an identity, and has tried to copy what is popular. If it copies what is popular now (BG3) for the next game, we will arrive back at square one, and Origins.

[@danyurajbahak]

Pail Tassi is the last person i would every listen to about anything.

[@theshonen8899]

The Veilguard review is honestly some of the best writing I've seen from SkillUp. Artfully articulated his thoughts while backing them up with excellent examples.

[@bencarlson4300]

The best part is that he genuinely looked for ANYTHING positive to say about it in the review and in this interview despite hating it. I give him a lot of credit for that.

[@mucknstrunz]

His "artful articulation" is why I dont Like His Reviews although He hast good Takes in General. To me His writing is Just pretentious, drawn Out and less poignant then IT could be.

[@lem0nad3z]

@@mucknstrunz that's such a lame take

[@Simon200o]

@@mucknstrunz I couldn't disagree more here. I don't agree with a lot of takes SkillUp has, but because of his writing and the examples he gives his reviews are still incredible good for me and i'm able to form my own opinions.

[@mucknstrunz]

@@lem0nad3z Thats a lame Response. At least come Up with Something

[@JuliusKingsleyXIII]

Ralph's face the entire time Paul is praising THE veilguard is hilarious.

[@haroldsanchez9928]

Im like 20 mins in and yes hahhahah, it's hilarious

[@avi9066]

paul tassi is just a meatrider

[@MikeThaDevil]

Hes almost biting his hand.

[@Pyrozoid]

I just think he has RBF. He said it in his review and in the "This week.." video that his opinion is his opinion and that if people like the game then that's that so I don't think he's salty about Paul liking the game.

[@JuliusKingsleyXIII]

@Pyrozoid I dont think he is salty, but he is probably confused at least or just listening very intently. Either way, funny visual given the context.

[@DerekHansell]

The way that Paul talks about the game starting at 45:16 is mind-boggling. He is saying the game is "pretty good," that he wouldn't have played it if he didnt get a code, and that no one will be talking about it a year from now. HOW IS THAT AN 8.5/10 GAME MY DUDE? YOU JUST DESCRIBED AT BEST A 6.5! *smh*

[@sanield2782]

That was my question as well. It's baffling. He sounds like he's talking about a 7/10 game.

[@ParkHillProjects]

These people dont even hide it anymore. They are biased and want to maintain good relations with publishers for their Personal gain. Thats modern gaming and gaming journalismus in a nutshell.

[@ummon]

His reviews are not consistent at all. He had a good time playing the game, who can tell why though?

[@destroyermaker]

Reviewers so afraid to go below 8 it's crazy

[@Bustaperizm]

He called an 8.5. "Ok". Paul Tassi is on record calling 8.5 an "ok game".

[@johnnykotletti4614]

Paul Tassi is doing a good job showcasing why gaming journalists have such a bad image.

[@mr.penguin4614]

hop off. go outside.

[@keyamazed1038]

Oh no, someone with a different opinion on a game they actually played while you can only parrot the opinions of others. How scary

[@johnnykotletti4614]

@keyamazed1038 Did you actually bother to read my comment before posting ? I said he is doing a bad job as a gaming Journalist, so much so that it gives the whole industry a bad image. I never said anything about the game or that he isnt allowed to like it, lol. At least try to be mad at something that i actually said, jeez .

[@Shoelessjoe78]

​@@keyamazed1038it's a bad review. Listen to it... It's not selling the game it's telling you not to play, but 8.5 that is bad Journalism.

[@Phillipmurr]

@@keyamazed1038 yes but the play that game you need to spend money. The whole point of a reviewer is to give you their opinion if it’s worth that money Greatest example was the last of us two Before the leaks, I would’ve 100% pre-ordered that game . After hearing skillets review of it I didn’t even bother. Finding out what they did with the story I 100% saved money on what would’ve been an upsetting purchase. Problems with games journalist these days as they serve the publisher, not the customer ..

[@ChipMatthews]

The tone shift is a huge deal to me. It's like expecting Game of Thrones and getting Harry Potter instead. It's not that Harry Potter is bad, it's just not what I wanted. It's not Dragon Age. I want gritty, dark, adult fantasy, not a jokey, surface, inoffensive story for kids. I don't hate the art style in general, I hate it for Dragon Age. If it was a new IP I'd maybe feel differently.

[@TheRealCaptainLavender]

Harry Potter is 10 times darker than the fail guard. I don't know if you played HW:Legacy or read any of the books. If you did you would know that.

[@buffywasright]

I understand the Harry Potter example but I don’t think you mean the game. Because I was fully ready to hate that game and was blown away in the first 15 minutes.

[@nhanon67as]

I mean they talk about slavery in the game. That’s darker than most I think

[@Agent_Cobalt]

Harry Potter is pretty dark. It’s more like you where expecting game of thrones and you got Peter pan

[@Agent_Cobalt]

@@nhanon67asno

[@BritBox777]

DA:V and BG3 are literally direct competitors. Same genre, still full priced, party based, new age fantasy, sharing major plarforms, sharing the exact same core audience. The fact one of the games is good and the other isn't doesn't mean they cannot be compared.

[@akumakurosawa]

Dragon Age was literally created because Bioware didn't have Baldur's Gate IP (and DnD system) rights anymore…

[@bjwal6]

Well said.

[@NHGAFWYUTB]

@@akumakurosawathen youre able to compare them even more what do you mean?

[@shinkicker404]

Was DAV originally supposed to release at the same time as BG initially? It was right? Or pretty close too? But was delayed…

[@mathieujacq6930]

What do you mean ?? What you said means the two games are easy to compare lol. And that is a big L for DAV since it's the same as BG3 but worse...

[@CummyPancakes]

Hearing Paul Tassi say he didn't like BG3s or origins combat says it all for me I'm firmly in Ralph's corner in this one. Surface level nonsense doesn't do it fit me.

[@berthein5476]

Paul is the last person to have a serious conversation about anything storydriven, deep or complex. He is a destiny chill. Destiny 2 is not the game for great writing, stories, dialog, characters, or deep and complex gameplay. So obviously sth shallow and basic like Veilguard would appeace him.

[@lucakoselj7123]

Origins Combat is hands down the worst way to implement non action combat. People who defend it are bonkers. Play rogue trader, that's a good combat system (even better then bg3, by the way). And arguing with destiny when Ralph is just as big of a shill is kinda weird...

[@flamingo_with_Hat]

@@berthein5476 ralph is also a destiny chill, everyone has games that are flawed and you still like them

[@sanield2782]

Bro I absolutely love Origins strategic combat but let's be real, that shit is kinda janky, especially in the current day. Also it's fine for people to not like TB/RTwP combat... They maybe just shouldn't be the reviewer for a longstanding RPG franchise lol

[@terrythegnome2408]

@@lucakoselj7123yeah I just played it and it is janky as all hell. Bg3 is ok but I also don’t love that, I don’t like waiting 5 minutes for my turn as my party gets decimated. I like combat to feel reactive rather than punishing and boring.

[@Auxik]

The fact that he was surprised at Anthem having a 53% rating and thinks that was too harsh tells me everything I need to know about Paul.

[@markedone494]

After all the horrible live service games that came out after it, Anthem still to this day has some of the best gameplay… Just no content.

[@adamm1117]

Right? Anthem had the best gameplay I've ever had with it's flight system making you feel like literally iron man. Just unfortunate was that the story missions were copy pastes of each other and the overall story was pretty weak. And ofc, no endgame But the gameplay man, so damn fun

[@BulletFever409]

yeah, when he said that it just solidified him as useless. If you played or even seen that game you would understand exactly why it had a 53% rating. He just comes across as somebody who doesn't really know anything about what they're talking about.

[@mattwhitedev]

Been playing through this with a family member, both long time bioware/rpg fans, and why is no one talking about how in Veilguard you don't really talk to people? I mean just random people. You can't go to a city and talk to random people on the street. Even a little bit. You visit a city and you can't talk to anyone. You can't explore, there's no exploring, you don't stumble on interesting things that lead to other things. This isn't an RPG. Not even to mention the ghastly state of the writing quality.

[@jboi4756]

Wack, finding random quests and encounters is peak DA

[@ॐIo]

Try out Balders Gate 3. Honestly a saddening state of things. Can't believe it got the rating it did. Or heck play the one before it

[@MrProdigy810]

Because that's not actually the norm. The game has quest givers, sure, but that's not really this game specific. We've been getting spoiled by certain rpgs is all.

[@mattwhitedev]

@@MrProdigy810 most rpgs/jrpgs let you talk to random people standing around a town to deliver information about what's going on or just add immersion. veilguard is just devoid of life

[@MrProdigy810]

@@mattwhitedev Really? I don't remember that happening a lot in dragon age, it always seemed like a rare occurance. Seemed like almost nobody was ever placed or conversable at random, they all had a purpose

[@MarkEvans-xw5ix]

Ralphs face in the corner: "Hello darkness my old friend"

[@RnBDynamite]

@17:17 This guy really tried to defend Veilguard having standout/memorable character by saying he likes "the old necromance guy" and not just go by the character's name 🤣

[@chip8293]

Ironic 😂😂

[@kaingates]

Because the name tells nobody except the ones who played the game anything...

[@flampagan1994]

''I spent 60 hours being with these character!'' Names: Necromancer?

[@3bladeninja21]

@@kaingates I think he should do 10 push ups for forgetting the name

[@callmeidjut]

Paul Tassi is the same dude who defended The Acolyte.. that alone tells me all I need to know about his opinions on most things lol

[@DatDirtyDog]

11:54 "That's how these games go." No! It doesn't have to at all. If you roll over and just say, well thats just how it is, change will never happen. What a horrible mindset for life.

[@Mako2401]

CohhCarnage, the most diplomatic and safe streamer out there called the writing "as if it was written for a 4 year old" and " one of the worst writing I've seen" .

[@GoldenLeafsMovies]

I haven't watched much of of him (though what I've seen is pretty high quality) but he didn't hold back on why he didn't enjoy/finish Zelda, lol.

[@galerusgg9243]

When Cohh said that his overall grade to DAV is "it is fine" i immediately thoguht "uh-oh".

[@Mant111]

Cohn was almost impossible to listen to with how much he tried to protect Veilguard in his criticism.

[@KrakenZzz123]

To be fair, he says he liking the game.

[@KrakenZzz123]

@@GoldenLeafsMovies zelda is a woke game, no one like it

[@MajerHawk]

Thank you for speaking your mind and holding your ground on DA Veilguard Ralph. Means a lot for your integrity

[@antont4974]

These NPC comments are just funny

[@MajerHawk]

@@antont4974you’re just mad Ralph gave his honest thoughts

[@edoardofedrighi2102]

​@@antont4974 yeah and you EA bots aren't

[@crazykobold1644]

Have you ever thanked him for that when he wasn't validating your opinions? I'm sure you have...

[@fyi54]

@@MajerHawkNobody is mad that Ralph gave it a negative review. It’s just funny how people imply that the positive reviews were somehow dishonest or lacking integrity. Some people just like the game and some people hate it. Pretty normal lol

[@thebaffman4898]

Paul Tassi...wtf do you mean we can't compare DA to BG3. So the writing and characterization are bad and we just have to get along with it because reasons? This guy should not be allowed to review videogames. We're talking about Bioware here for god's sake, not some indie team at their first experience. They should have at least tried to meet that quality bar.

[@thebigik]

Yeahhhhh. That was a little rough. Mass Effect leaves you in damn near tears at times with consequences for actions and how the characters trend from game to game. They set the standard years ago. The writing should be the most important thing in a BioWare game.

[@thebaffman4898]

@@thebigik Exactly. And the fact that most devs from those days are gone, so technically it's not the same team, it's no excuse.

[@hihihi1q23]

Because BG3 spent years in early access and had significant rewrites and narrative changes based on feedback. Wyll was totally rewritten based on early access feedback. Shadowheart's personality was changed, etc. BG3 without the early access feedback would have been a much, much worse game.

[@Olter_]

@@hihihi1q23 It would have been different, not necessarily worse.

[@frankhemstra634]

​@@Olter_It was worse

[@Rastaanparta]

Lucy’s view that the loot economy feels like a remnant from when the game was planned as a live service is spot on. I haven’t even played it, but just from watching bits of gameplay footage, I get the same impression. All interest in loot fades when it’s reduced to numbers and knowing exactly where to find the "good" items that actually matter.

[@andreasheinze9685]

But she's also not really far into the game and it shows when she talks about the loot system. It's true that at the start of the game you basically just pick up and use whatever has higher stats, but that changes a lot later on when you unlock all the additional abilities on gear, which really allow you to tailor your build in a specific way.

[@deschain1910]

@@andreasheinze9685 I don't know if you're trying to discount the main point or just add to it, but this is also in line with live service loot. It tends to get a bit more deep in the end-game.

[@sq_paradox]

Veilguard exists because the canceled prototype, Joplin, could not be made into a live service. It's reason for existence was to be a live service. So yeah, it's in it's very DNA.

[@Groove_Gamer]

Tassi would like it because it's at his level of writing.

[@jonr7364]

paul thinks the writing in destiny 2 is great. that tells you all you need to know

[@MarigoldAW]

@@jonr7364 some of the writing in D2 is great to be fair. A good chunk of it is also trash.

[@sanield2782]

I mean, I'm happy for people who have enjoyed it and all, but i just have to ask... how does a game with multiple "glaring flaws" get an 85? That just seems wild to me.

[@marioluis9467]

Dragons dogma 2 got an 88,and i think itd a FAR worse game

[@GoldenLeafsMovies]

​@@marioluis9467It pains me to read this cause the first one is bonkers amazing and the second one is also pretty good but it definitely has big flaws.

[@marioluis9467]

@@GoldenLeafsMovies yes,i was waiting since the first one came and the disappointment was immeasurable

[@denkusprime8969]

Considering how this dragon game was garbage low effort, I do appreciate Dogma 2 a bit more for trying new concepts even if the whole of the game was disappointing.

[@djgroopz4952]

​@@marioluis9467So we can conclude these scores are all a bit too high.

[@sabihrashid252]

Even super chill people like CohhCarnage are echoing Ralph's sentiments about the dialogue in DA:V. Feel like SklillUp was onto something...

[@lucaleone4331]

If by on to something you mean the game has negatives sure. But his review was still ridiculously much lol

[@unlimited971]

And i bet if he put 9 out 10 you would say nothing Gtfo sjw ​@@lucaleone4331

[@ardent835]

Ridiculously much? Oh no even fair criticisms are too much for people nowadays, Ralph was respectful throughout the whole review and even said to look for other reviews of the game instead of just relying on his take. I swear some people just wanna love a game so bad that they will keep crying in the comments about it.

[@johnbach2380]

​@@lucaleone4331 the people praising this game like it's good is ridiculously much 😂

[@makasete30]

⁠@@lucaleone4331 It wasn’t ridiculous. It was one of his better reviews. He didn’t like much about the game and was honest about it, sometimes in memorably brutal fashion. They are not just simply negatives: that dialogue is hilariously poor and pandering. The RPG options are limited and restrictive. The puzzles are lazily designed etc. Ralph is on to something because more and more are agreeing with him as they see those examples, and others. That clearly bothers you.

[@neighborofthedevil]

So good to be able to watch people respectfully discuss video games and the discourse around it in such a respectful and transparent way. We need more of this! The other thing I picked up in this is that it seems like Ralph is more disappointed that the game could have been so much better and Lucy and Paul were more relieved as the game could have been so much worse! So glad they pivotwd away from live service early enough to mostly save this one from a Gotham Knights or Suicide Squad disaster

[@flampagan1994]

60 hours. 70% character quests, memorable characters. Paul: That old necromancer guy! my favorite character

[@Agent_Cobalt]

My favorite BioWare character is sniper dork and doctor war crimes

[@ryanmadej6694]

I don't think Jake would have understood if he said names

[@socratese5]

@@ryanmadej6694he could have said his name and then added the necromancer

[@Vladislav888]

@@Agent_Cobalt half of the reason of me relaying ME as s femShepard was to give the sniper dork a decent girlfriend instead of a gasmask girl

[@flampagan1994]

@@Vladislav888 taking one for the homies

[@KittenMittens92]

Lucy regarding the necromancer; "He has Giles from Buffy energy!" Ralph; *Exasperated sigh* "Yes, he does...yep". He actually looks physically uncomfortable when hearing someone praise Veilguard for things it does not do well and it's so entertaining. Good on him for sticking to his guns.

[@IAmTheBugInsideYou]

Even when I despised his takes on FFXVI & Destiny, he's never been shy about standing by his views on what he talks about.

[@KittenMittens92]

@IAmTheBugInsideYou Totally agree. I don't always agree with his opinions, but he articulates his points so well that I always respect them regardless.

[@maerunderemite]

Straight up. I don't feel like I'm getting pondered content with Ralph.

[@Mant111]

It's that feeling when you have someone dumb saying dumb things in the room but you're all friends sitting together and you don't want to sound like an asshole so you just keep it in.

[@ConchobarGG]

You know, I love Joss Whedon, but also damn that guy for sentencing us to two hellish decades of the Whedonication of everything, driving it all to the point of cliche. And you know that's exactly what Ralph wanted to say.

[@caseystrong9481]

I love how the game is getting 8s and 9s, and the people that like it talked about it like it's a 6.5 or 7, and they found it moderately enjoyable. I think that tells you all you need to know.

[@JamieKennedyXperiment]

Paul Tassi trying to shut down Ralph’s valid criticism? What a surprise 🤣🤣

[@Dameendmon]

It’s like he’s being contrarian for the hell of it lol

[@DogginsFroggins]

The fact that Ralph was this respectful for something he clearly hates is encouraging, especially that thumbnail, well played.

[@RRRRRRRRR33]

Basic education, even if you have to talk about something you hate and, as a bonus, the guest is a complete halfwit, the bare minimum is to just stay focused and communicate. But yes, the "internet" tends to be extremist, the bare minimum became a example of sobriety, lol some would expect these adults to just start insulting each other (after all, they are not sharing the same room, here it comes the keyboard wars)

[@titularhero]

Odd choice to have your dragon age discussion be with someone who doesn't like rpgs or dragon age

[@lucaleone4331]

Right? I've only watched 3 review and the only negative one was skill up who isn't even a fan or played the DA games

[@HaruIRAI]

​@@lucaleone4331, my brother in Christ, it's Paul who isn't a Dragon Age fan. Skill up IS in fact a DA head

[@blackseed68]

Pretty sure Ralph is a fan. Paul on the other hand isn't. And didn't enjoy Dragon Age:Origins simply cause it was turn based lol.

[@JC-kl3uc]

@@lucaleone4331 How could you watch his review and conclude that he didn't play previous games, when he incldes multiple examples of waht he liked about previous games more...

[@Y0B0]

@@blackseed68 It is Baldur's Gate 3 that is turn-based. DA:O has real-time combat.

[@chrisbenson6753]

Watching Paul go on and on trying to justify why he likes the game to ultimately say nothing of substance and then say “some people will like it and some won’t” is really weird (41:10). It’s fine to say you liked it because you like shallow action games that flirt with the idea of being a deeper RPG, just be honest.

[@niallmccann6780]

Maybe a score of 7 or 8 tops. The dialogue is awful. Unless you're a 15 or 16 year. Haven't played yet. I might pick it up next year when the price drops. Baldurs gate first, though. And dragons dogma 2.

[@PlazDreamweaver]

​​@@niallmccann6780 DD2 was a disappointment. A complete husk of a game and objectively worse than its predecessor. Don't waste your time with it.

[@Zerradable]

@@niallmccann6780 MAYBE gen Z 15 years olds. Don't insult my past this way.

[@niallmccann6780]

@PlazDreamweaver ouch. I've been waiting for a price drop. I understand that it has flaws but also shines in a lot of areas. Might wait for a 2025 review and see how the wind blows. I won't ever buy day one again. Last 2 were BF5 and RDR2. BF5 was not good on launch. RDR was great.

[@PaladinfffLeeroy]

A nothing burger and void fries.

[@JeanneDGames]

Honestly, I'm a Paul Tassi apologist and he completely ate shit on this interview while pretending he wasn't doing exactly that. Trying to claim that you can't compare two games in the same price point and genre, from studios with similar lifetimes and pedigrees IN that genre, while being on the same platform and having the same target audience is so laughable that he deserves every comment clowning on him that he gets from this. I don't care if you think BG3 is bad and DAV is good: you should ABSOLUTELY be comparing the two if you want to be anywhere near an educated consumer. Paul is implying that you should willfully act like an ignorant consumer and just consume product, while also indicating he didn't like the product enough to remember a character or to recommend it as anything other than "pretty good, but I wouldn't buy it full price with my own money". If you wouldn't play the game without the code being given to you for it, then it's not a "pretty good" game, now, is it?

[@Prizzadar]

You can see on his (Ralph) face, that he thinks the game is garbage. He is almost in pain when he listenes to (mostly) Paul. His business brain is telling himself "Silence! Keep it to yourself!" :D

[@Chris75717]

Came here to say this I was having so much fun watching his pure anger and disdain listening to Paul

[@dragonmares59110]

This is so obvious. I am really disapointed that the cast did not let him voice his opinion

[@conor6436]

@@dragonmares59110 he has a whole ass review, dimwit

[@Chris75717]

@@dragonmares59110 I mean it wasn’t meant to be a debate and he said exactly how he felt about the game. I’m sure he didn’t want to be rude to a guest but he made his thoughts very clear

[@ronmexico7256]

It’s similar to the look on other peoples faces when Ralph talks about Destiny 😂

[@mfeeney87]

Paul Tassi is the epitome of gaming journalism.

[@jaythomas468]

I didn’t want to be a jerk, but you kinda summed it up PERFECTLY with that sentence. I’ve always lowkey thought he was just another CLOWN like Destin and Jez Corden.

[@Toliman.]

I always thought of Jekyll vs Hyde. Mr Hyde being the monster, Dr Jekyll being the scientist. Both Erik Kain and Paul Tassi work for Forbes - Erik Kain is logical, Tassi is the monster - emotional, irrational prefers Action / FPS games. et al. They almost never have the same take on media / culture, and when Kain takes the wrong approach, he often comes back 2-3 days later and corrects / changes his mind just to have both sides of the social media cake. It's always been curious.

[@ragingchimera8021]

Weak and juvenile?

[@stvnpatt04]

reminds me of Kinda funny reviews. Its all baseless critique from journos who get early access and dont want to lose the right. It so unfaithful to their actual audience. Skill Up sets the bar by a long shot

[@SeriousGamer_CEJ]

"I gave it an 8.5 which is where metacritic is now so I think I'm right' lol, no

[@fred6907]

8.5, given by cherry picking who gets the review codes. Seems fair lol.

[@kabeltelevizio]

The game stand on 70% on Steam too, so yeah, his opinion is a lot closer to the average player than Skill Ups review.

[@Mikx100]

​@@kabelteleviziothat is users with 2h of playtime

[@ggwagmi1236]

People who hated it didnt buy Ofc the reviews will be positive If everone buys i dont think youll like what we will say as a review

[@Gus1494]

He didn't even say that. He said that he aligns with the general consensus. Just hear what you want to justify your forced hate.

[@MightyManotaur22]

I'm replaying Dragon Age Origins right now and immediately the writing is so natural and witty. They find all these humorous back and forths between Alistair and Morrigan even when it's been just a few days after the king was murdered and there's a violent coup happening in the wake of the blight. It's just really good writing. Nothing I've seen from Veilguard captures a single iota of this balance between humor and darkness, and that's why we all go to Bioware games. Or at least it used to be.

[@sillyfox7148]

When I heard Paul Tassi say he only had 20 hours in Baldurs' gate 3, I was mimicking Ralph's face and attitude as well for the rest of the discussion 😂

[@Rietto]

I mean, not liking turn-based combat is a legit reason to not want to play a turn-based game, though.

[@PuthySlayer69420]

Paul is a wokey boy we need to cancel him

[@westlink1985]

There's nothing wrong with not liking turn based combat.

[@Grassdia]

@gobbledygook5000you can not play a game and still see that it’s good based off people who have played it. I also didn’t play BG3 mainly cos I don’t really like the ‘MOBA’ perspective as I find it very jarring and breaks my immersion instantly and don’t really play games to think (I do that whenever I’m not playing games cos my brain crazy) .

[@dark_winter8238]

​@Grassdia what do you mean by "moba" perspective. I can't relate it to a moba at all.

[@emperman]

The most important HR warning missing from dragon age the veilguard is: "not suitable for those above the age of 14".

[@Zerradable]

Don't insult my past teenage intelect. I don't think that even Gen Zs are that imbecile.

[@ValiantGoat]

Paul Tassi, one of the industries favorite water-boys.

[@verkpunk]

Tassi makes it clear why he thinks what he thinks. You don't have to agree with a reviewer, but if you know where they are coming from you can still make an educated buying decision.

[@ye9945]

@@verkpunk Does he really though?

[@ian-flanagan]

@@verkpunkI agree with you. I think the frustration comes from the fact that someone can get a job as a reviewer with a far-reaching voice when his views resonate with such a small % of gamers.

[@maxslender4668]

Paul tassi clearly doesn't know what a good game is, he cannot remember the name of his favourite character yet he gives it an 8.5/10. I put to you: Charles, Hosea, Lenny, Michah, Arthur, John, Abigail, Bill, Javier, Dutch, Josaiah, Karen, Sean and Kieran. Everyone who played that game knows what game it was from and who each of those characters were. Now THAT is a good game that deserves and 8 or a 9 out of 10 if not a 10/10.

[@maxslender4668]

From everything I have seen, dragon age the veilguard is a 6 at the very best

[@om3g4z3r0]

Shill up you solidified DA:V problem in such a way that is hard not to quote you on the game sounding like HR is present, that is a critical hit, there is nowhere to run, nice job.

[@Civman-yr8lb]

Chuds lost. DEI is the future, there is nowhere to run.

[@EnsignRedshirtRicky]

@@Civman-yr8lb DEI does not sell. So the future is Indy games and new studios.

[@DataDietz]

Too bad it's #1 selling game on steam. Stay mad and lonely, incels.

[@DODIRTT]

Only problem is the talentless anti woke youtubers are now just using the points from skill ups review because normally they would be talking about the actual game play. Also keep in mind several of them have called skill up a shilyhin the past.

[@StevenZephyc]

@@Civman-yr8lb the future sure likes to hide their tails and deny their existence.

[@iamthejolson]

Paul’s description of party members dating sounds awful. Like it’s supposed to be an epic dark fantasy and instead the writing around romance sounds like it was written by middle schoolers who read romance manga

[@mechanicalmonk2020]

It's the same as it was in ME3

[@DrakonPhD]

@@mechanicalmonk2020 No it wasn't the writing for Romance in Me3 was great (though that's helped by being the 3rd in a trilogy.)

[@fatstinkyballs2156]

@@mechanicalmonk2020what

[@graynor67]

Characters could date each other in DAI and DA2

[@SekiberiusWelkesh]

The writing is even worse than that.

[@paulatreides77]

I just re-watched a snippet from SkillUp discussing the backlash to his Anthem review. People (BioWare shills) trashed him for saying what we all accept as truth now, which is that BioWare was pushed outside of their core competencies by EA to make a pretty disappointing and ultimately irredeemable game. When non-DA fans like Paul Tassi have long since moved onto other games and completely forget about DAV, the gaming community will similarly accept Ralph's take in the same light as how we all view Anthem today.

[@Gonzalo_105]

time will prove ralph right.

[@hobbes296]

DAV and BG3 can absolutely be compared. While that conversation was happening taht you can't compare so and so game to BG3, the games that were given a pass were the indie studios. But Bioware is a huge AAA studio who had ample time to make that game. A studio in the past that was known for putting out great RPGs and a game where people come to it for the story. This is EXACTLY the type of game that should be compared to BG3. They had all the time, money and people to be able to make it up to that quality.

[@SpicyChimkinSammie]

I appreciate that they found someone with a polar opposite opinion to Ralph for a more balance discussion. But Paul Tassi should not have been it. Everything positive that he said about Veilguard seems either very surface level or very contrived like the loot thing. Like, "Oh if you bend over backwards and do a quadruple backflip, I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I did." And in the end, the impression that I got from Paul's opinions is that he found Veilguard to be a pleasant surprise. At best maybe a 6.5 or 7 rather than the 8.5 he actually gave the game. Also it is absolutely fair to compare BG3 to Veilguard. BG3 at this point has become a paragon of the RPG genre. It's the same as how everyone compares souls-like metroidvanias to Hollow Knight. These are games that set the standard and it's worth the comparison even if they don't match up.

[@M3rett0]

It's called controlled opposition. He picked a dumbass to argue with him, and now he looks better.

[@CookaSoupNieceEH]

The original BioWare team is no more, the moment you guys accept it - the less you will care about the newest Dragon Age or the upcoming Mass Effect

[@DewtehDew]

I can’t believe people haven’t come to this conclusion yet.

[@UnkleRob78]

Tassi stop gargling the industries nuts

[@jordanvanderkuyl6729]

Ralph looks like he wants to die around the 28:00 mark listening to Paul. It reminds me of when you're watching really embarrassing comedy movie, and you can barely stand even being in the room for fear of what ridiculous thing is going to be said.

[@Catalinddm]

I'm sorry but not sorry: Paul Tassi is a joke of a reviewer... In general, not just for Veilguard Edit: Ralph, massive kudos for sticking to your opinion. You're right. The other reviews are not wrong, just biased...

[@Zerradable]

They are not wrong... for focusing on their profit at expense of their reputation. At least in the short term, of course.

[@seltheus9447]

Paul Tassis review was hilarious...the fact that this was the firat DA he could bring himself to finish is about all you gotta know...

[@ZeddZM]

That this one is the most accessible of the series?

[@sarcasm2182]

Paul Tassi has 0 gaming creed lol

[@BasJack]

I think with this podcast he's well into the negative

[@angusbones]

this podcast has really found it's footing compared to how it's started. i'll be tuning in every week from now on, good job.

[@s3m4jno5w4d]

I'm with Ralph

[@thesixth2330]

Paul Tassi is the definition of 'Access Journalism', asking him to be critical of EA is asking too much... LOL

[@TheFuzzay1]

Well they respected his opinion enough to invite him on their show? Ralph is bigger than Paul and gets just as much access btw

[@johnsmithson4479]

@@TheFuzzay1 as far as the general gaming public is concerned, Paul Tassi is bigger than SkillUp. And SkillUp is quite famously banned from a few publishers events/games so I don’t think that’s accurate either lol

[@Wahlrusberg]

@@johnsmithson4479Tassi has been around a lot longer but our beloved ShillUp has honestly become a bit of an institution in the past few years

[@hobojoe9717]

@@johnsmithson4479What is he “famously banned” from? I’ve been watching him for a while and have not heard of anything like this. Plus the SkillUp channel did have access to the preview of Veilguard along with other journalists. Although I believe it was Austin, not Ralph, who did the preview.

[@JMW10o0o]

@@johnsmithson4479 I'm not sure about "famously banned" there was an in person podcast they did a while back with a Q&A section to it. A fan asked how they balanced being critical without getting on a blacklist. Ralph protested that getting blacklisted in gaming was bullshit. His response then boiled down to if you are professional you'll usually be accepted amongst the people who hand out review copies. I somewhat agree with his response. There are creators who cross the line and are disrespectful in their reviews but I think there is some truth to the unwarranted blacklisting of some others. Fextralife a creator has a video called "The TRUTH About Dragon Age Veilguard REVIEWS" what he says here is that EA cherry picked reviewers that would speak highly about the game. He himself was given preview builds but after a professional remark about some flaws he was seeing in the early build of the game he was then ghosted by EA.

[@susss60]

Paul Tassi..? A guy who doesn't really care about previous Dragon Age games and don't like Baldur's Gate 3, a game which arguable set the bar for all Role-Playing Games to follow. That's the person you choose to discuss the next big Role-Playing Game from BioWare? Okey then. Sounds like players like Paul just want a Action game and the Role-Playing part is not that important.

[@marcusclark1339]

BG3 is honestly over praised too it suffers similar issues in writing and weak character creator simply drowned out by toxic positivity honestly

[@iraqnid5013]

​@@marcusclark1339I mean, I'm all for different opinions, but this specifically just reeks of being a contrarian. writing is totally subjective so if you didn't like it that's fine, but all of the great RPGs like Cyberpunk, Mass Effect, and BG3 only got where they are because people liked the world and obviously the characters. especially Mass Effect and BG3. these games had their popularity built on the characters being fucking awesome. they resonate with people even with some flaws (like Wyll in BG3 having a relatively lackluster ending). the "toxic positivity" is just the characters being likable enough for the game to become a sensation.

[@cosmic-10r61]

@@marcusclark1339 not at all... BG3 gave players a ton of agency and options and Dragon age VG's dialogue literally consists of answers like "oof" gtfo

[@killer3000ad]

@@marcusclark1339 WTF are you talking about? GTFO with that crap.

[@legiovicta6759]

@@marcusclark1339 neverrrr heard this take before wow

[@leospeedleo]

Paul Tassi describes an average game, which will be forgotten in a year, then gives it a 85 🤡

[@LemonRush7777]

The fact that Paul Tassi dislikes turn based combat to the point of dropping BG3 due to it really puts some perspective on his combat gameplay review points of DAV. I see people that enjoyed the dumbed down combat as people that wanted something more action based that cRPGs are not. Edit: since people apparently lack reading comprehension, let me explain further. Action based combat is fine, turn based combat is fine. However, brainless button mash, which is what DAV is, is certainly not. The only way I can see people enjoying this boring combat loop is if they absolutely dread turn based combat (or real time with pause, pick your poison, both are used in cRPGs), something uncharacteristic of any cRPG enjoyer.

[@chrisbenson6753]

Imagine claiming you love games enough to review them but you put down BG3 because you don’t like turn based combat….

[@Enigmata23]

He is literally the modern audience. Dumbed down.

[@hihihi1q23]

@@Enigmata23 BG3 is extremely dumbed down by CRPG standards. Baldur's Gate also isn't a traditionally turn based series.

[@lastdefenderofxhotl]

There is nothing about action based combat that makes it dumbed down in regards to turn based. That's such a deeply pretentious and ridiculous thing to assert. I say that as someone who's last three games I've played are Rogue Trader, BG3, and Space Marine 2. You're not a superior gamer for enjoying turn based combat, nor is someone an inferior gamer for being turned off by it.

[@nikolaninkov]

He's a tourist, as are most game journalists.

[@JaydevRaol]

Perfect Thumbnail 😂

[@call_me_maple]

The arkham shadow interview was amazing, thank you for bringing him on. I wish I had a better VR setup because Ive never wanted to play a VR game more than this one, hearing how it was developed is amazing. Thank you guys.

[@foster7927]

Never forget that Paul famously gave Starfield a 9.5.... We have to remember his ratings holds absolutely no weight and should never be trusted or valued. By no means is he a shill he should just stick to covering Destiny and top 10 movies (lul) and not rating video games.

[@gimmibox]

I found it interesting Paul “Live service” Tassi being the one who’s most positive about the game at first. Then Lucy brought up the development history of the game and the loot system I’m like “ooooooh”.

[@MMcGreevy]

I feel like that executive was right. Baldurs gate 3 has set the bar insanely high. I hope the industry tries to meet it.

[@M1nd_Fl4y3r]

Real shit. Even handled social issues and representation way, way more gracefully than Veilguard did.

[@buffywasright]

@@M1nd_Fl4y3r I’ve seen comments on Mortismal’s review saying the writing on BG3 “wasn’t even good” with plenty of likes, when to me Karlach crying that she doesn’t want to die made me tear up 3 playthroughs in a row. I think ADHD kids these days wouldn’t know what is good if it hit them in the 🐈 and should just stick to Valorant.

[@ggwagmi1236]

They need to be told Unfortunately the era of the modern audience is upon us Too many kids raised by youtubers Its not good bruh

[@GoldenLeafsMovies]

​@@buffywasright I'm still in my first playthrough, my party consist of Shadow, Laezel and Gale. Will the game show me important cutscenes of the other party members even if I don't have them in my party? I really like Karlach and Astarion but I prefer to have the others in my party (plus managing a bunch of people and thinking the best builds for them when they level up is too much).

[@chackolate9]

​@@GoldenLeafsMoviesmost of the cutscenes require you to be doing their quests. Personally I am like you and focus on one set of companions for the whole game, so best to save side quests for other companions for repeat playthroughs.

[@BodyMilkman]

i can't take paul seriously when he's talking about getting attached to the characters in Dragon Age, and then can't even remember his favourite character's name and has to describe him as 'the old necormancer guy' lmao

[@pspublic13]

At 43:30, simple answer is that the professional reviewers have sold their souls to the game industry and have huge ethical biases in how they review games. They are not reviewing games to give consumers an informed choice on what product to buy. No, they are just one more cog in the marketing hype machine of the games journalism industry (what a joke to call it games JOURNALISM). SkillUp is tip toeing around here and very reluctant to call out what is actually happening here because he too has industry exposure that places his career at risk if he speaks the harsh truth. Always rely on Steam reviews and the actual video of KZbin let's plays, don't listen to any content creators, the whole bunch of them are compromised by their corporate sponsors. I can count on two hands the ones who are still clean, its not a lot of folks left. Can you call it bribery? It definitely is pay-to-play shenanigans.

[@TheGamer21HD]

Totally agreed with Skillups review. Well thought out and completely right. "Critics" reviewing this game are strangely omitting how bland the game is. Shame, I was really hoping it would be great. Wtf happened to the qanari lmao. Nah, people talking about politics in relation to the game, literally means nothing to me. Gameplay itself and writing is trash compared to its predecessors. Shame. Damn shame.

[@kabeltelevizio]

Did you play the game?

[@terrythegnome2408]

@@kabelteleviziothis I’ve seen a lot of people claim the combat sucks and the story blows with no hands on experience, I’m playing it. It’s an 8 out of 10.

[@Teo_live]

@@terrythegnome2408 Im sure that barve scene is brilliant story 🙄

[@Nekros4442]

We're not comparing everything in Baldur's Gate 3 to DATV. We're comparing the companions, the branching paths and the dialogue. Those are things you can compare completely separated from other gameplay facets that the 2 are completely different in.

[@wboumans]

"why do professional reviewers not pickup on this?" most retorical question ever...

[@MinosML]

@@wboumans oh Jake, you sweet sweet summer child...

[@wetsloth2327]

44:12 I think for me Deathloop was the biggest disconnect I saw with mainstream review scores and the overall player base after it came out. I just remember seeing so many "Deathloop is not a masterpiece" videos after the general public got their hands on it and I found that so interesting compared to almost every major outlet giving it resounding praise. I always think it's really cool to explore the contrast between critic scores and user scores. I do think past gaming experience can play a big part in how you receive a new game. I think Paul had a better experience with this game because he never fully dived into BG3 or DAO. Very similar to how many people praised Deathloop who had maybe not fully experienced Prey and its Mooncrash DLC. Both games are stripped back, more excisable versions of their deeper predecessors and I think that really bugs Ralph and a lot of longtime fans of both studios. It is always nice to see different perspectives though and I appreciate the respect they showed one another while talking.

[@BeatRag28]

Watching Ralph forcibly bite his tongue during the ‘build diversity’ conversation for DA might have been the funniest thing I’ve seen

[@jonathanlgill]

I was curious for his answer on why there likely will be a gap between the critics' scores and audience scores. It felt like Ralph was withholding some of his thoughts--perhaps because it's bad form to criticize others in his profession. I don't know.

[@ABIADAB]

​@@jonathanlgillit's obviously because of the DEI stuff, ralph doesn't want to attract "those guys" into the channel, and i don't too, so its completely understandable.

[@nothingisawesome]

@@ABIADABwell uh he failed on that

[@jonr7364]

jew tassi at it again

[@jordannoell4222]

​@@nothingisawesomeYup the tourists are out in force,.and in every comments section.

[@ryanburgess4470]

SkillUp really does not like Veilguard he's utterly flabbergasted that it's being so positively reviewed.

[@nuno3887]

Noticed its being well reviewed by every big gaming conglomerate so it doesn't get the backlash for lgbtq. Every independent reviewer has the same issue as skill up

[@capellozapellini6074]

He reminds me of my boomer grandpa “What do you mean someone likes the thing I DONT?!?!”

[@dungimon1912]

Have you seen meta critic? User scores suggest otherwise. It’s only been positively reviewed by a curated list of reviewers who were always going to give it a high score due to the inclusivity and diversity.

[@Khilab_Lacks]

IGN reviewer with "She/They" in her bio gave the game a 9/10 💀

[@gavinmclane3904]

@@nuno3887Lmao watch this become a trend in AAA studios for this exact reason

[@RandomVenezuelan]

At this point, we can do an "inverse tassi" indicator If he likes something most likely we are not going to lmao

[@Indravun]

I despise everybody referring back to “critic reviews” for how a game should be received. Paul Tassi voices every opinion as if HR is in the room

[@Verlajn11]

Paul Tassi has such weird takes and doesn’t really seem to correlate to an average dragon age fan (tactical combat, the funny lighthearted necromancer being a highlight character etc

[@Thurmanation2011s]

He is a shill. He has to like it to stay connected

[@Verlajn11]

@ I don’t hear passion where passion should’ve been, the positives seemed like a checklist of plausible excuses

[@hihihi1q23]

Who's the 'average dragon age fan?' Fans of Origins, DA2, or DAI? Because all those games are wildly different. Hell, DA2 was basically an action game lmao

[@kabeltelevizio]

The game is a 7/10 on Steam, so yeah his take does correlate with the avergae player's experience with the game.

[@ian-flanagan]

@@kabeltelevizioI presume only buyers can leave a score? If so, that’s the average score of buyers, not DA fans, and definitely not gamers. If reviews hadn’t giving such a warning, BioWare would have made more money, and the Steam rating would be much lower.

[@johnbach2380]

Paul tassis social media is enough for me to void his opinion on anything for me. Thanks to ralph for sounding the bell. 😂😂

[@noahherbert8347]

what are his worst offences?

[@johnbach2380]

@@noahherbert8347 calling the acolyte one of the best things to come out of star wars ever. First thing that comes to mind. And if you don't agree apparently you're a racist.

[@nothingisawesome]

@@noahherbert8347he doesn’t hate trans people.

[@johnbach2380]

@@noahherbert8347 saying the acolyte was the greatest piece of medium to come from star wars in ages... and you're every ism if you didn't agree.

[@Arrestedrabbit]

​@noahherbert8347 besides overall just being an access media shill? He's seemingly incapable of having an opinion that someone else didn't already write about first and is 100% in the "gamers just hate X group that's why Y game is being negatively discussed" camp.

[@KilerTarcza13]

Paul „DA is not as good as BG3”- his score DA 8.5/10 XDD There is something wrong with a reviews nowadays. He says that Game is fun, fine and gives it such a High score. How is that even possible?

[@James-u1y]

Thanks for the podcast SkillUp, Jake, & Lucy! Have a good day everyone. Hope to hear Jakes thoughts on DAV later, always enjoy hearing the Baldino speak.

[@vomm]

29:00 "What's the most fun aspect of the game?" .. Skill Up: 🤔🤔🤔

[@SystemBD]

The thumbnail screams Ralph being called "the critic that killed BioWare"... when he only wanted to give his honest opinion.

[@Agent_Cobalt]

HR is in the room

[@lucaleone4331]

Its not that series

[@TheRealmOfTF]

It's been interesting to follow the discourse surrounding this game. Lots of people writing it off for both legitimate and not so legitimate reasons. Me personally, I'm more in line with SkillUp on this one. As a longtime Dragon Age fan, I feel there is very little in this game that appeals to me. The writing is definitely the toughest pill to swallow, as it just feels so surface-level and shallow at pretty much all times. The departure of David Gaider turned out to be more of a deathblow for the franchise than I had expected. I can absolutely see how it would appeal to a different demographic though, that maybe aren't as invested in the franchise as I am. As a standalone Fantasy game, it's not so bad. As a Dragon Age sequel... not so much.

[@Dil498]

I think you've pretty much hit it on the head, I'm actually enjoying the game, that being said I never played the first 2 games I only played inquisition and I loved that game

[@Inkcharm]

This is where I'm sitting. It's not for me on a couple of key factors that dictate my own personal enjoyment, but I'm glad that other people really dig it, and I won't begrudge them. I feel borderline gaslit both by fans of the game AND haters of the game, because apparently "oh, it's just not really for me, but I hope you guys enjoy" is the hot take of the century lmao...

[@paulatreides77]

I would say some reviewers rating it so high are also doing so for some very illegitimate reasons, especially if they have never played DAO or DA2 previously. Listening to or reading their reviews and hearing none of the negative commentary they mention during their reviews being reflected into their 9/10 or 10/10 scores is pretty wild. Really, it just is not a DA game and certainly nothing even remotely close to DAO despite sharing some character and place names. The early DA games were SO DARK, and it gave the series a distinct feel from other generic fantasy fare, unlike DAV, which feels like LotR poorly mixed with modern Marvel cinematic properties. This might have been much better received if it was "Wyrm Era: Veilguard" and had absolutely nothing to do with DA at all, but then I guess they could not spend so much of EA's money on it in that case.

[@godminnette2]

​@@paulatreides77Someone who hasn't played previous games in the series liking this game that's unlike the other ones does not make their reviews illegitimate, lmao. Some of the greatest games of all time break convention from and lose the fans of the series it is in. Breath of the Wild is the most popular (and my favorite) Zelda game, but in the Zelda community it is highly divisive. And I agree with a lot of the criticism levied at it - it's just my own negative feelings about those poorer elements were far out-stripped by what the game did well. Reviewers can mention things they dislike in a review and still give a game a 9 because those elements didn't hamper their enjoyment much, but they mention them in case they might hamper someone else's more.

[@DuggyDarko]

It's Dragon Age for people who didn't like Dragon Age.

[@xedex3785]

I knew that as soon as we got all perspectives of this game, this would be a great episode. Thank you for the great content all!

[@madmanga64]

Paul you don’t need to be a fan of the other games to review it properly, just review it based on the criteria of an RPG, does it have great characters, great story, good writing, cool lore and engaging gameplay? From what I’ve heard, it sounds like it fails the first three, all these main stream outlets giving this a 9/10 is so confusing to me, while trusted sources are saying don’t bother wait for a sale lol, people work hard for there money and games ain’t exactly cheap, I’d wait for this game to be at the price tag it deserves because something ain’t passing the smell test 😂

[@jinushaun]

Paul: “This is a game I wouldn’t have played if I didn’t get a code.” Ouch. 😂

[@benacales409]

The thumbnail had me do a double take 😂

[@nine-IXI]

Best show yet, you guys are awesome. Love from Oz 🇦🇺

[@Shiningforceking]

I'm so glad Ralph said his piece even though I am pretty sure there's a lot of pressure there. Thank you for Being honest with us and with yourself.

[@mathewbenford2981]

What little respect i had for Paul Tassi just evaporated.

[@RedAlpha101]

You had some to begin with?

[@tdarassp]

It's hard to understand Paul Tassi's mindset of "Dragon Age Veilguard is objectively not on the same level as Baldur's Gate so i set my expectations accordingly" and then "I really enjoyed this objectively dumbed down, bloated loot system" Like he's acknowledging that something is bad, but then saying he enjoys it because he's aware that it's bad? Waiving your standards does not make something better, just makes it sound like you're shilling

[@HandsomeMain]

As a bioware fan thats been here since kotor, i definitely dont think veilguard was worth a ten year wait, but if i had to put it on a bioware scale. Id say its not as good as Inquition, but not AS bad as Andromeda(pretty close though writing wise)

[@thelaughingrouge]

That thumbnail is the most relatable thing I've seen all week. I feel seen.

[@niconico4107]

If a guy who doesn't like RPGs or Dragon Age LOVES this game enough to give it an 8.5/10 tells me all I gotta know about this game LMAO

[@elvenrat]

Im an inquisition person. It was my first dragon age game! And I loved your review where you didn‘t recommend the veilguard. Everything you said resonated with me!