Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a masterpiece | Review

[@heideknight7782]

I am missing somehow in this review a clear explanation of why this game is a masterpiece? What makes this game special compared to other games? One can find good hack-and-slash combat, good storytelling, memorable soundtracks etc. also in many other fantasy RPGs, for example. And usually the evaluation as a masterpiece is given to games which made something innovative that has not been seen before. Like Elden Ring, which was the first Soulslike game in an open world setting, or like Hellblade, which was one of the first games with amazing photorealistic graphics, to name but a few examples. I think it would have been important in this video to more clearly explain as to why the game is so good that one can call it a masterpiece? One of my main issues with the former Dragon Age: Inquisition game was that it felt inflated at the end, due to all the side missions that one had to do and browse through like a check list. I think I would have liked this game much more if it would have had a much stronger focus on the main quest. Which, e.g., was very well balanced in Dragon's Dogma 2, that still had a couple of side adventures, but never to such an extent that one got fully distracted from the main story. My fear is that the Veilguard is once again one of those games where there are so many things to do that it gets repetitive and boring near the end of the game. I guess I am waiting for more reviews to come out to see whether or not others have this issue during a 60+h playtime.

[@amysteriousviewer3772]

Even if it may be a good game I *really* struggle to see how this could be "one of the best video games ever made". It just doesn't look particularly fresh or unique to warrant that title.

[@redletterl78]

It’s one of the best games to those that loved it. If you don’t agree that’s also fine. The end.

[@Str1derNZ]

@@redletterl78 I agree that you could see it this way. But the point is valid when searching for the best game ever made. Extraordinary claims, deserve extraordinary evidence and verification and reasoning.

[@LordMuzhy]

I’ve never seen a game be so divided to the point where it’s getting perfect scores to also being reviewed as a total failure. Not even outlaws or concord was this divisive 😂

[@olwiz]

That should give some clue - things that are near unanimously paned vs not. Hint: theres people invested in narratives nowadays. They tried the same with some titles that turned out to be so good it failed, like God of War Ragnarok. The tactic is always the same- nitpick anything they can to cry an upcoming failure (often blaming DEI or similar) - if the game ends up being very good they pretend it never happened(the predictions), if the game is bad they claim it was obvious go woke go broke... Dragon Age is trickier- idk how good or bad the game actually is- but regardless it comes from a 10 year hiatus with an objectively divisive art style. Doesnt matter that none of the games in the trilogy were like each other, everyone had their personal hopes for a new one and not being like any of the previous 3 bioware managed to disapoint on those expectations... so even if the game is good the narrative will sustain regardless, because theres enougth people already displeased from the looks of it, thus keen on disliking. Im inclined to believe the game is at least good. If it was another Forspoken, suicide squad etc the overall reviews(even earlier ones) would be waaay more negative overall. By the looks of it if the looks dont bother someone that much and the combat clicks with then its positive. I suspect the negativity will never disappear- some hate the looks... and heck many will hate on it for not being open-world/rpg enougth. Id rather have a more classic rpg but im in for a more linear action spectacle too, but im not personally invested in the IP

[@user-kj14pj8lv8]

@@olwiz God of War Ragnarok sucked though

[@0FFICERPROBLEM]

@@user-kj14pj8lv8 Yeah, why resort to filthy nuance when you can write one-sided quips like these.

[@joshnizzle]

@@user-kj14pj8lv8 hahaha yeah sure! That game was goty that year not Elden ring. I love ER but GOW was superior

[@gizConAsh]

This show basically outed the shills who pretend to be unbiased reviewers. Not only did bioware destroy themselves with this game but also the careers of these sellouts.

[@DM-fp8uw]

Can it really be one of the best RPGs ever let alone one of the best games ever with almost no ability to role play whatsoever?

[@csais1]

idk man, good RPG I can buy that ... best rpg now that is a title even the legendary rpgs are fighting over. DAO, DOS2, BG3, BG2, Disco elysium, Pathfinder Wotr, Planescape Torment .. etc. with titles such as these .. having a best rpg ever is really really bold statement to make. but what ever it is, with all the fiesco going on may be i will just give it a blind try aand judge for my self.

[@Shrieqer]

@csais1 that's like going to the dump and paying garbagemen for their trash in hopes of finding something valuable. Don't support companies that hate you. This is not the Bioware that earned our trust anymore. Those devs all left to make another studio.

[@sjont]

That’s their opinion. If you play the game, provide your opinion as well.

[@Anstreki323]

maybe try forming your own opinion instead of parroting nonsense

[@zq7246]

@@csais1different people like different games. As much as BG3 got great reviews I got bored of it and quit playing. Not everyone is going to like the same thing. That’s called being a human being

[@nighthowell]

What on earth is going on with the disparity of these reviews, don’t think I’ve seen anything like it before, it’s all very suspicious.

[@XboxEra]

It's roughly 50 singular opinions. They should be diverse/varied because in the end it's all down to how that one person felt. - Jesse

[@nighthowell]

@@XboxEra some variation is to be expected, but you guys are calling this one of the best games ever made, while other respected voices like Skillup and Mattyplays are calling it an utter disappointment, and not even recommending it as a buy. That’s pretty wild, and atypical.

[@XboxEra]

Reviews are personal opinions, they often do not match. I loved the game, so that's what I wrote - Jesse

[@joshnizzle]

@@nighthowell review aggregate sites say the game is 85-88% positive so that’s what I’d go by.

[@joshnizzle]

@@XboxEra you mean you didn’t get bought off to say that? lol I dont understand people. I’m excited to play after hearing what you thought. I got it and 6 months of GeForce now for 99.99 so was a deal IMO

[@TheEffectOfMass]

When someone says "One of the best games ever." and the critic reviews largely match the user reviews, I'm inclined to agree. Games like Astro Bot, Black Myth: Wukong, Metaphor: ReFantazio and FFVII: Rebirth are a few examples. But when there's a large gap, I have to question if it really is "one of the best." To each their own, obviously. Play what you enjoy. But the numbers, so far anyway, suggest otherwise. Time will tell.

[@XboxEra]

There are literally zero user reviews possible for this game until mid-day Thursday, and as a 60+ hour game none should exist for at least a week. You'll get plenty of people review bombing it for the 'reasons' we've seen.

[@TheEffectOfMass]

@@XboxEra That's why I said time will tell. Also, you don't consider all of these KZbin reviewers as "users?"

[@jaketyler9003]

​@@TheEffectOfMass are u drunk? clearly not all ppl are shills for hate some just enjoy good games. props to bioware and thx Jesse for awesome morning coffee video! gon buy game asap

[@nrXic]

@@TheEffectOfMass "Users" refers to people buying the game. The copies that went out are review copies. They use generated codes from the dev/publisher. Hope that helps.

[@gameoverkid2351]

you should do stand up comedy

[@mistergianpaulo]

wow, opinions are really ranging from absolute dogcrap, to masterpiece. I've heard all choices dont matter or arent impactful to choices dictate the story. I think i'm just going to avoid this whole mess and keep playing fighting games

[@XboxEra]

There are absolutely impactful choices - Jesse

[@alexloponte7056]

@@XboxEra Does it change the outcome of anything? (Anything important)

[@XboxEra]

@@alexloponte7056 Who lives and who dies amongst the main and ancillary cast. how certain relationships go, what characters choose to do/become.

[@KimMerta]

Return to form.

[@realitytripz6998]

Can you confirm if greatswords exist in the game? I have only seen great hammers and axes.

[@majoraslb4311]

Yes they do, ive seen a couple floating around in gameplay vids. And with transmog it means you can always have one equiped no matter the stats.

[@RukAdrik]

I saw at least one unique raven themed greatsword.

[@wikkedawsome]

There was a post about it on dragon age Reddit. Game developer on twitter confirmed no great swords. Not sure about other types

[@activeyaw]

Terrible dialogue and facial animations do not make a masterpiece.

[@nrXic]

@@activeyaw A ton of people called Baldur's Gate 3 a masterpiece.

[@Tsotmiam]

@@nrXic BG3 had amazing dialog. The facial animations were great for a crpg. Dragon Ages facial animations don't look particularly promising but I'll find out tomorrow weather it's as bad as it seems.

[@elynnyan6450]

@@nrXic because it is

[@djbootymeatlive1484]

@@nrXicmaybe you should watch astarion and someone from the veilguard side by side. You have a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation

[@nrXic]

@@elynnyan6450 Exactly. And it has poor facial animations compared to most cinematic games.

[@moralesjourneyman]

Some are saying it's the best game ever while others are saying it's the worst game ever. Which is it? 😕

[@XboxEra]

It's up to each individual and how they feel. - jesse

[@joshnizzle]

It’s probably a good game the ones that are claiming it’s not are probably the same ones that had preconceived notions about it going in. Review aggregator sites have it sitting around 85% positive

[@tubey84]

​@XboxEra Game quality is not purely subjective in that way. Yeah, it's possible to like 'bad' games, but there's still elements you have to critique as a reviewer as bad. For example, I love Seven Kingdoms, an old RTS, but the AI was broken. If I just called that a masterpiece because I liked it, I'd be foolish. I think this review will age like milk, I really do. Because the words are not tallying with what our own eyes are seeing.

[@resrevr]

@@tubey84 so go play the game yourself and form your own opinion, hello?

[@garjian0]

​@@resrevrI assume you're buying him the copy?

[@ohman428]

It's crazy how people think you are lying or getting paid if you like this game, and if you hate it, then it must be true, or I knew it, lol. There will be people who love this game and people who hate this game, but you should reserve judgment until you play it yourself.

[@Gaming2Fun2Play]

exactly

[@lcicada]

People have a hate boner for this game. It’s like they can’t think for themselves, so anyone who actually likes it and leaves a positive review must be lying. Honestly, it’s both hilarious and kinda sad.

[@ohman428]

​@lcicada It's crazy that people blindly follow Matty and Skill up and believe every word they say when they both didn't like Inquisition, but anyone else who likes it are shills or getting paid. Matty didn't like 3 and then said 10 years later that after he retried it that he was wrong. Skill up admitted he only played 10 hours of Inquisition so of course if you didn't like the past titles you weren't going to like the new ones. It doesn't mean they were wrong but why say a game is bad before playing it yourself.

[@neolynxer]

It's not crazy. People can have their opinions. Just as this channel can have it's opinion on the game. It's called freedom of thought and freedom of speech.

[@ohman428]

​@@neolynxerI agree with you so why hate on someone that likes it and and praise someone that doesn't lol. They both have the right to have their own opinion. Nobody is right and nobody is wrong.

[@GamingTalk-cl7xj]

Something is fishy if you said the writing and story is among their best

[@jimmythegamer2231]

Grow a brain

[@gt0783]

So you played it then, right?

[@GamingTalk-cl7xj]

@@gt0783 what I’m talking about only needs me to see, read and hear clips from others who have and those people I take their opinions seriously. Terrible comeback btw

[@XboxEra]

I have played every single game they have ever put out and I absolutely adored the writing and story in this game.- Jesse

[@GamingTalk-cl7xj]

@@XboxEra I’ve seen critical reviews where choices aren’t as good as past titles. Now it’s incredibly hard to be mean, just less polite. How the writing is too safe and sterile, almost Disney esque. But if you say so

[@BillyLeigh]

I'm here just to see the drama in comment section

[@funkyronin8694]

This dude doesn't know how to review a game😂

[@grumpyiroh9838]

I always looked at reviews to decide. But now the reviews are so different that I still don't know if it is worth the money or not. It is so weird.

[@XboxEra]

it's at what, 50 or 60 reviews? That's 50 or 60 singular opinions. A drop in the bucket compared to the millions that play big games. - Jesse

[@grumpyiroh9838]

@@XboxEra well that is true. I think I will just look for myself to find out. Tbh I really like a lot of stuff about that game. But what about the critics? One reviewer says that the game is very repetitive. "The first fight is like the last fight. Most quest are copy paste like in DA2." and stuff like that?

[@Ccubed92]

​@@grumpyiroh9838 That's why as a grown adult you shouldn't let another person tell you to buy a game but see their perspective. Expecting reviews to be the same or fit your narrative is silly

[@XboxEra]

I've got 19 minutes and nearly 3000 words here explaining how I felt. I loved it overall and never grew tired of the combat. - Jesse

[@grumpyiroh9838]

@@Ccubed92 I agree

[@RoseOfSharyn18]

Im gonna be giving Bioware one more chance and be picking this up.

[@MotherMantiss]

Can you play with KBM? (I know you *can*, but does it play well)

[@XboxEra]

I did at the preview event and it worked decently enough.

[@rsiv5156]

I also don’t quite get the divisive reviews, and I especially don’t get all the people who haven’t even played the game and are so adamant it’s trash. I suspect a lot of people just see pronoun options and get mad, tbh. Personally, I don’t care too much one way or the other about the DEI stuff, unless it’s too heavy handed, like dustborn. But veilguard doesn’t look that way to me, it just looks like a fun game, and I’m looking forward to trying it.

[@yumeyumi3679]

It’s the conclusion?! 😭

[@XboxEra]

Of some major plot threads, no clue about the series itself (I'd doubt it, personally).

[@chillrobots]

High praise. Glad to hear Bioware still has some magic left.

[@olwiz]

By the look of comments on all reviews of the game(even more so the positive ones) it seems theres no such a thing as taste anymore. 2024 personal taste and individuality are officionally extinct, everyone must have the current 'official' opnion wich is the objective truth, anything else are liars, shills or brain dead. From now on everyone should keep tabs on wheter preview feelings are going towards, so it becomes clear what the most popular opnion is- and then adjust accordingly. Why im not surprised? Its just like what happened to politics apparently... things got so ugly with 2 sides polarized presenting different versions of reality, each with their 'single only truth' rejecting anything else... i think it trained the majority online to perceive the world like that. Black or white, positive or negative and objectivly so- something either is good or bad... jesus

[@XboxEra]

People say they want the "truth", when in reality they want validation for how they either feel or want things to go - Jesse

[@jimmythegamer2231]

People have always been blind when it comes to acknowledging others opinions, but social media perpetuates it and makes it worse

[@davidbrownfield9289]

Hey Jesse. The kid in me is jealous that you get to play all of these games "early". The adult in me appreciates the fact that this is, indeed, work, and you do a great job. Keep it up.

[@XboxEra]

Thanks David. 60 hours in 6 days was a ton of work, but fulfilling and fun work. - Jesse

[@rinraiden]

Yes playing video games all day and getting paid for it. Sounds like absolute hell.

[@MrDaveyblue]

I'm just sad. Not my Bioware. Replaying ME2 at the moment and realising it might be the last play through I do.

[@leninswalrus]

Apparently Tosh is the only companion you cant be mean to and youll want to as they are a self righteous POS constantly.

[@Cameron-fk5fk]

Poor baby, you will be okay.

[@leninswalrus]

@Cameron-fk5fk oh ill be fine either way, its a question of whether i PAY for this because that seems like thats the point of products. I'm not really strong on the culture war so I think its not a great sign if I have hesitation. I even liked Andromeda aside from the bad character models But this is just a normal game mechanic that's been removed. You can't even play a renegade character. Diversity is fine in games its just it seems like the devs removed normal gameplay options from prior bioware games in service to it. Like im alright with the surgery scars, the inclusion might make someone feel good but its kind of weird to limit biological female shapes as well, thats the removal of options and it almost seem resentful in context of what the inclusion is. The writing is also awkward unnatural and uncomfortable, ive watched witing channels dissect it. To use an analogy Im all for christian rock, christians seem to like it and I think it kind of sucks because im not a Christian, I don't have christian values faith and more importantly im not RESTRAINED by christian cultural taboos which would RUIN the music I consume. Thats fine I suppose but christian rockers aren't expecting the culture at large to purchase their product. If this speaks to you, im happy for you. It dosnt speak to me though. I prefer characters and the protagonist to surprise me rather preach something to me that I've already heard and formed my own decisions about.

[@OriginsAus-b6r]

Yes, I couldn't wait to play on 31st Oct.

[@zq7246]

People need to stop relying on others to form their opinions and just check the games out for themselves. I guarantee if you go on what others say about a game you’ll end up missing a game you love and buying a game that you aren’t into. Different strokes for different folks people!

[@BuzzzedSwan]

I'm glad you enjoyed the game yourself and shared that with us.

[@joshnizzle]

So sick of all the idiotic cynical people claiming that all positive reviews must be sell outs or some nonsensical crap. You’ll believe their position if it’s a game you think you’ll enjoy or something but if not you’ll say all the reviews were bought. It’s ridiculous. Most review aggregation websites say the games very good. They aren’t all paid for reviews. If that’s the case why didn’t they “pay” for reviews of anthem ? Oh yea it was reviewed poorly. Stop saying BS. So sick of it

[@LoneWolf-c1i]

All early reviews are paid, wth are you talking about. Simply for the views this video will get a lot of money. I am subbed to Wolfheart and Neon Knight, they both didn't get early code, yet I'm gonna wait for their reviews. There are channels with millions of subscribers trashed the game, so it's a not good sign.

[@joshnizzle]

@@LoneWolf-c1i that’s not the same as being paid for reviews and you know it. Plenty of small and large KZbinrs got codes. Plenty didn’t. That says more about EA probably than the game. I’m saying it’s stupid to claim that because a review is positive must mean it’s a shill or paid review and not to be trusted but then trusting the negative reviews without question. It’s silly

[@LoneWolf-c1i]

@@joshnizzle I agree, I'm gonna trust myself as usual

[@joshnizzle]

@@LoneWolf-c1i yeah I’ll decide when I play it. Not before and not based solely on reviews. However I’m cautiously optimistic based on the 85-88% on the aggregate sites.

[@joshnizzle]

@ yes that sounds like a truly intellectual take. Lmao.

[@mcell101]

I seriously cant believe these people are attacking reviewers over there opinion that doesn't match theres 😂😂

[@fogkapitany414]

Hey! Good review. Cant wait to play the game. Is this review was recorded on Series X?

[@XboxEra]

Yes, all footage is from the Xbox Series X version of the game, running in performance mode.

[@banjomir519]

Why does it sound like this is the last and final game in the series? :(

[@XboxEra]

It wraps up some major plot threads, but the world of Thedas is massive and I'm sure they could come up with more if they so chose to. - Jesse

[@iuliaandre]

So happy and excited to play this game!!!

[@biquiba]

One thing I have to give to Bioware is they put so much effort in making a good feeling fighting system. It's not exactly what I wanted but, welp, that boat has sailed since DAO.

[@Oxlorne]

Wow the ratings and reviews are all over the place. Masterpiece or historical failure? One thing is for sure is that no one is going to agree on this one. Visually this game makes me disinterested right from the start from the Pixar stylization. I just can't get past the fact it doesn't look like a serious game. My only hope is the game will sell enough that another brand new staff will try again in 2034.

[@Samurai_Stoner]

If you judge a game by looks or graphics you already failed

[@ReMeNissioNs-ic3jz]

Nice review Jesse, have a feeling the discourse around this game is going to be exhausting lol. Definitely need to come up with the cash for this one, especially since this sounds like a return to form for bioware.

[@paulsimoncarey5036]

Felt like Jesse sat on the fence a little bit with this one!! From a lore perspective are earlier installments required or is it good to go standalone?

[@XboxEra]

At the very least you will definitely want to watch a previously on type of video to catch up. - Jesse

[@paulsimoncarey5036]

@@XboxEra Hopefully one exists. You going to do one?

[@Spartan-qw2tr]

This is awesome…I’ve seen a lot of reviews from ppl that have high end pcs so I’m happy to hear the the console versions are solid!

[@smantx]

Hello?? Anybody home

[@bobbyhooten3489]

SO FREAKING EXCITED FOR THIS GAME!

[@rayosborne8617]

I so can't wait for the 31st

[@MajerHawk]

Press x to doubt

[@codybishop7526]

Great review Jesse 🎉

[@teddy_P]

Let's fucking go!! I really hope it does well!!! Bioware might be back!!!!

[@rayosborne8617]

Does anyone know if the new Zealand nat type trick will work

[@XboxEra]

That depends on if it is a local midnight time or global launch. I don't actually know so you might want to search it online. - Jesse

[@rayosborne8617]

@XboxEra I thinks it's global sadly

[@howiedundat5495]

Going to give this game a chance. Hype was pretty much killed for me on the first trailer they dropped months ago but one bad decision doesn't mean the game is a failure.

[@mortaigne7654]

Excellent, spoiler-free review. Thanks!

[@DiegoCarpio-q6w]

Damn, I am so confused. Do I buy it or not? 😥

[@neolynxer]

Wait for just one week after release. You will get reviews from people who actually bought the game.

[@jamesgodfrey1322]

It sounds like we're getting. You can only review our game as long as you say nice things about it. If we think you're not going say nice thing, we're not letting you review our game. So let game get into wild and let get reviewed by normal gamers and I suggest you take a look at you tube MrMattyPlays Dragon Age: The Veilguard Is A BIG Disappointment...So I would Wait for just one week after release see real reviews

[@rinraiden]

Wait for reviews once the game is out. If you're still interested, wait for a Black Friday or Christmas sale.

[@thebaconlife1881]

How did you like the reaper specialization Jessi

[@XboxEra]

It was fun, relied on health leech so you were squishy when your moves weren't up. I had to focus on rage generation to make it feel good.

[@dereka5017]

There's no way this is a masterpiece. For one, it looks like ass. The characters are plastic and have trouble emoting. For another, I've heard a lot of the dialogue by now and much of it is cringe-inducing. So even if the gameplay, quests and story are insanely good, it won't qualify as a masterpiece. And based on much of what we're hearing, they AREN'T insanely good.

[@Silverbolt1981]

I really enjoyed your review,you did a fine job introducing people to DAV.

[@BloodSynthetic]

Some people hate everything that comes out from big dev/company not because they have play it but because theur favourite streamer or youtuber told them .Unfortunately most of the people are unable to have any critical thinking or opinion,they need others to tell them

[@megamortega00]

Seems like a lot of people like to be a part of an agenda of hate before even playing the game

[@yodamaycry4838]

I'm actually glad you enjoyed it. I remember that feeling fondly.

[@InfiniteUmbra]

Great review bro I have it paid for and ready to load tomorrow. Hoping it's as great as you say it is.

[@PossessiveOpossum]

Thank you for your positive review! Kinda depressing to scroll through the "anti woke" grifters and general negativism. I'm glad there are still people who genuinely love games and don't simply jump on the hype train if it means money. I am super exited for veilguard! 🎉

[@Gaming2Fun2Play]

me too

[@WoodstarForges]

Dragon age finally looks like it has a great installalment, the originals were average at best and inquisition was okay, this one actually finally looks great

[@DptoLegalização]

was played on the series x?

[@XboxEra]

Yes

[@allenwilhelm7799]

Ummm....

[@jayceegenocide4402]

HELL YEAH

[@brandonpriske8484]

Is veil guard on par with bg3

[@XboxEra]

It's a vastly different type of RPG. It focuses on telling a story and letting you shape key decisions along its set path. BG3 is all about choice and shaping everything.

[@brandonpriske8484]

Is it top 10 best RPGs of all time and where would u rank it in your all time greats

[@XboxEra]

@brandonpriske8484 no idea

[@brandonpriske8484]

If u had to pick between veil guard or BG3 what would u choose

[@FrankTank47]

Interesting review to say the least

[@BonusEggs4Sale]

Thank you for not caving to the mob that hates video games nowadays and only telling them what they want to hear for the clicks and social media capital.

[@klakkkent7745]

Niceeeeeee3🎉

[@jaketyler9003]

fk yeahhhh soo hyped

[@xPhantomxify]

None of the companions look interesting or visually appealing. They have hipster haircuts and the character creation is flawed, with the glutes slider being a joke.