First thoughts on Veilguard from Dragon Age Fan.

[@Theckonestroh]

I personally see the game as reality TV show! Socially everyone wants to be the center of attention. Soapbox with drama TV.

[@HazVsRPG]

Hahaha this is on point.

[@6Rangiku9]

Fair take though. Graphics: 8/10. Combat: 7/10. Dialogue: 3/10. Handholding: 10/10. Killing immersion: 10/10.

[@HazVsRPG]

The anti immersion is so high in this game.

[@DaciValt]

@@HazVsRPG Everytime it almost gets some hooks in and you are like "oh this is actually interesting" it pulls you right back out again in the next couple of min's and it's very irritating.

[@무군]

This is the first DA game I will be sitting out. World building, lore, dialogue and decision making is everything to me in a game like this. If I wanted good combat I'll just play a soulsborne.

[@HazVsRPG]

Yeah I can't fault that mindset honestly.

[@6Rangiku9]

13:00 it rips you out of the fantasy I believe it's also a lecture from the game director. It makes it feel like it was used as a platform.

[@HazVsRPG]

I'm not at that point yet, but yeah I will see when I get to it, defonitely a full review after 100%!

[@peterk2735]

For me it lacks the grittiness that made Dragon Age stand out from your typical high fantasy setting. Stuff like blood magic, lyrium addiction, the Mage vs Templar conflict, the two Chantries, the Qun, The Architect, etc. You were constantly faced with these complex moral dilemmas and your companions often had conflicting values and interests. Veilguard’s companions are a perfect example how the writing sidesteps these conflicts. Neve, a Tevinter mage, is conveniently a freedom fighter, instead of a hardline Imperial Magister. Taash isn’t a typical Qunari, Emmrich is a kind old gentleman, etc. They’ve sanded away all the nuances that make for an engaging story

[@HazVsRPG]

I think they have sanded away the art style as well smoothed the roughness out of so many things which ends up heaping more spoonfuls of 'bland' onto the pizza.

[@kp64446]

Combat was fun at first but got boring towards the end. The problem is what you just described is all there is to the combat. You aren't even halfway done and have pretty much seen all the combat has to offer. With a lack of enemy verity, all the fighting ends up feeling the same. BUT the writing, dialogue and companions are the weakest part of the game in my opinion. Compared to other Dragon Age games, Veilgraud just doesnt hold up.

[@HazVsRPG]

Yeah people have said as much, we will see how I feel once I get to the end of the game. Hopefully this weekend and then a full review next week!

[@eldonwhisler8403]

Re: Not the VA, but the VO Director that requests such delivery

[@peakresolve]

I'm writing this comment before watching the video to eliminate any potential influence. I’ll write a follow-up below after watching the entire video. So here are my spoiler-free opinions on the game so far. I’m currently 48 hours into my 100% playthrough, and oh boy, this game has a head-scratching range! The good stuff is truly excellent (incredible environments, epic cinematic moments, some gameplay decisions, etc.), while the mediocre elements are just serviceable (combat, RPG progression, voice acting). But the bad stuff - specifically, the Darkspawn design, enemy variety, and, by far the worst, the character writing that constantly pulls you out of immersion - all suck donkey’s ass! I had to look up who the game director was to see who was responsible for approving all of this, and suddenly, it all made much more sense. This game lacks grit, courage, and, frankly, balls in its writing. You don’t bring your personal life, views, or agendas into a video game, no matter what! Remember Star Wars: Acolyte? That’s what happened there, and the result was the show was rightfully canceled. I play fantasy games to escape reality and to immerse myself in wonderfully created worlds that reflect the creative vision and imagination of the entire art, sound, and writing team. However, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a game where I’ve had to make some compromises to accept it, and I hate this phrase, "for what it is." Surprisingly, the game does get slightly better as you progress deeper into the story, though it’s still far from mind-blowing. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk. Edit: After watching the whole video, I’m glad to see we share exactly the same key points. Excellent first impressions video!

[@HazVsRPG]

Yah bang on with this. I didn't dive too deeply into the enemy stuff, I will be in my full review, I've saved that up so far!

[@LazyLautrec]

Veilguard on a positive note fixed black visor bar for enclosed helmets and you actually see your characters face under your visor and it’s amazing to wear Warden helmets.

[@HazVsRPG]

Hah I haven't seen that yet!

[@LazyLautrec]

@ yea it’s just helmets in general with visors they did a Amazing job!

[@Oxlorne]

I think that is why Bioware put Taash so far into the game. If you pay attention to steam ratings you will notice it started at 80% on release day, and it is very slowly going down each and every day as people play through the game. I imagine this game will eventually fall into the MIXED rating as what is to come will likely turn a lot of players off. It is so in your face it's hard not to have an impact on you. Personally for me the dialogue killed the game for me on day 1 and likely will never play far enough to even encounter the sexual identity stuff. But I'm glad you are having a good enough time to continue so far.

[@HazVsRPG]

Interesting!! I'm looking forward to seeing how things progress from here!!

[@bald_phoenix]

My opinion, if they had put more thought into the story, instead of the Disney style they went with, we would be looking at a great game. Unfortunately the one track narrative takes any care or feelings for characters away.

[@HazVsRPG]

Yeah that overall look could have gone so much better if it looked like shadow of war!!

[@bald_phoenix]

@HazVsRPG Would have been nice. Also just some real consequences from decisions, etc, and not the hand holding like you mentioned.

[@larskrantz1463]

Great as always. Im glad that you are not biased and can give the game credit where it is deserved. It gladens me to hear that the combat is great. I would want it to be dark fantasy of course. It is (Origins, that is) obviously inspired by warhammer.

[@HazVsRPG]

Yeah it has positive areas for sure. No point just focusing on bad things. I'd like to be honest and tackle all the areas as unbiased as I can.

[@CENmassTER86]

This is a really great video.thank you

[@HazVsRPG]

You are very welcome man!!

[@buckchoi]

Loving your takes. Was greatly surprised to find you basically singing it's praising while playing. My biggest issue is Veilguard is it's just such a departure from Origins in its style and tone. This goes for characters, gameplay, most art direction and writing in general. BUT you did loosen me accept some positives. I am patient and can be quite stubborn, even so I am going to give it a try... Inquisition I mean, finally (wild, I know).

[@HazVsRPG]

I'm glad you are giving it a go dude!!

[@jonnyvelocity]

Origins was 3 games ago

[@noctoi]

There are some known (to players) bugs that are not being acknowledged by BIoWare. Might be worth looking this one up to see if it's related. The vid is named "Dragon Age 4 Veilguard: Turn OFF That Cartoon Effect - Graphics and Performance Comparison". The before and after pics when the option is removed from the game files is pretty damn striking too. I hope modders can figure out how to do this without the potential for breaking the game.

[@HazVsRPG]

Oh thanks for the heads up, I will look into this!!

[@Icipher353]

Turning off the Bloom effect definitely helps.

[@Cococholoco]

Not sure why they call this game a Dragon age, it have nothing of dragon age. In first place i like RPGs because they distract me from reallity, is a easy escape, this game just dont let me do that, it sux.

[@HazVsRPG]

Im in that space too. Immersion and whisked away into a fantasy world to explore!

[@Alwaysttango]

Man I don't like a single companion in this game. They are all so bland and goody two shoes, plus behave like teenagers at best and Rook solves their conflicts like talking down to kids. It's the end of the world but they're arguing about bringing 8 or 9 books to a camping trip, or if dragons are cool or not.

[@HazVsRPG]

Hahahah!! I have just reach end of act 1. Will have more to say on this soon I think!!

[@76marex]

i'm more excited about "Exodus" from Archetype Entertainment, all the old bioware veterans have gathered there, from baldurs gate 1-2 to kotor and mass effect 1+2, the whole core competence is now there

[@HazVsRPG]

I definitely have my eye on that game and watching closely how its progressing!!

[@mrfrenglitch2172]

I think Ive just finished Act 1. Ima be honest... Im having a hard time keeping interest with the story. Act 1 (I think) was really boring to me. I wanted a story about Solas but all Im getting so far is missions that are completely disconnected from the main plot. Combine that with the bland writing and its just kinda... boring. There are decent bits here and there but its like 15% good bits and 85% bits that are just... okay. I was expecting a lot more for a game that was so beautifully set up in Inquisition. Maybe it picks up later but so far I think its a bland game.

[@juegosdeoferta]

Hi, I’m new here! I noticed there haven’t been any live streams on KZbin recently, and the last video was uploaded two months ago. I also checked Twitch and saw that there’s some content there, which made me wonder if this KZbin channel is currently "on pause" or perhaps closed. I just discovered it and really enjoy the RPG playlists I’ve found so far. I was wondering if there will be new content in the future. Thanks!

[@HazVsRPG]

I have a VODS channel where all my live streams are going now!, its a brand new channel that I started just to house all the livestreams! I stream there 5 days a week for 12 hours a day! Feel free to tune in there!! www.youtube.com/@hazvsplaythroughs

[@csais1]

nice take .. but even combat is boring ... button mashing gets really really boring soon.

[@LazyLautrec]

Sadly for me almost no Bioware game has had good combat haha. They are very ride or die on story/environment for me.

[@HazVsRPG]

I mean, witcher 3 button mash, elden ring, button mash, bloodborne, button mash etc etc. It's a really good combat system for an rpg, reminds me of kingdoms of amalur which was good too! But also button mash 😂

[@csais1]

@@LazyLautrec hahaha agreed, but previous bioware had more strategy involved.

[@LazyLautrec]

@ mannnnnnnnnnn Kingdoms of Amalur what a blast from the past!

[@arkeshn729]

If you liked Mass Effect Andromeda, you'll more than likely enjoy Dragon Age Veilguard. Cw/Mcu writing with fun combat.

[@paulocouto6003]

Again bang on impression on a game, and on the woke stuff i agree 100%, we play games to immerse ourselfs in a whole diferent world, especially DA with its fantasy\medieval world and getting splits of woke thrown into that it just feels immersion breaking, for me at least. Keep at it, good quality streamer eviewers deserve a top position in media 🤘

[@HazVsRPG]

Thanks so much for the kind words dude!!

[@SwizNizzle]

You can have stories exploring transgender experiences in games but they have to be delivered with thoughtfulness, skill and told without being patronizing.

[@paStLife463]

I THINK, I am not sure, I have to chech it out but my rogue uses two swords simoultaneously, they don't need to switch...Am I wrong? I have to check..

[@The_Drow]

How much did EA paid you for this?! Jokes aside, I agree with 90% of what you said (granted I'm only 15 hours into the game). The transgender option doesn't bother me at all because I can just ignore it. It's not aimed at me, but I'm happy that some people will enjoy the game more by choosing this option. It doesn't "kill the immersion" because it's one option that isn't rubbed onto my face every time I boot up the game. As far as dialog goes, just like you said, it's a mixed bag: sometimes is very bad, while other times it's surprisingly good. For me though, the story (not the writing) is very compelling, and the main reason I'm going to 100% the game.

[@HazVsRPG]

Great to hear that dude!!

[@Yesh-pf9wj]

I decided to give the Veiguard a go after playing only Inquisition previously. I've been playing it for 15 hours and yes, I fully agree with you. I have to say, more I play this game, more I like it. Dialogues give me cringe sometimes, and yes, I feel like my companions hold my hand all the time, but other than that, I like it.

[@HazVsRPG]

Yeah that's pretty much same for me. I enjoying it so far!!

[@david8157]

Very balanced video

[@HazVsRPG]

Thats unfortunately how i feel the game is too. Some things are really good, and some things are just not good at all.

[@UnderratedSheet]

i've been enjoying these talking videos. hopefully they've been bolstering your channel views

[@HazVsRPG]

Thanks so much, glad you are enjoying them!!!

[@Mr.Genesis]

When this game was called "Dreadwolf" i was interested.. When it was changed from Dreadwolf to "Veilguard" and the trailer came out i became instantly disinterested and i enjoyed Origins and Inquisition.

[@HazVsRPG]

So was I - it sounded VERY Solas focused which was a good thing.

[@79Dtrain]

I couldn't agree more when you said it takes you out of the experience Haz. The majority of gamers do so, as you also said, as a means of escapism from the real world. When you bring things like gender and identity themes into games, it snatches me out of the world i was jumping into and places me back into the one i wanted to get away from. At the very least like another comment on here said, make it all optional to engage with from the get go. Especially in rpgs

[@HazVsRPG]

Yeah this is a big one. Immersion is a key to a good fantasy rpg. I'd say one of the top 3 key elements to success and a high ranking game.

[@Cindy-um8fr]

Great job with your initial impression review! I was also able to avoid any gender related topics up to the point of…you will find out soon 😂

[@HazVsRPG]

Haha thanks for no spoilers!!

[@GothaBillsAndDeath]

What are your thoughts on Dorian's gay conversion therapy or Krem having no option to "misgender" them in-game? Because those were critiques levied at Inquisition for being too progressive at the time and even years after the game's release. Both are modern day issues set in the backdrop of a fantasy setting. The former especially.

[@HazVsRPG]

I feel like there is a very fine line in how topics such as these are presented to the player. If anyone party members at any time wedges their sexuality into the conversation it instantly turns me of ever wanting to speak to this charactwr ever again, and it does make me question whether or not I want to continue playing. I don't HATE the game because of it. But it is a very stark reminder that the devs are using their medium to make a point for a minority. Is there anything wrong with that? No. But does it make me question whether or not I want to keep playing? Yes it does. If I had a choice, I would never indulge in these conversations.

[@eldonwhisler8403]

I did not note Krem as anything unique in my first campaign, as I rarely spoke to the Iron Bull, or the team. It was not until my second campaign that I noted Krem was voiced By Jennifer Hale. This is hardly what I call; "In Your Face" policies. Bioware has been very good at giving players Choice; to act or not on such topics and actions.

[@bhryaen3743]

“Should it be in the game?” No: 1. What you said… 2. It has NOTHING to do w the story. If you pursue the mirror “dialog”, it presumes some odd hating of oneself that you work through by “becoming” trans… which corresponds to NOTHING you experience leading up to it or after. It’s this weird, “Hey, try this” that’s literally tacked onto the gameplay w a transition as seamless as chopping off sex organs. Every story development should serve a single vision of the world w no irrelevant offshoots. The rest of the items in the room show a similar failure by deferring to the opening Rook story which- unlike origins in Origins- you’ve never even played. Leaving out that creatively bereft “origin” is equally as justified as leaving out the “gender” studies 101 “dialog” interaction. 3. The trans “identity” topic is very controversial, and they don’t handle it as controversial. They take a side on it w the presumption that it’s perfectly acceptable when it seriously isn’t. If they’re going to ignore that controversy, then the game itself becomes controversial for its inclusion. And it definitely is: from scars indicating intentional mutilation of sex organs to requiring others to use the trans narrative language engineering, it’s entirely invasive and is akin to having a pedophile sex scene go unchallenged… 4. This dev team sucks, particularly at writing. So even if the trans topic in particular were part of the overarching themes of the game, even if the topic were showing more elements of the issue than the fantasy of happily cutting one’s boobs off to be the “real you”, this dev team is far too incompetent to handle such a weighty issue. Even w a trans in charge as game director- perhaps BECAUSE there’s a trans game director- the game should never attempt any narrative for it. Just look at the infantile writing in the rest of the game and tell me they can write about abortion or men’s rights or ANY serious topic involving controversial elements without reducing it to an imbecile’s comprehension level. Plus they have no maturity, literally calling trans scars “sexy”. Just no.

[@HazVsRPG]

You make a lot of good points here. They are heavy topics and they need to be handed with care in order to make them readily palatable. Because the facts are, confronting players with something outside of their comfort zone is going to come at a cost.

[@edwardhim2276]

think its the voice direction rather than performance. ali hillis, the voice of lace harding was also the voice of liara in mass effect and lighting in ff xiii. in her performances in those games were much better than veilguard. i agree with the dialogue divide. gen z and alpha like more relateability and the older gens prefer escapism. i feel vg was too hard of a reboot. it felt more an alternate reality dragon age compared to the previous entries. if it was a new ip i dont think it would have generated the same expectations and ill will but it was clear bioware wanted to bank on brand recognition. ive heard rumors that a lot of sales were from gamers who left gaming and bought the game due to the name. if so thats disappointing because its so much different

[@HazVsRPG]

Interesting, yeah i do think anyone who purchases based on legacy is getting ready for a slap - because its not like any of the previous games except inqusition to some degree.

[@danjacob6635]

Hey Haz I’ve played 60 to 70 hours of the game with a little bit to go are you having a point where you think what if they do it this way or thinking it would been great if this character would show up here because I been thinking that and it makes me think of how they could done so much better and would of help if they just had previous characters from the series make cameos and fight and not just do nothing and sit in the background

[@HazVsRPG]

I definitely have some thoughts. I'll be putting it into my full review!!

[@GPEART1]

The Elf "Valley Girl" voice rubs me like course sandpaper, just a big nope from me, I admit it is a personal taste thing though. Witcher 3 has a transgender Elf clothing vendor, but it was done so well, made in a kind of edgy way, but not this ham fisted trans ideology lecture, that comes off really clumsily and kind of breaks the immersion.

[@HazVsRPG]

Elf valley Girl thats it to a T. I was looking for the right way to describe it, that is 100% it and its undeniably cringe for me!

[@codyb9907]

yeah i think a lot of people will just start another playthrough of inquisition instead. and rightfully so.

[@Unworshipediety]

The trans stuff is fine by me, because history tells us when we ignore a valid minority they often get ostracized and obliterated by society. I think it's dangerous to ignore and give in to possible bigoted points of view out of fear or because it's new and tends to be uncomfortable. But I do think if you're going to include pronouns/trans stuff you've gotta be sure not to forget sexiness and other benchmarks that players have grown accustomed to. Often, when _certain_ controversial elements are included in games like this, the company has a weird _need_ to exclude *other* elements. For example: _Why can't I make a hot trans big-breasted, 10 out of 10, Quinari?_ Does the inclusion of trans characters mean that the attractive ratings have to be brought down for everybody else? If you're going to include certain aspects of society then you've also got be sure to _include familiar elements_ for players that may not be on board with certain aspects of the game. I don't think trans inclusion would be such a big deal if certain players still felt that they could make their super-duper hotty character. But currently in gaming, it looks like that if you include *other* ideas into the circle then certain previous and accepted aspects get thrown out, which is not a good look. I think companies need to include it all within reason, but bringing sexy back could be the fix. I honestly don't think folks would complain as much if they felt something wasn't being _taken away_ with the inclusion of the thing they're not to familiar with. But yeah, that's about it. Just include as many ideas as you can, so that you exclude as few as your product allows. I'll get Dragonage at some point, it looks fun!

[@HazVsRPG]

Well I agree, there must be some part of that - but ultimately regardless of who you are, does this character, (no matter who they are) make you want to keep playing the game? take on an adventure with you? Are your forced to listen to / deal with someone you dont want to? These become the questions that matter a lot. In RPG's i tend to hate characters that arent pleasant, i play myself in real life. People who are assholes, i delete from my life instantly. I have zero time for bad people, so if the moment i meet someone and they look me from head to toe and scoff, well piss off you judgmental prick. And thats you and I done forever. So anyone, in any RPG who rubs me the wrong way at first impression, I remove from the party, or kill if i can LOL!! Zaeed from Mass Effect 3, Laezel from Baldurs Gate 3, Panam from cyberpunk 2077. These bad attitudes are just not for me AT ALL. Its not really about sexuality for me, I couldnt care less, its about 'Is this person cool? fun to be around? are they positive? Are they funny? Are they generally stoked to be part of this epic team we are building to fight the bad guys? Or are they caught up in their own shit while the world falls apart!?

[@Unworshipediety]

@@HazVsRPG LOL, not at all how I play. I seem drawn to adversarial personalities myself, but only if I know I can change that character for the better down the line. But I do think going forward games need to make the more controversial characters who have adversarial elements easier to digest. For the Taash stuff, I just would have had the conservational option for the player to notice her spiteful _facial expression,_ then have the option to inquire and she explains and then you'd have to the option to tell her it's cool or whatever and then that would be that and it would never come up again unless the player goes out of there way to dig into it. Sorta like with Lae'Zel or Panam as you really have to go out of your way to explore those connections. I think it would give players the freedom to decide more often if they want to dig into a character's background or just keep it on the surface level. Kind of like the burying the lead and not having so many things on the surface. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me that Taash would just blurt out her whole reasoning (Maybe that happened, not too sure, still haven't played the game yet, so I might be talking out my arse) Quinari just don't come across as folks who *need* others to accept them. So in that respect I thought it was as odd character beat to have. But to your point, I hated Zaeed too that guy was so annoying but being the completionist, I had to do all quest stuff but I was so glad when I didn't have to deal with him anymore. Anyways your videos are always a highlight whenever I need to chin check myself, these thoughts of yours are well-measured and it's eye-opening to hear what it's like from your professional experience. It's really been helpful hearing thoughts from a person who's actually apart of the machine.

[@eyalbenm7219]

good reviews 👍 I also agree that without the infantil dialouge and the ugly women characters its a solid 8 maybe even 9... Also you have a yellow tint on the whole picture you need to fix your camera

[@jax4616]

Been playing for hours and I am really enjoying it, I’d rather play this than boring Baldurs gate, at least this has real combat

[@HazVsRPG]

Haha glad you are enjoying it!!

[@Urukage]

It should come as no surprise that you nailed exactly how I feel about the gender politics portion that exists in the game. It shouldn't be there. We get enough of that IRL. How does any of the transgender or non-binary stuff move the story forward? It's purley a personal agenda forced upon the players. And fantasy races for me (as a previously stated old man) are more in line with Tolkien or Warhammer. Using your example, in the Tolkien universe, one would be able to tell what type of elf or dwarf one was simply by their appearance (such as Noldor being very tall, light skinned and very dark to black hair, or a D&D elf with dark or black skin is clearly a drow). This bullshit removes me from the fantasy of the game and I absolutely cannot and will not back this type of development with my money.

[@HazVsRPG]

Fair enough too dude. I 100% understand that point of view, and I don't think there's bad intentions behind thinking this way at all. Put the flag in the ground and stand by it.

[@rsick266]

The writing quality is so disheartening. My question for you after you complete the game will be: as someone who played the series a lot, how do you think they handled the established lore/source material? As in retcons, not respected, how much is even referenced etc. I'm interested to know. As for the controversial topic: diversity has been in games before and i do not mind it as long is not the face of the game and it does not come at the cost of immersion, story, lore. It can be done in a tasteful manner where those characters just simply exist and not make it part as their main personality trait, neither use modern day language in a setting it does not fit in. I loved Dorian and Zevran, Shale being a dwarf in a golem has actually a solid lore/story reason behind them and i saw people seeing a subtle meaning behind it (not sure how solid that theory is but it can be if you want to i guess), the Asari from ME and so many other examples.

[@HazVsRPG]

Oh I agree with that 100% its implied meanings, there is so much you can say, without saying anything at all. A good writer for a visual medium should understand that completely.

[@omidog06]

might be a bit of an unpopular take but personally wouldn't playing a transgender character in a game kinda defeat the purpose? in life people have surgeries, take hormones, and go out of their way to become the gender they believe they should be, and pretty much every transgender person I know would 100% prefer if there were easier ways to do it like just swapping bodies or being the other gender magically, and less stigma, etc. so wouldn't it make sense that in a fantasy setting where you can make a character to represent the you that you would like to be, that you would make them what you actually want to be? I don't make chubby dudes with bad ankles in games, I'm genius wizards, beefed up Barbarians, sometimes even a beefed up wizard who uses big weapons, and hell even beautiful women. Why in a world where you can start where you want to start would you choose to start as something you don't want to be? maybe I'm narrow minded but dude in a fantasy world I am 100% not the same person sitting in front of a pc monitor. but that aside the dialogue definitely seemed phoned in from what I've seen, and that's a damn pity coming from the series that could make me really ponder wether or not Logain deserved to die

[@HazVsRPG]

I do 100% get where youre coming from, the choice being the paramount thing. Do you have a choice? If the answer is yes, then technically we should be okay with others having that choice also. Its when your decision, whatever that may be, is held against you, or you are made to feel that someone elses choice is more important than your own as THE MAIN CHARACTER of the story is when im like 'why do i want to play this game?'

[@Icipher353]

The game is nice to look at and reasonably fun to play, but the writing is so painfully idiotic that it drags the whole thing down. I wouldn't pay $70 for it, but for the price of a month of EA Play Pro, it's worth a play through if you are a DA fan. Probably missable if you're not a fan of the series.

[@food223]

For me the transgender thing is not an issue at all if the writing is good, in Baldur's gate 3 you can be transgender but the difference is it's actually well written, just my opinion though In terms of the game I know thanks to a few reviews you can't even be rude most of the time which is honestly a kick in the guts to anyone who loved those options in origins so that alone makes it an avoid to me, that said I am glad some people are enjoying it, just not for me

[@HazVsRPG]

That's fair too. Agree about it being a fine line. How it's handled is very critical.

[@docmacabre]

Personally, I think, the trans stuff should be part of the character creation. I mean, you can choose non-binary, so why not trans as well? Then, when you meet Taash later, you'll have special dialogue options. And, please, no modern day terminology! They already had a trans character in Inquisition, Krem. I think they handled his story very well, and they used an in-world term for it (aqun-athlok). It's the modern writing and the lack of creativity that bothers most people, if you ask me. It's also handled very clumsily. It doesn't feel natural, like it's not even part of the story.

[@HazVsRPG]

Yeah writing it into the lore, using terms fitting the world would have been a great starting point to handling all this.

[@eestiny9734]

They are so many passive abilities, that it makes ennemies less challenging, they needed more active abilities and challenging ennemies with different and complex fighting patterns. The combat system is a hit or miss depending on one's approach. Nonetheless it is one of the good part of this game. Without it...

[@HazVsRPG]

Agreed, if the combat was bad, the only thing about it would be the graphics and hair tech!

[@FlyingBystander]

"Preachy Monotone Simulator" The Game. Yeah I'll be giving it a miss. Just replayed Origins and have now reached Skyhold in Inquisition. This'll do me.

[@HazVsRPG]

Can't blame you for that at all. I'm feeling it now that I'm 90 hours through my 100% playthrough!

[@BA3YDADDY]

It’s a poor man’s God of War game, that is the best description of the game PERIOD! The game is not worth full price, it’s a 40 bucks game and even with that price i would still recommend people to wait for a sale, is the game awful? no but it’s not good either, it’s very “meh” with seriously bad writing and it absolutely shows that the BioWare we fell in love with is long gone. EA will shut down parts of BioWare in 2025 💯 the game is doing very poorly in sales, it sold under 1 mil copies and will maybe hit the 1.5 mark over the next 3 months but that is still insanely bad. It’s sad but it’s also the reality.

[@HazVsRPG]

I thought the numbers where all speculation at the moment regarding sales. Noone really knows right now do they??

[@BA3YDADDY]

@@HazVsRPG We are 3 months in and everything i wrote is happening, the game sold under 1.5mil copies over a 3 months period and half the sales are 50% to 70% off sales, the director just got canned and EA will close down BioWare Edmonton in February, from now on you can call me the magic 8 ball 🤪 PS, I hope you are soon coming back, miss you videos you are a great content creator 🙌🏻

[@dustytibbins7064]

I really have little to no issue with the non-binary and transgender stuff as long as it's optional and not at all forceful. I do have a problem if the ideology gets pushed though. Veilguard is not all that forceful. All Trans and Non-binary dialogue only concerns the character in question without putting any real pressure on the player; something similar has been done with Cyberpunk 2077 and Hogwarts Legacy.

[@HazVsRPG]

I haven't got that far yet, but I'm sure I'll report back once I get there!

[@PaulusAlone]

The combat is basically God of War and the loot is basic. The writing is Californian level autistic and the character graphics are basically Pixar. That’s a lot of “basic” already. Yeah ~ This isn’t the Dragon Age cocaine that kept me addicted and enthralled through 3 very different games. The Veilguard is Waterloo to my Napoleon and I can’t find a win here. Plus The Veilguard is already on the shelves of my local second hand games shop a mere week after launch…and that’s always a bad sign when multiple copies are available. Not to mention what the game does to old favorite characters and the very land of Fereldan itself where we spent our first 3 games saving and sacrificing our characters for? That destruction of Dragon Age canon and lore might be the biggest problem of all for the fans of older Dragon Age? It’s done for me. Dragon Age: Inquisition is still where my adventure ends and I’m looking for something else to give me a Dragon Age style dark fantasy RPG style fix if anyone has any suggestions?

[@HazVsRPG]

I would love to cheer you on and say 'No you should just persist and give it a shot!, youre wrong about the game!' But I just dont feel like id be honest at all for doing so, the truth is, I get it 100%. I can see why fans are dissapointed. It is hard not to see it. Reccomendations - Do you like JRPG's ? Have you tried Metaphor? Persona Series? Yakuza Like a Dragon? Or Dragon Quest? For Western RPG's Witcher 3, Skyrim, You could do a throwback and Play Shadow Of War / Mordor again like I am at the moment also! There is lesser know Skyrim like game called Tinted Grail : The Fall of Avalon also!

[@PaulusAlone]

Thanks for the reply and the recommendations! Metaphor looks great but I think I’ll take your advice and try out that Shadow of Mordor game because I’ve somehow missed that one? Likewise I need to finally finish Witcher 3!👍

[@HazVsRPG]

Excellent choice!

[@G-MacMcToot]

Forced identity politics in a fantasy RPG is 100% why I will never touch this game.

[@HazVsRPG]

I understand that completely and feeling it myself given that I committed to a 100% playthrough. So im trying to experience all the game devs have put into the game in order to review it objectively.

[@G-MacMcToot]

@ that’s fair although it is still part of your experience. I’m surprised how many KZbinrs completely gloss over the issue though. I guess smaller KZbinrs can’t afford to make an issue out of it and risk losing subs.

[@bad3032]

You look exactly like peter dinklage!

[@musicIistener]

I also could not handle Bellara and I was soooo looking forward to her. But Lucanis is amaaaazing 🎉

[@paStLife463]

Actually Bellara has one of the most tragic backstories and it amazed me...Her high spirited and ,maybe, annoying for some, character makes more sense when you find out what she tries to get over...I am still playing ofc, but her personal quest , is the only part of the game that moved me atm...That, and the consequencies of some of my choices...

[@HazVsRPG]

He is my favorite!

[@HazVsRPG]

Actually bellaras first companion quest had me saying that I wish she spoke like this more often, because for once I saw a person, but once that was over, she went straight back to over Inflection, super hype, extra happy and it just sounds so fake.

[@musicIistener]

@@paStLife463 I’m not so far in myself probably still in act one of the game but I did do her first mission and … when she started talking about her brother I was so bored I skipped through all of it 💀

[@paStLife463]

@@musicIistener That's the moving part 😅🤣😢

[@CurtOntheRadio]

It all seems much better than I had expected. I still dislike the combat but that's just my preference. And Neve's 'acting' is awful. The furore seems entirely unwarranted but lah dee dah. More than anything it seems a wasted opportunity, from my POV: the scenes look good (though uninspired) and could look amazing with more density and an oppressive dark atmosphere; combat could be more involved, slower and technical with more variety in enemy; more adult theme and execution etc. It could be excellent - they missed a chance to make a great game.

[@HazVsRPG]

Do you think gore would have added to the visceral nature of the game? Limb removal, blood sprays etc?

[@eldonwhisler8403]

@@HazVsRPG - No, but I have always liked the option of blood splatter being optional as before. While I do not care for it, many others did. Also, as mentioned in another post, it may not be the VA's deserving the criticism, but the VO Director asking for their deliveries in such a manner.

[@CurtOntheRadio]

@@HazVsRPG Oh, for sure. But I am imagining a very different game to the actual one. It seems they have the parts to have made a brilliant title but took a very different route. It's not something I like at all, but I can see why folks could enjoy it - it seems much better executed in-fact than the complete trainwreck I had expected it to be. Totally not my thing though. I'd want dark, slow and involved, so a sparkly action game isn't it. :D But it's pretty well done, for what it is, I think.

[@Threesixtyci]

Nah... I'll pass on leasing a subscription. I'll just wait till it's under 10 bucks. Which will likely be during steam's next summer sale. I'm sure sick at the handholding they've been inserting inside these games. HORIZON 2 was the worst... and I've heard GOW R is just as bad.

[@HazVsRPG]

Yeah, Sale or Subscription, no way full price. I dont think so anyway.

[@venetoaward]

any lgbt -> hard pass don't care, don't want

[@HazVsRPG]

well, If its done like this in particular it may well be a hard pass from me too. But remember, their have been LGBT Characters in Dragon Age and Mass Effect, and both those series have been very good, but handled very subtley. This is more like slapping you across the face with it repeatedly.

[@venetoaward]

@@HazVsRPG I think all of this could be easily avoidable with selecting orientation at character creation, just for the sake of everyone enjoying the romances they're interested in. I remember someone made a bg3 mod to remove lgbt references and it was banned. i think bg3 is still fine tho, but still, why do they need to ban it I wonder?

[@sergiuanfield9918]

Combat gets repetitive after lvl 15, it is enjoyable for a while then it gets boring. Graphics are amazing, style not too much. Companions are boring and story is lame. Coming from a diehard dragon age fan

[@kreyes1126]

Everything I've seen from the game itself is propaganda written by committee. I don't spend my free time and cash to get lectures i don't agree with.

[@HazVsRPG]

I mean the truth is, so far I've spent 40 hours in the game, and had 0 lectures or propaganda. I have been confronted with a question in the game regarding whether or not I'm Trans, I didn't even entertain that and there's been nothing else to that so far.

[@ShaunPace-zc6bp]

woke woke woke stay away

[@jonnyvelocity]

It's not

[@musicIistener]

I will say on the trans issue, there were trans people thousands of years ago, there will be trans people thousands of years in the future. Trans people are people and a part of the human experience. The hard part is finding a way to write it into a game that doesn’t sound extremely modern. It sucks because trans people existing should not be political. At the very least it can be skipped and ignored 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@paulaassis3065]

Well, Krem is trans and no one complained, and it was handled pretty well in my opinion, though I'm not of that community.

[@CloudyMemory]

Claire from Cyberpunk 2077 is a good example of a well-written trans character, i.e. you only find out about it if you're friends with her and it doesn't change how you feel about her. It's not forced or contrived, she's simply a person who happens to be trans.

[@Vladislav888]

@@paulaassis3065 >Krem is trans and no one complained I did. It doesn't make any sense. I don't mind the character, but I do mind the way it was handled. Women cannot be warriors and follow the Qun. Period. So that makes Krem a Tal-Vashoth, which is a death sentence. Had I been writing the Inquisition, I would've made Krem being a woman to be a secret to the outsiders. It neatly ties into the Iron Bull's personal conflict: the Qun vs his band. Then your character can leverage this secret to force the Iron Bull to be a double agent for the Inqusition. Or you can talk him into doing a super-evil option and murdering Krem to protect his band, kind of like how Revan can force Hanhar to kill Mission in KotOR.

[@paulaassis3065]

​@@Vladislav888 Yeah, I guess you would do that.

[@AlvaroCarrilloWS]

@@musicIistener it isn't hard. We have had gay and trans people in games for ages. Witcher 3 had a trans elf that was needed for the main Story. It is definitely how they want to address the matter to us how it defines if it belongs to the world or not. I'm 100% sure you could write a complete non-binary-homosexual-transexual village in any type of story, and if it makes sense in the world, no one would bat an eye. The way they are delivering these characters and their attributes is awful and it is making a disservice to everyone. To the cultures, and the players.

[@JayP-vh9wc]

Aussie. Makes sense now.

[@HazVsRPG]

Aussie??

[@jonnyvelocity]

Wrong

[@paStLife463]

The combat system is AMAZING and every hater ignores it ..because they ,just, hate ofc. And it's not even animation locked which is awesome. You can interupt your regular attacks anytime and dodge for example. I am so disappointed from the 'gaming' community for the bashing this games gets. For once, we get a heavy story based single player game with deep lore, companion and world interactivity, world exploration, party combat (in a sense) , great combat overall, decent visuals, EXCELLENT optimization and state of release, no DLC's at launch ,or after it seems, concluding a story after 10 years and ...it gets bashed, ridiculed, people want the company to close, the developers to get fired. I ve seen expressions like 'insult to gaming' and trash! Who are these commentors? Are they stable? DO they play games at all??

[@eldonwhisler8403]

As an older disabled gamer, I am concerned mainly because I require the Pause & Play aspect for higher challenges, and used the Custom Difficulty with easier settings to get thru the tutorial, but only needed to spam Light Attacks and Dodge; did not need the combos, varied attacks. So now I wait to see what I need to Tweak for me to play, as I do not want an Easy time; I wish for an enjoyable time. FWIW - I have played DAO, DAI, ME1-3, ME:A and others on highest Difficulty settings; cannot do this here in Veilguard. (BTW - DA2 on Nightmare is too annoying for me; flameproof Mabari, Assassins stealing potions, etc) .

[@jamesjiao]

"Who are these commentors?" --> drama queens :D

[@jonnyvelocity]

The movement in this game is also great, climbing ladders and mantling on ledges is so smooth.