It's Actually Good! Dragon Age Veilguard Honest Review! (Spoiler-Free)

[@bunkynpaws7369]

A major problem in the games industry is chasing the successes of other games, rather than evolving and improving your own game's vision. Bioware under EA has lost all connection to its historical strengths, and it shows more so with every passing game. This is a reasonably well-made game, without the bugs that often plague modern releases. And it has both strengths and weaknesses artistically. The reason I would not give it above 5/10 is that the combat, exploration, itemization, crafting, and RPG-story elements that are the core of the franchise are now designed to satisfy the mindset of today's 5-15 yr-olds, and there is really nothing you can do to mitigate this; for me these core game systems are just tedious, and leave me with no interest in playing a second time, compared with Origins and Inquisition, both of which I have played multiple times, and will do so again. I don't know if their obvious foreshadowing of the "evil" that caused the first Qunari migration will actually result in a new series of games, but I doubt I will be interested unless they return to something like the Bioware of old.

[@Mohg_Lord]

I can get the anger people got , I think if you want to change an established franchise from the roots do it but with a new IP or clear spin off I can get that people want to play a relaxing game without too much violence and certain ideas my only problem is that do it for a new IP or clearly say that this game is a spin off not a main installment

[@CZProductions]

It's definitely very similar to what they did with Mass Effect Andromeda but at LEAST that was a full on reboot. If this wasn't a soft reboot and continuing the Inquisition story then I think it would be received better also 😅

[@tizodd6]

It's decent as long as you can overlook the preaching and the fact that there's not much actual "rpg" to it. You can't roleplay anything but a good character, and you can't dismiss companions you don't like. The combat was fun though.

[@CZProductions]

@@tizodd6 Yup basically exactly what I say in this video!

[@fos8789]

Story is meh. Dialog is ok (nothing compared to DA:Origin and Inquisition) the combat is amazing, best than every other DA game. For me its a solid 7/10 game in a universe where DA:Inquisition is an 8/10 and DA:Origin is an 9/10. Solid fun game.

[@BlazingMarauderDCUO]

The main story I found terribly boring until the main big bad has actual voice lines but then it also diminishes the players time during the 11th hour (yes that cutscene) and the side quest with the returning character that is also in the main story in a strange lesser degree; that was the best part of the whole game... a damn side quest

[@dag0n89]

Nobody said it's a bad game, just that it is an average game with horrific voice acting and writing, even if we completely ignore that, the problem still is that it doesn't feel like a Dragon Age game, let alone a Dragon Age story, the game was sanitized and disneyfied for the sake of attracting wider audiences which will turn out to be the death of this franchise, simply take a look at the sales and the fact there are no DLCs planned. Saying this as a long-time fan - all the DA fans I know feel the same

[@CZProductions]

I had over ten thousand people saying that it was a terrible game in my streams of it my dude, what are you on about? 😅

[@ZKForbiddenParadise]

Almost all of internet said it is a bad game lol. What is and isn’t dragon age is up for discussion. I don’t think is too far for inquisition for instance as people say. It isn’t origins, and it shouldn’t

[@dag0n89]

@@CZProductions If you are looking for an action adventure it can be an okay game at best if you are looking for the continuation of the story and franchise you've loved for decades - it is bad, that clear it up my dude? context is important

[@CZProductions]

@@dag0n89 I understand what you're saying in the second part, but the first part that no one said the game is bad is just plain wrong as I talk about in this review

[@caldepen372]

It doesn't look anything like a Dragon Age game... might as well call it Mario Cart...

[@CZProductions]

@@caldepen372 I remember us all saying that about Fallout when it went first person as well 😅 It's definitely different, but that doesn't mean it's a bad game!

[@caldepen372]

@@CZProductions That's a fair point!

[@skysix5733]

I will play this, only on a significant sale….and you nailed why, “Guardians of the Galaxy in Dragon Age” I can enjoy that, just not for full price. I will have to ignore the awful writing (and I’m not talking about the modern politics pieces) Glad you enjoyed it. GREAT video.

[@CZProductions]

@@skysix5733 I just played it on EA Play for like $18 and that's what I've been recommending most people to do haha 😅

[@theredgem]

Pretty fair review. Personally, I'm not going to reward Bioware for a blatant bait-and-switch, no matter how fun the gameplay is. There are plenty of ways to scratch that action itch without feeling shitty about it - like Space Marine II, for example. Which, coincidentally - is precisely the same game as its predecessor. Imagine that.

[@CZProductions]

Fair enough! I don't have morals like that I just play every single new game 😅 I respect that line of thinking though!

[@Dark_Voice]

How I would really rate this game. The game is fun to play, looks good apart from character design, runs well, has solid controls and if BioWare released it as a standalone title and marketed it as action game with RPG mechanics and their marketing wasnt insulting and aggressive against the player base filled with lies and false promises - I would actually rate this game game of the year. BUT Since it is Dragon age, trash character design and trash writing, destruction of Qunari, destruction of lore continuity and lack of any RPG aspects in an RPG franchise etc. + the preaching - it is a refund. This game is like if you did comedy "Friday 13th" say during marketing that its a horror movie and attacked anyone criticizing you for it. Even if the comedy would be good, your name, your lies and aggressivity would immediately shoot it down for me. I would say that this is like Assassins creed Odyssey - good game but not Assassins creed BUT this game has more preaching and way more betrayal of the previous games.

[@bokabarkava191]

TLDR, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a good game, but sadly a bad Dragon Age game

[@CZProductions]

Yup! Feels a lot like Fallout 4 to me!

[@CMak3r]

I’m honestly enjoying this game. Seems like developers done a thoughtful job and improved every aspect. Boring parts of Inquisition has been reworked, engine has been upgraded. Subsurface scattering of skin and hair dynamics are outstanding. Sound design is awesome. But most importantly, it’s fun to play. Yeah, it leans more towards the action RPG with these combos and pacing, but personally for me, this is a good thing. Some environments was so beautiful that I spent hours in photo mode. I loved Origins when it came out, but I would just replay it again when I have the mood to do so. But honestly, those who like grittier and darker tones, could just enjoy BG3, it has that vibe

[@steviebronco1]

It's decent to play but the story is garbage, the voice acting is so poor that eventually I had to skip it all and the forced real world politics in a fantasy game is just poor taste from the studio. Don't get me started on the characters themselves. Disney Pixar met up with Fortnite and dark spawned this mess. The enemies are not nearly gruesome enough. It's such a crying shame. At this stage, there is no point in protecting from spoilers because the only people left playing it are those that will support the studio regardless of what they churn out. This is 3 in a row from Bioware that has been a disgrace. Mass Effect 4 will end the studio if they continue down this path. You like all the things in the game that is not what Dragon Age was about. I'm happy for anyone that likes this but it's a purchase I completely regret now.

[@CZProductions]

Sorry you didn't like it! I actually really enjoyed quite a few of the storylines the game's companions had! The main story was definitely some standard marvel movie stuff for the most part, but the parts with Solas were really great and some of the missions like Weisshaupt were quite good to me! I don't think Mass Effect 5 will be much different though!

[@galaxastro]

Good Job man I watched some of the streams

[@mancitypj]

Great review.

[@Rulfio]

fair take.

[@kronk2294]

This is a really chill review, nice job! Haven’t played it yet, but as one of those diehard dragon age fans I feel like you a nice perspective

[@CZProductions]

Ya I hadn't played a single dragon age game until I played all 3 for my first time up to the release of this one! Pretty good series!

[@dufflebagg]

It's refreshing to finally hear someone talking about the combat this much and liking it as much as I am. I know that's one of the parts that is typically mentioned as a positive, but I don't think it gets nearly enough praise, I find it's got me totally hooked and I'm really not getting tired of it (and I'm not even playing the same class as you, I'm running a rogue archer). There is genuinely a wide array of unique character builds on offer in this game, so even if it's not a "true RPG" in the role-playing/choice-making sense, it definitely has way more in the way of RPG-style gameplay mechanics than something like God of War. I would say a more accurate comparison for DA:V's class system would be to call it a "Diablo-lite" and it is a surprisingly fun system to play around with, even with limited skills available during moment-to-moment gameplay. The fact that you can respec for free, at any time, makes it even easier to try new things if you find you aren't vibing with your current build, so I would absolutely tell anybody who is looking for a good action-RPG combat system to NOT sleep on this game based on the other criticisms you might have heard. Ultimately what I personally have always loved about Dragon Age games has been those unique and satisfying gameplay/combat/class systems and DA:V absolutely scratches that itch, even if it is yet another different take on it. I can basically live with any amount of cringe dialog and middling story -- although I agree those criticisms are overblown, even while acknowledging they are certainly present -- when the combat is able to hold my attention and carry me through the game the way it is. And I completely agree this isn't a groundbreaking, 10/10 game, but in no world is this game a disaster either, a lot of clearly-competent developers and designers put a lot of good work into making this a significantly polished package and they deserve praise for it. I can understand it being a disappointment if you're coming into it with specific expectations, like you say, but it's a shame if that disappointment is making so many people overlook the elements of it, like the combat, that are honestly quite compelling. Great review!

[@CZProductions]

Glad to see another gameplay enjoyer! I do REALLY want to try a rogue archer build it looks super fun!

[@jeisonalmanzar1659]

Yyyeeerrr

[@_FinalStrike]

The goat 🐐