PC Gaming Dragon Age: Now With More Dread Wolf!!! (Or Veilguard?)

[Husky_Khan]

I did thoroughly enjoy playing Dragon Age: Origins but after the semi-enjoyable Long Vacation in Kirkwall that was Dragon Age II I never even bothered to weave the tapestry and play Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Yet apparently, after many years, Bioware has released the name of the fourth installment in the Dragon Age franchise, Dragon Age: Andromeda Dickwolf Dreadwolf. Bioware did release a teaser trailer or whatever for a Dragon Age sequel waaaaay back in 2018 but I have no idea if it's any relevant now though it did have the hashtag #DreadWolfRises so probably.

The Dickwolf Dread Wolf is apparently an Elven character named Solas who was a romanceable companion in Dragon Age: Inquisition so... yeah. Not excited for the game yet to be honest, partly because I never bothered with the third installment but Dragon Age had its moments so I guess we'll see how it turns out.

Dragon Age: Dreadwolf Named as Next Dragon Age Game | TechRaptor

The official name for Dragon Age 4 has finally been revealed by BioWare -- the next Dragon Age game is called Dragon Age: Dreadwolf.

techraptor.net

 

[Stargazer]

The next Dragon Age game has been in development hell since Inquisition came out. Development was derailed by team members being reassigned to help with the fiascos that were Mass Effect Andromeda and Anthem, to the point that the whole development process had to be rebooted. It was also being made a exploitative live service money machine. Reportedly though, the failure of Anthem and the success of Jedi Fallen Order as a non-monetized game gave the developers the chance to pivot away from live services. There's a number of articles by Jason Schreier at Kotaku documenting this. Either way though, just about all the senior staff who worked on the first three Dragon Age games are gone now.

It's all a shame, because I thought Inquisition was pretty good. The final DLC of Inquisition actually set up Solas - or rather

Spoiler: Inquisition spoiler

the Dreadwolf Fen'harel, the trickster god of Elven mythology

- to be an interesting, sympathetic, and formidable villain in the next game. But it's taken so long to make they basically squandered all that momentum they had going. It's hard to feel excited for the game even though I've been a Dragon Age fan from the start. Plus, Bioware has always been the wokest of the woke, so I shudder to think how insufferable a full Bioware RPG could get in the year of our Lord 2023.

 

[Husky_Khan]

So now we're seeing the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard instead?

I can't care enough to look into things to know what's Dread Wolfing and what's Veilguarding atm, but a really bad trailer and a semi-decent twenty minute gameplay footage clip have been released.

Crappy Trailer



The trailer looks like absolute shit, as do most of the characters. Dragon Age did have a rompy humor and tone in some spots, especially as the game trilogy went on and the sequels got worse and worse with some modern sensibilities of fantasy thrown about, but the above trailer lost all of its grit and realism. It's giving off the look of some magitech modernist fantasy realm. Like the worst elements of modern Dungeons and Dragons corporate safe dreck.

Somehow a better gameplay video... haven't watched it all yet though.



Also, romance companion wise, I've been informed everyone is pansexual so that should make things easy. I'd hate having to replay the game or something.

 

[Stargazer]

So now we're seeing the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard instead?

I can't care enough to look into things to know what's Dread Wolfing and what's Veilguarding atm, but a really bad trailer and a semi-decent twenty minute gameplay footage clip have been released.

Crappy Trailer



The trailer looks like absolute shit, as do most of the characters. Dragon Age did have a rompy humor and tone in some spots, especially as the game trilogy went on and the sequels got worse and worse with some modern sensibilities of fantasy thrown about, but the above trailer lost all of its grit and realism. It's giving off the look of some magitech modernist fantasy realm. Like the worst elements of modern Dungeons and Dragons corporate safe dreck.

Somehow a better gameplay video... haven't watched it all yet though.



Also, romance companion wise, I've been informed everyone is pansexual so that should make things easy. I'd hate having to replay the game or something.

It's coming up on 10 years since the last Dragon Age game. 10 years.

Congrats to BioWare/EA on driving this franchise into the ground, through sheer neglect. I have 0 faith that this game will be worth playing. I can't even be bothered to watch the videos. It came up on my YouTube feed and I was just like...nah.

 

[Stargazer]

Reviews are starting to drop. Skill Up, a personal favorite Youtube game reviewer, was not kind.

 

[Number3124]

Reviews are starting to drop. Skill Up, a personal favorite Youtube game reviewer, was not kind.

It's sad that he had to start the review of the game with a cop-out.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Conversely I agree with the majority of the Game Journalist reviews which are giving it high marks. In the 80's range on Metacritic.

I truly feel this is a return to form for the beloved fantasy RPG franchise and Bioware.

No I haven't played it yet nor was I planning to.

 

[Stargazer]

Conversely I agree with the majority of the Game Journalist reviews which are giving it high marks. In the 80's range on Metacritic.

I truly feel this is a return to form for the beloved fantasy RPG franchise and Bioware.

No I haven't played it yet nor was I planning to.

Then your opinion on the game is pretty much worthless.

Another Youtuber and longtime Bioware fan, MrMattyPlays, gave Veilguard a negative review. He echoed some of Skill Up's thoughts - the jarring Pixar-ish tone and art style that's incongruous with previous Dragon Age games, the unnatural dialogue and character writing, the repetitive combat. Interestingly, both Matty and Skill said the final few hours of the game are really exciting and engaging, but they just wish the rest of the game was up to the standard. They can't say the destination is worth the journey.

 

[Jaenera Targaryen]

Finished Veilguard...and holy shit. What in the name of Terra on f*ck*ng rollerskates is this?

Biggest waste of money in the galaxy

 

[Husky_Khan]

Finished Veilguard...and holy shit. What in the name Terra on f*ck*ng rollerskates is this?

Biggest waste of money in the galaxy

You played through the whole game already?

 

[Jaenera Targaryen]

You played through the whole game already?

Binged it overnight, spent a few hours to sleep, then binged it some more. Plus plenty of Starbucks and a few Wendy's deliveries. Might have missed a few or more side-quests, though. That, other character origins need to played with, but yeah, I finished the main story plus some side-quests, though.

Might as well not have played DAO, DAII, and DAI at all, considering how little any of my choices from those games actually matter here. Overall, IMVHO, using art as an analogy,

DAO can be compared to this.

It isn't a perfect game, but its flaws and imperfectations made DAO a masterpiece.

In contrast, DAII was this.

Takes time and patience to appreciate the game, but once you do, it's not nearly as bad as its critics make it out to be.

Then we have DAI.

It's not a masterpiece, never will be, and you'll be disappointed if you're looking for a masterpiece. But if you're out for some casual fun, DAI is actually a pretty great game.

Then we have the Veilguard.

It's garbage, plain and simple. Makes a mockery out of every game in the series, completely throws out the established lore, shoves gender-politics and activism simultaneously down the throat and up the ass every chance it gets.

...this game doesn't exist for me. As far as I'm concerned, the Dragon Age saga ended on a cliffhanger with DAI's Trespasser DLC, with Fen'Harel having stolen Mythal's power in preparation while the Inquisition reaches out to the Tevinter Imperium to counter the Dread Wolf's plots.

EDIT: Not to mention certain immersion-breaking bugs, like how lip-sync is off quite a few times, though admittedly that could just be my computer. Also, how certain VAs don't actually seem to be into their jobs (can't blame them), and remind me of VAs for Republic characters in SWTOR...which, in hindsight, actually makes sense, considering how bland and watered-down the plot is. Contrast to VAs from previous games, all of whom seemed to be enjoying themselves, most especially in DAI which, like I've mentioned, is the most fun of the games (DAO can actually be a bit of a slog, especially the Orzammar quests).

 

[S'task]

Then your opinion on the game is pretty much worthless.

You forget, 90% of the time Husky Khan is being 100% sarcastic.

This is definitely one of those times.

 

[Husky_Khan]

So there's like fifty hours of this... level of character interaction?

Also are female Qunari a thing now or is it still 'Female Qunari are low second class members if the Qun but if you identify as non-binary then your the equivalent of the top tier males.'

I never played DAI so I never got to experience the "Evolution" of the Qun in the third game.

 

[Jaenera Targaryen]

Also are female Qunari a thing now or is it still 'Female Qunari are low second class members if the Qun but if you identify as non-binary then your the equivalent of the top tier males.'

I never played DAI so I never got to experience the "Evolution" of the Qun in the third game.

Evolution? Not much really, even the much-hyped trans-friendly outlook of the Qun is more "Oh, you identify as female, even though you're biologically-male? Okay, then, there you go."

Basically, they don't care as long as you can do the job expected of your chosen gender. No special treatment, really, a trans who identifies as male still gets stuck on the frontlines to get slaughtered by Tevinter magical artillery, and a trans who identifies as female gets stuck with being a babysitter and so on and so forth.

Aside from that, still the same dogmatic *ssh*l*s from DA2, plotting to decapitate the Fereldan and Orlesian governments as a prelude to an invasion all the while pretending it doesn't have official sanction. And when the plan's bottom falls out, they just launch a butthurt invasion of the Imperium, Antiva, and Rivain, with the usual concentration camps and shit the Qun gets up to. Oh, and dashing themselves to pieces against Minrathous' walls, as usual.

 

[King Arts]

Binged it overnight, spent a few hours to sleep, then binged it some more. Plus plenty of Starbucks and a few Wendy's deliveries. Might have missed a few or more side-quests, though. That, other character origins need to played with, but yeah, I finished the main story plus some side-quests, though.

Might as well not have played DAO, DAII, and DAI at all, considering how little any of my choices from those games actually matter here. Overall, IMVHO, using art as an analogy,

DAO can be compared to this.

It isn't a perfect game, but its flaws and imperfectations made DAO a masterpiece.

In contrast, DAII was this.

Takes time and patience to appreciate the game, but once you do, it's not nearly as bad as its critics make it out to be.

Then we have DAI.

It's not a masterpiece, never will be, and you'll be disappointed if you're looking for a masterpiece. But if you're out for some casual fun, DAI is actually a pretty great game.

Then we have the Veilguard.

It's garbage, plain and simple. Makes a mockery out of every game in the series, completely throws out the established lore, shoves gender-politics and activism simultaneously down the throat and up the ass every chance it gets.

...this game doesn't exist for me. As far as I'm concerned, the Dragon Age saga ended on a cliffhanger with DAI's Trespasser DLC, with Fen'Harel having stolen Mythal's power in preparation while the Inquisition reaches out to the Tevinter Imperium to counter the Dread Wolf's plots.

EDIT: Not to mention certain immersion-breaking bugs, like how lip-sync is off quite a few times, though admittedly that could just be my computer. Also, how certain VAs don't actually seem to be into their jobs (can't blame them), and remind me of VAs for Republic characters in SWTOR...which, in hindsight, actually makes sense, considering how bland and watered-down the plot is. Contrast to VAs from previous games, all of whom seemed to be enjoying themselves, most especially in DAI which, like I've mentioned, is the most fun of the games (DAO can actually be a bit of a slog, especially the Orzammar quests).

Yet you bought it and now the developers have money. Can I ask why you decided to even try the game everyone knew it was going to be shit?

 

[Jaenera Targaryen]

Yet you bought it and now the developers have money. Can I ask why you decided to even try the game everyone knew it was going to be shit?

A fair question, and the answer for which is I wanted to see for myself.

I learned that much from my experience with DA2. Back when I bought that game, it was getting savaged by critics and players alike for being rushed and repetitive. And TBH, it does feel that way at times, and the start of the game is a bit underwhelming. But the longer I played the game, it slowly but steadily grew on me. In short, DA2 was unfairly-judged at the time, and while it starts slow, it builds and finishes big.

Same with DAI - lots of grumbling about how the game plays a lot of things safe, and how combat is very MMO-like. Admittedly, that last isn't a bad thing for me personally, although I can see how some people would be turned off by it. But still, I tried it out, and I enjoyed DAI. Sure, it seemed to have lost a lot of the dark fantasy feel from both DAO and DA2, but it soon turns out that's only a surface observation, especially once the various plot points begin to be drawn together, with the Trespasser DLC in particular finishing off the game with a full return to the classic Dragon Age dark fantasy theme.

I hoped it would be more of the same with VG, and I wasn't willing to judge things solely on the basis of wonky graphics reminiscent of Pixar films and Mass Effect Andromeda. That'd be really hypocritical of me, considering I do consider DAO's graphics dated and in the case of male characters, lumpy and difficult to customize to my liking (without mods at least). A bit of inclusiveness isn't even a problem so long as it's done right, Dorian's character arc in DAI being an example thereof.

But, it seems I was mistaken. VG really is as bad as it looks, between the in-your-face gender and even racial politics, uninspired combat system, repeated overturning of established lore (with even critics admitting it's a soft - spits - reboot), and simply dull conversations and even characterization. However, the point is that I saw that for myself, instead of just depending on others' reviews.

 

[LordSludge]

I feel like Veilguard's fundamental root problem, aside from the insane decision to look at the more fringe and minor mindboggling writing decisions in Inquisition and double down on the worst aspects of it, obviously, was that for all that Inquisition had problems it did overall a decent job of doing a back to basics big bad evil guy plot and then set up a perfect hook to follow up on, turning Dragon Age from a series of one-off type games to a potential multi-part series focused around a specific character and let them have another shot at what Mass Effect did...

And then just didn't. All the pathos and connection set up by Trespasser was pissed away immediately. This wasn't like before, where Hawke's story was, not exactly "done" but at least a reasonably complete product , or the like, the Inquisitor has a very real and personal drive to lead into things, there's zero fucking reason not to just follow through so there's a sense of strong continuity and progression, some extra incentive to help alleviate issues with the plot, and so on.

Instead it's just immediately gutted of that throughline and is forced to rely entirely on the merits of being dropped into a plot where all investment has just been removed and it's writing has doubled down on the company's worst excesses because they don't even have needing to mesh with their previous narrative to slow them down.

 

[Arlos]

Well, was planning to buy it for Christmas, guess not, this is making me really sad, so much potential squandered.

 

[LordSludge]

Well, was planning to buy it for Christmas, guess not, this is making me really sad, so much potential squandered.

Being fair in a few years, might be worth it on sale, maybe, the gameplay looks good but like there are better RPGs in this vein, for most things. Japan pumps out higher quality ones on the regular along with the rest of the eastern market these days other than often, sadly, lacking much customization on your main character if that's you jam [but when they do have it it tends to be better by an order of magnitude].

FF16 is the first game I anticipated specifically because every supposedly bad thing I heard about it just made me want it more, tbh. Combat rocks, characters are likeable, etc. Bit dry though at times if you don't like the writing style.

Alternatively if you JUST want a meaty fantasy RPG in general, the Pathfinder games were solid. Kingmaker imho is best in the genre outright even with some rough bits from being a new thing for the studio at the time, and while weaker writing wise Wrath did a lot else that was still really good to polish things mechanically.

 

[Arlos]

Being fair in a few years, might be worth it on sale, maybe, the gameplay looks good but like there are better RPGs in this vein, for most things. Japan pumps out higher quality ones on the regular along with the rest of the eastern market these days other than often, sadly, lacking much customization on your main character if that's you jam [but when they do have it it tends to be better by an order of magnitude].

FF16 is the first game I anticipated specifically because every supposedly bad thing I heard about it just made me want it more, tbh. Combat rocks, characters are likeable, etc. Bit dry though at times if you don't like the writing style.

Alternatively if you JUST want a meaty fantasy RPG in general, the Pathfinder games were solid. Kingmaker imho is best in the genre outright even with some rough bits from being a new thing for the studio at the time, and while weaker writing wise Wrath did a lot else that was still really good to polish things mechanically.

I'll look it up thanks, maybe I'll just stick to playing Song of syx, I dunno...
I miss the Era where we had good rpg with original setting coming out regularly, Dragon age was from that time....*sigh*
Speaking off, whatever happened to Kingdom of Amalur? No follow up?