Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Let's talk about the controversy really quickly. Yes this is very....progressive game??? It tries to appeal to every member of every community and while sure I think it can be a good idea so everyone can feel some sort of connection to the game, it should also be optional very much like Assassin's creed odyssey. It is what it is, Dragon age has always been queer to some point. It can't be avoided. I'm not against that. We are all people at the end of the day. So yes it isn't really a game for everyone. But review bombing it on any site not just here doesn't really help. Complaining about it being woke when you can just avoid it is much simple in my opinion. You know at this point since inquisition that this franchise is "woke" (BTW can we please leave the word woke behind this year, it sounds goofy as hell) so like you can just avoid it and play Origins or even 1 and 2. Deadass play another game.

I will say tho this isn't something I'll ever play again. I'm not part of such audience that this game is intended for but I did play it just to see what the fuss was about. Outside of the controversy, the game isn't bad enough for it to be bombarded everywhere. It comes with huge flaws however. Playing it half the time I felt lost. It feels so disconnected from the previous games. It feels like a soft Reboot with a lot of tone changes and unfamiliar vibes that this franchise is not known for. The characters themselves feel unfamiliar even though we know them. The story writing feels unpolished and missing the depth it needs. Even though the main plot takes a while for it to build up at the end it doesn't feel like it pays off especially for as many hours as me and my friend spent on it.

The quests don't feel like they were meant to be enjoyed they feel as if hey let's make a game here's the check list. Get what I mean? Even the cut scenes feel short and unmeaningful. It made me confused because I still don't understand what was the purpose of doing these quests. Conversations are short and the responses feel pointless. Your character feels like a second thought rather than show their iconic journeys they explain it in sentences not making it impactful at all. I been shitting on this game for a while lmao. Some positives are probably the side cast some of them are really fun to interact with and have charming personalities. The combat is also pretty good Bioware never disappoints with that. It is fast paced, you can control side characters so you can do combo attacks with magic. (I played as Mage) the battles are also fast but can be challenging.

The open worldness is inferior than inquisition. The cities feel bland and lifeless. This just feels like a glo down and maybe a cash grab due to die hard fans. They focused on the wrong things rather than the things that mattered the most. It isn't something I'll play again. Not because of the content people are ranting about but because of these flaws.

This is the worst game I have ever played in my life. A dirty game full of agendas. The dialogues in the game are very bad. Everything in this game is ****

Dogshit. Nothing to do with Dragon Age.

First of all it isnt a dragon age its a combination of gow and ff, story was satisfying, fighting get repetive after a while, env and armor designs are excellent plus overal graphic

Listen man, I get it. Im not very woke myself, but the controvertial scenes that everyone is talking about are really not important. They harm no one and are cringe and only that. If that doesnt let you enjoy a game, then you are nor a real gamer.

Pros:
- Beautiful and unique worlds that I found to very engaging. I wanted to explore and find secrets within each space.

- Solas is a stand out amongst a cast of weak characters. He is layered and I felt very connected to his story.

- The Finale was what the game should have been striving for. Actual decisions with real consequences.

Cons:
- The writing. Everyone is saying it but it truly is written as if HR is in the room. It is so milquetoast, so bland and safe it becomes almost insulting. Rook talks to the companions as if they are children, nothing is left to the imagination, there is no subtext, you will be told exactly how everyone is feeling. Also, of course there is the classic quirky quips that will suck you out of a scene so fast you'll get whiplash. The tonal dissonance between what is happening in the story and what Rook / the companions are saying is painful.

- The villians. I cannot comprehend why you would toss a compelling character like Solas to the side for Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain. How does this decision even get made? They are 1 note, I can think of 1 scene where Elgar'nan displayed any sort of actual emotion. They have no substance, no meat and are their one personality trait is "I'm evil".

- The combat. I played on normal for 30 hours and never struggled once. However, the beefy health bars and 10 minute long combat scenarios became so tedious I had to lower the difficulty for the sake of my sanity.

- The companions. Emmerich and Davrin were decent, Neve was meh. The rest are really poor. I'm not interested in the culture war discussions with this game but Taash is maybe one of the worst companions I've ever had in a game. The moment where they label Emmerich, he gets upset and they ignore his desire to be called something else ruined them fundamentally for me. Their entire character is designed around identity and acceptance, yet they couldn't give a shit about what someone else wants to be called. It's even more upsetting that you can't call them out for their hypocrisy.