Talking Point: What Do You Think Of Dragon Age: The Veilguard So Far?

Absolutely loving it. Been putting in near 30hrs since release. Being back in Thedas is like coming home. Except for the music being a bit bland and unreconizable, everything else is top tier the way I see it from the exploration, characters (I literally care about all my companions, especially Manfred, lol), story, combat, sidequests and graphics. I was sceptical to the design at first but it honestly looks great!
Also. Big credit to Bioware for releasing a full game at launch with no DLC, season plans or always online crap.
I thought Stellar Blade would be my GOTY this year but now I'm not sure anymore.

Not that happy with it. I preferred the darker graphical style of the older games but knew that going in. Music as mentioned before is a bit bland. Not the biggest fan of the more action game like gameplay (I like it but not what I want from a DA game).
Not sure the “puzzles” get more difficult but now it’s just very straight forward “put round item in round hole to progress “ and the game still feels the need to assist you doing this like it’s your first videogame even hours in the game.
Dialogue options make it unable to play “evil” character, it’s only good guy or somewhat good guy.

Will be giving the disc back to my nephew when he returns from his vacation tomorrow. But can’t see myself buying a copy till it’s on heavy discount. (and maybe even wait till it’s in EA Play - Gamepass). Will probably give Dragons Dogma 2 a try instead for now.

I'm 19 hours in and loving it so far. I'm impressed with the level design. I was worried the more linear approach would mean there would be less to do but so far, so good. (also with how amazing the other nations look, they make Ferelden look like the backwater it's supposed to be)

I'm enjoying all the companions and their stories so far, which makes me miss having the four-person party even more.

I love that I was able to further define my character beyond the creation options, like how my character feels about his tattoos or how he feels about his backstory. Many RPGs don't do that even if they let you pick a backstory/origin.

I do miss having control of my party (and the stuff that comes with that like inventory and equipment management) but I do like the actual moment-to-moment combat that's on offer (It'd be cool to have both the tactical party control AND having the gameplay actually feel good).

That is a pretty interesting distribution of ratings we are seeing as of the time I am writing this. I don't think I can recall a games with such a mixed spectrum.

I guess this is the definition of a divisive game.

At the time I wrote this is it was 54% 6 or better, 46% 5 or worse.

It's pretty trash.

Watched someone play a bit of it and stopped quickly hearing the Forspoken dialogue that doesn't fit a medieval setting in any way and seeing a series and developer know for impactful choices implementing Fallout 4's system of: Yes, Yes (Question), Yes (Sarcastic), No (Yes).

@evan23 Personally Ill never understand people giving 1/10 ratings to a complete games that doesnt have any major technical difdiculties. On the other hand 48% have given it 8 or better so I wouldnt say its that divisive really.

Can we get a poll on how many of those voting "1" actually PLAYED the game? I'm guessing it's 0%.

I haven't played it but it seems the resolution on every console is really bad!

@Ricky-Spanish Resolution looks good on my tv. Thought it looked weird on the barfight trailer on YT but in game its nice. Way better than FF7R imo.

@BIG3 Just know it's internal output resolution on series x and PS5 on fidelity mode is 1080p and performance is 720p I'm not a tech snob but that's bad for premium consoles imo🧑‍🌾

@BIG3 The results look a lot different now than when I originally posted. The distribution was much more even at the time.

It’s the absolute perfect combination of everything wrong it’s the industry.

Meaningless decisions, ugly designs, total disregard for lore and contempt for fans.

I will complement the game for making yellow paint seem less bad in people’s eyes.

I just got it delivered but haven’t opened it. I think I’m going to return it. The having to be purely good/nice because they couldn’t achieve their political objectives otherwise has made me lose interest. When it effects gameplay… that’s bad.

I made a gorgeous character. The game is really beautiful with a great art style and excellent tech. Really interested to see where the story and gameplay go as I move through it.

I've noticed that the attacks against the game are mostly coming from people who haven't played it but have a penchant for internet bandwagons. To be fair, there are good faith takes from those who have played the game and find it's not for them.

I hope it is selling well. I did see it's top 3 on Steam today.

I haven’t played it but I’ve watched video. Definitely not for me. Modern turns of phrase in a fantasy setting just put my teeth on edge. Maybe I’ll try it on deep discount someday, but it just feels odd to me.

A game that tries to be inclusive but ends up excluding people that's what the game is so I'll be waiting for the bargain bin at the big lots, can't even play as a honest nasty person you're just forced to play as a liar who pretends to be nice which i find to be disgusting, also i don't understand why they force companions on you, if i didn't like a companion in inquisition i could tell them to leave and they'd be gone but in veilguard i have read they just join you ans you have zero say in it.

I had to start over. I accidentally made the most punchable protagonist with the worst voice and I kept selecting funny responses...gawd I hate him now.

Didn’t vote, haven’t played it, probably won’t. I’m not on the “anti-woke” trip at all. I just think this doesn’t seem like an RPG… it’s an action game with a marvel movie story. They’re catering to the masses, and I’m not the masses. It’s ok. I had baldurs gate 3.

I’m loving it so far! Fun combat, the story is near the sound design is really well done and the environments are gorgeous.

@Ricky-Spanish All I know is the game looks good, plays good and is a lot of fun.

Polls like this don't have much value. If you bought the game and played it then it is because you liked what you saw and are probably enjoying it. That means that the score will skewer towards higher marks.

Conversely those who did not buy it can easily post negative scores based on the fact that they did not like what they saw and therefore did not purchase it.

I have better things to do with my free time, thanks. Let's hope a non woke speech with Stalker 2.....

@BIG3 Enjoy my friend 👍

The 1 star reviews really do show how sad and pathetic ‘gamers’ can be.

Makes me sad to be associated with part of that.

I'm not sure whether to buy it how much exploration is there? I'm currently finishing up Inquisition just now and had planned to buy this on Friday.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner it's not that bad you will get over it with time possibly consoling haha 😂

The debate over this game is pathetic, and it being targeted by people with an agenda is doubly pathetic.
I've bought the game and will thoroughly enjoy it - those grandstanding over a game they have never played can stay feeling bitter and twisted, they are of no concern to anyone and are an irrelevance.

About 20 hours in and really enjoying it - BioWare are back! It looks great and the combat is really good. It was definitely the right idea to switch to Mass Effect-style controls for the fights, you can set up some really spectacular and pyrotechnic combos. 👍🏻

Trash game from a trash developer. The fact that 20% of the votes are rated at a 1 rings loud and clear.

@Romans12 yet it’s a solid game (take aside wether you believe it is woke or not or whatever) so it doesn’t deserve a 1

@PsBoxSwitchOwner so it doesn't deserve a 10 either?
The ratings scale is 1-10 mate just accept some people think it's worthy of a 1, same way some people somehow think it's a 10.

@freddones Yes they are pathetic. I’m including everyone in that that are fake outraged and just hopping on the bandwagon. And yes I’m including white black and sky blue pink people.

Giving a 1 is clearly trolling. - just as everyone says when a MS/Sony game is given a 1/10 that it’s the ‘other side jealous etc’.

Game may not have your beliefs. Doesn’t make it a 1.

It's a DAINO (Dragon Age In Name Only). 1/10. Do not believe the critic reviews. They were paid.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner I'm not buying that garbage! I watched my buddy play and he stopped after the umpteenth cringe trope that doesn't belong anywhere near a dark fantasy game. Game's terrible. If you're playing it solely for the combat, granted, but that's not what the majority of fans played the games for. It bombed, and the only people who could have stopped that was "Bioware", which is technically all new people. No more original artists.

@freddones Wow! That just changed my opinion of Sony from "Hated" to "Displeased". Glad they banned trash. The should ban this trash too.

@BIG3 Buddy......The positive reviews here are essentially Bioware Shills... they are eagerly waiting to spam the positive scores on any site that has a public rating.....Damage control. If you don't believe it happens constantly, then you're living under a rock.

@JaffeGaffe There is no way you can prove that claim you just made. And you cant convince me the game is bad because Im playing it, enjoying it and I havent experienced any technical issues with it. If you dont like the games thats ok, find something else.

@Titntin it's 2024. We can see PLENTY of the game to know it's trash. You're calling out nobody here, Pal.

garbage another franchise destroyed by woke pandering politics

Dragon age origins is one of my favorite rpgs ever. So it's sad to say DA veilguard is a huge disappointment. They abandoned the dark fantasy and went with disney/Pixar graphics and setting. The millennial dialouge is jarring in a fantasy setting. And don't get me started on the forced political preaching ham fisting in the game.

This makes me very concerned for mass Effect 5. Bioware of old is definitely not the current bioware.

@JaffeGaffe Yup its 2024 - there always someone playing politics instead of games and posting 7 times in a row to try and insist they are the only one with a valid viewpoint.
Of course anyone who thinks differently to you is a shill or paid off or whatever. In your head they are eating the cat and dogs... of course they are.

@Romans12 Of course your opinion is your own and you are welcome to it.
Scars have long been a customisable part of many character creations, why would you object to that in a world where physical violence and combat is the norm? What's wrong with choosing 'no scars'?

This game looks worse than Anthem... I wasted enough money on that one. I won't vote in the poll, but I am voting with my wallet...

14 hours in. I love this game.

I just wanna mention that Dragon Age has always since Origins had LGBTQ+ characters.

Zevran in the first game.
Anders, Fenris and Isabella in 2 (Anders and Isabella were also in Origins).
The Iron Bull, Josephine, Dorian, and Sera from Inquisition.

So yeah, if you wanna call Veilguard woke, just accept that the series always was like that.

Nobody seems to have complained about Baldur’s Gate 3, where your entire team, whatever gender or species, will make a pass at you at some point. In fact, as far as I’m aware, the ‘polyamory’ mod, which allows you to, er, ‘romance’ them all without consequence is one of the most popular!

Anyone giving it 1/10 is obviously just being immature.

I struggled to like the new art style, some of the cartooney Disney-esque little touches (hovering crystals following you in mid-air, kicking chests opens to make new items pop out etc) — but the combat is proving to be very enjoyable, and at maybe 10 hours in, I'm thinking it's turning out to be a decent game - but I still wish they'd not gone quite as cartooney in the art style.

(And kudos to Bioware for such good inclusivity options - which has the dual benefit of making the game feel more grown up than it's previous well-meaning but more timid effots in that area, and also it's fun to see how much it winds up the loud minority of anti-woke people.)

The first dragon age i am not purchasing within the first week. I will play it on gamepass

From the clips i’ve seen online, the writing looks subpar at best. My gaming time is very limited so I’ll give it a pass.

Imagine if PX could just ban every account who gave the game a 1. Since it does seem a pretty easy way to identify the terminally online troll chuds we would all be better off without.

DA has never been my go to franchise of choice as they changed style after Origins, but I may play the game at some point. Regardless the more choice and inclusivity the better as gaming should be for all, and not held back by weak people who are terrified of anything that challenges their world view.

I really wanted to enjoy this, but the dialog is so flat and uninspired that it would need to have a great combat system to be enjoyable. Unfortunately it falls flat there as well.
The art is nice and the combat looks fancy, but you quickly realize that you can close your eyes and smash buttons randomly with the same effect. While I love the other dragon age games this feels a lot like it was made by people who were told what they were like as opposed to people who ever played or even saw them. They obviously brought back old characters, but again they feel more like copies than anything interesting. In general I would say there is nothing wrong with the game, it is just boring and unimaginative, especially if you have played any of the prior games.

@Titntin except the majority of gamers understand what DA lore is supposed to be, and the majority of gamers hold all the cash.
Personally can't stand the shoehorned woke dialogue, and you can't say there isn't any. The 'pulling a bharv' scene is just pathetic and doesn't belong in DA. Neither does gender politics.
To the people saying its a success and selling well, not even 100k is not selling well. A new DA should be in the millions sold by now.
The fact that Bioware have already dumped this and moved en-masse to Mass Effect should tell you all you need to know.
Bad character design, atrocious dialogue, boring story. Not DA. Not for me.

@dantespop 100% my friend. Salient points all well made.

I'm 50 hours in and love this game. I didn't read any reviews until now and I'm finding it so weird people have such strong feelings about aspects of this game that I never even considered to be slightly an issue. Almost as if they are approaching the game with intent to point those issues out.
The need to have everything in your life conform with strict ideologies has to be such a painful way to live. I play video games to escape reality and play in a fantasy world where things don't matter for a little bit. I don't play video games to enter an echo chamber or to find social values.
I can understand the complaints about art style and a more action oriented gameplay if you are expecting the same old dragon age formula. But, I like all kinds of games and this is a good one even if it's a little bit of a departure from prior installments.