Edit: This video is getting a lot views lately thanks to the dreadwolf leaks but please note this is two years old from when the channel had less than 10k subs. Origins ultimate edition was on sale $5 so I bought and will be playing it at some point! Origins review: th-cam.com/video/gZu1v2Zhkwg/w-d-xo.html
It is a fantastic game, I think you will like it. The combat is much more complex in origins and the story is more streamlined (not a lot of fetch quests from what I remember). I hope you enjoy:).
Since you mentioned loving the Gray Wardens, in DA:O you play as one of them on a quest to raise an army to fight an Archdemon during a Blight. Hope you like the game
I know I'm repeating myself, but this is the best reviewer out there. Outting in the time and understanding what you're presenting makes a huge difference, clearly
Origins is exactly that: an origin story for the game world. The events of Origins really have very little to do with the direction they are taking the story but it paints the world state so beautifully and gives you such a great insight to how all the factions and races interact with each other. If anyone is getting in to Dragon age I highly recommend playing through Origins at least once even if it's on casual difficulty
No. It’s a self contained brilliant game and story - a great RPG, and just happens to have all the various different character origin stories, WITHIN the game.
Ah the memories of my brother and I playing origins for the first time over a decade ago the bloodiest game I'd ever seen at the time still holds up beautifully today still prefer it over inquisition
Origins took the best parts of what made crpgs great and made its unique spin on it. Sure its not complicated like D&D but its simplicity won me over. Also combat finishers ftw
The advisor missions get a lot more immersive when you’ve played previous games. A lot of lore is in there and you can affect previous character storyline in them. They do take WAY too long later down the line but unique way to include more lore and choice from the keep.
@@jonathansoko1085 that was exactly my problem even tho I loved the world and the characters I'm not one to enjoy extraneous fluff and padding in anything or grinding. Genuinely I saw the specilisations locked behind a fetch quest and I never played further than that in the game. I just got sick of it. I like the actual story the game has but the design hurts me.
@@jonathansoko1085 I just watched someone else play it and traded the game in haha. I got it on pc now cause it was cheap af so I'm planning on playing through the series now I can mod out some of the grind
@@ross8093 luckily theres a lot of really good mods on the nexus like. 0 time for missions, more party banter (its bugged basically in base game and is on a timer that resets when you pause or do other silly things so you miss tons of good team dialogue) insta pickup resources/and shops that have all the dumb things u dont wanna have to waste time on like quarrys/shards. also i saw in another comment u never finished inquisition which i would recommend doing as the trespasser dlc kinda redeems the whole game in my eyes as far as the story goes.
@@jaded-harper I know how the story goes and I've always liked and enjoyed inquisition story. Just actually playing it I had issues with. I'll keep it I mind for when I'm in need of something to play
Someone actually told me you can complete all those missions instantly by starting a mission and then manually setting your pc’s/console’s clock forward till the mission timer is up. Then you complete the mission and reset your clock back to normal. And it worked, making the whole experience immediately ten times better! Now I can actually read through all the context of the mission AND remember it when it’s find out the resolution.😂
I don't mind the Hinterlands anymore. I've come up with a "system" that lets me take care of it as quickly and efficiently as possible. If you collect the initial quests in the right way, you can do a circle of the Hinterlands that'll get you to level 4-7 fairly quickly - and then you leave. You go on with the story, pick up some new characters, then I head back to the Hinterlands and do another circle to complete it. That way there's minimal backtracking, mostly new areas all the time... keeps things interesting.
In theory, the Hinterlands was supposed to be a central hub area you were to come back to in small doses through the game between other hubs, the first time, they intended you to stay just long enough to open up that next little part which doesn't take long; there are even parts of it, you'll notice, you can't get to or do anything about until later in the game. Of course, in practice, gamers see an area and bread crumb trails leading them to more and more things, the natural inclination is "well I guess I'm supposed to take care of all this stuff."
Hinterlands should have actually just connected to the Fasttravel points/other zones. You need to cross the Hinterlands to find the trail/entrance to the other zones. Once you find the zones and set up the base in the area, you can then fast travel from Skyhold to them.
I definitely spend too much time in the Hinterlands with I played. They didn’t do a good job revealing to players that they could leave it early. The story of this game’s development is pretty interesting, the book “Blood, Sweat, and Pixels” has a chapter on it.
Yeah they really knocked it outta the park with the lore. To think even with all 3 games and esp Inquisition we only really know about the elves lore and gods. We still don't know too much about the actual Maker and Andraste as well as the dwarves God's.
I only played Inquisition, granted, but the lore felt like some of the blandest I've ever experienced, the characters felt unmemorable and it always surprises me that I even finished it...
Just finished my first playthrough of Dragon Age: Origins a few hours ago. Took a couple tries to get all the way through it but very glad I did. On the whole, a pretty breath-taking experience - great story, real choices, iconic companions and an epic, satisfying ending. Sadly I doubt we'll see another game like it again, it seems it was the first and last of its kind. Looking forward to tackling Awakening next!
Origins is such perfection. Its amazing for a casual playthrough. Literally multiple origin stories for replayability and then to top it off it's also super good for meta and power gaming. Fucking miss my back stabbing rogue sometimes. Really one of the most complete RPGs ever created.
@@ma1ist fuck dude for real I miss those day, I remember doing the glitch in the beginning where you just kept turning in the first half of the ritual items for exp.
Dragon Age Origins was great because your actions actually had huge effects on the game world. And the differing origins showed various NPC characters from different vantage points. I especially loved that. No game later in the series has come close to matching it.
so did Inquisition, even DA2 did to a certain degree. although the fate of the entire world wasn't on your shoulders. the Blight was mainly happening in Ferelden, but the Inquisitor had the fate of all Thedas on their shoulders dealing with the breach, and then later Corypheous. but ya both the Warden and the Inquisitor are the two most important.
I know 100%-ing is your shtick, but I've come to believe that DAI is a game that should never be 100%-ed. I've finished it several times and it's one of my favorite RPG stories of all time, but it's _desperately_ clingy and insecure, constantly hassling you to do side stuff, padding the playtime, time-gating the plot, and throttling its own progression systems (especially crafting - it's a very powerful system that can really diversify gameplay and enrich buildcraft, but in order to use it you'll need to have picked up mountains of garbage, presumably by wandering the quest zones for hours on end). At every step, the game is yanking you by the sleeve to go engage in its ubisoft-map-marker-clearing drudgery, thereby doing a _massive_ disservice to its own stellar worldbuilding and character writing. EDIT: Also, I really enjoy your long-form content. I know it's not easy to make, but I don't really find myself sitting down for short videos as often, unless I can queue like 10 of them.
Origins quest design was leagues worse and more annoying than this. I much rather the "ubisoft" pointer instead of going back and forth all the time just in case there is something there or getting a quest in an area I've already been to then that repeats 5 times with every area. No thanks
There's actually a lot of value in having a newcomer to the series review this game. It's very easy to impress a fan but they really have to earn the respect of a new player. About the hinterlands, the developers literally had to tell people not to spend too much time there at the beginning of the game. I've never seen that shit before and it's really indicative of how poorly the zone was conceived of.
You say that but I really think it's the opposite in this case. If you played and loved Origins you'd naturally want more of that which the sequels haven't really delivered on. Starting in the second game there was a big push towards making the combat more actiony. The whole if you press a button something awesome has to happen. Personally part of the reason i got into crpgs is because they delivered closer to what i wanted from the dragon age games than the sequels did.
I love the Hinterlands, it’s got some of the best story in it. The mage vs templar fields and bases are really cool, and the world reacts to what you do by stopping the templars and mages from spawning after you stop them. Problem is they made White Orchard from TW3 about 3-4 years too early, and it sucked because no one had ever seen it before and didn’t realize how ok it was to pass over the huge side quests (one takes place in an entirely converted castle).
@@toprope_ i like it but only now after beating the game 5 times lol the entire area is badly designed from a gameplay perspective (which u could say for a lot of the areas tbh) certain very high lvl mobs in very close proximity to noobie areas that will one shot and you things like that. the game never makes it clear the hinterlands is place you should do bits and pieces of and return to time to time. also dear god the shard finding up vertical terrain was so tedious. dai in general is a much more enjoyable game if u play with mods imo
Love this game. After you move into the castle and a whole new region, it blew my mind. I was like 40 hrs into the game then and it literally just opened up.
My only gripe with Inquisition is how grind heavy it was. But that's most RPGs for you I guess. I eventually caved and went around completing all the star gazing missions and skull shits across all the maps and shit.
A major strength of the dragon age series is how much it changes based on your decisions in previous games, and I would really recommend replaying inquisition once you’ve played the other 2 first and imported your world state because a lot of things can change
I’m sorry but this just isn’t true. For instance, you can murder Leliana in Origins but she will turn up in DAI anyways. Very few of your choices from previous games really effect how the story progresses or what characters are present.
Besides origins, I think Dragon Age is actually a highly overrated franchise. They released one really great game and two good games, nostalgia aside Dragon Age is outclassed by almost every other modern Crpg series, I'd actually say that OG Baldurs Gate is better because it has a larger overarching narrative with the same Protagonist and companions across 2 games (Throne of Bhaal is essentially a 3rd game, and EE has seige of dragonspear as well), plus the class and race choices are waaaaay more varied. I like origins a lot but after that there's not much to write home about, there are a lot of games that do what these games do but better.
Many good points made in this video, esp. re: size of the hinterlands, scope & pacing. I've been accidently trained by video games to complete every quest and explore every corner, and it took me a while to realize (and accept) that you can (and maybe SHOULD) leave a bunch of stuff undone, just to keep the story moving. I also thought that the NPCs and the story/lore were fantastic, and it IS a very 'pretty' game. I love the Dragon Age series, and Inquisition is my favorite chapter so far. I have replayed it more times than any other BioWare game, and for me, that's saying something! Well worth your time & money. Even us 'old timers' can enjoy it!
I honestly didn't mind the "filler" content in Inquisition. It only becomes tedious if you think of it as an obligation. Meanwhile, exploration is generally VERY rewarding and cool. I felt like there was something to discover around nearly every corner. The world-building in this game is truly phenomenal.
Very true, my first play through i was very impatient and just wanted to get through the story which made everything else a million times more tedious. The second time i played i went in with a more rp focused mindset which made all the “filler” stuff seem a lot more natural and acceptable althought there were still a couple of annoying quests that i wish i could just erase😅
People just label to much these days without understanding the purpose just because its an old school design does not make it inferior in fact this form of exploration is superior.
Thats not a defense. You didn't mind something? So you didn't enjoy it either? Brilliant. The problem with "filler" content is that there could have been meaningful content designed in its place. Smarten up.
I’m a lonely delusional 16 year old that has no friends or achievements or anything exciting in their life, so this game made me feel…loved, respected, appreciated and i felt like a hero in a world that doesn’t exist. My companions felt like real life friends, i actually felt like i belong but pity it’s a video game. Unlike any other rpg i’ve played, this was the most wholesome, you start as a suspect then slowly build yourself up to glory, you walk around and people praise you. You are the leader, you have friends, lovers, army and a castle that’s all yours. I played this game as a form of escape from reality, it really was a unique experience that i couldn’t get with any game, which makes it one of my favorite games.
Hey, just wanted to let you know that a good life isn’t simply about achievements or the like. People come and go, as do money and even fame… but finding something to believe in and holding into people you will meet in the coming years will help set you on a path for something beautiful. The key is being calm and relaxed, find peace and steadiness. For me, that’s in Jesus. I feel fulfilled. But your journey is your own, just want you to know that there is so much out there. Stay steady, stay strong and persevere in the name of a good life.
Very good quality review as always, have always loved the DA Franchise and you pretty much nailed the good and bad points of this game. That DLC difficulty spike is real though. Bit of a shame you never mentioned the music, thought the music in this like other BioWare products (Mass Effect mainly) was very strong and sold moments really well.
I can't emphasize enough how much I like this game as a big fan of origins. The extension of the lore, the BEST companions in any RPG ever, the cool world to explore, THE DLC. I love all of it. And I even like the combat for the weird combo actions and the fast gameplay. Yes, it's not Origins comeback, but don't let yourself be held back by expectations. It's what will kill your enjoyment of a lot of games. This is an amazing game.
Inquisition is a really good 'first time playthrough' game for me, and I say that as a huge Bioware & Dragon Age fan. It kinda feels very samey after a while. Dragon Age Origins is by far the best game in the series (and my personal favourite game of all time). It's been such a blast replaying it on my channel
@@NewDengs it doesn't hold up and yes you are blinded by nostalgia. I played it recently because I didn't like it many years ago on the Ps3. I poured 130 hours in a month on this game and it definitely doesn't hold up. Almost every single aspect except the choices is completely outdated. I dont understand how you think it holds up today when it has like 300 active players on steam and almost no one makes any videos about it. I for my life couldn't find a decent build for my warrior. People be saying anything these days without fact checking it. lmao " there is a reason it holds up". The game couldn't be more dead.
My favorite thing about the game was how it builds in scale. You start out very much alone and helpless. As the story advances you make friends and get followers, so next your operating in a small party. This advances so that my the end of the game your commanding large scale armies, without whom you would not succeed.
I agree. Although i would've loved to have seen in action, deciding where to deploy the army and see the confrontation; the implications. That would've given me a perspective of how massive the conflict really was and not just an adventuring party of 4 going around the world solving problems
This game really shined in the power fantasy department for me. I really felt like I was in charge, and I loved it when they called me inquisitor and I sat on the throne in judgment of people ….Bioware used to be great at this …when I was Shepard, I felt like a bad ass who was in charge and everybody respected.
I feel like Origins will be more your speed in the mechanics department. Glad you enjoyed the world though. My opinion of Inquisition has soured over time and I'm really hoping 4 gets me excited again.
@@kagenotatsumaki That's good to hear. I want nothing but greatness from this series, but unfortunately I don't think the general trend from this series or Bioware has been terribly great as of late. I hope DA4 is something we all can enjoy.
I think setting wise inq fucking slaps but i hate the gameplay lol. That being said im a sucker for gray wardens so it loses points just from not allowing me to play as one :/
@@AdrasAdraki I like the setting, but I think the gameplay has a big problem in that it actively interrupts its own narrative. It bothers me to no end that such a lore heavy game purposely makes itself hard to follow at times.
I just have to say, you explained the setup for this game incredibly well. That alone is impressive. It's nice to know that the series did a good job in explaining the lore to even new players. And that is important, because the entire series is about world building. It's arguably BioWare's best original world, and the games would be far less without the excellent stories within them. The first 2 games are more contained, but sets up the world brilliantly. It's Inquisition that opens it up to a massive scale; one that actually involves the entire world instead of just specific countries or cities. But because of that, the first 2 games, to me personally, handle the personal relationships of the main character and their companions far better. Because the scale is smaller, it's more intimate. It's a trade off; character intimacy or world building. Regardless, all 3 games handle those aspects phenomenally well. Nice to see someone new to the series appreciate its intricacies. The worst part for Inquisition for me is indeed, as you mentioned, the shit "quests". They made a massive world, but filled it with things that is just so dull. Some parts of the maps are totally empty too. it was the time when every game went "open world means better"., without actually knowing how to use it. if you ever go do the other games, just know that the first game and its expansions are far more tactics heavy; the hard difficulties are seriously hard. But really enjoyable, and is my favourite.
I just decided to replay DA: Inquisition as a new character and, man, this game is so much fantasy RPG comfort food goodness. I’d forgotten how fun it is to explore all the regions and just talk to all the characters about world lore and politics and history. I’m bummed I’ve never actually played the first two games still. Hoping for some sort of trilogy release on current consoles someday.
@@ross8093 Same here. I got about halfway through and just couldn't get myself to play more. It felt like I was playing an MMO but I was the only player online.
@@wbeytel same the thing I loved about origins is talking to a random person and it leading to an event changing quest and it’s so bare bone in inquisition
Finished Inquisition a few weeks ago and a lot of the dlc quests would bug out into a state where I couldn't progress any further so I just never completed the deep roads. Played a sword and shield warrior until I learned going 2h and just playing reaver for self-healing was infinitely better than mitigating damage with guard or blocking. The game was never difficult besides trying to get the AI to do what I wanted them to do, stand in decent positions and such, the time-pause camera is vastly inferior to Oirigins system. Basically got fed up with dealing with bugs and such and decided to 1 and done the story and finish it out so I'm ready for 4.
Replaying this game now and I have a tip for newcomers if they will watch this video for some reason. Just split hinterlands in at least two parts. I usually complete the eastern part of hinterland, unlocking Redcliff, speak with mages etc and go as far West as the river where also is a Templar camp. Than I complete main quest up to Skyhold and than I go back to hinterlands and finis it off. This way it is not boring at all, at least for me
With Veilguard being a big dissapoinment for me I am going to play Inquisition as I never got by the Hinterlands and have seen so many videos recently describing how enjoyable it was in the other areas of the game. I will take your advice on spliting the Hinterlands up and moving on quicker.
Great review, I really hope you get a chance to try Origins. Like Pillars, the first game has a much more interesting story, while the later one has a stronger game engine. Origins has a starting series of quests where you explore the situation your character originates from, before they join the awesome Grey Wardens on a quest to save the world. The plotline and characters in Origins are much more interesting, and it has the deliciously dark element you experience in Pillars.
I might go back to this game. I barely started his game. About 3 hours and I was bored to tears and uninstalled it. This vid makes me think it might (just) be worth another go.
@@soydansogukcesme470 I never played DA2, which, according to the internet is not a bad thing. I did play DA:O, which was fun, but, in my opinion, DA:Inquisition was better, with the exception of the War Table, that thing sucked. The reason I prefer Inquisition is that the progression, to me, was clear and straight forward. Origins, had almost no direction once you got past the beginning, you could literally stumble around doing various things, not realising that you were crippling yourself for later, Lothering (cough). Plus, Inquisition had dragon fights, and why would you want to cheese those fights. lol
As a mage enjoyer and knight enchanter main, I had a harder time with the braziers in the DLC than the actual mobs. Plus I was used to soloing like 4/5 of the dragon fights so the 1 shots were fine
"that would be easier if they just, wrote more story" My favorite line :D And the main issue with this game honestly, it turned out pretty good overall despite its development, but there is so little of the actual main story.
The original story had you close the rift in the first chapter. game testers were like “um, what is your motivation for the rest of the game then?” So they rewrote the story to make closing the rift a gradual process.
Combat wise Inquisition was a huge downgrade from Origins due to 2 things: 1. Number of abilities for each class 2. Limited hotbar slots to only 8 Which meant you could only use a max of 8 active abilities and couldn't switch up the combat depending on the type of enemies
When you play origins i recommend the dlc, and 3 playthroughs, one of whatever you want, one of a female human that becomes queen, and a male royal dwarf, the first one will give you a view of the game overall, the second playthrough will give you possibly the best ending and the one that gives you the best references and options in the other games, and the dwarf warrior is the most fun you could have in the game imo, it had the most fleshed out story and start
Alistair living is the best ending? Nah, best ending is MAle Noble who marries Anora, recruits Logain so Alistair becomes a pathetic drunk, and then Logain dies so it's just the Warden and his Queen in charge. Anyone who could challenge them for the next 20 years has been dealt with.
Man Varric and Iron Bull, my all time favorites :P If you progress Varric's side stuff, you actually get to meet Bianca. The one he named his crossbow after. THAT Bianca. And Iron Bull, if you romance him, thats a fun romance :P also, win youre going to battle your first dragon, take him with. Hell yell something really fun as it shows up :P
I don't know why people hate DA Inquisition so much. I could spend hours just walking around and collecting Elfroots. I don't mind the grind. I welcome it and embrace it. I love the story, the world is a pleasure to explore and look at. The characters are some of the best i've seen in any RPG ever. And that's coming from someone who's first DA game was Origins. I played DAO a hundred times before DAI came out.
Played this game when it first came out. As a fan of the original [D.A Origins] Inquisition felt flawed and lacked depth. Like you said there is far to much filler and farming and not enough main quest elements. However I did enjoy it on the whole.Tresspasser was great and I felt for Solas at the end. There are some great moments and the soundtrack is excellent. Then the Witcher 3 came out a few months after Inquisition and basically set a standard in rpg's that has not been beaten since.
I loved dragon age origins, beat it many times probably around 4 or 5. Dragon age 2 was ok, beat it twice, not as good imo. Inquisition I immediately bounced off. Dragon age origins in plays like a 3D infinity engine game, you have kinda an overhead view, and you pause constantly and issue orders etc etc. dragon age two started to veer a bit more actiony, but by inquisition I felt like trying to control my whole party at once was moot, I was expected to just hold down left mouse button to pew pew everything. That combined with hitting the hinterlands and being neurotic I insisted on clearing the entire map before moving on and there is just SO MUCH BULLSHIT that by the time I was done and got to the swamp I just felt exhausted, and had lost all interest in the story. I really need to give it another go one of these days
You actually have a tactics camera in Inquisition (unlike in DA2) and you can issue orders and stuff. Actually, for me it would be pretty impossible to beat any dragons without the tactical mode.
@@bib4eto656 I played DA3 shortly after launch, so maybe they fixed it, but you had a "tactics" camera that didn't zoom out far enough to be useful and the dragon fights are what ultimately killed it for me. I would use the "tactics" camera to spread my party out, but as soon as I switched back to my main character, the rest of the party would re-arrange themselves into what my RPG buddies would have referred to as fireball formation, take a bunch of damage from the breath attack, then consume all my potions and we'd lose an entirely winnable fight. I did not feel it was playable as a tactics game at all.
Nice one, even though I bought this when it was released and played it to the end (which I barely remember) this was a great refresher. I think I have all the dlc as well. Maybe time to try it out again.
I had such high hopes for our main citadel. Thought that we will upgrade defences, hire and improve castle's guard, do some specific quests... and all of that will have an impact on the story. Sort of like fortresses from NWN 2 and DA;A had. Pity, that it was not the case.
Mages do not draw power from the Veil. Mages draw their power from the Fade (spirit-world), Fen'Harel created the Veil, possibly to trap the Evanuris somewhere behind or in the Fade.
People generally like Inquisition because of the lore and worldbuilding rather than the gameplay. The difficulty is based on systems knowledge rather than tactical skill necessarily, which is what most RPGs do (in a CRPG you're making a character that is best at doing X, in a JRPG you're learning about each party member and how to use him or her effectively). BioWare made the game open world because Skyrim was ridiculously popular and overhyped at the time. The design assumes your RPG systems complexity experience is with stuff like Skyrim, World of Warcraft, or maybe Final Fantasy 7. If a random person in North America has played any RPG-like game, it's most likely Skyrim or World of Warcraft. Grinding is usually possible in RPGs so that a player who is not skilled at systems knowledge can still make a very powerful character by fighting lots of easier battles. Simplifying the RPG system somewhat (like limiting builds) and basing the difficulty on system complexity is probably a better design choice than expecting that less skilled players will grind. So Inquisition isn't really like D&D or Pathfinder where you can put in lots of time trying out different builds and the game rewards you for a high level of systems knowledge or finding a new way of doing something. The stupid quests were probably added to draw out average playtime as long as possible so more people would spend $60 on the game at launch. Trails of Cold Steel IV is arguably far worse in this regard---a lot of the story is filler and content designed to please fans of the characters (which is hilarious considering that part of Cold Steel III is about how Juna's obsessive fangirling over the Crossbell heroes prevents her from realizing her own strength). Then there's a part of the game where you run around doing stupid sidequests for townspeople while your overarching goal is to prevent the villains from causing the apocalypse. There isn't that much new actual lore content even though the game is 100 hours long for $60.
first time seeing a video from someone who started with DA3. You must have LOVED DA:Origins then. Easily the best DA and one of the best RPGs ever, it's a Bioware jewel from their golden age. Cool video, got me thinking about replaying Inquisition actually.
Have only ever played Origins and it's one of the best RPGs ever imo. I'd love to see this game on GoG. This game makes me think of the Wheel of Time books in so many ways
Thank you for bringing the Anchor being on the left hand in game vs. on the right in the promo picture, to my attention. I will never sleep again. ~ Sincerely, my OCD
I'm mixed on the fetch quests. Some of it yeah kind of lame. But some of it like in the Hinterlands where you're finding food and blankets and such for the refugees, I don't consider them pointless. That's part of the point of the Inquisition's existence, to help the people that the Chantry has effectively left behind and abandoned. You don't really get anything out of it beyond XP and Power, but do you really need to? I don't think so.
@@jmmywyf4lyf I can't speak for later in the game, but at that point I can reason you're considered the Herald so since the inquisition is young and with pretty much no clout, you're the best person to go out there and win support. A face they can see and root behind.
I actually didn’t mind the fetch quests in this game. They did a decent job making it feel like you were gathering resources for your military organization
I only played Inquisition and I really loved it! Probably the first real game I managed to complete from the beginning to the end without getting bored! After this, I discovered Skyrim! I loved that you can control every character in combat so, when I got enough of mage staying away from the fight, I switched to Iron Bull and wrecked some faces. Also, this game have the best dragon fights I ever found in a game up to now. You feel like playing a real bossfight!
Couldn't agree more with this review. Only other con I would add on is the UI was lacking. I understand that is could be considered a "lighter" CRPG but they couldn't even give us numbers on the UI. We had to go into tactical view to see how much health each character had (only by hovering over the character), and still could not see how much mana or stamina the party members had.
I really like DA:O. Played as the game was launched and loved it! It's story is tremendous enjoying and has real consequences. I recommend that you start by that!
Just found this channel and I will say your reviews are some of the best out there. I love this game and am replaying it, but your criticism I can totally understand. Still figuring out if i should play Vanguard
It's a pity you didn't start with Origins. That game nails the kind of introduction to the world lore and real sense of dread you get from it as you slowly experience all sides of it. As everybody else is saying. It's hands down the best of the series. Inquisition is a decent game but I really dislike it for the reason that it represents the hard left turn Bioware took with Dragon Age. It just makes all the dangers you've been introduced to in the first game seem lame. It's more about being an icon who is in the right and every other group is in the wrong. There's no nuance. I hated DA2 so much back when it first came out but even with its faults, that game maintained the theme that DA:O started and expanded on it. Inquisition is just sad reminder of what was lost.
Origins is VASTLY overrated as a game. That being said, it is definitely the best game of the series, but for some bizarre reason, I still like DA2 more.
@@khatack Is it really? I don't see the mainstream singing praises of it. Just people who, over time, learned how good it is after playing again and again. I think it's more Inquisition that's overrated. Even to this day, I can find untrodden dialogue paths. That's how expansive that system was. DA2 is a good game and if you play it now, you can look past its flaws and enjoy it precisely because it followed the DA:O choice and consequence formula and implemented the same level of detail to the Dialogue system.
@@TurretSyndrome Maybe you're too young to remember but not a single mainstream outlet gave Origins a negative review, it was very well received critically.
@@khatack Hmm, yes. But you don't really go into detail about how or why you consider the game to be overrated. If you conclude a game being overrated simply from its critic reviews, then that's a very shallow assessment. I can only assume you contrast your own experience with that of the general score, and that is fine.
@@TurretSyndrome Well that's what you concluded made the game NOT overrated, so there you go. Origins has its problems, the gameplay is clunky at best, the pacing is way off, the start of the game is slow as hell, side quest information is immediately hidden away behind various menus instead of proper dialogue, the combat encounters are very repetitive and due to the clunky controls, makes the game VERY tedious to play. Overall, Origins is definitely not a very good game, it has an interesting world and neat ideas, but the game itself is really really bad.
I got this game when it came out. I was in love with 1000 cuts. I wrecked everything huge in my way. Dragons that were WAAAYYY above my level were killed in one move. Then I found out the moves were not coded properly and did more damage than they should. Lol. So when they updated it, it was not as great. But I still love the game.
I remember when the whole 'hours = good' articles started popping up, originally most games worked to be entertaining and 100% complete. Now It's not the same to say every hour is equivalent to 'good' if I'm unhappy playing the game, those hours are wasted time IMO. I would rather a 6 hour AMAZING every second versus 50 hours of filler and boring tasks with another 50 of good content.
Playing Jaws of Hakkon underlevelled, at nightmare difficulty, was one of the most enraging moments of my life. And I played Cuphead, Sekiro, Dark Souls, Doom Eternal on nightmare.
I played a bit of Inquisition and despite loving the other DA games, this one didnt work for me. My daughter played it and completed it, which gave me some fun hours of WATCHING it being played, even if I wasnt playing it myself
I love Witcher 3 as I got the goty edition really cheap and am on the last dlc Blood and Wine. I'm looking for a game of similar style but torn between Skyrim and DA:I. I've seen a lot of Skyrim and the modding aspect but I'm on PS4 so the modding isn't as varied. Never played a game in either franchise though.
I thought of getting this on steam during this (2022) winter sale, as it was very cheap. However a TON of stream reviews were blasting it for its terrible vestigial EA origin client implementation, which apparently actually made a sizeable number of people being unable to play it on steam without a lot of fiddling, which turned me off from getting it. I did play dragon age origins and DA2 in the past, however. Heck I loved origins to the point I got it 3 times, a CD copy, steam and on GOG.
Hinterlands, the grind etc caused me to drop this game way back then. I might try it out again (this time on PC) with some mods. I've played the earlier two games in this series. Origins was the best imo. DA2 was great as well just a bit more casual and the world was just too limited and copy paste.
I live for the so called "filler quests." I liked the main quest story fine, but the main quest was the filler for me; hated to have to take the next step. Hated the social ball quest, but I did love that they were brave enough to completely subvert expectations and come up with something truly different. I didn't like it because it was not straightforward and any slight deviance could cause you to miss the end you were seeking. Felt like walking on eggshells, and I've got real non-combat PTSD from that kind of thing IRL.
I admit I stopped playing before the first dragon in the Hinterlands, there was just soooooo much to do it looked like it was going to be a massive chore, but the fact that no other zone is as big as that one will draw me back eventually. Good review!
Playing through DA2 right now after beating it once before and really finding a new love for it, especially the companions! Merrill, Bella and aveline always have me lmao 😂
Copper Marigolds. 😹 I’ve played that one several times since launch and Aveline still sticks out in my mind for how adorably awkward she was about romance.
I dont remember the specifics off the top of my head, it's fairly late game though, think you just have to become friends with so many of them or something like that. It's like the big companion hurrah as the game starts wrapping itself up
For those who fell in love with Imquiaition and haven't yet experienced the first game Orogins, I highly recommend it. The gameplay is kot as fancy, and it has quite old school graphics, but the story, characters, and complex mechanics by far make up for all of that. If you think the inquisition story was good, the story Orogins is on a league of its own
I played origins after I played inquisition and honestly it's not that great. it's absolutely extremely well written but that's about it. People act like it's the best game ever devised by man and I really don't think it is. As a whole I prefer inquisition tbh. I wouldn't put origins in "a league of it's own" there are many game that I think are better than it without the garbage combat and old graphics like all of mass effect, the Witcher games, red dead, Fallot NV, etc.
I loved Inquisition. I tried to join the EA play thing to get the DLC but I never did play them. Shame. Doubt Ill ever go back to play the DLC at this point. Really wanted to.
The more trials you select, the more often your companions will glitch out. They used to not do that on the OG game. (GOTY is the way to go) I like your review, it’s fair and shows a lot of what we want improved and really showed how poorly it has aged. Despite my several several playthroughs. My first play through I almost spent the entire time in the hinterlands it’s so huge. The fetch quest nature of the place absolutely sucks after the first, but the lore you uncover doing them is awesome. Really feel the love the creators put into it. Definitely play the other 2 games. Origins was great, dragon age 2 was fun but left me wanting a lot more.
I did get cutscenes and map transition crashes but they didn't happen often. It's only later that I learned the reason the game crashed or lag was due to some texture mods. I remember playing the game, including DLCs, without mods and there wasn't any CTD. I think sometimes such issues have nothing to do with the game but with the computer; programs and how it's set up. Take Dishonored II for example. At launch, there were a lot of complaints about CTD, not launching, etc but there was not a single CTD or problem at my end.
Inquisition was the Dragon Age game I couldn't finish. It just never gripped me the way DA:O and even DA:2 did (even with DA:2s huge shortcomings). I can't put my finger on what quite was missing from it. but DA:O just sucked me in and I couldn't get enough. DA:I, I felt I had to push myself constantly to open the game again and give it another chance, "Maybe it'll get good now? Maybe now? When does it get good?!". It never did for me. I also only played DA:I after I finished The Witcher 3. Now coming off the back off TW3, DA:I just had no chance.
Would love to see you play dragon age origin's and give your perspective as it is mine and majority players favourite games. One that I've played multiple times! Would be a rip moment if you didn't like it but either way will be great to see your comparison /review 😁
I really wanted to like DAI but compared to DAO and DA2 I just ended up being bored most of the time, the main story is fine but everything else takes long and it is really not very interesting for it to be worth it IMO. The gameplay isn't what I wanted either, I greatly prefered the gameplay of origins with its Baldurs Gate styled gameplay and DA2 was close enough. However I can see why people like this game, it just happens that I had different expectations coming from previous games in the series. :]
I got this with all DLCs for free on Epic. I enjoy a good open world rpg where I can dominate my enemy in good old elf-punk folk-fi fashion. It sounds like you recommend it, yes? I'm never quite sure but you don't sound bored telling the lore of this game so I'm taking that as a yes.
Edit: This video is getting a lot views lately thanks to the dreadwolf leaks but please note this is two years old from when the channel had less than 10k subs.
Origins ultimate edition was on sale $5 so I bought and will be playing it at some point!
Origins review: th-cam.com/video/gZu1v2Zhkwg/w-d-xo.html
Enjoy!
It is a fantastic game, I think you will like it. The combat is much more complex in origins and the story is more streamlined (not a lot of fetch quests from what I remember). I hope you enjoy:).
Please review it when you do! Even after finishing it I'd watch the ship out of that video
Since you mentioned loving the Gray Wardens, in DA:O you play as one of them on a quest to raise an army to fight an Archdemon during a Blight. Hope you like the game
If you liked the story here then buckle up. Origins is so good
I know I'm repeating myself, but this is the best reviewer out there. Outting in the time and understanding what you're presenting makes a huge difference, clearly
Origins is exactly that: an origin story for the game world. The events of Origins really have very little to do with the direction they are taking the story but it paints the world state so beautifully and gives you such a great insight to how all the factions and races interact with each other. If anyone is getting in to Dragon age I highly recommend playing through Origins at least once even if it's on casual difficulty
No. It’s a self contained brilliant game and story - a great RPG, and just happens to have all the various different character origin stories, WITHIN the game.
Ah the memories of my brother and I playing origins for the first time over a decade ago the bloodiest game I'd ever seen at the time still holds up beautifully today still prefer it over inquisition
Origins took the best parts of what made crpgs great and made its unique spin on it. Sure its not complicated like D&D but its simplicity won me over. Also combat finishers ftw
cant really do that when you play playstation. And Im not buying a whole ass gaming pc setup for one game
@@trblemayker5157 doesn’t it have just as much complexity as AD&D in its mechanics?
The advisor missions get a lot more immersive when you’ve played previous games. A lot of lore is in there and you can affect previous character storyline in them. They do take WAY too long later down the line but unique way to include more lore and choice from the keep.
@@jonathansoko1085 that was exactly my problem even tho I loved the world and the characters I'm not one to enjoy extraneous fluff and padding in anything or grinding. Genuinely I saw the specilisations locked behind a fetch quest and I never played further than that in the game. I just got sick of it. I like the actual story the game has but the design hurts me.
@@jonathansoko1085 I just watched someone else play it and traded the game in haha. I got it on pc now cause it was cheap af so I'm planning on playing through the series now I can mod out some of the grind
@@ross8093 luckily theres a lot of really good mods on the nexus like. 0 time for missions, more party banter (its bugged basically in base game and is on a timer that resets when you pause or do other silly things so you miss tons of good team dialogue) insta pickup resources/and shops that have all the dumb things u dont wanna have to waste time on like quarrys/shards. also i saw in another comment u never finished inquisition which i would recommend doing as the trespasser dlc kinda redeems the whole game in my eyes as far as the story goes.
@@jaded-harper I know how the story goes and I've always liked and enjoyed inquisition story. Just actually playing it I had issues with. I'll keep it I mind for when I'm in need of something to play
Someone actually told me you can complete all those missions instantly by starting a mission and then manually setting your pc’s/console’s clock forward till the mission timer is up. Then you complete the mission and reset your clock back to normal. And it worked, making the whole experience immediately ten times better! Now I can actually read through all the context of the mission AND remember it when it’s find out the resolution.😂
I don't mind the Hinterlands anymore. I've come up with a "system" that lets me take care of it as quickly and efficiently as possible. If you collect the initial quests in the right way, you can do a circle of the Hinterlands that'll get you to level 4-7 fairly quickly - and then you leave. You go on with the story, pick up some new characters, then I head back to the Hinterlands and do another circle to complete it. That way there's minimal backtracking, mostly new areas all the time... keeps things interesting.
In theory, the Hinterlands was supposed to be a central hub area you were to come back to in small doses through the game between other hubs, the first time, they intended you to stay just long enough to open up that next little part which doesn't take long; there are even parts of it, you'll notice, you can't get to or do anything about until later in the game. Of course, in practice, gamers see an area and bread crumb trails leading them to more and more things, the natural inclination is "well I guess I'm supposed to take care of all this stuff."
Hinterlands should have actually just connected to the Fasttravel points/other zones. You need to cross the Hinterlands to find the trail/entrance to the other zones. Once you find the zones and set up the base in the area, you can then fast travel from Skyhold to them.
@@mooseclamps Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. EA are idiotic like that.
I definitely spend too much time in the Hinterlands with I played. They didn’t do a good job revealing to players that they could leave it early.
The story of this game’s development is pretty interesting, the book “Blood, Sweat, and Pixels” has a chapter on it.
Im a huge DA fan. For me, it was the lore that hooked me. The more you learn about the world of Thedas and its history, the more you want to learn.
Yeah they really knocked it outta the park with the lore.
To think even with all 3 games and esp Inquisition we only really know about the elves lore and gods.
We still don't know too much about the actual Maker and Andraste as well as the dwarves God's.
I love the books.
I only played Inquisition, granted, but the lore felt like some of the blandest I've ever experienced, the characters felt unmemorable and it always surprises me that I even finished it...
yep me too this game is a lorenut's dream. Thedas is so investing.
@@alexsm3882 It's probably not the game for you then man.
Just finished my first playthrough of Dragon Age: Origins a few hours ago. Took a couple tries to get all the way through it but very glad I did. On the whole, a pretty breath-taking experience - great story, real choices, iconic companions and an epic, satisfying ending. Sadly I doubt we'll see another game like it again, it seems it was the first and last of its kind. Looking forward to tackling Awakening next!
The first Witcher is extremely similar to it.
@slater_revuu no. Lelianna is bae
Witcher3, Elex, come to mind
Origins is such perfection. Its amazing for a casual playthrough. Literally multiple origin stories for replayability and then to top it off it's also super good for meta and power gaming. Fucking miss my back stabbing rogue sometimes.
Really one of the most complete RPGs ever created.
@@ma1ist fuck dude for real I miss those day, I remember doing the glitch in the beginning where you just kept turning in the first half of the ritual items for exp.
Dragon Age Origins was great because your actions actually had huge effects on the game world. And the differing origins showed various NPC characters from different vantage points. I especially loved that. No game later in the series has come close to matching it.
They made me King in that game. Good times.
so did Inquisition, even DA2 did to a certain degree. although the fate of the entire world wasn't on your shoulders. the Blight was mainly happening in Ferelden, but the Inquisitor had the fate of all Thedas on their shoulders dealing with the breach, and then later Corypheous. but ya both the Warden and the Inquisitor are the two most important.
Inquisition is better
You definitely need to put DA:O on your list of games to 100%.
Personally, without even thinking about it, it's definitely in my Top 5
16:53 bro you have no idea the excitement I felt during this part…. You’re going to love the intro to Origins my friend
I was thinking the same thing.
I know 100%-ing is your shtick, but I've come to believe that DAI is a game that should never be 100%-ed. I've finished it several times and it's one of my favorite RPG stories of all time, but it's _desperately_ clingy and insecure, constantly hassling you to do side stuff, padding the playtime, time-gating the plot, and throttling its own progression systems (especially crafting - it's a very powerful system that can really diversify gameplay and enrich buildcraft, but in order to use it you'll need to have picked up mountains of garbage, presumably by wandering the quest zones for hours on end). At every step, the game is yanking you by the sleeve to go engage in its ubisoft-map-marker-clearing drudgery, thereby doing a _massive_ disservice to its own stellar worldbuilding and character writing.
EDIT: Also, I really enjoy your long-form content. I know it's not easy to make, but I don't really find myself sitting down for short videos as often, unless I can queue like 10 of them.
Origins quest design was leagues worse and more annoying than this. I much rather the "ubisoft" pointer instead of going back and forth all the time just in case there is something there or getting a quest in an area I've already been to then that repeats 5 times with every area. No thanks
There's actually a lot of value in having a newcomer to the series review this game. It's very easy to impress a fan but they really have to earn the respect of a new player. About the hinterlands, the developers literally had to tell people not to spend too much time there at the beginning of the game. I've never seen that shit before and it's really indicative of how poorly the zone was conceived of.
You say that but I really think it's the opposite in this case. If you played and loved Origins you'd naturally want more of that which the sequels haven't really delivered on. Starting in the second game there was a big push towards making the combat more actiony. The whole if you press a button something awesome has to happen. Personally part of the reason i got into crpgs is because they delivered closer to what i wanted from the dragon age games than the sequels did.
I love the Hinterlands, it’s got some of the best story in it. The mage vs templar fields and bases are really cool, and the world reacts to what you do by stopping the templars and mages from spawning after you stop them. Problem is they made White Orchard from TW3 about 3-4 years too early, and it sucked because no one had ever seen it before and didn’t realize how ok it was to pass over the huge side quests (one takes place in an entirely converted castle).
@@luckygozer Yeah mage in originals is magical. Spell combos (the massive combo aoe death storms) were something I missed in 2 and 3
@@toprope_ i like it but only now after beating the game 5 times lol the entire area is badly designed from a gameplay perspective (which u could say for a lot of the areas tbh) certain very high lvl mobs in very close proximity to noobie areas that will one shot and you things like that. the game never makes it clear the hinterlands is place you should do bits and pieces of and return to time to time. also dear god the shard finding up vertical terrain was so tedious. dai in general is a much more enjoyable game if u play with mods imo
@@jaded-harper very high lvl mobs is a very clear indication of "you should not be here yet come back later" if I ever seen one.
Love this game. After you move into the castle and a whole new region, it blew my mind. I was like 40 hrs into the game then and it literally just opened up.
My only gripe with Inquisition is how grind heavy it was. But that's most RPGs for you I guess.
I eventually caved and went around completing all the star gazing missions and skull shits across all the maps and shit.
Same dude, this was the first RPG I completed because of that event alone.
A major strength of the dragon age series is how much it changes based on your decisions in previous games, and I would really recommend replaying inquisition once you’ve played the other 2 first and imported your world state because a lot of things can change
I’m sorry but this just isn’t true. For instance, you can murder Leliana in Origins but she will turn up in DAI anyways. Very few of your choices from previous games really effect how the story progresses or what characters are present.
Besides origins, I think Dragon Age is actually a highly overrated franchise. They released one really great game and two good games, nostalgia aside Dragon Age is outclassed by almost every other modern Crpg series, I'd actually say that OG Baldurs Gate is better because it has a larger overarching narrative with the same Protagonist and companions across 2 games (Throne of Bhaal is essentially a 3rd game, and EE has seige of dragonspear as well), plus the class and race choices are waaaaay more varied.
I like origins a lot but after that there's not much to write home about, there are a lot of games that do what these games do but better.
@@lenniesmall8286 you literally mentioned the only decision that doesnt make sense in the whole trilogy.
@@lenniesmall8286 that is objectively wrong
@@travissmith9894 the worst of Dragon Age is better than the best of Baldur's Gate
Many good points made in this video, esp. re: size of the hinterlands, scope & pacing. I've been accidently trained by video games to complete every quest and explore every corner, and it took me a while to realize (and accept) that you can (and maybe SHOULD) leave a bunch of stuff undone, just to keep the story moving. I also thought that the NPCs and the story/lore were fantastic, and it IS a very 'pretty' game.
I love the Dragon Age series, and Inquisition is my favorite chapter so far. I have replayed it more times than any other BioWare game, and for me, that's saying something!
Well worth your time & money. Even us 'old timers' can enjoy it!
I honestly didn't mind the "filler" content in Inquisition. It only becomes tedious if you think of it as an obligation. Meanwhile, exploration is generally VERY rewarding and cool. I felt like there was something to discover around nearly every corner. The world-building in this game is truly phenomenal.
Very true, my first play through i was very impatient and just wanted to get through the story which made everything else a million times more tedious. The second time i played i went in with a more rp focused mindset which made all the “filler” stuff seem a lot more natural and acceptable althought there were still a couple of annoying quests that i wish i could just erase😅
People just label to much these days without understanding the purpose just because its an old school design does not make it inferior in fact this form of exploration is superior.
I hated the filler content. It felt like such a chore, and I nearly dropped the game entirely.
@@lastking3185 It is optional but with the whole Faction readiness thing, I can get how it doesn't seem optional the first time playing.
Thats not a defense. You didn't mind something? So you didn't enjoy it either? Brilliant.
The problem with "filler" content is that there could have been meaningful content designed in its place. Smarten up.
I’m a lonely delusional 16 year old that has no friends or achievements or anything exciting in their life, so this game made me feel…loved, respected, appreciated and i felt like a hero in a world that doesn’t exist. My companions felt like real life friends, i actually felt like i belong but pity it’s a video game.
Unlike any other rpg i’ve played, this was the most wholesome, you start as a suspect then slowly build yourself up to glory, you walk around and people praise you. You are the leader, you have friends, lovers, army and a castle that’s all yours. I played this game as a form of escape from reality, it really was a unique experience that i couldn’t get with any game, which makes it one of my favorite games.
Hey, just wanted to let you know that a good life isn’t simply about achievements or the like. People come and go, as do money and even fame… but finding something to believe in and holding into people you will meet in the coming years will help set you on a path for something beautiful.
The key is being calm and relaxed, find peace and steadiness.
For me, that’s in Jesus. I feel fulfilled. But your journey is your own, just want you to know that there is so much out there.
Stay steady, stay strong and persevere in the name of a good life.
Very good quality review as always, have always loved the DA Franchise and you pretty much nailed the good and bad points of this game. That DLC difficulty spike is real though.
Bit of a shame you never mentioned the music, thought the music in this like other BioWare products (Mass Effect mainly) was very strong and sold moments really well.
I can't emphasize enough how much I like this game as a big fan of origins. The extension of the lore, the BEST companions in any RPG ever, the cool world to explore, THE DLC. I love all of it. And I even like the combat for the weird combo actions and the fast gameplay. Yes, it's not Origins comeback, but don't let yourself be held back by expectations. It's what will kill your enjoyment of a lot of games. This is an amazing game.
Inquisition is a really good 'first time playthrough' game for me, and I say that as a huge Bioware & Dragon Age fan. It kinda feels very samey after a while. Dragon Age Origins is by far the best game in the series (and my personal favourite game of all time). It's been such a blast replaying it on my channel
Dude I think I have replayed and 100% DAO over 25 times and never gets old to me, 5 hours into DAI and I want to smash my head into a wall
@@Christhegreatbro 😂😂😂
You are just biased because it's your favorite. Of course you will completely ignored it's flaws and glaze on it because you are blinded by nostalgia
@@johnpantag472not a case of glazing it, it’s by far better in my opinion, there’s a reason it still holds up 15 years later and spawned a franchise
@@NewDengs it doesn't hold up and yes you are blinded by nostalgia. I played it recently because I didn't like it many years ago on the Ps3. I poured 130 hours in a month on this game and it definitely doesn't hold up. Almost every single aspect except the choices is completely outdated. I dont understand how you think it holds up today when it has like 300 active players on steam and almost no one makes any videos about it. I for my life couldn't find a decent build for my warrior. People be saying anything these days without fact checking it. lmao " there is a reason it holds up". The game couldn't be more dead.
I'd love to see a legendary edition for the dragon age series
My favorite thing about the game was how it builds in scale. You start out very much alone and helpless. As the story advances you make friends and get followers, so next your operating in a small party. This advances so that my the end of the game your commanding large scale armies, without whom you would not succeed.
I agree. Although i would've loved to have seen in action, deciding where to deploy the army and see the confrontation; the implications. That would've given me a perspective of how massive the conflict really was and not just an adventuring party of 4 going around the world solving problems
Speak for yourself.
I didn’t call upon any of my armies against the dark spawn or archdemon
You mean just like us DA:O?
This game really shined in the power fantasy department for me. I really felt like I was in charge, and I loved it when they called me inquisitor and I sat on the throne in judgment of people ….Bioware used to be great at this …when I was Shepard, I felt like a bad ass who was in charge and everybody respected.
I feel like Origins will be more your speed in the mechanics department. Glad you enjoyed the world though. My opinion of Inquisition has soured over time and I'm really hoping 4 gets me excited again.
Weird, my opinion of DA:I improved over time and playing it again right after playing both Origins and 2, I'm enjoying the hell out of it.
@@kagenotatsumaki That's good to hear. I want nothing but greatness from this series, but unfortunately I don't think the general trend from this series or Bioware has been terribly great as of late. I hope DA4 is something we all can enjoy.
I think setting wise inq fucking slaps but i hate the gameplay lol. That being said im a sucker for gray wardens so it loses points just from not allowing me to play as one :/
@@AdrasAdraki I like the setting, but I think the gameplay has a big problem in that it actively interrupts its own narrative. It bothers me to no end that such a lore heavy game purposely makes itself hard to follow at times.
I just have to say, you explained the setup for this game incredibly well. That alone is impressive. It's nice to know that the series did a good job in explaining the lore to even new players. And that is important, because the entire series is about world building. It's arguably BioWare's best original world, and the games would be far less without the excellent stories within them.
The first 2 games are more contained, but sets up the world brilliantly. It's Inquisition that opens it up to a massive scale; one that actually involves the entire world instead of just specific countries or cities. But because of that, the first 2 games, to me personally, handle the personal relationships of the main character and their companions far better. Because the scale is smaller, it's more intimate. It's a trade off; character intimacy or world building. Regardless, all 3 games handle those aspects phenomenally well. Nice to see someone new to the series appreciate its intricacies.
The worst part for Inquisition for me is indeed, as you mentioned, the shit "quests". They made a massive world, but filled it with things that is just so dull. Some parts of the maps are totally empty too. it was the time when every game went "open world means better"., without actually knowing how to use it.
if you ever go do the other games, just know that the first game and its expansions are far more tactics heavy; the hard difficulties are seriously hard. But really enjoyable, and is my favourite.
I just decided to replay DA: Inquisition as a new character and, man, this game is so much fantasy RPG comfort food goodness. I’d forgotten how fun it is to explore all the regions and just talk to all the characters about world lore and politics and history.
I’m bummed I’ve never actually played the first two games still. Hoping for some sort of trilogy release on current consoles someday.
@slater_revuu I played all of them but never finished inquisition, didn't enjoy it after a while
@@ross8093 Same here. I got about halfway through and just couldn't get myself to play more. It felt like I was playing an MMO but I was the only player online.
@@wbeytel same the thing I loved about origins is talking to a random person and it leading to an event changing quest and it’s so bare bone in inquisition
Finished Inquisition a few weeks ago and a lot of the dlc quests would bug out into a state where I couldn't progress any further so I just never completed the deep roads.
Played a sword and shield warrior until I learned going 2h and just playing reaver for self-healing was infinitely better than mitigating damage with guard or blocking.
The game was never difficult besides trying to get the AI to do what I wanted them to do, stand in decent positions and such, the time-pause camera is vastly inferior to Oirigins system.
Basically got fed up with dealing with bugs and such and decided to 1 and done the story and finish it out so I'm ready for 4.
Replaying this game now and I have a tip for newcomers if they will watch this video for some reason. Just split hinterlands in at least two parts. I usually complete the eastern part of hinterland, unlocking Redcliff, speak with mages etc and go as far West as the river where also is a Templar camp. Than I complete main quest up to Skyhold and than I go back to hinterlands and finis it off. This way it is not boring at all, at least for me
Or into 3 or 4 parts. There is a guide online per area.
With Veilguard being a big dissapoinment for me I am going to play Inquisition as I never got by the Hinterlands and have seen so many videos recently describing how enjoyable it was in the other areas of the game.
I will take your advice on spliting the Hinterlands up and moving on quicker.
Great review, I really hope you get a chance to try Origins. Like Pillars, the first game has a much more interesting story, while the later one has a stronger game engine. Origins has a starting series of quests where you explore the situation your character originates from, before they join the awesome Grey Wardens on a quest to save the world. The plotline and characters in Origins are much more interesting, and it has the deliciously dark element you experience in Pillars.
I might go back to this game. I barely started his game. About 3 hours and I was bored to tears and uninstalled it.
This vid makes me think it might (just) be worth another go.
I believe you did a great job explaining this game, I've played it twice 100% and feel quiet similar to you
DA:O is definitely the best of the three
@@soydansogukcesme470 I never played DA2, which, according to the internet is not a bad thing. I did play DA:O, which was fun, but, in my opinion, DA:Inquisition was better, with the exception of the War Table, that thing sucked. The reason I prefer Inquisition is that the progression, to me, was clear and straight forward. Origins, had almost no direction once you got past the beginning, you could literally stumble around doing various things, not realising that you were crippling yourself for later, Lothering (cough). Plus, Inquisition had dragon fights, and why would you want to cheese those fights. lol
Origins is the best one bro ! you'll enjoy it !
As a mage enjoyer and knight enchanter main, I had a harder time with the braziers in the DLC than the actual mobs. Plus I was used to soloing like 4/5 of the dragon fights so the 1 shots were fine
Mage in da inquisition is fucking boring
I beat this game twice this year one warrior one mage focused
"that would be easier if they just, wrote more story" My favorite line :D And the main issue with this game honestly, it turned out pretty good overall despite its development, but there is so little of the actual main story.
The original story had you close the rift in the first chapter.
game testers were like “um, what is your motivation for the rest of the game then?”
So they rewrote the story to make closing the rift a gradual process.
sounds like the plotline inspired divinity 2 - mages being dangeours and calling demons (voidwoken)
Combat wise Inquisition was a huge downgrade from Origins due to 2 things:
1. Number of abilities for each class
2. Limited hotbar slots to only 8
Which meant you could only use a max of 8 active abilities and couldn't switch up the combat depending on the type of enemies
That and they nerfed all the power hits so you may as well just use standard attacks as they actually do damage.
When you play origins i recommend the dlc, and 3 playthroughs, one of whatever you want, one of a female human that becomes queen, and a male royal dwarf, the first one will give you a view of the game overall, the second playthrough will give you possibly the best ending and the one that gives you the best references and options in the other games, and the dwarf warrior is the most fun you could have in the game imo, it had the most fleshed out story and start
Alistair living is the best ending? Nah, best ending is MAle Noble who marries Anora, recruits Logain so Alistair becomes a pathetic drunk, and then Logain dies so it's just the Warden and his Queen in charge. Anyone who could challenge them for the next 20 years has been dealt with.
I never got past the hinterlands . 3 times I have tried and got board in the hinterlands. I love fantasy and sci-fi. Going to try this game again.
Love the look of your Inquisitor. Seeing him sitting in judgement gives me serious "Daemon Targaryen sitting on the iron throne" vibes!
Kind of what I was going for, I usually play qunari
@@MortismalGaming Haha now I want a Daemon of my own to play! Love that connection to GoT!
Restarting now...
I thought i was ALONE in liking cassandra as much as i do. Heck yes.
Man Varric and Iron Bull, my all time favorites :P If you progress Varric's side stuff, you actually get to meet Bianca. The one he named his crossbow after. THAT Bianca. And Iron Bull, if you romance him, thats a fun romance :P also, win youre going to battle your first dragon, take him with. Hell yell something really fun as it shows up :P
I don't know why people hate DA Inquisition so much. I could spend hours just walking around and collecting Elfroots. I don't mind the grind. I welcome it and embrace it. I love the story, the world is a pleasure to explore and look at. The characters are some of the best i've seen in any RPG ever. And that's coming from someone who's first DA game was Origins. I played DAO a hundred times before DAI came out.
if you liked Varric so much, you will probably have a good time in Dragon Age 2 😂
Played this game when it first came out. As a fan of the original [D.A Origins] Inquisition felt flawed and lacked depth. Like you said there is far to much filler and farming and not enough main quest elements. However I did enjoy it on the whole.Tresspasser was great and I felt for Solas at the end. There are some great moments and the soundtrack is excellent. Then the Witcher 3 came out a few months after Inquisition and basically set a standard in rpg's that has not been beaten since.
Yeah the story and what it did for the universe was amazing.
But the gameplay and repetitive style of the maps was exhausting af.
I loved dragon age origins, beat it many times probably around 4 or 5. Dragon age 2 was ok, beat it twice, not as good imo. Inquisition I immediately bounced off. Dragon age origins in plays like a 3D infinity engine game, you have kinda an overhead view, and you pause constantly and issue orders etc etc. dragon age two started to veer a bit more actiony, but by inquisition I felt like trying to control my whole party at once was moot, I was expected to just hold down left mouse button to pew pew everything. That combined with hitting the hinterlands and being neurotic I insisted on clearing the entire map before moving on and there is just SO MUCH BULLSHIT that by the time I was done and got to the swamp I just felt exhausted, and had lost all interest in the story.
I really need to give it another go one of these days
I enjoyed both the first and second Dragon Age games for different reasons. I really wish they would make a third one some day.
You actually have a tactics camera in Inquisition (unlike in DA2) and you can issue orders and stuff. Actually, for me it would be pretty impossible to beat any dragons without the tactical mode.
@@bib4eto656 I played DA3 shortly after launch, so maybe they fixed it, but you had a "tactics" camera that didn't zoom out far enough to be useful and the dragon fights are what ultimately killed it for me. I would use the "tactics" camera to spread my party out, but as soon as I switched back to my main character, the rest of the party would re-arrange themselves into what my RPG buddies would have referred to as fireball formation, take a bunch of damage from the breath attack, then consume all my potions and we'd lose an entirely winnable fight. I did not feel it was playable as a tactics game at all.
Awesome video as usual 👍
Nice one, even though I bought this when it was released and played it to the end (which I barely remember) this was a great refresher. I think I have all the dlc as well. Maybe time to try it out again.
I had such high hopes for our main citadel. Thought that we will upgrade defences, hire and improve castle's guard, do some specific quests... and all of that will have an impact on the story. Sort of like fortresses from NWN 2 and DA;A had. Pity, that it was not the case.
Free on Epic until the 25th of May 2024
Mages do not draw power from the Veil.
Mages draw their power from the Fade (spirit-world), Fen'Harel created the Veil, possibly to trap the Evanuris somewhere behind or in the Fade.
Yeah theres a message onscreen at 2:13 that explains that, and I cover Fen'Harel at the end.
@@MortismalGaming Ooops, thanks. I probably missed it because I listen more than I watch sometimes.
People generally like Inquisition because of the lore and worldbuilding rather than the gameplay. The difficulty is based on systems knowledge rather than tactical skill necessarily, which is what most RPGs do (in a CRPG you're making a character that is best at doing X, in a JRPG you're learning about each party member and how to use him or her effectively). BioWare made the game open world because Skyrim was ridiculously popular and overhyped at the time. The design assumes your RPG systems complexity experience is with stuff like Skyrim, World of Warcraft, or maybe Final Fantasy 7. If a random person in North America has played any RPG-like game, it's most likely Skyrim or World of Warcraft.
Grinding is usually possible in RPGs so that a player who is not skilled at systems knowledge can still make a very powerful character by fighting lots of easier battles. Simplifying the RPG system somewhat (like limiting builds) and basing the difficulty on system complexity is probably a better design choice than expecting that less skilled players will grind. So Inquisition isn't really like D&D or Pathfinder where you can put in lots of time trying out different builds and the game rewards you for a high level of systems knowledge or finding a new way of doing something.
The stupid quests were probably added to draw out average playtime as long as possible so more people would spend $60 on the game at launch. Trails of Cold Steel IV is arguably far worse in this regard---a lot of the story is filler and content designed to please fans of the characters (which is hilarious considering that part of Cold Steel III is about how Juna's obsessive fangirling over the Crossbell heroes prevents her from realizing her own strength). Then there's a part of the game where you run around doing stupid sidequests for townspeople while your overarching goal is to prevent the villains from causing the apocalypse. There isn't that much new actual lore content even though the game is 100 hours long for $60.
first time seeing a video from someone who started with DA3. You must have LOVED DA:Origins then. Easily the best DA and one of the best RPGs ever, it's a Bioware jewel from their golden age. Cool video, got me thinking about replaying Inquisition actually.
It and ME2 were the last jewels before the EA cancer completely ate away the company.
Have only ever played Origins and it's one of the best RPGs ever imo. I'd love to see this game on GoG. This game makes me think of the Wheel of Time books in so many ways
Thank you for bringing the Anchor being on the left hand in game vs. on the right in the promo picture, to my attention. I will never sleep again. ~ Sincerely, my OCD
Welcome to my life
I have a tremendous amount of respect for you 100%ing this game. I played through it and loved it but man that's a lot of content.
I'm mixed on the fetch quests. Some of it yeah kind of lame. But some of it like in the Hinterlands where you're finding food and blankets and such for the refugees, I don't consider them pointless. That's part of the point of the Inquisition's existence, to help the people that the Chantry has effectively left behind and abandoned. You don't really get anything out of it beyond XP and Power, but do you really need to? I don't think so.
@@jmmywyf4lyf I can't speak for later in the game, but at that point I can reason you're considered the Herald so since the inquisition is young and with pretty much no clout, you're the best person to go out there and win support. A face they can see and root behind.
I actually didn’t mind the fetch quests in this game. They did a decent job making it feel like you were gathering resources for your military organization
I just started origins and i can straight up see its a masterpiece; hope the new Dragon age will come bk to the roots of dragon age origins
hello there epic gamers!
Haven’t watched yet, liking sheer Ky out of the respect for the review model of doing so after 100%, absolutely lends credibility
And then revoking the like cuz you didn’t play 1 or 2
Jk
DAI is a much better game if you know how to progress the story with the minimum amount of power grinding.
I only played Inquisition and I really loved it! Probably the first real game I managed to complete from the beginning to the end without getting bored! After this, I discovered Skyrim! I loved that you can control every character in combat so, when I got enough of mage staying away from the fight, I switched to Iron Bull and wrecked some faces.
Also, this game have the best dragon fights I ever found in a game up to now. You feel like playing a real bossfight!
Dragon fights were good, but still not up to the dragon fights in Dragons Dogma (imo)
@@KingRat543 really? Never played it! I should!
Couldn't agree more with this review. Only other con I would add on is the UI was lacking. I understand that is could be considered a "lighter" CRPG but they couldn't even give us numbers on the UI. We had to go into tactical view to see how much health each character had (only by hovering over the character), and still could not see how much mana or stamina the party members had.
I really like DA:O. Played as the game was launched and loved it! It's story is tremendous enjoying and has real consequences. I recommend that you start by that!
Just found this channel and I will say your reviews are some of the best out there. I love this game and am replaying it, but your criticism I can totally understand. Still figuring out if i should play Vanguard
It's a pity you didn't start with Origins. That game nails the kind of introduction to the world lore and real sense of dread you get from it as you slowly experience all sides of it. As everybody else is saying. It's hands down the best of the series.
Inquisition is a decent game but I really dislike it for the reason that it represents the hard left turn Bioware took with Dragon Age. It just makes all the dangers you've been introduced to in the first game seem lame. It's more about being an icon who is in the right and every other group is in the wrong. There's no nuance. I hated DA2 so much back when it first came out but even with its faults, that game maintained the theme that DA:O started and expanded on it.
Inquisition is just sad reminder of what was lost.
Origins is VASTLY overrated as a game. That being said, it is definitely the best game of the series, but for some bizarre reason, I still like DA2 more.
@@khatack Is it really? I don't see the mainstream singing praises of it. Just people who, over time, learned how good it is after playing again and again. I think it's more Inquisition that's overrated. Even to this day, I can find untrodden dialogue paths. That's how expansive that system was. DA2 is a good game and if you play it now, you can look past its flaws and enjoy it precisely because it followed the DA:O choice and consequence formula and implemented the same level of detail to the Dialogue system.
@@TurretSyndrome Maybe you're too young to remember but not a single mainstream outlet gave Origins a negative review, it was very well received critically.
@@khatack Hmm, yes. But you don't really go into detail about how or why you consider the game to be overrated. If you conclude a game being overrated simply from its critic reviews, then that's a very shallow assessment. I can only assume you contrast your own experience with that of the general score, and that is fine.
@@TurretSyndrome Well that's what you concluded made the game NOT overrated, so there you go.
Origins has its problems, the gameplay is clunky at best, the pacing is way off, the start of the game is slow as hell, side quest information is immediately hidden away behind various menus instead of proper dialogue, the combat encounters are very repetitive and due to the clunky controls, makes the game VERY tedious to play. Overall, Origins is definitely not a very good game, it has an interesting world and neat ideas, but the game itself is really really bad.
I got this game when it came out. I was in love with 1000 cuts. I wrecked everything huge in my way. Dragons that were WAAAYYY above my level were killed in one move. Then I found out the moves were not coded properly and did more damage than they should. Lol. So when they updated it, it was not as great. But I still love the game.
When I clicked on this video, I wondered why the "Like/Dislike ratio" was so favorable... now I know. Great video bro!
I remember when the whole 'hours = good' articles started popping up, originally most games worked to be entertaining and 100% complete. Now It's not the same to say every hour is equivalent to 'good' if I'm unhappy playing the game, those hours are wasted time IMO. I would rather a 6 hour AMAZING every second versus 50 hours of filler and boring tasks with another 50 of good content.
Dude please play origins & do a review even though it's ages years old! You'll love the lore there!
Playing Jaws of Hakkon underlevelled, at nightmare difficulty, was one of the most enraging moments of my life. And I played Cuphead, Sekiro, Dark Souls, Doom Eternal on nightmare.
DA is my favorite RPG to date since I played Origins 6months after it release.
@@uglytuco3079 How tf is it wrong that I played Orgins 6 months "AFTER it released" ??? Lol 😂
let's get to the important RPG questions: Can you do a kill everyone/kill nobody run? ??
I played a bit of Inquisition and despite loving the other DA games, this one didnt work for me. My daughter played it and completed it, which gave me some fun hours of WATCHING it being played, even if I wasnt playing it myself
I agree with everything you said and it’s my first game in the series and I like it very much and I can’t wait for the next game
I love Witcher 3 as I got the goty edition really cheap and am on the last dlc Blood and Wine. I'm looking for a game of similar style but torn between Skyrim and DA:I. I've seen a lot of Skyrim and the modding aspect but I'm on PS4 so the modding isn't as varied. Never played a game in either franchise though.
I thought of getting this on steam during this (2022) winter sale, as it was very cheap. However a TON of stream reviews were blasting it for its terrible vestigial EA origin client implementation, which apparently actually made a sizeable number of people being unable to play it on steam without a lot of fiddling, which turned me off from getting it.
I did play dragon age origins and DA2 in the past, however. Heck I loved origins to the point I got it 3 times, a CD copy, steam and on GOG.
Hinterlands, the grind etc caused me to drop this game way back then. I might try it out again (this time on PC) with some mods.
I've played the earlier two games in this series. Origins was the best imo. DA2 was great as well just a bit more casual and the world was just too limited and copy paste.
I live for the so called "filler quests." I liked the main quest story fine, but the main quest was the filler for me; hated to have to take the next step.
Hated the social ball quest, but I did love that they were brave enough to completely subvert expectations and come up with something truly different. I didn't like it because it was not straightforward and any slight deviance could cause you to miss the end you were seeking. Felt like walking on eggshells, and I've got real non-combat PTSD from that kind of thing IRL.
really enjoyed this review. thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I admit I stopped playing before the first dragon in the Hinterlands, there was just soooooo much to do it looked like it was going to be a massive chore, but the fact that no other zone is as big as that one will draw me back eventually. Good review!
Playing through DA2 right now after beating it once before and really finding a new love for it, especially the companions! Merrill, Bella and aveline always have me lmao 😂
Copper Marigolds. 😹 I’ve played that one several times since launch and Aveline still sticks out in my mind for how adorably awkward she was about romance.
How do you trigger the cutscene at 26:12 ?
I dont remember the specifics off the top of my head, it's fairly late game though, think you just have to become friends with so many of them or something like that. It's like the big companion hurrah as the game starts wrapping itself up
Brother you get big in no time👊
For those who fell in love with Imquiaition and haven't yet experienced the first game Orogins, I highly recommend it. The gameplay is kot as fancy, and it has quite old school graphics, but the story, characters, and complex mechanics by far make up for all of that. If you think the inquisition story was good, the story Orogins is on a league of its own
I played origins after I played inquisition and honestly it's not that great. it's absolutely extremely well written but that's about it. People act like it's the best game ever devised by man and I really don't think it is. As a whole I prefer inquisition tbh. I wouldn't put origins in "a league of it's own" there are many game that I think are better than it without the garbage combat and old graphics like all of mass effect, the Witcher games, red dead, Fallot NV, etc.
Best review ever! Subscibed
Subscribed in hopes of hearing your opinions on DA Origins some day.
Was surprised to see Maynard show up in this game.
I loved Inquisition. I tried to join the EA play thing to get the DLC but I never did play them. Shame. Doubt Ill ever go back to play the DLC at this point. Really wanted to.
The more trials you select, the more often your companions will glitch out. They used to not do that on the OG game. (GOTY is the way to go) I like your review, it’s fair and shows a lot of what we want improved and really showed how poorly it has aged. Despite my several several playthroughs.
My first play through I almost spent the entire time in the hinterlands it’s so huge. The fetch quest nature of the place absolutely sucks after the first, but the lore you uncover doing them is awesome. Really feel the love the creators put into it. Definitely play the other 2 games. Origins was great, dragon age 2 was fun but left me wanting a lot more.
DAI is my comfort game 😭 great review!
I did get cutscenes and map transition crashes but they didn't happen often. It's only later that I learned the reason the game crashed or lag was due to some texture mods. I remember playing the game, including DLCs, without mods and there wasn't any CTD.
I think sometimes such issues have nothing to do with the game but with the computer; programs and how it's set up. Take Dishonored II for example. At launch, there were a lot of complaints about CTD, not launching, etc but there was not a single CTD or problem at my end.
Inquisition was the Dragon Age game I couldn't finish. It just never gripped me the way DA:O and even DA:2 did (even with DA:2s huge shortcomings).
I can't put my finger on what quite was missing from it. but DA:O just sucked me in and I couldn't get enough. DA:I, I felt I had to push myself constantly to open the game again and give it another chance, "Maybe it'll get good now? Maybe now? When does it get good?!". It never did for me.
I also only played DA:I after I finished The Witcher 3. Now coming off the back off TW3, DA:I just had no chance.
Would love to see you play dragon age origin's and give your perspective as it is mine and majority players favourite games. One that I've played multiple times! Would be a rip moment if you didn't like it but either way will be great to see your comparison /review 😁
I have since, this is pretty old
@@MortismalGaming nice! Yes you're right didn't realise you had haha. Will search it up now
Currently $9.99 in the Playstation Store on my ps5. Discount offer ends 3/16/23, then will cost $39.99
I really wanted to like DAI but compared to DAO and DA2 I just ended up being bored most of the time, the main story is fine but everything else takes long and it is really not very interesting for it to be worth it IMO.
The gameplay isn't what I wanted either, I greatly prefered the gameplay of origins with its Baldurs Gate styled gameplay and DA2 was close enough.
However I can see why people like this game, it just happens that I had different expectations coming from previous games in the series. :]
I have almost 600 hours in DA:I. I have nothing to add beyond that. I just see that number and it stuns me.
I got this with all DLCs for free on Epic. I enjoy a good open world rpg where I can dominate my enemy in good old elf-punk folk-fi fashion. It sounds like you recommend it, yes? I'm never quite sure but you don't sound bored telling the lore of this game so I'm taking that as a yes.
Oh yeah, Inquisition is my favorite of the first three, this is one of my earlier reviews in this style so I was still kinda feeling things out.