I know that "access journalism" has been a popular topic of discussion lately, so I just want to share the way I view this. Sharing my honest thoughts on games is the most important thing to myself & my brand, much more important than getting special access to games & info. The way I feel is that if I want to be invited somewhere or get reviews codes etc, being known as someone who gives RESPECTFUL criticism should NOT prevent that from happening. If a studio can't handle that or is scared of that, then I'd say there's probably bigger issues going on with the studio & their games, and I'm fine with being excluded from that stuff. I don't cover games I am not interested in anyways. Deeper look @ the character creator - th-cam.com/video/-RWGrwMlHok/w-d-xo.html
The concept art for the decor is very old, they where created at a time before the live service was announced! If the ennemies are goofy, it will take me out of immersion! It feels like a horror game made for kids! And the menu is very mobile game!
I think the problem with the art style, atleast for me, is that everything is smooth, it looks like there is no texture on the models. Even the scars, at a glance atleast, looked painted on.
One of the reasons DA Origins was as good as it was, at least in my opinion, was its willingness to take a much more mature and dark approach to its depiction of Fantasy. From the demons in the Mage Tower to the Darkspawn in the Dwarven Tunnels. This game really looks like it just wipes its ass with that philosophy that I believe has helped Dragon Age stand out in the Fantasy genre. Its really sad to see..
Yup, DAO just felt so unique and different. Pretty much all fantasy now, from Rings of Power to DnD to the new Dragon Age is all "Marvel-like" with bright colors and every hair cut looks like it was taken straight off of tik tok videos lol.
It truly is Le Sad to see it sorta began in DA:I & it being first one without Pleasure Establishment. Le Sigh. Neon Age: Vileguard with all of it's Flashies & Purpleness is a no go. Atm. it's worth of Fifteen to Twenty Euros ✅
well DA is a dark fantasy game, it's a grim world where people fight against unfair odds. Not some cringe suicide squad wanna be. Veil guard is garbage, it has an identity crisis and came out looking like an adult behaving like a child thinking he's still 12
For me the art direction and character models are my biggest issue, I just wish they would have stayed with Inqusition but this was a good video I think your criticisms are totally fair!
the game is rated 17+ though - definitely not for children. i do think, however, that it is made with parents or people with busy lifestyles in mind. a lot of the glowy stuff can be turned off but it's in there so when you come home from a long day of work and put the kids to bed you can still enjoy an hour or two of hassle free gaming. the rest of us will be turning that off and upping the difficulty, but i think it's nice that it's there.
@@NiaMariaePlays and its illegal to advertise to children, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. this game's art style is targeting kids, plain and simple. the absolute very best conclusion we can get from that is the designers being immature or being one of those 'down with the kids' style boomers.
DA2 Qunari - tough horned brutes, suspected to be some kind of descendant of dragons. DA Veilguard - definitely descendants of cows that evolved from being eaten by dragons, and now hunt them. All hope lies with the modders.
All the races have been massively downgraded. DA2 was the peak, Elves looked lithe and vaguely inhuman with their noses and eyes. Dwarves looked ultra stocky. Qunari looked massive and scary. Now we have Human, Human with horns, Human with pointy ears, short Human.
@@Wanderer628 At least new elves aren't hideous like qunari. But I agree, they look too human. Also I'm not fan of how elves have same ethnicities as humans. Grey warden bro-black, hehe so funny elven gal- asian. I never recalled elves to have any recognisable ethniticies, especially the DA2 elves with their far different skull structures.
@@chillax319they just have different skin colors and eye shapes… which is normal biodiversity across all humanoid species in all games. You’re being weird.
Looks like Disney/Pixar does Dragon Age. Coming from Dragon Age: Origins being one of my favorite games of all time, it's rather depressing to see the grimdark fantasy universe and aesthetic I fell in love with be diluted over time into... Well. This. Want to give Veilguard the benefit of the doubt but between this, Anthem, ME: Andromeda... It doesn't seem BioWare resembles the studio that released Baldur's Gate, KOTOR, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect 1-3. That a studio like Larian could, and has already demonstrated with BG3, do a better job at capturing the essence of what made BioWare and their games great than BioWare could today.
All studios are doomed to fall at some point, well except the studios making the mario and zelda games they've been very consistent for 25 years straight in terms of quality.
@@tendatonda1634It's almost like the companies that still exist are making the games the way that made those games popular in the first place. Odd how that works 😂😂😂
@@rickrockreggae3719 japanese workers are encouraged to work at the same company their entire lives, whereas a western studio can go through a complete change of staff after 10 years, its like going to the same restaurant but the chef that made your favourite dish doesnt work there anymore.
I think guys, you don't have a very good memory. Just look at a comparison between Harding in DAI and Harding in DAV. I think I prefer Veilguard xD. I think this cartoonish style makes it playable on a GTX 970 (official system requirements). I think developers may choose these days between a very detail world, but in cartoon style or make it real but only playable in a 4090.
Darkspawn designs have been getting progressively worse since Origins. I remember back when DA2 came out and I was disappointed with the change, thinking it looked much worse, but I was able to roll with it. Inquisition kept the design from DA2, and now Veilguard comes along and manages to redesign darkspawn yet again and in an even worse way. Don’t even get me started on what they’ve done to demons and spirits. I would love to go back to the more grounded, dark, and gritty aesthetics of origins. I don’t like all of this over the top gaudy neon nonsense. It’s just not for me, which is fine.
Why oh why does the Dragon Age team keep feeling the need to radically change the art style in every game? The Mass Effect team did not do this. Years ago, I asked Mark Darrah on his TH-cam whether he regretted changing the art style so radically with each iteration, and he responded no because Origins was too generic and the frranchise needed its own distinct style. OK, fine, but then PICK ONE and STICK with it! What do DA elves look like? What do Qunari look like? Darkspawn? I have no clue because the art team keeps radically changing it in each game. Let me put this as bluntly as possible, BioWare's art team keeps making unforced errors that cost them $$, and in this day and age it might just doom the franchise and studio. Is it worth that just to placate the new art team that wants to rip up the work of the prior generation to make it their own? I will never understand why someone in leadership has never had the will to tell the Dragon Age art team to respect the prior iteration and keep it consistent. The changes don't "keep it fresh." They are jarring and divisive every time. Again, every dollar counts in keeping a studio alive these days, and divisive art style choices are a luxury that BioWare can no longer afford.
This is why Mass Effect feels more cohesive as a whole. You play as the same hero, with more or less the same supporting cast in each game and the design of the world at its foundations stays the same while slightly changing to show the passage of time and technology. At this point I feel like the best art style would be a blend of the character models from DA2, the demon and darkspawn designs from DAO, and the environments and updated Orlesian and Fereldan designs from DAI. along with unique and distinct looks for each of the new regions.
There is a franchise this kinda works for called Final Fantasy. But FF also has overall downright beautiful art direction in and out of game pretty much every iteration even if looks of things change and it's still fairly consistent. DA art team seems to just change hands entirely every 5 seconds
It's a cautionary tale in how "original" often does not equal "good". I'd take DA:O's artstyle over all of the later installments. DA:2 was too dull and bland (although the Qunari looked great), and Inquisition was the opposite extreme of being too bright and saturated, no longer feeling like a dark fantasy game.
It kills me that demons look and feel less threatening with every new dragon age game. Memba “The Broken Circle” quest line from Origins and how it did such a good job at portraying demons as powerful, scary, and inhuman? Oh, I Memba.
😢 I miss how they all looked in origins. I still remember when I first played origins. The ogre scared the heck out of me. Then sneaking around the deep roads and seeing all that. This looks too smooth and goofy. Like who thought that was better than the original? Shoot, inquisition is better than this. BUT on the bright side, the hair looks awesome! 😅😅😒🙄
Qunari foreheads need that dragon skin texture like Iron Bull did. They don’t need to be tied exclusively to that texture it’s just odd they didn’t include that design
@@neil9815 Purple was actually associated with royalty for the longest time. Esp in the Roman empire, something every man knows. But like rainbows, it's been appropriated and now when you use it people think you're into fairy SM books with love triangles
They looked truly evil in that game, they have done nothing but smooth them over game to game and make them less threatening design wise which is crazy considering what they are in the lore
When origins came out, one of the largest critiques was that their art design was very bland and derivative of LOTR. Darkspawn were referred to as “just orcs again” for years. It’s why there was such a massive change in DA2. I personally liked DAO’s art style, but it is obvious, as is the trend with BioWare, they tend to take criticism to heart and over correct to the detriment of their future games.
@@Guitarman5705 In general, the art direction in Origins was the best overall. Veilguard looks like a project of someone who took the worst aspects of Inquisition and doubled down on them.
Personally I like that they are making the darkspawns less gory and grotesque. I can't take much horror and husks are what's preventing me from enjoying the mass effect games sadly for all these years. I know many people play DA for its epic storyline and good romance, and would prefer that horror elements be more restrained. This opinion is unpopular but I guess perhaps a lot of fans of this series think the same without voicing it out in the public, which may explain the art direction the devs are taking.
@@nathanscarlett4772 Same. I was already never gonna buy, but was going to watch someone play it for the story at least. Now I'm not even going to do that.
Yeah agreed. Shame it looks like we’re fighting plastic toys instead of monsters. This looks like it’s made for young children with the simplistic combat and with all the paint by numbers interactions and callouts.
“Things look g rated”…. Yep, good description. They look too clay/playdoughy. Definitely think it’s a function of the former live service angle. The factions also look pretty lackluster (gray wardens aside). Solus/Fade was never interesting to me either so Inquisition was pretty weak imo (besides just making the Qunari look silly with the skin over the bottom of the horns switch from 2) this looks like it’ll be worse. Number of customizations is awesome.
I didn’t like the redesigns that they did for DA2, they just made darkspawn look worse and significantly less threatening, but I learned to roll with it. Inquisition kept those same designs. But now? Yea screw that, I can put up with a lot, but I absolutely cannot handle neon darkspawn. Screw this, I’m going to go do another dwarf noble play through in Origins…
My impression of the character creator is that all your characters looks like they came straight from a beauty spa. Their skins are so smooth and eyes so delicate. Even the damn dwarves. Something u usually would only see in elfs
I am confident that whatever Wolfey likes I will enjoy as well. My go-to when it comes to RPGs. An appreciation of patient gameplay, yet without being stuck in the glorified past as some cRPG-fans -- giving every game its fair shot.
Hate to break it to you but everyone has a bias. Preference is a bias. He is honest about his, and you agree. Thus you think its not biased. It is. And thats not bad thing. Other people liking things doesnt make their opinion less valuable. Maybe to you, and your bias and perspective, theyre worth less. Different isnt bad you know
@@michalovesanime It's fairly evident he means bias as in pre-conceived inclination or prejudice -- which is also a definition of the term. And it is possible to attest to a work's merits without necessarily liking it personally. A prime example in this video is when WH talks about the fast-paced action elements of the combat not being his preference, yet he still sees the quality of the combat for those who enjoy that type of game. Meanwhile another "strawman" TH-camr might point to the art style and simply say "bad game", even deciding on this opinion before they even play it. Which is fine of course, but biased.
Luality was pretty critical of DAV as well, then she went back and played DAI and in her DAI video she said that playing DAI made her realize how good DAV was, and that it was way more fun than DAI.
I feel like I am in the same boat as you are with Veilguard. The DA fan in me really wants to give this game the benefit of the doubt, but my goodness the art style and combat are really not what I would expect from the franchise. Those are 2/3 of the most interacted with elements of the game and both are lacking. Also, that mobile game/MMO UI needs to be lost in the darkest part of the fade. My god, who thought that was a good idea? I pray there are game modes that allow the player to turn all that intrusive stuff off. I am really leaning towards waiting on this game as much as I hate to say it. Maybe when it's 1/2 off on steam in a few months to a year.
I mean this seems like a pretty much straight continuation of Inquisition no? I understand if thats not for you still I know a lot of people didn't dig it back then, but I don't know why you would be surprised.
@@callumheathis No, it doesn't seem like that. Inquisition had its issues, but it also had its positives. This travesty of a game seems to only have issues. Given unlike many I figured it'd not be good and had no intent on buying it, but rather watching a content creator play it, I now have zero want for even that. The fact that ghoul-at-best is what they're trying to call a darkspawn is absolutely wild.
@@callumheathis No, DAI's UI was much less intrusive. At most you haad a "radar ping" which would cause interactable objects to glow briefly (and more subtly)
@@callumheathis I never mentioned the story and I played through inquisition multiple times. Loved that game as well as DA1 and even 2 for some aspects. It's the design, UI, and combat I have an issue with in Veilguard. I want the story and lore of DA to be good and continue.
People don't have the funds to do that anymore, inflation is crazy and people are more careful now when it comes to entertainment, there's a shift from mindlessly purchasing every game that came out, because they used to be cheaper. Now people can't afford to tolerate major parts of a game just to enjoy a bit of it.
@@_tasiaxnot in a videogame game a story comes with the gameplay and through gameplay. Not to mention that the art style in a visual media is critical to telling a story. Looks like you need to stick to Dustborn instead.
The oversaturation on popups and glowing effects takes away the immersion, im surprised that devs doesnt understand that its the main driving factor for video games.
This game really is a headache. It's unfair to compare it to BG3, but I really can't help to think how BG3 was the kind of game BioWare would have wanted to make 10 years ago. And this just looks so goofy, flat and downright oversimplistic compared to BG3. But I also realize, that I want Dragon Age Origins 2, and this is not what this is. This is a light action game with pretend RPG elements. If the story is good, and the combat is fun enough, I might be good enough on a sale.
Even Swen admitted he didn't expect BG3 to be successful, crpg usually are not successful financially. DAO is a masterpiece but do you know how many copies were sold - 2.8 million copies only. Financially it didn't sell well. everyone jokes about modern audience not turning up but for DAO the older audience didn't turn up either.
@@swordofkhaine8464 What are you talking about, DAO sold 3.2 million copies in in three months and was one of the most successful BioWare games at the time. It outsold Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2. It was outsold by Mass Effect 3 and then Dragon Age Inquisition way, way later. By all accounts, DAO was a massive hit when it launched for BioWare.
@@swordofkhaine8464 Where do you get that from? All sources online when I google DAO consider the game to be a finanicial hit, with it still being in BioWare's 10 best selling titles. Including statement from EA considering DAO a hit, hence why they made three sequels by now. I never seen anyone but you state that it was a financial dissapointment with 3.2 million copies sold.
The cell phone game like particle effects everywhere screen vomit does the same for me, just yuck. I can't believe the overall direction of this game, not to even talk about all the DEI politics inserted into a fantasy game! Why?? I just want to have fun, not have real world issues thrown at me.
@@tasandmnm69yeah. The gameplay looked cool but all of the constant color explosions and random patterns in the air during the released fight sequences made me less than happy 😭
@@tasandmnm69 I get the visual criticism but... Politics??? Really? Is that what you have to worry about? This game has ALWAYS been political, ALL art and media has political background and specially a game like DA
I really appreciate your point of view, it's authentic and something I feel I can trust! I've had mixed impressions from everything we've seen of Veilguard, so I am likely to wait until a sale to play it.
Same here lol I learned my lesson with Dragon’s Dogma 2. I loved the first game and bought the 2nd on launch purely based off nostalgia and now I wish I waited.
Better to just skip it entirely. Bioware: hello, just create another game like DA Origins or Baldur's Gate and we will all literally throw money at you...It boggles the mind why they refuse to do so...🤦♂️
@@ivilivo Oh yes.. Imagine the headaches reported around the globe 😉 Already gives for many with all the neon flashies etc. Le Sigh, this clearly is worth of 20-25€ first mobile game look a like DA Game. That's the price i pay for it on Steam & hoping for modding support. Neon Age: Vileguard 😐
"these 2D cinematic scenes really feel like you're being told a story from a book" Hmmm, it's almost like this style was introduced.... In DA2.... When varric was telling the story.,.. from a book he wrote......
@@onthaloose7521 Different art styles from what I remember, this 2d cinematic certainly seems to have a lot more in common with DA2 than DAO style wise.
DAO had 2D cinematics and a lot of other great games have had that kind of cinematics. Most of the time it is not the choice they went because it looks cool or anything but because it is faster and cheaper to make them. If that gives me great gameplay and story in game, I really don't care if cinematics are 2D or 3D. Sometimes it is better great 2D style then bad 3D style cinematics.
I have a theory on the art style - the environments were done when it was originally a single player at the start - then when it moved it to a live service the characters/ battle mechanics etc were designed but when Anthem flopped they panicked and just mish massed them together as they didn’t have time to remake them
It could be, you’re all right. I do think they repurposed the MMO version’s content (look at the AOE indicators alone!). As for them hating Dragon Age? I’d need to see the story to see one way of another.
This game has had so much directorial and leadership switching that I would be inclinded to think Corinne Busche might have just pulled this game together for better or for worse. She was not part of Bioware until 2019 or 2020, when undoubtedly much of the game was already done. As some staff who left Bioware said, shit rolls downhill, so it might have just been all those people who came and went that made all these divisive parts and then Corinne came and had to do something to have a game in the end. But I am sure an investigation will come out at some point. This game spent a lot of time switching sides and probably changing mechanics that there was just not worth changing everything a second or third time to please everyone.
@@scratchbone1092 The key to failure is trying to please everybody. That being said, it will be interesting to see how Veilguard does when the smoke clears after release.
Im really happy to see you are allowed to voice your honest opinions, especially in regards to not only the art style but visual noise during combat sequences and combat mechanics. I was expecting Bioware/EA to be more controlling in regards to what you can say.
@@Rickus316 Based on HOW he said things, I'm leaning towards he doesn't like it. But he's going to act like he enjoys certain parts so he keeps getting invites. Look at how he tries to convince you there are more than 3 abilities.
@@Th1sUsernameIsNotTaken Yep, which makes him a sell out since he won't call out what he really thinks. Funny how youtubers tend to sell out like that once they get 100k+ subs. Just another channel for the ignore list I suppose.
@@olsonbrandon91 lol larian got how many game awards for baldurs gate 3.. hmmmm i somehow don't think bioware are going to get any awards for this pile of veilguard rubbish.
I read a comment that said this game looks like if Pixar made this game. My thought is this, they wanted to market this to everyone and no one. The more age groups you get involved the more people can buy this game. That said, Bioware could also run the risk of alienating everyone with this style as it seems too broad for everyone to enjoy. Tricky situation but we'll see how this plays out. I'm getting this game no matter what, buuuuut I suspect the modding community will have their hands full with this one like they did Inquisition.
This was the only preview that was more skeptical that I found, great video dude, you sound like a proper crpg fan or at least you sympathize very well with us compared to most previewers.
Appreciate your honest take. People granted early access to games have every incentive to praise, and zero incentive to criticise, so it's nice to see nuance. For me personally - I'm interested in the story and characters, but disappointed in the way it looks and plays. A shame that I just can't get hyped for this after a decade of waiting.
You’re honestly the most respectful dude I know reviewing games who also isnt fake! I dont know how you do it because I have a habitual way of saying it as I see it and i use big hurtful words too 😂. You keep the peace in a way I never could!
@@WolfheartFPS They way you present your feelings, opinions and impressions is very respectful and critical at the same time. I appreciate that and I think you nailed it down with this video. Never did I feel that you are bashing or praising the game just to follow some trend or faking some relevance by being brash and rude.
I wouldn't mind one or two magic classes having this weightless look to them, it's cool for them! But when your axe wielding dwarven warrior is floating around the battlefield like a fairy I do feel like it takes me out of it.
i rlly wish this game didn't look like a saturday morning cartoon, if it looked darker/more mature i would be more interested cuz i love RPG story games. not a DA fan but ME fan, i'm afraid for ME4 if this is their direction, deathly afraid
Wait a minute - Dwarves can be MAGES now?! I hope that they actually give a good, logical explanation to how that is possible & not just "remember the Descent? Yeah, it's just a thing now."
@jfmm7394 I see the lock you mentioned, though it's kind of hard to tell whether it's locking the mage selection or something else. It would be clearer if they were greyed out or you couldn't select them. But hopefully it's clearer while playing rather than watching a video.
"You can customize the main character, and a FEW events, from previous game Dragon Age: Inquisition. This will have SOME MINOR effects on the story, but CAN BE SKIPPED if you wish to move on." Well, that's really disappointing for me. There were some major decisions that were yet to see the consequences for and was really looking for and implied to be important, now minor, maybe? ugh EDIT: Have to add i appreciate your take as neutral as possible. I won't be preordering and neither buying it on release. So far i see too many cons, but I will definitely check your review after you complete the game and maybe will see. Few of the channels reliable and honest for this.
So this is the video hat basically canceled WolfsheartFPS from getting a review code? 😀 Well good for me because this basically means I can go on trusting this channel's opinion on videogames when it comes to reviews ...
I feel like i will have epileptic seizure just watching this review footage. To much colors, to much sh@t on the screen, everything everywhare at the same time combat style, and models for 0+ age bracket. Why would they do this? Don't they know adults also play video games?
The suits running the show copy whatever they think makes popular games work, and they mostly don't play video games, or even care for art unless it can be grifted as an NFT or some sh!t
Yeah, the art design for me just ruins everything for me. I just don't want to spend any time in the world. This actually makes me really worried about Mass Effect 5.
You will not find what you are looking for in Mass Effect 5. Look to new companies, small companies, new games, new IPs, that is where the magic of the original Mass Effect will be born again.
@@VaShthestampede2 on that note both of you should put “exodusgame” on your watch list if not already. (Though hope they change the name to something less generic can be hard to find it since so many things with that in the name.)
@@Trace153 bruh yall spend more time bitching about there being a they option than normal people spend in the entire character creator XD snowflakes literally have to cry about everything, there was a fucking androgynous bald nympho and an entire race that was only females who were all bisexual, entire playthroughs are dedicated to being gay, and youre bitching about a they option. God the stupid levels in our society are just skyrocketing, people literally just get mad about whatever theyre told to be mad about with no thought about how it doesnt matter at all
I appreciate you always being honest with your opinion and not feeling like you should sugarcoat anything! It's honestly how I know I can trust your opinion on things.
My issue with the combat is everything looks too fantastical or perhaps magical? Warriors and rogues both look like mages... The hits look overly ornate and they lack substance and impact. They have no weight, no brutality just a bunch of style without substance.
THIS! the rogue teleporting and doing lightning AOE attacks, the warrior having some kind of flame strike fireball attack. DA is fantastical but still felt grounded. The classes need to feel different.
Considering magic is fairly commonplace in the world, and your character is from the one part of the world where magic users are the people in charge of things and not caged up like animals, it isn't very surprising that even the swordsmen know a bit of magic.
That happened multiple times to me in Inquisition, but to be fair, Inquisition was a huge game. I typically fall out of the world at least once in most games I play. They've had a ton of time to polish Veilguard, so I would imagine they've caught most of these issues.
Literally if they would just fix how the Qunari horns are a 2nd forehead, and make them jut out of the head separately at a better angle, and make sure the actual forehead still looks like a normal humanoid size...that alone would make a huge difference!!
@@gregorycheok2503 I love how in Origins they made Quanari just big humans with grey skin, then went full metal with Arishok and palls in II, then toned them down in Inquisition and them made tieflings
If they made the Qunari look like they did in the past with the audience this game was clearly made for it would have to come with trigger warnings. So they softened them, made them look ridiculous, but at least the modern audience wont cry thank god.
Still, after 3 months of hearing about the artstyle, combat and companions, no one is talking about the moral greyzones, that made the DA franchise stand out. They talk about all the things that dont really matter. Is this team of devs the right ones to continue the story, or are they going to use it as a platform to talk about modern day politics. That's the only questions I have had since the first trailer, and they keep brushing it off, like it doesn't matter. A bit more goes into Dark Fantasy, than just hard shadows and Red glowing eyes. Can you play a character, that does questionable things, like siding with demons over children? Can you make decissions, that will make your companions hate and attack you? Are any of the Companions Sexist, Slavers or have any other bad traits? How many choices can you make, that will change the ending of the game? If I play as a Qunari, will I get speech options, that will allow my character to follow the strict Qun way of life? Will the character backgrounds you choose, change the game beyond a few dialoque options? Anything else, is to me, completely irrelevant when it comes to Dragon Age. Petting animals, hair physics, extended character customization, Photomode, customizing your HQ. If you want all that, go play The Sims. If they haven't explained in lore, how every character you talk to, knows you identify as Non-binary upon first meeting you, I dont think they should be writing stories, and definitely not Dragon Age.
I almost 100% with you with everything. Game looks mid. The artstyle and strong bloom, plastic sims 4/fortnite characters. The bad contrasted lighting. The strong fakeish neon colors.
My biggest problem with the art direction is that it doesn't feel cohesive? Like there's this weird smear effect on some characters (that doesn't look good) that isn't there on others. Solas looks great in the cutscene he shares with the created character, yet the created character's face stands out super poorly. The monster redesigns are also so bad, it feels like fable knockoff instead of DA. Feels a bit like a Disney/MCU reboot of the darker more gothic franchise. I want to love it so bad because I love Dragon Age, but there are times where I look at it and just feel confused?
This makes me appreciate bg3 more. The open world feel and the fighting style that is simple looking as in not all those crazy chaotic lights and lines across the screen. I don’t mind the art style I can get used to it, but the fighting and the open world feel is what I hope is better when you’re in game and turn off all the extra ui and effects
I appreciate your review! I think I'll pass on this one. I played all the previous DA games, but the art style is a dealbreaker. And the combat does not seem like something I would enjoy playing with a RPG game. I would definitely watch you play through it though!
That is an interesting comment about the art style. I bet you anything thing that they didn't bother changing the engine or assests from when the game was supposed to be online. I bet they were going to make it live service but with the failure of so many of them, they quickly switched directions and they didnt want to jeopardize development time so they kept the assets. I wouldn't be surprised if an article came out soon after release revealing all this in the same way that it happened with Anthem.
Really good looking mobile game aesthetic and UI. WTG Bioware. I'm so sad right now as I've been hoping for Bioware to get back to their roots. They continue to move in a direction that doesn't resonate with their long term fans. Maybe their ultimate goal is to get their characters to make a cameo on the next Kingdom Hearts game.
ikr this don't work for me at all they took away what was appealing to me, I'll always wonder what if they kept and upgraded/improved what did work in dao, this is just a complete reboot at this point and it doesn't work
My bro, frostbite used to be the premier "insane graphics" engine ... and the engine didn't just shine for environments, it did faces really well. E.g. The actor that plays Chalky White (boardwalk empire) was translated into battlefield extremely well.
@@justinmartin845the stories of the behind the scenes dev tricks they had to do just to get the end game 2D cutscenes to play in inquisition are ridiculous. Idk why EA forced them to use an engine not made for RPGs 😅
I knew it wasn’t for me when they decided to give your heroic fantasy character transgender surgery scars instead of cool fantasy features. I hope y’all enjoy it but I think these people are sick pushing agendas on kids.
To think there was little me, sitting there with Dragon Age: Origins, daydreaming after completing it for the hundreth time what theyll do next.. losing a little hope with Dragon Age 2 but still had fun so lets see whats next. Okay Inquisiton i absolutely loved it cant wait for them to top this! ...... Cue 2024: Hey guys heres a half assed mobile game... um... and PURPLE! and.... inclusivity!!... yaaay
At this point, the game is damage control. I feel like bioware scaled back and changed the live service game that this was going to be. this is the best case scenario
I feel as it is everything Wolf has been saying in his reviews here and before. It is all being changed in very commercial and generic ways. The Overwatch/Valorant style character intros, the new cartoonish or "goofy" enemies, the slight dumbing down of how characters and companions are shaped, and the change to making it an action game in both the new combat and the story as a whole all seem to me ways of making it attractive and enjoyable to more average gamers even if at the expense of alienating RPG and/or Dragon Age original fans.
I appreciate your honesty about the product even if it’s disappointing rather than gushing over it just for the sake of maintaining your access as a content creator.
Same here. Playing Baldur’s Gate 3 made me want to revisit Dragon Age: Origins, reminding me of how great Bioware’s old games were. Hopefully, BG3’s success will make them realize that there are still players out here who love their classic style, and not everyone is satisfied with the more shallow, modern approaches. We still appreciate deep stories and well-thought-out gameplay
@@MrWizardGG My prediction is that eventually more and more games will flop, studios will go bankrupt, and they’ll blame it on white men. After all that, hopefully, we’ll get a factory reset, things will go back to normal, we’ll get another good 20 years, and then the cycle will start all over again 😀
Yeah, it is crazy for me to say that, but the graphics and aesthetics really keep me from playing this game. They just ruined it, which is pretty hard thing to do honestly
From what I have seen I agree with your take on cartoony graphics, UI, and combat. I am really bothered by all the crap on the screen during combat ( i usually turn damage numbers off in games unless I'm specifically looking for that in a particular fight). So here's hoping for the ability to turn much of that off. If not, I will pray that modders will give me a Hide HUD mod. I will definitely be buying this game because I am hoping that the writing will make up for these deficiencies.
Thats an easy pass for me. DA has been sliding since Origins and now it just looks like an iPad game to me. Look to BG3 to see what DA could be today, they finally cut some many corners that we ended up with a circle.
Thanks for the honest review despite the access. The literal health percentage being on the enemy health bar feels like such a mobile game vibe as does all the combat UI. Disappointing after enjoying Inquisition
I was NOT a fan of how Skyhold was introduced in Inquisition because it (at least for me) made me immediately suspicious of Solas and it felt so undeserved to suddenly be granted this huge ass castle out of nowhere. Haven felt more like an actual place to hang on to. The lighthouse sadly reminds me very much of Skyhold. We can only hope that in writing they justify us being there and using it without any downsides.
Quite the departure from the humble camp the Warden had to content themselves with because officially they were a fugitive from justice. And in DA2 Hawke had to wait until Act 2 to be able to move in to his family's estate with the money you made during Act 1 so there was definitely a sense of moving up in the world then. In DAI the Inquisitor never feels like they struggle for anything after Haven.
It looks like a smooth, bright, mobile game, but you can’t see the screen. My guess is that it’s a linear arpg where you can’t explore. The glow effects are there to overwhelm you and keep you occupied- it works for attention spans. Unfortunately, that works for Cocomelon, just not in a game. It leads to feeling fatigued and overwhelmed. What you played is definitely enough for a review. If you don’t want to play more after a few hours, it doesn’t matter if it “gets good,” no one will ever play it long enough to see it.
I know that "access journalism" has been a popular topic of discussion lately, so I just want to share the way I view this. Sharing my honest thoughts on games is the most important thing to myself & my brand, much more important than getting special access to games & info. The way I feel is that if I want to be invited somewhere or get reviews codes etc, being known as someone who gives RESPECTFUL criticism should NOT prevent that from happening. If a studio can't handle that or is scared of that, then I'd say there's probably bigger issues going on with the studio & their games, and I'm fine with being excluded from that stuff. I don't cover games I am not interested in anyways.
Deeper look @ the character creator - th-cam.com/video/-RWGrwMlHok/w-d-xo.html
That attitude brother is while your channel is built to last and why your among 3 game reviewers I watch. Thanks and God bless.
@@WolfheartFPS you have been the one who fills the more honest for me. ✌️😁✌️
New subscriber. Right here. I appreciate your honesty, and I think several people do and will as well!
Thank you. I enjoyed your honest opinion.
The concept art for the decor is very old, they where created at a time before the live service was announced! If the ennemies are goofy, it will take me out of immersion! It feels like a horror game made for kids! And the menu is very mobile game!
I think the problem with the art style, atleast for me, is that everything is smooth, it looks like there is no texture on the models. Even the scars, at a glance atleast, looked painted on.
I noticed that about the environments too, everything looks like a bouncy castle
@@skelton4795 no fackable women is a dealbreaker. And they added pronouns 🤢🤮
AIRBRUSHED. Everything looks airbrushed
Cause it's made by smooth brains 😂
Mobile game
One of the reasons DA Origins was as good as it was, at least in my opinion, was its willingness to take a much more mature and dark approach to its depiction of Fantasy. From the demons in the Mage Tower to the Darkspawn in the Dwarven Tunnels. This game really looks like it just wipes its ass with that philosophy that I believe has helped Dragon Age stand out in the Fantasy genre. Its really sad to see..
Yup, DAO just felt so unique and different. Pretty much all fantasy now, from Rings of Power to DnD to the new Dragon Age is all "Marvel-like" with bright colors and every hair cut looks like it was taken straight off of tik tok videos lol.
It truly is Le Sad to see it sorta began in DA:I & it being first one without Pleasure Establishment. Le Sigh. Neon Age: Vileguard with all of it's Flashies & Purpleness is a no go. Atm. it's worth of Fifteen to Twenty Euros ✅
This one looks like it's trying to be baldur's gate 3.
@elkmeatenjoyer3409 same thing I thought when I first seen videos of it
well DA is a dark fantasy game, it's a grim world where people fight against unfair odds. Not some cringe suicide squad wanna be. Veil guard is garbage, it has an identity crisis and came out looking like an adult behaving like a child thinking he's still 12
For me the art direction and character models are my biggest issue, I just wish they would have stayed with Inqusition but this was a good video I think your criticisms are totally fair!
They butchered the Qunari ! Just look at them WTF
@@TundrawrathOMG yesss!!! Why did they change it? It's so unappealing. Not a fan of these designs and art direction. Still hope the story is good 👍 🙏
Not you lol😂
Hey Kala!
mine are the art direction and the gameplay. THEY KEEP STREAMLINING MAGES
I hate when games make enemies glow. Like, they’re clearly trying to pull in a children audience while completely ignoring the fans who made them.
I can understand that!
Some enemies being glowy is nice but here pretty much everything is. I have no idea why they went in that direction with darkspawn and demons designs.
the game is rated 17+ though - definitely not for children. i do think, however, that it is made with parents or people with busy lifestyles in mind. a lot of the glowy stuff can be turned off but it's in there so when you come home from a long day of work and put the kids to bed you can still enjoy an hour or two of hassle free gaming. the rest of us will be turning that off and upping the difficulty, but i think it's nice that it's there.
Colorful and Vibrant is the antithesis of the Grimdark atmosphere that drew people to Dragon Age.
@@NiaMariaePlays and its illegal to advertise to children, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. this game's art style is targeting kids, plain and simple. the absolute very best conclusion we can get from that is the designers being immature or being one of those 'down with the kids' style boomers.
DA2 Qunari - tough horned brutes, suspected to be some kind of descendant of dragons. DA Veilguard - definitely descendants of cows that evolved from being eaten by dragons, and now hunt them.
All hope lies with the modders.
I have a feeling a Qunari fix mod will be available pretty quickly. Downside is that DA is notoriously difficult to mod.
@@nootnewt9323DA origins had a toolset for mod creation, its sad that their newer games doesnt have it
All the races have been massively downgraded. DA2 was the peak, Elves looked lithe and vaguely inhuman with their noses and eyes. Dwarves looked ultra stocky. Qunari looked massive and scary.
Now we have Human, Human with horns, Human with pointy ears, short Human.
@@Wanderer628 At least new elves aren't hideous like qunari. But I agree, they look too human. Also I'm not fan of how elves have same ethnicities as humans. Grey warden bro-black, hehe so funny elven gal- asian.
I never recalled elves to have any recognisable ethniticies, especially the DA2 elves with their far different skull structures.
@@chillax319they just have different skin colors and eye shapes… which is normal biodiversity across all humanoid species in all games. You’re being weird.
Looks like Disney/Pixar does Dragon Age.
Coming from Dragon Age: Origins being one of my favorite games of all time, it's rather depressing to see the grimdark fantasy universe and aesthetic I fell in love with be diluted over time into... Well. This.
Want to give Veilguard the benefit of the doubt but between this, Anthem, ME: Andromeda... It doesn't seem BioWare resembles the studio that released Baldur's Gate, KOTOR, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect 1-3. That a studio like Larian could, and has already demonstrated with BG3, do a better job at capturing the essence of what made BioWare and their games great than BioWare could today.
It's not. They have moved or been fired. This is Bioware in name only.
All studios are doomed to fall at some point, well except the studios making the mario and zelda games they've been very consistent for 25 years straight in terms of quality.
@@tendatonda1634It's almost like the companies that still exist are making the games the way that made those games popular in the first place. Odd how that works 😂😂😂
@@rickrockreggae3719 japanese workers are encouraged to work at the same company their entire lives, whereas a western studio can go through a complete change of staff after 10 years, its like going to the same restaurant but the chef that made your favourite dish doesnt work there anymore.
I think guys, you don't have a very good memory. Just look at a comparison between Harding in DAI and Harding in DAV. I think I prefer Veilguard xD. I think this cartoonish style makes it playable on a GTX 970 (official system requirements). I think developers may choose these days between a very detail world, but in cartoon style or make it real but only playable in a 4090.
Those darkspawn look like the aliens from Mars Attacks
I knew they reminded me of something but I couldn’t put my finger on it- you’re absolutely right
@@angelicastern2385 I cant unsee it since I made that brain connection haha
Omg lol they do
thank you. they just do. Darkspawn are supposed to be frightening. I was frightened when I played DAO.
Darkspawn designs have been getting progressively worse since Origins. I remember back when DA2 came out and I was disappointed with the change, thinking it looked much worse, but I was able to roll with it.
Inquisition kept the design from DA2, and now Veilguard comes along and manages to redesign darkspawn yet again and in an even worse way. Don’t even get me started on what they’ve done to demons and spirits.
I would love to go back to the more grounded, dark, and gritty aesthetics of origins. I don’t like all of this over the top gaudy neon nonsense.
It’s just not for me, which is fine.
Why oh why does the Dragon Age team keep feeling the need to radically change the art style in every game? The Mass Effect team did not do this. Years ago, I asked Mark Darrah on his TH-cam whether he regretted changing the art style so radically with each iteration, and he responded no because Origins was too generic and the frranchise needed its own distinct style. OK, fine, but then PICK ONE and STICK with it! What do DA elves look like? What do Qunari look like? Darkspawn? I have no clue because the art team keeps radically changing it in each game. Let me put this as bluntly as possible, BioWare's art team keeps making unforced errors that cost them $$, and in this day and age it might just doom the franchise and studio. Is it worth that just to placate the new art team that wants to rip up the work of the prior generation to make it their own? I will never understand why someone in leadership has never had the will to tell the Dragon Age art team to respect the prior iteration and keep it consistent. The changes don't "keep it fresh." They are jarring and divisive every time. Again, every dollar counts in keeping a studio alive these days, and divisive art style choices are a luxury that BioWare can no longer afford.
This is why Mass Effect feels more cohesive as a whole. You play as the same hero, with more or less the same supporting cast in each game and the design of the world at its foundations stays the same while slightly changing to show the passage of time and technology.
At this point I feel like the best art style would be a blend of the character models from DA2, the demon and darkspawn designs from DAO, and the environments and updated Orlesian and Fereldan designs from DAI. along with unique and distinct looks for each of the new regions.
There is a franchise this kinda works for called Final Fantasy. But FF also has overall downright beautiful art direction in and out of game pretty much every iteration even if looks of things change and it's still fairly consistent.
DA art team seems to just change hands entirely every 5 seconds
“Too generic” what a insane asshole that guy is
I genuinely hope BioWare gets shuttered. Last decent thing they made was rough…swtor
It's a cautionary tale in how "original" often does not equal "good". I'd take DA:O's artstyle over all of the later installments. DA:2 was too dull and bland (although the Qunari looked great), and Inquisition was the opposite extreme of being too bright and saturated, no longer feeling like a dark fantasy game.
The hair looks so much better than the hair in DA:I, but the skin looks so much less detailed
Inquisition was basically 4 hairstyles & 20 versions of the buzz cut.
That’s the one thing I think looks better compared to Inquisition.
The hair also has physics. That’s something most games still struggle with hence why women are usually given a bunch of short hairstyles
@@nootnewt9323Top surgery scar physics
The fact they took the pride demons's legs away kills me
It kills me that demons look and feel less threatening with every new dragon age game.
Memba “The Broken Circle” quest line from Origins and how it did such a good job at portraying demons as powerful, scary, and inhuman? Oh, I Memba.
Which is dumb. What kind of *Pride* Demon doesn't have legs to look down upon others?
Didn't we only see 1 pride demon? Maybe there's one that doesn't look like ass somewhere.
He skipped leg day and felt ashamed of it.
😢 I miss how they all looked in origins. I still remember when I first played origins. The ogre scared the heck out of me. Then sneaking around the deep roads and seeing all that. This looks too smooth and goofy. Like who thought that was better than the original? Shoot, inquisition is better than this. BUT on the bright side, the hair looks awesome! 😅😅😒🙄
Qunari just look horrible now, I cannot take them seriously, from the threatening force from the previous games to....Megamind
They would fit in Toy Story. With a slightly more imaginative design, that is 😂
They look 2kphillips' video of putting jpeg self portraits, to Operation Flashpoint character.
Woke world, woke characters. Fk this shit
Tieflings at home basically.
They look like a human is making a cosplay of a Qunari.
Qunari foreheads need that dragon skin texture like Iron Bull did. They don’t need to be tied exclusively to that texture it’s just odd they didn’t include that design
they look like cartoon fauns now. not this fierce warrior culture.
-How much purple do you want?
-Yes
But how much acid green then?
I googled "is purple gay?" Google says "very".
@@neil9815 Could always be worse, it could be Purple Rain
*Yas... queen
@@neil9815 Purple was actually associated with royalty for the longest time. Esp in the Roman empire, something every man knows. But like rainbows, it's been appropriated and now when you use it people think you're into fairy SM books with love triangles
I really miss the dark spawn look from Origins they have not truly done them, justice since that game.
They looked truly evil in that game, they have done nothing but smooth them over game to game and make them less threatening design wise which is crazy considering what they are in the lore
When origins came out, one of the largest critiques was that their art design was very bland and derivative of LOTR. Darkspawn were referred to as “just orcs again” for years. It’s why there was such a massive change in DA2.
I personally liked DAO’s art style, but it is obvious, as is the trend with BioWare, they tend to take criticism to heart and over correct to the detriment of their future games.
@@thehucklebillyfenn Literally no one said that. Maybe the same journos that praise this art style
@@Guitarman5705 In general, the art direction in Origins was the best overall. Veilguard looks like a project of someone who took the worst aspects of Inquisition and doubled down on them.
Personally I like that they are making the darkspawns less gory and grotesque. I can't take much horror and husks are what's preventing me from enjoying the mass effect games sadly for all these years. I know many people play DA for its epic storyline and good romance, and would prefer that horror elements be more restrained. This opinion is unpopular but I guess perhaps a lot of fans of this series think the same without voicing it out in the public, which may explain the art direction the devs are taking.
THAT'S A FUCKING DARKSPAWN!?! Nah I can't lmfao.
Yeah, this game is a never buy for me. Ever.
Even it's at a 70% - 90% discount on steam.
@@nathanscarlett4772 Same. I was already never gonna buy, but was going to watch someone play it for the story at least. Now I'm not even going to do that.
I feel that we would need a lot of mods to fix this
Yeah agreed. Shame it looks like we’re fighting plastic toys instead of monsters. This looks like it’s made for young children with the simplistic combat and with all the paint by numbers interactions and callouts.
Enemies look like sh!t now. Never thought I would say DAOs enemies look better
Ask yourself... if it wasn't called "dragon age", would you even look in the direction of this game?
if i didnt know anything about it i would ve thought it was a mobile game
I would, but I would also expect the game to cost 45 bucks. It just reminds me of Fable, or something from the late 00s to early 10s.
No. I have 0 interest in action rpg games
Yes, I love action RPG games.
I kind of have the opposite problem. I think it looks ok, but it's absolutely not what I want from a dragon age game.
Ah, imagine a game with Elden Ring art direction and Dragon Age narrative... and the inquisition-style tarot cards maybe. A man can dream!
Go make it then
@@SunGodJeff no you make it
you can toss out anything dragon age of it and tada it will be a good time. Dragon age always sucked
hard pass, had enough grim dark horror or whatever you call the dark souls aesthetic. This is a breath of fresh air.
@hadoken95 Wish they used a middle ground between Dark Soul and this goofy circus
“Things look g rated”…. Yep, good description. They look too clay/playdoughy. Definitely think it’s a function of the former live service angle. The factions also look pretty lackluster (gray wardens aside). Solus/Fade was never interesting to me either so Inquisition was pretty weak imo (besides just making the Qunari look silly with the skin over the bottom of the horns switch from 2) this looks like it’ll be worse. Number of customizations is awesome.
Bro did Disney design the darkspawn? Wtf is that man, I'm out.
from Darkspawn to Clownspawn
Dorkspawn......!
Clown game for a clown world
LOL
@@McDLT999999999999999 and clown audience
We need a mood to change darkspawn to original style
I didn't have an issue with the darkspawn and demons before, now I do after the comparisons and seeing them up close. Who in the world did they hire
I didn’t like the redesigns that they did for DA2, they just made darkspawn look worse and significantly less threatening, but I learned to roll with it. Inquisition kept those same designs.
But now? Yea screw that, I can put up with a lot, but I absolutely cannot handle neon darkspawn.
Screw this, I’m going to go do another dwarf noble play through in Origins…
Some woke fruitcake that was only worries about chest scars
I really really thought they will go back to the roots. FUCK i was sp wrong
It's to make the game more marketable in Korean and Chinese markets.
@@keldor8302 How so? I don’t see any reason why Chinese and Korean players would prefer the new designs over the old ones.
My impression of the character creator is that all your characters looks like they came straight from a beauty spa. Their skins are so smooth and eyes so delicate. Even the damn dwarves.
Something u usually would only see in elfs
the dwarves have the most perfectly straight and soft looking beards
definently cause the bad art style
Eh I'm a woman so I'm okay with the pretty characters. I'm playing mostly for the story though.
@@bakeurkidz3811DA: Barbie Doll Dreamhouse
@@bakeurkidz3811 I'm a woman and I'm not okay with the pretty characters lol
This is the most realistic coverage of this game I’ve seen so far. People are usually heavily on one side or another but you don’t seem biased at all.
I am confident that whatever Wolfey likes I will enjoy as well. My go-to when it comes to RPGs. An appreciation of patient gameplay, yet without being stuck in the glorified past as some cRPG-fans -- giving every game its fair shot.
Hate to break it to you but everyone has a bias. Preference is a bias. He is honest about his, and you agree. Thus you think its not biased. It is. And thats not bad thing. Other people liking things doesnt make their opinion less valuable. Maybe to you, and your bias and perspective, theyre worth less. Different isnt bad you know
@@michalovesanime It's fairly evident he means bias as in pre-conceived inclination or prejudice -- which is also a definition of the term. And it is possible to attest to a work's merits without necessarily liking it personally.
A prime example in this video is when WH talks about the fast-paced action elements of the combat not being his preference, yet he still sees the quality of the combat for those who enjoy that type of game. Meanwhile another "strawman" TH-camr might point to the art style and simply say "bad game", even deciding on this opinion before they even play it. Which is fine of course, but biased.
Luality was pretty critical of DAV as well, then she went back and played DAI and in her DAI video she said that playing DAI made her realize how good DAV was, and that it was way more fun than DAI.
I feel like I am in the same boat as you are with Veilguard. The DA fan in me really wants to give this game the benefit of the doubt, but my goodness the art style and combat are really not what I would expect from the franchise. Those are 2/3 of the most interacted with elements of the game and both are lacking. Also, that mobile game/MMO UI needs to be lost in the darkest part of the fade. My god, who thought that was a good idea? I pray there are game modes that allow the player to turn all that intrusive stuff off. I am really leaning towards waiting on this game as much as I hate to say it. Maybe when it's 1/2 off on steam in a few months to a year.
I mean this seems like a pretty much straight continuation of Inquisition no? I understand if thats not for you still I know a lot of people didn't dig it back then, but I don't know why you would be surprised.
@@callumheathis No, it doesn't seem like that. Inquisition had its issues, but it also had its positives. This travesty of a game seems to only have issues.
Given unlike many I figured it'd not be good and had no intent on buying it, but rather watching a content creator play it, I now have zero want for even that.
The fact that ghoul-at-best is what they're trying to call a darkspawn is absolutely wild.
@@Th1sUsernameIsNotTaken I agree.And imo this early hands on goes waaaay to soft on Bioware.
@@callumheathis No, DAI's UI was much less intrusive. At most you haad a "radar ping" which would cause interactable objects to glow briefly (and more subtly)
@@callumheathis I never mentioned the story and I played through inquisition multiple times. Loved that game as well as DA1 and even 2 for some aspects. It's the design, UI, and combat I have an issue with in Veilguard. I want the story and lore of DA to be good and continue.
'Tolerate the gameplay to enjoy the story' is an all too familiar sentiment.
Even then, no thanks lol
People don't have the funds to do that anymore, inflation is crazy and people are more careful now when it comes to entertainment, there's a shift from mindlessly purchasing every game that came out, because they used to be cheaper. Now people can't afford to tolerate major parts of a game just to enjoy a bit of it.
@@archivist_of_dragonstoneah, a slop consumer
@@TwoHandedChargedBonk if you consider the story a game is telling as slop, you should stick to shooters instead of fantasy rpgs
@@_tasiaxnot in a videogame game a story comes with the gameplay and through gameplay. Not to mention that the art style in a visual media is critical to telling a story.
Looks like you need to stick to Dustborn instead.
Besides a few key characters... it is just not Dragon Age.
I really appreciate your honest take. Your not hateful. It's refreshing.
Thanks for the comment!
The oversaturation on popups and glowing effects takes away the immersion, im surprised that devs doesnt understand that its the main driving factor for video games.
This game really is a headache. It's unfair to compare it to BG3, but I really can't help to think how BG3 was the kind of game BioWare would have wanted to make 10 years ago. And this just looks so goofy, flat and downright oversimplistic compared to BG3.
But I also realize, that I want Dragon Age Origins 2, and this is not what this is. This is a light action game with pretend RPG elements. If the story is good, and the combat is fun enough, I might be good enough on a sale.
Even Swen admitted he didn't expect BG3 to be successful, crpg usually are not successful financially. DAO is a masterpiece but do you know how many copies were sold - 2.8 million copies only. Financially it didn't sell well.
everyone jokes about modern audience not turning up but for DAO the older audience didn't turn up either.
@@swordofkhaine8464 What are you talking about, DAO sold 3.2 million copies in in three months and was one of the most successful BioWare games at the time. It outsold Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2. It was outsold by Mass Effect 3 and then Dragon Age Inquisition way, way later. By all accounts, DAO was a massive hit when it launched for BioWare.
@@TheHatwolf not correct. ME2 was at 5M copies sold, nearly 2x of DAO.
It was only a critical hit, not financial. Kinda like Alan Wake 2.
@@swordofkhaine8464 Where do you get that from? All sources online when I google DAO consider the game to be a finanicial hit, with it still being in BioWare's 10 best selling titles. Including statement from EA considering DAO a hit, hence why they made three sequels by now. I never seen anyone but you state that it was a financial dissapointment with 3.2 million copies sold.
It's just a cheap game that can call itself dragon age. Sad….
The fact that it looks like you’re fighting toys instead of monsters is heartbreaking. Really destroying immersion.
The cell phone game like particle effects everywhere screen vomit does the same for me, just yuck. I can't believe the overall direction of this game, not to even talk about all the DEI politics inserted into a fantasy game! Why?? I just want to have fun, not have real world issues thrown at me.
It's to make the game more marketable to Korean and Chinese markets. Which sucks for us in the west.
@@tasandmnm69yeah. The gameplay looked cool but all of the constant color explosions and random patterns in the air during the released fight sequences made me less than happy 😭
@@keldor8302 "It's to make the game more marketable to Korean and Chinese markets"
@@tasandmnm69 I get the visual criticism but... Politics??? Really? Is that what you have to worry about?
This game has ALWAYS been political, ALL art and media has political background and specially a game like DA
Hair rendering looks insane though
I really appreciate your point of view, it's authentic and something I feel I can trust! I've had mixed impressions from everything we've seen of Veilguard, so I am likely to wait until a sale to play it.
same here
Never trust always verify, its good to see the videos but always make your own opinion on things.
Same here lol I learned my lesson with Dragon’s Dogma 2. I loved the first game and bought the 2nd on launch purely based off nostalgia and now I wish I waited.
Better to just skip it entirely. Bioware: hello, just create another game like DA Origins or Baldur's Gate and we will all literally throw money at you...It boggles the mind why they refuse to do so...🤦♂️
@daniellekabongo2312 what didn't u like about Dragon's Dogma 2?
That combat ui... good grief.
Yeah, told a friend earlier that I’m just gonna turn off all ui if I do end up playing it lmao
Will DATV be release on Android/IOS?
Actually would be even better with added constant strobe light
@@Riri_734 LOL
@@ivilivo Oh yes.. Imagine the headaches reported around the globe 😉 Already gives for many with all the neon flashies etc. Le Sigh, this clearly is worth of 20-25€ first mobile game look a like DA Game. That's the price i pay for it on Steam & hoping for modding support. Neon Age: Vileguard 😐
This may have killed my hype for the game, but I'm glad it's happened now and not on the day of release. My wallet and myself thank you!
It has no denuvo tho, so you can just play it for free. But even then I probably won't
So they made Dragon Age : Ubisoft?
Ubisoft games are actually a lot better than this. Kids are really dumb with how they perceive assassins creed. It actually is pretty good.
@@MrWizardGG Ubisoft 2014 maybe. Ubisoft 2024 is a dumpster fire.
@aarondimoff5180 that's just very childish
@@aarondimoff5180 while ubisoft definitely sucks.. their games still look way better.. even outlaws looks better..
@mattmaas5790 your pfp looks like you were designed by the veilguard dev team
"these 2D cinematic scenes really feel like you're being told a story from a book"
Hmmm, it's almost like this style was introduced.... In DA2.... When varric was telling the story.,.. from a book he wrote......
Or you know the mural style used in the greywarden intro explaining the vlight and wardens. That too
intro for DA:O was 2D (speech about the blight)
@@mithikz7608 it was in origins boss.
@@onthaloose7521 Different art styles from what I remember, this 2d cinematic certainly seems to have a lot more in common with DA2 than DAO style wise.
DAO had 2D cinematics and a lot of other great games have had that kind of cinematics. Most of the time it is not the choice they went because it looks cool or anything but because it is faster and cheaper to make them. If that gives me great gameplay and story in game, I really don't care if cinematics are 2D or 3D. Sometimes it is better great 2D style then bad 3D style cinematics.
I have a theory on the art style - the environments were done when it was originally a single player at the start - then when it moved it to a live service the characters/ battle mechanics etc were designed but when Anthem flopped they panicked and just mish massed them together as they didn’t have time to remake them
The game director worked on Sims 4 before DA:V. Tells you all you need to know about the art style direction.
Or more likely they are just not fans of Dragon Age.
It could be, you’re all right. I do think they repurposed the MMO version’s content (look at the AOE indicators alone!).
As for them hating Dragon Age? I’d need to see the story to see one way of another.
This game has had so much directorial and leadership switching that I would be inclinded to think Corinne Busche might have just pulled this game together for better or for worse. She was not part of Bioware until 2019 or 2020, when undoubtedly much of the game was already done. As some staff who left Bioware said, shit rolls downhill, so it might have just been all those people who came and went that made all these divisive parts and then Corinne came and had to do something to have a game in the end. But I am sure an investigation will come out at some point. This game spent a lot of time switching sides and probably changing mechanics that there was just not worth changing everything a second or third time to please everyone.
@@scratchbone1092 The key to failure is trying to please everybody. That being said, it will be interesting to see how Veilguard does when the smoke clears after release.
"Look how they massacred my boy" 😢
Im really happy to see you are allowed to voice your honest opinions, especially in regards to not only the art style but visual noise during combat sequences and combat mechanics. I was expecting Bioware/EA to be more controlling in regards to what you can say.
There were no restrictions in what we were able to say. At least I didn't see any.
Thank you for posting this Video. It's a bit difficult to find people who have a neutral view on the game.
Definitely it’s either one or the other with most - I’m glad Wolf has been level and giving both sides
Exactly. Everywhere else it's over-hated or over-praised.
That's because it looks like crap. But yeah, I'm impressed he can stand to look at it and keep a straight face. Impressive.
@@Rickus316 Based on HOW he said things, I'm leaning towards he doesn't like it. But he's going to act like he enjoys certain parts so he keeps getting invites.
Look at how he tries to convince you there are more than 3 abilities.
@@Th1sUsernameIsNotTaken Yep, which makes him a sell out since he won't call out what he really thinks. Funny how youtubers tend to sell out like that once they get 100k+ subs. Just another channel for the ignore list I suppose.
It sucks that no one at EA is likely to reflect on the fact that Larian has completely eaten Bioware's lunch
Sure if you like boring ass turn based combat.. yawn! Lol
That would require a modicum of self reflection that will never happen. EA got their actiom combat game and we'll see if its another Anthem.
@@olsonbrandon91You have Skill Issue
@@olsonbrandon91 lol larian got how many game awards for baldurs gate 3.. hmmmm i somehow don't think bioware are going to get any awards for this pile of veilguard rubbish.
@@olsonbrandon91Oh yes, brain activity is boring
I read a comment that said this game looks like if Pixar made this game. My thought is this, they wanted to market this to everyone and no one. The more age groups you get involved the more people can buy this game. That said, Bioware could also run the risk of alienating everyone with this style as it seems too broad for everyone to enjoy. Tricky situation but we'll see how this plays out. I'm getting this game no matter what, buuuuut I suspect the modding community will have their hands full with this one like they did Inquisition.
This was the only preview that was more skeptical that I found, great video dude, you sound like a proper crpg fan or at least you sympathize very well with us compared to most previewers.
As someone somewhere sometime said “My face is tired”
Nothing else to say here 😂
Your video was probably the best today.
Still doesn’t have what I’m looking for in a Dragon Age game
Appreciate your honest take. People granted early access to games have every incentive to praise, and zero incentive to criticise, so it's nice to see nuance.
For me personally - I'm interested in the story and characters, but disappointed in the way it looks and plays. A shame that I just can't get hyped for this after a decade of waiting.
I feel the same way you do. The art style is a let down for me. The combat is also not what I want in a DA game. I just hope the story is good
I think they are pandering too much to a younger less mature audience.
@@XMissWooX playing this game will make you gay. Don’t be gay.
@@fyorbane no, it is for the homos by the homos.
They zoomerfied the game
i pray that the expert modders can fix the disney look of these characters
You’re honestly the most respectful dude I know reviewing games who also isnt fake! I dont know how you do it because I have a habitual way of saying it as I see it and i use big hurtful words too 😂. You keep the peace in a way I never could!
Appreciate you Vlad lol
@@WolfheartFPS They way you present your feelings, opinions and impressions is very respectful and critical at the same time. I appreciate that and I think you nailed it down with this video. Never did I feel that you are bashing or praising the game just to follow some trend or faking some relevance by being brash and rude.
I hate all the sliding forward and back during attacks and dodging, along with the weightless looking melee attacks. It just feels so ugh
I wouldn't mind one or two magic classes having this weightless look to them, it's cool for them! But when your axe wielding dwarven warrior is floating around the battlefield like a fairy I do feel like it takes me out of it.
i rlly wish this game didn't look like a saturday morning cartoon, if it looked darker/more mature i would be more interested cuz i love RPG story games. not a DA fan but ME fan, i'm afraid for ME4 if this is their direction, deathly afraid
Wait a minute - Dwarves can be MAGES now?! I hope that they actually give a good, logical explanation to how that is possible & not just "remember the Descent? Yeah, it's just a thing now."
I thought I saw a lock on the mage class selection, which means you cannot select mage. I need to see it again.
@jfmm7394 I see the lock you mentioned, though it's kind of hard to tell whether it's locking the mage selection or something else. It would be clearer if they were greyed out or you couldn't select them. But hopefully it's clearer while playing rather than watching a video.
No way I will be playing this game. The screen during combat is enough the give a person an epileptic attack.
The graphics look so unreal this could be a mobile commercial. I burst out laughing seeing the skeleton with makeup, looks like an undead joker 😂.
They look shit for what the game is supposed to be, and everything is on purpose. All characters have their heads way to big
"You can customize the main character, and a FEW events, from previous game Dragon Age: Inquisition. This will have SOME MINOR effects on the story, but CAN BE SKIPPED if you wish to move on."
Well, that's really disappointing for me. There were some major decisions that were yet to see the consequences for and was really looking for and implied to be important, now minor, maybe? ugh
EDIT: Have to add i appreciate your take as neutral as possible. I won't be preordering and neither buying it on release. So far i see too many cons, but I will definitely check your review after you complete the game and maybe will see. Few of the channels reliable and honest for this.
tbh every game had quite minor effects when it came to your chaices
So this is the video hat basically canceled WolfsheartFPS from getting a review code? 😀 Well good for me because this basically means I can go on trusting this channel's opinion on videogames when it comes to reviews ...
Looks like another of those handholding games that treats you like an idiot
who doesn't love a big bright green glowing vase screaming HEALING INSIDE. this feels like an action game from the early 2000's
I feel like i will have epileptic seizure just watching this review footage. To much colors, to much sh@t on the screen, everything everywhare at the same time combat style, and models for 0+ age bracket. Why would they do this? Don't they know adults also play video games?
Yeah... This is Concord level cringe. Who is the game designed to 'please'?
The suits running the show copy whatever they think makes popular games work,
and they mostly don't play video games, or even care for art unless it can be grifted as an NFT or some sh!t
It’s been tailored to a “modern audience” that seems to prefer bright colours and flashing lights. Being screen-addicted will do that.
It really looks like an mmo to me right down to the damage tics appearing on screen. Terrible look for a single player arpg.
Yeah, the art design for me just ruins everything for me. I just don't want to spend any time in the world. This actually makes me really worried about Mass Effect 5.
You should be, if they don’t get shut down. Expect the next Shep to be TheyShep.
You will not find what you are looking for in Mass Effect 5. Look to new companies, small companies, new games, new IPs, that is where the magic of the original Mass Effect will be born again.
@@VaShthestampede2 on that note both of you should put “exodusgame” on your watch list if not already. (Though hope they change the name to something less generic can be hard to find it since so many things with that in the name.)
That made you worried? My man did you play or see andromeda? Bioware is long gone, at least for me
@@Trace153 bruh yall spend more time bitching about there being a they option than normal people spend in the entire character creator XD snowflakes literally have to cry about everything, there was a fucking androgynous bald nympho and an entire race that was only females who were all bisexual, entire playthroughs are dedicated to being gay, and youre bitching about a they option. God the stupid levels in our society are just skyrocketing, people literally just get mad about whatever theyre told to be mad about with no thought about how it doesnt matter at all
Imagine if Larian Studios made this game instead
They did. It’s called Baldur’s Gate 3.
I appreciate you always being honest with your opinion and not feeling like you should sugarcoat anything! It's honestly how I know I can trust your opinion on things.
My issue with the combat is everything looks too fantastical or perhaps magical? Warriors and rogues both look like mages... The hits look overly ornate and they lack substance and impact. They have no weight, no brutality just a bunch of style without substance.
They smeared makeup all over their pig (game) and now you're expected to make out with it, like it was a real woman (game).
It's very floaty, too.
Very flashy-neon JRPG effect. Not at all the grittiness of DAO
THIS! the rogue teleporting and doing lightning AOE attacks, the warrior having some kind of flame strike fireball attack. DA is fantastical but still felt grounded. The classes need to feel different.
Considering magic is fairly commonplace in the world, and your character is from the one part of the world where magic users are the people in charge of things and not caged up like animals, it isn't very surprising that even the swordsmen know a bit of magic.
I remember being trapped in inquisition's geometry and switching to a companion to escape. Don't remember that happening before Frostbite.
That happened multiple times to me in Inquisition, but to be fair, Inquisition was a huge game. I typically fall out of the world at least once in most games I play. They've had a ton of time to polish Veilguard, so I would imagine they've caught most of these issues.
Literally if they would just fix how the Qunari horns are a 2nd forehead, and make them jut out of the head separately at a better angle, and make sure the actual forehead still looks like a normal humanoid size...that alone would make a huge difference!!
4:59 I really hope the rest of the Qunari don't look like this character-created monstrosity. It might make killing them more satisfying, tho.
19:24 looks better
The Qunari in DA2 were so imposing and fearsome. They genuinely created a sense of dread when my younger self played the game back in the day.
@@gregorycheok2503 I love how in Origins they made Quanari just big humans with grey skin, then went full metal with Arishok and palls in II, then toned them down in Inquisition and them made tieflings
From everything I've seen, there is no way that I can accurately recreate my Qunari Inquisitor with this character creator.
If they made the Qunari look like they did in the past with the audience this game was clearly made for it would have to come with trigger warnings. So they softened them, made them look ridiculous, but at least the modern audience wont cry thank god.
...What did they do to Dragon Age?
Gone throughout the "modern day washing machine". 🤮
@@TheSoleDweller It had it's balls removed.
Still, after 3 months of hearing about the artstyle, combat and companions, no one is talking about the moral greyzones, that made the DA franchise stand out. They talk about all the things that dont really matter. Is this team of devs the right ones to continue the story, or are they going to use it as a platform to talk about modern day politics. That's the only questions I have had since the first trailer, and they keep brushing it off, like it doesn't matter. A bit more goes into Dark Fantasy, than just hard shadows and Red glowing eyes.
Can you play a character, that does questionable things, like siding with demons over children?
Can you make decissions, that will make your companions hate and attack you?
Are any of the Companions Sexist, Slavers or have any other bad traits?
How many choices can you make, that will change the ending of the game?
If I play as a Qunari, will I get speech options, that will allow my character to follow the strict Qun way of life?
Will the character backgrounds you choose, change the game beyond a few dialoque options?
Anything else, is to me, completely irrelevant when it comes to Dragon Age. Petting animals, hair physics, extended character customization, Photomode, customizing your HQ. If you want all that, go play The Sims.
If they haven't explained in lore, how every character you talk to, knows you identify as Non-binary upon first meeting you, I dont think they should be writing stories, and definitely not Dragon Age.
I almost 100% with you with everything. Game looks mid.
The artstyle and strong bloom, plastic sims 4/fortnite characters. The bad contrasted lighting. The strong fakeish neon colors.
My biggest problem with the art direction is that it doesn't feel cohesive? Like there's this weird smear effect on some characters (that doesn't look good) that isn't there on others. Solas looks great in the cutscene he shares with the created character, yet the created character's face stands out super poorly. The monster redesigns are also so bad, it feels like fable knockoff instead of DA. Feels a bit like a Disney/MCU reboot of the darker more gothic franchise.
I want to love it so bad because I love Dragon Age, but there are times where I look at it and just feel confused?
This makes me appreciate bg3 more. The open world feel and the fighting style that is simple looking as in not all those crazy chaotic lights and lines across the screen. I don’t mind the art style I can get used to it, but the fighting and the open world feel is what I hope is better when you’re in game and turn off all the extra ui and effects
Man it looks like a mobile game. I am feeling the loss of my favorite franchise right now. I really hope it delivers.
First time?
Appreciate the honesty Wolf, great job! Thanks😊
This was an insanely good deep dive into the game Wolf. Great video!
Thanks for watching Enzy!
Wow, the art style comparison with earlier games was both stark and brutal. Thank you for showing that.
Oh God, this is Pixar after all :(
I appreciate your review! I think I'll pass on this one. I played all the previous DA games, but the art style is a dealbreaker. And the combat does not seem like something I would enjoy playing with a RPG game. I would definitely watch you play through it though!
That is an interesting comment about the art style. I bet you anything thing that they didn't bother changing the engine or assests from when the game was supposed to be online. I bet they were going to make it live service but with the failure of so many of them, they quickly switched directions and they didnt want to jeopardize development time so they kept the assets. I wouldn't be surprised if an article came out soon after release revealing all this in the same way that it happened with Anthem.
Really good looking mobile game aesthetic and UI. WTG Bioware. I'm so sad right now as I've been hoping for Bioware to get back to their roots. They continue to move in a direction that doesn't resonate with their long term fans. Maybe their ultimate goal is to get their characters to make a cameo on the next Kingdom Hearts game.
ikr this don't work for me at all they took away what was appealing to me, I'll always wonder what if they kept and upgraded/improved what did work in dao, this is just a complete reboot at this point and it doesn't work
Totally agree about the artsyle being Pixarish that being said the environments are clearly where this engine shines. The joys of frostbyte lol.
My bro, frostbite used to be the premier "insane graphics" engine ... and the engine didn't just shine for environments, it did faces really well. E.g. The actor that plays Chalky White (boardwalk empire) was translated into battlefield extremely well.
@@3choblast3r4 that’s not what they said when they used it for Inquisition. They said they had a lot of issues with it.
@@justinmartin845the stories of the behind the scenes dev tricks they had to do just to get the end game 2D cutscenes to play in inquisition are ridiculous. Idk why EA forced them to use an engine not made for RPGs 😅
Is this tailored to a younger audience? Hard pass. The enemies look so dumb and no way to make gritty characters feels bad.
I knew it wasn’t for me when they decided to give your heroic fantasy character transgender surgery scars instead of cool fantasy features. I hope y’all enjoy it but I think these people are sick pushing agendas on kids.
No part of this looks even remotely appealing to me.
To think there was little me, sitting there with Dragon Age: Origins, daydreaming after completing it for the hundreth time what theyll do next.. losing a little hope with Dragon Age 2 but still had fun so lets see whats next. Okay Inquisiton i absolutely loved it cant wait for them to top this! ...... Cue 2024: Hey guys heres a half assed mobile game... um... and PURPLE! and.... inclusivity!!... yaaay
Yep.... 😆 .... Yep.
Corinne fricken Busche, man.
Oh and don’t forget, we can pet the cats and dogs 🙄🙄🙄
I just want to cry , I was trying to be positive but all I see is doom
Thank you for providing actual feedback. You have always sounded authentic to me and I appreciate that.
Thanks, Wolf, for covering this but, this a is a major pass for ME.
All good thanks for watching.
At this point, the game is damage control. I feel like bioware scaled back and changed the live service game that this was going to be. this is the best case scenario
I feel as it is everything Wolf has been saying in his reviews here and before.
It is all being changed in very commercial and generic ways. The Overwatch/Valorant style character intros, the new cartoonish or "goofy" enemies, the slight dumbing down of how characters and companions are shaped, and the change to making it an action game in both the new combat and the story as a whole all seem to me ways of making it attractive and enjoyable to more average gamers even if at the expense of alienating RPG and/or Dragon Age original fans.
I appreciate your honesty about the product even if it’s disappointing rather than gushing over it just for the sake of maintaining your access as a content creator.
Honestly, baldurs gate 3 ruined video games for me forever 😀
I spent years waiting for the next dragon age game, and then bg3 came along and replaced it for me. That game is everything I wanted
Same here. Playing Baldur’s Gate 3 made me want to revisit Dragon Age: Origins, reminding me of how great Bioware’s old games were. Hopefully, BG3’s success will make them realize that there are still players out here who love their classic style, and not everyone is satisfied with the more shallow, modern approaches. We still appreciate deep stories and well-thought-out gameplay
@@nagyarpinagyarpiyep. We are unfortunately going the Chinese route of having so many citizens anything can sell well, so why try
@@MrWizardGG My prediction is that eventually more and more games will flop, studios will go bankrupt, and they’ll blame it on white men. After all that, hopefully, we’ll get a factory reset, things will go back to normal, we’ll get another good 20 years, and then the cycle will start all over again 😀
@Shrek0408 sorry I think you're being quite weird about your whiteness. Nazism is bad.
Thanks for this, its a pass for me...sad
Yeah, it is crazy for me to say that, but the graphics and aesthetics really keep me from playing this game. They just ruined it, which is pretty hard thing to do honestly
From what I have seen I agree with your take on cartoony graphics, UI, and combat. I am really bothered by all the crap on the screen during combat ( i usually turn damage numbers off in games unless I'm specifically looking for that in a particular fight). So here's hoping for the ability to turn much of that off. If not, I will pray that modders will give me a Hide HUD mod. I will definitely be buying this game because I am hoping that the writing will make up for these deficiencies.
Nice, games industry helping me power through my backlog with these releases. Thanks dudes
Thats an easy pass for me.
DA has been sliding since Origins and now it just looks like an iPad game to me.
Look to BG3 to see what DA could be today, they finally cut some many corners that we ended up with a circle.
Thanks for the honest review despite the access. The literal health percentage being on the enemy health bar feels like such a mobile game vibe as does all the combat UI. Disappointing after enjoying Inquisition
I was NOT a fan of how Skyhold was introduced in Inquisition because it (at least for me) made me immediately suspicious of Solas and it felt so undeserved to suddenly be granted this huge ass castle out of nowhere. Haven felt more like an actual place to hang on to.
The lighthouse sadly reminds me very much of Skyhold. We can only hope that in writing they justify us being there and using it without any downsides.
Quite the departure from the humble camp the Warden had to content themselves with because officially they were a fugitive from justice. And in DA2 Hawke had to wait until Act 2 to be able to move in to his family's estate with the money you made during Act 1 so there was definitely a sense of moving up in the world then.
In DAI the Inquisitor never feels like they struggle for anything after Haven.
@@enrique6335 And tbh the fight for Haven made me feel more than the last fight against Corypheus.
It looks like a smooth, bright, mobile game, but you can’t see the screen. My guess is that it’s a linear arpg where you can’t explore. The glow effects are there to overwhelm you and keep you occupied- it works for attention spans. Unfortunately, that works for Cocomelon, just not in a game. It leads to feeling fatigued and overwhelmed.
What you played is definitely enough for a review. If you don’t want to play more after a few hours, it doesn’t matter if it “gets good,” no one will ever play it long enough to see it.
At this point I'm just so glad we got games like dos2, wasteland3 and bg3 over the years.
The direction they went with combat looks absolutely awful.
💯
@@GrayFoxIRL 💯
I was initially excited for this game but the valid criticisms have tepid my excitement, especially when you're not able to control all party members.