The companions overall are fine. Emmrich and Davrin are even great. I have love for Bellara buut overall there is a massive issue with the companions: they are way too static. You never feel their growth. Yes, there are arcs but they feel minor. Let's use Origins and Alistair as an example of what I'm talking about. Alistair begins as a bit of a wimp. He's incapable of taking charge and he's super insecure about himself. As the game goes on, he begins to become more assertive. He confronts his own insecurities and by the end of the game, you feel that because he will refuse your choices. In the Landsmeet, he can kill Loghain despite what you say. If not, he will leave you. If you romance Alistair, he will not allow you to kill the Archdemon, choosing to sacrifice himself for you. He takes over the game for a moment for you, something he would've never done before. The difference is in dialogue and in gameplay and that makes you feel his growth. One of my favorite moments in Origins in every playhrough is that first time companions begin to talk to you different. Alistair goes from "What you need?" to "yeeees?" Sten begins to talk to you which feels enormous, Morrigan shows emotion breaking her facade. Those transformations make it feel like our relationships are evolving. Bellara doesn't change nor do anything that takes you by surprise. She feels like the same person by the end with only minor growth. She doesn't act differently. She doesn't talk to you differently. Neve is Neve, inspiration or protector, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two. I'm not sure how much of a difference there is between Hero Neve and Neve from the beginning of the game. Veilguard companions feels more stagnant.
Just a thought and a very simple exlanation, why characters and romances feel not as deep as in the forst 3 DA games (David Gaider mentioned this, too in one of his posts): If every character is bisexual and can be romanced by everyone, you give the player more options. But you also loose the opportunity to add more depth to the character by having own interests. For example, imagine if Cullen or Alistair would be romanceable by a male character. It does not fit to how hthey are written and it would need adjustments to make them consistent again. Adjustments, that need to cut some very interesting aspects of their backstory and personality. Same with Dorian, Cassandra etc. Or Vivienne having her own goals and not being romanceable at all. It gives the writers the possibility to add so much depth to these characters.
My one argument to this is that, save for Sebastian, all the other romance options were playersexual in DA2. Yet these character romances still had depth, their own interests, and their own backstories. (There was also the possibility to "rivalmance," which DAtV doesn't have, which added another interesting angle). So I don't think it's because of "giving player more options" that the character depth is lost. If anything, I feel like character background scene potential was spent on repeating plotpoints or certain lore buzzwords. A lot was also missed by not being able to talk to the characters Inquisition-style to get their backstories and opinions. Also, I would have loved to disagree or argue their views.
I fully agree with all your points but to also add onto the companion bit I feel like our Rook/the MC was the most side lined character in the game with the most shallow writting out of all the other DA MC, and felt like the entirety of Act 2 was Rook being a live in therapist and not a friend and the way the companions even talk to Rook felt like they talerated them and I’ve 100% the game found all the secrets did everyone’s quest and somehow the world still felt so empty if that makes sense. I just hope instead of ignoring all the cirques BioWare will learn from this game and listen to the fans. I want another dragon age game, I want a new protagonist and an interesting story
I’ve been playing dragon age since the beginning and have played every game multiple times Veil guard is like expediting Tolkien and getting a star wars film Every decision you ever made in game was pointless Duncan died for nothing Coriphius was really pointless so two games of plot not mattering completely They could have just used Sandle and the magic dwarf I probably would have enjoyed it more Also the companions in veilguard all act like they’re 12 What’s the point of beautiful landscapes if they took the stories of those areas and used them to wipe They took solas who was interesting and made a dragon from origins make more sense as an enemy than a rejected twink
I think the issue here is people are blinded by nostalgia. The previous games were similarly bad writing. It’s the same as the Star Wars discourse. Yes the sequel trilogy is bad…but so is the original trilogy, so is the prequel trilogy. It’s always been bad. Dragon age is really no different.
@@BBS-dl1lt Oh look, someone who knows nothing about good writing. Watch Important Gooses videos. She explores Veilguard from a professional writers pov. And no, the previous games had much better writing. Especially dialogues.
I respect that you waited afew weeks to make your video. I think it's good that you took some time to reflect on the game outside of the hate its getting and make a review that is as fair as you could be. As someone who doesn't like veilgaurd at all I am glad you enjoyed it!
10:03 there’s so often where the game skirts around past choices it is like it is begging for them to be there Edit: wow I feel alot of the same way as you, I genuinely enjoyed this game, I just wish some parts of it had of been more, basically the exact same parts you mentioned 😂
As a Dragon Age fan, I'm so glad that this game finally came out! Did I have a number of issues with it (a majority that you mentioned)? Yes. But it was so great to be back in Thedas, and the setpieces were gorgeous. Even days after finishing it, I'm still trying to piece my exact thoughts. Thank you for putting this video together!
Hello dear Lisa! I really enjoyed your thoughts on Dragon Age. We have similar opinions in certain areas, but overall, I absolutely love this game and I'm so excited to see what BioWare does next. Unfortunately, I haven't beaten the game yet, but I am romancing Davrin and it is very, very good.❤
Heyaa! 😄 Glad to hear you're loving the game. And oooo nicee! I'm very curious about the Davrin romance. In my first playthrough he was my Rook's best buddy but I'm planning on making a Warden Rook to romance him in a future playthrough 👀
@LisaLynnsTavern OMG, if ever you stream or do a let's play, I am so there for that! 😆🙌🏾 Maybe one day in the future we should do a collab. It's up to you if you want. 💜
@@MicahLetsPlay I'm actually planning on streaming a playthrough in the future! I'm still figuring out the details and stuff and I've also never streamed on the channel before so I'll need to set things up. 😂 Yesss I'd love to do a collab some time!!
@@LisaLynnsTavern Cool beans Lisa! As soon as you start your playthrough I want to be there. I'll hit you up with a few ideas in the future.. Because first I need to finish the game LOL.
@@beccangavin @kachsavage4047 It's entirely on the complexion you use. Or at least that's what did it for me. It was kind of annoying because I wasn't really sure I'd fixed it few times until I saw her in a cutscene
This is probably the best positive review I’ve seen of Veilguard. I don’t like the game at all, but I like how you critiqued the game fairly and gave valid reasons for liking it. And unlike some other reviewers you didn’t attack people for disliking it lol. Good video! I look forward to your full review.
Unfortunately, I think some of that stems from (not you but) a majority of people who dislike the game who have been brutal and personal with their attacks against people who like the game. I have the same views as this reviewer but the amount of vitriol I’ve received, even as someone who has shared critiques we should agree on, is needless and sad 😭
@@tigerl21 Yeah, it's pretty sad. We should be having a civil discourse about the game, whether or not we like it. I left a comment on a different positive review and the reviewer said that Veilguard is "Truly for the community" and a "love letter" to which I couldn't disagree more. Someone replied basically calling me an idiot and saying that it's "obviously a love letter" but it's hard to say it's obvious if it has such a mixed reception lol. Tbh I think you're probably the first person I've interacted who enjoys the game and didn't get angry at me for criticizing it. It's a breath of fresh air.
@@dostwood5103 Welcome to social media where you can say anything under guise of anonymity with little repercussions (supposedly)! So much of the gaming community has gotten exponentially more toxic and more political than it was ever supposed to be in recent years… we need more people to push for civil discourse! Maybe we can be an example 😁
Glad you enjoyed the video! And yea it's really sad to see people getting attacked for liking/disliking a game. Not everyone's going to like the same thing and that's fine. I agree with what you guys said in the replies, I wish more people were open to having civil discussion instead of simply attacking anyone that disagrees with them
Great review, Lisa! I agree with pretty much everything you said. Hopefully we can see (and play) a next Dragon Age game where development is focused on a single-player experience from the start.
Thank you! And hopefully yeah. It seems the industry isn't as focused on ''everything must be live service!!'' anymore now vs a few years ago, so at least there's that.
Thank you so much for your review! I agree with a lot of your thoughts! Healthy critique is so important! I am 96 hours in but still haven't made it to act 3. Photomode has prevented me from sticking to the story. 😅 So it's a smart idea to take photos on round 2. I am honestly astounded by the environments. Like sometimes I just sit there and take it all in. But I will also say the first 30 hours were pretty rough. I finished Trespasser a day before starting DATV and I looked at it through nostalgia glasses which curbed my enjoyment greatly. I also find the music pretty generic and lacking identity, I only like the bits that incorporate DAI's music too. I have lots of opinions on this game so I will stop there. 😂
Glad you enjoyed it! And yesss the environments are stunning. I played the game on normal graphics for most of my playthrough but I'm upgrading my pc pretty soon, so I can't wait to play it on higher graphics settings (x And you're not alone haha, I still have so many thoughts as well xD I'm curious to hear what you think once you've finished the game though!
I was wary of the game since the first trailer. I saw a few reviews, watched a few playthroughs and sadly came to the conclusion that this isn't a game for those who loved Origins, so I skipped. The dialogues being written as if the game is targeted to young kids, the cringe moments that feel completely out of place, the simplified Mass Effect 2 combat mechanics. If it didn't have the DA in its name I would have thought that it was some new IP, tbh. I'm happy that you enjoyed it, or parts of it at least, and kudos to not being afraid to criticise its flaws. As you said nothing is perfect.
That's fair, I totally get how these things can be a dealbreaker. Even though I still enjoyed the game I do really hope they improve these aspects in their next game (and in the next Dragon Age, if there is to be one)
I am glad that you enjoyed the game and that you keep looking forward for this franchise. Sadly for me this is a breaking point, this is not Dragon Age for me anymore. And no before anyone says anything I have no issue with the "WOKE stuff" the game may or may not have. I have issues with more important stuff that the developers did in this game, but I won't say anything else out of respect because this is a No Spoilers video so I think the comments should also remain free of spoilers. And this is coming from someone that love this franchise so much that decided his career after finishing Dragon Age Origins
Agreed on a lot of points man... My biggest gripe was that only 3 choices from previous huge games were considered, and simplified action combat didn't click with me, for Dragon Age will always be more tactical CRPG style game
i don't mean in it in a negative way but the "vibe" of the game felt a bit like a session of TTRPG , like the energy and writing of dialogue the game kinda felt like what i would expect to see when ppl play a ttrpg session of Dragon Age which is fine, i just wasn't expecting it on the video game itself lol
I loved Origins, 2 & Veilguard. Tried as much, I just can't take Inquisition. Veilguard just flowed well for me. Sure not everything is perfect like the monster models but all games will have their weak side. But so far, Im liking Veilguard. Im still playing it
I’ve been a fan and lover of Dragon Age in particular, and BioWare as a company going back to the original launch of KOTOR more than two plus decades ago - back when the games came on disks. But I don’t know where you go with the love of a franchise when it gets changed from a mature, immersive dark fantasy RPG with meaningful choices into YA style, mostly linear action adventure game with only superficial trappings of an RPG, where choice doesn’t matter much, puzzles where the answers are impatiently handed to you almost before you have a chance to think for yourself, and where they retconned virtually all the lore into an almost totally different universe from the one we all committed to and fell in love with. Is that even a “dragon age” game at all? Or is it just another shallow action adventures game for (mostly) children plastered over with a DA veneer to to try to fool people into buying it on the reputation of those older games? Exactly when does it become false advertising? Honestly, I don’t know, but I’m not nibbling on the bait this time. BioWare has officially lost me after 20 plus years of loyalty.
It’s a good game, I enjoyed it. I also expected more and for many other reasons this is for sure the weakest entry for me. Emmrich is def in my top three fav romances in the series though (solas>alistair>emmrich>anders)
@@Xxsorafan gotta agree w 👆🏻 how can you call it a good game but also the weakest in the series? To each their own but I don’t understand your logic unless you’re saying the games are so great that even the absolute worst of them is still a good game….
@@nickbriggs8059I don’t like Veilguard at all, but that’s not an unreasonable statement. You can say something is your least favorite in a series and still like it. I’ll use music as an example. I love the band Death and yet their 3rd album is by far their weakest, but it’s still a 7/10 in me eyes. It’s still really solid.
I have 90% of the same views you do and I’m on a third playthrough 😅 I will say, playing a different faction does give you a different lens or angle to view the story and adds a much different flavor and influences you to change the choices you make as that character. It’s fairly subtle, but it kept me playing to see what else was different that I could find or what lore I was able to find that I didn’t in another playthrough via conversations with your faction. I will say that my love for picking up lore bits may color my opinion as the system is still fairly simplistic in the weight of the choices you make during the game which turns some people off.
Yeah I'm really looking forward to playing as a different faction in my next playthrough! I didn't enjoy the Lords of Fortune as much as I thought I would but I heard some of the other factions have some really nice reactivity and faction specific dialogue.
My headcanon is that whoever decided on the pronunciation of qamek in this game dislikes comic books. Exhibit A: they pronounce qamek like comic. Exhibit B: qamek makes its victim a mindless husk. In all seriousness, I don't remember qamek ever being mentioned in a game. Saar-qamek was mentioned in DA2 and Inquisition but the only place I remember qamek before Veilguard is the Those Who Speak comic.
Yeah in fairness I did base the pronunciation off of how Saar-qamek is pronounced, it just felt a little odd to me that it was suddenly pronounced differently, and all I could hear was ''comic'' and ''comic master'' 😂 But it's really just a nitpick (x
@@YoshtTheAwesome It was more than just 'mentioned' in DA2, the crazy Elf stole some thinking it was gatlock and messed up a section of Kirkwall until player capped the barrels...
Certain complexions have it, unfortunately. It's really prominent on Freckles 1 which is the one I used (x thankfully there seems to already be a mod to fix it!
@LisaLynnsTavern Not something that happens by accident, thats for sure. A deliberate choice, for some weird reason. Or maybe because they use the same complexions for both sexes. Guess thats what you get when you remove a clear seperation between male and female. 🤷
Thanks. Atleast one neutral review for this game. I am being double minded on buying it or not. I lllove Dragon Age and feel very heavy if I have to decide not to play this one, which seems to be the last one of the franchise. Waiting for your detailed review🎉🎉🎉🎉
That's completely fair. If you don't mind spoilers too much I'd say watch some playthroughs of early to mid game gameplay, that usually helps me make up my mind about a game 🙂
Well, thanks for sharing your honest thoughts 👌 Though sadly be prepared for the swarm of griffters complaining about wokeism and other such bullshit 😓
I don’t have a problem with that so much as how it was told. Like how do you fit it into the lore. I suppose since all the characters with the nonbinary/trans identities are from tevinter, in universe it could be tevinter in origin perhaps? Still it’s odd. Krem was done a lot better. I think the core issue was the writing and dialogue. They could have done things so much better. Friendship/Rivalry system comes to mind. Persuasion checks to calm down arguing companions. It’s like some corporate guy said to cut back on the nuances of writing as much as possible. It was the wrong move. Thankfully they had the black codex so the lore was mostly intact. But in truth I can highlight the pluses in the story/writing as follows: Lore Plot -Weisshaupt -Final Battle Companions -Davrin -Emmerich -Lucanis -For the others, the anaris and Titan plots were cool I guess. Writers need free rein with no restrictions. Lean into the M rating, use the keep, and so on. I honestly think after reading the art book that their plan early on was to not use the keep all along. That was a mistake too. We care more than any new market ever could. If they want money, there’s a handful of things they gotta do and they’re doing the opposite
How does disliking the game mean someone’s a grifter? Don’t get me wrong there certainly are grifters who don’t play Dragon Age and criticize the game unfairly because they’re trying to capitalize on the infamy, but I see it on the other side of the spectrum too. Like the God of War creator. He admitted he’s only played Inquisition and never beat it, yet he’s defending the game and ignoring the legit criticisms people have that doesn’t have to do with petty politics.
@@dostwood5103 Also, hasn't GOW's creator been very critical of his francise's successor due to its 'spiritual wokeness'? Kinda strange coming from him. But perhaps he had changed his tune since then.
@@Billpro25 I'm not quite sure. I have heard from a friend he's critical of the new games in some way, but I don't play God of War so I never kept up with it. If that is the case, it's possible he changed his tune like you said. He's pretty public about his son being trans so that's why he's defending Veilguard. It's a personal bias for him.
This game will be like Dragon Age 2 I think. Or at least it will be a while for people to warm up to it. But a few years down the line I’m sure many will be a lot less hateful about it than they were at release. I’m almost done with my 2nd playthrough and despite the overall dialogur gripes I’ve also had I thoroughly enjoy the game!
I do not think so. Dragon Age 2 had a really solid story, great characters, an engaging protagonist and really cool approval system. DA:V has none of that. The world is too clean and they pretty much removed every bit of bite Thedas had. The characters are shallow, some more so than others. The writing and dialogue is so bad, that I really had to force myself through it. I’ll never touch this game again and just treat it like bad fanfiction.
Yeah I highly doubt time will fix this situation. You see this game has horrible writing and the worst characters I’ve ever seen in my life. Time will not fix this situation bud. Nice to keep a positive outlook but seriously…. This game is fkn garbage aside from the woke trash.
People said the same damn thing about andromeda and people hate that shit exactly the same today as they did when it released. It happens every single time when anything gets hate of this intensity. "Oh theyll learn to love it later on down the road" that hasnt ever happened nor will it ever happen.
The game got a ton of love prior to release. “BioWare is back” - that was the consensus from reviews. That is what won’t age well. As time goes by, the game will come to be seen for what it is: a safe, bland, corporate fantasy ARPG. A sad echo of what DA once was.
This game has the worst writing out of all of the games in the franchise. The big moments in the game were great (Solas, Grey Warden mission, Final battle, etc.) I like 4 of the companions (Darvin, Emmerich, Bellara, Lucanis). They butchered Harding's character. Neve's voice acting is horrible. Taash is insufferable. The pronunciations for things were off. This was my most anticipated game for the year and was a major let down for me. Game overall: 6.5-7/10. As a DA fan: 4/10.
I'd say 6 is a fairer score all things considered, there's far too big of a variation in quality of games between a 10 and this for it to be a 7. I agree with 4 as a fan though.
I think people complaining about the writing are a bit too blinded by nostalgia. The franchise has never had particularly strong writing. People seem to like the edgier stuff more, but it definitely wasn’t better in terms of writing from a technical standpoint. Honestly I find the whole situation very similar to the star wars discourse. Yes the sequel trilogy was bad writing, but so was the prequel trilogy, and especially so was the original trilogy. I can understand if the change in vibes isn’t to one’s liking, but that’s not the same thing as an objective evaluation of the writing itself. Edit: also want to add that companions shouldn’t always be likable. Sera and Vivienne are written to be grating. Taash is really no different. Imperfections and hypocrisy make for much more human characters than ultimate rizz machines who are never annoying.
The writing isnt that bad, its a pre concieved notion talking. Judging a 80 hour game by 5 hours of writing lol. The game has some real issues, but characters are certainly not one of them
Bro, I played 40 hours plus of this garbage. The companions are annoying AF. Taash constantly whining made me want to throw my console out the windows. And the combat was just boring and repetitive (3 headed hydra?). None of your dialogue or choices matter in the slightest. It is just awful.
Honestly I find the dragon age discourse similar to the star wars discourse. People complaining that the sequel series and tv shows have bad writing, yet somehow ignoring the fact that the original trilogy and prequel trilogy also had terrible writing lol. Dragon age is no different. It’s been an entire franchise of bad writing that somehow amassed a small cult following due to being edgy. Anyone who comments on the writing in a way that implies the previous games were good is kinda telling on themselves. It’s obvious those people haven’t read much lmao.
The companions overall are fine. Emmrich and Davrin are even great. I have love for Bellara buut overall there is a massive issue with the companions: they are way too static. You never feel their growth. Yes, there are arcs but they feel minor.
Let's use Origins and Alistair as an example of what I'm talking about. Alistair begins as a bit of a wimp. He's incapable of taking charge and he's super insecure about himself. As the game goes on, he begins to become more assertive. He confronts his own insecurities and by the end of the game, you feel that because he will refuse your choices. In the Landsmeet, he can kill Loghain despite what you say. If not, he will leave you. If you romance Alistair, he will not allow you to kill the Archdemon, choosing to sacrifice himself for you. He takes over the game for a moment for you, something he would've never done before. The difference is in dialogue and in gameplay and that makes you feel his growth.
One of my favorite moments in Origins in every playhrough is that first time companions begin to talk to you different. Alistair goes from "What you need?" to "yeeees?" Sten begins to talk to you which feels enormous, Morrigan shows emotion breaking her facade. Those transformations make it feel like our relationships are evolving.
Bellara doesn't change nor do anything that takes you by surprise. She feels like the same person by the end with only minor growth. She doesn't act differently. She doesn't talk to you differently. Neve is Neve, inspiration or protector, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two. I'm not sure how much of a difference there is between Hero Neve and Neve from the beginning of the game.
Veilguard companions feels more stagnant.
Just a thought and a very simple exlanation, why characters and romances feel not as deep as in the forst 3 DA games (David Gaider mentioned this, too in one of his posts): If every character is bisexual and can be romanced by everyone, you give the player more options. But you also loose the opportunity to add more depth to the character by having own interests. For example, imagine if Cullen or Alistair would be romanceable by a male character. It does not fit to how hthey are written and it would need adjustments to make them consistent again. Adjustments, that need to cut some very interesting aspects of their backstory and personality. Same with Dorian, Cassandra etc. Or Vivienne having her own goals and not being romanceable at all. It gives the writers the possibility to add so much depth to these characters.
My one argument to this is that, save for Sebastian, all the other romance options were playersexual in DA2. Yet these character romances still had depth, their own interests, and their own backstories. (There was also the possibility to "rivalmance," which DAtV doesn't have, which added another interesting angle). So I don't think it's because of "giving player more options" that the character depth is lost.
If anything, I feel like character background scene potential was spent on repeating plotpoints or certain lore buzzwords.
A lot was also missed by not being able to talk to the characters Inquisition-style to get their backstories and opinions. Also, I would have loved to disagree or argue their views.
This game made me re install da origins.
This was wonderful and constructive. Thank you for this video
I fully agree with all your points but to also add onto the companion bit I feel like our Rook/the MC was the most side lined character in the game with the most shallow writting out of all the other DA MC, and felt like the entirety of Act 2 was Rook being a live in therapist and not a friend and the way the companions even talk to Rook felt like they talerated them and I’ve 100% the game found all the secrets did everyone’s quest and somehow the world still felt so empty if that makes sense. I just hope instead of ignoring all the cirques BioWare will learn from this game and listen to the fans. I want another dragon age game, I want a new protagonist and an interesting story
I played it from shared library
Three hours and just sparked no joy
I’ve been playing dragon age since the beginning and have played every game multiple times
Veil guard is like expediting Tolkien and getting a star wars film
Every decision you ever made in game was pointless
Duncan died for nothing
Coriphius was really pointless so two games of plot not mattering completely
They could have just used Sandle and the magic dwarf I probably would have enjoyed it more
Also the companions in veilguard all act like they’re 12
What’s the point of beautiful landscapes if they took the stories of those areas and used them to wipe
They took solas who was interesting and made a dragon from origins make more sense as an enemy than a rejected twink
More like expecting A Song of Ice and Fire and getting an MCU movie.
I think the issue here is people are blinded by nostalgia. The previous games were similarly bad writing. It’s the same as the Star Wars discourse. Yes the sequel trilogy is bad…but so is the original trilogy, so is the prequel trilogy. It’s always been bad. Dragon age is really no different.
Have you played orgins?
@@BBS-dl1lt Oh look, someone who knows nothing about good writing. Watch Important Gooses videos. She explores Veilguard from a professional writers pov. And no, the previous games had much better writing. Especially dialogues.
Love your Rook Lisa 😍 Excited to listen!
Nice to see someones opinion who didnt hate it.
No one hates the game. Because its not the games fault that its bad. People blame the devs and EA. They hate them, not the game.
I respect that you waited afew weeks to make your video. I think it's good that you took some time to reflect on the game outside of the hate its getting and make a review that is as fair as you could be. As someone who doesn't like veilgaurd at all I am glad you enjoyed it!
10:03 there’s so often where the game skirts around past choices it is like it is begging for them to be there
Edit: wow I feel alot of the same way as you, I genuinely enjoyed this game, I just wish some parts of it had of been more, basically the exact same parts you mentioned 😂
reallylooking forward to the next videos!
As a Dragon Age fan, I'm so glad that this game finally came out! Did I have a number of issues with it (a majority that you mentioned)? Yes. But it was so great to be back in Thedas, and the setpieces were gorgeous. Even days after finishing it, I'm still trying to piece my exact thoughts. Thank you for putting this video together!
Hello dear Lisa!
I really enjoyed your thoughts on Dragon Age. We have similar opinions in certain areas, but overall, I absolutely love this game and I'm so excited to see what BioWare does next.
Unfortunately, I haven't beaten the game yet, but I am romancing Davrin and it is very, very good.❤
Heyaa! 😄
Glad to hear you're loving the game. And oooo nicee! I'm very curious about the Davrin romance. In my first playthrough he was my Rook's best buddy but I'm planning on making a Warden Rook to romance him in a future playthrough 👀
@LisaLynnsTavern OMG, if ever you stream or do a let's play, I am so there for that! 😆🙌🏾
Maybe one day in the future we should do a collab. It's up to you if you want. 💜
@@MicahLetsPlay I'm actually planning on streaming a playthrough in the future! I'm still figuring out the details and stuff and I've also never streamed on the channel before so I'll need to set things up. 😂
Yesss I'd love to do a collab some time!!
@@LisaLynnsTavern Cool beans Lisa! As soon as you start your playthrough I want to be there.
I'll hit you up with a few ideas in the future.. Because first I need to finish the game LOL.
@@MicahLetsPlay I'll make sure to make a post when I know the details/time/days etc
And yess sounds good!
It took me so long to figure out how to stop having a five o'clock shadow on my Rook.
You figured that out? How?
Adding myself to this chain because I want to know as well.
@@beccangavin @kachsavage4047 It's entirely on the complexion you use. Or at least that's what did it for me. It was kind of annoying because I wasn't really sure I'd fixed it few times until I saw her in a cutscene
This is probably the best positive review I’ve seen of Veilguard. I don’t like the game at all, but I like how you critiqued the game fairly and gave valid reasons for liking it. And unlike some other reviewers you didn’t attack people for disliking it lol. Good video! I look forward to your full review.
Unfortunately, I think some of that stems from (not you but) a majority of people who dislike the game who have been brutal and personal with their attacks against people who like the game. I have the same views as this reviewer but the amount of vitriol I’ve received, even as someone who has shared critiques we should agree on, is needless and sad 😭
@@tigerl21 Yeah, it's pretty sad. We should be having a civil discourse about the game, whether or not we like it. I left a comment on a different positive review and the reviewer said that Veilguard is "Truly for the community" and a "love letter" to which I couldn't disagree more.
Someone replied basically calling me an idiot and saying that it's "obviously a love letter" but it's hard to say it's obvious if it has such a mixed reception lol.
Tbh I think you're probably the first person I've interacted who enjoys the game and didn't get angry at me for criticizing it. It's a breath of fresh air.
@@dostwood5103 Welcome to social media where you can say anything under guise of anonymity with little repercussions (supposedly)! So much of the gaming community has gotten exponentially more toxic and more political than it was ever supposed to be in recent years… we need more people to push for civil discourse!
Maybe we can be an example 😁
@@tigerl21 Amen
Glad you enjoyed the video! And yea it's really sad to see people getting attacked for liking/disliking a game. Not everyone's going to like the same thing and that's fine. I agree with what you guys said in the replies, I wish more people were open to having civil discussion instead of simply attacking anyone that disagrees with them
Great review, Lisa! I agree with pretty much everything you said. Hopefully we can see (and play) a next Dragon Age game where development is focused on a single-player experience from the start.
Thank you! And hopefully yeah. It seems the industry isn't as focused on ''everything must be live service!!'' anymore now vs a few years ago, so at least there's that.
Thank you so much for your review! I agree with a lot of your thoughts! Healthy critique is so important! I am 96 hours in but still haven't made it to act 3. Photomode has prevented me from sticking to the story. 😅 So it's a smart idea to take photos on round 2. I am honestly astounded by the environments. Like sometimes I just sit there and take it all in. But I will also say the first 30 hours were pretty rough. I finished Trespasser a day before starting DATV and I looked at it through nostalgia glasses which curbed my enjoyment greatly. I also find the music pretty generic and lacking identity, I only like the bits that incorporate DAI's music too. I have lots of opinions on this game so I will stop there. 😂
its hard to have healthy critique after being invested in southern thedas for so many years just to have it all destroyed. this is NOT a good game
Glad you enjoyed it! And yesss the environments are stunning. I played the game on normal graphics for most of my playthrough but I'm upgrading my pc pretty soon, so I can't wait to play it on higher graphics settings (x
And you're not alone haha, I still have so many thoughts as well xD I'm curious to hear what you think once you've finished the game though!
I was wary of the game since the first trailer. I saw a few reviews, watched a few playthroughs and sadly came to the conclusion that this isn't a game for those who loved Origins, so I skipped.
The dialogues being written as if the game is targeted to young kids, the cringe moments that feel completely out of place, the simplified Mass Effect 2 combat mechanics. If it didn't have the DA in its name I would have thought that it was some new IP, tbh.
I'm happy that you enjoyed it, or parts of it at least, and kudos to not being afraid to criticise its flaws. As you said nothing is perfect.
That's fair, I totally get how these things can be a dealbreaker. Even though I still enjoyed the game I do really hope they improve these aspects in their next game (and in the next Dragon Age, if there is to be one)
I've done one playthrough and I thought they romances were better in origins, da2,and DAI.
I am glad that you enjoyed the game and that you keep looking forward for this franchise. Sadly for me this is a breaking point, this is not Dragon Age for me anymore. And no before anyone says anything I have no issue with the "WOKE stuff" the game may or may not have. I have issues with more important stuff that the developers did in this game, but I won't say anything else out of respect because this is a No Spoilers video so I think the comments should also remain free of spoilers. And this is coming from someone that love this franchise so much that decided his career after finishing Dragon Age Origins
Agreed on a lot of points man... My biggest gripe was that only 3 choices from previous huge games were considered, and simplified action combat didn't click with me, for Dragon Age will always be more tactical CRPG style game
i don't mean in it in a negative way but the "vibe" of the game felt a bit like a session of TTRPG , like the energy and writing of dialogue the game kinda felt like what i would expect to see when ppl play a ttrpg session of Dragon Age
which is fine, i just wasn't expecting it on the video game itself lol
ohh the audio bug has been driving me crazy 😅
I loved Origins, 2 & Veilguard. Tried as much, I just can't take Inquisition. Veilguard just flowed well for me. Sure not everything is perfect like the monster models but all games will have their weak side. But so far, Im liking Veilguard. Im still playing it
I’ve been a fan and lover of Dragon Age in particular, and BioWare as a company going back to the original launch of KOTOR more than two plus decades ago - back when the games came on disks. But I don’t know where you go with the love of a franchise when it gets changed from a mature, immersive dark fantasy RPG with meaningful choices into YA style, mostly linear action adventure game with only superficial trappings of an RPG, where choice doesn’t matter much, puzzles where the answers are impatiently handed to you almost before you have a chance to think for yourself, and where they retconned virtually all the lore into an almost totally different universe from the one we all committed to and fell in love with. Is that even a “dragon age” game at all? Or is it just another shallow action adventures game for (mostly) children plastered over with a DA veneer to to try to fool people into buying it on the reputation of those older games? Exactly when does it become false advertising? Honestly, I don’t know, but I’m not nibbling on the bait this time. BioWare has officially lost me after 20 plus years of loyalty.
I enjoyed the combat in the veilguard and no matter what character I make I'm drawn to the mage class lol
It’s a good game, I enjoyed it. I also expected more and for many other reasons this is for sure the weakest entry for me. Emmrich is def in my top three fav romances in the series though (solas>alistair>emmrich>anders)
if you expected more and its the weakest entry how can you say its a good game? that makes no sense to me obviously it isnt a good game.
@@Xxsorafan gotta agree w 👆🏻 how can you call it a good game but also the weakest in the series? To each their own but I don’t understand your logic unless you’re saying the games are so great that even the absolute worst of them is still a good game….
@@nickbriggs8059I don’t like Veilguard at all, but that’s not an unreasonable statement. You can say something is your least favorite in a series and still like it.
I’ll use music as an example. I love the band Death and yet their 3rd album is by far their weakest, but it’s still a 7/10 in me eyes. It’s still really solid.
I have 90% of the same views you do and I’m on a third playthrough 😅 I will say, playing a different faction does give you a different lens or angle to view the story and adds a much different flavor and influences you to change the choices you make as that character. It’s fairly subtle, but it kept me playing to see what else was different that I could find or what lore I was able to find that I didn’t in another playthrough via conversations with your faction.
I will say that my love for picking up lore bits may color my opinion as the system is still fairly simplistic in the weight of the choices you make during the game which turns some people off.
Yeah I'm really looking forward to playing as a different faction in my next playthrough! I didn't enjoy the Lords of Fortune as much as I thought I would but I heard some of the other factions have some really nice reactivity and faction specific dialogue.
@ I highly recommend Shadow Dragons!
@@tigerl21 I've been tempted to go Shadow Dragons actually, but I'm also thinking Crows or Wardens
@ doing crows now. They are currently… a very close second imo
9:57 nope. I want to see all of Iron Bull or gtfo
I dreaded fights in nightmare difficulty.
My headcanon is that whoever decided on the pronunciation of qamek in this game dislikes comic books.
Exhibit A: they pronounce qamek like comic.
Exhibit B: qamek makes its victim a mindless husk.
In all seriousness, I don't remember qamek ever being mentioned in a game. Saar-qamek was mentioned in DA2 and Inquisition but the only place I remember qamek before Veilguard is the Those Who Speak comic.
Yeah in fairness I did base the pronunciation off of how Saar-qamek is pronounced, it just felt a little odd to me that it was suddenly pronounced differently, and all I could hear was ''comic'' and ''comic master'' 😂 But it's really just a nitpick (x
I agree. The mission with the comic master is a strange mixture of amusement and frustration for me. I was just trying to play the devil's advocate.
@@YoshtTheAwesome It was more than just 'mentioned' in DA2, the crazy Elf stole some thinking it was gatlock and messed up a section of Kirkwall until player capped the barrels...
Why does ur Rook have a 5 o'clock shadow on her face? It looks weird. Dont think I've noticed it on male Rooks. Strange...
Certain complexions have it, unfortunately. It's really prominent on Freckles 1 which is the one I used (x thankfully there seems to already be a mod to fix it!
@LisaLynnsTavern Not something that happens by accident, thats for sure. A deliberate choice, for some weird reason. Or maybe because they use the same complexions for both sexes. Guess thats what you get when you remove a clear seperation between male and female. 🤷
Can I do your TH-cam scheduling for a week?😊
Ok if no spoilers, I can watch 👌 I'm still 20h behind, haven't had time.or mood to go back to the game in 2 weekends 😢
Awh, hopefully you'll be able to get back to it soon!
Thanks. Atleast one neutral review for this game. I am being double minded on buying it or not. I lllove Dragon Age and feel very heavy if I have to decide not to play this one, which seems to be the last one of the franchise. Waiting for your detailed review🎉🎉🎉🎉
That's completely fair. If you don't mind spoilers too much I'd say watch some playthroughs of early to mid game gameplay, that usually helps me make up my mind about a game 🙂
couldnt agree more!
Pin Point Video!
“Ik I’ve been very critical…” stop. ✋🏻
Well, thanks for sharing your honest thoughts 👌
Though sadly be prepared for the swarm of griffters complaining about wokeism and other such bullshit 😓
I don’t have a problem with that so much as how it was told. Like how do you fit it into the lore. I suppose since all the characters with the nonbinary/trans identities are from tevinter, in universe it could be tevinter in origin perhaps? Still it’s odd. Krem was done a lot better.
I think the core issue was the writing and dialogue. They could have done things so much better. Friendship/Rivalry system comes to mind. Persuasion checks to calm down arguing companions.
It’s like some corporate guy said to cut back on the nuances of writing as much as possible. It was the wrong move. Thankfully they had the black codex so the lore was mostly intact.
But in truth I can highlight the pluses in the story/writing as follows:
Lore
Plot
-Weisshaupt
-Final Battle
Companions
-Davrin
-Emmerich
-Lucanis
-For the others, the anaris and Titan plots were cool I guess.
Writers need free rein with no restrictions. Lean into the M rating, use the keep, and so on. I honestly think after reading the art book that their plan early on was to not use the keep all along. That was a mistake too.
We care more than any new market ever could. If they want money, there’s a handful of things they gotta do and they’re doing the opposite
People’s thoughts are only “honest” thoughts when you agree with them? Otherwise they’re grifters? Okay…
How does disliking the game mean someone’s a grifter? Don’t get me wrong there certainly are grifters who don’t play Dragon Age and criticize the game unfairly because they’re trying to capitalize on the infamy, but I see it on the other side of the spectrum too. Like the God of War creator. He admitted he’s only played Inquisition and never beat it, yet he’s defending the game and ignoring the legit criticisms people have that doesn’t have to do with petty politics.
@@dostwood5103 Also, hasn't GOW's creator been very critical of his francise's successor due to its 'spiritual wokeness'? Kinda strange coming from him. But perhaps he had changed his tune since then.
@@Billpro25 I'm not quite sure. I have heard from a friend he's critical of the new games in some way, but I don't play God of War so I never kept up with it.
If that is the case, it's possible he changed his tune like you said. He's pretty public about his son being trans so that's why he's defending Veilguard. It's a personal bias for him.
I love the combat on veilguard. End of my positive review 🤙
This game will be like Dragon Age 2 I think. Or at least it will be a while for people to warm up to it. But a few years down the line I’m sure many will be a lot less hateful about it than they were at release. I’m almost done with my 2nd playthrough and despite the overall dialogur gripes I’ve also had I thoroughly enjoy the game!
I do not think so. Dragon Age 2 had a really solid story, great characters, an engaging protagonist and really cool approval system. DA:V has none of that. The world is too clean and they pretty much removed every bit of bite Thedas had. The characters are shallow, some more so than others. The writing and dialogue is so bad, that I really had to force myself through it. I’ll never touch this game again and just treat it like bad fanfiction.
Yeah I highly doubt time will fix this situation. You see this game has horrible writing and the worst characters I’ve ever seen in my life. Time will not fix this situation bud. Nice to keep a positive outlook but seriously…. This game is fkn garbage aside from the woke trash.
People said the same damn thing about andromeda and people hate that shit exactly the same today as they did when it released. It happens every single time when anything gets hate of this intensity. "Oh theyll learn to love it later on down the road" that hasnt ever happened nor will it ever happen.
Yea GL with that jus because you Polish a trud doesn't mean it aint trud
The game got a ton of love prior to release. “BioWare is back” - that was the consensus from reviews. That is what won’t age well. As time goes by, the game will come to be seen for what it is: a safe, bland, corporate fantasy ARPG. A sad echo of what DA once was.
This game has the worst writing out of all of the games in the franchise. The big moments in the game were great (Solas, Grey Warden mission, Final battle, etc.) I like 4 of the companions (Darvin, Emmerich, Bellara, Lucanis). They butchered Harding's character. Neve's voice acting is horrible. Taash is insufferable. The pronunciations for things were off. This was my most anticipated game for the year and was a major let down for me. Game overall: 6.5-7/10. As a DA fan: 4/10.
I'd say 6 is a fairer score all things considered, there's far too big of a variation in quality of games between a 10 and this for it to be a 7. I agree with 4 as a fan though.
I think people complaining about the writing are a bit too blinded by nostalgia. The franchise has never had particularly strong writing. People seem to like the edgier stuff more, but it definitely wasn’t better in terms of writing from a technical standpoint. Honestly I find the whole situation very similar to the star wars discourse. Yes the sequel trilogy was bad writing, but so was the prequel trilogy, and especially so was the original trilogy. I can understand if the change in vibes isn’t to one’s liking, but that’s not the same thing as an objective evaluation of the writing itself.
Edit: also want to add that companions shouldn’t always be likable. Sera and Vivienne are written to be grating. Taash is really no different. Imperfections and hypocrisy make for much more human characters than ultimate rizz machines who are never annoying.
I can't stand bad writing and/or characters, so I could not make it more than 5 hours into this game.
The writing isnt that bad, its a pre concieved notion talking. Judging a 80 hour game by 5 hours of writing lol.
The game has some real issues, but characters are certainly not one of them
Good thing the characters aren’t bad and most of the writing is mid to good. Some great.
Bro, I played 40 hours plus of this garbage. The companions are annoying AF. Taash constantly whining made me want to throw my console out the windows. And the combat was just boring and repetitive (3 headed hydra?). None of your dialogue or choices matter in the slightest. It is just awful.
Honestly I find the dragon age discourse similar to the star wars discourse. People complaining that the sequel series and tv shows have bad writing, yet somehow ignoring the fact that the original trilogy and prequel trilogy also had terrible writing lol. Dragon age is no different. It’s been an entire franchise of bad writing that somehow amassed a small cult following due to being edgy. Anyone who comments on the writing in a way that implies the previous games were good is kinda telling on themselves. It’s obvious those people haven’t read much lmao.
if writing is what you looking for maybe try any dragon age before veilguard honestly all 3 are written good.
Dead game killed fanbase Bioware is now Be Aware. Not my DragonAge
view good but writing game yuck cant refund deam game not for me just ugh
The combat was a huge step up from what it was for sure, honestly one of the funnest combat systems ive played in a while in fantasy style game
Every face looks like they prescribe heavily to botox.
Way too gentle with it...
This game has some of the best antagonist in gaming ever
My man thats an outright lie, seriously if you think that you havent played many video games and thats REALLY insulting to actual gamers.
Solas is interesting but has little screen time. The other two are generic and cliched. There are tons of more compelling villains in video games.
Do you plan on covering good games instead?
Idiot tourist