Dragon Age Dragon Age: The Veilguard Pre-Release Thread [GAME RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Lacrymas]

Also, reminder that "return to form" for BioWare would be BG1, not DA:O. DA:O was hated here when it launched and was declared a harbinger of decline.

 

[Hobo Elf]

I'm not so confident that this game will be a flop. It *could* get slammed critically by all the customers, but that is largely irrelevant if they all bought it anyway. EA and Bioware probably don't give too much of a shit if a game is hated as long as they made their money. And the majority of the people who are going to play this game are going to do it on console platforms where refunds are not a guarantee. From what I've seen the game is a turd, yes, but it's a polished turd. And as long as there are no game ending bugs then that's more or less enough for consumers that this game is aimed at. Now, I hope that the game would be a financial flop, because I don't want to see the fantasy genre rot at the hands of agenda activists, but I feel like I might need to temper my expectations.

 

[quixotic]

Is this game woke as all fuck? Yes. Absurdly, hilariously so, Hell, that's half the fun

Posting about it endlessly is dumb. Worse than dumb.

So is it fun or is it dumb to make fun of the game for being woke? You’re giving me mixed messages here. Like I agree that some people need to chill out and have some fun pointing and laughing as opposed to strictly seething about it, but lumping the people that’re shitting on the woke crap that’s being forced into almost everything in with the people that sincerely want heads to roll and calling them all conspiracy theorists (Tax money gets siphoned into organizations like Sweet Baby Inc and games like Dustborn, BlackRock’s CEO Larry Fink openly pushes this kind of crap, it isn’t a secret.) is insanely disingenuous.
Even with all the other massive problems in the modern industry like the inflated budgets and the forgotten art of optimization and the absolute state of modern DLC practices, none of those hold a candle to the moral and creative rot that is wokeshit. It’s a poison, a disease. It doesn’t just affect the product itself, it affects the culture. Hiring practices are fucked, people that work in the industry are afraid to speak out lest they get fired and blacklisted. Even when you ignore all the questionable shit it’s pushing for, like self-mutilation, it’s a net negative for anybody that loves video games, or entertainment and art in general, because of how overtly draconian the ideology is. You wanna see an echochamber? Go work for Bioware.

 

[Fedora Master]

Swen fire this man.

 

[countrydoctor]

People have to remember that even the pieces of dog shit known as Androgynomeda and Anthem sold 5 millions because there's no hope for humanity. Veilguard won't flop, unfortunately. There's an actual group of braindead cattle eating all the slop this studio shits out.

 

[Van-d-all]

It's going to sell a lot on sheer brute force of marketing and brand alone. Another thing people miss, EA envisioned this as audience broadening hence the Fortnite aesthetics, hiring Sims devs and HR sanitization of "plot". For some it will be the first DA, and some are the same exact teletubbie sheltered brainrot children like the devs.

 

[Fedora Master]

So is it fun or is it dumb to make fun of the game for being woke?

Games are not movies. You can not make one that is "so bad it's good". Even the ones that attempt this kind of style have solid mechanics behind them.

The DA series has no good mechanics, no good setting, no good presentation, nothing.

 

[Assisted Living Godzilla]

The “return to form” line they’re all running with is pretty funny given this is an action game with a dialogue wheel. Melee based action games isn’t exactly something BioWare is known for, and an ever devolving version of their dialogue wheel system isn’t a “return” since it’s where they’ve wholly been since Dragon Age 2 came out.

I’m slighting surprised they even went with the dialogue wheel this go around. You’d think post Disco Elysium getting all that praise a few years ago (ahead of this third version of Dragon Age 4 starting development) they’d actually turn to their roots with how dialogue options were handled.

 

[Shaja]

Day 1: Just started playing Dragon Age: The Veilguard. I’m amazed by the depth of the story! Who knew that saving the world could come with so much political commentary? I’m really feeling the “far left” vibes. The graphics are stunning, but the dialogue is… something else. Every character seems to be very passionate about their beliefs.

Day 3: I’ve already found myself questioning my life choices. Why do I even need to conform to societal norms? I mean, if Taash can suddenly decide to become a non binary, why can’t I? Spent the afternoon debating gender identity with my cat. He seems supportive, though I suspect he just wants more treats.

Day 5: The game has really got me thinking about transformation. I spent an hour in front of the mirror practicing my heroic poses. Maybe I should consider a name change? “The Enigma of Elvish Enlightenment” has a nice ring to it! Also, I accidentally dyed my hair a vibrant shade of purple. It feels liberating!

Day 7: Okay, so I joined an online forum for Veilguard fans. Everyone is super into discussing “self-mutilation” in a totally different context than I thought. It’s like an extreme form of self-expression! Tried crafting some props from the game—accidentally cut my finger. It’s an “accident,” but is it art? The line is so blurry now!

Day 10: I've been noticing, along with all my Netflix shows that the whites are evil greedy bastards that should be erased from existence! I'm so glad the blacks are protecting us and will make the world better and safer.

Day 14: I’ve noticed I’m more assertive. Yesterday, I ordered my usual latte with extra foam and demanded they call me “Lady Enigma.” The barista was confused but I felt powerful! Also, I’ve taken up a new hobby: creating “transformation spells” which are really just affirmations I write on sticky notes. “You are fierce. You are fabulous.”

Day 20: I'm having the urge to blow the male intimate parts. Men are starting to become so attractive and sexy! Of course only a POC deserves blowjobs.

Day 30:T oday was a big day! I finally introduced myself as “Drag Phoenix” to my friends! I did surgery in all my previous sexual parts and can see myself to the mirror being a superior being! I finally did it! I'm so excited to introduce myself to the muslim refugees, they are people of peace and will be so happy for me ^.^

 

[sebas]

I bring you the good stuff. I recorded all sequences from the Qunari non-binary companion, Taash. Spoilers are a given (unless you don't care about her story).

Is being a woman hurting you?


Fucking christ, putting mental illness on a pedestal. Is it because in the American Dream only the Bezos can afford psychotherapy?

 

[Yosharian]

I bring you the good stuff. I recorded all sequences from the Qunari non-binary companion, Taash. Spoilers are a given (unless you don't care about her story).

Nooo don't spoil her story! Anything but that!

 

[Svetovid]

The “return to form” line they’re all running with is pretty funny given this is an action game with a dialogue wheel. Melee based action games isn’t exactly something BioWare is known for, and an ever devolving version of their dialogue wheel system isn’t a “return” since it’s where they’ve wholly been since Dragon Age 2 came out.

I’m slighting surprised they even went with the dialogue wheel this go around. You’d think post Disco Elysium getting all that praise a few years ago (ahead of this third version of Dragon Age 4 starting development) they’d actually turn to their roots with how dialogue options were handled.

Do you think game journos actually care? Regurgitating buzzwords like return to form is perfectly fine for them. At some point they realized that their life will never amount to anything, that their meager salary will never provide them with comforts of life they desire, so why put in the extra effort?

 

[Yosharian]

Also, reminder that "return to form" for BioWare would be BG1, not DA:O. DA:O was hated here when it launched and was declared a harbinger of decline.

I mean I don't think opinions have really changed that much, DA:O is definitely a dumbed down game compared to the BG series. It's just that compared to the RPGs we get nowadays even DA:O looks like a masterpiece (it isn't)

 

[Tavar]

Yes. I think it's supposed to combine chad with cuck. They got butthurt getting called cucks so hey came up with this. (...)

If that's the case, then they are even more retarded than I thought. "Virgin vs. Chad" was never a political meme. Hence, using "chad" to label right-wingers is stupid (unless it's a freudian slip). Also, the "cuck" meme is only so effective because some leftist are proud cucks. Calling right-wingers "cucks" is ineffective because it has no base in reality. I guess the left really can't meme.

 

[The Wall]

I'm getting the feeling that where ever I look, the troons and their pets outnumber the based by at least 10:1. I thought the pendulum was supposed to be swinging back. There's not a single place outside Codex where you could be safe from their insipid bullshit. They can't be that numerous.

Could this indeed be some kind of media manipulation via bot armies and paid shills, or just a bunch of permanently online social warriors coordinating their attacks?

This is what no one gets here. We are an echo chamber minority just like Resetera but on the OTHER side of the culture war. However! The vast majority of normies are absolute fucking retards and are easily swayed by propaganda. Basically NPCs, they can form no opinions of their own.

So anyone under say, age 40, is a dumb ass consoomer and will gladly consoom product with little thought or care about the messaging. "Things are just this way now" is the extent of their cognition regarding this absurd agenda. That is your blackpill for today, swallow it down you are surrounded by midwits and the brain damaged and it gets worse every decade as IQs drop like a stone.

Spot on on the echo chamber part, because jesus holy christ you people are twisting yourself into sobbing balls of hysterics as if this shit game matters in the course of western civilization. Fucking everyone is on their period throwing money at the cracks in the wall to keep the joos away because Veilguard means that the spooky wokes are out to get them.

This game will suck, yes, and and it will also sell fine out of the gate. Bioware will do a victory lap, and be on the lookout for whether they announce that it's "their biggest launch ever" like they did with Inquisition (the market is bigger now, so I don't know how much that means anything, but if they don't the silence sure will be conspicuous). I still think there's an outside chance it snags a GOTY nomination, but that'll depend on how the game is received on launch, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it launched to mixed reviews even from normals. I know a lot of people are planning to buy it just to review bomb it and then refund the game later, but for god's sake have the sense to not sound quite so fucking unhinged. If there's anything that normals hate more than a bad game, it's people spamming all this deranged conspiratorial political nonsense. Just focus on how it fails as a game, there should be plenty of meat on the bone there - running around screeching about the wokes are hiding under your bed is just going to play right into their hands and "prove" that the only people who don't like it are unfuckable hate nerds.

Still, for chrissake sake, perspective. Saint's Row reboot had the same caliber writing. Bomb. Forespoken had the same quality writing. Bomb. Immortals of Aveum might be the worst written piece of shit I've ever seen, cost EA 120 million goddamned dollars, and it fell off the face of the earth, taking well over 100 million dollars with it.

"Consoomers" seemed to gauge the quality of those products just fine.

Fellow, human-oids, we must ignore the "wokes" and let them continue to do what they do lest we prove them right that we are nazihitlergoebbelsincels!

The only thing worse than the trannies shilling these games are the "neutrals" that always show up to tell everyone to stop being big bad meanies. Oh no, the Redditors(whom you think are normies for some reason) are going to call you an incel. The world is coming to an end, surely.

You're so fucking retarded you don't even understand how much we agree. It's almost easier to deal with a tard you half agree with, because the lines are easy to draw. The problem with chimp brains that you meet 95% of the way on, they gibber and froth and scream over that 5% like it's scissors coming after their dicks.

Pretty much everyone here is on the same page (except for that one dude, shine on you crazy diamond).

Let me break this down into pieces so they're easier to swallow:

A) Is this game woke as all fuck? Yes. Absurdly, hilariously so. Hell, that's half the fun, they were so eager about their agendas they let it run right over the need to make an actual game (same for a lot of reviewers, methinks). I think there's a very strong possibility of profound backlash when this game his shelves - not because normies are torn up about the politics, but because the game won't be there. And man, I'm sooooooo here for that.

So yeah, tear it a new assholle. Tear it five new genders. That's all part of the fun.

B) That said, a buncha y'all get fucking deranged with this weird-ass conspiracy nonsense, like Veilguard is breaking the seventh seal and the eight rainbows of the apocalypse are coming to get you. I'm not saying to get a grip because the politics upset my oh-so-gentle feelings or the ruffle the feathers fragile messes, I'm saying to chill because it's fucking boring and clutters shit up. I want to laugh at the game, not get derailed by a bunch of tards posting excerpts from their mass shooting manifesto.

Look, people have obviously been around longer than me, so I'm not going to put claims on what the site has always been, but back when I joined I put up a question "What caused The Decline?" Got a lot of really interesting and informed answers, a lot of people had insight into problems and transitions in the industry, mainly the pressures coming from producing with HD quality and the decline in PC sales. Just game and industry talk, not a word about people's freakish politics. You ask that question today, you might get insight, but you'd have to dig through pages of hysterical crybabies screeching about about how the woke monster barged in and raped their grandma. Are politics an issue? Yeah, fucking duh. But acting like it's the sole bogeyman in a complex industry, I'm sorry but all y'all on this train are fucking dumb. Posting about it endlessly is dumb. Worse than dumb.

It. Is. Boring.

C) No buddy, nobody is trying to censor you on this site or protect redditors from your ability to regurgitate mid-2010s 4chan in all its glory. The main point I'm making, my advice, if you want this game to fail, is to keep your derangement in your pants when you fan out into normie spaces. Because it will backfire. That is reality. And I'm sorry if it hurts your feelings.

Quite frankly, though, I care more about hurting Bioware's feelings and all their media enablers than yours.

So you gotta ask - what do you value more, for this game to be publicly humiliated, or the chance to crawl out of this safe space to gibber and froth in the town square? Because if you do, don't be surprised if Bioware and all their enablers point a finger directly at you and say "see, our haters are gibbering, frothing retards." Your fucking stupidity will be their shield. So no, it's not about protecting them, it's about defeating them. What's matters more? You want to fight smart or fight dumb?

Me, I'm just annoyed when I have to scroll past so many conspiracy nutters. It'd be nice for them to touch grass, sure, but my greater hope is for this game to fail, or at least encounter some serious backlash, and I'm just telling y'all the most effective way to make that happen.

Keep it in your pants.

If you don't think politics is #1 issue and reason for fall of EVERYTHING, not just gaming but also movies, literature, news, comics, safety in big american cities, even planes falling from sky thanks to DEI hires at Boeing, then you are THE RETARDO. United States of America are on the brink of Civil War. Let me repeat. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ARE ON THE BRINK OF CIVIL WAR. Now motherfucker. NOW. Everything is fine. History is full of innocent retards like yourself, blind until incoming train opens their eyes. And crushes skull

We might be still in DoomSayer phase, where we keep telling numb and lulled into their daily hobbit normie lives populace that Sauron is here, and we should be more calm and effective, but denying that politics, politics, politics are the issue is like having rotten tooth and brushing, cleaning him better so he shines his old shine barking at anyone who mentions visiting a dentist

You are afraid of dentist AKA you are afraid of talking about politics. Why? Because you fear discomfort and wanna solve DEEEP problem in most comfy way possible. Impossible

TLDR: Didn't know ActMan has profile here

 

[Konjad]

Also, reminder that "return to form" for BioWare would be BG1, not DA:O. DA:O was hated here when it launched and was declared a harbinger of decline.

I mean I don't think opinions have really changed that much, DA:O is definitely a dumbed down game compared to the BG series. It's just that compared to the RPGs we get nowadays even DA:O looks like a masterpiece (it isn't)

You vastly prefer DA:O over KCD, Drova and such?

updated my .txt

 

[damager]

Of course they brought in the Dialogue wheel. Even though not even the Fallout 4 normies liked it.

Like somebody stated they wanna go for that FORTNITE money, meaning you have to attract even 4 year olds that can barely hold a controller or learned to speak.

What they don't understand is these kids don't buy games derived from RPG's. It's just total nonsense to think this a good idea to make sales. Slop that will flop. You can not artificial engineer an audience like this. Either you pump out a banger or you can pack your shit and go home.

 

[damager]

So rather than trying to break into a broader market with a game for nobody, they should concentrate to make a game that's a hit for their core fanbase, they will spread the word there's a quality game to be played and attract an wider audience. These idiots got it all backwards and thankfully it will backfire badly. Like it did again and again before.

 

[Falksi]

People have to remember that even the pieces of dog shit known as Androgynomeda and Anthem sold 5 millions because there's no hope for humanity. Veilguard won't flop, unfortunately. There's an actual group of braindead cattle eating all the slop this studio shits out.

Yup, although times and trends have changed too.

Back then the whole Troon mental illness wasn't as exposed, and was largely deemed unthreatening.

I still expect it to do OK, but I still think it will fail enough to hurt/kill the careers of some of the troons involved. And that's good enough for me

 

[damager]

I mean look at that Starwars Outlaws nonsense. No brand or marketing could save that slop.

Gamers are hyper aware recently to not get duped by woke retarded shit with no substance.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Of course they brought in the Dialogue wheel. Even though not even the Fallout 4 normies liked it.

Like somebody stated they wanna go for that FORTNITE money, meaning you have to attract even 4 year olds that can barely hold a controller or learned to speak.

What they don't understand is these kids don't buy games derived from RPG's. It's just total nonsense to think this a good idea to make sales. Slop that will flop. You can not artificial engineer an audience like this. Either you pump out a banger or you can pack your shit and go home.

I think any attempt to target children has nothing to do with sales and everything to with bringing the ideology to children.

 

[Hace El Oso]

It comes from a movie.

I didn’t know they made a movie about Cleve’s time in the New York underground.

 

[The Wall]

Imagine playing an RPG in current year and not being able to play as evil, one of the most entertaining things to do an RPG.

This is not a game anymore; like I read it elsewhere, it's just ridiculous political indoctrination for toddlers masked as a game.

Sh, sh, sh... NOO POLITICS! Doooo noooott talkkk about POLITICS. Politics don't exist ok?! Cultural zeitgeist in which Dragon Age Origins was made or Baldur's Gate 2 or 3 has ZEROOOO effect on their story, characters, RPG depth. It could have been made anywhere and at anytime. It could have been made in 1500s on Bahamas or in 1980 in Peking. Just pleeeeeaseeee stop talking about politics. My tooooth aaahhh is NOT rotten. I just have to keep brushing him better so this dark black colour falls off

 

[damager]

Of course they brought in the Dialogue wheel. Even though not even the Fallout 4 normies liked it.

Like somebody stated they wanna go for that FORTNITE money, meaning you have to attract even 4 year olds that can barely hold a controller or learned to speak.

What they don't understand is these kids don't buy games derived from RPG's. It's just total nonsense to think this a good idea to make sales. Slop that will flop. You can not artificial engineer an audience like this. Either you pump out a banger or you can pack your shit and go home.

I think any attempt to target children has nothing to do with sales and everything to with bringing the ideology to children.

Yeah. That is what I fear. That they not care about sales at all and got this shit financed by some jewish society subversion think tank anyway.

 

[Assisted Living Godzilla]

It's going to sell a lot on sheer brute force of marketing and brand alone. Another thing people miss, EA envisioned this as audience broadening hence the Fortnite aesthetics, hiring Sims devs and HR sanitization of "plot". For some it will be the first DA, and some are the same exact teletubbie sheltered brainrot children like the devs.

Brand recognition won’t help this game. The mass audience largely does not give a shit about Dragon Age as a series, or BioWare for that matter. It’s also a completely different type of game than previous Dragon Age games, so even among those that liked the series there’s no guarantee those people will want to play this game. If this was a good version of the thing it’s trying to be that’d be one thing, but it looks to be shit from top to bottom.

This also doesn’t have a Fortnite aesthetic. If what they were going for visually was Fortnite, then they failed.

I don’t see marketing being much help either. The game may have lots of good reviews, but you go on YouTube and by far the biggest review on the game is Skill Up’s negative review of the game that shows off the horrendous writing. Like I’d guess there are people that were going to play the game because of the writing, that weren’t expecting anything from the gameplay, that watched that review and gave up on the idea of getting it to play through for the dialogue and character stuff.