For those who liked and didn't like MEA, do you think DAI was better?

Yup, I think DAI was better Although idk I can guess this is going to be a really long post where I go through my thoughts about comparable game mechanics/things so yeah... I liked MEA too, but I found that DAI was the much better game

So starting from the beginning:


The Character Creator
DAI just... wins. Instantly. Thats all DAI has the better character creator in every way

The Introduction
I think this goes to MEA, just because you can actually get a sense of the character youre playing more, but I liked DAIs too, but idk I think it could have been better if you were able to play through some kind of origin before you started, even if its just a little one like DA2s

The Graphics
Id say MEA has the better quality graphics, but I prefer the visuals of DAI I think... so Id say its a tie imo

The Animations
Because theres totally a competition

The Dialogue System
I dont think either game has the best dialogue systems, they dont strike me as really that different from each other... rather than going for paragon/renegade like in the earlier Mass Effect games or the unvoiced protagonist in DAO, I get the feeling both games tried to replicate the amazing dialogue/conversation wheel options that were in DA2, but kinda forgot to make each personality that distinct. But I think MEA suffers worse from this, so I have to go with DAI

Writing
I personally think that DAI had the better writing

The Protagonist
Like with the dialogue system I dont think either of the games have the best protagonist in the world, for female voices (I have no idea about the male inquisitor/ryder), in DAI and MEA... the voices sound quite weak, not really what id expect from people in the positions theyre supposed to be in... they dont have much range, and while its ok during the times youre being nice to people, you dont get the strength and the kinda bitchiness that I like when you do something generally bad like idk sentencing someone to death in DAI. I think both are fairly equal with this.

First Meeting With The Antagonist
Has to go to DAI... iirc the first time you meet the Archon, you kinda bump into him and escape... and thats basically it, but in DAI??? Corypheus literally storms your stronghold with his army and a huge awesome dragon and basically causes lots of chaos and death, and if it wasnt for the Inquisitor causing the avalanche (which nearly killed them in the process) he would have basically wiped out the whole Inquisition before it really started. So DAI is by far the best.

The Antagonist Generally
Both similar, but Corypheus has more of a presence during the story, and most of what you do in the game is about stopping him whereas idk in MEA he doesnt REALLY feel like the focus of the story. Corypheus does more, is more memorable, is more imposing and is generally idk more of an antagonist than the Archon imo

The Combat
Lots of people might disagree, but I prefer DAIs combat to MEAs... MEAs generally feels pretty lifeless, whereas I really enjoy DAIs... both are more simpler versions than what happened in earlier games, but DAIs is more complex and more satisfying imo

The Crafting
DAI... thats all. It has one of the best crafting systems EVER

Armor Choices
Because lots of clothing/armor in DAI looks pretty much the same... I think MEA might be slightly better.

Casual Clothes
MEA, because you can customize the colors to whatever you want as well as choosing the design

Skyhold vs Tempest
Skyhold Its larger, more interesting and feels to have more idk things to do I suppose, its also a LOT prettier You can also customize it to your liking which I think is really awesome

Party/Characters
DAI 100%, the characters are more memorable, less annoying and have more personality across the board than anyone in MEA

World Designs
DAI, theyre prettier, more colorful, they have more to do and are actually awesome places to explore

Mounts vs Nomad
The Nomad is definitely better than the mounts for sure Although there isnt a battle nug

Romance Content
DAI... definitely, no question there

War Table vs APEX Missions
The War Table in DAI is much better imo for the timed-mission-perspective, there are little stories for each one and you get to choose what option you want... both are fairly meaningless, but I had more fun with the war table

Multiplayer
Ive personally had more fun in DAI, but lots of people would disagree

Importance of Earlier Games/Past Influencing Future
Idk what I wanted to call this, but in games which are about choices you want earlier choices to matter... or you want references to earlier games or idk something like that. MEA has Liara, references to Reapers, idk, not that much... in DAI you have dragon age keep so you can import your choices from other games to make custom worldstates, theres Cullen, Leliana, Morrigan ( ), Hawke, Varric, Cassandra, Corypheus, Samson, Alastair... the other games are actually important in the way DAI unfolds, so DAI gets the win for that for sure

Player Choices In Game
I felt that my choices in DAI were more important than in MEA, they didnt make a huge difference either way but I could at least see the influence of my decisions... MEA barely felt to have any important choices tbh

Dragons vs Architects
Dragons! More variety, probably tougher, there were more of them, and they were dragons

End of the Game/Final Showdown
Considering the Archon kinda... never really got a proper boss fight, DAIs was a looottttt more awesome It felt a little rushed, but in comparison with MEA... yeah, it just wins

Replayability
I really have no reason to play MEA again, but between the dragon age keep, different classes, specializations, weapons, options, races, romances... theres no way that MEA can compete tbh


So yeah, I think DAI is the better game for sure

Or you simply failed to notice the details since the game doesn't light it all up in neon to make it easily digestable. Especially since there stories within stories in Inquisition.

Dragons vs Architects is something I never thought of as a metric. Doesn't DAI basically win by having more dragons? And some have a lot more variation, like the one in the Exalted Plains that electrifies the water, the one in Crestwood who sets out those circles that damage you, and the ones that have baby dragons. Both are a bit samey if you've fought more than two, but the dragons are a bit more fun, I feel.

Perhaps it was too subtle for you. Some gamers need their hands held.

There is no need to be condescending about the preferred style of delivery of the material in the game. Some folks obviously like to take their time, and read a lot of materials, including the EU out of the game sources,  and that's fine, but some do not enjoy it, and want brighter, more entertaining action content where their character immediately participates in and have the stronger, on the spot, delivery with a flourish. I much prefer, for one, Dorian's explosive dialogues to find out about Tevinter than a codex entry after I have killed a mob out if the way after unlocking an Operation Z (and read an entry on a War Table)... not every game chooses to have the same method of the lore and quest delivery, and it is perfectly fine to prefer one over the other.

i strongly prefer the drama of the dialogue (voiced or not) to reading the descriptive texts. I like encountering memorable chars and interacting with them to lead me through the map's story, like Reyes. So, yeah, I prefer Andromeda/SWTOR over the inquisition that largerly consists of Harding + reading.

I don't think there exists a Bioware game that can't be enjoyed with or without codex, some plays I go lore heavy, some plays I read nothing.

I'm not being sarcastic about that, but about the irony of the post of a user that brings up TW3 in almost every post they make on a Bioware forum, which is a game where the protagonist makes a pointed comment to himself every time you get him within 100 steps of something to explore. I apologise if my post offended you. X

I like speedruns. If you want to play a different race, or a different temperament, but you don't want a play through to take a week, they are great. Also in the ME trilogy if you want to set up a different cannon world state for ME3. Most of my plays are full and slow, but a speed run can be good.

Speedrun is perhaps not the right term for it, but I can get through the game with relative ease compared to Inquisition, so I have very little time to play now a days due to real life.

I remember doing 5 playthroughs of Origins and Dragon Age 2 in the span of two and a half weeks for example, just to get a lot of different world states geared up for when Inquisition comes out. I did this by skipping most of the dialogue in the end, but I knew the dialogue so well I felt like I could get away with it. 

I have done one playthrough in the same time-frame as a comparison. To an extent I did the same thing in terms of skipping dialogue, but it was long gameplay slogs that were harder to get through.


 It is just what it is, in terms of how I have to budget my time. 

And then it turned out that you had to just set them up in the Keep anyway?

And playing gwent does? Also, BotW's quests are a shalliw joke... so don't even try to claim those were done better.

As for the sheep herding: one is a minute long quest. The other might be slightly longer and even has a twist that has interesting conotations that tie into several aspects DA lore teases. And you don't want me bringing up more quests that fo the same on top of a world so intricately designed it tells its own stories without quests or even dialogue needed.

Maybe you don't like it and want everything in your face and easily digestable. Fine. But it's best to stop trying to act like Inquisition isn't full of little stories and quests that not only feedback into the main quest, but the overwll themes of the franchise. It is only proving that you completely miss subtlety.