Dragon Age The Veilguard Criticism Thread (formerly Skepticism Thread) [Spoilers]

I'm worried about DA4 being utterly forgettable like Andromeda with a cast of identity politics companions I couldn't care less about.
I'm worried the game will include diving for collectibles and pointless flying because that's what people liked about Anthem so it MUST mean it's a good idea for DA4...
I'm worried the game will be some kind of multiplayer hybrid and not a true singleplayer RPG. Like a more story heavy Anthem with dragons.

Overall I have little confidence in BioWare since Andromeda. There were aspects of DAI that had me worried in 2014 already and they worry me even more now. I want DA4 to be good but I expect it to be the final nail in th coffin for me. Their last remaining franchise turned into something I don't care about playing anymore. Also, at this rate I might be dead by the time they conclude the story, if they ever do. And if there's one thing I hate more than a series going bad, is a series that gets cancelled. Nothing makes me more mad than wasting years of my life on a narrative that never gets finished. And the longer it takes Bioware to get a game out, the more likely it becomes that they get closed down before the final game is made...

I have lost all confidence in Bioware. I do not believe that they have the talent or leadership to create games like DAO,Kotor, ME1 or ME2. They aren't the same company that made those masterful games. I wish I was wrong but they have not shown me anything otherwise for almost a decade now. So yeah, I am skeptical.

Back when DAI was in pre-production, I came across an article about the author interviewing Bioware.

Okay, I know this isn't the point of your rant, but please explain where Lilly's death is explained in DAI? This is the second time I've seen this and its driving me crazy trying to find it on the Wiki with no success. There is an entry in WoT2 that hints that is what will happen to her but we never go to Aonar, so was there a codex, or some figure with a label attached saying "Lily"? I know it isn't important in the grand scheme of things but I would like to know.

Maybe they mean Leliana?

This isn't Dragon Age specific, but I hope BW will end the multiple endings sales pitch. DA:I, ME3, and MEA all had one ending with a multitude of small variations. And that's perfectly fine.

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Can't say I blame you, because I felt the exact same way.

Is it story driven games or Bioware.  They are what 3 years in and they have virtually nothing to show for it. I don't mind 6-7 years if they are actually using that 6-7 years. Odds are though bioware will futz around get nothing done for 5 years then slap out a piece of crap in 2 more.

I wouldn't say its limited to BioWare. Rockstar is notorious for announcing their games only within the same year they release them. Bethesda also did the same with their Fallout series. You also have to consider games like TLOU2. The first came out in 2012, a full 8 years ago. Players (on average) expect a lot of graphical fidelity, as well as more content, with each subsequent release. They want to feel like they're getting their money's worth, which is peculiar since youd probably find a lot of casual players who dislike games taking 30+ hrs to finish.

Also, while I'm skeptical of the finished product, Schreiers articles on their development for Dragon Age did hint that they took steps to prototype out what assets they could work with/stretch. Another notable problem that DA4 may not have to struggle with is having to build things from scratch, as was the case with DAI, Andromeda, and Anthem. While I know theres concerns about them using Anthems engine for DA4, it at least allows them to supersede one of the major hurdles that's plagued their previous Frostbite titles. That likely reduces a lot of preproduction time the studio had to mess with; creative cohesion aside .

For me, the looming issue is whether they continue down the road of making their playspaces 'shallow ponds'. There may be areas that are pretty to look at, but do they have anything substantive in them, or is it all just empty space? Another, of course, is the story and how reactive the world is to our decision making. A lot of that didnt get realized in DAI, partly due to last gen console limitations. Even still, it's a valid concern. That, and how well they're going to be able to juggle multiple outstanding conflicts in a single game (e.g. Solas, Qunari invasion, another Blight, Red Lyrium plague, etc)