The History of Dragon Age | Documentary
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
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NOTE: This is a compilation of our three-part video documentary series about Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age: Inquisition that aired in 2019.
When it comes to Western role-playing games, few video game developers are as renowned as Bioware. The Edmonton-based studio’s catalogue is as celebrated as it is influential, with almost all of its titles representing the peaks of their genres in the eras they debuted. Baldur’s Gate brought computer RPGs back in vogue with its sublime, high-fantasy gameplay. Neverwinter NightsKnights masterfully adapted its tenets into a multiplayer-centric experience. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic saw the former games’ narrative finesse melded with the adventurism of the galaxy far, far away. And Mass Effect made all of this Bioware’s own - while taking it to the next level.
But being this renowned comes with a high heavy price. Today, gamers are well aware of the struggles the studio dealt with recently during the development of games like Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem. Yet the reality is that struggles like these have persisted throughout its entire history, with nearly every major production that Bioware has successfully completed representing a triumph in the face of massive adversity.
Dragon Age, Bioware’s much-beloved high-fantasy series, is perhaps most emblematic of this. While each of its mainline entries were made under vastly different circumstances from one another, they all suffered in their own, unique ways. Its third one’s design failed to fully come together until late in its production, and needed to be made in an incredibly unruly engine. Its second one’s development period was one of the most cramped its staff had ever experienced. And its first operated without a consistent team or set of tools for an immensely long - so much so, that many wondered if it was ever going to come out at all.
This is the history of Dragon Age: Origins.
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Hey everyone! We hope you're already enjoying the new year! This is a compilation of our three-part video documentary series about Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age: Inquisition that aired in 2019. We'll be adding to this series as soon as Dreadwolf is out. Join us next week as we'll be returning to our regular content. :)
would be nice if you guys do rise and fall of Killzone
VERY IMPRESSIVE
I don’t understand how this channel doesn’t have millions on subscribers
Happy new year!
Keep the good work! GVMERS is hands down by far my favourite video game documentary channel. Simply great content!
Awesome! But perhaps wait a few months until after Dreadwolf to gauge long-term reactions and post-release content, as you did with Inquisition here? 😊
No matter what happened during development of all three dragon age games, I was and am absolutely enthralled by its world. Every time I go back to Origins, DA2, and Inquisition I feel like I’m catching up with old friends. I cant wait for Dreadwolf and even if it’s a different team making it, I am rooting for them to make it as memorable as the previous installments.
Same
FACTS
Ikr. I love all of the games and hardly notice any of what "fans" apparently complain about 😅 I love the whole world and story. I have continued playing all of them for over 10 years now.
Origins was the only stand out.
Exactly- I can't understand how someone would hate of all of em
Origins is my favorite RPG ever made. I love it so much.
But Divinity Original Sin 2 tho broooo
Same Here. Also Loved the First three books
@@ThwipThwipBoom I haven't played that yet
@@neonrelmsproductions4224 Do it, it's the best real RPG game ever made.
Larian Studios wasn't fucking around when they created it, they went all in. It's a 10/10 masterpiece imo
The only question is if the RPG they're working on right now, Baldur's Gate 3, can possibly top it...
I prefer origins to divinity original sin 2, just think the over arching dark fantasy setting is better in origins@@ThwipThwipBoom
Honestly, DA2 is a wonderful accomplishment given the constraints.
no it's not.
Origins is still the best DA game and looking back on it, its aged extremely well and is still up there as one of the best RPGs ever, Its writing and storytelling still holds up very well and it does things that even modern games today can't match. Its one of my favourite games ever and has my one of favourite romance storyline's in an RPG too, Morrigan still holding a spot in my heart as one of my favourite female characters of all time. Overall It will always be in my top games list, its a fantastic game and a monument to how far Bioware has fallen since then.
> it does things that even modern games today can't match
As if modern games are somehow better in general. They are trash.
I make your words mine!
"dynamic writing".
@@finoderi True, but I think that just further proves how good its writing and characters are. That it still holds up so well, even to the good games of the newer generations.
I can't agree with this enough. I've replayed it so many times and also I believe Origins has the best expansion ever made (Awakening). No other game competes when it comes to that dlc. It really is a shame how far they've fallen.
Dragon Age: Origins was one of the very last games I bought in late 2009, ironically I got it a whim and man was it fortuitous. Even with it's hiccups it's an experience for sure and I burned the midnight oil with it then and even now. It's a fine addition to any collection regardless.
Same ha. It looked like just another generic RPG and I didn’t get around to playing it for months after which I cursed myself for not playing it sooner.
Dragon Age was really... an enchantment !
Damnit I'm reintalling Origins again.
Ha, I never Uninstalled it.
*Enchantment!* 🤩
I don't think anything can compare to BioWare's 1-2 punch of Mass Effect and Dragon Age: Origins, showing they could make brilliant games on the opposite ends of the fiction spectrum (sci-fi and high fantasy). It's a shame that they've cast such a large shadow for themselves since general consensus seems to be diminishing returns for their games as of late... But I'll always have love for the Mass Effect Trilogy and DA:O for their characters and immersive storytelling.
Oh it can easily be beat, even within Bioware itself with its 1-2-3-4-5-6 KO of Baulder's Gate, MDK2, BG2, Neverwinter Nights, Knights of the Old Republic, and then Jade Empire.
well, to be honest DAO is not a "high fantasy", not at all. It's more of a dark fantasy. It has some Lord of the Ring tropes (main plot), but when it comes to how the world is build, society and all that stuff it's all Song of Ice and Fire. New team with DA2 actually made this world into high fantasy thing and it only became more clear in DA:I.
Imho Origins were more mature and dark in comparison to rest of the instalments and that's why it was so much better, each choice was important and had it repercussions.
Dragon age had some great stories and world to explore my favorite part was the dwarves and their underground cities, so huge and deep! If you chose the dwarf royalty origin you can redeem your name and be part of the royal family again if you chose your brother as king .
It's my favorite too. Doing a casteless dwarf run right now (my first). I forgot how much I loved Ohgrin. It's funny how all of Orzammar struggles accepting me as a Grey Warden when all they see is the brand. Was planning to help Behlin since he kinda holds my whore sister hostage, but I just can't stomach this ass.
Those personal stories were removed from inquisition.
Dude the dwarven remnants were so cool to see in the fist game it was great!
That's what she said.
Well, technically no. Because the Warden IS precisely that...a Warden, they leave their old lives behind, the Dwarf Warden has no attachment to the royal family.
You can also see this with Alistair (tho in the opposite way), if he becomes King, despite having tainted blood, he is out of the Order for completely.
I think Dragon Age Origins was the only RPG that I really cared about my actions and my companions. I spent hours just deciding if I should have a relationship with Morrigan or Liana hahah For me, that game is a masterpiece of the genre and one of the best games of PS3 era. ENCHANTMENT!
DAO completely changed how I played video games. Now I overly empathize with characters and can't be evil lol
It’s a shame the PS3 version ran like crap.
@@iloveyourunclebob I hear you, im actually playing it now and every time i want to be a cunt i have a hard time doing so lol.
maybe you're just a pervert with bad taste:)
I highly doubt we'll ever see another game like Dragon Age Origins, the story, the characters, the environments and the amount of content is something unheard of these days, and the funny thing about the DLC and maps to this game is that they were packed with actual content, not just a massive checklist to complete in a single open world map like some of Inquisition was.
The hope is that Bioware actually nails Dreadwolf, and I hope they do, but their record lately has been disappointing to say the least.
None of the people that made DAO great are there anymore.
The Witcher 3 already surpassed Origins by a gigantic margin.
@@mandu6665 . I disagree
@@mandu6665 The Witcher 3 is great but once I got to Skellige that game dragged.
@@mandu6665 The Witcher series is great, but its hard to compare the two they do completely different things imo... DAO is in the vein of old school RPGS!
It's depressing to think about, but the last Bioware game that I liked was DAI, and it was... 9 years ago now, jesus christ. Even that had its own huge problems, but at least I can say I actually liked the writing mostly.
BioWare has almost not of its original staff and it’s owned and run by EA anyway. The only “original” thing left of BioWare is the name and nothing else.
Mass Effect 2 was their last great game.
And I didn't like Inquisition so much, so imagine my case.
That's still not great, since Inquisition was terrible
Which means the decline is much worse
a common theme for videos on this amazing channel.
1. studio makes a great passion project loved by all.
2. EA or Activision comes in, and promptly takes a greedy crap on the floor.
3. destroys IP via said greedy crap.
I was one of the people who stopped playing origins because of the difficulty spikes. But DA2 gave me so many hours of fun and Inquisition totally drew me in. Looking back I feel so much fondness for Inquisition. I loved coming back from missions and talking to everyone to see what had changed in the meantime. The excitement when a new area opened up and I was able to explore another completely different region. Also the moment when I realized that my team had become strong enough to defeat the dragons... I just felt so proud of us. The story, the relationships, the way to enhance weapons and armour, the fighting system, it all felt perfect to me. // I also don't feel too sure about the connection drawn to The Witcher III - both are very cool and fun games in their own regard, but they also feel very different from each other. I never really thought to compare them, just enjoyed the fun time I had with both games.
My favorite game series, I play it atleast once a year…it’s literally probably the only game I’ve returned to this much! Dragon Age Inquisition is the game that got me into the series and I’ve been loving it ever since! Can’t wait to see what they do with Dreadwolf and wishing Bioware success!
Same here
i actuali like DA2 more than DA3..but origins is the king..one of best RPGs ever made
Honestly DA:O is one of the best journey adventure story in a game I've played, from the mystery of the deep roads to the amazing smorgasboard of companions and interactions. I was pretty dissapointed that subsequent games wasn't about the adventure to fight off the darkspawns, doesn't help that the writing for the story and characters are way shallower after origins.
The Release and Fall and Fall and Fall of Dragon Age
Few things invoke Nostalgia like BioWare and their incredible catalog of late 90s to the early 2010s were unparalleled for BioWare creating some of the best RPG Video Game World ever put the code from Baldur's Gate Jade Empire to Mass Effect BioWare truly is one of the greatest video game companies of yesteryear
@@saintboot8410 that game was awesome unrivaled and it's Unique traditional Chinese setting I wish BioWare and other game companies would take chances and make different games like they used to back in the day those were the days
Really hope that BioWare can make a comeback someday and somehow. Imagine a really good modern BioWare game, wow.
as long as they're owned by EA it won't happen and given most of the original devs left the company it's not going to happen at all
@@theunhingedgamer3762 You can always hope, however
@@theunhingedgamer3762 Who knows, after all the only ones that does this kind of RPGs that involves characters, world building, and companions is only CDPR and BioWare. Every RPG i have tried or played while they are enjoyable, never hit me like their games, it's always come down as "save the world" type RPGs, but if anything i still hated Andromeda for the lackluster story, and Inquisition for the insane amount of fetch quests, so if anything i hope the best for DA: Dreadwolf and Mass Effect 4
They won't. It's clear from their last 3 non-remaster games that they've gone down the shitter. Plus most of the og staff left for another company or straight up stopped working on games. Anthem, which is kinda self explanatory. Mass Effect: Andromeda, which was a bad joke both from a coding perspective because EA made them change the engine halfway through creation and from a writing perspective. And of course Dragon Age: Inquisition, which could be at best considered a mediocre game. And from a gameplay perspective was literally MMO tier which is an insult to any kind of roleplaying games. And the writing was Marvel to american sitcom tier which I would describe as "Rotting piece of meat in high summer lying on the hot asphalt surrounded by flies and covered with maggots eminating that certain rotting meat smell." So yeah, good luck with that "goood modern BioWare game".
They've kept hiring terrible writers who act like clowns on Twitter, so curb your expectations.
Dragon Age: Origins is the game that truly made me fall in love with RPG. I hope to see a remaster of the game in the future.
If I could pick any pair of games to get a complete remake; it would be the first two Dragon Age games.
my only gripes about DA2 was how the city didn't evolve very much. It was apparent to me they had a very-constrained development timeline, but I judge each DA game on its own merits & not on what came before, & through that lens I felt DA2 was a pretty good game overall. It was just very different in style & gameplay from Origin & that's fine. It's a different game.
Please consider the Homeworld series for a future documentary. As the third game is releasing in upcoming months, this is a good time to revisit the somewhat accidental creation of a cult hit that had a difficult time escaping that reputation in subsequent releases. Recently cited as one of the greats by GRR Martin in a late night interview, it deserves a greater place in the cultural zeitgeist and should be recognized as more integral to gaming history as a series that was vastly ahead of its time in terms of exemplary story telling and sound design.
Ooh, now that's a great topic of a series.
space rocks and Dirt
I personally think it would more interesting for them to cover the franchise after the third game releases. I don't know, I just feel like the video would feel incomplete once that game came out. I agree that the IP is a great subject for this channel to cover though.
Wow I'm acually playing the first one for the first time right now and the game's great
Happy New Year Mr GVMER and the GVMERS! Thanks for covering the series that got me into Western CRPGS. I hope for many more awesome documentaries this year from you!
Oh hell yes, how topical! Playing through the trilogy right now, I forgot how amazing Dragon Age 1 is.
I disagree with the characterization that the Bioware fan community became "toxic" after the releases of DAII and ME3, and that the fan backlash was responsible for developer's apprehensions and second-guessing themselves. The criticisms from fans about the shortcomings of those games were well deserved, and completely justified, not toxic at all. And if you are a developer and can't handle those kinds of criticisms to the subpar product you helped create, then you probably shouldn't be in the business.
All part of the narrative. It's all the fans fault our game is bad not us I swear.
Nah, they definitely listened to the fans too much and the Bioware forums were awesome but also fucking weird as hell. Fans can be constructive critics and toxic as hell at the same time which the Bioware fanbase definitely was back then. Stop ignoring that.
DA:O was a masterpiece. The sense of dread, doom, and despair was palpable. The darkspawn weren’t just “orcs” but a steadily growing existential threat with the power to warp you into abominations.* The demons were monstrous enough to be scary and human enough to be scarier(I’m looking at you, desire demon). The ogre battle at the Tower of Ishal is horrifying the first few times you see it. Morrigan is my favorite fictional character by several miles.
*I mean abominations in its traditional meaning, not what it means in DA.
I'd be okay with a DA:O remaster (not remake) but ONLY if it kept the original art style as I think it one: had the best art style and design. And two: that style was important to the world building and the atmosphere of the game as a whole.
Otherwise just update the game to run on modern hardware.
RE: DA2. I refused to get this for many years. When I finally tried it, I was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed the faster-paced combat system, compared to Origins. But the other criticisms are on-point, plus I had the benefit of extensive mods to improve the look of the game.
I love inquisition, i still pick it up periodically, just finished my most recent play through
Same it's such a long game that it's actually held me through the long development of Dreadwolf for nearly a decade.
me too!
I think we all know why they switched to Frostbite. EA is cheap and wanted to use its own engine.
DAII is a fine game. It improves all gameplay mechanics from DA:O (minus the lack of a tactical cam) by getting away from the CRPG “clunk”. The size and repeating dungeons certainly are a knock on its status as a “good” game, but I think the development of the companions and central struggle between the Chantry, Templars, and Circle mages is so incredibly strong it makes up for its limited setting.
I remember hating Origins because I played it on console and the CRPG elements were so infuriating I set the difficulty to easy to experience the story. Until recently (last week, to be exact) I haven’t played it on PC and it was a drastic change in experience due to the tactical camera. Origins always had the best storytelling, but its core gameplay was its largest fault. DAII improved on everything, mechanically, and created a more streamlined experience in story and gameplay. The series as a whole is a mixed bag, but Dragon Age fans can appreciate the consistent tone and handling of the lore across every game with incremental quality of life adjustments to gameplay.
As much as Origins remains the favorite. I feel Dragon Age 2 had one of the best and most unique stories in gaming and I feel Inquisition is one of the most in-depth games that showcases it's own created lore.
Overall I love all 3 games and truly do believe Dreadwolf is in good hands despite all the setbacks, it seems to be Bioware's next epic.
In terms of immersion, Dragon Age trumps Baldurs Gate and Neverwinter Nights, but in every other aspect it is worse.
Neverwinter Nights and Baldurs Gate have TONS of abilities and spells, as well as great co-op play, whilst Dragon Age falls short in these aspects
Dragon Age Origins, one of my favorite (if not favorite) games of all time.
The friendship and rivalry system in DA2 was the single greatest mechanic to come out of that game imo. It gave me so much freedom to interact with the characters so that I wasn’t just kissing their asses. I was mad af that they dropped it in DAI. I would’ve loved the DA2 system for a character like Sera. I disliked her and I wish I didn’t have to kiss her ass to get her to stay because she was great in combat.
I'm really hoping rivalry will return for DA4 because not having it in DAI just made the game feel empty to me. There's so many of the companions I would have vastly preferred to rival, instead I basically just ignored them which is severely uninteresting.
@@theskyling I agree, that’s why I’ve always said DA2 had the best cast because of they ways you interacted with them. Coming up with a healthy respect for characters is way better than kissing their asses.
I replayed Origins when the fps boost hit. Still one of my all time fav games. I love Morrigan.
So tl;dr:
Bioware made DA:O had no confidence in it that it will be successful.
DA:O becomes a success.
Bioware: We need to dump down the gameplay to gather the wider audience with AWESOME
DA2 flops.
Bioware: If we would have called it Dragon Age Exodus instead of DA2 this could have been avoided
Also Bioware: Lets create DA:I with the multiplayer we dropped in DA:O because...(just to drop it again)
Also Bioware: Lets use a new engine and provide a hybrid gameplay betweeen the first two (basically a new gamesystem again) and MMO fetchquest, everyone loves MMO fetchquest
DA:I comes out gets praised to high heavens by totally unbiased journalists and totally objective Game awards
DA:I becoming disliked and dunked on by the fanbase
Bioware: Its our "toxic" fanbase fault, you know the guys we try to get to buy our game, our customerbase. Oh and also Witcher 3, 6 months after our game was released (which is like 2-4yrs IRL).
Basically Bioware had no idea what they were doing, nice.
Should have left Origins+Awakening as a standalone. Same for Peter Molyneaux and his Fable and Capcom and its Dino Crisis.
I played some of the dragon age games on the 360, didn't get the dlc or anything, but from what I can remember I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Bioware WERE renowned. After DA2, DA:I, Andromeda, Anthem, and the way Dreadwolf is shaping up, or the lack thereof, they have nothing but 'member berries left to their name.
Origins will always be the best, simplification is the problem with modern gaming
Agreed. Simplification sure didn't make me enjoy the likes of Star Wars: Squadrons compared to TIE Fighter and X-Wing Alliance, lore sanitization aside.
The best (and only thing in retro) about origin was it spell-combo mechanic. Simple and functional (shut up divinity fans - I said both 'functional' & 'simple' xP)
I remember in 2009 seeing dragon age origins on the shelf at my local Walmart and not knowing anything about the game I still wanted to buy it so bad but I wasn't able to afford it because I was 10. Cut to later that night my older brother bought the game and I watched him play it and I then also played it and I've been hooked on the series ever since. For some reason this franchise has resonated with me like nothing else and honestly played a role in making me the person I am today.
Dragon Age Origins was Bioware at its peak imo. Such an amazing game for its time. Even after finishing the story and playing through every Origin story, I remember being impressed on how your decisions / viewpoints of certain characters could change alot by choosing your origin character. Especially on the Dwarven side of the story and the election of a new king. ^^
I also liked Dragon Age 2 for its personal story, even though it was dumbed down alot.
Fans were "toxic" when the studio suddenly changed everything about how they operated. Simplified combat, story and setting. What a cop out to blame the fans.
DA origins is the best and only good game in the series. It's amazing how they can't even recapture what that game did, they just don't know what make that game good.
Can't wait for "The Fall of Dragon Age"
Cry abt it lol
me too and these woke people
Honestly I liked all three games and would definitely play the fourth
Thank you so much for covering Dragon Age!!
I love the series. Even Dragon Age 2 had fun moments for me (enjoyed the combat). And i love Inquisition.
I really hope Bioware does a remaster of Dragon Age Origins like they did the Mass Effect Trilogy. That first game is special and i'd love to replay it again remastered.
I agree.. And have hoped for a few yrs that they remake origins.. But a remake not remaster
A remake would have too many changes. A remaster is already fine enough, especially with bugfixes and QoL improvements.
Interesting piece. However I think the title is incredibly misleading. This should be called The History of the Making of Dragon Age. The current title suggests a more lore orientated offering (my main reason for coming). I am familiar with most of the content in this video previously.
Hopefully the next Dragon Age game is good and more like the first game
Last I heard the studio was in a panic because they didn't know what to do with the game, Much like how the development for Anthem.
21:50 ignorant interpretations like this is why big budget gaming has devolved so much over time. Throwing away your only positive characteristics to appeal to the lowest denominator - which is people who don't like your game to begin with. Bioware deserve their failure for failing to understand who even plays their games.
It's pretty much EA forcing them to use a proprietary engine.
No surprise mechanics there.
One of the most underrated youtube channels.
thank you for the video guys! Dragon Age has been one of my favorite franchise for a long time and im glad you guys made an informative video about DA.
To this day I never understood the prais Inquesition got on release.
The political narrative was very weak and overall the game felt like a single player mmo with lackluster character building and costumization.
Dragon Age 2 is a severely underrated classic. I'll always be sad that the production was so crunched, even just 1 more year would have brought it from good to amazing.
DA2 was the start of my jaded view on modern gaming, my first real heartbreak. I thought those gaming industry giants would be incapable of failing that hard and that they were surely too big to fail. Boy, that aged terribly in hindsight
A flawed game to be sure, but one I still hold close to my heart. I still think back fondly about most of the companions (except Anders, Fuck Anders) vs Inquisition. I like a lot of the companions in Inquisition but.....I don't really care about any of them except for Varric and whoever I'm romancing.
@@Drebolaskan Same
Happy New Year! Thanks for another History of episode
27:04 THIS was my biggest gripe with DA2. Never before had I played a game with dungeons that were re-used so blatantly. You'd literally fight in the same dungeon layout again and again, the only difference being that some doors would be locked off in this version, but other ones locked in that version. It made every quest that had a dungeon component feel like a slog.
I have never played it before but I can see the passion and love behind the game people have for it.
it is indeed a game which you can feel the dev's passion behind it
I can easily recommend Origins+Awakening. The sequels are your call though.
@@michaelandreipalon359 same
He's not kidding about inspired by the works of GRRM and Tolkien. So if you enjoy their works, I do suggest the series.
Dragon Age has some of the best Fantasy lore ever, it's so interesting and unique and just gets better with each game and additional content like books and comics!
Thedas is just one of the most immersive fantasy worlds I've seen. A lot of other fantasy worlds while great always tend to feel like they've either been done before or are trying too hard to go against conventions. Thedas just implores are a great element of both.
Even though I didnt like the newer titles, I totally love the world and lore that theyve created over the 3 games. It's very unique. The ending in Tresspasser DLC set it up very well too.
@@Armaan8014 It took me a few tries to love the other two games, but once DAI clicked with me not long ago it became my favorite in the series. Trespasser was just so damn good! 😫
NOt really Dragon Age peaked with Origins.
Origins captured my heart from the day I played it. So much of my life has been influenced by the game.
Some people grew up having TV and movies mold them, I grew up having fable and Dragon age origins mold me
Fable and DAO - SAME!
I love the original Fable. It's so goofy 😂
You forgot the flash games! Dragon Age Journeys and Dragon Age Legends.
the one thing i hate about Dragon age is how the tone and art design shifts from game to game.. its not cohesive. like when you look at The Witcher or at Dark Souls for example you could feel the atmosphere and tone of that world. Dragon age? Origins feels Dark Fantasy. DA2? generic mishmash of stuff and then Inquisition.. which feels High Fantasy and completely different.. i love the franchise but i hate that part of it so much.. DA4 looks like Harry potter from the teasers we saw so far. great video Liked.
Its almost as Bioware had no idea what they were doing, accidentally created something great in which they had no confidence in just then to ruin it immediately.
Agreed, especially when you consider it's the same company that made the mass effect trilogy, that at the very least has it's own tone throughout the series.
I ruddy love GVMERS content, I get excited for each new video like I did as a teen waiting for the next magazine I wanted to land at the newsagents. However it's hilarious how authoritatively the word TOXIC was used to describe fans only to then literally explain how the fans were right to be concerned over Biowares offerings since their EA aquisition. Outlining each of the issues in detail.
Happy New Year to you all and can't wait for 2023's content.
Can't see the reply...
I must be the exception, but I LOVED DA2. The far better writing, the more immediately challenging combat, the sense of meaningful progression.
It’s rarely mentioned but the combat in Origins suffers severe balancing issues after a few levels, particularly for mage characters, who can easily one-shot high level enemies by the second act.
The combat in Origins feels ‘floaty’ with no sense of impact. And actions are always executed immediately even if it takes a few seconds for the animation to catch up. For example, if a mage or archer fires an spell or arrow at you, it will always hit even if you’ve moved or run behind cover in the meantime. It’s just not satisfying.
I can remember some very challenging dungeon crawls in DA2 that often resulted in everyone dying. But they were so satisfying to complete.
The sound design in DA2 is also incredible.
Yes a lot of assets and areas are re-used but they are typically high quality assets.
I could not get into Inquisition at all despite several attempts. Too many empty open areas with stupid fetch quests, respawning mobs (including ones you just fought to clear) and a complete lack of urgency.
And the fact that so much of the game takes place ‘off screen’ as a result of missions you send other characters to do….
Inquisition was bitter disappointment for me and I don’t have much hope for the next one.
You are so wrong that I'm not even bother to argue 😂
Btw Witcher 2 was released around same time and looked around 500x better.
We are having massive amounts of bad fantasy for a decade now.
Kinda sad Jade Empire didn't get a shout out as that was the first original Bioware IP, not Mass Effect.
Happy New Year! I liked Origins and Inquisition, couldn't get into 2. Let's hope DA4 knocks it out of the park! We need the old Bioware back for 2023!
Last time I was this early, the Princess was in another castle.
I've never been much of a gamer, having discovered this franchise only some years ago and never having played it beyond its first chapter. However, from what I've seen and read these years, DA stories, characters and world building are amazing, to the point where I've finally decided to play all 3 (current) titles in a run, regardless of the problems that kept me away from finishing the series during these years (I'm a GM on two different ttrpg campaigns, so I have to schedule some time to play videogames). I'm currently replaying DAO and I already feel so much in love with the story and the world that I've also bought some novels, comics and the two lore books (Ghil Dirthalen's channel was fundamental in learning what to take and what to avoid). I'm also planning on running some adventures in Thedas with my beloved Savage Worlds system (I'll test the idea with one shots at some con and with friends, before committing to a full fledged campaign), taking advantage of the lore books I'm about to receive.
Most of all, I sincerely wish for Bioware to keep Dragon Age world alive and beautiful as it always has been, despite the problems described in the video, which I think will be present also with its next installment. Regardless of its faults, I think that Dragon Age is a world that still deserves to be alive, known and loved. I certainly do and I hope it will be the same also for many others.
Here's to another year of more amazing content from y'all!
Thank for lasting this long ,your content is always inspiring and informative
Never underestimate your value
Happy new year Gvmer thank you🙏
Which "history"? I thought there was only 1 Dragon Age, the Origins, right? Then there were console-controller casual adventures sharing only that iconic name.
2024: fresh playthrough of DA:I
Followed by your video -> agree to all what‘s said.
By the way: you have the greatest Voice on RUclips!
Dragon Age Origins is, to me, one of the best games ever made. I still replay it from time to time to this very day.
Granted I use around 30 QOL/bug fixes mods on every playthrough and I can't possibly imagine playing the game vanilla ever again.
Relatable. Awakenings sure has a lot of bugs that really needed fixing. Seriously, BioWare, please do focus on bugfixes more often.
It is my favorite game of all time. I loved vanilla but yea, there are some really nice mod fixes for bugs and annoying features such as visual and sound effects from sustainable spells/talents that I can't stand.
I also use some mods that makes combat more challanging which is really fun since I have played the game so much and know all vanilla encounters by memory.
Dragon Age Exodus would have been such a good name. I also imagine that it would have helped a lot more selling the game. When something with a 2 is sitting at store shelves and I would not know a single thing about it I'd much more decide against buying it because what if it's an direct sequel and I wouldnt understand it? Dragon Age Exodus would have helped with this problem
0:52 - You forgot to mention Jade Empire. I mean I know it wasn't as popular, but it is one of their absolute hits to those of us who bought it.
I still consider it a crime it didn't get to be a series; and I'm still waiting for a sequel. I know, it'll be a while...
LMFAO! - where other titles featured more fanciful and light hearted societies = they show Fable. First thing in the story is your village gets burned to the ground, you get almost murdered, your parents for all you know actually DO get murdered and your sister gets both maimed and kidnapped. Man, thank you for the chuckle. I needed it. xD (Really the entire fable series only SEEMS light-hearted. Any of the intros to those games are properly grim and very dark)
Rather than edit the original post all to hell and back - I'm going to put in a few points as to why I prefer Origins over 2 and frankly think Inquisition should never have been designed "open world" like an MMO.
In one, you had a functional (yes simplistic) gift based relationship system [Which was actively HELPFUL if you chose the wrong dialogue options or actually wanted to disagree in debate with their world views] You also had actually engaging characters. Morrigan was about the only actual correct way to ever do a Tsundere character. Because she did melt. She did have moments where as cold and calculated as she was, she still obviously grew to care for the MC. She had viable, relatable reasons for her beliefs that she clearly explained. If you took the time to hear her out. For me the worst characters were Wynne's "I'm NOT dead - yet, I got better!" and Lelliana being effectively Joan of Arc. * Also, where else was I gonna be able to actually play with my dog? (At least I didn't have to watch him get shot >.
I'm about to start playing this series. I've heard great things.
Honestly? The first one is amazing, 2nd is ok, 3rd is disappointing. :/
Just play the first the series gets worse by each game
Play them all. If you like the lore and the world, you’ll like every game. The fair weather fans have their heads in where the sun doesn’t shine.
@@kman9884 yeah the fan base is kind of more divided than i thought
The first game is Bioware's own game, the other two are EA telling Bioware what to do and putting a strict deadline on it. The results are as one might expect.
mass effect series will forever be in my heart. I hope for the best for bioware team.
Everyone in bioware has been replaced
Its not the same bioware. I wish the original members the best, not this neo bioware.
Why do these Bioware videos always gloss over the fact that their writing has been insanely bad for years. Many of these games failed because of that alone and glitches and graphics had very little to do with it.
I always liked dragon age 2. I was surprised it was so hated. It's far from perfect but I have fun when playing it.
Glad this came out, Ive been playing through the series again starting a week ago! Questions to fans of the series, if Bioware was able to actually call 2 Exodus and not tout it as a sequel do you think it would of had less flak? Aside from the gameplay choices, reused assets. Coming back to 2 I don't dislike it as much as I originally did/
I think I might be a good control group test person. I didn’t buy DA:O until a couple of years ago and immediately bought DAII when I finished the game. I was disappointed for a few minutes that I couldn’t choose my race, but got over it quickly because it’s such a good story and right off the bat the voice acting is amazing and I felt a strong attachment to the characters just based on the strength of the opening act. I didn’t know how they marketed so my expectations weren’t skewed. I didn’t know how many years there were between the first and second games, so the recycling of the stages was something I was used to based on the first game and it didn’t bother me as much.
I would say the fault might be more in the marketing than in the actual name, but calling it “Exodus” would have been far more poetic and would have set more reasonable expectations for the fans. It’s an entirely new story with entirely new characters.
At first I hated Dragon age series play it on PS3, because I didn't understand how to play it, be it Origins or Inquisition I hate it with passion. But then I try to play Dragon Age 2 and after I beat it I finally understood how to play it and then I beat Origins and Inquisition afterwards. So thanks to DA2 now I love the whole series. I hope DA4 will not disappoint.
My only complaint about DA:I is that it sucks that all the DLC was cut from the Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions...
I'm still salty about how bad DA2 was. Origins was such an amazing game. DA2 was such a hollow experience. I've never had a series make me so angry.
I know Dragon Age 2 is not the perfect game but I did liked it. What I didn’t likes was that the best girl in the game is the main character’s sister so you couldn’t start a “relationship” with her
Huh? Merrill isn't your sister...
For me there's only one good DA game and that's Origins. At this point I have 0 faith in Bioware and its ability to deliver with DA4 or ME4.
dragon age it one of the best storyline game I ever played and love it and it one of my tope game I wish I could forgot about the game and play it again
As I said before and I will say it again, DAO and DA2 were the bright spots of the DA series. DAI was the worse and most tedious and nonsensical part of DA.
Not sure if it was intentional, but your last line gave me flashbacks to the Mass Effect: Andromeda trailer...
Ahead of it's time in retrospect to today's titles due to how rare an RPG titles offers racial characteristics, Racial bonuses, and lore oriented starting area.
GVMERS is one of best RUclips channels by far. I love your work guys.
Keep going on and provide us with such a great content.
I've played so much Dragon Origins back in 2012 that skills/spells icons are burned into my memory to this day
I’d recommend reading the prequel books by the same game writer David Gaider. Start with Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne
Dragon Age Inquisition simply does not deserve the praise it gets, it was the first BioWare game that marked a clear regressive shift in their output.
The fact it was the most cited GOTY in 2014 is just baffling.
Agreed. Time can be really unfair over once praised works; just look at 1977's Annie Hall compared to its contemporary Star Wars: A New Hope.
Bioware's decline started with Dragon Age.
DAO: rpg
DA2: consol hack'n'slash
DAI: single player MMO
Hey I'm in this! :)
I'm glad I played between Dragon Age, ME2, and FONV back 2014, was my only title other than Company of Heroes. They were titles that exposed me to dynamic writing, which is rare nowadays unless it's a crpg.
The new writers these days seem typically to be shit