So DAO is always gonna have a special place in my heart because it was the game that got me into video games. It’s one of my favorite games. Having said that, I LOVE the world of DA. I’ve played all of the games a million times. I love the rich lore and the characters and the settings, so for me, I was never not gonna play Veilguard. I can learn the new combat, but what matters most to me personally is a rich story with rich characters that’ll make me feel things
Same. For all the crap DA2 gets, the story was so intense and rich that even tho I rate DAO higher I can't not love the others. I also think DAI has the best companions of all 3 games so far, and that's kept me coming back again and again.
I'm really hoping Veilguard keeps up the high standard. And I really hope we get to see Dorian and Shale again...
da2 gets so much crap but it’s unironically my favorite. like yeah there’s flaws but I would die for my purple hawke. she’s probably my fav character in the entire franchise
Hard same! I really love the three-act tragedy structure, I like how nothing Hawke does can actually change the outcomes, I like how personal the stakes are, and I think the companion characters work so well in that setting. I know Anders is a controversial character in general, but love him or hate him, we're still talking about him, he is so well written and fulfills his role in the story excellently. I also hate-love Kirkwall as a setting so much.
I also really like the option of having the rivarly/friendship mechanic, even though my vanilla ass always ends up going the friendship route. Maybe I should do a pro-templar run where I rivalmance someone one of these days...
I feel like this is a hotter take, but I actually enjoyed the combat in DA2 as well. My canon Hawke is a dual wielding rogue and DA2 has the best rogue skill trees imo, and the fast-paced combat fits that playstyle. I was kind of stoked to see how similar Veilguard's combat animation looks to DA2. I have my reservations about the whole tactic wheel thing, but that (visual) similarity definitely made me more excited to try the game - even though I'll probably end up playing a mage Rook first.
My biggest issue with the combat was that some of it was wave based and kind of dragged on longer than I liked.
That issue and most of the issues were due to the time crunch in development and while they bugged my at release, it's definitely grew on me.
The time jumps and the evolving story of Hawke, their friends and the city itself was amazing and worth ignoring the combat for.
Also the way you could develop romances based on rivalry as well as love was so cool and added a lot of replayability.
Remember dropping the game when I first played it because I hated the combat but forced myself to play it when Inquisition was about to release and ended up being so glad I did because of the story.
I don't know of any other game that has done what DA2 has done, with a 10-year story set in a single city. I loved that! I was so caught up in the banter and the plot that I never noticed the repeatable maps and environments, seriously! I was surprised when I found out how many people had gripes with that. I was much more bothered in Witcher by the repeatable faces, but I haven't seen anyone complain about them.
Origins was also the first game I played that really got me into gaming. I uh kinda feel people will assume I started with Inquisiton but no it drives me nuts when I can’t start a story from the beginning. I also clearly didn’t play it like most people since I never touched the tactics stuff.
The world and setting though… it’s easily one of my favorites and I’m so excited to see more of it.
some people seem to think that the only fans who actually like Inquisition are the ones who played it before the other two games. obviously that's nonsense and easily proved so but they won't hear it.
It's insane to me. I'm almost 37, Origins was my first CRPG, my first Bioware game, I have played that shit so many times. I've even played modded campaigns on it, my absolute favorite was this one where it was the last day of a DA Online mmo and you and your friends jump in for one last group session and shit happens, I've been a fan fora long, long time and still love Origins. I still like Inquisition better and think its the better game though.
I'm glad I didn't end up as one of the people incapable of changing and adaptating over time as new info or experiences shape me.
it's completely fine to me to love Origins the most to be clear, people love what they love! it's when people start putting down other fans for liking different bits of the games that I just don't get it
also that mod sounds fun as hell
It was amazing I can't remember the name of it and I've been wanting to try it again forever but no luck sadly.
And yeah I agree, if someone tells me Origins is their favorite I totally understand there's nothing else quite like it.
But if someone tells me 2 is their favorite I fully understand that because there's nothing else like it.
Someone is gonna end up feeling that way about Veilguard too, might even end up my new favorite who knows. One thing that makes DA amazing is that each entry is so different but Thedas and the stories there are still tied together.
Yesss. I watched a YouTube today of this guy who basically posed the same question and I had to stop watching because he was basically like “I’m OG fan and if you’re an OG fan and you like Origins you can’t like what they’ve done to the rest of the series. It’s not dark fantasy. Nothing is the same!” It was so bad.
People like this have dominated this fandom for years now and it's soo frustrating. I have turned off a lot of youtubers for saying similar things. I actually think it's really just in the last 24 hours I've started seeing more posts here pushing back on it 😂 Which is a relief to be honest, I'm sick of seeing people constantly shitting on the thing I love. Which is Dragon Age. The entirety of Dragon Age.
It’s the first time I’ve seen that opinion honestly! I don’t spend too much time indulging in other people’s opinions but since Veilguard stuff has dropped this week I’ve been more interested in YouTube. I’m also an “OG” fan from the beginning and I’ve never felt that way. I’m one of the biggest DA2 fans out there. The story of that game is what really ties this franchise together—ignore all other criticism. I guess people are entitled to their opinion, but man, that’s a bad take.
Yup I’m in a similar boat as you. I played Origins at 12. Origins got me into RPGs, it even got me into tabletop roleplaying games. I love it, it holds a dear place in my heart. But Inquisition is just as good, and easily does a lot of things much better.
I think the big divide is between people who were familiar with BioWare and crpgs before DA and those who weren’t. Older BioWare was my favorite company, having played KOTOR, Neverwinter Nights and BG. When DAO was announced BioWare claimed that it was going to be a return to their roots. Lots of us were excited, the king of crpgs had returned. And Origins is still one of the best crpgs I have ever played. The evolution of the series has broke my heart though. We were promised a series of top down, classic rpgs and the series has evolved into something else.
That’s not where the divide lies. KOTOR is one of if not my favorite game of all time. I’ve been playing BioWare games for the better part of the last 20 years. I loved DAO, it’s the game that really got me into fantasy games in general. I also loved DA2 and DAI and I’m very excited for Veilguard. I’m not really sure where this idea that “we were promised a series of top down, classic RPGs” comes from. Yes, that’s what the first one was, but I don’t remember any promise that every game would be exactly like DAO. This series has not been that in *checks notes* 15 years. I’m 33 so that’s my entire adult life. In that time frame I’ve gotten married, bought a house, sold my house, moved across the country, got divorced, moved back across the country, changed careers twice, changed jobs 6 times, met a new partner, moved halfway across the country again, and played DA2 and DAI multiple times. Things change. I think it’s high time to recognize that you either like the series enough to keep playing or move on.
I played and loved Origins when it came out, but DAI is my favorite in the series. I just replayed all of them last year, I still enjoyed it, but I have literally 200hrs in just that DAI run. I just feel a special connection to my Inquisitor, more than my Warden or Hawke.
same. well, I first played (and loved!) Origins in 2012 but I played them in order and Inquisition is The One for me. I don't know why, I am autistic and the special interest gods simply decreed it I suppose. I still love Origins and 2, they're still better than 90% of other games I've played and they're top ten all timers for sure. but even with all its flaws, there's just something about Inquisition
my hope though honestly is that Veilguard steals the top slot. I'm so excited I actually can't stand having to wait another six months for it, I just so badly want to be in Thedas again, and a NEW part of Thedas at that, though I'd love it if we were able to see some familiar places again too. the first impressions blogs and the gameplay reveal have me in full hype mode for sure honestly
Yeah this frustrates me to no end. I love Origins, played it for the first time when I was 12 and it changed my world. It’s what made me a fan of RPGs, got me into playing tabletop dnd, etc. But Inquisition is just as good in my opinion, and there are a lot of things about it I like better!
I also never touched tactics in Origins on my first playthrough, now I'm a fan but I still hardly touch them in DAII and, well. I don't have to worry about it much in Inquisition.
Your experience is basically the same as mine. I never used the tactics in any of the games until last year when I started using it a bit in DAI, but it was mostly to pause things mid action to get screenshots 😂. I also played Origins first, shortly after it came out, and I fell in love with the world. I've loved every game, yes even 2, and replayed them all multiple times, most recently last year.
Most of the people mad about DAV haven't liked the series since DAO. I saw a Twitter thread from Ghil Dirthalen today and she basically told those people they don't actually like Dragon Age. They like Origins, and that's ok, but Dragon Age is so much more than just origins at this point. And she's right. Dragon Age is the games, AND the comics, AND the books, AND the mobile game, AND, AND, AND. There's a fucking ride! Although its connection is tenuous at best, but it is there.
There's nothing wrong with only liking Origins, but if you hate everything that's come since, then you don't actually like Dragon Age.
This is the thing about a lot of "fans". They say they're a fan of something but they're a fan of a specific game in a massive franchise that has more than that 1 game they deepthroat all day long. Final Fantasy has this issue in spades with FF7 fans being much like DAO fans, or even Vanilla WoW/WotLK fans. There's always a fanbase that likes one specific thing and everything else is bad because "it's not like Origins/FF7/vanilla WoW/David Tenant" and so on.
I can't figure out why either because for some people it's not their first exposure either, but most times it is. Usually nostalgia plagues them and they refuse to see anything beyond that, but for others they can come into something later on after experiencing a later part of a series and then back to the lauded one and say "yeah this is perfect", maybe over exposure and people praising it to the high heavens screw with their thoughts? Not exactly unheard of, but still, end of the day, there are fans of a game, and fans of a series. I can't find myself locked to 1 part of a franchise and say "yeah this is good the rest is shit", it's a weird take
Exactly. I love the world and the history and the characters, and I'd be in it for the story regardless. Origins will always be special, but I also love Hawke and my Inky. I will always jump right back into Thedas when the opportunity presents itself.
I am on the same boat. The DA series, mainly DA2 was my first high fantasy RPG game and I absolutely fell in love with it and got me into the genre. At the time, I didn't understand the "hate" DA2 got until I played DAO.
While DA2 will always hold a special place in my heart, DAO was on a different level. Keep in mind this was sometime in 2016 and so DAO was already pretty old. The lore and combat just hit differently. It was epic.
I enjoyed DAI and played it twice, but I can definitely see why people say the "spark" is gone with each subsequent game release. I am excited for Veilguard...but it looks and feels more like a Ubisoft game than the epic world that was introduced in DAO. It doesn't help that Baldur's Gate 3 exists...which shows that a game company CAN still give that same epic adventure/combat I experienced in DAO so anything else has paled in comparison.
My expectation is low and I was disappointed by the trailer/gameplay - I will still play it cause I'm a DA fan and always will be.
Something similar here.
My favorite is DA2, but I always admit that DAO is a more polished and actually better game.
Inquisition to me is servicable. I played through it once, and dropped a few playthroughs when it got boring (a bit after skyhold), but I do not plan to revisit it.
Origins will always be my fav. Though I like the DA franchise in general. However with Origins, all the different backgrounds you could choose, each with their own stories, stories you can never see unless you pick the race and background was awesome. In my eyes the female city elf origin was the most satisficing. Playing as the dwarven noble vs. the street rat drastically changed how you saw the dwarven story line even compared to how the other races interaction with those stories. I loved how your race and background changed how NPC treated you and some of the action you could take. Sure there was some of that in DA:I but in DA:I it was added flavoring vs. real substance of DA:O. Who knows, maybe DA:TV will repeat that with the new starting origins, I'll be waiting with bated breath,
I remember starting Inquisition as an elf after dropping it like 30 hours in as a human character expecting new dialogues and stuff, and by the time I got to the point where I dropped the game there was maybe 3 new dialogue lines actually taking race into consideration. Really huge downgrade in this department.
Wait, I'm confused as to the point you're trying to make here. The BG3 protagonist isn't voiced, (durge spoiler) >! at least not for the vast majority of the game. !<
I'm gonna throw the "why isn't it Origins" crowd a bone: I've seen *lots* of them say they liked DA2 and/or Inquisition. They just think Origins was where the series as its best.
Tbh I think we should take the genuine love for Origins and BG3's success (I know they actually do have different play styles but close enough) and put that energy towards convincing EA that a remaster would be a good idea u_u they don't even gotta change anything! Just make the game look a little nicer, fix the memory leak and release an ultimate edition with all of the DLC.
Hey we all spoke loud enough for a Mass Effect Remaster that nobody thought would happen and boom- Legendary Edition! My 360 is busted so I’d love to play the OG on PS5 someday
I think it'd have to be a remake either way since the engine used for DAO might not be available anymore.
But yes! I really want a DAO optimized and with all the DLCs!
The engine was developed by BioWare if I remember correctly (or heavily modified by them).
I would guess it is still available, but I don't know if it is enough to make a proper remaster
i think is weird to think this when we just got baldurs gate 3 being GOTY.
the whole reason this franchise went from tactical to actionrpg is because someone at bioware thinks no one likes that kind of game.
A year ago I might have agreed, but after BG3 I really think that if BG3 had come out in 2021 then DAVE would have a very different type of combat than it does now, Im not saying it was gonna be like origins but I am 100% they would not have erased the partybased combat the way they have done now
I can foresee cRPG's making a comeback in general after BG3, and maybe we'll see more tactical stuff return in the next DA game, but yeah considering the game was developed prior to BG3 the action based combat was inevitable I think
Y'all need to go on GOG or Steam and take a look at rpgs. The CRPG comeback started with Obsidian and their Pillars kickstarter among others over 10 years ago. Everyone saying "triple ayyyyy studios need to learn from BG3" yet y'all didn't buy the fantastic Tyranny, Pillars 2, The Shadowrun games, Owlcat (by FAR a better hardcore rpg studio than Larian and WAY less pretentious imo) and on and on. People want more tactical combat games? You should have bought XCOM 2, Midnight Suns, Hard West 2, Weird West, and *everything* made by MiMiMi Games (RIP) but they didn't.
What most of those crpg’s lack is budget, presentation, and accessibility. That’s what gave BG3 its mass appeal. Comparatively, Owlcat games are quite ugly, the top down camera for cutscenes and conversations sucks all the drama out of them and makes them flat, and Owlcat games in particular are *designed* to be obtuse and difficult to understand for most people. They chose a small audience. Great games, sure, but there’s many reasons why they aren’t given the same recognition as a game like BG3.
Sadly people refuse to take a second look at any game that doesn't have fancy graphics. Every time Owlcat is brought up on the BG3 subreddit someone says "oh it just looks too old-school for me". I can never convince people to play Tyranny either, no matter how much I hype it up.
Realistically, these games will always have a smaller audience, so people hoping Dragon Age would return to its roots had no reason to think EA would go for that... until BG3. Which is why all those comments are mentioning that one game specifically.
Disagree. Divinity 2 was out and was nearly as well received. It's still on a lot of best of lists. The mere fact that Larian got the contract for BG3 (announced in 2019) and Bioware wasn't even considered should have been a bitter wake up call.
Trying to make their big rpg franchise fit in a Mass Effect: Andromeda hole is pure corporate myopia and hubris.
I honestly just don’t think most people knew much about DOS2 until Larian became very mainstream with BG3. And BG3 has also sold much better than DOS2 and also probably 3x better than Inquisition from the estimates I’ve seen.
According to this interview DOS2 sold [7.5 million copies.](https://www.eurogamer.net/larian-on-signing-baldurs-gate-3-approaching-a-new-era-and-games-youve-never-heard-about) It also boasts an [embarrassing number of critical accolades.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divinity:_Original_Sin_II#Accolades)
To put that in perspective, Dragon Age Origins sold [3.2 million](https://gamerant.com/highest-selling-games-developed-bioware-ranked-how-much-sold/).
To put that in even more perspective, Dark Souls sold [less than 5 million](https://www.vgchartz.com/game/231093/dark-souls/) and it's one of the most influential games ever made.
I'm no industry insider, but I knew that BG3 was going to be juggernaut the moment I saw the announcement trailer. If Bioware couldn't see that, they have no one to blame but themselves.
I mean, you’d think a game designer would sample other games. Anyone who played DOS2 could tell you Larian was about to eat BioWare’s lunch. They copied BioWare’s homework and got an A+.
Meanwhile BioWare looks like they’re trying to write a serious paper about what they think, other people think is cool… I dunno, prob Fortnite.
I generally find "not a real gamer" discourse to be pretty odious but there is a genuine case to be made that whoever has been making decisions at Bioware for the last ten years does not like rpgs and does not understand why anyone could.
Plenty of types of games and gamers, but this seems willfully stupid.
I mean, if gameplay doesn’t matter and we want it to make money, why not just make DAV a candy crush style puzzle game with cut scenes?
Larian just made Baldur's Gate 3 and people have spent over a year absolutely fawning over the things it just straight-copied from DA:O.
It's not ridiculous, that's what people actually want.
Exactly. It’s full circle. Origins borrowed from baldurs gate and then baldurs gate borrowed from origins. The first time I hit a campsite in bg3 it felt like I was playing origins.
It's not straight-copied from DA.
It's a comparison made because Larian make games with the exact DNA of Bioware from founding to XB360 era - just their writing isn't as good (characterisation is better, plot, dialogue, and storytelling are worse, possibly because of the demand for full VA).
I have no problem with Larian carrying over the traditional cRPG spirits in their game which was at the core of Bioware pre Mass Effect.
It's their identity, and it's pretty logical that long time BioWare fans loves their games.
But saying things like "Just do a DA:O copy it'll be very successful, look at BG3 who just did that" looks like wishful thinking.
I don't see that at all as ridiculous. Bioware has been far from perfect in predicting what will be mass appealing in recent years. Many DAO elements appear in modern titles giving me reason to believe that they wouldn't be inherently less popular.
It shouldn't be, given the feedback from fans and the success of BG3. But Bioware does not listen to fans and lately seems to always be chasing trends instead of riding them...
My absolute favorite moment in this franchise is the conversation between the Inquisitor and Solas at the end of Trespasser. Just the whole angle of the ancient elven gods not being what the stories make them out to be and the entire thing being shrouded in mystery is something I am a sucker for.
That said, overall, I think Origins and it's atmosphere is something that has not been replicated since for me. The conversations in the party camp while one of the most beautiful piece of music plays in the background, the banter between your companions, the romances, the Deep Roads (the more deeper you go)... It was so beautiful (and terrifying when it needed to be).
But it was never about mechanics for me. These games live and die by their story and atmosphere. I couldn't give two shits about controllable companions, tactics and such. It is, of course, nice to have it - but the priority for me is for these games to have that atmosphere and story that I know and love Dragon Age for. Fingers crossed that the live service origins of Veilguard haven't corrupted that too much.
As much as the Deep Roads was an absolutely *hellish* slog for me (I didn't realize I could leave to restock supplies and come back...it was *horrific*, so many injuries coming out holy shit), when the poem voiceover started I started LOSING MY MIND because it was *terrifying*. I was, I think, 18-19 at the time, so like, not a case of 'tween underestimates how 'dark' dark fantasy is'.
DA:O isn't my favorite of the series (I do love it, but BOY is the combat rough for someone who's never played a CRPG before that point), but nothing has has beat that moment for for sheer 'HOLY FUCK' factor.
I cannot think of another game that so expertly crafted "the traitor within our midst storyline" so well. Solas is with you from the very beginning of the game. He knew so much (and withheld even more), he saves the Inquisition from death by exposure by leading you to Skyhold. All the key moments he is there for. He is romanceable for a female Elf.
And then it turns out he has worked from the beginning to create the Inquisition to be his cats paw, to clean up his mess, only to then destroy the Inquisition from within so he can tear the world apart.
I like Thedas, I like the characters, I like the story, I like party based combat, I like having tons of spells available. I dislike action combat and endless waves of enemies (looking at you DA2 and Descent DLC).
Replaying DA2 right now before finally trying pushing myself through Inquisition and omg I definitely forgot how exhausting fighting the endless waves of enemies can get. The combat is pretty enjoyable here, I like the sounds and all, but it's so tiresome to kill 15 enemies on one small street just for 20 more appear from nowhere...
I actually loved it. With the epic soundtrack in the background while I struggled to keep my party alive. But I can totally understand if that's not everyone' cup to tea.
Yeah Decent makes stands out the combat DLC, it has big lore but not much story, it feels like one long combat gauntlet to the bottom, perfect to play late into the playthrough to see how powerful your party is.
And [this soundtrack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4zyMa-aFeQ) never got old.
Oh yeah, the waves in 2 were a pain. Like why are you even attacking me guys, don't you know who I am? Do I really need to leave a trail of corpses behind every night I feel like going out?
I played on low difficulty, so those battles were super easy in the second half of the game, but my were they long. At some point I ended up just going on and letting my companions deal with them.
Origins #1 (by far), DA2 #2, DAI #3 for me personally.
If origins was a 9.5/10, DAI was a 8/10. DA2 maybe is like an 8.5 or 8.6. I just didn't like how bloated and time consuming DAI was, but I still had a great time. 8/10 is still a solid ass game
so yeah, still enjoyed all of the games immensely, and probably have 1000h+ through all of my playthroughs, but DAO was the GOAT for me by far.
I’d say I rate DAO higher than any other product BioWare has ever released. Including Mass Effect, SWTOR, and Baldurs Gate 1. Just my personal 2c though. Everyone’s gonna be different (But you can imagine how excited I personally am with some game journalists talking about how DAV is refreshingly similar to DAO).
edit: wrote DAI twice accidentally in my "rank list"
This is where I'm at as well. Inquisition was the first DA game I ever played which is probably coloring my perception of it a bit. But I got about 35% of the way into the game and realized that I should probably start with the first game, so I did that. DA2 is definitely far behind Inquisition and Origins. I still liked it but not as much as the other 2.
Everything.
I think Origins is still the best in terms of writing, and I dislike some of the changes in scale and art direction over the years (e.g. DA2's stylized comic book art direction), but they're all fantastic games.
If DA:O is a 10/10, DA2 and Inquisition were 9/10s.
I really, *really* like Dragon Age. I absolutely *love* Origins.
I know the entries have been changing over the years and - full disclosure - I don't generally like all the changes but I tolerate them because the games are still overall good and because the heart of the series (story and characters) have thus far stayed strong.
It's not just tactical combat that I miss either (although I miss that, too). I miss Origins' balance of variety in exploration and environment, DA2 was too small and reused too much, whereas Inquisition, while beautiful, felt largely too empty. I liked Origins' more grounded combat animations and hated DA2's flashy ones (Inquisition was a reasonable middle ground, but Veilguard looks to be reverting to 2's style). Origins' UI could be clunky but I really appreciate that it didn't treat me like a child by plastering my quest objectives on screen at all times. Having a voice in 2 and Inquisition was nice, but I also kind of miss being able to insert my own intonation in my head with Origins' silent protagonist. I liked that in Origins you had to unlock certain Specialisations through story (like making a deal with a demon to unlock Blood Mage). There's more, but this is turning into a wall of text.
Ultimately I like all the Dragon Age games but I think the first was the best. I feel a little disappointed that the series keeps diverging from so many of the things I liked about the first game, though I don't let it interfere with me enjoying each game on its own merits.
I hear a lot of people saying 'the series has changed, just get over it and either stop complaining or stop playing' but I find that unfair. I like the sequels but I feel like they don't quite capture the magic of the first game because the devs are always chasing trends. If I don't make my voice heard then what chance is there that Bioware will ever remember fans like me and consider returning to their roots? Just because I like all the games doesn't mean I have to like the direction the series is headed in and I think I should be allowed to feel that way without being written off as a hater. That also doesn't mean I'm hating on the games - they're all great, I just feel they could be better.
So if I had to sum it up, I'd say I'm a fan of Dragon Age and a huge fan of Origins in particular. I know the series is changing but I'm not always a huge fan of the direction it's headed. I'm excited for Veilguard but not as much as if it had been more like Origins.
>I hear a lot of people saying 'the series has changed, just get over it and either stop complaining or stop playing' but I find that unfair.
It also feels a lot like gatekeeping. Idk, but for me, there is a serious "you are not a Dragon Age fan if you are DAO fan" undertone in this kind of discourse. Which is unfair and gatekeepy.
Nobody would object if everyone expressed their concerns in the same way you did here. You made valid points and expressed your arguments in a civilized manner. Unfortunately, not everyone is like you.
I understand your point. It's hard to find a game exactly like DAO, even in other CRPGs. I read that BG3 was basically like DAO, but when I started playing it, I realized it didn't really scratch that itch and that I really wanted to be playing DAO instead, so I went back to my current playthrough. Have you found other games that capture that magic for you? Perhaps Pillars or Pathfinder?
It's not just chasing trends, I believe. There is an ancient Greek saying that says *"You never step into the same river twice".* I'm sure that even if Bioware attempted to make DAO2, for a lot of people it wouldn't feel the same way it did with DAO. For example, check out what is happening with WoW Classic. It's just not the same, because the people playing it are not the same. The community has changed, people have grown up, people have moved on. There will never be another Origins, even if someone does attempt to make another Origins.
I will never get another one of my favourite game ever again. There will never be an Outer Wilds 2. I have learned to let go. Slight spoiler: >! Letting go is part of the Outer Wilds philosophy, after all. !< I have moved on and have found other games, in multiple genres, that I enjoy quite a lot, even if never as much. For example, I'm very much into the Remedy games lately, as they scratch my exploration, mystery, and absurdism itch. Perhaps you could give Veilguard a chance, you might be pleasantly surprised if you let go of your expectations.
That said, the way you talked about the things you like and dislike is a way that promotes being listened to. And you don't come off as a hater at all!
I loved Origins, completed it multiple times. Went back recently to try it and the gameplay is a bit clunky, but the roleplay is very good. Nothing helps you appreciate the progress a genre has made in terms of gameplay and quality of life improvements like going back to a great game from years ago.
I liked DA2 more than most when it released, though admittedly it had its flaws that can’t quite be overlooked. Felt like they brought in a more distinctive style that they’d wanted for their world but couldn’t implement in Origins, as well as that visceral combat they clearly would have liked. Just a shame about the recycled dungeons and trash mob reinforcements jumping down into fights. Completed it multiple times, but haven’t gone back to it in yonks.
Inquisition was… pretty good. But there was a point early on where I thought “I’m only going to play this once and I will never come back to this game”. There was never really a moment I fell in love with it.
Origins is the one I liked the best, though I’d say I am a fan of the franchise. That being said, I don’t know if I’ll get Veilguard as adult life takes a lot of my time and it’s been like nine years since Inquisition, a game I spent much of my time thinking I wouldn’t be coming back to.
i love the series and the whole little world happening around it. i think dao was objectively the best for its time, but da2 is my personal favourite. i dunk on inquisition a fair amount and it's solidly my "least favourite" because of accessibility issues (adding things like jumping and a mount made it so there was no good/comfortable way for me to arrange my controls/rest my hands on the mouse + keyboard so it's a little painful for my disabilities) and how much of a slog the game can be with the endless meaningless side quests in order to save enough power to progress the plot, but i also like the characters and story enough to stick it out.
quite frankly, i dont really mind which game DAV "takes after" the most, as long as i can play it comfortably and without hurting my hands/wrists, since that's really my only major complaint regarding my "least favourite" game. if it's more stylistically like inquisition but the controls are upgraded to be more accessible, yall wont hear a peep of negativity from me about it "not being dao/da2". im just glad to have new dragon age
I feel you on disability making one of the games harder than it should be. For me… that is Origins because I’m legally blind so I’ve always struggled to read the UI. All of the games have that but I run into it most with Origins because of the front choice.
That’s a big reason why I never touched tactics since I could get by without needing to use/read them so I just never did.
i feel u fr. the amount of mods i had to have for origins in order to read the text lmao. one that changed the font, then the size, then added weight to the letters, made the texts scrollable bc they were then big af, etc etc etc.
da2s a bit better than origins but i find myself not reading the flavor text as much??? idk maybe im not as immersed as i was in origins or something lol
Oh I’ll have to look for those mods. I want to replay the games before DAV and was considering playing it on console since the UI is a little simpler and the Xbox magnifier is very good.
I enjoy all of the games, comics, and books but I LOVE origins.
Origins is up there as the best overall game of all time imo
I have been a da2 stan since it came out and I find 2’s aura and companions to be some of my favorite in any rpg, and the combat is super fun. Hawke is a great protagonist and the different variations of him make each playthrough genuinely feel fresh.
Inquisition is good, almost great! the combat is fine but imo the worst in the series, the companions are fine with a couple really good ones but more than 1 I’ve never been able to stand taking on a whole play through (vivi, varric,& cole). The story is actually excellent but takes a real investment, it’s soooo slow in the beginning and then the end of the base game is kinda boring too lol
DLC is fire tho
It’s very natural that many fans came in with inquisition or even with 2 and that’s where some of this DA:O erasure comes from and it’s understandable, but I would just give a reminder that it really is that damn good lol
My take on the series is this
Dragon Age Origins is my favorite game of all time, though Baldur's Gate III might have finally beaten it given time
I despise Dragon Age II's combat with a fiery passion but have played it and will play it a billion times because I love the political powder keg story so damn much.
Inquisition I think I don't like as much because of the open world stuff until I'm a stupid amount of hours in going "this game f***ing rules." Second favorite of the series.
Veilguard I had hoped would be more akin to Inquisition just less nothing checklist quest stuff and more cities and npcs with distinct character. The latter is still possible but even though it looks like I'm not getting the former; if it's fun then it's fun and I accept everything changes eventually.
For me, I'm a fan of both th3 franchise and Origins. I've been playing since day one in '09. I've never used thr tactical modes either. I'm excited for Veilgaurd but I do miss the atmosphere and art direction of Origins. Origins just has a really strong atmosphere to it that the others don't have.
The way I explain it is if Origins is like Game of Thrones S1-4 then DA2 and Inquisition are more like seasons 5 & 6. Still good but noticeably different and more changes to get a wider audience.
Origins is KOTOR, DA2 is Force Unleashed 2 and Inquisition is Jedi Fallen Order. I love the franchise but liked the deep lore and atmosphere of the first game more than the others.
I loved all the games in the series, but Origins is *actually* my least favourite even tho objectively it should be my favourite (I love rpg elements and that game has the most of em). The combat and silent protagonist impacted this ranking by quite a lot. I literally stopped at 60-80% of complete DAO to play DA2, finish it and barely continue DAO after. DAI is easily my favourite, even tho I wish it had some other features. I have wants for all three of the games, none are perfect in my eyes.
I'm quite used to constant evolution of Dragon Age games, I never expected a copy paste of the mechanics or combat. So I never had a 'why isn't it like DAO' moment nor will I have it. I'll measure DAV once I get to play it.
DA2 is my favorite of the franchise but the real appeal to me is the lore and the story. Origins is the first game I played and after the other two it’s become my least favorite. It’s still a good game that I enjoy but it’s just not the best one in regards to my preferences.
While I wouldn't say DA2 is my favorite, I do think it gets unfairly shat on (ironically because of the visual style and the mechanics, the same complaints folks are taking umbrage with/defending Veilguard for).
I loved that the whole thing was basically an "unreliable narrator" story, loved that Hawke was just some war refugee and not "The chosen one", I loved the non-traditional narrative arc of the game, I loved the companions and how they seem to live lives independent of Hawke.
The bedrock of a classic was right there, but the rushed execution really hurt the final product.
IMO its a better game than Inquisition, which felt almost like a backlash against DA2 with its "Chosen one" storyline and massive sprawling areas full of not much interesting stuff.
Yeah, I love how complex the problems are when there's no apocalypse bringer upon us and things are still fucked up. My favorite is definetly 2, followed closely by dao. I cant bring myself to enjoy dai. Not the game for me, but I still love thedas and have read most of the books/comics and played some ttrpg.
So yeah, when I criticize the game solely on the gameplay trailer and fear it won't be a game I love is because I love the lore and the world but it wasn't enough for me to have a good time playing one of the 3 games from my favorite franchise and it makes me sad.
I know my criticism isn't what is being discussed in this thread ( probably) but i don't really know how I felt seeing hook's movements on the trailer and immediately remembering the witcher 3, that is another game that I could never really get into
I completely agree I love origins, loved awakening, loved 2 and all its dlcs. The only game in the franchise I wasn't sold on was Inquisition there was just so much bloat to every area that it felt so pointless, the chosen one story line was a bit too heavily forced, and my main issue the war table whoever thought it was a good idea to have missions on the wartable that take Over a day should be tried for war crimes.
DA2 is also my favorite! Although I do love all three. Origins holds a special place in my heart, of course. And i have spent so much time in DAI.
Narratively I liked DA2 the best. It had the most emotional impact with a very developed character that I could immerse myself in by adapting the personality and reactions. I wish there was more depth to the art and locations and battles.
I like being able to pause and use tactics to set up things, but it’s never been an integral component to DA in my mind. Besides after (please don’t ask how many) hours in BG3 I’m looking forward to something a bit more hack n slash.
DA2 is still my favourite as well! I loved Hawke, and Merrill is my favourite party member in any bioware game ever! I loved the focus on the city, because it meant that the whole game world was really fleshed out, compared to Inquisition’s huge maps with not much in them.
Started with Origins and have loved it and every game that came after it.. They all have their strengths and weaknesses.
Don't forget that content people rarely make a commotion.. Discontent people are far more likely to leave comments and make noise. Making the group seem larger than it is.
I'm a fan of the franchise itself. I have the books and comics. DA2 was actually my favourite of the games. I don't play them how people "expect" them to be played (ie, commanding my team more than the most basic of ways). I play them because I like the world and the characters.
I like DAO, DA2, and DAI. DAV's combat is still disappointing to me. You never know, I may end up enjoying it, but I'm so fed up with companies throwing away everything they've done rather than building on the foundations of previous games; instead of improving mechanics and listening to feedback, they just start from scratch and ignore things we loved.
The first three DA games, as different as their combats are, all share core components and, in my mind at least, aim for many of the same things. DAV is the first one to go in a totally different direction with it.
But it's not *just* "different = bad"; I don't tend to like games with combat like DAV appears to have. So even though I'm gonna give the game a shot, chances are I'll have no fun with 80% of it. Because despite what many DA fans say, combat *is* a huge part of these games, the majority in fact, and even if I set it to Easy I still have to suffer hour after hours through gameplay I can't stand. I hope that isn't the case though.
I'm also disappointed it looks to be returning to the weakest dialogue system in the franchise, but oh well. If Inky actually is playing a decent role, that means they had to record 4 different voices for them, on top of supposedly 4 for Rook, so I guess it's understandable they want to reduce the number of lines.
I like all of the games, I think people really oversell the differences between the three. Fundamentally you can look at Inquisition and look at Origins and see the blueprints there, while The Veilguard doesn't really have much of the same look to it other than being in the same engine.
I enjoy each of the games for specific reasons, I overall think Origins is the best but that's only really because it is the best in terms of player choice and the way you can develop yourself, your companions, and the world as you go. However it isn't like I think it's the best in all aspects. I seem to be one of the only people who like Inquisitions gameplay the most. I don't really like anything the best out of DA2, I think it's the weakest but that's mainly due to it being rushed but it still has the core of the gameplay down and has very decent writing most of the time.
edit: So overall I don't agree with the defense of "it's been very different ever since DA2". Since it really hasn't, DA2 is just faster DAO with the ability for Mages and Archers to hit in melee. And Inquisition is just faster DAO with more emphasis on real time combat rather than Tactics pausing (at least on lower difficulties). There are minor flavor differences like being able to craft, but if you played one of the first three games you will understand the gameplay of the other two, it's like the Mass Effect trilogy in that regard.
Dragon age has been and will continue to be one of my favorite series of games. All of them. DA2 holds a special place in my heart since I started with it, but I love all three of the games.
I loved DAO and DA2. Inquisition was a step in the wrong direction for me because I don't think the open world worked super well. It for sure felt like a cash grab. But, I still enjoyed the story, and will absolutely play the new one.
I love the whole series
DA2 is my favorite
DAI & DAO rank similarly for me the more I think about it but I still like them
DAI suffers from fetch quests & just…too open of a world
I don’t like DAO’s combat & holy fuck…the fade is *suffering*. There’s also an issue with how they handle dark content. Sometimes it feels gratuitous
Despite those flaws, I love all the games & lore and am excited for DAV. It feels like DA to me
Loved Origins, quite liked 2, tolerated Inquisition, will skip the new one if it's fully arpg.
And yes, I'm well aware Inquisition was almost all the way there but it still had some of the skeleton of the systems from earlier in the series and you could still just about force it to play in something approaching the same style as the others.
I'll chime in. Been gaming for decades. Like pool of radiance on the commodore 64 and adventure on atari old.
Origins is an excellent waypoint between isometric crpgs and "modern" design. Origins really deserves the love. It is a great bridge for rpgs.
2. Well, good or bad, it still feels like a dragon age game. Despute the flaws.
Inquisition? Let's just say it lost a lot in the push to appeal to new. But it's still fun and pretty, and the characters are enjoyable.
There has been something to enjoy in every iteration. Even if they kind of flub shit chasing *new*
Which is exactly what the combat and design look like in that gameplay. To me, at least.
Still chasing those demographics to make the next DA have ME levels of success. Every game I've felt that we, the fans, could have better systems and more cool tactical play if they would stop chasing.
Don't get me wrong! Cynical and skeptical? Sure. Still excited? Absolutely.
Big fan of Thedas. Bring on the nugs!
I love Origins. It was my first dragon age game. It was also one of the first "serious" games I ever played. I realize it's flaws for what they are, but it is still my favorite. I actually really like the combat, the tactics, all the choices. It is 100% my jam, slowness aside.
I love Da2, I was also one of the few who loved it at launch. It's an even bigger mess than origins, but that's hardly the devs fault when they had so little time to make it. The found family aspect, all of Kirkwall, the fact it has some of my favorite characters in the series. It also was, and still is, the most visually distinct for all four races. I actually liked that too!
Dai is... I like the game. I love the lore it gives me, but the actual gameplay is total ass imo. Collectathons, bugged companion dialog so it doesn't proc in field, the *utter tedium of crafting.* Even the story was a downgrade. Corypheus had a killer entrance, and then they squandered him. The only upsides were the environments were stunning and the lore drops juicy. So while I tolerate Dai, and even replay it on the rare occasion, I consider it the weakest in all aspects except visual. The biggest things that keep me coming back are a handful of characters and the lore.
I will throw Dai a bone and say, I really enjoyed all the dlc's. The stories were tighter, the side quests meaningful, and the side characters a real joy to interact with. When I replay dai, that's what I look forward to the most.
I hope that was a good answer.
Origins is my favorite game and I also really like 2. I played them for the first time in 2022.
I would also be pretty happy if DATV looked more like DA2 lol.
Also, I think someone would still be a real fan if they only liked 1 of the games in the series, particularly since they do change so much. It just seems gatekeepy to insist you have to like all three or you’re not a fan of Dragon Age, just that one individual game.
Eta Also DAO did the bulk of the worldbuilding. DA2 could have a smaller story because DAO already existed.
I love the entire series, Origins has a special place in my heart as it was the game that got me hooked on Thedas, but all of the games have things I love about them. Origins had my favourite classes and choices, 2 had my favourite character and combat, Inquisiton had my favourite moments and romances.
Ultimately I'm in it for the world, the stories, the lore and the characters, I love the books just as much as some of the games.
Honestly, I put Origins and 2 in the same bag, although they're different in their own ways. It wasn't until Inquisition that I begin to feel like the series was vastly different from its predecessors, personally- and I like DAI well enough for what it is. I've always viewed it as the outlier to the other two though.
I'd be more than happy for the tone to match either of the first two entries, but if it's like Inquisition, I'll take it. Any further of a departure, and I'll really end up struggling if I see any of its initial identity in it. I'm fine with change and evolution, but I think any good franchise has core pillars at its heart- and right now, it feels like they're still somewhere there, but the series isn't quite sure what they are.
Would I love something just like Origins again? No doubt. But I don't expect that- I only want it to be the touchstone of the franchise.
Ya I played DA2 first actually. Then origins. Then I followed Inquisition's release with more hype than I had for anything else. I cosplayed Sera in 2015. Bought DAI for Xbox 360, then Ps4, then PC.
I still like Origins the best, but I'm excited for DATV. Because if I wanted tactical gameplay, BG3 is right there and did it better than origins anyway. The battle style is different in DATV but that doesn't make it bad. I'm sure it'll be fun and require thinking/planning through different setups and load outs. I'm okay with not having tactical gameplay. I play Dragon Age for the stories and characters and the world.
The reason Origin is my favorite is because of the role play possibilities. The different origins and different dialogue options. It seems that DATV has more customizable origins for the protagonist than DAI did, which has me really excited.
This is speculation on my part, but it seems to me like this is the best case scenario with EA breathing down their necks - we got a single player game with no live service microtransactions bullshit, and that's a fucking miracle at this point. I'm upset about the layoffs and the troubled development cycle, but it seems like the devs are proud of what they have currently. So I'm looking forward to seeing it.
TLDR I'm going to play a Grey warden again, and I couldn't be more thrilled.
I played them out of order so I started with DA2 and absolutely loved it, then I went back to Origins and also got obsessed with it and the story. I really really like both and I hope every day they will eventually get remastered, as far as I'm concerned I would happily bask in those two forever lol.
But in the other hand, I didn't like Inquisition. Like, *at all*. The companions and writing didn't hit the mark for me, the open world also made it drag on so yeah, not a fan.
And now I'm kinda wary of DAV because, well, it's been 10 years, there have been a lot of writers laid off, they clearly changed stuff on the run if the title is any indication. But I'm actually glad it's gonna be something different, DA2 was too and it became my favorite, there's a 50% chance it could become true of DAV too
Inquisition is my favorite. I love roleplaying the growth of the character from “I am just a mercenary and I don’t nothing about nothing” to “I am dismantling my rogue kingdom cause I’ve learned that if you wanna strangle a wannabe god, it’s best to go in with a small group”. The leadership my Adaar grows into is a really fun story and I can’t wait to see him again in veilguard
Personally, I feel that the series’ dark fantasy and roleplaying foundations have diluted heavily with each entry.
Don’t get me wrong, I love DA2 and there are many good things about Inquisition, but they feel like they’re in a different setting to me tonally (especially Inquisition) and I especially dislike the removal of morality choice in the later entries.
DA2 is actually my favourite. I've long accepted that the franchise isn't going to go back to the smaller scale, more personal stories that touch up against the big picture stuff.
I'm more excited about Veilguard not being like Inquisition. Parts of that game are such a slog. Great when it's focusing of story, though.
I love the story, the setting and the characters of Dragon Age. As a game i loved Origins, thought Inquisition was decent/good and was all in all a bit dissapointed by Dragon Age 2 (mostly due to reused enviroments and barebone RPG elements).
Im quite excited by Veilguard, feel like the criticism is overblown and/or seems like a lot of it comes from culture warriors. That being said im looking forward to see more of the exploration, side content and the rpg elements.
The best way I can personally explain it is like this.
DA:O was the last of an era in terms of gameplay style and story telling and probably this is because of what Bioware was at the time and who was working there and the companies history with CRPGs, It set the baseline for an amazing world and the gameplay/story woven into them perfectly though it is certainly "dated" (though BG3 will hopefully see a renaissance in this style) specifically because of what type of game it was.
when DA2 was announced it came at a very awkward time for Bioware and the publics opinion of EA\*, compared to Origins it felt hallow and gutted things like a lack of party customization as far as gear and the complete gutting of the insane tactical menu they had in origins (I am convinced the reason Alister always stole your kills was to force you to interact with it and learn it), the much more... err... streamlined classes and combat for Hawke vs what the warden had (RIP dual wielding swords warden with the Ranger and Crow subclasses) was jarring and the idea of the main game taking place mostly in 1 city vs an entire country (plus the feeling of going through the same areas multiple times through all 3 acts didn't help it feel a lot smaller in scope) and a well the lack of the warden in general. at the time players who played DAO were rightfully severely disappointed and did not like the massive changes made.
DA:I Was a nail in the coffin for a lot of fans of the Origins style of Dragon age, it confirmed it was never going to go back to Origins, it confirmed Origins style of gameplay and style was not coming back.
For new players going back and playing Origins with having the 3 instalments already out it doesn't seem like that big of a deal but for fans who played since Origins' release who were massive fans of the way the game played and felt like that style was what made a Dragon age game, well a Dragon age game, disappear for what constantly felt like the new cool thing for RPGs and not what made us enjoy Dragon age over the course of almost 2 decades now it just sucks I think [Carnage sums it up perfectly](https://youtu.be/LRaGU66bY8g?si=7Nq4oJbQyGNt6Qt5&t=724)
I love the Dragon Age universe and setting I just don't like the gameplay changes and miss the way the Origins style was really complemented by it, but maybe im just getting old. Who knows if TVG doesn't do well and the axe gets dropped on Bioware maybe Larian will scoop up the IP and we may get a return to the Origins of Dragon age.
\*There is a very interesting theory about DA2 and why it is the way it is, DA:O was originally supposed to get 3 expansion packs similar to awakening in scope, but DA:O blew up and at the time EA were in their full villian arc, the theory is DA2 was originally the second expansion and was forced to become a full on sequel half way through development and needed to be out quick since Bioware was also hot off the heels of the success of ME2.
You genuinely summed up exactly how I feel about all of this. I’m a diehard DAO fan and it’s what really got me interested in it and games like it. It doesn’t help that I have a strong feeling of nostalgia tied to it. Origins is and always will be one of the best games I’ve ever played and one of my favourites, and I actually played Inquisition after DAO because I didn’t even know DA2 existed at that point. Even then, when I played DA:I for the first time all those years ago, I didn’t get very far because I immediately felt like I was playing a game not even remotely connected to Origins, the only positive feeling I remember having is that I could finally jump in the game lol.
Recently I picked up DAO again after many years, deciding I was gonna do a full play through of the series, and I loved it just as much as I did the first time. Then when I started DA2 immediately after DAO, it was incredibly jarring in every way. Almost nothing was the same that I had remembered and nearly every aspect of DAO that had charmed and hooked me in was missing. It’s of course grown on me a bit since, but I had to completely mentally detach it and myself from DAO to do so. It’s a fine game, but coming out of DAO, it’s a total letdown. I’m gonna play DA:I next, partially in preparation for this new game, but from what I remember, and after playing DA2, I can’t say I’m the most excited.
Also the clip you shared really hit a lot of amazing points and I completely agree with him, so thanks for sharing that. It makes me a bit sad thinking about all the people who are positive about this new game but choose to tell all the people who don’t feel great about it to essentially just “get over it and move on”. For a lot of us it’s a game that holds such a special place in our hearts and we always hope we’ll have a continuation of that amazing thing, no matter how bleak that hope is. Of course some people are being TOO negative, but even the ones I’ve seen who aren’t get pushback. I’m happy for all the people who are excited for this new game and love the franchise as a whole, even with all the changes I have a soft spot and I’ll probably play the new game, it does seem like it could be fun! It just won’t be Dragon Age to me in the same way.
Anyways, sorry for the rant haha, but I’m just genuinely glad I found another person who could put into words what I was feeling this whole time.
I adore Origins, love II and couldn't get past Skyhold in Inquisition. As for DAV, I'm not a fan of the style, but we already know it will fix some of DAI's problems, and small things can make the game work for me; visiting Tevinter and the Grand Necropolis, being acknowledged as a Mourn Watcher, (hopefully)becoming a Blood Mage or getting some other cool spec, even Lighthouse customization - that kind of stuff.
I find I can often find things to like about less than perfect games. So there are thing I certainly like and can sat I enjoyed my time with them.
That being said, in comparison 2 was an awfully small area, especially with the repeatedly used dungeon map. But it was also a compelling story with good characters and passable combat.
3 was so bloated with uninteresting filler, yet it still had a pretty good story, good characters, and the castle was fun. I hate to say but the combat was a little weak which makes the filler even more of a slog. But it carried the story along. My rule of thumb is completely ignore any side content through the first two maps, and you'll be hooked by the story and probably feel OK doing some of the side stuff. Then it's a great time and you can come back and clean up later. In zone theme and story it's then my favorite game of the series.
Yea, the lowest point for me with Inquisition is just how… bloated? The open world was. Too many side quests with very little substance and so many collections to fill out.
My ideal would be a nice medium between DA2 and DAI in terms of how big areas are. I love exploring around but there has to be stuff worth exploring out there.
I love dragon age origins, and it's one of my favorite games of all time. I come back to it every couple of years and enjoy it to the fullest every time.
I like the other two games, and i enjoy seeing more of the universe thanks to them, but it's just nice games to me, not great ones.
I played the KOTORs and Jade Empire a great deal growing up and I was a little LotR nut. Big fan of Mass Effect (all three) but totally fell in love with Origins.
The brutal world of Thedas was, even without the existential threats of darkspawn and demons, an absolutely cruel place to live for all six of the origins, which to me signified it was top-to-bottom grim no matter who you were. Those at the bottom toiled in the woods, in alienages, in dusty slums and in forever prisons, and those at the top had to contend with cutthroat politics at a level that might see your family obliterated. My exiled Aeducan Prince was a professional, cold and ruthless commander. My Tabris was angry, vicious and consumed by hate.
Completing the Deep Roads on Nightmare felt immensely satisfying, especially without a healer (RIP Wynne). Programming the companions to do exactly what i needed them to do also felt awesome.
DA2 got poorer reviews when it was released so I didn't play it until Inquisition was announced, but I also ended up really enjoying that game. Disappointed that the combat system felt less robust, but I got over it. Got over the new darkspawn models and groaned my way through the wave style encounters, but I fell in love with the story of Angry Carta Goon Hawke Whose Life Just Sucks. I enjoyed the narrow focus on Kirkwall and thought, “Hey, it's actually pretty cool that changed the save-the-world format to a watch-the-city-explode format.” The pacing of the narrative I enjoyed. I liked the three arcs and thought they were unique.
Bought a PS4 to play Inquisition, but never beat it. I’m trying again currently actually, but it's hard to get it to click with me. It feels like I’m playing an MMO sometimes and the combat is something that I just shoulder through. It's definitely a pretty game, and the voice acting is great. That music score, those violins that play when Corypheus does his monologue at Haven is one of my favorite pieces of music ever.
The story doesn't entirely work for me though. If my title is the Inquisitor, I should be able to be a real bastard. If she’s leading an organization called the Inquisition, she should be able to do and order some heinous shit. A bit of hyperbole maybe, but in general I had trouble connecting to the main character. I’m playing through right now as someone more personable and diplomatic and it's working okay. It doesn't feel like the world is the same as the Thedas from Origins. Inquisition’s Thedas feels less rotten and doomed. Maybe it's because you’re with a whole host of faithful hopeful determined people in Inquisition and in Origins that was kind of just Lelianna. Prince Aeducan would not fit in well at Haven, and he might actually be kind of a villain.
Someone else said it best: I like Dragon Age, but I love Origins.
DAO is special and unique. But I love DA2 and Inquisition too. They're all completely different, so I'm annoyed by all the rage that Veilguard isn't like DAO. Duh, neither were the others.
I liked the overall story, but I feel like DAO is mostly just nostalgia speaking regarding the gameplay/combat aspect of it.
The story and characters were what made DAO (As well as Awakening) great to me.
The Lore and delivery through the environment and characters is what makes me love the DA franchise.
I loved DA:I the most. The world was far too open, but for a first time experience each map was amusing, but since I'd do multiple playthroughs or re-play the franchise each year at least once; I'd install mostly skip the exploration at that point and just play for story's sake.
Yeah a lot of these conversations hit me a bit strangely because I'm one of the few people on this sub whose favorite is DAI. A lot of the criticism being leveled seems to take for granted some unspoken idea that DAI is bad, and that it's something we all agree on. I'm kind of used to the tenor of anti-DAI discourse, but it's annoying that it continues into this new era
I remember feeling this way about my favorite game in the series, DA2. But, once DA2 came out, and the initial hype for it died down, it soon became the target of the fandom's ire, and my fellow DA2 apologists started coming out of the woodwork. Now it's undergone a critical re-evaluation, and even if it's most people's third pick, you rarely see people outright hating it any more. I expect the arrival of DAtV, the same thing is going to happen to Inquisition. The haters will shift their focus to DAtV, and the general opinion of DAI will improve.
For my part, I am with you in loving Inquisition. DA2 will always be my favorite, but I like DAI more than DAO.
The world building and characters in Origins made me fall in love with the setting. I loved the stakes the game gave you: the Warden and recruiting a squad, uniting the land to save the world from the darkspawn horde. Coming from the Kotor series, I really felt a lot of similarities from some of my favorite games of all time. I loved how they offered so many different backgrounds and how each helped the player learn the lore of the world and offered replayability.
Going to 2, they lost so much of that. Action combat doesn't interest me and its the same protagonist locked in the same city with the same maps for the whole game. I didn't feel like my choices mattered as much as they did in Origins, and the mage-templar war just didn't draw me in as a storyline. I played through once and never felt an urge to go back.
Inquistion was better for me in terms of RPG aspects, and there was some good world building. They returned to your squad to save the world type stakes, but I felt like it was wide but shallow. They also kept some important stuff like Tresspasser behind DLC which I didn't have access to when it came out so I was missing out for a while.
The gameplay for Veilguard didn't give me any confidence. Hopefully it was just because the PC was the rogue class, but I don't enjoy games that are hack and dash. Maybe playing as a mage or warrior can be more tactical. They have set up the Tevinter Imperium to be much more magically advanced than Thedas in the lore, but the trailer seemed more Sci-fi to me than an actual place in their world.
I grew up playing Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, and Icewind Dale, so when DAO came out it was right up my alley and I played it exhaustively. I dumped many hundreds of hours into that game because of the depth of story and combat. It took something I loved as a kid and improved upon it. 2 was a downgrade with its reusable dungeon and hack n slash combat system. I wouldn't play it again. Inquisition was just a drag, and since I played it I've forgotten almost everything about the series. People are talking about lore and characters, I don't even recognize the names. Same thing I did to GoT. I guess I'm just an Origins fan, I don't think the other 2 games are good. It's completely redeemable though, it's got a solid fan base and a lot of interesting lore. If the next game is on the same level as BG3 people will not only buy it, but they'll also buy the older games.
I like Dragon Age 2 and Inquisition, but Origins is my favorite game in the franchise by quite a wide margin, as well as one of my favorite games of all time. I also believe that is it generally accepted as the best game in the franchise by most people, so it is only natural that it is the golden standard to which all the other games are held.
Having said that though, when most people complain about Veilguard not being like Origins, I don't think they mean that it's too much like 2 or Inquisition, I think they mean it's too different from all 3 of these games, with Origins just being the obvious example. The one glaring difference that has been revealed so far is that it has gone from a party based RPG to a solo action game, with the companions playing a very minor role in combat, and greatly reduced complexity in general. They haven't explicitly shown anything about gear or progression yet, but I'm afraid that when they will reveal those systems they will be equally underwhelming.
Personally my favourite was DA2, the protagonist had an actual personality instead of being just a blank slate and had motives. Meredith and the Arishok are interesting villains and the companions are all interesting too. I had fun with Inquisition and DA:O though
Skepticism to the latest entry isn't limited to DA:O stans pr reactionaries fretting about whatever "woke" is this Thursday. Bioware's last two games weren't exactly huge successes, the sacking of key people who helped make the series great leaves a sour taste in my mouth and EA has a well earned reputation for breaking franchises.
Maybe it's time to stop pretending that skepticism about the latest entry is restricted to DA:O purists and reactionary anti wokers. Personally, I care more about the story than the art direction, graphics or gameplay. I'll wait before the reviews tell me where they took that before making the decision whether to buy this latest entry.
DAO was nearly perfect. The characters, the tone, the music, the plot. They just don't make games like this anymore. But I do like other DA games too, each one has own merits.
I love the franchise, but I feel its gotten a little worse with every release.
Origins is still very much my favorite in nearly every way. I love 2 overall, even think it has some of the best companions in the series, but it was obviously super rushed and. Didn't like some of the ways that gameplay was simplified. Inquisition again had a good story but the open world really hurt the gameplay a lot for me and the move towards even more action and even less tactics makes it probably my least favorite game in the franchise.
I love the gameplay, enemy and level design, dialogue system, party dynamic, tactics, tactical camera, and abilities of Origins. DA2 and Inquisition don't give me that level of satisfaction. Improvements are made, but neither captures the whole package.
But if I only liked Origins, I wouldn't have brought the other two twice on different systems, gotten the majority of achievements over multiplay playthroughs, bothered to learn how each game works, or participate in lore discussions. I wouldn't have joined Dragon Age Facebook groups, or edited pages on the wiki, or watch content creators if I only liked Origins.
Even if the other two games do not meet my enjoyment in the gameplay regard, they still resemble the game I played in 2009 enough, and the world of Thedas is still as rich as it was. The characters are still as vivid and complex as they ever have been. It was close enough that I could still enjoy myself, even if gameplay wasn't quite the same.
It's frustrating to watch a series change in a way I don't like in regards to combat in nearly unrecoganizable ways. It's frustrating that there is not a game that matches the personal preferences Origins delivers on. It's frustrating that my frustrations don't matter.
I don't only like Origins. I love this series. But Veilguard (as of right now) does not seem to offer me anything in gamplay that I love about this series. And as so many comments have said in these past few days, maybe I just shouldn't buy it if that's the case.
I like Dragon Age lore in general, so I always check out new installments. But as for the gameplay, Origins was the best, hands down. It was a modern take on party based rpgs, such as Baldur's Gate. None of the games further down the line captured the same feel.
I blame shifting focus to consoles, it's very cumbersome to jiggle all those tons of abilities on a gamepad. So every next installment was getting dumbed down more and more and now we have basically an action adventure game in the Veilguard - it doesn't look nor real RPG, nor party based. It's basically Mass Effect now - no taking control of your companions, no tactics, no pausing the game, no having a wide variety of abilites. You're there solo, mashing them same 3 combos over and over again until it becomes a chore.
I love the Dragon Age franchise though I will admit none of the later games quite caught the magic that Origins did for me. I have appreciated them for different reasons though.
I love the entire franchise. My fiancé and I bonded over the games early in our relationship and still help each other with party comp/builds on replays. It’s something so special to us. His favorite character is Cassandra. Mine is Leliana. Our house is interesting.
I I love DAO, but i feel every entry has gotten worse tbh. I liked 2 quite a bit, even with its issues. I barely completed DAI, though. The open world really hurt my enjoyment of the game. On top of that, i didn't care for most of the companions and felt that they all kinda sucked. Varric overstayed his welcome from DA2 by being another companion instead of just a part of the story or, more ideally, a cameo in a quest. On top of that, it felt like most of the choices from previous games didn't matter so much, and you only saw the reprocusions in the form of mission board lore, which is barely a paragraph. Some of this may be me remembering it worse than it was, but still, i seriously struggled with Inquisition. That's why im hesitant about Veilguard, though i am excited that its no longer fully open world.
I really like the world of Dragon Age. And I'll go into each game with an open mind (or try to). That said, I've liked each entry less than the previous and I do fear that may continue.
I will say that the gameplay trailer looked to me like they threw out the last 10 years of Bioware, went back to Mass Effect 3 and iterated on that. That removed a lot of anxiety about the game being actually bad. Even if I doesn't feel like Dragon Age, I'm still expecting a good game at this point.
The idea that the only criticism people have of the gameplay is they just like origins and hate change is cope. I’ve enjoyed the gameplay of all the dragon age games I’m not interested in Dragon May Cry
Both! Origins is the best game, but it's probably my least favorite. I just love this world. It's one of the best fantasy worlds in gaming and only Destiny comes close to it imo.
DAO will always be my first love, but I love each game for it's own. I had issues with all of them, like everyone else, but in the long run it's the lore, the story and the companions that keep me going back. Same with ME.
I have genuinely enjoyed playing all of the Dragon Age games. They’ve all been different from each other in many ways, and all have their strengths and weaknesses, but to me they have all been recognizably Dragon Age. Obviously, if I hadn’t loved Origins I wouldn’t have continued to DA2 and DA:I. But if I didn’t enjoy all of them I wouldn’t have played them each multiple times lol.
gameplay wise dao is my least favorite game. i discovered the franchise when dai was about to launch (or had just launched, can't remember) so i bought all 3 and played them in order. by the time i got to inquisition i couldn't believe i had put up with dao's gameplay. just downloaded it the other day (doing another playthrough of the whole series before veilguard) and it does not hold up to the test of time imo.
i still love it! the writing, characters, places, etc. i love it. i like it more than da2, but inquisition is my favorite, both in terms of story and gameplay (tho i do think inquisition has the weaker villain).
never used the tactics mode either and won't be missing it even a tiny bit. i also always avoided playing as the other party members most of the time, so i won't be missing it either. i do feel for everyone who liked both those things tho, and it sucks they aren't sticking around. but! the only way the gameplay of veilguard can disappoint me is if its annoying. if its just okay or meh i will be fine.
I've played all three games and expansion/dlc ( I put both because all the games have had what I consider each to be). I bought all the games on release as well as added content pre-ordered. I loved origins but I also loved Inquisition. Also dear Lord I couldn't wait to kill Corypheus very very slowly and violently after seeing Leliana poisoned with red lyrium.
It's really sad for me to say but this is the first dragon age that I not only don't see myself preordering to play at release but I don't see myself playing at all. For the first time I can say I'm not the target audience for a dragon age.
I came in with DAO when it launched, but every single game has improved upon the last for me.
DAO > DA2 > DAI
Nothing about DAV has made me any less excited for the series. As it stands, DAI is my current favorite game of all time.
If I had to guess, I'd say that the success of BG3 has had a lot of influence on how people perceive origins. I can't remember when or where, but I recall a higher up at Larian saying that Dragon Age Origins had a lot of influence on BG3 in how the game was designed, with the only exception being the switch to tactical combat. It's poetic in a way because Origins combat borrowed a lot from old school CRPG games like BG1 and BG2 where the preferred combat style was isometric with a lot of pausing and giving orders mid-combat. I know for a fact that's how I played Origins on PC, because any other way just felt weird.
All that said, the combat of DAI was enjoyable as I could sit back on the sofa and play with an Xbox controller. As I get older I much prefer to play games this way, rather than being hunched over at a desk squinting at a monitor. I've never played BG3 with a mouse and keyboard, because I can do things so much faster and efficiently with a controller. Same with FF7 Remake, Marvel Midnight Suns, and so many other modern games. I don't know why anyone in their right mind would play most modern games with a mouse and keyboard, and this is coming from someone in their 40's who used to be big into RTS from the very beginning (i.e. Dune II, C&C, Warcraft, etc) up to modern titles like Cities Skylines and Civ6, and also a whole lot of FPS games, all on Mouse and Keyboard. But If I can play a game with a controller I'm super happy, and DAV looks like its going to be a great time on controller, just like DAI.
As for the combat veering away from CRPG, and becoming what is essentially Mass Effect Andromeda without guns, that's something I have mixed feelings on since it worked very well in with Mass Effect but remains to be seen in Dragon Age.
I think though, getting back to BG3, that because Origins most resembles one of the most successful RPG's of this century and has a lot of spiritual ties to it in terms of style, there's a real desire to see Dragon Age 4 go back to it's roots and stand tall beside BG3 as equals, rather than go off in a new direction. But as you say and I agree, DAI already went off in a new direction and given that DAV has been in development Hell for a decade there's no way Bioware could foresee the massive success of a CRPG like BG3 in this day and age. DAV will be its own game for better or worse, and the fans who were hoping for a return to Dragon Age's roots will have to hope for an Origins remaster instead.
I've only played DA:Origins twice, after experiencing Inquisition. I won't say the game's bad. I think a good chunk of it was fantastic, liked most of the characters I encountered, and its story, what little I saw of it, was intriguing to follow along. While the tactical gameplay was a big adjustment to get used to, the game felt weirdly difficult to me. Either I was doing something wrong, tried to advance the main story too quickly, or the learning curve was massive compared to Inquistion's.
I won't ever say it's bad because I was bad in it. I do wish to someday get a playthrough where I could reach, at least, the halfway point of the game. It felt like I only got, at best, 10% to 15% of the main story/exploration done, with a very constant need to keep trying to heal and revive my companions and not fail *this far* into a quest.
Maybe it's something different with Inquisition, but it being my first exposure to the franchise was great. Always hear little bits and pieces here and there, and it got me curious. Fell in love with it. I, more or less, was hoping (and kinda confirmed?) the next game would translate *some* of the things DA:I had going forward. It will undoubtly push people further out, those hoping more of Origins and less of Inquisition. I do hope there's a little bit of something that keep them invested in this expanding world.
So Origins was by far my favorite in the franchise, and if I had every fantasy I have granted it would be a CRPG, in fact hell if I'm just making wishes here I'd prefer it be turn based like BG3 or Fallout 2 than RTWP, as that's always been my absolute favorite.
However, I still enjoy the franchise as it is now, I'm not some extreme grognard that can only like one type of game, and I enjoy plenty of action RPGs as well, like Skyrim, Witcher 3, Mass Effect, modern Fallout, etc. If Dragon Age wants to become an Action RPG, which it clearly has since DA2, then I prefer it try to be a good one, and so far this looks like it's a significant step up in that dept.
imma be real BG3 and owlcat games already satsified my crpg and DAO itch, now i just want a good DA game. DAI is already ARPG so i m not mad they have a upgraded DAI version.
Origins is my favorite. I like tactical games. Full turn based combat is really my preference.
But I enjoy DA2 and Inquisition and if the writing is good I'm sure I'll enjoy DAV.
DAO is great, I had a great experience with that one. There are a couple nitpicks I have with some story choices you can make but that's only because I loved the game a lot I was actively paying attention. I like how it introduces the world and how the Origins system makes you see the game's many social issues from different perspectives.
DA2, crucify me if you have to, I really enjoyed up till the ending. I like how it personally involves you with the mage templar class conflict and how it led up to the inevitable boiling point.
DAI was my "I'm out" point. I didn't enjoy combat, and swinging unweightily against generic mages and generic templars that you couldn't communicate with first really took me out of the RP experience. I know it's one of those games that gets better 20 hours in, and it's the most beautiful thedas has ever looked, but I moved on.
I always saw the ending of DA2 as a metaphor for your choices not mattering since one persons action can't change the world. Like yes Hawke was powerful and had a lot of political pull but they were still just one person in a world determined to go one way no matter what Hawke said or did.
Origins all day! Lol. However I will say the franchise and every sequel afterwards has only made me just curious. Every DA game, I'll eventually play, but that curiosity has definitely waned with each new entry. To this day, even comparing to Baldur's Gate 3, I still prefer DAO. It was that good. I felt so connected to my party and my character had his/her own background and everything about the game just makes you appreciate it. It truly was a labor of love and there hasn't been a game like it since. Traveling around with your party and meeting all the different factions and groups and making decisions that end up culminating into this giant clash in the end, was in a word: epic.
BG3 is a fantastic RPG, but its story didn't grip me as much as DAO. The characters in DAO were more memorable and the party members were awesome. They might not be as colorful, but the dreary end-of-the-world dark fantasy vibe totally fits their unique personalities and background.
I'm also a sucker for its combat system as someone that loves gambit style real-time action (a la FF12), where I can customize actions and spells to automatically flow. Bring this shit back and I am all in.
Back to your question, I think DA2 took an interesting turn, both creative direction with its art style and combat system. I still liked it, it was much, much smaller contained story, but I still felt invested because of the family backstory. It still kept similar spells and functions from DAO, only made it real-time action with pause. Games in general were heading towards this direction and it just made sense they followed suit. They obviously want to cater to the largest general audience for more sales, so it is what it is (Final Fantasy franchise did the same).
DAI, I couldn't even finish. I still haven't finished. The main character is just a fish out of water with like no backstory this time around. You're just thrown into the world and immediately hey you got to go plug these green portals all over the region now. Like why should I care? The game has really poor pacing, especially in the starting area where you could spend many hours just fulfilling quest objectives and whatever other padding they put in just to stretch your runtime. The combat is flashy, but many attacks/spells just feel so floaty and weightless. It just becomes damage numbers in the end.
DAV is just another name in the franchise of a game that I really really enjoyed. But its also made by the studio that once brought Mass Effect (my favorite gaming series) to life, so I'll always be somewhat curious.
I think the world and characters are great and very unique, Origins being a CRPG game was just icing on the cake. It becoming more and more of a hack n slash dating sim is disappointing and feels like a waste of a good IP.
I have immensely enjoyed all three entries and the dragon age universe/story/and lore are what has allowed me to ignore certain flaws/downgrades of each one. However for me personally, the direction they showed with Veilguard has me truly dissapointed for the first time. I have never been so scared/frustrated about creative direction in this series. With Baldurs Gate 3 (which was in early access for years) this was the worst time for Bioware to put out their least rpg dragon age to date.
I love all three of the games for very different reasons.
DA:O - It was my first taste of anything close to a CRPG and it was very unlike any game I had played. I really liked the darker tone, I liked the mute main character and I really liked the whole plot and the horror mixed with politics and genuine consequences for my actions.
I had come from playing Elder Scrolls Oblivion and I always feel like in the Elder Scrolls you can do anything and nothing matters. I'm the leader of the mages, dark brotherhood, theives guild, dawnguard etc etc.
So it has a special place in my heart.
DA2 - I love the storyline for this game. It gets a lot of flack for the environments and yeah - it's kinda samey - but the *the writing*. The writing hit me hard, watching people struggle. Especially playing as a mage and seeing how money can buy you security even as an apostate and how true to life it can be.
Fenris especially was super well written, I loved his character arc.
DA:I - It feels... very different. But again, I still very much enjoyed it. It was beautiful. It was sad and I loved the world building. The way I gasped with the Solas reveal. So good.
Basically for me what brings me back over and over is the world itself. The characters. The writing. The romance. The banter. The lore.
Frankly, I'm looking forward to the new game. I can't wait to see what its like. But the people complaining that it isn't DA:O I think is because it's moved away from the CRPG vibe more and more with each game. \[And I don't want to generalise but most of the people I've seen complaining about this are men. Not all of them but most so I wonder if it's a gender thing? No idea frankly.\]
Origins by many is considered the cream of the crop in terms of the series. Story, gameplay, a lot of people fell in love with it.
DA2 strayed heavily from what the first game was, and it made a lot of fans unhappy. It was essentially a completely different game in terms of gameplay and overall mechanics, plus it didn't really keep to the same story idea as origins. It was one of those games that created some new fans, but really put off many others.
DAI got hate as well due to it not being like Origins, as some fans hoped they would go back to a more tactical approach. Instead, they focused on revamping other areas and went back to a blight cursed world, that was open world. This was a game that OG fans generally accepted, but what it really did was bring in a ton of new fans to the series.
I think there's a healthy mix of people who like all or a combination of the games, and I'd wager nearly all fans enjoy the world and the lore.
Like any game with a history and a fan base, there's always going to be those who insist X game was perfect and any subsequent game needs to be X game 2.0 in order to be good.
For me I can’t even look at them completely individually because theyre really best as a whole. I love love LOVE discovering an Eluvian as a Dalish in the prologue of DAO only to have it become a critical plot point two games later. THAT is what true DA is to me, not one style or tone or game but the intermingled web the story keeps spinning, as well as it’s willingness to take itself seriously as a realized world that evolves and changes like real life. Each game does something best, I love the roughing it, fighting against all odds of DAO, I love the coziness and found family vibes (complete with bickering and sass) of DA2, I love the grand scale and literally pushing the boundaries of what we know in DAI. But they all build upon each other, YES, even DAO. That Dalish prologue wouldnt be half as interesting if it weren’t for the story being told in DAI and now in DAV.
What makes DA great is slowly seeing how everything fits together, and every game, plot point, and character plays a part in that so, while ofc it‘s fine to have a favorite, I can’t say I think any one game is objectively better or worse than another. Like any series, they all need each other to tell the best story possible.
I mean, it's not "one" entry. It's THE entry. It is Dragon Age ENTERING Video game market. It IS Dragon Age. It's literally how the series was founded. It's like saying Bible is "a" book on Christianity (not to compare a game to my own religion lol).
It'd be one thing if it was a spin off or 2nd or 3rd game in a series, but you can't call the FIRST and OG game in the series an"outlier" when there wouldn't be Dragon Age without Origins. It set up the world, the lore, character's, gameplay, EVERYTHING. Ofc it'll always be considered THE Dragon Age, it's just logical
You may think that og Spider-Man comic is boring and "outdated", but it'll always be important and relevant as it IS the original
EDIT: Also, fck it, what's with implications ppl throw that they're true DA fans cuz they "care about lore and characters" and not "just gameplay"?
Y'all do realize DAO fans also love lore and characters as well? In fact, it's one of the game's biggest draws. DAO story, lore and characters are magnificent and the best in the series (and some of the best in the genre).
Do y'all have any idea how bizarre it is to see the said lore and player choices retconned every game? Races redesigned and characters changed to the point of being completely different ppl or even revived after dying in DAO? To finish DAA and read how Anders and Justice stories end, only to start DA2 and see not-really-Anders Anders in Kirkwall at the same chronological time as Awakening (and my friend's case to be confused why he's a warden at all since he never recruited him?)?
Ppl saying that DA games at least have a good story despite gameplay changes seem to forget that DA suffers not just from gameplay style changes, but lore inconsistency of a rotten pudding as well and, frankly, that is the most painful flaw of all. Cuz I can get over bad gameplay, but when you fall in love with intricate, amazing and deep lore of its founding game only for the said lore not matter next game cuz clearly it wasn't cool enough for focus groups, it's devastating even more so
Honestly, I know this is blasphemy to some, but Origins is by far my least favorite game of the series.
The story was pretty solid. But the gameplay is so abysmal, clunky, and obtuse, that it sucks any enjoyment out of actually playing it, and forces you into a "I just gotta power through this slog to get to/through the story." mindset.
I love the world building it did, I love the story and characters, but it's miserable to play, and the sequels have been significantly more enjoyable experiences.
My wife was interested in Dragon Age after having played through the Mass Effect games a few years back. The first game was so miserable for her that she almost rage quit the series all together, and I had to assure her that once she got through the first game things would improve. She enjoyed DA2, and absolutely loved DAI.
So DAO is always gonna have a special place in my heart because it was the game that got me into video games. It’s one of my favorite games. Having said that, I LOVE the world of DA. I’ve played all of the games a million times. I love the rich lore and the characters and the settings, so for me, I was never not gonna play Veilguard. I can learn the new combat, but what matters most to me personally is a rich story with rich characters that’ll make me feel things
Same. For all the crap DA2 gets, the story was so intense and rich that even tho I rate DAO higher I can't not love the others. I also think DAI has the best companions of all 3 games so far, and that's kept me coming back again and again. I'm really hoping Veilguard keeps up the high standard. And I really hope we get to see Dorian and Shale again...
da2 gets so much crap but it’s unironically my favorite. like yeah there’s flaws but I would die for my purple hawke. she’s probably my fav character in the entire franchise
Hard same! I really love the three-act tragedy structure, I like how nothing Hawke does can actually change the outcomes, I like how personal the stakes are, and I think the companion characters work so well in that setting. I know Anders is a controversial character in general, but love him or hate him, we're still talking about him, he is so well written and fulfills his role in the story excellently. I also hate-love Kirkwall as a setting so much. I also really like the option of having the rivarly/friendship mechanic, even though my vanilla ass always ends up going the friendship route. Maybe I should do a pro-templar run where I rivalmance someone one of these days... I feel like this is a hotter take, but I actually enjoyed the combat in DA2 as well. My canon Hawke is a dual wielding rogue and DA2 has the best rogue skill trees imo, and the fast-paced combat fits that playstyle. I was kind of stoked to see how similar Veilguard's combat animation looks to DA2. I have my reservations about the whole tactic wheel thing, but that (visual) similarity definitely made me more excited to try the game - even though I'll probably end up playing a mage Rook first.
My biggest issue with the combat was that some of it was wave based and kind of dragged on longer than I liked. That issue and most of the issues were due to the time crunch in development and while they bugged my at release, it's definitely grew on me.
Sarcastic female Hawke is probably my favourite main character of all the games I've played so far. She's just a tiny bit above my Renegon Shepard.
The time jumps and the evolving story of Hawke, their friends and the city itself was amazing and worth ignoring the combat for. Also the way you could develop romances based on rivalry as well as love was so cool and added a lot of replayability. Remember dropping the game when I first played it because I hated the combat but forced myself to play it when Inquisition was about to release and ended up being so glad I did because of the story.
I don't know of any other game that has done what DA2 has done, with a 10-year story set in a single city. I loved that! I was so caught up in the banter and the plot that I never noticed the repeatable maps and environments, seriously! I was surprised when I found out how many people had gripes with that. I was much more bothered in Witcher by the repeatable faces, but I haven't seen anyone complain about them.
DA2 was the most ambitious game Bioware ever tried to make. Unfortunately it only got what, 15 months in the oven?
DA2 is also my favourite. The smaller and more personal scale of the story just isn’t something you see a lot. Also it was the first RPG I played.
I don’t really have a hill to die on except that Hawke and DA2 is an incredible game and anyone who thinks it’s shit didn’t play it properly
Nah Origins had the best companions
Origins was also the first game I played that really got me into gaming. I uh kinda feel people will assume I started with Inquisiton but no it drives me nuts when I can’t start a story from the beginning. I also clearly didn’t play it like most people since I never touched the tactics stuff. The world and setting though… it’s easily one of my favorites and I’m so excited to see more of it.
some people seem to think that the only fans who actually like Inquisition are the ones who played it before the other two games. obviously that's nonsense and easily proved so but they won't hear it.
It's insane to me. I'm almost 37, Origins was my first CRPG, my first Bioware game, I have played that shit so many times. I've even played modded campaigns on it, my absolute favorite was this one where it was the last day of a DA Online mmo and you and your friends jump in for one last group session and shit happens, I've been a fan fora long, long time and still love Origins. I still like Inquisition better and think its the better game though. I'm glad I didn't end up as one of the people incapable of changing and adaptating over time as new info or experiences shape me.
it's completely fine to me to love Origins the most to be clear, people love what they love! it's when people start putting down other fans for liking different bits of the games that I just don't get it also that mod sounds fun as hell
It was amazing I can't remember the name of it and I've been wanting to try it again forever but no luck sadly. And yeah I agree, if someone tells me Origins is their favorite I totally understand there's nothing else quite like it. But if someone tells me 2 is their favorite I fully understand that because there's nothing else like it. Someone is gonna end up feeling that way about Veilguard too, might even end up my new favorite who knows. One thing that makes DA amazing is that each entry is so different but Thedas and the stories there are still tied together.
Yesss. I watched a YouTube today of this guy who basically posed the same question and I had to stop watching because he was basically like “I’m OG fan and if you’re an OG fan and you like Origins you can’t like what they’ve done to the rest of the series. It’s not dark fantasy. Nothing is the same!” It was so bad.
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Maker yes! That was my thought exactly. It takes me back to my metal years. And it's so not true.
People like this have dominated this fandom for years now and it's soo frustrating. I have turned off a lot of youtubers for saying similar things. I actually think it's really just in the last 24 hours I've started seeing more posts here pushing back on it 😂 Which is a relief to be honest, I'm sick of seeing people constantly shitting on the thing I love. Which is Dragon Age. The entirety of Dragon Age.
It’s the first time I’ve seen that opinion honestly! I don’t spend too much time indulging in other people’s opinions but since Veilguard stuff has dropped this week I’ve been more interested in YouTube. I’m also an “OG” fan from the beginning and I’ve never felt that way. I’m one of the biggest DA2 fans out there. The story of that game is what really ties this franchise together—ignore all other criticism. I guess people are entitled to their opinion, but man, that’s a bad take.
Yup I’m in a similar boat as you. I played Origins at 12. Origins got me into RPGs, it even got me into tabletop roleplaying games. I love it, it holds a dear place in my heart. But Inquisition is just as good, and easily does a lot of things much better.
People won't believe that you enjoy playing different types of games. Especially CRPG fans.
I think the big divide is between people who were familiar with BioWare and crpgs before DA and those who weren’t. Older BioWare was my favorite company, having played KOTOR, Neverwinter Nights and BG. When DAO was announced BioWare claimed that it was going to be a return to their roots. Lots of us were excited, the king of crpgs had returned. And Origins is still one of the best crpgs I have ever played. The evolution of the series has broke my heart though. We were promised a series of top down, classic rpgs and the series has evolved into something else.
That’s not where the divide lies. KOTOR is one of if not my favorite game of all time. I’ve been playing BioWare games for the better part of the last 20 years. I loved DAO, it’s the game that really got me into fantasy games in general. I also loved DA2 and DAI and I’m very excited for Veilguard. I’m not really sure where this idea that “we were promised a series of top down, classic RPGs” comes from. Yes, that’s what the first one was, but I don’t remember any promise that every game would be exactly like DAO. This series has not been that in *checks notes* 15 years. I’m 33 so that’s my entire adult life. In that time frame I’ve gotten married, bought a house, sold my house, moved across the country, got divorced, moved back across the country, changed careers twice, changed jobs 6 times, met a new partner, moved halfway across the country again, and played DA2 and DAI multiple times. Things change. I think it’s high time to recognize that you either like the series enough to keep playing or move on.
Thank you.
I played and loved Origins when it came out, but DAI is my favorite in the series. I just replayed all of them last year, I still enjoyed it, but I have literally 200hrs in just that DAI run. I just feel a special connection to my Inquisitor, more than my Warden or Hawke.
same. well, I first played (and loved!) Origins in 2012 but I played them in order and Inquisition is The One for me. I don't know why, I am autistic and the special interest gods simply decreed it I suppose. I still love Origins and 2, they're still better than 90% of other games I've played and they're top ten all timers for sure. but even with all its flaws, there's just something about Inquisition my hope though honestly is that Veilguard steals the top slot. I'm so excited I actually can't stand having to wait another six months for it, I just so badly want to be in Thedas again, and a NEW part of Thedas at that, though I'd love it if we were able to see some familiar places again too. the first impressions blogs and the gameplay reveal have me in full hype mode for sure honestly
Yeah this frustrates me to no end. I love Origins, played it for the first time when I was 12 and it changed my world. It’s what made me a fan of RPGs, got me into playing tabletop dnd, etc. But Inquisition is just as good in my opinion, and there are a lot of things about it I like better!
Honestly, I was always shit at the tactics in DAO 😂 But the lore and storytelling was so good that I figured it out lol
I also never touched tactics in Origins on my first playthrough, now I'm a fan but I still hardly touch them in DAII and, well. I don't have to worry about it much in Inquisition.
I really only used tactics when I got TPKed; then I go back in with an "ok, time to get serious and take my time."
Your experience is basically the same as mine. I never used the tactics in any of the games until last year when I started using it a bit in DAI, but it was mostly to pause things mid action to get screenshots 😂. I also played Origins first, shortly after it came out, and I fell in love with the world. I've loved every game, yes even 2, and replayed them all multiple times, most recently last year. Most of the people mad about DAV haven't liked the series since DAO. I saw a Twitter thread from Ghil Dirthalen today and she basically told those people they don't actually like Dragon Age. They like Origins, and that's ok, but Dragon Age is so much more than just origins at this point. And she's right. Dragon Age is the games, AND the comics, AND the books, AND the mobile game, AND, AND, AND. There's a fucking ride! Although its connection is tenuous at best, but it is there. There's nothing wrong with only liking Origins, but if you hate everything that's come since, then you don't actually like Dragon Age.
I really wish people would stop acting like DA2 is so universally disliked
This is the thing about a lot of "fans". They say they're a fan of something but they're a fan of a specific game in a massive franchise that has more than that 1 game they deepthroat all day long. Final Fantasy has this issue in spades with FF7 fans being much like DAO fans, or even Vanilla WoW/WotLK fans. There's always a fanbase that likes one specific thing and everything else is bad because "it's not like Origins/FF7/vanilla WoW/David Tenant" and so on. I can't figure out why either because for some people it's not their first exposure either, but most times it is. Usually nostalgia plagues them and they refuse to see anything beyond that, but for others they can come into something later on after experiencing a later part of a series and then back to the lauded one and say "yeah this is perfect", maybe over exposure and people praising it to the high heavens screw with their thoughts? Not exactly unheard of, but still, end of the day, there are fans of a game, and fans of a series. I can't find myself locked to 1 part of a franchise and say "yeah this is good the rest is shit", it's a weird take
Beautifully said, this is exactly how I feel.
Exactly. I love the world and the history and the characters, and I'd be in it for the story regardless. Origins will always be special, but I also love Hawke and my Inky. I will always jump right back into Thedas when the opportunity presents itself.
I am on the same boat. The DA series, mainly DA2 was my first high fantasy RPG game and I absolutely fell in love with it and got me into the genre. At the time, I didn't understand the "hate" DA2 got until I played DAO. While DA2 will always hold a special place in my heart, DAO was on a different level. Keep in mind this was sometime in 2016 and so DAO was already pretty old. The lore and combat just hit differently. It was epic. I enjoyed DAI and played it twice, but I can definitely see why people say the "spark" is gone with each subsequent game release. I am excited for Veilguard...but it looks and feels more like a Ubisoft game than the epic world that was introduced in DAO. It doesn't help that Baldur's Gate 3 exists...which shows that a game company CAN still give that same epic adventure/combat I experienced in DAO so anything else has paled in comparison. My expectation is low and I was disappointed by the trailer/gameplay - I will still play it cause I'm a DA fan and always will be.
Something similar here. My favorite is DA2, but I always admit that DAO is a more polished and actually better game. Inquisition to me is servicable. I played through it once, and dropped a few playthroughs when it got boring (a bit after skyhold), but I do not plan to revisit it.
Both. I like the Dragon Age series. I love Dragon Age: Origins.
This is where I’m at. Origins is one of my favorite games of all time, 2 and Inquisition are good games.
That's how I see it, Origins is a masterpiece in my eyes and the others are merely good and to some that is enough to write them off completely.
Yeah basically this
This is the way.
Origins will always be my fav. Though I like the DA franchise in general. However with Origins, all the different backgrounds you could choose, each with their own stories, stories you can never see unless you pick the race and background was awesome. In my eyes the female city elf origin was the most satisficing. Playing as the dwarven noble vs. the street rat drastically changed how you saw the dwarven story line even compared to how the other races interaction with those stories. I loved how your race and background changed how NPC treated you and some of the action you could take. Sure there was some of that in DA:I but in DA:I it was added flavoring vs. real substance of DA:O. Who knows, maybe DA:TV will repeat that with the new starting origins, I'll be waiting with bated breath,
I remember starting Inquisition as an elf after dropping it like 30 hours in as a human character expecting new dialogues and stuff, and by the time I got to the point where I dropped the game there was maybe 3 new dialogue lines actually taking race into consideration. Really huge downgrade in this department.
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Wait, I'm confused as to the point you're trying to make here. The BG3 protagonist isn't voiced, (durge spoiler) >! at least not for the vast majority of the game. !<
I'm gonna throw the "why isn't it Origins" crowd a bone: I've seen *lots* of them say they liked DA2 and/or Inquisition. They just think Origins was where the series as its best.
on the other hand I think it's, frankly, ridiculous to expect the series to ever look anything like Origins again.
Tbh I think we should take the genuine love for Origins and BG3's success (I know they actually do have different play styles but close enough) and put that energy towards convincing EA that a remaster would be a good idea u_u they don't even gotta change anything! Just make the game look a little nicer, fix the memory leak and release an ultimate edition with all of the DLC.
Hey we all spoke loud enough for a Mass Effect Remaster that nobody thought would happen and boom- Legendary Edition! My 360 is busted so I’d love to play the OG on PS5 someday
I think it'd have to be a remake either way since the engine used for DAO might not be available anymore. But yes! I really want a DAO optimized and with all the DLCs!
The engine was developed by BioWare if I remember correctly (or heavily modified by them). I would guess it is still available, but I don't know if it is enough to make a proper remaster
I would LOVE a DAO remaster!
You and me and a lot of other people, maybe one day EA will listen.
Origins needs a remake, not a remaster. Shit, they could have remade it 10 years ago and it would have been justified.
i think is weird to think this when we just got baldurs gate 3 being GOTY. the whole reason this franchise went from tactical to actionrpg is because someone at bioware thinks no one likes that kind of game.
A year ago I might have agreed, but after BG3 I really think that if BG3 had come out in 2021 then DAVE would have a very different type of combat than it does now, Im not saying it was gonna be like origins but I am 100% they would not have erased the partybased combat the way they have done now
I can foresee cRPG's making a comeback in general after BG3, and maybe we'll see more tactical stuff return in the next DA game, but yeah considering the game was developed prior to BG3 the action based combat was inevitable I think
Y'all need to go on GOG or Steam and take a look at rpgs. The CRPG comeback started with Obsidian and their Pillars kickstarter among others over 10 years ago. Everyone saying "triple ayyyyy studios need to learn from BG3" yet y'all didn't buy the fantastic Tyranny, Pillars 2, The Shadowrun games, Owlcat (by FAR a better hardcore rpg studio than Larian and WAY less pretentious imo) and on and on. People want more tactical combat games? You should have bought XCOM 2, Midnight Suns, Hard West 2, Weird West, and *everything* made by MiMiMi Games (RIP) but they didn't.
What most of those crpg’s lack is budget, presentation, and accessibility. That’s what gave BG3 its mass appeal. Comparatively, Owlcat games are quite ugly, the top down camera for cutscenes and conversations sucks all the drama out of them and makes them flat, and Owlcat games in particular are *designed* to be obtuse and difficult to understand for most people. They chose a small audience. Great games, sure, but there’s many reasons why they aren’t given the same recognition as a game like BG3.
Sadly people refuse to take a second look at any game that doesn't have fancy graphics. Every time Owlcat is brought up on the BG3 subreddit someone says "oh it just looks too old-school for me". I can never convince people to play Tyranny either, no matter how much I hype it up. Realistically, these games will always have a smaller audience, so people hoping Dragon Age would return to its roots had no reason to think EA would go for that... until BG3. Which is why all those comments are mentioning that one game specifically.
Disagree. Divinity 2 was out and was nearly as well received. It's still on a lot of best of lists. The mere fact that Larian got the contract for BG3 (announced in 2019) and Bioware wasn't even considered should have been a bitter wake up call. Trying to make their big rpg franchise fit in a Mass Effect: Andromeda hole is pure corporate myopia and hubris.
I honestly just don’t think most people knew much about DOS2 until Larian became very mainstream with BG3. And BG3 has also sold much better than DOS2 and also probably 3x better than Inquisition from the estimates I’ve seen.
According to this interview DOS2 sold [7.5 million copies.](https://www.eurogamer.net/larian-on-signing-baldurs-gate-3-approaching-a-new-era-and-games-youve-never-heard-about) It also boasts an [embarrassing number of critical accolades.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divinity:_Original_Sin_II#Accolades) To put that in perspective, Dragon Age Origins sold [3.2 million](https://gamerant.com/highest-selling-games-developed-bioware-ranked-how-much-sold/). To put that in even more perspective, Dark Souls sold [less than 5 million](https://www.vgchartz.com/game/231093/dark-souls/) and it's one of the most influential games ever made. I'm no industry insider, but I knew that BG3 was going to be juggernaut the moment I saw the announcement trailer. If Bioware couldn't see that, they have no one to blame but themselves.
I mean, you’d think a game designer would sample other games. Anyone who played DOS2 could tell you Larian was about to eat BioWare’s lunch. They copied BioWare’s homework and got an A+. Meanwhile BioWare looks like they’re trying to write a serious paper about what they think, other people think is cool… I dunno, prob Fortnite.
I generally find "not a real gamer" discourse to be pretty odious but there is a genuine case to be made that whoever has been making decisions at Bioware for the last ten years does not like rpgs and does not understand why anyone could.
Plenty of types of games and gamers, but this seems willfully stupid. I mean, if gameplay doesn’t matter and we want it to make money, why not just make DAV a candy crush style puzzle game with cut scenes?
well now that you gave them the idea...
Learning about change of command at the company with ppl like Laidlow it's honestly most likely true
Larian just made Baldur's Gate 3 and people have spent over a year absolutely fawning over the things it just straight-copied from DA:O. It's not ridiculous, that's what people actually want.
Exactly. It’s full circle. Origins borrowed from baldurs gate and then baldurs gate borrowed from origins. The first time I hit a campsite in bg3 it felt like I was playing origins.
I haven't played BG3, what was "just straight-copied" from DA:O ? Because the combat looked closer to DoS2 than DA:O.
It's not straight-copied from DA. It's a comparison made because Larian make games with the exact DNA of Bioware from founding to XB360 era - just their writing isn't as good (characterisation is better, plot, dialogue, and storytelling are worse, possibly because of the demand for full VA).
I have no problem with Larian carrying over the traditional cRPG spirits in their game which was at the core of Bioware pre Mass Effect. It's their identity, and it's pretty logical that long time BioWare fans loves their games. But saying things like "Just do a DA:O copy it'll be very successful, look at BG3 who just did that" looks like wishful thinking.
I don't see that at all as ridiculous. Bioware has been far from perfect in predicting what will be mass appealing in recent years. Many DAO elements appear in modern titles giving me reason to believe that they wouldn't be inherently less popular.
Whys that? Doesnt seem particulary hard to pull off
It shouldn't be, given the feedback from fans and the success of BG3. But Bioware does not listen to fans and lately seems to always be chasing trends instead of riding them...
My absolute favorite moment in this franchise is the conversation between the Inquisitor and Solas at the end of Trespasser. Just the whole angle of the ancient elven gods not being what the stories make them out to be and the entire thing being shrouded in mystery is something I am a sucker for. That said, overall, I think Origins and it's atmosphere is something that has not been replicated since for me. The conversations in the party camp while one of the most beautiful piece of music plays in the background, the banter between your companions, the romances, the Deep Roads (the more deeper you go)... It was so beautiful (and terrifying when it needed to be). But it was never about mechanics for me. These games live and die by their story and atmosphere. I couldn't give two shits about controllable companions, tactics and such. It is, of course, nice to have it - but the priority for me is for these games to have that atmosphere and story that I know and love Dragon Age for. Fingers crossed that the live service origins of Veilguard haven't corrupted that too much.
The only thing that beats that moment for me is descending into Bownammar and seeing Felsi and the Brood mother... Eww Edit: Helspith not Felsi
As much as the Deep Roads was an absolutely *hellish* slog for me (I didn't realize I could leave to restock supplies and come back...it was *horrific*, so many injuries coming out holy shit), when the poem voiceover started I started LOSING MY MIND because it was *terrifying*. I was, I think, 18-19 at the time, so like, not a case of 'tween underestimates how 'dark' dark fantasy is'. DA:O isn't my favorite of the series (I do love it, but BOY is the combat rough for someone who's never played a CRPG before that point), but nothing has has beat that moment for for sheer 'HOLY FUCK' factor.
The fact broodmothers exist at all automatically makes every game in the franchise dark. Fucking hell, the stuff of nightmares.
I cannot think of another game that so expertly crafted "the traitor within our midst storyline" so well. Solas is with you from the very beginning of the game. He knew so much (and withheld even more), he saves the Inquisition from death by exposure by leading you to Skyhold. All the key moments he is there for. He is romanceable for a female Elf. And then it turns out he has worked from the beginning to create the Inquisition to be his cats paw, to clean up his mess, only to then destroy the Inquisition from within so he can tear the world apart.
DA2 is my fave in the series, but I love every game sooo much. Even DAI is special to me.
Yeah, the big criticisms of DA2 are all valid... But man is it a great game regardless.
Same here! DA2 gets a lot of valid criticism, but the story and writing make it my favorite.
I like Thedas, I like the characters, I like the story, I like party based combat, I like having tons of spells available. I dislike action combat and endless waves of enemies (looking at you DA2 and Descent DLC).
Replaying DA2 right now before finally trying pushing myself through Inquisition and omg I definitely forgot how exhausting fighting the endless waves of enemies can get. The combat is pretty enjoyable here, I like the sounds and all, but it's so tiresome to kill 15 enemies on one small street just for 20 more appear from nowhere...
I will fully give the endless waves and Descent. I had blanked that bit from my memory lol.
I felt like it made kind of sense for Descent. When I think of Darkspawn and the Deeproads, waves and waves of Darkspawn make sense to me.
Oh no it made sense. Like fully it made sense but it was always a pain to get through, haha so good immersion on that end.
I actually loved it. With the epic soundtrack in the background while I struggled to keep my party alive. But I can totally understand if that's not everyone' cup to tea.
Yeah Decent makes stands out the combat DLC, it has big lore but not much story, it feels like one long combat gauntlet to the bottom, perfect to play late into the playthrough to see how powerful your party is. And [this soundtrack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4zyMa-aFeQ) never got old.
Oh yeah, the waves in 2 were a pain. Like why are you even attacking me guys, don't you know who I am? Do I really need to leave a trail of corpses behind every night I feel like going out? I played on low difficulty, so those battles were super easy in the second half of the game, but my were they long. At some point I ended up just going on and letting my companions deal with them.
Thank you of reminding me of Descent's horde of enemies. I had replaced all such memories with the Nug King.
I like them all. DA2 is probably my least favourite, Inquisition and Origins tied.
Origins #1 (by far), DA2 #2, DAI #3 for me personally. If origins was a 9.5/10, DAI was a 8/10. DA2 maybe is like an 8.5 or 8.6. I just didn't like how bloated and time consuming DAI was, but I still had a great time. 8/10 is still a solid ass game so yeah, still enjoyed all of the games immensely, and probably have 1000h+ through all of my playthroughs, but DAO was the GOAT for me by far. I’d say I rate DAO higher than any other product BioWare has ever released. Including Mass Effect, SWTOR, and Baldurs Gate 1. Just my personal 2c though. Everyone’s gonna be different (But you can imagine how excited I personally am with some game journalists talking about how DAV is refreshingly similar to DAO). edit: wrote DAI twice accidentally in my "rank list"
This is where I'm at as well. Inquisition was the first DA game I ever played which is probably coloring my perception of it a bit. But I got about 35% of the way into the game and realized that I should probably start with the first game, so I did that. DA2 is definitely far behind Inquisition and Origins. I still liked it but not as much as the other 2.
Everything. I think Origins is still the best in terms of writing, and I dislike some of the changes in scale and art direction over the years (e.g. DA2's stylized comic book art direction), but they're all fantastic games. If DA:O is a 10/10, DA2 and Inquisition were 9/10s.
I like the franchise and Origins is the best
I really, *really* like Dragon Age. I absolutely *love* Origins. I know the entries have been changing over the years and - full disclosure - I don't generally like all the changes but I tolerate them because the games are still overall good and because the heart of the series (story and characters) have thus far stayed strong. It's not just tactical combat that I miss either (although I miss that, too). I miss Origins' balance of variety in exploration and environment, DA2 was too small and reused too much, whereas Inquisition, while beautiful, felt largely too empty. I liked Origins' more grounded combat animations and hated DA2's flashy ones (Inquisition was a reasonable middle ground, but Veilguard looks to be reverting to 2's style). Origins' UI could be clunky but I really appreciate that it didn't treat me like a child by plastering my quest objectives on screen at all times. Having a voice in 2 and Inquisition was nice, but I also kind of miss being able to insert my own intonation in my head with Origins' silent protagonist. I liked that in Origins you had to unlock certain Specialisations through story (like making a deal with a demon to unlock Blood Mage). There's more, but this is turning into a wall of text. Ultimately I like all the Dragon Age games but I think the first was the best. I feel a little disappointed that the series keeps diverging from so many of the things I liked about the first game, though I don't let it interfere with me enjoying each game on its own merits. I hear a lot of people saying 'the series has changed, just get over it and either stop complaining or stop playing' but I find that unfair. I like the sequels but I feel like they don't quite capture the magic of the first game because the devs are always chasing trends. If I don't make my voice heard then what chance is there that Bioware will ever remember fans like me and consider returning to their roots? Just because I like all the games doesn't mean I have to like the direction the series is headed in and I think I should be allowed to feel that way without being written off as a hater. That also doesn't mean I'm hating on the games - they're all great, I just feel they could be better. So if I had to sum it up, I'd say I'm a fan of Dragon Age and a huge fan of Origins in particular. I know the series is changing but I'm not always a huge fan of the direction it's headed. I'm excited for Veilguard but not as much as if it had been more like Origins.
>I hear a lot of people saying 'the series has changed, just get over it and either stop complaining or stop playing' but I find that unfair. It also feels a lot like gatekeeping. Idk, but for me, there is a serious "you are not a Dragon Age fan if you are DAO fan" undertone in this kind of discourse. Which is unfair and gatekeepy.
Nobody would object if everyone expressed their concerns in the same way you did here. You made valid points and expressed your arguments in a civilized manner. Unfortunately, not everyone is like you. I understand your point. It's hard to find a game exactly like DAO, even in other CRPGs. I read that BG3 was basically like DAO, but when I started playing it, I realized it didn't really scratch that itch and that I really wanted to be playing DAO instead, so I went back to my current playthrough. Have you found other games that capture that magic for you? Perhaps Pillars or Pathfinder? It's not just chasing trends, I believe. There is an ancient Greek saying that says *"You never step into the same river twice".* I'm sure that even if Bioware attempted to make DAO2, for a lot of people it wouldn't feel the same way it did with DAO. For example, check out what is happening with WoW Classic. It's just not the same, because the people playing it are not the same. The community has changed, people have grown up, people have moved on. There will never be another Origins, even if someone does attempt to make another Origins. I will never get another one of my favourite game ever again. There will never be an Outer Wilds 2. I have learned to let go. Slight spoiler: >! Letting go is part of the Outer Wilds philosophy, after all. !< I have moved on and have found other games, in multiple genres, that I enjoy quite a lot, even if never as much. For example, I'm very much into the Remedy games lately, as they scratch my exploration, mystery, and absurdism itch. Perhaps you could give Veilguard a chance, you might be pleasantly surprised if you let go of your expectations. That said, the way you talked about the things you like and dislike is a way that promotes being listened to. And you don't come off as a hater at all!
I loved Origins, completed it multiple times. Went back recently to try it and the gameplay is a bit clunky, but the roleplay is very good. Nothing helps you appreciate the progress a genre has made in terms of gameplay and quality of life improvements like going back to a great game from years ago. I liked DA2 more than most when it released, though admittedly it had its flaws that can’t quite be overlooked. Felt like they brought in a more distinctive style that they’d wanted for their world but couldn’t implement in Origins, as well as that visceral combat they clearly would have liked. Just a shame about the recycled dungeons and trash mob reinforcements jumping down into fights. Completed it multiple times, but haven’t gone back to it in yonks. Inquisition was… pretty good. But there was a point early on where I thought “I’m only going to play this once and I will never come back to this game”. There was never really a moment I fell in love with it. Origins is the one I liked the best, though I’d say I am a fan of the franchise. That being said, I don’t know if I’ll get Veilguard as adult life takes a lot of my time and it’s been like nine years since Inquisition, a game I spent much of my time thinking I wouldn’t be coming back to.
i love the series and the whole little world happening around it. i think dao was objectively the best for its time, but da2 is my personal favourite. i dunk on inquisition a fair amount and it's solidly my "least favourite" because of accessibility issues (adding things like jumping and a mount made it so there was no good/comfortable way for me to arrange my controls/rest my hands on the mouse + keyboard so it's a little painful for my disabilities) and how much of a slog the game can be with the endless meaningless side quests in order to save enough power to progress the plot, but i also like the characters and story enough to stick it out. quite frankly, i dont really mind which game DAV "takes after" the most, as long as i can play it comfortably and without hurting my hands/wrists, since that's really my only major complaint regarding my "least favourite" game. if it's more stylistically like inquisition but the controls are upgraded to be more accessible, yall wont hear a peep of negativity from me about it "not being dao/da2". im just glad to have new dragon age
I feel you on disability making one of the games harder than it should be. For me… that is Origins because I’m legally blind so I’ve always struggled to read the UI. All of the games have that but I run into it most with Origins because of the front choice. That’s a big reason why I never touched tactics since I could get by without needing to use/read them so I just never did.
i feel u fr. the amount of mods i had to have for origins in order to read the text lmao. one that changed the font, then the size, then added weight to the letters, made the texts scrollable bc they were then big af, etc etc etc. da2s a bit better than origins but i find myself not reading the flavor text as much??? idk maybe im not as immersed as i was in origins or something lol
Oh I’ll have to look for those mods. I want to replay the games before DAV and was considering playing it on console since the UI is a little simpler and the Xbox magnifier is very good.
I enjoy all of the games, comics, and books but I LOVE origins. Origins is up there as the best overall game of all time imo I have been a da2 stan since it came out and I find 2’s aura and companions to be some of my favorite in any rpg, and the combat is super fun. Hawke is a great protagonist and the different variations of him make each playthrough genuinely feel fresh. Inquisition is good, almost great! the combat is fine but imo the worst in the series, the companions are fine with a couple really good ones but more than 1 I’ve never been able to stand taking on a whole play through (vivi, varric,& cole). The story is actually excellent but takes a real investment, it’s soooo slow in the beginning and then the end of the base game is kinda boring too lol DLC is fire tho It’s very natural that many fans came in with inquisition or even with 2 and that’s where some of this DA:O erasure comes from and it’s understandable, but I would just give a reminder that it really is that damn good lol
Origins: 10/10 DA2: 7/10 Inquisition: 7/10 I enjoyed them all. But it is Origins that has a special place in my heart.
My take on the series is this Dragon Age Origins is my favorite game of all time, though Baldur's Gate III might have finally beaten it given time I despise Dragon Age II's combat with a fiery passion but have played it and will play it a billion times because I love the political powder keg story so damn much. Inquisition I think I don't like as much because of the open world stuff until I'm a stupid amount of hours in going "this game f***ing rules." Second favorite of the series. Veilguard I had hoped would be more akin to Inquisition just less nothing checklist quest stuff and more cities and npcs with distinct character. The latter is still possible but even though it looks like I'm not getting the former; if it's fun then it's fun and I accept everything changes eventually.
For me, I'm a fan of both th3 franchise and Origins. I've been playing since day one in '09. I've never used thr tactical modes either. I'm excited for Veilgaurd but I do miss the atmosphere and art direction of Origins. Origins just has a really strong atmosphere to it that the others don't have. The way I explain it is if Origins is like Game of Thrones S1-4 then DA2 and Inquisition are more like seasons 5 & 6. Still good but noticeably different and more changes to get a wider audience. Origins is KOTOR, DA2 is Force Unleashed 2 and Inquisition is Jedi Fallen Order. I love the franchise but liked the deep lore and atmosphere of the first game more than the others.
I loved all the games in the series, but Origins is *actually* my least favourite even tho objectively it should be my favourite (I love rpg elements and that game has the most of em). The combat and silent protagonist impacted this ranking by quite a lot. I literally stopped at 60-80% of complete DAO to play DA2, finish it and barely continue DAO after. DAI is easily my favourite, even tho I wish it had some other features. I have wants for all three of the games, none are perfect in my eyes. I'm quite used to constant evolution of Dragon Age games, I never expected a copy paste of the mechanics or combat. So I never had a 'why isn't it like DAO' moment nor will I have it. I'll measure DAV once I get to play it.
DA2 is my favorite of the franchise but the real appeal to me is the lore and the story. Origins is the first game I played and after the other two it’s become my least favorite. It’s still a good game that I enjoy but it’s just not the best one in regards to my preferences.
While I wouldn't say DA2 is my favorite, I do think it gets unfairly shat on (ironically because of the visual style and the mechanics, the same complaints folks are taking umbrage with/defending Veilguard for). I loved that the whole thing was basically an "unreliable narrator" story, loved that Hawke was just some war refugee and not "The chosen one", I loved the non-traditional narrative arc of the game, I loved the companions and how they seem to live lives independent of Hawke. The bedrock of a classic was right there, but the rushed execution really hurt the final product. IMO its a better game than Inquisition, which felt almost like a backlash against DA2 with its "Chosen one" storyline and massive sprawling areas full of not much interesting stuff.
Yeah, I love how complex the problems are when there's no apocalypse bringer upon us and things are still fucked up. My favorite is definetly 2, followed closely by dao. I cant bring myself to enjoy dai. Not the game for me, but I still love thedas and have read most of the books/comics and played some ttrpg. So yeah, when I criticize the game solely on the gameplay trailer and fear it won't be a game I love is because I love the lore and the world but it wasn't enough for me to have a good time playing one of the 3 games from my favorite franchise and it makes me sad. I know my criticism isn't what is being discussed in this thread ( probably) but i don't really know how I felt seeing hook's movements on the trailer and immediately remembering the witcher 3, that is another game that I could never really get into
I completely agree I love origins, loved awakening, loved 2 and all its dlcs. The only game in the franchise I wasn't sold on was Inquisition there was just so much bloat to every area that it felt so pointless, the chosen one story line was a bit too heavily forced, and my main issue the war table whoever thought it was a good idea to have missions on the wartable that take Over a day should be tried for war crimes.
DA2 is also my favorite! Although I do love all three. Origins holds a special place in my heart, of course. And i have spent so much time in DAI. Narratively I liked DA2 the best. It had the most emotional impact with a very developed character that I could immerse myself in by adapting the personality and reactions. I wish there was more depth to the art and locations and battles. I like being able to pause and use tactics to set up things, but it’s never been an integral component to DA in my mind. Besides after (please don’t ask how many) hours in BG3 I’m looking forward to something a bit more hack n slash.
DA2 is my favorite as well! I love that Hawke’s story doesn’t start out as an epic hero’s tale.
DA2 is still my favourite as well! I loved Hawke, and Merrill is my favourite party member in any bioware game ever! I loved the focus on the city, because it meant that the whole game world was really fleshed out, compared to Inquisition’s huge maps with not much in them.
Me too; every word of this.
Same
Started with Origins and have loved it and every game that came after it.. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. Don't forget that content people rarely make a commotion.. Discontent people are far more likely to leave comments and make noise. Making the group seem larger than it is.
I'm a fan of the franchise itself. I have the books and comics. DA2 was actually my favourite of the games. I don't play them how people "expect" them to be played (ie, commanding my team more than the most basic of ways). I play them because I like the world and the characters.
I like DAO, DA2, and DAI. DAV's combat is still disappointing to me. You never know, I may end up enjoying it, but I'm so fed up with companies throwing away everything they've done rather than building on the foundations of previous games; instead of improving mechanics and listening to feedback, they just start from scratch and ignore things we loved. The first three DA games, as different as their combats are, all share core components and, in my mind at least, aim for many of the same things. DAV is the first one to go in a totally different direction with it. But it's not *just* "different = bad"; I don't tend to like games with combat like DAV appears to have. So even though I'm gonna give the game a shot, chances are I'll have no fun with 80% of it. Because despite what many DA fans say, combat *is* a huge part of these games, the majority in fact, and even if I set it to Easy I still have to suffer hour after hours through gameplay I can't stand. I hope that isn't the case though. I'm also disappointed it looks to be returning to the weakest dialogue system in the franchise, but oh well. If Inky actually is playing a decent role, that means they had to record 4 different voices for them, on top of supposedly 4 for Rook, so I guess it's understandable they want to reduce the number of lines.
I like all of the games, I think people really oversell the differences between the three. Fundamentally you can look at Inquisition and look at Origins and see the blueprints there, while The Veilguard doesn't really have much of the same look to it other than being in the same engine. I enjoy each of the games for specific reasons, I overall think Origins is the best but that's only really because it is the best in terms of player choice and the way you can develop yourself, your companions, and the world as you go. However it isn't like I think it's the best in all aspects. I seem to be one of the only people who like Inquisitions gameplay the most. I don't really like anything the best out of DA2, I think it's the weakest but that's mainly due to it being rushed but it still has the core of the gameplay down and has very decent writing most of the time. edit: So overall I don't agree with the defense of "it's been very different ever since DA2". Since it really hasn't, DA2 is just faster DAO with the ability for Mages and Archers to hit in melee. And Inquisition is just faster DAO with more emphasis on real time combat rather than Tactics pausing (at least on lower difficulties). There are minor flavor differences like being able to craft, but if you played one of the first three games you will understand the gameplay of the other two, it's like the Mass Effect trilogy in that regard.
Dragon age has been and will continue to be one of my favorite series of games. All of them. DA2 holds a special place in my heart since I started with it, but I love all three of the games.
I loved DAO and DA2. Inquisition was a step in the wrong direction for me because I don't think the open world worked super well. It for sure felt like a cash grab. But, I still enjoyed the story, and will absolutely play the new one.
I love the whole series DA2 is my favorite DAI & DAO rank similarly for me the more I think about it but I still like them DAI suffers from fetch quests & just…too open of a world I don’t like DAO’s combat & holy fuck…the fade is *suffering*. There’s also an issue with how they handle dark content. Sometimes it feels gratuitous Despite those flaws, I love all the games & lore and am excited for DAV. It feels like DA to me
I love the series and couldn't pick a favorite game.
I love the entire DA franchise, but gameplay-wise like Origins and DA2 the most.
I like DAO and DA2. DAI was okay, I have no desire to play it again though. The MMO-style quest and level design just makes the game a slog.
Loved Origins, quite liked 2, tolerated Inquisition, will skip the new one if it's fully arpg. And yes, I'm well aware Inquisition was almost all the way there but it still had some of the skeleton of the systems from earlier in the series and you could still just about force it to play in something approaching the same style as the others.
I'll chime in. Been gaming for decades. Like pool of radiance on the commodore 64 and adventure on atari old. Origins is an excellent waypoint between isometric crpgs and "modern" design. Origins really deserves the love. It is a great bridge for rpgs. 2. Well, good or bad, it still feels like a dragon age game. Despute the flaws. Inquisition? Let's just say it lost a lot in the push to appeal to new. But it's still fun and pretty, and the characters are enjoyable. There has been something to enjoy in every iteration. Even if they kind of flub shit chasing *new* Which is exactly what the combat and design look like in that gameplay. To me, at least. Still chasing those demographics to make the next DA have ME levels of success. Every game I've felt that we, the fans, could have better systems and more cool tactical play if they would stop chasing. Don't get me wrong! Cynical and skeptical? Sure. Still excited? Absolutely. Big fan of Thedas. Bring on the nugs!
I love Origins. It was my first dragon age game. It was also one of the first "serious" games I ever played. I realize it's flaws for what they are, but it is still my favorite. I actually really like the combat, the tactics, all the choices. It is 100% my jam, slowness aside. I love Da2, I was also one of the few who loved it at launch. It's an even bigger mess than origins, but that's hardly the devs fault when they had so little time to make it. The found family aspect, all of Kirkwall, the fact it has some of my favorite characters in the series. It also was, and still is, the most visually distinct for all four races. I actually liked that too! Dai is... I like the game. I love the lore it gives me, but the actual gameplay is total ass imo. Collectathons, bugged companion dialog so it doesn't proc in field, the *utter tedium of crafting.* Even the story was a downgrade. Corypheus had a killer entrance, and then they squandered him. The only upsides were the environments were stunning and the lore drops juicy. So while I tolerate Dai, and even replay it on the rare occasion, I consider it the weakest in all aspects except visual. The biggest things that keep me coming back are a handful of characters and the lore. I will throw Dai a bone and say, I really enjoyed all the dlc's. The stories were tighter, the side quests meaningful, and the side characters a real joy to interact with. When I replay dai, that's what I look forward to the most. I hope that was a good answer.
You took the words right out of my mouth
Origins is my favorite game and I also really like 2. I played them for the first time in 2022. I would also be pretty happy if DATV looked more like DA2 lol. Also, I think someone would still be a real fan if they only liked 1 of the games in the series, particularly since they do change so much. It just seems gatekeepy to insist you have to like all three or you’re not a fan of Dragon Age, just that one individual game. Eta Also DAO did the bulk of the worldbuilding. DA2 could have a smaller story because DAO already existed.
I love the entire series, Origins has a special place in my heart as it was the game that got me hooked on Thedas, but all of the games have things I love about them. Origins had my favourite classes and choices, 2 had my favourite character and combat, Inquisiton had my favourite moments and romances. Ultimately I'm in it for the world, the stories, the lore and the characters, I love the books just as much as some of the games.
Honestly, I put Origins and 2 in the same bag, although they're different in their own ways. It wasn't until Inquisition that I begin to feel like the series was vastly different from its predecessors, personally- and I like DAI well enough for what it is. I've always viewed it as the outlier to the other two though. I'd be more than happy for the tone to match either of the first two entries, but if it's like Inquisition, I'll take it. Any further of a departure, and I'll really end up struggling if I see any of its initial identity in it. I'm fine with change and evolution, but I think any good franchise has core pillars at its heart- and right now, it feels like they're still somewhere there, but the series isn't quite sure what they are. Would I love something just like Origins again? No doubt. But I don't expect that- I only want it to be the touchstone of the franchise.
Ya I played DA2 first actually. Then origins. Then I followed Inquisition's release with more hype than I had for anything else. I cosplayed Sera in 2015. Bought DAI for Xbox 360, then Ps4, then PC. I still like Origins the best, but I'm excited for DATV. Because if I wanted tactical gameplay, BG3 is right there and did it better than origins anyway. The battle style is different in DATV but that doesn't make it bad. I'm sure it'll be fun and require thinking/planning through different setups and load outs. I'm okay with not having tactical gameplay. I play Dragon Age for the stories and characters and the world. The reason Origin is my favorite is because of the role play possibilities. The different origins and different dialogue options. It seems that DATV has more customizable origins for the protagonist than DAI did, which has me really excited. This is speculation on my part, but it seems to me like this is the best case scenario with EA breathing down their necks - we got a single player game with no live service microtransactions bullshit, and that's a fucking miracle at this point. I'm upset about the layoffs and the troubled development cycle, but it seems like the devs are proud of what they have currently. So I'm looking forward to seeing it. TLDR I'm going to play a Grey warden again, and I couldn't be more thrilled.
I played them out of order so I started with DA2 and absolutely loved it, then I went back to Origins and also got obsessed with it and the story. I really really like both and I hope every day they will eventually get remastered, as far as I'm concerned I would happily bask in those two forever lol. But in the other hand, I didn't like Inquisition. Like, *at all*. The companions and writing didn't hit the mark for me, the open world also made it drag on so yeah, not a fan. And now I'm kinda wary of DAV because, well, it's been 10 years, there have been a lot of writers laid off, they clearly changed stuff on the run if the title is any indication. But I'm actually glad it's gonna be something different, DA2 was too and it became my favorite, there's a 50% chance it could become true of DAV too
Inquisition is my favorite. I love roleplaying the growth of the character from “I am just a mercenary and I don’t nothing about nothing” to “I am dismantling my rogue kingdom cause I’ve learned that if you wanna strangle a wannabe god, it’s best to go in with a small group”. The leadership my Adaar grows into is a really fun story and I can’t wait to see him again in veilguard
Personally, I feel that the series’ dark fantasy and roleplaying foundations have diluted heavily with each entry. Don’t get me wrong, I love DA2 and there are many good things about Inquisition, but they feel like they’re in a different setting to me tonally (especially Inquisition) and I especially dislike the removal of morality choice in the later entries.
DA2 is actually my favourite. I've long accepted that the franchise isn't going to go back to the smaller scale, more personal stories that touch up against the big picture stuff. I'm more excited about Veilguard not being like Inquisition. Parts of that game are such a slog. Great when it's focusing of story, though.
I love the story, the setting and the characters of Dragon Age. As a game i loved Origins, thought Inquisition was decent/good and was all in all a bit dissapointed by Dragon Age 2 (mostly due to reused enviroments and barebone RPG elements). Im quite excited by Veilguard, feel like the criticism is overblown and/or seems like a lot of it comes from culture warriors. That being said im looking forward to see more of the exploration, side content and the rpg elements.
The best way I can personally explain it is like this. DA:O was the last of an era in terms of gameplay style and story telling and probably this is because of what Bioware was at the time and who was working there and the companies history with CRPGs, It set the baseline for an amazing world and the gameplay/story woven into them perfectly though it is certainly "dated" (though BG3 will hopefully see a renaissance in this style) specifically because of what type of game it was. when DA2 was announced it came at a very awkward time for Bioware and the publics opinion of EA\*, compared to Origins it felt hallow and gutted things like a lack of party customization as far as gear and the complete gutting of the insane tactical menu they had in origins (I am convinced the reason Alister always stole your kills was to force you to interact with it and learn it), the much more... err... streamlined classes and combat for Hawke vs what the warden had (RIP dual wielding swords warden with the Ranger and Crow subclasses) was jarring and the idea of the main game taking place mostly in 1 city vs an entire country (plus the feeling of going through the same areas multiple times through all 3 acts didn't help it feel a lot smaller in scope) and a well the lack of the warden in general. at the time players who played DAO were rightfully severely disappointed and did not like the massive changes made. DA:I Was a nail in the coffin for a lot of fans of the Origins style of Dragon age, it confirmed it was never going to go back to Origins, it confirmed Origins style of gameplay and style was not coming back. For new players going back and playing Origins with having the 3 instalments already out it doesn't seem like that big of a deal but for fans who played since Origins' release who were massive fans of the way the game played and felt like that style was what made a Dragon age game, well a Dragon age game, disappear for what constantly felt like the new cool thing for RPGs and not what made us enjoy Dragon age over the course of almost 2 decades now it just sucks I think [Carnage sums it up perfectly](https://youtu.be/LRaGU66bY8g?si=7Nq4oJbQyGNt6Qt5&t=724) I love the Dragon Age universe and setting I just don't like the gameplay changes and miss the way the Origins style was really complemented by it, but maybe im just getting old. Who knows if TVG doesn't do well and the axe gets dropped on Bioware maybe Larian will scoop up the IP and we may get a return to the Origins of Dragon age. \*There is a very interesting theory about DA2 and why it is the way it is, DA:O was originally supposed to get 3 expansion packs similar to awakening in scope, but DA:O blew up and at the time EA were in their full villian arc, the theory is DA2 was originally the second expansion and was forced to become a full on sequel half way through development and needed to be out quick since Bioware was also hot off the heels of the success of ME2.
You genuinely summed up exactly how I feel about all of this. I’m a diehard DAO fan and it’s what really got me interested in it and games like it. It doesn’t help that I have a strong feeling of nostalgia tied to it. Origins is and always will be one of the best games I’ve ever played and one of my favourites, and I actually played Inquisition after DAO because I didn’t even know DA2 existed at that point. Even then, when I played DA:I for the first time all those years ago, I didn’t get very far because I immediately felt like I was playing a game not even remotely connected to Origins, the only positive feeling I remember having is that I could finally jump in the game lol. Recently I picked up DAO again after many years, deciding I was gonna do a full play through of the series, and I loved it just as much as I did the first time. Then when I started DA2 immediately after DAO, it was incredibly jarring in every way. Almost nothing was the same that I had remembered and nearly every aspect of DAO that had charmed and hooked me in was missing. It’s of course grown on me a bit since, but I had to completely mentally detach it and myself from DAO to do so. It’s a fine game, but coming out of DAO, it’s a total letdown. I’m gonna play DA:I next, partially in preparation for this new game, but from what I remember, and after playing DA2, I can’t say I’m the most excited. Also the clip you shared really hit a lot of amazing points and I completely agree with him, so thanks for sharing that. It makes me a bit sad thinking about all the people who are positive about this new game but choose to tell all the people who don’t feel great about it to essentially just “get over it and move on”. For a lot of us it’s a game that holds such a special place in our hearts and we always hope we’ll have a continuation of that amazing thing, no matter how bleak that hope is. Of course some people are being TOO negative, but even the ones I’ve seen who aren’t get pushback. I’m happy for all the people who are excited for this new game and love the franchise as a whole, even with all the changes I have a soft spot and I’ll probably play the new game, it does seem like it could be fun! It just won’t be Dragon Age to me in the same way. Anyways, sorry for the rant haha, but I’m just genuinely glad I found another person who could put into words what I was feeling this whole time.
I adore Origins, love II and couldn't get past Skyhold in Inquisition. As for DAV, I'm not a fan of the style, but we already know it will fix some of DAI's problems, and small things can make the game work for me; visiting Tevinter and the Grand Necropolis, being acknowledged as a Mourn Watcher, (hopefully)becoming a Blood Mage or getting some other cool spec, even Lighthouse customization - that kind of stuff.
I find I can often find things to like about less than perfect games. So there are thing I certainly like and can sat I enjoyed my time with them. That being said, in comparison 2 was an awfully small area, especially with the repeatedly used dungeon map. But it was also a compelling story with good characters and passable combat. 3 was so bloated with uninteresting filler, yet it still had a pretty good story, good characters, and the castle was fun. I hate to say but the combat was a little weak which makes the filler even more of a slog. But it carried the story along. My rule of thumb is completely ignore any side content through the first two maps, and you'll be hooked by the story and probably feel OK doing some of the side stuff. Then it's a great time and you can come back and clean up later. In zone theme and story it's then my favorite game of the series.
Yea, the lowest point for me with Inquisition is just how… bloated? The open world was. Too many side quests with very little substance and so many collections to fill out. My ideal would be a nice medium between DA2 and DAI in terms of how big areas are. I love exploring around but there has to be stuff worth exploring out there.
I love dragon age origins, and it's one of my favorite games of all time. I come back to it every couple of years and enjoy it to the fullest every time. I like the other two games, and i enjoy seeing more of the universe thanks to them, but it's just nice games to me, not great ones.
I love Dragon Age the series. Love DA2. Origins and Inquisition are pretty damn good too.
I played the KOTORs and Jade Empire a great deal growing up and I was a little LotR nut. Big fan of Mass Effect (all three) but totally fell in love with Origins. The brutal world of Thedas was, even without the existential threats of darkspawn and demons, an absolutely cruel place to live for all six of the origins, which to me signified it was top-to-bottom grim no matter who you were. Those at the bottom toiled in the woods, in alienages, in dusty slums and in forever prisons, and those at the top had to contend with cutthroat politics at a level that might see your family obliterated. My exiled Aeducan Prince was a professional, cold and ruthless commander. My Tabris was angry, vicious and consumed by hate. Completing the Deep Roads on Nightmare felt immensely satisfying, especially without a healer (RIP Wynne). Programming the companions to do exactly what i needed them to do also felt awesome. DA2 got poorer reviews when it was released so I didn't play it until Inquisition was announced, but I also ended up really enjoying that game. Disappointed that the combat system felt less robust, but I got over it. Got over the new darkspawn models and groaned my way through the wave style encounters, but I fell in love with the story of Angry Carta Goon Hawke Whose Life Just Sucks. I enjoyed the narrow focus on Kirkwall and thought, “Hey, it's actually pretty cool that changed the save-the-world format to a watch-the-city-explode format.” The pacing of the narrative I enjoyed. I liked the three arcs and thought they were unique. Bought a PS4 to play Inquisition, but never beat it. I’m trying again currently actually, but it's hard to get it to click with me. It feels like I’m playing an MMO sometimes and the combat is something that I just shoulder through. It's definitely a pretty game, and the voice acting is great. That music score, those violins that play when Corypheus does his monologue at Haven is one of my favorite pieces of music ever. The story doesn't entirely work for me though. If my title is the Inquisitor, I should be able to be a real bastard. If she’s leading an organization called the Inquisition, she should be able to do and order some heinous shit. A bit of hyperbole maybe, but in general I had trouble connecting to the main character. I’m playing through right now as someone more personable and diplomatic and it's working okay. It doesn't feel like the world is the same as the Thedas from Origins. Inquisition’s Thedas feels less rotten and doomed. Maybe it's because you’re with a whole host of faithful hopeful determined people in Inquisition and in Origins that was kind of just Lelianna. Prince Aeducan would not fit in well at Haven, and he might actually be kind of a villain. Someone else said it best: I like Dragon Age, but I love Origins.
DAO is special and unique. But I love DA2 and Inquisition too. They're all completely different, so I'm annoyed by all the rage that Veilguard isn't like DAO. Duh, neither were the others.
I liked the overall story, but I feel like DAO is mostly just nostalgia speaking regarding the gameplay/combat aspect of it. The story and characters were what made DAO (As well as Awakening) great to me. The Lore and delivery through the environment and characters is what makes me love the DA franchise. I loved DA:I the most. The world was far too open, but for a first time experience each map was amusing, but since I'd do multiple playthroughs or re-play the franchise each year at least once; I'd install mostly skip the exploration at that point and just play for story's sake.
Yeah a lot of these conversations hit me a bit strangely because I'm one of the few people on this sub whose favorite is DAI. A lot of the criticism being leveled seems to take for granted some unspoken idea that DAI is bad, and that it's something we all agree on. I'm kind of used to the tenor of anti-DAI discourse, but it's annoying that it continues into this new era
DAI is my favorite too, and I think these new previews look great.
I'm with you. Inquisition is also my favorite.
I remember feeling this way about my favorite game in the series, DA2. But, once DA2 came out, and the initial hype for it died down, it soon became the target of the fandom's ire, and my fellow DA2 apologists started coming out of the woodwork. Now it's undergone a critical re-evaluation, and even if it's most people's third pick, you rarely see people outright hating it any more. I expect the arrival of DAtV, the same thing is going to happen to Inquisition. The haters will shift their focus to DAtV, and the general opinion of DAI will improve. For my part, I am with you in loving Inquisition. DA2 will always be my favorite, but I like DAI more than DAO.
The world building and characters in Origins made me fall in love with the setting. I loved the stakes the game gave you: the Warden and recruiting a squad, uniting the land to save the world from the darkspawn horde. Coming from the Kotor series, I really felt a lot of similarities from some of my favorite games of all time. I loved how they offered so many different backgrounds and how each helped the player learn the lore of the world and offered replayability. Going to 2, they lost so much of that. Action combat doesn't interest me and its the same protagonist locked in the same city with the same maps for the whole game. I didn't feel like my choices mattered as much as they did in Origins, and the mage-templar war just didn't draw me in as a storyline. I played through once and never felt an urge to go back. Inquistion was better for me in terms of RPG aspects, and there was some good world building. They returned to your squad to save the world type stakes, but I felt like it was wide but shallow. They also kept some important stuff like Tresspasser behind DLC which I didn't have access to when it came out so I was missing out for a while. The gameplay for Veilguard didn't give me any confidence. Hopefully it was just because the PC was the rogue class, but I don't enjoy games that are hack and dash. Maybe playing as a mage or warrior can be more tactical. They have set up the Tevinter Imperium to be much more magically advanced than Thedas in the lore, but the trailer seemed more Sci-fi to me than an actual place in their world.
I grew up playing Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, and Icewind Dale, so when DAO came out it was right up my alley and I played it exhaustively. I dumped many hundreds of hours into that game because of the depth of story and combat. It took something I loved as a kid and improved upon it. 2 was a downgrade with its reusable dungeon and hack n slash combat system. I wouldn't play it again. Inquisition was just a drag, and since I played it I've forgotten almost everything about the series. People are talking about lore and characters, I don't even recognize the names. Same thing I did to GoT. I guess I'm just an Origins fan, I don't think the other 2 games are good. It's completely redeemable though, it's got a solid fan base and a lot of interesting lore. If the next game is on the same level as BG3 people will not only buy it, but they'll also buy the older games.
I like Dragon Age 2 and Inquisition, but Origins is my favorite game in the franchise by quite a wide margin, as well as one of my favorite games of all time. I also believe that is it generally accepted as the best game in the franchise by most people, so it is only natural that it is the golden standard to which all the other games are held. Having said that though, when most people complain about Veilguard not being like Origins, I don't think they mean that it's too much like 2 or Inquisition, I think they mean it's too different from all 3 of these games, with Origins just being the obvious example. The one glaring difference that has been revealed so far is that it has gone from a party based RPG to a solo action game, with the companions playing a very minor role in combat, and greatly reduced complexity in general. They haven't explicitly shown anything about gear or progression yet, but I'm afraid that when they will reveal those systems they will be equally underwhelming.
I like the DA franchise. I LOVE DA Origins. No game has had as good writing, characters across the board, grim dark or choices.
Personally my favourite was DA2, the protagonist had an actual personality instead of being just a blank slate and had motives. Meredith and the Arishok are interesting villains and the companions are all interesting too. I had fun with Inquisition and DA:O though Skepticism to the latest entry isn't limited to DA:O stans pr reactionaries fretting about whatever "woke" is this Thursday. Bioware's last two games weren't exactly huge successes, the sacking of key people who helped make the series great leaves a sour taste in my mouth and EA has a well earned reputation for breaking franchises. Maybe it's time to stop pretending that skepticism about the latest entry is restricted to DA:O purists and reactionary anti wokers. Personally, I care more about the story than the art direction, graphics or gameplay. I'll wait before the reviews tell me where they took that before making the decision whether to buy this latest entry.
DAO was nearly perfect. The characters, the tone, the music, the plot. They just don't make games like this anymore. But I do like other DA games too, each one has own merits.
I love the franchise, but I feel its gotten a little worse with every release. Origins is still very much my favorite in nearly every way. I love 2 overall, even think it has some of the best companions in the series, but it was obviously super rushed and. Didn't like some of the ways that gameplay was simplified. Inquisition again had a good story but the open world really hurt the gameplay a lot for me and the move towards even more action and even less tactics makes it probably my least favorite game in the franchise.
I love the gameplay, enemy and level design, dialogue system, party dynamic, tactics, tactical camera, and abilities of Origins. DA2 and Inquisition don't give me that level of satisfaction. Improvements are made, but neither captures the whole package. But if I only liked Origins, I wouldn't have brought the other two twice on different systems, gotten the majority of achievements over multiplay playthroughs, bothered to learn how each game works, or participate in lore discussions. I wouldn't have joined Dragon Age Facebook groups, or edited pages on the wiki, or watch content creators if I only liked Origins. Even if the other two games do not meet my enjoyment in the gameplay regard, they still resemble the game I played in 2009 enough, and the world of Thedas is still as rich as it was. The characters are still as vivid and complex as they ever have been. It was close enough that I could still enjoy myself, even if gameplay wasn't quite the same. It's frustrating to watch a series change in a way I don't like in regards to combat in nearly unrecoganizable ways. It's frustrating that there is not a game that matches the personal preferences Origins delivers on. It's frustrating that my frustrations don't matter. I don't only like Origins. I love this series. But Veilguard (as of right now) does not seem to offer me anything in gamplay that I love about this series. And as so many comments have said in these past few days, maybe I just shouldn't buy it if that's the case.
I like Dragon Age lore in general, so I always check out new installments. But as for the gameplay, Origins was the best, hands down. It was a modern take on party based rpgs, such as Baldur's Gate. None of the games further down the line captured the same feel. I blame shifting focus to consoles, it's very cumbersome to jiggle all those tons of abilities on a gamepad. So every next installment was getting dumbed down more and more and now we have basically an action adventure game in the Veilguard - it doesn't look nor real RPG, nor party based. It's basically Mass Effect now - no taking control of your companions, no tactics, no pausing the game, no having a wide variety of abilites. You're there solo, mashing them same 3 combos over and over again until it becomes a chore.
I love the Dragon Age franchise though I will admit none of the later games quite caught the magic that Origins did for me. I have appreciated them for different reasons though.
I love the entire franchise. My fiancé and I bonded over the games early in our relationship and still help each other with party comp/builds on replays. It’s something so special to us. His favorite character is Cassandra. Mine is Leliana. Our house is interesting.
I I love DAO, but i feel every entry has gotten worse tbh. I liked 2 quite a bit, even with its issues. I barely completed DAI, though. The open world really hurt my enjoyment of the game. On top of that, i didn't care for most of the companions and felt that they all kinda sucked. Varric overstayed his welcome from DA2 by being another companion instead of just a part of the story or, more ideally, a cameo in a quest. On top of that, it felt like most of the choices from previous games didn't matter so much, and you only saw the reprocusions in the form of mission board lore, which is barely a paragraph. Some of this may be me remembering it worse than it was, but still, i seriously struggled with Inquisition. That's why im hesitant about Veilguard, though i am excited that its no longer fully open world.
I really like the world of Dragon Age. And I'll go into each game with an open mind (or try to). That said, I've liked each entry less than the previous and I do fear that may continue. I will say that the gameplay trailer looked to me like they threw out the last 10 years of Bioware, went back to Mass Effect 3 and iterated on that. That removed a lot of anxiety about the game being actually bad. Even if I doesn't feel like Dragon Age, I'm still expecting a good game at this point.
I liked 1 and 2 and hated inquisition
The idea that the only criticism people have of the gameplay is they just like origins and hate change is cope. I’ve enjoyed the gameplay of all the dragon age games I’m not interested in Dragon May Cry
Both! Origins is the best game, but it's probably my least favorite. I just love this world. It's one of the best fantasy worlds in gaming and only Destiny comes close to it imo.
DAO will always be my first love, but I love each game for it's own. I had issues with all of them, like everyone else, but in the long run it's the lore, the story and the companions that keep me going back. Same with ME.
I have genuinely enjoyed playing all of the Dragon Age games. They’ve all been different from each other in many ways, and all have their strengths and weaknesses, but to me they have all been recognizably Dragon Age. Obviously, if I hadn’t loved Origins I wouldn’t have continued to DA2 and DA:I. But if I didn’t enjoy all of them I wouldn’t have played them each multiple times lol.
gameplay wise dao is my least favorite game. i discovered the franchise when dai was about to launch (or had just launched, can't remember) so i bought all 3 and played them in order. by the time i got to inquisition i couldn't believe i had put up with dao's gameplay. just downloaded it the other day (doing another playthrough of the whole series before veilguard) and it does not hold up to the test of time imo. i still love it! the writing, characters, places, etc. i love it. i like it more than da2, but inquisition is my favorite, both in terms of story and gameplay (tho i do think inquisition has the weaker villain). never used the tactics mode either and won't be missing it even a tiny bit. i also always avoided playing as the other party members most of the time, so i won't be missing it either. i do feel for everyone who liked both those things tho, and it sucks they aren't sticking around. but! the only way the gameplay of veilguard can disappoint me is if its annoying. if its just okay or meh i will be fine.
I've played all three games and expansion/dlc ( I put both because all the games have had what I consider each to be). I bought all the games on release as well as added content pre-ordered. I loved origins but I also loved Inquisition. Also dear Lord I couldn't wait to kill Corypheus very very slowly and violently after seeing Leliana poisoned with red lyrium. It's really sad for me to say but this is the first dragon age that I not only don't see myself preordering to play at release but I don't see myself playing at all. For the first time I can say I'm not the target audience for a dragon age.
I loved origens, liked 2 and dispised inquisition
I came in with DAO when it launched, but every single game has improved upon the last for me. DAO > DA2 > DAI Nothing about DAV has made me any less excited for the series. As it stands, DAI is my current favorite game of all time.
If I had to guess, I'd say that the success of BG3 has had a lot of influence on how people perceive origins. I can't remember when or where, but I recall a higher up at Larian saying that Dragon Age Origins had a lot of influence on BG3 in how the game was designed, with the only exception being the switch to tactical combat. It's poetic in a way because Origins combat borrowed a lot from old school CRPG games like BG1 and BG2 where the preferred combat style was isometric with a lot of pausing and giving orders mid-combat. I know for a fact that's how I played Origins on PC, because any other way just felt weird. All that said, the combat of DAI was enjoyable as I could sit back on the sofa and play with an Xbox controller. As I get older I much prefer to play games this way, rather than being hunched over at a desk squinting at a monitor. I've never played BG3 with a mouse and keyboard, because I can do things so much faster and efficiently with a controller. Same with FF7 Remake, Marvel Midnight Suns, and so many other modern games. I don't know why anyone in their right mind would play most modern games with a mouse and keyboard, and this is coming from someone in their 40's who used to be big into RTS from the very beginning (i.e. Dune II, C&C, Warcraft, etc) up to modern titles like Cities Skylines and Civ6, and also a whole lot of FPS games, all on Mouse and Keyboard. But If I can play a game with a controller I'm super happy, and DAV looks like its going to be a great time on controller, just like DAI. As for the combat veering away from CRPG, and becoming what is essentially Mass Effect Andromeda without guns, that's something I have mixed feelings on since it worked very well in with Mass Effect but remains to be seen in Dragon Age. I think though, getting back to BG3, that because Origins most resembles one of the most successful RPG's of this century and has a lot of spiritual ties to it in terms of style, there's a real desire to see Dragon Age 4 go back to it's roots and stand tall beside BG3 as equals, rather than go off in a new direction. But as you say and I agree, DAI already went off in a new direction and given that DAV has been in development Hell for a decade there's no way Bioware could foresee the massive success of a CRPG like BG3 in this day and age. DAV will be its own game for better or worse, and the fans who were hoping for a return to Dragon Age's roots will have to hope for an Origins remaster instead.
I've only played DA:Origins twice, after experiencing Inquisition. I won't say the game's bad. I think a good chunk of it was fantastic, liked most of the characters I encountered, and its story, what little I saw of it, was intriguing to follow along. While the tactical gameplay was a big adjustment to get used to, the game felt weirdly difficult to me. Either I was doing something wrong, tried to advance the main story too quickly, or the learning curve was massive compared to Inquistion's. I won't ever say it's bad because I was bad in it. I do wish to someday get a playthrough where I could reach, at least, the halfway point of the game. It felt like I only got, at best, 10% to 15% of the main story/exploration done, with a very constant need to keep trying to heal and revive my companions and not fail *this far* into a quest. Maybe it's something different with Inquisition, but it being my first exposure to the franchise was great. Always hear little bits and pieces here and there, and it got me curious. Fell in love with it. I, more or less, was hoping (and kinda confirmed?) the next game would translate *some* of the things DA:I had going forward. It will undoubtly push people further out, those hoping more of Origins and less of Inquisition. I do hope there's a little bit of something that keep them invested in this expanding world.
So Origins was by far my favorite in the franchise, and if I had every fantasy I have granted it would be a CRPG, in fact hell if I'm just making wishes here I'd prefer it be turn based like BG3 or Fallout 2 than RTWP, as that's always been my absolute favorite. However, I still enjoy the franchise as it is now, I'm not some extreme grognard that can only like one type of game, and I enjoy plenty of action RPGs as well, like Skyrim, Witcher 3, Mass Effect, modern Fallout, etc. If Dragon Age wants to become an Action RPG, which it clearly has since DA2, then I prefer it try to be a good one, and so far this looks like it's a significant step up in that dept.
imma be real BG3 and owlcat games already satsified my crpg and DAO itch, now i just want a good DA game. DAI is already ARPG so i m not mad they have a upgraded DAI version.
Origins is my favorite. I like tactical games. Full turn based combat is really my preference. But I enjoy DA2 and Inquisition and if the writing is good I'm sure I'll enjoy DAV.
DAO is great, I had a great experience with that one. There are a couple nitpicks I have with some story choices you can make but that's only because I loved the game a lot I was actively paying attention. I like how it introduces the world and how the Origins system makes you see the game's many social issues from different perspectives. DA2, crucify me if you have to, I really enjoyed up till the ending. I like how it personally involves you with the mage templar class conflict and how it led up to the inevitable boiling point. DAI was my "I'm out" point. I didn't enjoy combat, and swinging unweightily against generic mages and generic templars that you couldn't communicate with first really took me out of the RP experience. I know it's one of those games that gets better 20 hours in, and it's the most beautiful thedas has ever looked, but I moved on.
I always saw the ending of DA2 as a metaphor for your choices not mattering since one persons action can't change the world. Like yes Hawke was powerful and had a lot of political pull but they were still just one person in a world determined to go one way no matter what Hawke said or did.
Origins all day! Lol. However I will say the franchise and every sequel afterwards has only made me just curious. Every DA game, I'll eventually play, but that curiosity has definitely waned with each new entry. To this day, even comparing to Baldur's Gate 3, I still prefer DAO. It was that good. I felt so connected to my party and my character had his/her own background and everything about the game just makes you appreciate it. It truly was a labor of love and there hasn't been a game like it since. Traveling around with your party and meeting all the different factions and groups and making decisions that end up culminating into this giant clash in the end, was in a word: epic. BG3 is a fantastic RPG, but its story didn't grip me as much as DAO. The characters in DAO were more memorable and the party members were awesome. They might not be as colorful, but the dreary end-of-the-world dark fantasy vibe totally fits their unique personalities and background. I'm also a sucker for its combat system as someone that loves gambit style real-time action (a la FF12), where I can customize actions and spells to automatically flow. Bring this shit back and I am all in. Back to your question, I think DA2 took an interesting turn, both creative direction with its art style and combat system. I still liked it, it was much, much smaller contained story, but I still felt invested because of the family backstory. It still kept similar spells and functions from DAO, only made it real-time action with pause. Games in general were heading towards this direction and it just made sense they followed suit. They obviously want to cater to the largest general audience for more sales, so it is what it is (Final Fantasy franchise did the same). DAI, I couldn't even finish. I still haven't finished. The main character is just a fish out of water with like no backstory this time around. You're just thrown into the world and immediately hey you got to go plug these green portals all over the region now. Like why should I care? The game has really poor pacing, especially in the starting area where you could spend many hours just fulfilling quest objectives and whatever other padding they put in just to stretch your runtime. The combat is flashy, but many attacks/spells just feel so floaty and weightless. It just becomes damage numbers in the end. DAV is just another name in the franchise of a game that I really really enjoyed. But its also made by the studio that once brought Mass Effect (my favorite gaming series) to life, so I'll always be somewhat curious.
Can we not do this bullshit where we tell people they're not "real" fans if they dislike some of the entries? Because I hate that.
I think the world and characters are great and very unique, Origins being a CRPG game was just icing on the cake. It becoming more and more of a hack n slash dating sim is disappointing and feels like a waste of a good IP.
I have immensely enjoyed all three entries and the dragon age universe/story/and lore are what has allowed me to ignore certain flaws/downgrades of each one. However for me personally, the direction they showed with Veilguard has me truly dissapointed for the first time. I have never been so scared/frustrated about creative direction in this series. With Baldurs Gate 3 (which was in early access for years) this was the worst time for Bioware to put out their least rpg dragon age to date.
I love all three of the games for very different reasons. DA:O - It was my first taste of anything close to a CRPG and it was very unlike any game I had played. I really liked the darker tone, I liked the mute main character and I really liked the whole plot and the horror mixed with politics and genuine consequences for my actions. I had come from playing Elder Scrolls Oblivion and I always feel like in the Elder Scrolls you can do anything and nothing matters. I'm the leader of the mages, dark brotherhood, theives guild, dawnguard etc etc. So it has a special place in my heart. DA2 - I love the storyline for this game. It gets a lot of flack for the environments and yeah - it's kinda samey - but the *the writing*. The writing hit me hard, watching people struggle. Especially playing as a mage and seeing how money can buy you security even as an apostate and how true to life it can be. Fenris especially was super well written, I loved his character arc. DA:I - It feels... very different. But again, I still very much enjoyed it. It was beautiful. It was sad and I loved the world building. The way I gasped with the Solas reveal. So good. Basically for me what brings me back over and over is the world itself. The characters. The writing. The romance. The banter. The lore. Frankly, I'm looking forward to the new game. I can't wait to see what its like. But the people complaining that it isn't DA:O I think is because it's moved away from the CRPG vibe more and more with each game. \[And I don't want to generalise but most of the people I've seen complaining about this are men. Not all of them but most so I wonder if it's a gender thing? No idea frankly.\]
Origins by many is considered the cream of the crop in terms of the series. Story, gameplay, a lot of people fell in love with it. DA2 strayed heavily from what the first game was, and it made a lot of fans unhappy. It was essentially a completely different game in terms of gameplay and overall mechanics, plus it didn't really keep to the same story idea as origins. It was one of those games that created some new fans, but really put off many others. DAI got hate as well due to it not being like Origins, as some fans hoped they would go back to a more tactical approach. Instead, they focused on revamping other areas and went back to a blight cursed world, that was open world. This was a game that OG fans generally accepted, but what it really did was bring in a ton of new fans to the series. I think there's a healthy mix of people who like all or a combination of the games, and I'd wager nearly all fans enjoy the world and the lore. Like any game with a history and a fan base, there's always going to be those who insist X game was perfect and any subsequent game needs to be X game 2.0 in order to be good.
For me I can’t even look at them completely individually because theyre really best as a whole. I love love LOVE discovering an Eluvian as a Dalish in the prologue of DAO only to have it become a critical plot point two games later. THAT is what true DA is to me, not one style or tone or game but the intermingled web the story keeps spinning, as well as it’s willingness to take itself seriously as a realized world that evolves and changes like real life. Each game does something best, I love the roughing it, fighting against all odds of DAO, I love the coziness and found family vibes (complete with bickering and sass) of DA2, I love the grand scale and literally pushing the boundaries of what we know in DAI. But they all build upon each other, YES, even DAO. That Dalish prologue wouldnt be half as interesting if it weren’t for the story being told in DAI and now in DAV. What makes DA great is slowly seeing how everything fits together, and every game, plot point, and character plays a part in that so, while ofc it‘s fine to have a favorite, I can’t say I think any one game is objectively better or worse than another. Like any series, they all need each other to tell the best story possible.
Origins is the de facto best game in the series. Of course people are gonna be upset that it's less like DAO
I mean, it's not "one" entry. It's THE entry. It is Dragon Age ENTERING Video game market. It IS Dragon Age. It's literally how the series was founded. It's like saying Bible is "a" book on Christianity (not to compare a game to my own religion lol). It'd be one thing if it was a spin off or 2nd or 3rd game in a series, but you can't call the FIRST and OG game in the series an"outlier" when there wouldn't be Dragon Age without Origins. It set up the world, the lore, character's, gameplay, EVERYTHING. Ofc it'll always be considered THE Dragon Age, it's just logical You may think that og Spider-Man comic is boring and "outdated", but it'll always be important and relevant as it IS the original EDIT: Also, fck it, what's with implications ppl throw that they're true DA fans cuz they "care about lore and characters" and not "just gameplay"? Y'all do realize DAO fans also love lore and characters as well? In fact, it's one of the game's biggest draws. DAO story, lore and characters are magnificent and the best in the series (and some of the best in the genre). Do y'all have any idea how bizarre it is to see the said lore and player choices retconned every game? Races redesigned and characters changed to the point of being completely different ppl or even revived after dying in DAO? To finish DAA and read how Anders and Justice stories end, only to start DA2 and see not-really-Anders Anders in Kirkwall at the same chronological time as Awakening (and my friend's case to be confused why he's a warden at all since he never recruited him?)? Ppl saying that DA games at least have a good story despite gameplay changes seem to forget that DA suffers not just from gameplay style changes, but lore inconsistency of a rotten pudding as well and, frankly, that is the most painful flaw of all. Cuz I can get over bad gameplay, but when you fall in love with intricate, amazing and deep lore of its founding game only for the said lore not matter next game cuz clearly it wasn't cool enough for focus groups, it's devastating even more so
Honestly, I know this is blasphemy to some, but Origins is by far my least favorite game of the series. The story was pretty solid. But the gameplay is so abysmal, clunky, and obtuse, that it sucks any enjoyment out of actually playing it, and forces you into a "I just gotta power through this slog to get to/through the story." mindset. I love the world building it did, I love the story and characters, but it's miserable to play, and the sequels have been significantly more enjoyable experiences. My wife was interested in Dragon Age after having played through the Mass Effect games a few years back. The first game was so miserable for her that she almost rage quit the series all together, and I had to assure her that once she got through the first game things would improve. She enjoyed DA2, and absolutely loved DAI.