3.5/5 ★ – Just_Deli's review of Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

This game was DRASTICALLY overhated. I do resonate with fans of the older Dragon Age games, because if you played them, you probably do not like where the last few have gone in terms of gameplay. But man, how can you not enjoy this game's combat? Everything is so smooth, and yet it's weighty and crunchy at the same time. I picked the warrior class, because if you know me, you know why. A lot of what I read online about the combat says that the warrior was the most boring class, so if that is true, I am going to have to replay on a mage, because I think it is a blast. Every attack is meaty; every swing of the big two-handed hammer is heavy but graceful. You can throw a shield like Captain America, charge at people with your body, and slam the ground. Everything is just so excitingly fun. All the abilities have huge particle effects and explosions and animations that are stunning and give you the power fantasy feeling similar to something like God of War. The writing is where many get caught up on this game, and while I do agree it has its issues, the writing feels very on par with a Marvel movie. It has lots of moments that make you wince a little when people say some videogamey lines. But the overall story and character moments in this are severely overlooked here thanks to the online hate brigade this game received. Will old Bioware fans be disappointed in the lack of game-changing decisions? Yes, probably. The opportunities to make decisions feel much more in line with Telltale Games than something like Dragon Age: Origins or Knights of the Old Republic. Dialogue options are pretty even across the board. You often times get to the exact same line of the story regardless of if you picked the "positive" dialogue option or the "negative" option. They never really let you stray away from anything other than the hero of the story leading a team of people. For many Bioware fans, this is where the criticism is valid, that has been a staple of Bioware for 20+ years and it is lacking here severely. Regardless, I think this is a step in a direction many want. This is Bioware's first game since Anthem, the failure of a live-service lootershooter, and I think they made a really fun action RPG here with a combat system that kept me playing until I beat its somewhat generic fantasy story.