#how veilguard doesn't engage with the characters or the world or the lore beyond wanting to reveal its own cosmogony at us.

[bodysnatch3r]

FUCK ME. art really is subjective.

[dross-the-fish]

I get really sick of seeing negativity about Veilguard, it's a fun game and just because it doesn't cater to fan's wishes doesn't mean it's bad.

After watching four different people play through it from start to finish I can definitely say it is a very weak game and most of the criticism I've seen floating around is valid. The writing is extremely hand-holdy and the characters feel like the writers ran through a checklist of beats to hit but didn't flesh them out much beyond that. But even that aside, I think people are allowed to feel disappointed that the game wasn't what they were hoping for. There was a lot built up in Origins that I really wanted followed up on that was either changed or went in directions that disappointed me. The writers aren't in the wrong for doing that per se but I am allowed to voice my opinions about wasted potential and feeling like the things I personally was looking forward to weren't fulfilled. There is no reason I shouldn't express that I do not enjoy the Dalish conceptually and I increasingly did not like how their lore and origins were handled from Inquisition onward especially since they became such a huge focal point, overshadowing even the mage/templar conflict and the darkspawn. Nothing built up about Tevinter seems to have been followed through in Veilguard and to add insult to injury you learn that most of southern Thedas, the world you have been trying for three games to save and whom your warden may or may not have died for, was unceremoniously wiped out offscreen. I'm allowed to hate that the Qunari are written as they are because of the writers rampant and undisguised islamaphobia and I can and will openly discuss it.

I hate that these games aren't self-contained and I'm expected to buy a bunch of tie-in novels, DLC and comics just to be able to follow all of the lore with any kind of depth and nuance. I have a hard stance that if a product cannot fully function as intended unless I buy extra parts and upgrades then it is a bad product. I shouldn't have to buy DLC to finish my game (inquisition)

Fandom spaces are not purely for positive feedback, engaging in debate and critically analyzing the media we consume is an essential part of any fandom and it's just as valid as praise or fanart. If you get sick of seeing negativity then use your block feature or unfollow any anti or critical tags.

[bog-mummies]

veilguard first impression review. played 5 hours. spoilers below the cut.

criticism first. i'm not really rocking with some of the voice acting and dialogue. for some characters (bellara, for example), it feels like they stepped out of a disney channel show - it's too quippy for my taste and it feels like those characters aren't actually taking the situation seriously. here's hoping it improves over the game.

 the first few hours feel like the writers were trying to introduce new players to the lore but for someone who's played the games already, it feels a bit like the infamous "who's mythal?" line for a dalish inquisitor in inquisition. to give the writers credit tho, they don't make your character appear stupid or ignorant, they just awkwardly shoehorn in the basic lore. 

the criticism i've seen about the main character feeling blandly heroic is also valid - i've played for approx. 5 hours and my character just starts the game knowing everything and blindly following varric. so far the only explanation i've seen for rook's involvement was a short codex entry that most players won't read, no actual personal motivation beyond a tired "i live in the world, of course i want to save it!", which is valid but also very boring. 

my biggest gripe is with how easily NPCs, especially dalish NPCs, accept the whole thing about how the evanuris were evil tyrants. like, the only real evidence we have is what's been told to us by a 'god' of lies and trickery. if i wanted to play a devout dalish character, it'd be nice to have the option to doubt solas' word about the evanuris, and it would also be nice for dalish NPCs to do the same

on the plus side, i really like the character creator and most of the npc designs (save for the horn smoothing on qunari - it makes their foreheads look massive). it's really exciting to be able to play an elf who's not a waifish stick figure! you can even make your character fat! or change their height! we also finally have good hair options. so yeah im really rocking with the character creator.

the combat is also fine - i miss the tactical view, but the new combat system is reminiscent of the mass effect games, so i can probably get used to it with time. it feels fast-paced and engaging, probably the most similar to da2.

the dialogue options given to our character feel realistic and varied enough, and i like that they brought back the da2-style tone indicators that affect your character's personality. 

also! parkour! we can climb stuff!!! we have idle animations! the movement feels a bit more assassins creed-y and it's really nice.

it's cool that we have transmog - i want my rook dripped out AND well-equipped, and it's nice that i no longer have to trade one for the other.

while i did previously critique the disney channel-esque dialogue and voice acting, i'm glad that it doesn't extend to all the characters. varric is still varric, and neve feels like she fits right in with the earlier, darker toned games in the series.

one thing i REALLY like is that even your seemingly inconsequential choices will matter and be brought up later on - that was a stroke of genius on the writers' part.

if it's helpful, i'm playing as a nonbinary (she/her) elven mage lord of fortune.