I have been fallowing the development process of Dragon Age Inquisition has close has I possibly can; for the looks of it, it seems to be a great game, now of course part of my enthusiasm is because I am a fan of Dragon Age... hell Dagon Age Origins is one of my favorite games of all time, so you can guess that I am really looking forward to this game and I am very exited.
When I see the gameplay or feature videos showcasing the game itself and what it has to offer, I just have to read a little bit of the comment section to notice that, while there is indeed enthusiasm for Inquisition; there also is the significant group that criticize the game in multiple areas and not in the constructive and structured way... but in a destructive and malicious manner that show that the intentions behind this kind of comment there is nothing more than to cause pain and make a hostile accusation.
Granted there is a reason for people to feel bitter and even betrayed by Bioware... their latest titles haven´t really been meeting up to either the standards set by the company nor the expectations of their fans (just look at the reception for Dragon Age 2 and the reaction of fans to Mass Effect 3´s ending)... regardless of this missteps I can´t bring myself to either insult the people that work at Bioware neither be any less exited towards this game. I will take this small opportunity to talk about why you should give Bioware a chance and tryout Dragon Age Inquisition if you have lost your faith in the series or their work:
The Visuals: I personally am not a guy that would make a fuzz out of a video game if the graphics are not top notch or ultra realistic; of course I do believe is important for a game to look good... but that is called "presentation" and that is what I think Bioware is trying to get the game to have an impressive level of presentation and for it to be has clean has it can. All of the footage we have seen so far of the game is all in-game render, using the frost bite 3 engine is the right course of action and the best one they could use (frost bite 3 is also used on the popular Battlefield franchise since 3).
I think most RPG players don´t put graphics above everything else, but look at Dragon Age Origins for example... there the graphics look average at best; textures are muddy and blurry at times, some character models are alright although their textures do look subpar by today standards even if they look better than the environment´s... Dragon Age Inquisition looks not only improved but way better than the first two entries, not to mention that with the new hardware of the PS4 and Xbox One there is much more quality available in the visual department and of course sound.
The Gameplay: Inquisition´s presentations on gaming events have shown plenty of elements that make part of their big fantasy epic; for followers of the series it´s the same tactical combat of DAO where you command your companions the find the best strategy to defeat your enemies and exploit their weakness has well has the improvements added to DA2 with a much more hands-on approach to combat (though compared to DA2 is much more slower, but better for the feel of each impact). Customization is once again back to allow full control of the equipment that your character will have has well has that of your companions; this RPG element that was present on Origins was taken away in DA2 and with good reason, fans were not happy at all... people have gotten use to elements that DAO introduced and having this being taken away from them is quite an issue... I know had that problem with DA2.
Not only is Bioware bringing this gameplay back in full, but they are making it feel much grander thanks to the work in animation and character model; this helps the game experience more than the common people think, by watching the game footage I can feel how each hit is impacting and hurting it´s target... how more realistic can you get in a computer game? maybe more, but for an open world RPG, this is a lot.
The Story: This is what Bioware is known for right? We know what Bioware can do with character development and interactions, not to mention the levels of motivation they can give the player with narrative elements is impressive; made so even more with interaction and choice. In Origins your character is tasked with defeating the darkspawn after being made a grey warden, is epic, romantic, thrilling and charming with a great cast of characters (if you recruit them of course)... DA2 on the other hand is one where the main goal is not clear exactly, you know who you are and what your status is has the story unfolds... there is an overarching story to fallow and to complete, but is hard to connect with your character when the dialog choices given to you don´t connect with what comes out of Hawk´s mouth, it really feels awkward. In DAI has the inquisitor you are in a social status that gives you a place of authority that others in the world don´t have, so from the get go you are in a position of power, but you are not without your goal and objective to fulfill; the vail that keeps the fade separated from Thedas has been torn asunder while the world itself is being consumed in total war, your position and status are exactly what the world need and is up to you and does who fallow you to save it.
It´s important to know that according to Bioware, this is the game they have "always wanted to make" since they created the franchise but they felt that Origins was the one they needed to make first to introduce the players into the world of Thedas (the different races, their cultures, religion, etc). While DA2 was actually codename to be released has "Dragon Age: Exodus" they wanted to make a bridge that connects both games together (Origins and Inquisition)... I think I understand what Bioware is trying to do artistically.
When you are telling an overarching story, you want the people to understand and feel that they are part of the world by slowly including them into the universe itself, I actually do believe that Bioware has done exactly that with this franchise.
The Character Creator: One aspect I have always loved about games like this is when they let you play has the character you want to be: you want to be an elf or a dwarf? you can be once again; DA2 did not allowed you to be other race than a human, that is a huge step backwards when compared to Origins where you could choose to be not only human but an elf or a dwarf has well... so when this elements are introduced to you, you don´t want to have does taken away. Inquisition have this problem being rectified but also adding to the mix the qunari race, that is much more interesting than you might think, specially for DA fans, because we have never gotten the chance to play has one let alone see a female qunari in any of the games before.
I know some people don´t like the idea of creating a character, they rather play has a pre-created protagonist and have his own motivations drive you has the player; however has someone who like to create characters myself and have him be the protagonist means a lot to me, it makes you feel more in the shoes of your protagonist. Dragon Age Inquisition is a role-playing game, you placed on the role of the character that YOU want to be and play out with your own choices having their meaning to you, for better or worst; makes a big difference to me has a player.
It´s Production: Did you know that Dragon Age Inquisition is the Bioware game with the longest pre-production process in the history of the company to date? What is pre-production? Just one of the most important processes when you are making any pice of entertainment like movies, video games, etc... is the part of the process where the team studies and analyze what is going to be the game itself, how are they going to do it, writing the story, making storyboards and much more goes into pre-production and is important stuff that will help the team to have a plan and a concrete idea of what is the final product going to be like.
I think this is important because for all the people saying that Bioware is being rushed by EA to release games before they are done (and yes they have, I don´t deny anything), then just look at the production time for this game being around 5 to 4 years in development, where games like Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 3 got less than 2 years and hey if does games were good, imagine what this team can do with 5 whole years of development! Time during game development is so important... and it seems like EA has finally realized that time is exactly what massive RPGs like Dragon Age Inquisition exactly needs (not to mention the reputation of the company also helped then realize that).
Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 3: I really want to talk about this games because I through heartily believe this games are not terrible or has bad like some people are saying; I have already made reviews for both of this games and I am sure I was clear on my thoughts however I will give my opinions on what they are... in quality we say.
I first want to talk about Dragon Age 2; yes is a tiny game, yes the environments are reused a lot, yes the story is less than stellar and yes the world becomes boring after 2 hours of straight gameplay... but was is a bad game? well no... I did enjoy my time playing it and my overall playtime clocked around 30 to 40 hours. It wasn't what I expected a sequel to Dragon Age Origins to be like but for what I got I can´t just call it a terrible game; the characters are memorable, the problems feel relatively genuine and the combat is improved and while it sure lacks on many of the things I came to like from Origins, is still a good game... just not great
Now I have to talk about Mass Effect 3; I am sure I have said before that Mass Effect 3 is in my opinion the best game of the Mass Effect trilogy, the characters are great, the story is great, the universe is interesting, the combat is fluid, the RPG elements are still there and oven expanded upon... If these are not the components of a great game, then I don´t know what is. Believe me, that when I got to the ending I hasten´t happy at all; it was incoherent, brought no closure to the story it presented, went against everything an ending to a story should have... however by the end of the game I don´t remember the way it ended but the journey, I remember the way the story played out more that the actual ending and while that of course is an important thing, (I´m not saying it isn´t) is what I ultimately remember about the Mass Effect Trilogy...
I will finish my thoughts with the fallowing: I am not trying to convince anybody of anything since you are the consumer with the money and you choose what you want to do with it, this is me trying to say why I believe that Bioware deserve to be given another chance with Dragon Age Inquisition because the negativity surrounding the release of this game is quite overwhelming being almost on par with the hype from the fans of the series.
Bioware has made a lot of mistakes in past, but I think is unfair to have all the blame placed only on the company when their time schedules are blame of their EA overlords... I say it´s better that we wait for the release of the game to give the judgement that every pice of media deserves and instead of buying it day one and complaint, you should wait a while for the reviews to come in and then decide if it´s something that you will enjoy and dedicate time to enjoy it...
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