Dragon Age 4 - Not Likely to be Good

HitC writes that Dragon Age 4 is screwed because of BioWare and not because of Anthem.

Yes, Dragon Age: Inquisition won Game of the Year in 2014, but - if we're being frank - that was a terrible year for games thanks to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One having only launched in the previous year's Fall. The only competition BioWare had to fend off for Game of the Year was Bayonetta 2, Dark Souls II, Hearthstone, and Middle-earth: Shadow Of Mordor (hardly the most competitive scene).

Mass Effect 3 was released back in 2012, and the quality of BioWare's games have drastically declined. Inquisition winning Game of the Year says everything about how unremarkable 2014 was for video games, Mass Effect: Andromeda was middling to horrendous in 2017, and Anthem is the most boring, incomplete, and shallow game I have ever had the misfortune of picking up. And these horrid games all share two things in common: terrible stories and characters.

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Yeah, it would be quite surprising if Dragon Age 4 turned out to be any good. This coming from a person who actually thought DA:I and ME:A were decent (worth playing), even though they had problems. People have joked (well, maybe some weren't joking) on forums like this one for a while now that BioWare is dead, but there's a good chance that it's actually an objective truth at this point. But time will tell.

these horrid games all share two things in common: terrible stories and characters.

There are people who don't care about stories and characters. They don't play tetris but want other games to cut stories out. Will DA4 be adapted to that audience remains to be seen, but IMO it's too early to judge anything.

Unlikely to be the article author's case.
Gamers perceive a story as an enhancer for gameplay, not the core.

A good story never makes a good game. It might better it.

His worries about the quality of the story pictures him as a storytolder, a guy who wish to be told a story and think it is central for socalled games to deliver.

Screwed because of both BioWare and Anthem.

It's more a "rant" than article ( never heard of the site).
Honestly, I think Bioware should dial back, from "scale" ( and competing with big AAA Rpg titles), and try to win back some of their old playerbase with classic design: hub based, large party, focused, around 25-30 hours long game.
Something like DA2, but more polished, better executed. Shame, because it seems that's exactly what they were going for ( cancelled Laidlaw's project)

Nice headline picture, though

There was only one Dragon Age game, and it was glorious. That success will certainly not be replicated by Electronic Arts again.

Hahahahahaaaa!

Is that title of the year, or title of the century?

Originally Posted by Carnifex
There was only one Dragon Age game, and it was glorious.

You're absolutely right. That was the Dragon Age I imagined when they started talking of a spiritual sequel to BG. Sadly the game that actually got released left me severely disappointed… (still a good game though, but not the glorious one I had anticipated)

After Andromeda and Anthem it's a fact that BioWare has recessed as every other RPG studio has improved dramatically. Hard to admit as I loved most of their older RPGs.

It's time to face the fact they don't care about traditional RPGs anymore.

Originally Posted by TomRon
You're absolutely right. That was the Dragon Age I imagined when they started talking of a spiritual sequel to BG. Sadly the game that actually got released left me severely disappointed… (still a good game though, but not the glorious one I had anticipated)

The original Dragon Age was redesigned seven times so of course it was different from it's original vision. Also when EA bought BioWare other changes had to be made.

It was the last old school inspired BioWare RPG before the developer shift to nowadays.

Prepare for Anthem with Dragons and NPCs.

Oh, and a cool different font and texture overlay so they can pretend there is no connection.

Like Star Wars VIII, social justice concepts were the priority in DA:I. Someday soon, hopefully before I die, I hope media makers can return to creating content that isn't political, theological, or ideological for the sake of pushing narratives the creators happen to believe in their personal lives. Games, movies, TV, books and the like will have a chance at being interesting again. MMIA! Make Media Interesting Again!

Originally Posted by TheMadGamer
Like Star Wars VIII, social justice concepts were the priority in DA:I. Someday soon, hopefully before I die, I hope media makers can return to creating content that isn't political, theological, or ideological for the sake of pushing narratives the creators happen to believe in their personal lives. Games, movies, TV, books and the like will have a chance at being interesting again. MMIA! Make Media Interesting Again!

Not defending the pushing of agendas and the like, but you'd be amazed how those old things you don't believe have agendas were actually chock full of them & there's never been an era that was essentially agendaless. To quote in paraphrase the old saying: the past wasn't better, did not do things better, there was never a time when you were in less bondage than you are today. If you don't believe me, mention a media product from any time of completely your own choosing & let someone examine the agendas of that said product.

"I don't like this game's agenda" does not equate to "games without agendas exist".

Yes, I always find I become more creative the more I exclude things I care about from my work. The best approach to storytelling is an impersonal one.

Originally Posted by TomRon
You're absolutely right. That was the Dragon Age I imagined when they started talking of a spiritual sequel to BG. Sadly the game that actually got released left me severely disappointed… (still a good game though, but not the glorious one I had anticipated)

Well said. Very close to how I remember I felt about it in the days. Nevertheless, after DA I really believed they can still make it. I believed they still can make games for RPG fans aside of those made for mainstream market. Oh, the naivety …

Originally Posted by lackblogger
Not defending the pushing of agendas and the like, but you'd be amazed how those old things you don't believe have agendas were actually chock full of them & there's never been an era that was essentially agendaless. To quote in paraphrase the old saying: the past wasn't better, did not do things better, there was never a time when you were in less bondage than you are today. If you don't believe me, mention a media product from any time of completely your own choosing & let someone examine the agendas of that said product.

"I don't like this game's agenda" does not equate to "games without agendas exist".

I commend you on taking every opportunity to look for angles to preach your current political agendas, whatever they may be.

Yes, I'm not quite sure when we had this golden age where fiction was free from political thought and personal values. I think I missed that.

I don't really think that's the root of the Bioware problem. To me, their recent games simply smack of having been designed by not-particularly-talented committee. I just don't think they have the right creative people steering things anymore.

Originally Posted by Wisdom
I commend you on taking every opportunity to look for angles to preach your current political agendas, whatever they may be.

I'm a big fan of single-player bright and colourful fantasy cRPGs, preferably with interesting easy learn but hard to master p&p-like systems and preferably party-based. My agenda of why I'm not a fan of post D&D Bioware is plain as day, that you need to wonder what my stance is suggests that you haven't read many of my posts, which is understandable but contrary in evidence to the number of times you reply to them with segways and contrived misunderstandings that imply your agreeing with me while inserting points I never made.

Ah I see!
Clarification, just because I agree with you doesn't mean all my other comments are connected to yours. I'm capable of creating one post with two different connections. I shall endeavor to make it clear next time that my agreeing with you in one aspect does not connect your comments to anything else I might say, nor my wholesale adoption if whatever politcal agenda you are trying to push, whatever that may be at the time.

Originally Posted by Wisdom
whatever politcal agenda you are trying to push, whatever that may be at the time.

Would you class game-genre as a political agenda?