Dragon age inquisition is the new witcher 2

As in, it will get fucked in GotY deliberations. Jeff has been doing the ground work for weeks and Patrick seems to be the only one who cares enough to make a case for it but, like Vinny with the witcher 2, he can't seem to discuss what makes the game great without anyone to bounce off of.

Really bummed out about the dragon age discussion they had on the bombcast this week. They spent all their time discussing bugs that require you to press square twice or reload an auto save that's probably 2 minutes away. And those bugs occur about once or twice every 20 hours. You will go twice the length of a front runner GoTY candidate without encountering a single bug in dragon age.

Then they blurb out 2 sentences about why the game is interesting and impressive (and by they I mean Patrick, because everyone else was still bitching at that point)

Even Vinny says he likes it and then proceeds to nitpick at length about the few things he doesn't care for.

Really puts things into perspective when they proceed to gush about bayoneta non stop for 15 minutes. Style over substance, spectacle over depth, nothing they said about that game makes me want to pick it up even though I own a WiiU.

Not looking forward to GotY deliberations this year. At least when the witcher 2 got shafted it was up against stiff competition instead of bargain bin GotY candidates like sunset overdrive, shadow of mordor and bayoneta 2.

I don't think DA:I is as good of a game as Witcher 2, It's pretty close though. All big RPGs kinda get shafted in GOTY awards anyway as no one has the time to play them. I feel like we can expect certain game types to not be present as the crew has no interest in them. Most multiplayer focused games and racing games don't make the top 10 even if they make people's personal lists.

Well i havnt listened to the podcast yet but its pretty clear casual fast paced games is the preffered style for the majority of the Bombcast so there really aint any surprise here.

Agree 100%. It sounded like Patrick is literally the only one to have made it out of the Hinterlands yet, and I'm pretty sure he hasn't even made it to Skyhold yet. I totally understand that they just haven't had the time, but they just talk about the bugs that they've encountered or seen online because they are unable to discuss the story or character elements without having experienced them.

I do think that with some more time more of the crew will encounter the really amazing things about the game, and word of mouth will motivate more of them to really get into it, but I agree it'll be too late for a meaningful GotY discussion. I hope we do get some good discussion whenever they do make it that far though, it really is a wonderful game (I'm 60 hours in and basically just got to Skyhold).

Silver lining: no risk of spoiilers!

Didn't think of that. That's cool, I guess, if I'm not done with most of the game by december 25 at least there's no way any of them will get farther in a day or 2 before GotY deliberations. And yeah, weirdly enough Jeff is the farthest along in the game (through his girlfriend I presume) and he seems to be playing it so he can find stuff to bitch about in it. Truly a shame.

Eh, I really don't think Inquisition is a GOTY contender anyway. And besides, as has already been mentioned, it's not really a game that'll suit many of the staff members tastes. And for even those it does, it can be pretty damn long, so Vinny certainly won't be able to finish it up before deliberations.

Alien: Isolation is (maybe) my GOTY yet I'm sure that's not going to get much of a say, either. But eh, whatever. I can't say I'm really all that invested in their GOTY talks these days. I didn't watch/listen to any of their stuff last year. Hearing that GTA V's Lamar won Best New Character alone tells me I made the right choice.

@pyrodactyl: I would assume Jeff is B-lining through the story while the likes of Vinny gets stuck forever in Hinterlands collecting mosaic pictures.

You have to realise that's their honest opinion. You personally liking Dragon Age: Inquisition a lot is meaningless. If they don't like it, they don't like it. This is a vastly different scenario from what happened in 2011 where pretty much only Vinny really played the Witcher 2 past the (notorious) tutorial.

About 2011 though...

2011 was a dark year in GotY choices. Skyrim's dominance was virtually uncontested in a year with games like The Witcher 2, Dark Souls, Portal 2, Saints Row: The Third, Arkham City, Uncharted 3, Gears of War 3, Total War: Shogun 2, Mortal Kombat 9, LA Noire, Bastion, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Driver: San Francisco, Forza 4, Battlefield 3 and Trine 2 among others.

I remember even back then I was thinking:

This has to be one of those GotY moments where people look back on it a few years later and say "What the hell were we thinking?"

I don't think you can compare Dragon Age Inquisition with some of the overlooked games from 2011 like The Witcher 2. Bioware still has legions of fans and they have (and seek out) a very broad appeal under the wings of a megapublisher like EA.

On the bright side, The Witcher 2 (and its console release later on) put a lot of people on notice and will most likely cause many more people to play The Witcher 3 when that comes out.

Well at least it is my 2014 GOTY. I love it.

I think we can be sure that it won't be the GB game of the year but it's going to be at the top of a lot of sites lists due to it's timely release and a general lack of exceptional games this year. It's certainly the best game i've played this year but I think the year was weak overall so that's not saying much.

Bayonetta doesn't have depth? Ahaha.

It's just GOTY.

Yeah, I got the impression he was watching more than playing. And he is just looking for negative stuff...but he kind of does that about everything, doesn't he? Even the stuff he enjoys it usually seems like he is pretty angry at. I still love him because he's quick and sharp and an irreplaceable part of the crew, but he is a bit of a curmudgeon.

I do think it's really cool his girlfriend seems to be into it. Obviously watching is nothing like playing, but I can't think of a better advocate for the game than a fan who really gets it.

@tbonenyc: Jeff said his girlfriend hates Dragon Age 3 didn't he? She loves DA2.

I didn't mean it the way you think. I'm sure bayonetta has a lot of depth in the combat. I bet it's full of cross cancels, blending combos and whatever else. Still, it's a goofy game about beating up enemies while cool stuff is happening in the background and nothing else. The story seems nonsensical and dumb. Major characters have been described as useless, terrible and annoying. So yeah, Bayonetta is shallow in the ways you have available to enjoy it. You better dig the combat a whole bunch because the game is pretty much only that.

@hassun: I haven't heard that. Only thing he said is that he watched a whole lot of that game so I'm sure she at least enjoys it if she's playing a lot.

No, man. The story actually does some clever things (which I came to realize after finishing it, but this is an opinion). The art and music is fantastic, the pacing and design is wonderful, and not to mention the combat. It's extremely well put together. Not every character is amazing, sure. Doesn't make it "bargain bin?" Maybe the first Bayonetta could be boiled down to combat and style, but this one steps it up in just about every department.

You're criticizing a game you haven't played, while complaining that the crew isn't gushing over a game they haven't really played. It makes this whole thread seem kind of dumb.

If Patrick is the only one that's really all that interested, it probably shouldn't rate much of a mention. The Witcher 2 scenario was more a case of Vinny was the only one that actually played it. Inquisition seems more like they have checked it out and mostly decided they're not that into it.

You just seem angry that they don't like something that you do and you're taking it out on Bayonetta because they do like that. Not looking forward to GOTY because it's not going to re-affirm your own views?

Nope. DAI is my game of the year and I agree that it will get shafted, but that doesn't give you license to incorrectly label Bayonetta 2 in the ways you have.

The OP guessing what other GOTY candidates have to offer cus he couldn't bother to play them reeks of irony. And kind of undercuts his point entirely. You like DAI and these games you haven't played are more likely to dominate and in your estimation (watching youtube clips?) they don't deserve it. Wow ok. lol

Shadow of Mordor and Bayonetta 2 are both really solid games that try new things. DAI is a game I liked a lot and it didn't do a single new thing, it looked at what was successful in other franchises and integrated those things (successfully for the most part). I'd rather reward creativity, even if I enjoyed DAI as an overall experience more than most games this year its a very safe game for the most part because its a giant apology letter for DA2 which took the kind of risks people shouldn't encourage.

I mean it's hard to really compare completely different types of games anyway, that's a problem with GotY stuff. But in any case, while DA has a bigger world, more characters and such, Bayonetta 2 delivers a really tight, focused game. Mordor may have only lasted someone 25 hours, but damn those 25 hours were great.

Bayonetta is the exact opposite of Dragon Age, what you would call "depth" in bayonetta doesnt even exists in Dragon age and vice versa so why even discuss such nonsense?

The point is that with bayonetta anyone can just sit down with the game and be up and running and enjoying themself within mere minutes where as with Dragon Age its a huge bite of lore and understanding to chew and requires some serious time spent. Playing the game 5hours and deciding its a bad game is like shimming through the start menu of Bayonetta and then quitting. This is why so many bombcast members like that game and never even plays Dragon Age and it will always be.

This is also way mobile games are so huge....

@rethla: Have you played Bayonetta?

@bargainben: Yes but i havnt played Bayonetta 2

@bargainben: I don't think bayonetta 2 tries new things. It does the same things as the first but does them extremely well. It also inherits its design from a lot of other games. It has its own style but I wouldn't call it innovative.

Having said that, there is no reason to discount it as being GOTY , it is a very good game.

This.

The Witcher 2 wasn't what I would classify as a major release. It needed someone to herald it's positive points because unless you were already interested in playing that game you would probably never give it a second look. Vinny dived deep on that game and it climbed into their GOTY list. Skyrim however was a much more accessible game and from a franchise directly at the core of gaming RPGs. So of course it got more attention, more play time, and resonated with more of the GB staff than other games.

Dragon Age is very different from Witcher. For one it has been getting attention ever since DA 2 was a disappointment and even DA: O was a game Dave had to herald and play through to keep the excitement going for the staff. Sometimes a game just isn't everyone's cup of tea and if it "gets ignored" its simply because they don't like it. It is just their opinion.

No one played the Witcher 2 so difficult comparison, also Bioware relatively poor writing vs superb Witcher writing.

Ya, bugs should be ignored. That went over real well with Skyrim. =P (i have a cat on my lap so i can't into more detail right now so pardon the seemingly curt nature of this post).

Oh did he? Bummer, I missed that.

@tbonenyc: Maybe I'm remembering it wrong but that's what I thought he said.

I won't be terribly disappointed if it doesn't get the GOTY main title, it'll surely get a nod in the negotiations.

To be honest it's not a style of game for everyone. I have personally complained about a lot of glitches - but yes if you spread it out there is maybe one every 20 or so hours. For me, it has no competitors that come close.

But it's only been out briefly, not everyone will enjoy the style, and it's all but impossible to bee line through the story. The story missions start requiring you to be level 15-19, is the highest I've seen so far. That is easily at least 50 hours right there.

I think Jeff just doesn't like those sort of games. I can't remember the last time Jeff spent any amount of time with a serious RPG. Persona 4 probably.

It seems jeff is doing the same thing with DA:I as he's just watching his gf play and seems to be looking for things he does not like above anything else. He also seem fixed on the subject of dragon age not being as popular as other series might be and no one really caring about the previous or this new game for some reason and generally seems to be looking for things to dislike and them being very vocal about these dislikes before even touching the game which is rather grating.

As for dragon age being GOTY I have to disagree because the game has alot of issues

Don't get me wrong, I'm really enjoying DA:I, but it is not game of the year. No way.

Inquisition might be my favourite game to come out this year, so I'd be delighted to see it do well in the GoTY deliberations, but getting worked up over the fact that it's not connecting with members of the staff is dumb. Their feelings don't invalidate your own, and it doesn't need to appear on a list in order to be recognised as a great game.

@conmulligan: mmm.... it helps if it appears on a list, but as you say, their opinions aren't a universal appraisal of the quality of the game.

If anything it should get a nod for 'Best Character We'd Want to Party With' with either Iron Bull or Varric.

Yo...opinions, and stuff.

No, really, I've never gotten why people get so worked up about the staff GOTY. It's very rarely something that is completely out of left field(bar maybe XCOM), nor is it ever something that is a terrible game. The same thing happened in the whole Skyrim/Saint's Row 3 argument a few years back. Both are great games in their own right, just play them both.

Eh, they're about on par. Witcher 2 is maybe a little bit better but not by much and I love Witcher 2 (read all the books as well).

Do you speak Polish or are you referring straight-faced to the broken english language version being vastly superior? To each their own I guess...

Worrying about what other people think about games you like is one of the sillier ways to spend your time.

@hassun: I find that The Witcher 2's console release reigniting interest in the game and bringing in new fans is similar to how the Souls games became popular long after it got released. Its kind of a weird phenomenon.

I haven't finished listening to the most recent Bombcast but reading that most of the staff spent more time complaining or nitpicking on Inquisition's issues/problems and only Patrick (because dammit, Patrick seems to be the only guy who is the most open minded about most game genres out of all of them) is the only one who really appreciates the game is only making me think that the game is going to get shafted early as well, which is understandable but still unfortunate. He hasn't even played the 2 previous games and he still likes it.

Inquisition is shaping up to be my GOTY as well and I haven't even finished it yet. I hope it just makes it to the top 10 ala Jeff with Syndicate (I liked Syndicate, too) or Brad with Dota 2.

The alternative would simply have been "Oh, right Witcher 2 won GB's GOTY. Cool. So, back to that thing with the eggs we were doing."

I don't see where the resentment is coming from. GOTY is among the top of the "meaningless awards" heap. It's just a fun thing to root for your favorites and listen to the crew state their cases. Why must it all be so damn serious? It's a roomful of people saying "I liked this game the most".

This games quality was pretty average to me so i could care less IMO.

It doesn't make any sense to me that you should care how many people agree with you how strongly about which was the best game of the year.
I don't know which I think was the best and it's not particularly important to me. As for DA:I... I like it, but I think that if an RPG is going to be GOTY it has to have better characters and story than Inquisition does. As with other Dragon Ages, it's mostly comfort food as far as my tastes are concerned. By the way, Skyrim was the best game of 2011.

Game of year, game that appeals the most and best to the whole crew. I would not consider dragon age though it is an OK game. Too much glitchiness. I would have said Halo if rereleases were ok and it wasn't fucked online. But right now, game of the year to me is Far Cry 4. Most fun I have had in a game.

And to be fair, I was shocked GTA V or Zelda didn't win Game of the Year last year. Last of Us? No way.

I like Dragon Age thus far. I think it's a welcome return to form for Bioware, a company I think has been guilty of phoning it in over the past few years and I'm excited to see where it goes. It might just end up somewhere pretty high on my personal Game of the Year list.

I've also long stopped getting upset when the GB crew acts dismissive of or otherwise ignores the kinds of games that I'm into (which is to say RPGs and strategy games), because they've been doing it for years. They have their tastes, which don't really converge with mine (though at some point I wonder what Brad and Jeff actually did like this year), and they have a job with a certain amount of time sensitivity. Dragon Age is a huge-ass game, easily 50+ hours. Bayonetta 2 is like 6-8 hours long if you play it on Normal.

It's not really that amazing so I'm fine with that.

spectacle over depth

This made me laugh though, cause that's DA:I in a nutshell

Forget the GotY awards; I'm just happy that DA:I is actually good. I would've been saltier than a MF if it was another Dragon Age II.

@bargainben: What was broken about it? I didn't notice anything particularly galling. I will say that the original comment by @fredchuckdave is a real overreach.

A contradiction, no?