Ten years in the past, the recipient of Sport of the Yr at Geoff Keighley’s inaugural The Sport Awards was Dragon Age: Inquisition. This would possibly come as a shock. Whereas it was nicely acquired on the time, bought nicely, and stays beloved by many followers, Inquisition occupies a clumsy spot in gaming tradition.
In 2014, it was overshadowed by noisy on-line sensations like Hearthstone and Future; the next 12 months, it was totally supplanted because the standard-bearer for epic role-playing video games by The Witcher 3. It additionally sits firmly within the shade of what occurred subsequent to its developer, BioWare, which spent the next decade wrestling with the failures of Mass Impact: Andromeda and Anthem, and struggling to maintain growth of a Dragon Age sequel on observe. Inquisition isn’t forgotten, precisely, however nor has it taken a everlasting spot within the gaming canon. It’s only a recreation that got here out as soon as and that some individuals performed.
So it might sound odd to foretell that the Dragon Age collection is about to win its second consecutive GOTY. However, whereas I’m not fairly prepared to try this — that should wait till we see critiques for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which has an Oct. 31 launch date — the reality is that the celebrities are completely aligned for BioWare to repeat that feat. At this stage, Sport of the Yr is The Veilguard’s to lose.
First, take into account {that a} new Dragon Age recreation has a pure benefit at The Sport Awards, and never simply because the collection has received earlier than. As I specified by my evaluation of what makes a Sport of the Yr, TGA’s voting jury has a very sturdy inclination towards single-player video games in both the RPG or action-adventure classes, ideally with sturdy narrative and efficiency components, and ideally with AAA manufacturing values. Dragon Age: The Veilguard ticks all these containers. It’s additionally a extra snug proposition for the jury than among the different 2024 video games that tick the identical containers, like Capcom’s uncommon and divisive Dragon’s Dogma 2. If it critiques nicely sufficient — The Sport Awards’ giant jury is usually composed of critics from the video games media — it ought to simply safe a GOTY nomination.
Secondly, most of The Veilguard’s competitors has some sort of asterisk towards it. Closing Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the present frontrunner, is already fading within the reminiscence; it was launched in February, and it didn’t promote spectacularly nicely. Astro Bot is a vital darling, however as a story-free, family-friendly platforming romp, it belongs to a style that TGA traditionally doesn’t take that severely. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Knowledge is a minor entry within the collection with a barely wobbly vital fame — its Metascore of 85 is dangerously low for GOTY rivalry. Atlus’ Metaphor: ReFantazio is a forthcoming RPG with incredible buzz, but it surely’s a recreation by a developer working deep inside its area of interest slightly than interesting to a wider viewers, as most GOTY winners have accomplished.
As if that weren’t sufficient, different potential contenders have vacated the body. Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle’s December launch date is after TGA’s cutoff. Extra considerably, Murderer’s Creed Shadows has been delayed into subsequent 12 months. Whether or not or not it might have been a possible GOTY nominee, it might have competed strongly with The Veilguard for media protection and mindshare within the remaining months of 2024. When it comes to AAA single-player video games, BioWare and writer EA now have an virtually fully clear run this fall, with no rivals to talk of.
The truth is, Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s largest rival, and maybe the most important exterior roadblock it faces on its path to GOTY, isn’t a brand new launch however a former winner. Baldur’s Gate 3 received GOTY in 2023, was universally acclaimed by critics, and redefined what many gamers count on from a standard fantasy RPG. Its hardcore recreation mechanics, sturdy hyperlinks to tabletop gaming, and emphasis on participant freedom captured the second, whereas the Dragon Age group appears to have taken its collection in the wrong way with The Veilguard, advertising it with a slick, extra action-focused fashion. Baldur’s Gate 3’s runaway success might be a superb factor for The Veilguard total — it’s confirmed that a big viewers hungry for meaty RPG campaigns nonetheless exists. However, by way of its GOTY probabilities, the jury is certain to be measuring The Veilguard’s achievements towards these of a recreation that many are comfortable to name a masterpiece. Baldur’s Gate 3 casts an extended shadow.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard seems good; we’ve been very inspired by what we’ve performed to this point. When critiques hit, we are going to know whether or not it’s prone to win Sport of the Yr. If it achieves a Metascore of 90 or extra, it might be silly to guess towards it. There are only a few obstacles to The Veilguard repeating the trick Inquisition pulled off in 2014. It simply must be good.
