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 may come as a shock. Whereas it was properly acquired on the time, offered properly, and stays beloved by many followers, Inquisition occupies an ungainly spot in gaming tradition.
In 2014, it was overshadowed by noisy on-line sensations like Hearthstone and Future; the next yr, 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 will not be forgotten, precisely, however nor has it taken a everlasting spot within the gaming canon. It’s only a sport that got here out as soon as and that some folks performed.
So it may appear odd to foretell that the Dragon Age sequence is about to win its second consecutive GOTY. However, whereas I’m not fairly prepared to try this — that should wait till we see evaluations 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, think about {that a} new Dragon Age sport has a pure benefit at The Sport Awards, and never simply because the sequence has gained earlier than. As I specified by my evaluation of what makes a Sport of the Yr, TGA’s voting jury has a very robust inclination towards single-player video games in both the RPG or action-adventure classes, ideally with robust narrative and efficiency components, and ideally with AAA manufacturing values. Dragon Age: The Veilguard ticks all these packing containers. It’s additionally a extra comfy proposition for the jury than among the different 2024 video games that tick the identical packing containers, like Capcom’s uncommon and divisive Dragon’s Dogma 2. If it evaluations properly sufficient — The Sport Awards’ massive jury is generally 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 in opposition to it. Remaining Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the present frontrunner, is already fading within the reminiscence; it was launched in February, and it didn’t promote spectacularly properly. Astro Bot is a important darling, however as a story-free, family-friendly platforming romp, it belongs to a style that TGA traditionally doesn’t take that critically. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Knowledge is a minor entry within the sequence with a barely wobbly important status — its Metascore of 85 is dangerously low for GOTY rivalry. Atlus’ Metaphor: ReFantazio is a forthcoming RPG with implausible buzz, nevertheless it’s a sport by a developer working deep inside its area of interest reasonably 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 yr. Whether or not or not it could have been a possible GOTY nominee, it could have competed strongly with The Veilguard for media protection and mindshare within the closing months of 2024. By way of AAA single-player video games, BioWare and writer EA now have an nearly utterly clear run this fall, with no rivals to talk of.
The truth is, Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s greatest rival, and maybe the most important exterior roadblock it faces on its path to GOTY, will not be a brand new launch however a former winner. Baldur’s Gate 3 gained GOTY in 2023, was universally acclaimed by critics, and redefined what many gamers count on from a standard fantasy RPG. Its hardcore sport mechanics, robust hyperlinks to tabletop gaming, and emphasis on participant freedom captured the second, whereas the Dragon Age workforce appears to have taken its sequence 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 great factor for The Veilguard total — it’s confirmed that a big viewers hungry for meaty RPG campaigns nonetheless exists. However, when it comes to its GOTY possibilities, the jury is sure to be measuring The Veilguard’s achievements in opposition to these of a sport that many are pleased to name a masterpiece. Baldur’s Gate 3 casts an extended shadow.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard appears good; we’ve been very inspired by what we’ve performed up to now. When evaluations hit, we’ll know whether or not it’s more likely to win Sport of the Yr. If it achieves a Metascore of 90 or extra, it could be silly to wager in opposition to it. There are only a few obstacles to The Veilguard repeating the trick Inquisition pulled off in 2014. It simply must be good.
