Ten years in the past, the recipient of Recreation of the 12 months at Geoff Keighley’s inaugural The Recreation Awards was Dragon Age: Inquisition. This would possibly come as a shock. Whereas it was nicely acquired on the time, offered 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 yr, it was absolutely 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 improvement of a Dragon Age sequel on observe. Inquisition is just not 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 folks 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 must wait till we see opinions 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, Recreation of the 12 months is The Veilguard’s to lose.
First, think about {that a} new Dragon Age recreation has a pure benefit at The Recreation Awards, and never simply because the collection has gained earlier than. As I specified by my evaluation of what makes a Recreation of the 12 months, 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 bins. It’s additionally a extra snug proposition for the jury than a number of the different 2024 video games that tick the identical bins, like Capcom’s uncommon and divisive Dragon’s Dogma 2. If it opinions nicely sufficient — The Recreation 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 form of asterisk in opposition to it. Last 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 important 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 important fame — its Metascore of 85 is dangerously low for GOTY competition. Atlus’ Metaphor: ReFantazio is a forthcoming RPG with unbelievable buzz, but it surely’s a recreation by a developer working deep inside its area of interest quite than interesting to a wider viewers, as most GOTY winners have executed.
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 might have been a probable GOTY nominee, it might have competed strongly with The Veilguard for media protection and mindshare within the last months of 2024. When it comes to AAA single-player video games, BioWare and writer EA now have an virtually utterly clear run this fall, with no rivals to talk of.
The truth is, Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s greatest rival, and maybe the largest exterior roadblock it faces on its path to GOTY, is just not 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 anticipate 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 workforce appears to have taken its collection in the wrong way with The Veilguard, advertising and marketing it with a slick, extra action-focused model. Baldur’s Gate 3’s runaway success might be a great factor for The Veilguard general — 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 certain to be measuring The Veilguard’s achievements in opposition to these of a recreation that many are joyful to name a masterpiece. Baldur’s Gate 3 casts a protracted shadow.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard seems good; we’ve been very inspired by what we’ve performed to this point. When opinions hit, we are going to know whether or not it’s more likely to win Recreation of the 12 months. If it achieves a Metascore of 90 or extra, it might be silly to guess 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.
