Luckily, that seems a challenge that Inquisition is poised to deliver on - if the early reviews are anything to go by.
The strengths of Inquisition are clear to EA and BioWare, given that reviews have dropped a full week ahead of release. A bounce back year was expected, as the studio sought to silence critics and take fan feedback to heart, while establishing a foundation for all future BioWare games released in this new era of console gaming.
Although the early reviews take some issue with aspects of the game - its core story, the mysterious forces driving events, or even the overhauled combat systems - they seem to agree that in the genre of open world adventures, Dragon Age Inquisition is a return to form for both the studio and series.
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Joystiq (Alexander Sliwinski):
Score: 5/5
National Post (Chad Sapieha):
Score: 9.5/10
Even with its heaping helping of bugs, Dragon Age: Inquisition is very likely the best game of 2014. It’s a rich, expansive, and beautiful fantasy RPG that meets virtually all the expectations gamers have collectively heaped upon software made for eighth generation consoles."
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Polygon (Philip Kollar):
Score: 9.5/10
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Shacknews (Steven Wong):
Score: 8/10
Destructoid (Chris Carter):
Score: 8.5/10
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Games Radar (Maxwell McGee):
Score: 4/5
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PC Gamer (Phil Savage):
Score: 87/100
IGN (Vince Ingenito):
Score: 8.8/10
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Game Informer (Joe Juba):
Score: 9.5/10
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Gamespot (Kevin VanOrd):
Score: 9/10
As expectations for the biggest brands and sequels seem to lead to more disappointment than satisfaction these days, it’s rare for a game with as much pressure to perform as Inquisition to truly… well, perform. But it sounds like the developers have done their best to exceed the hopes of players and mass audiences, if anything. That may have been necessary to erase any lingering doubts from devoted players’ minds, but it means good things for gamers everywhere.
Do you find the overwhelmingly positive reviews surprising, or did you count on BioWare to over-achieve with this installment in the Dragon Age series? Will you be picking up a copy to lose yourself in Thedas for dozens of hours, or tackle the multiplayer modes with friends?
Dragon Age Inquisition officially releases on November 18, 2014 for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.
