The Queue: I am staying out of this fight

They’re adults. They can figure it out themselves. (Probably.)

I’ll just be over here with my newest library book. I’ve got plenty of reading to do. (Don’t ask about my library list.)

Bless you good sir for giving me this softball question. I am old and tired and I appreciate this kindness.

I think it is dumb.

I thought the old name was dumb. Dreadwolf gives away the game before it even starts. The name, by itself, is a partial spoiler for Inquisition, and there are apparently people who have not yet played Inquisition (Anna) and think it is now pointless to play because they know what happens (also Anna). As a title, Dreadwolf is a bland statement of what is obvious to anyone who played Dragon Age: Inquisition: we’re going after Solas. We have to go after Solas. There’s nothing to do except go after Solas.

But BioWare decided to name the game Dreadwolf. It is too late to undo the fact that it was a bland title with a stupid logo. (The new title also has a stupid 80s-neon style logo, so apparently there’s simply no help for that.) It is too late.

Objectively, I think Veilguard is a better name. I see it and immediately wonder: what is a Veilgaurd? Where do they come from? Are they Mages? Are they Templars? How does one even guard a millennias-old magical barrier?

The what is probably obvious. They are probably exactly as their name suggests, an organization dedicated to guarding the barrier between Thedas and the magical world; literal Veil guards. We haven’t heard of such an organization before, but as we’ve had some experience in the Fade, and learned the consequences of tearing the Veil down, perhaps there has long been an organization quietly dedicated to its protection. It teases something we don’t know, suggests a group we are to join, form, or fight for.

Dreadwolf states a fact. Veilgaurd suggests an unknown, and what is unknown always begs to be known. Even though they both, in their way, speak directly to the ending of Inquisition, Veilguard does so more overtly, suggesting something we will do in the future rather than something we have done in the past. (I said what I said.)

I never liked Dreadwolf as a title, but it’s too late to change it.

It’s been ten years since Dragon Age: Inquisition was released, and two years since the name Dragon Age: Dreadwolf was announced. It’s too late. You made the decision to name your game, and now you have to stick with it.

Or, well, apparently not, as BioWare has renamed the game. But I feel that after the first splashy public announcement of your game’s title, it’s too late to rename it.

If Blizzard was going to stop making WoW Classic, they would have done it before Cataclysm. That was the big change point that marked a real need for Classic, because it quite literally destroyed what the game had once been, with no way to go back and visit those places.

But Classic, with its older style of gameplay, remains popular. Not everyone enjoys modern class design, and it’s certainly fun to go back and leap through the levels with your friends, the same but also different than it was all those years ago. Classic has a different audience than retail, and Blizzard has commented that there isn’t much overlap.

Remix skips a lot of what made Mists of Pandaria Mists of Pandaria. Huge chunks of content have been ripped out to simplify the experience. (The original Vale, the farm and its many quests, the whole of the cooking profession, the Legendary cloak quests…)  Weird new powers have been added. The Infinite Dragonflight is everywhere. This isn’t WoW or WoW Classic, it’s WoW Remix, something very different from both.

That’s a lot of words to say that this does not stand in the way of Classic Pandaria, with a more authentic experience, including Pandaria classes and the huge chunk of the expansion dedicated to growing, cooking, and eating food. I’m positive Mists of Pandaria will hit Classic in a couple of years, like all the expansions that proceeded it. And, in the meanwhile, retail players might get new WoW Remix expansions to give us something to do during downtime.

The two games would have very different gameplay and very different audiences. I don’t think there’s as much overlap between them as it might seem from the duplicate name.

When the event ends, all of your gear will be replaced with generic gear that’s appropriate for your level. If you’re at level 70, you’ll receive a full set of ilevel 415 gear.

Dr. Pepper milkshake. Whataburger has these, but only seasonally, and I’ve never been clear on what “season” Dr. Pepper is associated with. (It’s an all-season drink!)

What about you?

Well, that seems to be it for today. Summer Game Fest and the many associated events that follow it is only a few hours away, so let’s all hope for some exciting news. No doubt all of our wishlists will be brimming with games by the time we’re back with a new Queue on Monday.

Take care of yourselves and I’ll see you all next week!