Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • GamesRadar+ Replay
  • Mario Day deals
Don't miss these
A screenshot of Gustave in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, one of the best RPGs you can play in 2026
RPGs The 25 best RPGs worth playing in 2026
Dragon Age 2
Dragon Age Dragon Age 2 was originally planned to be "much bigger" before EA made other demands, says series lead
BG3
RPGs The future of RPGs is isometric
Fallout 1 power armor helmet
Fallout D&D's most annoying rule helped Fallout co-creator get big break at legendary RPG studio
Death Stranding Norman Reedus and baby
Games RPG legend advises new devs to be like Hideo Kojima and create their own style – or just "have a rich daddy"
Alabaster Dawn protagonist Juno lying in a white bed
Action RPGs One of the best pixel art RPGs ever made is getting a spiritual sequel, and I’ve been hooked on its Steam Next Fest demo
Macduff running from a monster during the upcoming PS5 game, Crimson Desert.
Open World Games Crimson Desert impresses some RPG fans with dialogue fast-forward feature, but leaves others asking "why" it's a thing
Darkhaven witch in orange and purple flames
Action RPGs Diablo creators' new action RPG feels like sampling bread by eating raw flour in rough Steam Next Fest demo
Fallout screenshots from Retro Gamer Magazine issue 186
Fallout Most of the original Fallout's humor was added just to make creator Tim Cain laugh: "We made this game for each other"
Fallout 1 screenshots
Fallout These isometric screenshots of Fallout 4 make me wish Bethesda would return to the genre's roots
best BioWare games
RPGs The 10 best BioWare games of all time
Highguard character in purple and black armor
FPS Games "There's no way this will flop": Laid-off Highguard dev says internal sentiment was high "but then the trailer came out"
A header for Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined showing Kiefer flexing
Dragon Quest Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined convinces Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi to do the unthinkable and drop FF14 for now
Fallout 4
Fallout Fallout co-creator showed the engine that would eventually power the RPG at a secret after-hours pizza party
Anthem
Action RPGs Anthem "did permanent damage to the careers of a lot of game devs" says Dragon Age veteran
  1. Games
  2. RPGs
  3. Dragon Age
  4. Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Dragon Age players think Fallout creator's video about the worst RPG ever made is about The Veilguard, but he says it wasn't targeting anyone unless it "helps you make a better game"

News
By Ashley Bardhan published 29 November 2024

Tim Cain knows what he's talking about

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard
(Image credit: EA, BioWare)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Tim Cain created Fallout, so he knows what it takes to make a good game that influences artists, developers, and players for decades. That means Cain also knows what a bad game is like. He says as much in a recent YouTube video.

"I'm going to talk about what I would consider to be [...] the worst RPG you could possibly make," Cain says. It involves beautiful, but unskippable, cutscenes, an unexplained stats system with too many numbers, and minigames.

"Pretty much, if you do it out of combat, there's a minigame for it," Cain says, vindicating minigame haters (me) worldwide. 

You may like
  • Arcanum Fallout co-creator warns devs that adding more features will always make other parts of their games worse
  • Fallout Fallout co-creator Tim Cain says "there's so much arguing" about games to the point some fans and devs are leaving altogether
  • Arcanum Fallout co-creator Tim Cain says "realism" complaints are often caused by game worlds breaking their own rules

Cain abhors limited combat styles, too, along with linear storylines, and generally anything that prevents a player from forming a unique, personal bond with a game. But even though Cain began his video with the assertion that this mythically awful RPG is something he invented in his head, many gleeful commenters tried guessing what real game or developer Cain might be referencing. 

"Square Enix corporate watching this: 'WRITE THIS ALL DOWN! WRITE IT DOWN NOW!!!'" one popular comment says.

"Sounds like Tim played [Dragon Age: The] Veilguard last night," says another reply, which echoes many other commenters' belief that Cain is undoubtedly talking about the newest Dragon Age title. 

Cain resists these comments, and comments like them, in a follow-up video posted on YouTube Shorts. 

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

"Many, many people left comments saying, 'Oh, I know! You're talking about this RPG!'" Cain says. "So, if you're asking me [if you were] right, is this the game I was thinking of? Well, if it helps you make a better game: you're right."

"I KNEW you were talking about Madden 2008!" says a top reply. 

Be sure to check out our Dragon Age: The Veilguard review to find out why it's one of 2024's best RPGs.

CATEGORIES
PS5 Xbox Series X PC Gaming Platforms PlayStation Xbox
Ashley Bardhan
Ashley Bardhan
Social Links Navigation
Senior Writer

Ashley is a Senior Writer at GamesRadar+. She's been a staff writer at Kotaku and Inverse, too, and she's written freelance pieces about horror and women in games for sites like Rolling Stone, Vulture, IGN, and Polygon. When she's not covering gaming news, she's usually working on expanding her doll collection while watching Saw movies one through 11.

Read more
Arcanum
Fallout co-creator warns devs that adding more features will always make other parts of their games worse
 
 
Fallout
Fallout co-creator Tim Cain says "there's so much arguing" about games to the point some fans and devs are leaving altogether
 
 
Arcanum
Fallout co-creator Tim Cain says "realism" complaints are often caused by game worlds breaking their own rules
 
 
Fallout 1 power armor helmet
D&D's most annoying rule helped Fallout co-creator get big break at legendary RPG studio
 
 
Fallout overseer
Fallout co-creator Tim Cain explains why he's not making more new IPs: "Other people have made way more money"
 
 
Fallout screenshots from Retro Gamer Magazine issue 186
Most of the original Fallout's humor was added just to make creator Tim Cain laugh: "We made this game for each other"
 
 
Latest in Dragon Age
Dragon Age 2
Dragon Age 2 was originally planned to be "much bigger" before EA made other demands, says series lead
 
 
Dragon Age: The Veilguard screenshot featuring one possible male Rook
Former Dragon Age lead argues AAA games have become "too homogenous," and they might push fans toward accepting Gen AI
 
 
Dragon Age's The Inquisitor actor knows the character is "probably not coming back," but sees a world where BioWare brings back all protagonists "Avengers Assemble-style"
 
 
A cropped screenshot of characters attacking a dragon in Dragon Age: Origins - Ultimate Edition.
"EA has a huge repository of dormant IPs that are just sitting there" after $55 billion buyout, says former Dragon Age and Anthem producer, so it could make better "financial sense" to sell studios instead of shutting them down
 
 
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Former Dragon Age director says it's "hard to imagine" BioWare pivoting from "very progressive messaging to having the reverse" following EA's $55 billion buyout, and public perception not being "apocalyptically bad" if it did
 
 
Commander Shepard in Mass Effect
EA goes $20 billion in debt as part of its $55 billion buyout, and the BioWare fans who've already waited 8 years for Mass Effect 5 are terrified of how the company might cut costs
 
 
Latest in News
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
"They're not good enough," joke devs behind "self-feeding" horror giant stuck in the Steam Top 50 while others rot
 
 
Donkey Kong Bananza
Donkey Kong Bananza devs admit the blatantly OP elephant transformation "probably went too far," but "it's fun"
 
 
Dragon Age
The best narrative designers are being inspired by the "excellent" design of your uncontrollable horniness
 
 
The Simpsons: Hit and Run
The Simpsons showrunner is a maybe on a Hit & Run revival: "If we know people want it, never say never"
 
 
The X-Men facing off for a basketball game
X-Men '97 season 2 gets a comic book prequel that Marvel promises is "vital" to the next chapter of the animated series
 
 
Fortnite
Epic Games defends Fortnite's controversial V-Bucks price hike, teasing "amazing things" are coming
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
    1
    "They're not good enough," joke devs behind "self-feeding" horror giant stuck in the Steam Top 50 while others rot
  2. 2
    Donkey Kong Bananza devs admit the blatantly OP elephant transformation "probably went too far," but "it's fun"
  3. 3
    The best narrative designers are being inspired by the "excellent" design of your uncontrollable horniness
  4. 4
    3 new to Netflix movies I recommend you watch this weekend (March 14–March 15)
  5. 5
    X-Men '97 season 2 gets a comic book prequel that Marvel promises is "vital" to the next chapter of the animated series

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...