Dragon's Dogma (Pc) Review

[TheErebus.]

Ok before I start, lemme just say that I have played this game a lot on the PS3 so I'm not surprised by a lot of the game.

 

Story: The story of Dragon's Dogma is a mixed bag. The premise is very interesting, however you'll find yourself not caring much for the story in the second act of the game. Now the ending is something I wont spoil but it is very interesting and quite a nice twist. 

 

That's just the main game, the DLC storyline is a lot better with lore that I love to bits.

 

Gameplay: IT'S ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I know I praise Souls style gameplay and Monster Hunter gameplay a lot, but Dragon's Dogma does this aspect of the game phenomenally well. You have 8 or 9 classes that all have very different and unique gameplay styles. You start out with the Fighter (Sword and shield), Strider (Bow and daggers) and the Mage (staff and MAGIC). Each of the classes have skills that cost stamina to use but can assist you and your companions greatly.

 

And that's just the starting classes, later you have Warriors who use greatswords, Magick Knights who use swords and shields that can cast support magic and Sorcerers WHO CAN MAKE METEORS FALL FROM THE SKY.

 

What's even better is that the monsters in the game are quite dynamic with how you fight them. Instead of hitting their ankles until their hearts explode, you can instead climb up top of them and attack any part of their body.

 

Wanna make a cyclops drop his club? 
Climb up to his hand and hit it enough times to make him drop it.

 

Wanna force a Gryphon onto the ground? 

Hang onto him in mid-air and whack him enough times to force him back on the ground.

 

In the game, you have companions called Pawns. You can make your own main pawn and customize them however you wish (pawns cannot be hybrid classes, so Assassin/Magick Knight and Magick Archer are not allowed). You can have 3 Pawns by your side and the other 2 can be recruited via the Rift. These other two can be pawns from your friend's list or from anyone else around the world.

 

Oh and STAY AWAY FROM BITTERBLACK ISLE. I AM WARNING YOU, IF YOU THINK DARK SOULS IS HARD, BITTERBLACK ISLE WILL RUIN YOUR SOUL.

 

Graphics: 60 FPS and boy is this game beautiful. On the PS3 it looked meh, but here it looks damn good. 

 

Music: I find the music to be hit and miss. Some tracks are awesome but some others are meh. MY personal favorite is the theme of the Condemned Cyclops. It reminds me of a track you'd hear in Monster Hunter and it makes me feel pumped up.

 

Conclusion: If you want to experience a damn good RPG with awesome gameplay and great replayability then purchase Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen.

 

If you wanna use my pawn, feel free to add me on Steam.

http://steamcommunity.com/id/Erebis

 

[tehgreg]

I remember playing this game on PS3 and I was disgusted by how much HP enemies had. I mean, it wasn't hard as it wasy to dodge enemy attacks but I was doing so little damage that first two fights were like few minutes long. It felt more like a chore than playing a game for fun.

 

That, or I was doing something wrong.

[TheErebus.]

I remember playing this game on PS3 and I was disgusted by how much HP enemies had. I mean, it wasn't hard as it wasy to dodge enemy attacks but I was doing so little damage that first two fights were like few minutes long. It felt more like a chore than playing a game for fun.

 

That, or I was doing something wrong.

Yeah you'd have the rusted weapons at first which are weak, hence why the mage with you boosted you with fire damage. 

After that, it's just a matter of upgrades and weapon replacing.

[Kalvorax]

it really is a great game. I got it 2 days before it was released and I've got to say....its basically like Monster Hunter....but for PC :P and a bit more dynamic.

[Kai_Shiba]

Dragons Dogma will always be my favorite RPG of all time. It's so good OH!

 

 

 

 

 

Arc of Deliverance is the best

[Pharen]

Ok before I start, lemme just say that I have played this game a lot on the PS3 so I'm not surprised by a lot of the game.

-snippy-

 

Bitterblack aint that bad once you're strong enough. But I wouldn't recommend setting foot there before level 80.

 

 

 

Also although the port is very good IMO, there are a few little issues I've experienced that others in the steam forums have:

 

Random crash - Very infrequent, not sure what causes it, only had it happen twice in 24 hours of gameplay.

 

Generic controller numbering - If you use any other controller than an xbox controller you will get number labels instead of the usual xbox or playstation symbols, just a little nitpick.

 

And lastly, through HDMI I am finding I am getting very low sound output and have to turn my TV up a fair way to get to a reasonable level, no issues when using a headset.

 

 

I remember playing this game on PS3 and I was disgusted by how much HP enemies had. I mean, it wasn't hard as it wasy to dodge enemy attacks but I was doing so little damage that first two fights were like few minutes long. It felt more like a chore than playing a game for fun.

 

That, or I was doing something wrong.

Yeah, you'll find weapons and enhancements scale up dramatically which is why all early game battles take a bit of time to complete. My first encounters with the drake and ogre took more than 15 minutes to beat.

 

 

 

Also to any that want a strong pawn with a lot of knowledge feel free to add me too:

http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198032791907

 

I 100% completed everything in the 360 version of the game including all side quests so I know how to efficiently gain levels and how to access all the numerous hidden missions in the game, and where almost all items in the game can be located/farmed off the back of my hand. (there's also a decent wiki if you get stuck)

 

(however I did miss out a few side quests for my first run through for anyone going to point that out, mainly because they don't really offer a decent reward, and I missed one quest because I had the forgets, and forgot that entering the dukes demesne cancelled one of the quests, my derp on that one). But the game is made to be played through mutliple times so it's no biggie. Especially since you won't be strong enough to enter the bitterblack isle on your first playthrough unless you did some serious grinding.

[Kalvorax]

Bitterblack aint that bad once you're strong enough. But I wouldn't recommend setting foot there before level 80.

 

 

 

Also although the port is very good IMO, there are a few little issues I've experienced that others in the steam forums have:

 

Random crash - Very infrequent, not sure what causes it, only had it happen twice in 24 hours of gameplay.

 

Generic controller numbering - If you use any other controller than an xbox controller you will get number labels instead of the usual xbox or playstation symbols, just a little nitpick.

 

And lastly, through HDMI I am finding I am getting very low sound output and have to turn my TV up a fair way to get to a reasonable level, no issues when using a headset.

 

 

Yeah, you'll find weapons and enhancements scale up dramatically which is why all early game battles take a bit of time to complete. My first encounters with the drake and ogre took more than 15 minutes to beat.

 

 

 

Also to any that want a strong pawn with a lot of knowledge feel free to add me too:

http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198032791907

 

I 100% completed everything in the 360 version of the game including all side quests so I know how to efficiently gain levels and how to access all the numerous hidden missions in the game, and where almost all items in the game can be located/farmed off the back of my hand. (there's also a decent wiki if you get stuck)

 

(however I did miss out a few side quests for my first run through for anyone going to point that out, mainly because they don't really offer a decent reward, and I missed one quest because I had the forgets, and forgot that entering the dukes demesne cancelled one of the quests, my derp on that one). But the game is made to be played through mutliple times so it's no biggie. Especially since you won't be strong enough to enter the bitterblack isle on your first playthrough unless you did some serious grinding.

good amount of advice :)

sent a request.

[Pharen]

Thought I might make a little guide for new players based upon things I've learned in game.

 

1. All escort quests/side missions from peddlers are beneficial (at least the first time you do them) they either unlock quests for them in future or improve there inventory.

 

2. Backtracking to places you've been can get you quests that otherwise will be lost, (there are quests in game that can only be started and completed between other quests, also a lot of the dukes quests will cancel other quests)

 

3. Always check the bounty boards (there are often generic bounties you will do without even targetting them, like kill 10 harpies, you're gonna do it during normal play anyway, may as well get a cash and XP bonus for it too)

 

4. Your pawn AI improves when they use certain techniques/items on enemies (finding a weakness or a strength of each enemy will make your ally smarter and more capable in combat, think of them as children, you have to teach them to make them smarter)

 

5. Gather all you can carry, you can always discard items when you need to. (Keeping an item you don't think you need might come in useful later for upgrades, crafting or quests)

 

6. Remember to set your portcrystals (port crystals can be found in a number of places but only respawn once per playthrough) for fast travel, collect your eternal ferrystone from your storage for infinite fast travel to the two major towns (once unlocked) and the portcrystals. Portcrystals can be found in a room in the shadow fort, the basement of the hillfigure knoll, in the bluemoon tower at the top, and some other places. (you can use Portcrystals to cheese escort missions)

 

7. Don't forget to do the witch mission at the start (this gets a seperate section just due to how important it is), basically straight after you fight the hydra for the first time, backtrack to Cassardis and you'll hear your friend has gone missing, ask around and then go after the Witchwood. There will be some tough battles, but you need to do this before you escort the trophy to Gran Soren or you'll cancel the quest which blocks a lot of quests after and some rare resources needed for other quests, upgrades, and bounties. (Don't worry if you've missed it, there's always new game plus, and the game is designed for multpile playthroughs.)

 

8. The waters of the Miasmic haunt/Barta Crags are only poisonous during the daytime (when it is not poisonous there are glowing things floating in the air above it).

 

9. Monster and loot spawn can change during nighttime and night enemies can be more dangerous.

 

10. This highly detailed map:

Edited January 20, 2016 by Pharen

[Brynslustafir]

I bought it, but I'm too busy to play it. Halp. 

[Pharen]

I bought it, but I'm too busy to play it. Halp. 

MAKE TIME

 

 

 

Well I have officially 100% completed everything in the main game and are heading to the expansion (sooo much easier the second time through). Only thing I have left to beat is the online UrDragon which is gonna be a pain with nearly 2 billion health. The bitterblack is a lot harder this time around for me too, since I entered at level 120 last time, I'm only 70 at the moment.

 

 

 

 

Just gonna add this steam FAQ as it can be very useful, (e.g. I wanted to backup my save in case of corruption and the game only supports one save due to the pawn system) https://steamcommunity.com/app/367500/discussions/0/487877107137271918/

Edited January 24, 2016 by Pharen