Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

I have been working on playing some of these older games and have been pleasantly surprised when comparing to a lot of newer games. I'm a big fan of progression and feeling like I'm going somewhere in a game and this definitely scratches that itch.

This is by far one of my favorites rpgs of all time.

Way better than the Witcher 2. I recently tried that Pure JANK. I'm digging DD.

Dragon's Dogma was a mild disappointment to me for much of its early to mid game. In the beginning the strength of the combat system is lost as you fight generic goblins, bandits and wolves. A little later on you get your first taste of the excitement of hunting larger, more fearsome prey. That excitement gradually fades as the same few big beasties are repeatedly reused. It wasn't until the main game's final chapter and into Dark Arisen that I felt that enemy diversity had finally reached a satisfying level. The game's story follows a similar path. It creates intrigue in the opening scenes before quickly retreating into quests typical of open world RPGs in their lower levels. Moving forward the plot lingers too long in predictable "Chosen One" territory. Again, it is not until the final climactic chapter that the strange relationship between Dragons and Arisen is delved into in a compelling way. NPCs are mostly used to spur exploration though a small number of them get side quest chains dedicated to fleshing out their character. Your protagonist is the silent type but is instilled with a sense of belonging as "cousin" to several residents in the opening fishing village. The system invites you to experiment with swapping among 9 different classes for yourself and 6 for your sidekick. Better weapons are discovered regularly but new armor can be so similar that it becomes hard to justify replacing an old, fully upgraded piece. End game and Dark Arisen equipment ramps up the advancement rate and nicely scratches the loot hunting itch. The world of Gransys is varied and seems large for a while. Quick travel is very useful but can be easy to miss (check your in game storage for free DLC items). Voice work is generally quite good, though be prepared for repetition. A competent orchestral soundtrack made me happy to return to certain areas for their music. Graphically the game is realistic with some very enjoyable equipment designs and character customization options.

I've been on the fence about the game for several years and finally pulled the plug a couple of days ago. What followed was a disappointment through and through. 1. The game is dated. It didn't age well and it constantly shows. The animations are janky, graphics are subpar even for the release year. It doesn't look good. 2. The combat is extremely shallow. Maybe I didn't give it enough time to develop, but 4 hours in, as an archer-type character, the only thing I was doing is holdinh one button to aim and hitting the other repeatedly to shoot. It is not engaging, it is not smart and the enemy AI is easily abusable. It is only marginally better than what you get in Skyrim, but it isn't a tall mountain to climb. 3. Pawn System. It is... interesting, but it doesn't really make up for everything else. The first time you get to play with it, it looks like something very cool and the way you can get other player's pawns is also pretty neat, but at the end of the day, it is NPC companions that don't have much in terms of character or personal stories. As a sandbox mechanic it is pretty innovative and enjoyable. As a replacement for fully-written companions you get even in mediocre RPGs like DA:I, it is not up to the task. The end result is janky, poorly aged, boring action-RPG which doesn't even get the action part right. If you are a fan of exploration or other things people often highlight in games like Skyrim, you might actually like Dragon's Dogma. If you like a different type of RPG, with interesting characters, great story and a less button-mashy and more decision-maky combat, I can't recommend this game. If you like action-RPGs like Dark Souls, Nier:Automata or Shadow of War, I also can't recommend this game. At least these games get the action part well and either require some skill or just look bloody amazing. Hopefully my review will help you make a good decision for yourself and maybe thing I see as negatives will be seen as positives by you.