Dragon's Dogma is basically a Japanese attempt at modern western-style sandbox RPGs. In some ways it's quite quirky but in others it is just amazing and it is simply sad that so many years since its release developers still haven't really learned form this game. Dragon's Dogma offers a pretty large, albeit rather generic fantasy world which is threatened by a dragon. In terms of quests and characters the game has very little going for it. Most quests are just simple "get x" or "kill y" stuff. And pretty much all characters are underdeveloped which is quite painful because some of them showed promise. HOWEVER, where the game really shines are the combat, character customisation and loot. First off: we got two characters that we can fully customise and whose classes and active abilities and passive bonuses we can always change. The extra character is an AI-controlled pawn who can be hired by other players and likewise we can always hire up to two pawns of other players, so we're pretty much always on an epic quest with a band of unique companions. The pawns may not be interesting characters but they prove great allies during combat. Most importantly, however, the combat itself is some of the best in the genre. Fighting gangs of goblins, bandits or the undead is fun enough but fighting the massive boss monsters like cyclopes, griffins and dragons is one of the best gaming experiences one can have. It's Shadow of the Colossus on steroids, with you and your pawns tackling these massive beasts together, climbing them to stab them in their weak spots while archers and mages provide support from a distance or cast devastating spells, and all of this while epic orchestral themes make you feel like the ultimate badass hero. And finally there's a crapload of unique items which are just fun to collect and upgrade and allow you to give your characters a really unique appearance. Anyone interested in a more exciting action-oriented take on the genre has to give this game a try.
I am actually quite a fan of the Delta Force series and that's all the more reason why I must tell you: stay away from this one. The first time I fired up this game I felt that something was off, already the main menu felt kinda cheap compared to the previous titles and it got only worse during the game. I soon figured out why: this entry in the series was a rushed title developed by a third party at the height of the Taliban scare. It is nothing more than a low quality standalone expansion for Delta Force: Land Warrior set in Afghanistan that doesn't really add anything of its own and even removes things from the earlier titles. While all previous titles offered diverse scenarios set in different theatres of war Task Force Dagger only takes place in Afghanistan and you will only shoot the exact same turban-wearing eye-patched Islamist pirate over and over again. The locations are, maybe due to the pursuit of extra realism or due to the team's lack of experience, brutally underwhelming and boring and there's a lot of copy + paste going on with the interiors (even by the standards of the series). The missions themselves are, with maybe one exception, superbly generic, and I don't see how anyone could not get bored a few missions in. Frequent reuse of maps also doesn't help. From what I recall you're also always on your own, the coordinated operations with other AI-controlled operatives are gone. And what probably hurt me most was that there's no sense of direction or progress in the game. Especially the previous game, Land Warrior, really upped the ante and threw some pretty climactic over-the-top missions at you, towards the end. Here it's just mission after mission and then it ends, without having seen anything that you haven't seen a million times in the series already. Do your self a favour and skip this one. As it stands it's only of value as a document of the political atmosphere of the times it was released in.
