Dragon's Dogma

Dragon's Dogma 2 is a worthy successor to the phenomenal Dark Arisen. Capcom managed to improve the game on every front while preserving the spirit of a classic fantasy RPG adventure set in a living open world.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is an incredible fantasy RPG that immerses you into a living and breathing world full of memorable NPCs and terrifying monsters. It often starts to feel old-fashioned in its gameplay design, but you can find the charm in it after many hours of gameplay.

You have to hand it to Capcom: it's releasing Dragon's Dogma at just the right time. Six months after The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and ahead of the traditional summer drought, it has the PS3 adventure landscape all to itself. Thankfully it's got quality as well as good timing.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 has finally graced us. The 2012 cult classic has sparked both excitement and controversy among fans and critics alike but with a bigger budget and lessons learnt, we can finally see these kingdoms blossom. Developed by Capcom, this open-world fantasy RPG promises a rich adventure, exploration, and intricate combat mechanics. However, there are surface-level concerns that may steal the hearts of those eager to jump into this deep game.

Hark, what flame against starlit backdrop breaks? It is the dragon's, and it burns for thee, for me, and for all other creatures under heaven's firmament. For in sooth, is there aught in Gransys that does not fear fire?

It’s a strange game, Dragon’s Dogma; it does some really brave and interesting things, but it also feels unfinished, with technical problems that often spoil things. The combat, though, is one of the best real-time RPG fighting systems around, with flexibility and variety that carries the whole game. It deserves to be complemented by an absorbing fantasy world and an array of well-written quests and characters, but instead the quests get repetitive and the fiction is soporific. Dragon’s Dogma has the scale and challenge of a great action RPG, but not the character or polish. Nonetheless, if y...

Dragon's Dogma is an interesting, ambitious and thought-provoking effort, but it's not the all-conquering RPG Capcom hoped for.

As it stands, Dragon's Dogma 2 is a good action RPG with some thrilling monster combat. However, it could be so much more. Technical issues and some poor design choices hold back what could've been a truly fantastic game. There's still hope for it to become that, but this never should've been a concern in the first place.

Dragon’s Dogma will not be a game for everyone, be sure of that. It’s a classic love it or hate it tale. In fact, more than likely its many design quirks will even annoy those that do enjoy it overall. That makes it hard to call the game any which way. Yet, there is certainly a quality to be found here. It’s a missed opportunity towards something grander, but at least it tried its hardest to walk in uncharted territory. Better luck next time.

Dragon's Dogma has many flaws - and, in general, comes across as unpolished and unfinished. Some RPGs find themselves choosing between gameplay and story. The key to a successful RPG is finding a balance, but Dragon's Dogma chose to focus on an, admittedly excellent, combat system, leaving a story that is laborious to follow and uninspiring. Quests are a drag, characters are lifeless and the game is unforgiving for the patience a player will put into it. The combat carries a lot of weight and is the saving grace for the title, making it playable for that feature alone. If your playlist is gett...

If the insane J-Rock theme that erupts from the title screen isn’t enough evidence, having your heart plucked out by a dragon’s fingernail within the first five minutes seals the deal: Dragon’s Dogma is a bit... different.