Dragon's Dogma

This is where you can deliberate anything relating to videogames - past, present and future
User avatar
Sean
Moderator
Posts: 604
Joined: August 27th, 2012, 5:05 pm
Location: Greenville, SC, USA
Contact:

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by Sean »

Still prefer the Souls game by a good long mile, but, I managed to find some love in my frozen-RPG heart for Dogma.
User avatar
Scrustle
Member
Posts: 2426
Joined: November 18th, 2012, 6:02 pm

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by Scrustle »

Just got my hands on Dark Arisen and booted it up and I had to share my first impression from it. Where the hell is the J-rock!? This has seriously got on my nerves! It was cheesy, but I actually genuinely enjoyed it. It made starting up the game an event too! And now it's gone! Not cool, Capcom!
User avatar
ratsoalbion
Admin
Posts: 7918
Joined: August 28th, 2012, 9:41 am
Location: Brighton, England
Contact:

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by ratsoalbion »

I was genuinely ecstatic when I heard that "song" was out of Dark Arisen.
Apparently the license expired, which means I don't have to dive for the skip button every time I boot the game any more.

For those who miss that godawful racket, it shall forever remain on YouTube:

User avatar
Sean
Moderator
Posts: 604
Joined: August 27th, 2012, 5:05 pm
Location: Greenville, SC, USA
Contact:

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by Sean »

I'm with Leon, here. I just wish the song the replaced it with a better song than the one they chose.

They went from a song that didn't fit the game at all, to a remarkably boring and unexciting one.
User avatar
ratsoalbion
Admin
Posts: 7918
Joined: August 28th, 2012, 9:41 am
Location: Brighton, England
Contact:

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by ratsoalbion »

Yeah, the new one isn't great but at least it's not like developing ear cancer.
User avatar
RoboticMonk3y
Member
Posts: 844
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 3:25 pm
Location: Bristol

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by RoboticMonk3y »

Title music?
Mash 'A' to skip...

Having not played the original, I can't really say that the title music bothers me at all
User avatar
delb2k
Member
Posts: 211
Joined: September 3rd, 2012, 11:35 pm

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by delb2k »

I have come to really, really enjoy playing this game. After a start where it really punishes you for even thinking of straying off the decreed path there has been something very satisfying about learning my skills, honing my abilities and watching my power increase to the point that many fights are now perfectly feasible and generally very straightforward.

Having gone with a Magik Archer some of the skills you get are tremendous fun, from multiple homing arrows to explosive shots it can be great to build a party that mixes long and short range combat effectively creating some really fun skirmishes. That core combat loop has been very entertaining, something Capcom should be highly commended for as if that had failed this whole game would have fallen flat.

The goliaths are tremendous as well, finding ways to take them down and clambering all over ogres and cyclops just makes me smile now with the constant back and forth providing a great sense of achievement when theyt finally fall. There are a few tiny little niggles but to hell with that, the joy of wandering around Gransys has been a breath of fresh air for the start of this year.
User avatar
RoboticMonk3y
Member
Posts: 844
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 3:25 pm
Location: Bristol

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by RoboticMonk3y »

delb2k wrote:Having gone with a Magik Archer some of the skills you get are tremendous fun,
What level are you at?
I'm in the mid 30's now and I've just switched class from ranger up to fighter. I'm finding it a tough transition, as you have to take on battles in a completely different way, but I'm looking forward to getting some different base skills from different classes (I found that being a ranger, some of my bow skills ate through my stamina!)
I can see myself playing through this a few times to make sure Iv'e covered everything.

After an announcement from Capcom, I'm also being paranoid and backing up my save to the cloud every other time I'm playing, I'd be gutted if I lost my save. It kinda bugs me when you're not allowed to use multiple save slots.
User avatar
delb2k
Member
Posts: 211
Joined: September 3rd, 2012, 11:35 pm

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by delb2k »

RoboticMonk3y wrote:
delb2k wrote:Having gone with a Magik Archer some of the skills you get are tremendous fun,
What level are you at?
I'm in the mid 30's now and I've just switched class from ranger up to fighter. I'm finding it a tough transition, as you have to take on battles in a completely different way, but I'm looking forward to getting some different base skills from different classes (I found that being a ranger, some of my bow skills ate through my stamina!)
I can see myself playing through this a few times to make sure Iv'e covered everything.

After an announcement from Capcom, I'm also being paranoid and backing up my save to the cloud every other time I'm playing, I'd be gutted if I lost my save. It kinda bugs me when you're not allowed to use multiple save slots.
Currently Level 32. I definately prefer the range, I hire same level fighter pawns to do the heavy work up close and personal with my sidekick pawn charged with weapon enhancement and healing. Fights are not necessarily easy but I know my way around them now, plus I really stock up on herbs before I go out.

I do wish the quest information was better though. The mechanics are now really well defined for me but getting from place to place and understanding what they are asking at points can be a pain, plus it can be very easy to miss the occasional quest if your unlucky.

What made you change vocation, was it just not jelling with you?
User avatar
RoboticMonk3y
Member
Posts: 844
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 3:25 pm
Location: Bristol

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by RoboticMonk3y »

I changed class for a couple of reasons,
Each time you level up, you get a stat increase, different classes get different stat boosts, so I switched to a fighter class to up my damage stats a bit.
Also, each class has augments you can unlock, you can use the augments across all classes, so I've now opened up an augment to increase my physical damage stats, useful for when I switch back to an archer with the tenfold flurry. I liked playing as a ranger, because it gives me the chance to do some damage from afar, but you can still hold your own if people get close.
One nice thing about the fighter class is carrying a shield and being able to block. I would love it if this game could be played co-op though.
User avatar
ratsoalbion
Admin
Posts: 7918
Joined: August 28th, 2012, 9:41 am
Location: Brighton, England
Contact:

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by ratsoalbion »

Fantastic deal currently on Xbox Live: Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen – £6.79/$13.59
User avatar
Flabyo
Member
Posts: 3576
Joined: August 8th, 2013, 8:46 am
Location: Guildford

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by Flabyo »

I shifted class a lot as I played it, and shifted my pawns classes around as much as I could as well. Having skills from outside your 'current' set is how you cover the weaker aspects of playing certain classes.

By the end I'd fallen in love with Magic archer though because the homing shots are hilariously over powered in some boss fights.
User avatar
RoboticMonk3y
Member
Posts: 844
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 3:25 pm
Location: Bristol

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by RoboticMonk3y »

Magick archer was where I spent most of my time, I flipped over to assasin when I hit post-game. My pawn was sorcerer throughout.
I'm thinking of doing a second play-through, and staying with one of he magic classes and having my pawn be a fighter.
General Aquila

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by General Aquila »

Only started this and slowly levelling up as a fighter. One of the reasons I still have a PS3. Yep the theme has changed to a more fitting one...but the first one was kinda groovy...
User avatar
RoboticMonk3y
Member
Posts: 844
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 3:25 pm
Location: Bristol

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by RoboticMonk3y »

General Aquila wrote:Only started this and slowly levelling up as a fighter. One of the reasons I still have a PS3. Yep the theme has changed to a more fitting one...but the first one was kinda groovy...
I missed the game the first time around, so when I found out the music was changed, I was a little bit gutted that I was missing out on cheesy metal power ballads! :D
arry_g

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by arry_g »

I'm going through a phase at the moment of trying to pick what to play next and as I respect the opinions (and differences of opinions) of a lot of people on this forum please could someone tell me what makes this game a worthwhile experience. How does it compare to the Souls games (differences and similarities) and what makes it a good choice over other games of its genre? Sorry, this is a lot to ask (and I might ask the same questions on a couple of other threads yet) but I'd love to hear why I should or shouldn't dig this title out next.
User avatar
Scrustle
Member
Posts: 2426
Joined: November 18th, 2012, 6:02 pm

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by Scrustle »

It has a fantastic combat system. The game was made by the same studio who made the DMC games from 2 through 4, so they know what they're doing with that. That's not to say the combat feels the same as those games. It's actually very different, but it's the best of any RPG I can think of. Controls are very responsive and the general feel of combat is brilliant. There are loads of interesting different skills too. Like just as a basic fighter you can do things like launching your party members in to the air by giving them a jump up on your shield. You can also change classes freely and mix and match certain skills. Like I've got a profile going on new game plus where I'm a magic/fighter hybrid class, but because I was a normal fighter on my first run through, I still have the ability to use a lot of the useful stuff I learnt there. So there's a load of customisability, and a really interesting way of developing your character and trying out new builds.

The fights against larger enemies are great too. It's a little Shadow of the Colossus-esque, in that you can grab on to them and climb all over to hit their weak points. It makes fights way more interesting than just knocking at a big creature's ankles until their health bar drops. Like for example if you come across a chimera you can jump on its back and choose to either take out the snake tail or the goat head first, or go right in for the lion head to start if you want as well. You also stay holding on to enemies that can fly. So you can be hanging on for dear life to a dragon or a griffon, trying to hack at its wings to get it to fall down so you can attack it properly.

The comparison with Dark Souls comes up a lot with this game. I suppose I can see why, with it being a slightly rough looking RPG from Japan that does a more Western looking take. But the spirit of the game is totally different. Dragon's Dogma can be hard, but it's not punishingly so. You can go down the wrong path towards the start of the game and get killed, but there's almost never any reason to go down that way anyway. And the game usually tells you what to do quite clearly as well. The combat feel is much more fast paced too. While it certainly takes skill and proper use of your abilities, it's not exactly methodical like the Souls games are. It's more of an action RPG that puts the emphasis on action, instead of brutality. It's not a slow game.

Another interesting thing about the game is the pawn system. The pawns are your AI party members, and you get to create one and customise it just as much as your own character. You can have two more with you that are pawns that other people have created, which you summon yourself. It doesn't really turn the genre upside-down or anything, but it's kind of cool to have your party made up of characters all created by other players. It links in with the alternate worlds aspects of the storyline too, which is cool. It also allows you to summon pawns way above your level, if you have the currency for it, to help you in hard parts. And of course you can narrow down your search for your pawns to just your friends, so that's a nice little feature too.

They have an amusing personality too. They're always chatting away giving advice appropriate for the context, or just commenting on the environment. Some people say it's annoying, but I like it. They're like adorable pets who always want to be helpful. Their repeated phrases are like catchphrases too, since they talk in a funny pseudo Old English dialect. It brings a smile to my face every time I hear them enthusiastically belt out something like "IT HATES FIRE!", or "this'll be aught of use". You'll hear the word "aught" a lot through the game. You can tell your pawns to be less chatty if you want though.

The game also has a bloody brilliant soundtrack. For example, this is a theme you will often hear fighting the larger monsters:



There are a few bad points, but nothing that I personally think damage the game significantly. The world is pretty small for one thing. There aren't really a lot of places to go. But I don't really think the game is about exploring a huge world. It does mean every place is unique and serves a story purpose though.

But that story isn't particularly great. It's quite bare bones and not much interesting happens until the epilogue of the game, which is only a very small part of it. And while main story quests are usually a lot of fun, sidequest stuff can often be a chore.

Travelling around the world can be a bit of a pain too. There's no real fast travel option. You need an item called a Ferrystone to do it, and they are a little pricey. Not too much though, and I think they even made them cheaper in Dark Arisen. But as I said, the world is pretty small anyway, so it's not a huge deal. And who knows, maybe it'll add to the experience anyway. I know some people really dislike the idea of fast travel altogether.

The graphics aren't brilliant either. Also quite bare bones. Textures are pretty awful. But I never really minded that much, because I felt like it actually fit the world. It's set on a windswept coastline, so it would make sense for everything to be quite barren. There's also a lot of wind effects on plants and things, which I thought was a nice touch. Also, the character models for the larger creatures are pretty great. They don't suffer any of the problems that most of the game does. They're highly detailed with good textures and everything, and they're arguably the most important thing in the game when it comes to graphics.

And one more criticism I would make is that there is only a single save file. So if you fuck up you can't go back, which is especially annoying considering the game has an autosave feature. I mean, autosave is obviously a good thing in general, but there are the rare occasions where it can screw you over in this game because of the lack of separate save slots. That's why I would advise looking at a wiki or a walkthrough if you're unsure on something before you do it.

But overall, it's a really great game. I love it. It was one of my favourite games of 2012, or rather 2013 considering Dark Arisen, and one of my favourite RPGs of the generation. I would always recommend it to anyone who is even the slightest bit interested.
User avatar
JaySevenZero
Admin
Posts: 2643
Joined: August 27th, 2012, 4:28 pm
Location: Liverpool, Europe, Earth
Contact:

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by JaySevenZero »

Finally, started playing this and I have to say I've been quite impressed so far. I'm finding the world quite evocative, whilst the visuals aren't the most technically impressive there are enough little touches, such as the trees and bushes moving in a breeze that - along with the occasional little dust cloud that help give it a better sense of place than I found in the Dark Souls. I'm also really starting to get into the whole pawn system too, initially thinking it would have been better to have straight up co-op, I'm now sold on this concept of transferring your customised NPC to others games.

Looking forward to see where the story goes too.
arry_g

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by arry_g »

I played my first hour last night as Scrustle's pitch not only sold me but got me all excited and ready to give it a go. So, far I'm still in the tutorial stages but I feel the combat system and the pawn system both have a lot going for them. The world design reminds me a bit of Fable 2, not in an aesthetic or setting sense but in the fact that it feels like lots of paths with hidden paths off of the main track each with their own rewards - that could change in the later game. I don't see the Dark Souls comparisons yet but maybe I need more time with the game? If it's just a difficulty thing then perhaps the comparisons are misleading? As from what I can see, Dragon's Dogma has intense spikes whereas Dark Souls is just unforgiving and so I think anyone who comes into Dragon's Dogma being told "oh you liked DS, then you might like this" will likely go in with the wrong mind set (so, I'm glad I asked for a summary beforehand). In any case I really like this game, it's a good solid action RPG, the mechanics thus far are fun and it has made me want to see what the world has to offer.
User avatar
RoboticMonk3y
Member
Posts: 844
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 3:25 pm
Location: Bristol

Re: Dragon's Dogma and Dark Arisen

Post by RoboticMonk3y »

JaySevenZero wrote:...I'm finding the world quite evocative, whilst the visuals aren't the most technically impressive there are enough little touches, such as the trees and bushes moving in a breeze that - along with the occasional little dust cloud that help give it a better sense of place than I found in the Dark Souls...
You know, I think you've hit on something that's been bugging me since I picked up dark souls when it came out with "games with gold". I couldn't get into dark souls, I wanted to after how much I enjoyed Dragon's Dogma, but I just couldn't get into it, the dark souls world for me felt empty and uninviting, and I don't mean that in a complementary way.
In dragon's dogma, I remember leaving a city for the first time and spotting something off in the distance and wondering if I could go there. I wanted to explore the caves and behind rocks to see if there were any hidden areas.
I felt Dragon's challenged me and sometimes kicked me down, but that only made me want to try harder and go back and be better. I felt dark souls knocked my feet out from under me and stood on my neck until I passed out. Some people really get their kicks from playing really tough games, but I feel that Dragon's dogma got the difficulty challenge spot on.

Out of curiosity Jay, what version of the game are you playing? I picked up the "dark arisen" version, which came with a texture pack and a language pack, so everyone is speaking in japanese (I don't remember what the texture pack was for though...
Post Reply