Dragon’s Dogma didn’t get the kindest review on Kotaku when it came out in 2012 for consoles. With the PC version arriving on Steam today, it’s an opportunity for me to mount a defence for one of my favourite flawed games of the last few years. Dragon’s Dogma is far from perfect, but damn, I love it.
It used to be that Japanese RPGs ruled the world, but these days, games like Skyrim have proved dominant. Dragon’s Dogma was Capcom’s attempt at melding its expertise in combat design with the popularity of open world games.
As an open world game, Dragon’s Dogma isn’t very good. As an action game, Dragon’s Dogma is one of the best around. The combat in Bethesda’s games becomes stale after a few hours, but Dragon’s Dogma kept me enthralled from start to finish, thanks to the amount of subtle control you wield over it.
Even though the PC version looks sharp — the console versions ran like shit — it’s definitely a game from 2012. Being able to play at 60 frames-per-second helps!
I’m hoping this is Capcom simply testing the waters for an English version of Dragon’s Dogma Online. (That said, sources told me a PC version of the game has been kicking around internally for years. Not sure why it took them this long to release it?) The company laid an incredible foundation down with the first game, and there’s so much potential left unrealised. Maybe we’re a step closer.
Comments
8 responses to “In Defence Of Dragon’s Dogma”
One of the best combat systems in an RPG ever.
I have both versions on the PS3.
At first I thought it was pretty bad because was hard to do the combat without targeting, vexing camera & being monstrously overpowered by some monsters that you accidentally run into exploring.
then I got a rhythm going & found it immensely enjoyable. The Dark Arisen fixes lots of frustrations with quick travel & such too.
The story made no sense.
Been playing the game all week on PC its just fantastic. Never played it on consoles and even though the graphics are not great, the gameplay more than makes up for it. Been playing as a Strider, Magick Archer and Mystic Knight and having a ball.
I loved dragon’s dogma on the PS3, even with the slowdowns. So I’m pretty excited to replay this on the PC again.
On a side note, I played Dragon’s Dogma Online for about 50 hours…… It’s got nothing on the original….. Besides the combat everything that made the original special, the online version did not have…… Online is one of the most disappointing sequels I have ever played.
i really enjoyed the game, incidentally it was also part of the 4 month’s of the first time i used PS Plus which i would also considered the best period as per my own preferences for the PS Plus Lineup
That Period had:
Assassin’s Creed III
Spec Ops: The Line
Far Cry 3
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
BioShock Infinite
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
The main story game of Dragon’s Dogma was not really fun for me to play through and I totally understand why people didn’t like it, but Bitterblack Isle is what Dragon’s Dogma should have been. It’s a lot of fun to run BBI from level 1. It takes a lot of running, a bit of luck and a billion throwblasts and mushrooms initially but the feeling you get when you start smashing through the enemies that made you run in fear earlier makes it all worth it. If you’re a Souls fan, I really recommend a BBI only run.
My younger brother always thought of Dragons Dogma as Dark Souls Lite. I totally get it. The first time I played it on 360, I wandered into BBI without knowing. Oh man.