Thinking of picking up Dragons Dogma.

serious biscuit

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So lately I've got the urge to play an RPG, with Skyrim wrapped up and borderlands depleted when a thought occurs to me that I put off getting Dragons Dogma last year mainly because of the wave of other great games out last year. But then I also remember that I put it off because I'm not big into JRPG's (played a few but most don't interest me at all), and that this game is radically different from recent experiences main one being the extremely limited fast travel and no mounts. I've heard nothing but good about it, however there still are quite big issues that stand out to me like the game giving you barely any direction and often not letting you know which are the main quest, not much material in terms of story and quite a big difficulty curve in the beginning, also last I heard it was fairly buggy but that may be fixed now?
So what I want to know is that, should I get it? Even with the problems or let it pass by.
 

ShinyCharizard

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Oct 24, 2012
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Yeah it's worth getting. It has easily one of the best combat systems in a RPG and all its good points overshadow the minor flaws.
 

sanquin

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Cons I have found in the game:
--Minions just won't shut the hell up. After a while their constant generic shouts during combat get annoying.
--No fast travel. No really, I liked this at first. But the quest hub often sends you to the same area's multiple times, and monsters respawn quite quickly. So you'll find yourself fighting through the same groups of enemies in the same places over and over again. It's all just unnecessary padding.
--Directions can be a bit confusing at times yea. Nothing too bad though.

As for your concerns:
--You won't miss mounts. Running is fast enough. Fast travel you will miss after a while, probably.
--The story is pretty generic, but it is there. A nobody becomes a 'chosen one' through means that are out of their hands, rises up to become a hero, etc... Plus the story feels very contrived here and there.
--Yes the game can be challenging at the start. But it's really not that bad if you're not brain dead. Best to start out as a warrior, as even though you can level all classes with one character, your base stats are determined by what class you are when leveling up. So you're a warrior and level up? You get more health/defence. You're an archer, you get more attack that level, etc. There's a page on it on the wiki.
--I've never had too much trouble with bugs. Even when I bought it on release day. So I wouldn't woryr about it too much.

My own input:
The game really doesn't play as a JRPG. Sure you can tell that it wasn't western-made, as the writing style of the story and such is a little different. But otherwise it's just like a western RPG imo. The game has some faults, but those pale in comparison to the gameplay. Mini bosses and boss battles are awesome, to say the least. Heck, even the 10th Chimera I fought still felt pretty awesome. Nights are great too. It's truly dark outside, and can be a bit scary with the increased monster spawn. Not to mention the spells for mages/magic archer, and the climbing onto large enemies' backs to attack for melee characters.

It's definitely worth buying and playing, in my opinion. A very unappreciated game, considering how much I heard about it on the net before and shortly after release.
 

Pulse

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Nov 16, 2012
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Definately worth getting.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.398449-Year-late-reviews-dragons-dogma
 

The Wykydtron

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Sep 23, 2010
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Yeah it is really good. There's a lot of class customisation along with swapping out party members, upgrading your own main sidekick (who is awesome btw) fighting huge monsters 4v1 and still fighting for your life because no matter how many OP weapons and spells and overleveled online party members you get the monsters can oneshot you if you get cocky regardless.

You will probably get some fun stories about various party members and their shenanigans. Like how my one mage person was literally USELESS unless she randomly decided to use the Summon Fiery Death spell once in a blue moon that instakilled an entire encounter with a storm of fireballs from the sky.

I don't play mages in general but I think she was getting knocked out of the channel for it half the time.

There's also some DLC in the works if that interests you.
 

ThePuzzldPirate

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My GOTY of last year, The story is cliche and but the good cheesy, I found it entertaining. The combat is absoultly amazing and it awards good skills. The enemies spawn a little too quickly and there is no variation in where they spawn but you can completely outrun them. Allies can be annoying but it comes down on how annoyed your are by hearing the same thing over and over.
 

Exius Xavarus

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May 19, 2010
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"Not telling you which quests are the main quest"

...I'm sorry, but I have a really big problem with this statement. It's hard not to see which quests are the main quest. They literally come one after another and any groups of main quests are given by the same NPC in any given segment of the game. They even railroad you into the main quest with NPCs that show up in your way so they can tell you where to go and who to see. It's extremely difficult not to find the main quests.

That out of the way, it does has its flaws, yes. But they're minor flaws in comparison to how good the rest of the game is. People complain about no fast travel, which isn't exactly an invalid complaint, but not entirely justified. Gransys is big, but it's not so big that the lack of fast travel at the beginning makes it that big of a problem. It encourages you to find newer, faster routes to your destination and to explore a bit(until you've discovered everything you're concerned with, then it becomes a pain in the ass). They do have a mode of fast travel, granted that it's quite limited until you reach New Game+.

People complain about not being able to move fast enough. This is in some ways a valid complaint. Sometimes you just wanna get to where you're going. But your ability to sprint gets much better as you level up, especially if you're playing a vocation that gets higher stamina boosts per level(namely, Ranger). Once you get up into your 30's or so, you can sprint for much longer periods of time compared to the beginning. And when you get higher up(I'm up to about level 96 or so) you can sprint for upwards of 30 seconds, even 35 seconds at a time before you get tired. Doesn't seem that long on paper, but when you're actually doing it, that's a long fuckin' time.

There are some areas where the story falls flat, but the inner lore and the narrative near the end is really well thought out and cleverly executed.

It's definitely a must-have for anyone that enjoys action-RPG games. I highly recommend it. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning was my GotY until Dragon's Dogma came around. Where it was my GotY until Dishonored came about.
 

Rawne1980

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sanquin said:
--No fast travel. No really, I liked this at first. But the quest hub often sends you to the same area's multiple times, and monsters respawn quite quickly. So you'll find yourself fighting through the same groups of enemies in the same places over and over again. It's all just unnecessary padding.
There is fast travel.

You can buy stones to place that you can then travel to instantly.

On Topic....

Dragon's Dogma was one of my favourite games of last year. I'd say it's well worth a play.
 

Mental Cosmas

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Jul 23, 2012
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Mmm, perhaps I missed something, but I actually did lose track of the main quests early in the game. Although after that hump it became a lot easier, as you said they follow each other quite well to let you know which quest is main plot related.

As for Fast Travel, as Rawne pointed out it exists, but is fairly limited, especially early game. You do get stones that let you travel to the main area, but to travel to additional points you need to use crystals, which are... very, very rare (actually, I vaguely recall that you only get one on your first playthrough? May be mistaken), and very expensive if you try to buy them. On the plus side, the DLC that has recently been announced for the game is supposed to make these crystals more prolific or something like that, so maybe it will be worth getting?

I actually love this game, just wanted to clarify the flaws.

For story, while yes it is a little generic, there ARE some nice little twists to it that may make you go "huh, neat".
 

TrevHead

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Apr 10, 2011
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Yes but not now.

I picked it up 3 days ago, unfortunatly just today the promised DLC pack due in April has been changed to boxed retail only. Think of Dark Soul Prepare to Die Edition retail (orginal game with dlc) on console but with no DLC download for those who already have the original game.

So if you buy the game and want the DLC you'll be buying the game twice. Yeah dick move by Capcom (no surprises there), If knew I would have waited till April.

Price of the Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen will be around $40/£30 according to game sites although Shopto has the preorder at £17.80 (£20RRP)
 

Jdb

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May 26, 2010
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Some people think no fast travel is a flaw. However, there is fast travel. It's just something you upgrade over time, like everything else in the game.

Use spoiler one to get to your destination, then spoiler two to return to town. Combining these methods cuts travel time by up to 75%!

Get the Fighter class to rank 5. Buy the Sinew augmentation. Then, carry at least 200 mushrooms on you at all times. Enjoy being able to sprint from one end of the map to the other in 10-15 minutes, even in heavy armor.

A certain mid-game quest gives a big discount on Ferrystones if you choose the correct outcome.
 

TrevHead

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Jdb said:
Some people think no fast travel is a flaw. However, there is fast travel. It's just something you upgrade over time, like everything else in the game.[/spoiler]
I've yet to properly play the game but are rift crystals or ferrystones fast travel items? As if you double dip with Dark Arisen you get aload of rift crystals and unlimited ferrystones given as a thank you gift to those who have the original.

http://www.siliconera.com/2013/01/23/why-dragons-dogma-dark-arisen-is-a-40-retail-game/
 

gigastar

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Sep 13, 2010
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I would severely reccomend holding off getting it until April where youll be able to pick up the Dark Arisen expansion as a part of the full game in retail.

As for your concerns, the game is almost shockingly devoid of JRPG traits for something that grew up in the land of JRPS's.

The fast travel system is present, but extremely awkward. You have to buy or find a certain item and deploy this item somewhere in the overworld, once deployed it stays there until you pick it up and you can warp to it so long as you have the teleport item on hand.

Quest guidance is a bit sketchy at times, especially in sidequests, but one can always resort to the wiki for guidance.

The only bug i really heard about was one that broke the progression sequence, and you could only pull it off deliberately anyway. Other issues such as frame tearing is due to current gen systems being 6-7 years old and players overusing certain magicks that produce alot of particle effects.

Storywise, this is Capcom game. I think thats all that needs to be said.

And the difficulty curve is there, however you can engage an easy mode if it proves too much.

sanquin said:
--No fast travel. No really, I liked this at first. But the quest hub often sends you to the same area's multiple times, and monsters respawn quite quickly. So you'll find yourself fighting through the same groups of enemies in the same places over and over again. It's all just unnecessary padding.
There is fastravel, the limit being that you literally have to biuld the network yourself.

And where games often fall into the pitfall of a world full of nothing, Dragons Dogma opts for the pitfall of a world crammed with mildly interesting things. Its a balance thats hard to get right.
 

Exius Xavarus

Casually hardcore. :}
May 19, 2010
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TrevHead said:
Jdb said:
Some people think no fast travel is a flaw. However, there is fast travel. It's just something you upgrade over time, like everything else in the game.[/spoiler]
I've yet to properly play the game but are rift crystals or ferrystones fast travel items? As if you double dip with Dark Arisen you get aload of rift crystals and unlimited ferrystones given as a thank you gift to those who have the original.

http://www.siliconera.com/2013/01/23/why-dragons-dogma-dark-arisen-is-a-40-retail-game/
Rift Crystals are another set of currency. You use them to hire Pawns higher leveled than you are, purchase aesthetic options for Character Creation, some face items and the ability to edit your Arisen/Pawn either once or infinitely. Oh, there's also the Premium items, which are basically a way to say Hey I got a fuckton of Rift Crystals, look at my shiny new jewel!!

Ferry Stones are a mode of Fast Travel, coupled with Port Crystals. During a brand new game, you have access to the Port Crystal just outside the Pawn Guild(stationary, cannot be moved) and one Port Crystal you can place wherever you like, but you have to find it first. During NG+ and on, you can buy Port Crystals from the Black Cat for 200k a pop and you can only place 20 Port Crystals(excluding the one outside the Pawn Guild) at any given time.
 

sanquin

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There is fastravel, the limit being that you literally have to biuld the network yourself.

And where games often fall into the pitfall of a world full of nothing, Dragons Dogma opts for the pitfall of a world crammed with mildly interesting things. Its a balance thats hard to get right.
Can you drop multiple stones, or just one? If it's just one it's not really fast travel. If you can drop multiple, well...yea I guess there's fast travel then. :p
 

Tdoodle

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Sep 16, 2012
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The Dark Arisen thing is due and I'm seriously tempted, includes the original game and sells for a cut-price.
 

josemlopes

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TrevHead said:
Yes but not now.

I picked it up 3 days ago, unfortunatly just today the promised DLC pack due in April has been changed to boxed retail only. Think of Dark Soul Prepare to Die Edition retail (orginal game with dlc) on console but with no DLC download for those who already have the original game.

So if you buy the game and want the DLC you'll be buying the game twice. Yeah dick move by Capcom (no surprises there), If knew I would have waited till April.

Price of the Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen will be around $40/£30 according to game sites although Shopto has the preorder at £17.80 (£20RRP)
Really? That sucks.

You can still buy just the DLC for Dark Souls though through the marketplace (I sure know that I can in the Xbox and it probably does too on the PS3).

Still kind of weird that they would do that
 

Sack of Cheese

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Sep 12, 2011
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Do it!! It was one of the best game I got last year!
It was super fun I didn't mind all the flaws.

sanquin said:
Can you drop multiple stones, or just one? If it's just one it's not really fast travel. If you can drop multiple, well...yea I guess there's fast travel then. :p
You can place as many as you can, but it is expensive. The item used to initiate travels costs gold too but by that time you'd be sort of swimming in money you wouldn't care so much.
 

Palademon

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I got it. I don't regret it, but after a few hours I had no idea where I was going.

I love how vocal your pawn is. I practically fell in love when them in the demo for how helpful they were.
 

OldDirtyCrusty

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I`m still playing this game and my current level is 158. I did a lot of chest farming and dragonforging these days and tried to get all armor sets. It`s a grind but it`s also still fun. Last time i watched my pawn kill a drake. I was curious if she could do it on her own but it wasn`t much of a problem.

The game is worth it for the combat system alone. I would play way more rpgs if they allowed me to climb on monsters.