If my plan works out after work I might just be getting this after all. Did some trades at Best Buy (they had a bonus going on so got back more then I expected) and have a gift card. Want to see if I can buy some Amazon.com or Amazon Kindle gift cards. If I can I'll redeem them and get the game and the $10 credit if I get back home in time. Rather have the weapon pack then the armor pack as well.
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Dragon's Dogma |OT| For the night is dark and full of terrors
- Thread starter Dresden
- Start date
Maybe they are talking about NPCs? Not sure. Although, I will say that in the demo, unless you pan up super close to your character, they do look kind of waxy and low-res. But if you can glitch the camera into a rock and zoom in, then they look as detailed as the character creator.
Well said indeed. There is definitely more of a mystery to this story so far, and that is why I am actually engaged in it. It's purposely kind of vague at first and all you know is that you have been chosen by this dragon to repeat the cycle of the one known as the Arisen, and as such, are able to call upon and command the legion known as Pawns to serve you as you seek him out.
In between getting to the bottom of it all and discovering what it all means, there is the focus on growth and gameplay in a world filled with danger and epic encounters. They nailed this from my perspective. As you want to feel that you have grown and have been on a true quest by the time you are powerful enough to face the dragon and whatever revelations lie in wait.
Based on some reviews that I am sure you have read, there is supposedly a very bewildering conclusion that we will never see coming, a few heavy choices and maybe even multiple endings. On top of that, the surprising post game content that we are supposedly in store for.
Sure, there are some minor rough edges and maybe some quirky NPCs, but they delivered a content packed, fun to play and very unique feeling game here that has obvious care and attention to detail where it matters most. Appreciating your growth, feeling engaged in a dangerous world with amazing attention to the little details, and fun as hell gameplay with loads of options. I can't ask for more, personally.
fallingdove
Member
Yeah, they probably are referring to the NPCs. - I have seen a couple of funky looking merchants - though I wouldn't blanket DD as having terrible character models because of them.
As far as looking waxy and low-res, having played through Skyrim on the PS3 - waxy will be a welcomed change from muddy.
HamPster PamPster
Member
Sheesh at the technical stuff. Now I'm a bit torn on which one to get. Hey Ironcreed is the PS3's retail performance better then the demo's?
fallingdove
Member
Any thought to posting PSN, XBL IDs in the OP? I'd like to use your guys' pawns during my playthrough.
PSN: Fallingdove
PSN: Fallingdove
KefkaTaran
Member
Just to give a different perspective on the story stuff than a lot of the reviews, I actually found myself liking the story a lot more as it went along. It begins very generic, but they kind of use that to pull the rug out from under you and introduce some fun, surprising twists. They worked for me at least!
I go into a little bit of non-spoilery detail in my review for Polygon, which was linked above.
EDIT: I actually can't wait for people to start playing and finishing the game so I can talk about some of the insane, weird shit that happens by the end.
I go into a little bit of non-spoilery detail in my review for Polygon, which was linked above.
EDIT: I actually can't wait for people to start playing and finishing the game so I can talk about some of the insane, weird shit that happens by the end.
HamPster PamPster
Member
Oh man, I hope the game is not fantasy that actually takes place 1000s of years in the future after some apocalypse. Thats my default thought for "insane, weird shit" in fantasy games... and I'm sick of it at this point
Edit: As long as Phil is in this thread - Are you going back on Rebel FM or any podcasts? Love to hear you talk about the game
It actually seems a bit smoother most of the time, yes. It will stutter for a few seconds from time to time when the game auto-saves or even more rarely when a new area loads. It's pretty minor on the grand scale and it runs and plays more than stable.
KefkaTaran
Member
Nope, nothing like that -- but still insane and weird.
re: technical issues -- anyone playing on the 360, I STRONGLY recommend installing to the hard drive. Makes loading MUCH faster and also helps out a lot with some pop-in issues that I experienced in some areas before installing.
Seems that their main complaint is the lack of a compelling story to them. They even complain about their main pawn not being fleshed out. That's fine, I never expected them to be fleshed out.
Meh, they are just upset because they created a fine looking Pawn that they could not romance. LOL, just kidding.
OfWhiteSkinOnRedLeather
Member
These are the guys that panned Nier because the reviewer couldn't find the giant red x on the map, right?
Fine Ham Abounds
Member
About the only relevant bits from the review I think. Seems like either the reviewer has some really good points, or utterly sucks at playing this game.
KefkaTaran
Member
Not gonna criticize the review heavily, because this is totally the type of game that I think some people are going to really hate -- but I will say that I'm surprised he found the beginning to be the most interesting part of the plot. That's the section I thought was the most generic and boring.
Did you even read the review?
He had several gigantic main complaints.
1. The AI and Pawn AI is fucking horrendous.
2. You are given quests that are impossible to complete without leveling up several levels...and then by that time the quest is grey and worthless.
3. And yes the story is non-sensical
4. Horrid camera angles
demigod
Member
lol, exactly why I'm not going there. I wonder if the reviewer was Justin?
Electronic Theatre - 87/100
http://electronictheatre.co.uk/xbox...ctronic-theatre-in-depth-review-dragons-dogma
http://electronictheatre.co.uk/xbox...ctronic-theatre-in-depth-review-dragons-dogma
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
Review reads well, it's not just them trashing everything from what I can tell. They bring up some good issues with the pawn system, etc.
All things I worried about, but with the 7's/8's from other sites it seems you can get past some of that stuff.
sloppyjoe_gamer
Gold Member
OfWhiteSkinOnRedLeather
Member
Haha! Nah, the DD reviewer is Jordan Mallory.
Red Liquorice
Member
This was going to be my Summer game, but the more I read, the more I dislike.
The worst offender for me seems to be the floaty combat. I couldn't tell if I was hitting anything or not in the demo, it felt mashy.
The worst offender for me seems to be the floaty combat. I couldn't tell if I was hitting anything or not in the demo, it felt mashy.
Well, I think it is safe to say that many of us were spot on. This is going to be a real love it or hate it case, without too much middle ground. I knew from the get-go this would be the deal, but also knew it was still right up my alley with some of the interesting things it was doing, and even the look of it. I think it will be more of a cult-hit than anything. But all I know is it is delivering for me.
So far I have seen two brief pop-up messages that told me DLC will include quests, armor, weapons, etc. There is also a notice board for it in Gran Soren that is blank. While weird, it was nothing intrusive.
KefkaTaran
Member
What did Sterling say/where?
I said main, I didn't say only.
fallingdove
Member
It's good to hear that you are enjoying it. I think people were expecting a Japanese Skyrim and were dissapointed when it wasn't.
He said it on his twitter and message board (I think?) calling it a glorify pop up or something
Btw he uploaded his review, it's also mentioned in it:
http://www.destructoid.com/review-dragon-s-dogma-227595.phtml
Surprisingly decent one with some good points
He didn't like the lack of fast travel but sounds fair because of the backtracking, and the overall world design.
semiconscious
Member
KefkaTaran
Member
I had one "pop-up" when I started the game to inform me that DLC is now available. Nothing intrusive in the game that I ran into.
The_Hitcher89
Member
I don't recall a game getting such a spread of scores. Everywhere from 4/10 to 9/10
then stop reading O,o
srsly, try it out, rent it. if it pleases you, good, if not, no problem. but judging about something based on others experiences... meh ... that's bs.
Karak
Member
The game itself is a bit blurry to me.
* Pawn AI is fine here. My pawns have died a total of 8 times between them. Make sure you pick the right kind of ai settings for you pawns and equip them with nice stuff. I make sure the pawns are equipped with nicer stuff than me. I think this is obvious as they are not humans and will indeed be saddled with AI as well as restricted use of items. So outfitting them with the best of the best only makes sense and offsets the restrictions that they face.
* Didn't have any issues with camera angles. This sort of makes me smile as this is normally a buzzkill with me. For some reason I never ever noticed it. I get sick easily in games and mostly due to camera angles. I didn't get sick so that means they are better than most games of their kind.
* Quests turning gray is the players fault for having a bad setup not the games. If a quest turns gray and you leveled up past it that indicates you are doing something wrong and should have been able to do the quest at a lower level. People will try to headbutt their way through a quest and refuse to change pawns and so forth. You will pay in death.
Story is not nonsensical, its just not that good and gets wrapped up in its conventions. But it makes sense from a fantasy point of view.
Having beat it I would give it a 8.5 still.
Pros:
Skill sets
World
GFX(at times, dusk, dawn, lighting, nighttime)
Interesting pawn systems
Tons of stuff to do
Massive bosses
Attention to very small details that will surprise most gamers
Cons:
GFX at times(a bit blurry)
Rare fast travel
1 crash
It's not surprising me at all. Despite using familiar fantasy tropes, it is a very different kind of game underneath that surface. It has a more deliberate, old school adventure approach, but with some unique gameplay elements. All in all, I think that many who want more user friendly instant gratification and multiplayer will likely be turned off by it. While it's still easy to grasp, it is also a slow burner that takes time. It has Japanese niche written all over it, and if you think back, even Monster Hunter was greeted with a similar mixed reception.
brandonh83
Banned
The demo was soooo good and I love the customization aspects, monsters, soundtrack, etc.
Just really cannot wait for midnight. Between this and Diablo III I'm pretty happy with the current state of RPG's.
Just really cannot wait for midnight. Between this and Diablo III I'm pretty happy with the current state of RPG's.
I think with this, Max Payne 3, and Diablo III I'm probably set until August.
Deified Data
Banned
There was a huge spoiler (for me) in the Polygon review. Am I the only one who didn't know? Oh well. I guess I'm glad to hear there is a post-game.
Seriously, those plus The Witcher 2 and Dark Souls makes this a very good time for rpgs.
Kai Dracon
Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
Food for thought:
I wonder if a lot of reviews of DD are going to suffer from pre-loaded expectations.
When Dark Souls hit the US, I really wondered if it would have gotten so many positive reviews had reviewers not been conditioned in advance by knowing about Demon's Souls; including those who hadn't played Demon's Souls. It was a given that Dark Souls would be "rough". It would be a "big budget indie" title focused on punishing gameplay and conventions that would seem archaic and unrefined in another game's context. It wouldn't have cut scenes or much overt story.
But, Dragon's Dogma seems to have been really hyped up as a "Skyrim killer". The game that "shows Japan taking on Bioware, Bethesda, the epic western RPG makers".
Based on everything I'm reading though, it seems like DD is not actually trying to compete with something like an Elder Scrolls title, though it does use a vaguely similar framework. I've heard more compare it to a From game than anything else.
The more negative DD reviews just read to me what I'd expect a western reviewer to say about Dark Souls had that game not came with a pedigree that insisted the "bad parts are actually the good parts".
I wonder if a lot of reviews of DD are going to suffer from pre-loaded expectations.
When Dark Souls hit the US, I really wondered if it would have gotten so many positive reviews had reviewers not been conditioned in advance by knowing about Demon's Souls; including those who hadn't played Demon's Souls. It was a given that Dark Souls would be "rough". It would be a "big budget indie" title focused on punishing gameplay and conventions that would seem archaic and unrefined in another game's context. It wouldn't have cut scenes or much overt story.
But, Dragon's Dogma seems to have been really hyped up as a "Skyrim killer". The game that "shows Japan taking on Bioware, Bethesda, the epic western RPG makers".
Based on everything I'm reading though, it seems like DD is not actually trying to compete with something like an Elder Scrolls title, though it does use a vaguely similar framework. I've heard more compare it to a From game than anything else.
The more negative DD reviews just read to me what I'd expect a western reviewer to say about Dark Souls had that game not came with a pedigree that insisted the "bad parts are actually the good parts".
Karak
Member
You bet. Any game with this kind of preloaded comparisons is going to have that kind of issues. It is also different than those games, while at the same time having MANY similarities.
KefkaTaran
Member
I don't think it will ruin the experience of getting there and finding out what it is/what happens.
I really don't know anyone in the press who was viewing Dragon's Dogma that way or was hyped for it to the degree you're implying here. I think feelings covered a wide spectrum from practically the first time it was shown.
That said...
That's why I felt it important to bring that stuff up in my review.
Fine Ham Abounds
Member
I'm usually more encouraged by games that don't get 9s across the board, it means at least some of the reviews are actual opinions and impressions and not advertisements.
My mage (now level 25 or 26?) going to work on a cyclops.
It's very cool how these cyclops can be stunned and they'll drop their clubs, but still give chase after you with their bare-hands. They'll also go and find their clubs too if they take enough damage.
It's very cool how these cyclops can be stunned and they'll drop their clubs, but still give chase after you with their bare-hands. They'll also go and find their clubs too if they take enough damage.