Yep, I think a lot of reviewers on deadlines simply did not have the time to dive down into the depths with this game. Which is unfortunate, as it is clearly designed to be something that requires that kind of in-depth attention. It practically begs you to think, to spend time preparing and playing it in order to discover and grow.
The saying that some role playing games are vast, clear and beautiful oceans that are only an inch deep comes to mind. In the case of Dragon's Dogma, the waters are not only deep, but are dark and have hidden dangers, complexity and secrets to be found. But only if you dive down deep beneath the murky surface to find out what is actually there.
I mean I don't care what reviewers think anyway, the game media is basically completely lost as far as I'm concerned. Until they stop being in the pockets of the game companies, I can't trust them even if I wanted to.
I will say there's definitely big issues with the combat system that could have been ironed out, but they're not showstoppers most of the time. And yeah, the framerate actually does get quite bad and not exactly infrequently (PS3 version).
But in terms of what I like in games, it's very perfectly suited. Very minimal story, must rely on own instincts, must plan out journeys in detail, tons of exploration and definitely not linear, and a fairly good level of difficulty - I mean it's not Dark Souls or Demon Souls, but it's satisfying enough. It feels rewarding to make it places, which is really the type of difficulty games should be aiming for.
So by all accounts, this is basically the RPG people have been wanting all this generation? Because I'm really interested in buying it.
For me, it's definitely the type of RPG that I'm glad this gen has brought. But it really would depend on your tolerance for slow traveling. The game really requires you to walk everywhere unless you find a way to stock up on prohibitively expensive travel stones, and they only fast port you to that Gran town. So basically the majority of the game you'll be hoofin' it, and you'll be repeating your routes over and over again, so if that's something you can't suffer, then avoid.