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Would it be worth it to play Dragon's Dogma 1 before 2?

ssringo

Member
For some added context I want to emphasis just how much sentimental value there is for Haunting Ground with me, so any connection between the two games creates a lot of interest.

This is part of why I'm excited to see DD get a sequel in the first place, makes me hope if it's a success Capcom might be willing to give more "deep cuts" a second chance ie Haunting Ground.
So, best as I can tell there were 2 writers for Haunting Ground. One died shortly before Haunting Ground released and the other doesn't seem to have worked on anything after Dragon's Dogma.

I also don't think Dragon's Dogma is a deep cut. It sold decently well and had a pretty solid following even before DD2 was announced. Regardless, it has Itsuno attached to it and he's a pretty important figure at Capcom being the director of Devil May Cry since the 2nd game. Haunting Ground doesn't seem to have anybody major attached to it that still works at Capcom that could push them to do something with it.

I'm with you though. I'd love for Capcom to revisit the game; even if it's just porting it to modern systems (PC for me please).
 

AlphaMale

Member
I had the same question as OP. I actually bought DD1 in the bargain bin a little while back, but hadn't thought of playing it until DD2 was announced.
So given that the consensus seems to be to skip DD1 and go straight to DD2, can someone tell me what DD2 is comparable to with respect to other games?

Is it more like Elden Ring or Skyrim?
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
Uh, DD1...

Not even trying to be a smart ass. I can't think of any game that's a good comparison. Maybe if you took Monster Hunter combat and injected it into Skyrim?
Mh combat smash dd1 combat tho.

The only thing is common is being heavy (but clunkier in dogma) and deliberate, but quality wise it's night and day, mh doesn't need to remove the fucking evade button to make positioning and committing to attacks a core aspect and the quality of the weapons moveset in both games are light years away.

(Also because the enemies you fight in mh are 100x times better mechanically)
 
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ssringo

Member
Mh combat smash dd1 combat tho.

The only thing is common is being heavy (but clunkier in dogma) and deliberate, but quality wise it's night and day, mh doesn't need to remove the fucking evade button to make positioning and committing to attacks a core aspect and the quality of the weapons moveset in both games are light years away.

(Also because the enemies you fight in mh are 100x times better mechanically)
...

It's giving him a frame of reference like he asked for. If you have a better comparison give it. Not interested otherwise.
 

KiteGr

Member
DD1 gained popularity after a slow start thanks to it's potential rather than existing merits.
It was very unfinished. The main story took a nose dive in the middle, all roads on the map lead to passages that you would never cross, you where constantly fighting Cyclops and the love interest mechanics where broken.

However the combat and the pawn system, and generally the idea behind most mechanics where so good that people where amazed.
The expansion was so well received because it was allowed more time in the oven.

It would be more like playing an Alpha of DD2 that it's story was scrapped.
 

Skifi28

Member
If you want a female character to walk in a feminine way, play DD1... If you want your female character to walk like Shrek, just wait till DD2.
I don't remember ever walking in the first game. The running animation wasn't feminine at all.
 

ssringo

Member
I get what you say, but i still think they are still wildly different.
Seems I misunderstood what you were trying to do with you comment. Sounded like you just wanted to argue MH combat is better. Since that's not the case I'll expound on why I think it's the best/closest comparison.

- Both games use basic combo strings though button presses but aren't as rapid and in depth as spectacles fighters like DMC or Bayonetta. The games also use button combinations to do special attacks. MH has set attacks per weapon while DD lets you customize the attacks per weapon.
- Both games make use of large enemies that have specific weak points or elemental weakness. Staggering, getting staggered and knockdowns play important roles in the flow of combat. Large enemies can be climbed to get at their head/wings/etc. Certain enemies can be hampered by cutting off/destroying specific parts.
- Both games make use of mooks (weaker enemies) but the combat shines when fighting those big enemies.
- Item use and preparation is important in both as it can greatly affect your combat effectiveness.
- Stamina governs what you should be doing in combat.

Obviously when you get into the nitty gritty differences emerge and there are other games with some of these aspects but, again to the best of my knowledge, not all of them. I'd also like to point out that DD is 12 years old. At the time it released MH was still on Tri at the time and did not have the depth it does today.
 

Skifi28

Member
I made this comparison video the other day...


Yeah and that's the walking animation in DD1 which you pretty much never use so it didn't make much difference no matter how much time you spent playing with the sliders. The actual running animation which you would see 99% of the time was unrelated to anything you chose and was kinda meh.
 
1 is a classic. Still holds up too, best experienced on PC or Steamdeck for that fps and mods.
Dark Arisen is among the best expansions to ever be produced in gaming.

However, with 2 coming out next week, probably just wait for that. If you're curious about the universe and lore, there's a Netflix anime that's worth watching as well.
 

Švejk

Banned
Yeah and that's the walking animation in DD1 which you pretty much never use so it didn't make much difference no matter how much time you spent playing with the sliders. The actual running animation which you would see 99% of the time was unrelated to anything you chose and was kinda meh.
Agree and disagree. I think it's how people play. I like to slow down and walk through scenery half the time.. or slow, catwalk away from a slain beast. There's no excuse that Dragon's Dogma 2 shouldn't still have this as an option. Why remove it? The top slider; Movement type, should be that.. but it's not. It's literally just a walk pace, which is completely pointless. It's a pretty big blow to me, along with the removal of layered armor.
 

Skifi28

Member
Agree and disagree. I think it's how people play. I like to slow down and walk through scenery half the time.. or slow, catwalk away from a slain beast. There's no excuse that Dragon's Dogma 2 shouldn't still have this as an option. Why remove it? The top slider; Movement type, should be that.. but it's not. It's literally just a walk pace, which is completely pointless. It's a pretty big blow to me, along with the removal of layered armor.
If that's how you play then yeah, I can see the issue. I also prefer the new armor approach as I didn't care much for the previous game's layered system. At least the game is in the RE engine so there's a strong chance we'll see some animation mods down the line.
 
If you want a female character to walk in a feminine way, play DD1... If you want your female character to walk like Shrek, just wait till DD2.
Let me hear you say WALK THIS WAY! A talk this way! Let me hear you say WALK THIS WAY!

(that is disappointing to hear though)
 
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GymWolf

Gold Member
Seems I misunderstood what you were trying to do with you comment. Sounded like you just wanted to argue MH combat is better. Since that's not the case I'll expound on why I think it's the best/closest comparison.

- Both games use basic combo strings though button presses but aren't as rapid and in depth as spectacles fighters like DMC or Bayonetta. The games also use button combinations to do special attacks. MH has set attacks per weapon while DD lets you customize the attacks per weapon.
- Both games make use of large enemies that have specific weak points or elemental weakness. Staggering, getting staggered and knockdowns play important roles in the flow of combat. Large enemies can be climbed to get at their head/wings/etc. Certain enemies can be hampered by cutting off/destroying specific parts.
- Both games make use of mooks (weaker enemies) but the combat shines when fighting those big enemies.
- Item use and preparation is important in both as it can greatly affect your combat effectiveness.
- Stamina governs what you should be doing in combat.

Obviously when you get into the nitty gritty differences emerge and there are other games with some of these aspects but, again to the best of my knowledge, not all of them. I'd also like to point out that DD is 12 years old. At the time it released MH was still on Tri at the time and did not have the depth it does today.
Edit: i wrote a longer post where i explained why they are not that similar even if they have some similarity but i scratched it because in the end, i will probably not gonna change your idea like you can't change mine and it's not like i'm mad at the comparison.

One thing i'm gonna say is that dogma2 looks more in line with mh (mostly because you have some new weapon skills that are taken from mh movesets) than the first one but i still think they are wildly different games.
 
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RoboFu

One of the green rats
You don't play DD for the story. So I would no unless you just want to get a feel for the gameplay.
 

Shut0wen

Banned
I wouldn’t have thought so, I don’t think it’s that kind of game.

Also, the first one is shit.
First game is one of those games you had to play at the time, i agree playing it last year it was shit, hated the timed quests as well, makes no sense
 

Shubh_C63

Member
I'd love to play the original but it's also just a fact that I only have so much time.
Absolutely do not play the first one. You wanna get burnt out before the 2nd one which is almost similar to the first but better in every way ?

Watch a 5 min or 1hour Youtube story video for the first if you want to. That's it.
 

Evil Calvin

Afraid of Boobs
I would at least start it. Get a feel for the game and world. Also, learn how the pawn system works in that game.

It's too big to finish it in time though for DD2
 

Arachnid

Member
Man posts are harsh on the game so far.

DD is well worth a play, mate. The combat is so fun, especially as a strider, with Mage making you feel very powerful and is fun to fuck around with too. The story is basic as fuck but the atmosphere makes well up for it, night time in the game is pretty terrifying honestly. It's pitch black.

The DLC Dark Arisen is fucking awesome too, has a Souls feel and can be crushingly difficult at parts. So yea get the game preferably on PC if you can
Agreed with this. I'm playing through it now and having a blast. Give it a go OP. It's cheap af these days so not much of a risk. It's around 37 hours long so not excessively long.
 
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