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Dragon's Dogma Demo Impressions

Lucent

Lucent

Member
Anteater said:
Stolen from somethingawful, seems that the latest 8-4 podcast mentioned the demo is pretty old (the same as the one shown in whatever the last convention is), and he heard that the final game is more polished and optimized and stuff.

http://8-4.jp/blog/
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I saw in a video too that you could search GamerTag (was on 360) for pawns too. Not sure if you can look up usernames for PS3 players though. I dunno why they wouldn't include that though.
 
D

Data West

coaches in the WNBA
Derrick01 said:
It means you should be able to play it a few times with enough differences to keep it fresh.

As for the score, the lowest game informer gives to anything that's not the absolute worst of the worst shovelware is a 7, so this game is just "good" to them.
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I'm pretty sure they gave Yakuza like a 5.
 
M

MagicWithEarvin

Member
Anteater said:
From the other thread, gameinformer did a review and gave it a 8.5, the article is nothing but praise about the combat and progression, only negative they mentioned is the story isn't too strong.

Also replay value is moderately high, not sure what that means in GI scale.
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Nice! This game looks to get scores from the high 70s to mid 80s. Btw, excerpts from the GI review:

Score:
8.5 out of 10

Concept:
Give players an open world, fill it with monsters, and provide their heroes with the tools to dominate.

Graphics:
Gransys is a well-realized world, filled with beautiful scenery and imposing monsters.

Sound:
If there's a shy pawn out there, I never met him. AI companions fill the silence with their every observation, however mundane.

Playability:
Combat is intensely satisfying, with an impressive amount of class-based attacks and skills.

Entertainment:
Dragon's Dogma blends the best from open-world RPGs and action games without feeling like a diluted wannabe.

Replay Value:
Moderately High

Dragon's Dogma is an unconventional game for Capcom, and action/RPGs in general. Combat feels like a necessary part of the game's design, rather than something that was begrudgingly added to provide interaction between cutscenes. I left the game feeling that I made my mark on Gransys the way I chose to, instead of being escorted from plot point to plot point. When you're talking about an open-world game, I can't think of a higher praise.
 
S

Schwabe

Member
earvcunanan said:
Nice! This game looks to get scores from the high 70s to mid 80s. Btw, excerpts from the GI review:

Score:
8.5 out of 10

Concept:
Give players an open world, fill it with monsters, and provide their heroes with the tools to dominate.

Graphics:
Gransys is a well-realized world, filled with beautiful scenery and imposing monsters.

Sound:
If there's a shy pawn out there, I never met him. AI companions fill the silence with their every observation, however mundane.

Playability:
Combat is intensely satisfying, with an impressive amount of class-based attacks and skills.

Entertainment:
Dragon's Dogma blends the best from open-world RPGs and action games without feeling like a diluted wannabe.

Replay Value:
Moderately High

Dragon's Dogma is an unconventional game for Capcom, and action/RPGs in general. Combat feels like a necessary part of the game's design, rather than something that was begrudgingly added to provide interaction between cutscenes. I left the game feeling that I made my mark on Gransys the way I chose to, instead of being escorted from plot point to plot point. When you're talking about an open-world game, I can't think of a higher praise.
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still 3 weeks for me. i hate europe for the later release dates :(

thanks for posting :)
 
A

Anteater

Member
They probably lowered all the quality just make room for the spell casts and shadowing so it won't drop to single digit number.

With that said we don't know if the final game will run as bad as the demo, haven't heard anything about framerate from magazines so far, I think some complained about clippings.
 
S

Skilletor

Member
Baconsammy said:
Yep. It's amazing to me that they did that and the demo still runs so terribly. That must be one weak engine.
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I'd say it's more like trying to eke everything they can out of 7 year old consoles.

MT Framework is an amazing engine, imo. You can tell how awesome it is on the PC versions of the games.
 
F

Feindflug

Member
R_thanatos said:
I don't think it's an engine problem , more like a scale problem
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Well it might be a bit of both since it's the first game based on MT Framework that's so big in scale.

It's an engine that's almost 7 years old with all the upgrades and improvements that were done all these years & there are compromises in visuals like going sub-HD, dropping MSAA in favour of the much cheaper FXAA and still the frame-rate is less than ideal in both versions of the game.

I guess it's the nature of the game that's not doing so well with the graphics engine AND maybe because it's Capcom's first try on the genre that are the causes for the disappointing tech of the game.
 
B

Baconsammy

Banned
Anteater said:
They probably lowered all the quality just make room for the spell casts and shadowing so it won't drop to single digit number.

With that said we don't know if the final game will run as bad as the demo, haven't heard anything about framerate from magazines so far, I think some complained about clippings.
Click to expand...

There's a bunch of videos of tons of spells going off in the final version of the game (or near final preview) and the framerate seems to remain consistent at least.
 
G

Grisby

Member
Played the demo again on the PS3 and then DL the 360 demo to play it another 3 times. It's already been said but fighting that griffin feels like one of those big memorable moments in games.

Also, a small detail but I really like the way your weapons look with that fire enchantment cast on them. I had daggers and they looked like two rods of hot molted steel.
 
B

Baconsammy

Banned
Edge gave it a 7 in the latest mag. As perspective, they gave Amalur a 6. Other than the broken difficulty, I was happy with that game. 7 sounds good to me.
 
C

ced

Member
I can't wait for this game, I'm thinking about trying it with a 3 man team, a little less chaotic I hope.
 
I

ironcreed

Banned
Baconsammy said:
Edge gave it a 7 in the latest mag. As perspective, they gave Amalur a 6. Other than the broken difficulty, I was happy with that game. 7 sounds good to me.
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That is a great score from the likes of EDGE. As far as Kingdoms of Amalur goes, I already know I am going to enjoy this game more by leaps and bounds. It was great at first, but it just fell so flat for me towards the end. Especially the lackluster final boss.
 
A

Anteater

Member
Someone in the Edge thread says they liked the combat and the pawns but seems to hate everything else, hated the story, characters and the blend world, sounds good to me
KuGsj.gif
 
I

ironcreed

Banned
Anteater said:
Someone in the Edge thread says they liked the combat and the pawns but seems to hate everything else, hated the story, characters and the blend world, sounds good to me
KuGsj.gif
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LOL, I wish I had a dollar for every game I loved that EDGE gave low-mediocre scores to or just flat out trashed altogether. Their reviews are very well written, but they still come off as a bit too snobbish for my tastes. I just play games for fun, and don't feel the need to over analyze them like I am contemplating the complexity of some fine wine. I guess that is why I am often so forgiving of some rough edges, warts and niggles here and there. As long as a game that I am interested in delivers at the core and is not broken, I am good to go.
 
D

Derrick01

Banned
Edge really hates wrpgs too guys and while japanese made it shares many similarities with those. I wouldn't put too much stock into their score. A 7 is on the higher end of what they give most wrpg-type games.
 
I

ironcreed

Banned
Derrick01 said:
Edge really hates wrpgs too guys and while japanese made it shares many similarities with those. I wouldn't put too much stock into their score. A 7 is on the higher end of what they give most wrpg-type games.
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Hell, a 7 is a high-end score for EDGE period, lol.
 
T

Tex117

Banned
There are few truely open world RPG's with strong stories.

Some others say that the story isn't half bad.

If they like the combat and the other systems, then yeah...sign me up.
 
Z

zeitgeist

Member
I finally tested out the demo and I thought it was way better than Kingdoms of Amalur but not quite as impressive as Dark Souls.

I have high hopes for this game.
 
D

Derrick01

Banned
Just for reference, other notable wrpg scores from edge.

Witcher 2 - 6
Fallout 1 - 6
Fallout 3 - 7
Fallout: New Vegas - 6
TES III: Morrowind - 6
Diablo I - 7
Diablo II - 6
Dragon Age: Origins - 5
Arcanum - 5
The Witcher - 5
Vampire: Bloodlines - 6
Mass Effect - 7
Temple Of Elemental Evil - 4
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So going by their judgement Capcom seems to have done a pretty good job here!
 
C

Curufinwe

Member
ironcreed said:
That is a great score from the likes of EDGE. As far as Kingdoms of Amalur goes, I already know I am going to enjoy this game more by leaps and bounds. It was great at first, but it just fell so flat for me towards the end. Especially the lackluster final boss.
Click to expand...

I used to think a 7 from Edge was a definitely a good score until they somehow gave it to Neverdead.

But in the specific case of Dragon's Dogma, a 7 isn't any cause for alarm from people who want the game to be very good.
 
S

SatelliteOfLove

Member
Game Informer said:
Dragon's Dogma is an unconventional game for Capcom, and action/RPGs in general. Combat feels like a necessary part of the game's design, rather than something that was begrudgingly added to provide interaction between cutscenes. I left the game feeling that I made my mark on Gransys the way I chose to, instead of being escorted from plot point to plot point. When you're talking about an open-world game, I can't think of a higher praise.
Click to expand...

"GI lolz", but that being said, this isn't a "Fight And Heal" review. This is saying things, great things!
 
I

ironcreed

Banned
Curufinwe said:
I used to think a 7 from Edge was a definitely a good score until they somehow gave it to Neverdead.

But in the specific case of Dragon's Dogma, a 7 isn't any cause for alarm from people who want the game to be very good.
Click to expand...

Despite how well written their reviews usually are, their scores are pretty inconsistent. In the case of Neverdead, nearly everyone else rated the game much lower. It is like they just try to be the outcasts of the bunch most of the time. Which in a way, sort of reminds me of Jim Sterling over at Destructoid.

Like writers at EDGE, he is always very well spoken, and I even agree with the guy at times. But he is just far too contrarian for the sake of being contrary, and ultimately, comes off as too snobbish for my liking. He could give this game a 9.5 or a 3.5... you just never know.
 
S

Skilletor

Member
I don't care about story.

I don't care about cutscenes.

I care about my daggers.

And the way they feel when cleaving a manticore's skull.

And the loot I get after.
 
Windom Earle

Windom Earle

Member
I'm all for ignoring mainstream media reviews, but the last time I was REALLY hyped for a game and it received scores in this area it turned out to be really mediocre.
Rage :(
 
I

ironcreed

Banned
schennmu said:
I'm all for ignoring mainstream media reviews, but the last time I was REALLY hyped for a game and it received scores in this area it turned out to be really mediocre.
Rage :(
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Hard to say, because everyone is different and it will of course vary from game to game. As for myself, scores within the 7.0-8.5 range don't worry me. In fact, most of the games I end up loving the most fall within that range. I just go on the vibe I get from the game and from playing a sample and watching hours of live and unfiltered footage, I am confident that it will give me what I want. That is just me, though.
 
P

Patryn

Member
Baconsammy said:
Pretty much useless. Lots of words to say absolutely nothing.
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I find reviews in general nearly pointless in an era where direct gameplay footage and demos are abundant.

I learn far more about a game simply watching them play it for a long stretch of time than I ever do reading what a person wrote about their experience. For me a review is, at best, a supplemental material to consult in order to learn things like length of a game.
 
Raptomex

Raptomex

Member
I finally played this at my friends house. I'm too lazy to download it. Other than the screen being too busy with all the text I thought it was fun. The character creation was okay (you can create some weird ass people), I enjoyed the combat. I'm looking forward to it. An eventual PC port would be nice.
 
H

Hazanko

Banned
Schwabe said:
still 3 weeks for me. i hate europe for the later release dates :(

thanks for posting :)
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I always see it as a good thing, especially for mutliplatform releases. You get graphic impressions and other pros and cons. It helps me decide if I want the game. I don't trust game reviews.
 
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