Edge said:

Dragon's Dogma is an ambitious project for Capcom. Attempting to inject a jolt of adrenaline into a traditional RPG's frame would have been challenge enough, but to do so while attempting to create a world as large as anything you've made before seems almost foolhardy. And there are hints, at times, that it might have been too much of a technical challenge. The letterboxed presentation, for instance, saving them the trouble of rendering an entire screen, as well as a framerate that judders at moments of monster-surrounded inconvenience. But when Dragon's Dogma succeeds, it offers a potent piece of alchemy - a man that helped define the Japanese action genre redefining the Japanese role playing game. Capcom might not have crafted the kind of world in which players will invest, but it understands the powerful draw of party builds and gear tweaking, the immediate thrill of ____ spellcasting , and the spirit of adventure is sallying for on a dragon hunt.

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Game Informer said:

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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Play said:

Combat itself - the main draw of the game - is seriously all over the place. Clunky is the main word that springs to mind, with a lack of easily defined targeting hodling back most character types and a general sense you don't have the control you require to take on opponents in the tactical manner Dragon's Dogma expects of you. In theory it should be wonderful and strategic, seeing each character type work to their strengths. In practice it will boil down to headless chickens running and flailing, getting KO'd and necessitating being revived by a player character too scared of going anywhere near that Cyclops that can kill them in one hit. It isn't exactly exciting.

Difficulty is not by itself a Bad Thing. Back to the Dark Souls comparisons - that's a game that gets difficulty. You fail, it's your fault. Dragon's Dogma seems to have read the first part of that statement: you just fail. Unavoidable, random strikes out of nowhere; no ability to dodge as standard; no blocking at all for certain character classes; huge, non-signposted difficulty spikes that see the player taken out in one hit; AI companions who seem happier to pick flowers than actually help; the lack of logic in a world where you can revive team-mates but they can't revive you - the list goes on.

Verdict: A clunky, confused mess of a game that simply doesn't know what it wants to be. There's comfort in how compulsive it can be, but that factor doesn't magically turn Dragon's Dogma into anything other than a flawed, dull and unfair experience.

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Pelit said:

An excellent action-RPG. The pawns are interesting AI-companions. The story is nothing special, though.

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LEVEL said:

Down-the-line but polished to the detail action RPG offers an open world, a great combat system with companions and great visuals. Do not miss this piece!

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OXM said:

Much like the main character's chest cavity, this RPG ultimately feels hollow, with no real heart.

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Troll said:

Ill buy. The demo was fun, the story seemed interesting, too.

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Dresden said:

Play can go fuck itself with that added recommendation to go play Skyrim instead.

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Y2Kev said:

Is Play the same as when it was like 9/10 for Lair and sonic 360?

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Ridley327 said:

I think it's a UK Sony-specific magazine; the US Play has been dead for ages.

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Y2Kev said:

Really? Get out of town! I had no idea it died.

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Ridley327 said:

Oh, were you making a joke?

Well, then.

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Jac_Solar said:

What's up with the Play review? Not here to defend Dragons Dogma or anything, I'm just wondering if there's a history of off the mark reviews or something.

He more or less says the game makes you fail, enemies 1 shot you, I'm not sure about dodging/blocking, but isn't there a default R2 + a button command to roll atleast? Do all classes have roll/dodge, and block? Or only certain classes?

And unless you stray off the path into unknown territory, you most likely won't experience huge difficulty spikes. If you do, you're most likely going the wrong way or need to read the quest log. When mobs start one hitting you, you're in the wrong place, or need to stealth the mob or something. (Most likely.)

And regarding A.I.. Well, while I did/do expect DD to feature decent A.I, there's usually problems with the A.I running off on its own. If it doesn't heal you, ever, and does not disengage combat to revive anyone else, then it's kind of bad. But I wonder if its possible to tell the pawn not to dilly dally about when out in the wilds, and only pick up stuff/flowers if directed to. Or, if a pawn will just stop whatever he's doing when you issue the command to follow you. "Come on, pawn. We have enough flowers already."

I can somewhat understand the frustration at a combat system that doesn't let you target mobs; but that just means you have to practice more.

People complain about handholding in games.. yet some people will also complain about no handholding. Dragons Dogma seems to be a game that requires you to read the quests, directions and respect the boundaries. It's about time a game with less handholding (Than 99% of other modern games more or less.) comes out.

Some of his points does not sound like he intended it to sound, if you've watched any gameplay vids. It sounds more like he got frustrated and gave up.

Mobs that are leveled up are great; scaling has been done often and well lately, but pre leveled mobs is still the most exciting way of the 2. But games like Skyrim does need scaling, and I enjoy both when they are done well.

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ACESmkII said:

Damn, the reviews are all over the place.

Isn't this Capcom's most expensive project to date? I hope this doesn't turn into an ultra bomba for them.

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Xater said:

The reviews seem to be all over the place and the deo was not particularly convincing. Seems like it was a good idea to skip it.

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maquiladora said:

Out of the 10 reviews in the OP, 7 of them score 79% or above. Seems like it was a good idea to skip it? Gad dayun....

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ACESmkII said:

Isn't this Capcom's most expensive project to date? I hope this doesn't turn into an ultra bomba for them.

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Riposte said:

Play magazine's blurb is dumb even if you take it at face value. As if Dark Souls doesn't have "random" difficulty spikes where the player is destroyed for going the wrong way... really.

Recently I've noticed journos jumping to Dark Souls whenever they think they need to prove they are not just being scrubs when they want to talk about "fairness". Basically whenever I see a comment about how unfair the game is in a review, I immediately suspect the reviewer is bullshitting me. I guess that's not really a comment on Dragon's Dogma's quality though.

He also uses the word "clunky" lol.

EDIT: I also predicted that the scores would range wildly. I think this game will gain cult status, especially since it is an underdog against the clearly more popular and clearly inferior Skyrim.

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There's no sense of danger in modern games. Dying has become a minor setback, rather than something to be feared. That's why Dragon's Dogma is so inspiring. Its enormous world is rife with danger, and death lurks around every corner. It's an adventure in the truest sense of the word, rich with mystery and peril.

There's something weirdly intoxicating about this constant fear of dying. When you venture into a new area of the map, you're filled with trepidation about what beasties may be lurking in the bushes, but will be compelled to keep going. Your curiosity and desire to discover loot, or a path to a new area, or a quest, makes you risk everything by venturing into uncharted territory. This makes Dragon's Dogma one of the most hardcore, rewarding and authentic role-playing experiences on consoles. But the difficulty can be more than a little trying at times, and we found ourserlves regularly quitting out of frustation.

Verdict: Big, challenging, and imaginative, but its hardcore nature won't appeal to everyone. If you have a lot of time, and patience, this is one of 360's best RPGs.

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+ Excellent combat system
+ Long and epic adventure

- Character design
- Some technical issues

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Summary: Although it clearly needed a little longer in the oven, Dragon's Dogma is a game that no self-respecting fantasy RPG fan can afford to be without. Massive, gripping, entertaining and, in its better moments, awesome.

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+good visual effects
+game controls are easy to grasp
+good AI

- no multiplayer
- some battles take too long and are too hectic

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Baconsammy said:

One thread that's consistent among the good and the bad reviews is that the story pretty much sucks. That seems to be all that they can agree upon, though.

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