..Dragon's Dogma..

REVIEW |

Let us pretend for minute. You found a great engagement ring. Everything about the ring screams perfect, but upon closer inspection you find a little crack. You find yourself in a dilemma. Is this ring good enough? Or will you let it go in favor of perfection? 

Now, let us go back to the real world. Though the circumstances are different, Dragon's Dogma is just like that ring. It's a grand, open world RPG with awesome gameplay, but the game contains imperfections that diminish its quality. Gamers will love the sandbox elements and the combat, but they will lament at the lack of online and the difficulty. It is a daunting task to gage the quality of Dragon's Dogma, because it is truly a flawed masterpiece. Nonetheless, it is a task I must undertake.

On the surface, Dragon's Dogma is an open world RPG. Just like with Fallout 3 or Skyrim, players are able to run around performing quests at their leisure, exploring dungeons, or encountering wild beasts. Accumulating experience and gathering gold are the best means of gaining strength in the land of Gransys. The leveling system is almost a standard affair. Experience points will increase your level, but discipline points will unlock skills and character classes to explore. The classes range from a melee fighter to a ranged character that utilizes spell for damage. Among the three classes at the start, there are five other classes that the player may switch to.  

No matter what vocation is chosen, players are quick to find out that combat is chock full of action. There are no turns to be had or clunky battles like in Fallout or The Elder Scrolls. If you're looking for a defining contrast to other RPGs, combat is one of them. Capcom did a good job in creating fast and furious gameplay. Mowing down enemies and using skills feels more like an action game rather than an RPG. In Dragon's Dogma, players are able to whack monsters left and right without much thought going into their actions. Special moves are available for the player to unleash tons of damage. 

While smacking monsters and mashing special moves may seem like an easy out, the game will punish the player for mindless combat. Stringing special moves together will consume stamina considerably and leave the Arisen gasping for air. Climbing that Ogre for extended periods will also tire the Arisen. If a player runs into combat without thinking, the game will punish them as well. Monsters have nothing to indicate their level, which leaves the player to decide to fight or flee. Quests also lack this indicator, so players may unknowingly fight strong enemies. Combat is the greatest source of fun the game has to offe

GameDynamo's Score for Dragon's Dogma (PS3)

Christopher Rogel Chris started playing games at the tender age of 5. Since then, he sees mushrooms, hearts, aliens, and spikey-haired blondes in his sleep.

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