Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen - First Reviews

Guys, I'm falling in love with this game all over again!! But man...this game is REALLY tough in the early levels...I keep trying to do all my fancy moves...which I don't have unlocked.

Anyway, I'm reminded all over again at how charming this game is. My main pawn...I adore her...she is so wonderful and earnest!! EPIC.
 
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Brumbek said:
Bobo, out of curiosity, what are your favorite action games? I forget if you siad so before, and I'm just curious. Some of mine are DmC: Devil may Cry, Metal Gear Revengence, Dragon's Dogma obviously, Saints Row, Metal Gear Solid V.
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Specifically of the ones I've played, I don't place any above others, only in certain aspects…Arkham Knight( freeflow and animations), DmC( "playstyle fluid"), Jedi Outcast II ( hit precision), Dark Messiah ( use of environment), Mount&Blade( archery), Dark Souls ( weapons&enemy variety and attack move sets), Witcher III( "combat rhythm" and evasion), Blade of Severance, etc…
Coming Kingdom of Deliverance could very likely take the crown for best first person melee.
I do not think that DD is in any way bad, but so far it feels like it has it's share of clumsiness with movement in combat and enemy AI.
Magic looks like something else in this game and from what I've seen, it has the best, skill wise, char progression in third person action rpg.

One question though, how hard is "Hard" throughout the game? I started it first time, but enemies did way too much damage, even critters...when it's overdone, you end up running around in circles and more exploiting than fighting AI.
 
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BoboTheMighty said:
One question though, how hard is "Hard" throughout the game? I started it first time, but enemies did way too much damage, even critters…when it's overdone, you end up running around in circles and more exploiting than fighting AI.
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First, thanks for your list of action games. Good games, those, although I haven't played much Mount & Blade. Hard mode in Dogma is mostly just annoying because it drains more stamina.

The early game is BRUTAL on Hard mode, but ironically the game becomes easier on Hard mode later because you get so much more XP and Gold, which lets you level up and master your classes faster and upgrade gear so much faster.

I don't ever recommend Hard mode. It was a DLC they added later and it isn't balanced at all for the game. The only reason to play Hard mode is when you reach level 140+ and can already finish Bitterblack Isle and you want an extra challenge, in my personal opinion.
 
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azarhal said:
21:9 ultra widescreen monitors are not supported natively due to fixed UI elements.[/I]
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It just went from "sounds neat enough to buy at close full price" to "when it's $5 on sale".

WSGF indicates that the UI just disappears off the bottom, rendering 21:9 rather useless and anything wider completely useless. And depth of field breaks entirely and must be disabled.

Oh, well. Maybe someone will hack it one day.
 
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This game is SO GOOD. Even after beating it six times on the console, it feels so fresh and fun to play again! The questing in this game is so amazing. Forming a party that works together. The synergies of Support Mage, Fighter, and Assassin. It is so EPIC.

I'm sorry, but I'm just blown away by this game all over again! And the graphics are actually quite stunning, going into dark caves with the lanterns providing nice dynamic lighting on the cave walls. LOVE IT.
 
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Brumbek said:
First, thanks for your list of action games. Good games, those, although I haven't played much Mount & Blade. Hard mode in Dogma is mostly just annoying because it drains more stamina.





The early game is BRUTAL on Hard mode, but ironically the game becomes easier on Hard mode later because you get so much more XP and Gold, which lets you level up and master your classes faster and upgrade gear so much faster.





I don't ever recommend Hard mode. It was a DLC they added later and it isn't balanced at all for the game. The only reason to play Hard mode is when you reach level 140+ and can already finish Bitterblack Isle and you want an extra challenge, in my personal opinion.
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Well said. Hard mode just adds to much grind + work, and takes a lot of fun out the game.
 
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Brumbek said:
And the graphics are actually quite stunning, going into dark caves with the lanterns providing nice dynamic lighting on the cave walls. LOVE IT.
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That's a good point : Compare with Skyrim in which (unless it was because my graphic card was not correctly set ?) you nearly saw as well during the night and in the caves than during the day, in Dragon Dogma the day/night cycle is well done and the management of the lantern is cool (I think) because your really can't see at night... even if it's annoying to have to turn on/off the light often, and recharge it with oil, it's rather realistic. Also the fact the lantern is unusable for some time when it gets wet is a good idea.
 
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GroNolife said:
That's a good point : Compare with Skyrim in which (unless it was because my graphic card was not correctly set ?) you nearly saw as well during the night and in the caves than during the day, in Dragon Dogma the day/night cycle is well done and the management of the lantern is cool (I think) because your really can't see at night… even if it's annoying to have to turn on/off the light often, and recharge it with oil, it's rather realistic. Also the fact the lantern is unusable for some time when it gets wet is a good idea.
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Heh you never tried skyrim with the darkest night mod then;)
 
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... because proper use of movement, timing and skills is HUGE in Dogma.
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Just the thing that frustrates me the most in combat for a game - made worse as I do not like using controllers. Tried twice and both times gave them away to friends. Just old and slow (with wrist and shoulder issues developing) so I like games that take that into account and it will only get worse as time moves on not better :p

Another great game but not something I have been able to get into (it's cheap at least). Not a fan of the style although I like the genre and I read the full story on Wiki, once I knew I wasn't going to get into it, and thought the story was very well done.

Glad many folks are enjoying it though - always like to see well made fantasy games do well as it means more variety and options for everyone. Also encourages trying different things by developers.

Reading all these threads was also very useful (for the most part) as it gave a lot of insight into the style of the game, how it played, and different view points. Always enjoy the Watch most when the discussions are useful like this.
 
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I don't use a controller with this game at all, just keyboard and mouse, and I've had no issues at all running around, climbing, or stabbing. No need to even move keys, the layout makes perfect sense to me.
 
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Carnifex said:
I don't use a controller with this game at all, just keyboard and mouse, and I've had no issues at all running around, climbing, or stabbing. No need to even move keys, the layout makes perfect sense to me.
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I'm using an xbox one controller, plays great for me too.
 
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Carnifex said:
I don't use a controller with this game at all, just keyboard and mouse, and I've had no issues at all running around, climbing, or stabbing. No need to even move keys, the layout makes perfect sense to me.
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My twitch reflexes are horrible. Abysmal even. When I was playing W3 I kept setting Roach on fire. I hit air way more often than what I was supposed to hit. It got frustrating after a while. I did finally get somewhat better after about 20 hours and using the easiest difficulty setting. Found if I just stuck to very simple attacks it worked out well enough. I just don't do that well at action style games in general. Needless to say combat in general isn't what attracts me to a game although I enjoy some of it.
 
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I never played this on console, but I'm probably about 5 hours in and my early impression is this game is a LOT of fun. There aren't the usual annoyances that accompany console ports. You can save anywhere; none of that checkpoint garbage. I'm playing with mouse and keyboard and it works fine. However, you DO have the menus to deal with and some other issues (no shortcuts to maps and quest log, one save slot, exiting the game takes too many steps to name a few). I like the way characters level, and there seems to be lots of items to find/buy. Gameplay reminds me of Amalur and Dark Messiah but better. My overall early impression is very positive.
 
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wolfgrimdark said:
My twitch reflexes are horrible. Abysmal even. When I was playing W3 I kept setting Roach on fire. I hit air way more often than what I was supposed to hit. It got frustrating after a while. I did finally get somewhat better after about 20 hours and using the easiest difficulty setting. Found if I just stuck to very simple attacks it worked out well enough. I just don't do that well at action style games in general. Needless to say combat in general isn't what attracts me to a game although I enjoy some of it.
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I don't think it's reflexes - you need to dance in TW3. Before playing TW3, you should (everyone should) turn on some music and dance. Yes in RL.
After you're sure you're doing it on some okay level, return to the game.
Failing that, you can still go tank'em+poke in TW3 with improved quen.

I still didn't start DD so am not sure how the combat there looks. Not sure when I'll get to it, depends on a friend who I'm LoL with currently, it's just too much fun to abandon it and I needed some toxicity from MMO munchkins.
 
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*dancing to Stevie Wonder 💃 *
 
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Joxer is right, W3 is more about rhythm and positioning than anything else, I think it has a pretty generous block/parry window

https://giphy.com/gifs/geralt-tango-1iTJ6rkMJ2lOSvvO
https://giphy.com/gifs/xTcnT6v321duqB0hvG

I'm not sure about other classes, but playing as a mage so far DD seems a lot more tactical than I thought...managing your pawns, and spell use based on distance( very lengthy animations).

Besides wolfgrim, it has an excellent char creator, so I'm pretty sure you can make another lumberjack. :p
 
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BoboTheMighty said:
Played this for a few hours and so far it's been a very unimpressive ride. Does this get any better…and by this I mean drastically?
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Yes, for me it did drastically improve.

It was when the combat 'clicked' for me (when I got a full set of skills and pawns)... that's when you feel the awesomeness that is DDDA.

For the first 5 or so hours, I was pretty ho-hum on it though... glad I persevered!
 
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I spent 6 hours just making new characters to get the look I wanted. I couldn't decide between female or male Arisen. I finally, settled for a ripped female main character. I do appreciate that the game allow you to make a female character that looks like she could be wearing a full set of steel plate armor.
 
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