Dragon's Dogma

Dragon's Dogma excels in every single aspect I could hope for, and also exceeds that hope to the greatest degree. Yes, it may not be perfect, but I can't think of any game that is perfect. However, Dragon's Dogma is the soul reason I play video games. It's fun and it's a masterpiece. That's all that can really be said.

An excellent action-RPG. The pawns are interesting AI-companions. The story is nothing special, though. [May 2012]

Those who love mythology and have always wanted to fight some powerful mythical creatures and those who player Dungeons and Dragons and enjoyed it will find quite the gem in Dragon's Dogma.

The world is one of the first I've seen that truly implores you to give it the proper respect rather than brashly dive into the unknown and expect to emerge unblemished. The story and characters may not drive you to a sublime world of fiction, but the action more than makes up for it, with character and equipment customization that will keep you tweaking and enjoying yourself the entire time.

If you're a fan of RPGs or Capcom action games, Dragon's Dogma is definitely worth a look.

This adventurer relished Dragon's Dogma's old-school sensibilities, which make it familiar territory that is expected on a PC instead of something from Capcom on the PS3. As players romp across a wide-open world filled with danger, titanic ruins and wonders, they'll realize that it's a rough, rewarding world, though its hardened edges may not be to everyone's cup of tea.

The graphics aren't state-of-the-art and the story isn't that well-told. That said, spectacular combat and a wonderful environment to wander around in save Dragon's Dogma from the purgatory of mediocrity.

When people talk about Dragon's Dogma, they immediately ask the question weither it's better than The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Don't do that. Both games are just great in their own way.

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 PS3's best RPGs. [June 2012, p.100]

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 higher praise. [June 2012, p.90]

It doesn't fire on all cylinders all the time. It can be disappointing and frustrating. But at the end of the day, you will reflect and conclude that all in all, you're experiencing what could be a memorable adventure.

Neither Monster Hunter nor Dark Souls--but a great combination of the two.

Being a Japanese attempt at Skyrim, Dragon's Dogma gets a bit overly ambitious in places. Exploration is not a case of 'if you see it, you can go there'. Firstly, because seeing the horizon is difficult; Dogma's graphics engine renders vistas with all the detail of a waterpainting. Secondly, you're held back by locked border towns, or high level enemy mobs, until you have some hours and major quests under your belt. Just as irking is the lack of authenticity to the towns and the NPCs within. You can ransack a house and sell the crap back to the homeowner (while happily stabbing them), or you can score XP by killing their pets. [June 2012, p74]

There are areas for improvement, most notably on the storytelling front, but Capcom has produced a thoroughly entertaining adventure with widespread charm.

A fair RPG that combines Japanese and European tradition, and that offers a full experience for tens or even hundreds of hours of gameplay. As Dark Souls it gives you nothing for free, as Skyrim it offers a great living world with its own rules. The game adds adrenaline fights along with its unique sidekick system, aiming this way for the best role-playing game title of the year.

It's remarkable that a game as lengthy as Dragon's Dogma and with as little plot development manages to hold our interest through to an excellent finale. The combat system is undoubtedly the glue that holds the game together, providing a compelling reason to keep playing.

One thing it isn't is a generic rehash. Dragon's Dogma will remain with you, frustrations and victories alike, when your memories of other games have long since faded.

Dragon's Dogma is one of the freshest experiences in this genre we've seen in a long time.

Dragon's Dogma is a real success for Capcom - consistently entertaining and compelling, it's a pleasure to explore its world. The pawn system and variety of skills and vocations keeps combat enjoyable even after dozens of hours, and while multiplayer would have been the icing on the cake, there's more than enough here to entertain a single player for weeks. A solid and worthwhile purchase.

By looking towards the western designs, while keeping the Japanese strong points, Dragon's Dogma will make a significant contribution to the ARPG genre. Its open world, beautiful mythic creatures and chara-design, and probably the best and most spectacular combat action of the genre, it draws players into its world, even though it's far from perfect. Indeed, the story fails to drive the player forward, and the world lacks life and soul, but the ton of good little ideas, the pawn system, and the overall ambition of the title make it fun nonetheless. Enjoying it also allows us to dream of a bright future for the Japanese creators who gave birth to this unusual game for their culture.

With awesome character customization and the impressively bold approach the pawn system takes to storytelling and online connectivity, that makes this all the more worth exploring, even in spite of its sometimes conspicuous faults.

Dragon's Dogma has everything that RPG-heads crave – you can lose yourself in tinkering around, collecting items, finding arcane quests and seeking random enemies for days. It's reassuringly complex, and astonishingly well-executed given that this is Capcom's first attempt at such a game.

If you were in a bad mood, you could hang Dragon's Dogma out to dry for its clumsy camera and controls, simplistic warrior-rogue-mage class choice, shallow combat and bad dialogue (which frequently misuses the words ere, e'er, aught, ought, ill, and so on.) But it's hard to be in a bad mood while playing such a brave, sprawling, original take on role-playing. Accept its failings and you get to enjoy its beautifully esoteric successes.

Despite some graphical problems Dragon's Dogma offers a solid action roleplaying experience that excites with a great combat system.

The director of Devil May Cry is at the helm here (or behind the buttons, if you like), which makes Dragon's Dogma feel like a purebred hack & slash from time to time. Complete with different fighting styles and easy to use skills. [June 2012, p.82]

Dragon's Dogma is a fascinating and very enjoyable new take on the fantasy genre by Capcom, one that has a lot of promise held within it-but one which also sees some of that promise squashed due to the inclusion of an unneeded and annoying gimmick.

It's a strange game, Dragon's Dogma; it does some really brave and interesting things, but it also feels unfinished, with technical problems that often spoil things. The combat, though, is one of the best real-time RPG fighting systems around, with flexibility and variety that carries the whole game.

Dragon's Dogma is a game that could and should have been much more than what is. Still, it is an interesting and enjoyable game.

Capcom's first take on western RPGs is a solid effort, with great boss fights, many new ideas and hours upon hours of exploration and side quests.

Dragon's Dogma feels like the start of something big. It thrills and frustrates in equal measure, and whilst it's not up to the level of those at the top of this genre, one can't help but wonder what a Dragon's Dogma 2 could be like if Capcom act on all the lessons learned from this game. An exciting thought indeed.

Despite all its shortcomings, Dragon's Dogma if an often enjoyable and interesting experience.

Dragon's Dogma is a game with great highs and lows; at one time you'll be battling a dragon and the other you'll be battling the camera. Technical mistakes and design choices we can't wrap our heads around hold Dragon's Dogma back. Despite these problems it's still very entertaining, but that 'what could've been'-feeling doesn't let go.

The gameplay is great and the unique Pawn system makes you feel like you're playing with others even though it's a single player experience.

I really tried to like this game but the more I played it, the more tired I grew of its generic world, uninspired quests, dull characters and long distances you have to cross over and over again while cutting down respawning enemies. Combat is really good though, especially against massive foes, and the Pawns system is an interesting idea. [August 2012, p.66]

A bit of refinement and this could have been something special. [July 2012, p.80]

The combat has enough depth and variety to keep you interested for the duration of the story and beyond, but in terms of what might have been, what should have been, Dragon's Dogma falls gut-wrenchingly short.