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Finally, I Beat Dragon's Dogma 2: A Mixed Bag of Excitement and Missed Opportunities

Dragon's Dogma 2 has received mixed reviews, but from my experience, it offers an exciting and engaging gameplay experience. However, for a game priced at $60, there are still some glaring issues that could dampen the experience for some players.

Story: A Short, Unremarkable Journey

The story of Dragon's Dogma 2 is fairly straightforward and relatively small-scale, but sadly, it lacks emotional moment, depth, and pacing. lack of scenes that really engage you in the game's setting or with the characters you appreciate. Those rare glimpses of immersion only appear at the very beginning and toward the end of the story, leaving much of the middle feeling hollow.

Throughout most of the game, the story fails to provide meaningful context or depth to the world, unless I somehow missed a crucial part. Despite this, surprisingly I was driven to continue playing because of the captivating gameplay. While the narrative may be lacking, the freedom to explore and find unconventional paths to objectives kept me hooked. That also because the gameplay animation being fluid-ish but yet so bizarre, those aspect was a highlight for me.

Yet again, a missed opportunity

While the story being mid and I believe they did rush with this one. The game’s world even if it's kind of empty is still fun to explore yet again because of the gameplay animation. Also, it's thrilling to learn and see all the vocation skills animation and make your own style or combo in a combat. Another thing, the save option is also a missed opportunity because you only able to create one character. Like dude? I guess it would messing up with the pawn system but please freaking do a workaround a little more before releasing, I bet there are some way to solve it. I guess, what's done is done.

Performance and Microtransactions

Performance-wise, I didn’t experience any issues, probably because I didn't start playing right at launch. Microtransactions, while present, don't have much impact on the overall experience, and yes I still found them unnecessary that they put it in the game.

Final Verdict

Overall, Dragon's Dogma 2 is an enjoyable game for those who love open-world exploration and character customization. If possible I could have given this review a mixed rating, but I kept it positive because for me personally I still enjoyed playing the game. However, the underdeveloped story, and the steep $60 price tag make it hard to recommend to everyone. If you enjoy screwing around in a large world and don’t mind the story taking a seat back, then this game might still be worth your time or just get it when it's on sale.

Chapter 1

After migrating from console gaming to PC, I finally managed to carve out some time to enjoy and complete Final Fantasy XV. I must say that this installment of Final Fantasy is still very much worth experiencing. Especially after knowing that this one received mixed reviews from the fans.

Chapter 2: Visuals

When it comes to visuals, I have absolutely no doubts about the quality delivered by Square Enix in this game. From in-game cutscenes to pre-rendered ones, both are stunning to behold and truly a feast for the eyes. The world presented is equally beautiful, with areas ranging from forests, water areas, mountains, to small and large cities—all are breathtaking. It’s not just about being beautiful; the placement and how they imagined these locations are truly remarkable. The character design is also beautifully-looking, especially for the crucial characters in the story or even the ones we can interact with.

Chapter 3: Gameplay

This is one of the key factors that led to the mixed reaction among fans of this Final Fantasy game. It’s important to note that the game was designed for both Classic Fans and First-Timers. So, I completely understand why the developers wanted to experiment with changing its style, particularly with this installment. It’s no longer turn-based, a hallmark of Final Fantasy's. However, even though it has shifted to a hack-and-slash style, it still retains the core or original elements. At least, that’s how I play it—I intentionally adapt my playstyle to make it feel more turn-based. This can be done without having to repeatedly press the same attack inputs, allowing for more strategic combat. Because of this, the gameplay remains enjoyable and fun. I think this is also one of the gameplay aspects that makes me excited to encounter monsters or enemies, I was like, "Yes, enemies!" So, in my opinion, the gameplay experience in this game truly depends on how the player wants to play it.

Chapter 4: The "Missed Opportunity"

After finishing this Final Fantasy, I feel that the writing for the story and characters is still decent and yet felt rush for a certain character development. The pacing and some of the narrative depth, especially for crucial characters like our boys Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto, should have been more integrated into the main storyline of the game. This would have allowed us to connect with them more deeply, even though you still get a sense of this as you interact with them frequently during some part of the chapter and gameplay. However, for some other characters, it feels like there’s a significant part of the story missing. Perhaps this was explained through in-game text that I might have missed, but I just wish it had been explained through visuals. There are DLCs that delve into the backstories of some crucial characters, but it would have been better if it had all been combined to make the experience more immersive, so we could truly understand what’s happening in the world. This also applies to what happens in our hometown, Insomnia, which is explained through the prequel movie "Kingsglaive." I recommend watching that movie before playing the game. The movie is fantastic; I even feel it’s more “Final Fantasy” than the game itself, haha.

Chapter 5: Conclusion

Final Fantasy XV is still a game worth experiencing, from its characters, story, world, and let’s not forget its amazing music score. It’s also fascinating to witness the dynamic relationship between Noctis and his boys as they journey towards the throne destined for him. It’s a pity, though, that the storytelling feels a bit rushed—at least that’s how it comes across, perhaps because they spread the narrative across shows, movies, DLCs, etc. This game is so close to being one of the great Final Fantasy titles!

One of those games that surpassed its time. The storytelling, soundtracks and scores, action, character development, a vast world, etc. EVERYTHING about this game is chef kiss.

After shifting from console and trying to finish the game again. I may say that this game is unusually fresh. Unfortunately, the audience is limited since no one feels anybody wants to be a courier for a long period of time, like if they were a courier in real life. Indeed, it is truly a walking simulator of a game.

The game may have a vision with a basic and tedious premise. However, if you play it a bit longer, you'll discover that the traverses gameplay to deliver orders can be more distinctive, speedier, and bizarre. Also, just a reminder that the game has bizarre combat as well, and it was awesome; it's Kojima, like c'mon, haha. Of course, it has it's flaws, yet it still tries to offer you something diverse and not always too constant.

Death Stranding is one of the game world's unique, with an audience that unfortunately is not particularly large. And I truly get that, but I guess for me; am one of the audience for this game. For that, hopefully, next IP will be more comfortable and friendly for most people both in storytelling and gameplay. Either way, I'm still willing to enjoy the ride!

"Don't ever try to buy and play this game if you really DON'T want to. Unless, you're CRAVING and simply want to try it out."

My guy, download FPS is simply too good to be true. Lossless Scaling may not be ideal for all games, but it's effective for most of 'em. Now, I'm used to limiting my game frame rate to around 60 to 90 FPS for efficiency while still getting a smooth as butter experience as if I were running at 165 Hz monitor along with the frame rate. The fact that you are capable of viewing any video or movie with a higher frame rate is insane!

Perhaps this sounds harsh. However, this might serve as the foundation for the next game. Gameplay, scenery, and art are beginning to take on a distinct identity, but perhaps in the future, the focus will be on blending 3D and 2D art more seamlessly. Because the 2D sequence is expressive, emotional, and visually appealing, as are the character designs. However, when we return to the gameplay, specifically in 3D, everything feels lacking, dull, and odd to look at. Except for the set design, which works well with the 3D.

I believe the gameplay is appropriate, although it might be improved, perhaps in the next game, as it now feels rough. The narrative seems just appropriate, and individuals from the nation in which the game takes place will undoubtedly experience some related emotions. Even if the dialogue is excessive in harsh words, it gives the idea that it was intended to target other foreign gaming language styles but was misapplied.

Of course, there are many more pros and cons, so I truly want to give this a mixed review, but for the time being, I'd say it is a negative one. I want to appreciate this game, but just me tryna finish the game gives me a headache due of the flaws I see in it.

Anyway, keep up the anticipation; perhaps, future games will be more excellent!

One of the underrated zombie/apocalyptic-themed games. Gameplay wise, in my opinion, feels generic and cliché. Likewise, certain minor cutscenes in gameplay are redundant as they make the experience repetitive. However, the narrative of the story attracted me. Like what are they striving to convey with the narrative. It's not complex or astonishing, yet it's as light as a movie. Is this a terrible thing? Sometimes all we need is something that may be enjoyed lightly in a lovely mix of stitches, just like watching a movie.

If you ever get baffled over playing a game in this genre. Give this game an attempt ❤

Pokémon on crack

For real, though. Jokes aside, the game itself is pretty pleasant and fun in its genre. The fact that you're being accompanied by those pals you've caught and even humans. Fella's about to start a slave factory. So, I highly recommend this one to you guys if you want to learn more about what this IP has to offer. And, for the devs, I sincerely hope that the next update will make the game even richer, especially with the full release!

Loading Simulator. But, I'm still loving it somehow.

Literally respect to the NSFW artists that kept the game alive to this day.