Why the hell did nobody tell me Dragon's Dogma was so awesome?

[Arcanum]

Because it's really fucking awesome. I would be playing it right now if Xbox Live wasn't acting screwy.

I was put off by the demo, but I gave it another try the other day, and then watched a few Let's Play videos of it. And now I can't put the game down.

First off, this game is massive. I've spent over 12 hours in it already, and I've uncovered a tiny bit of the map. And I've been spending most of my time randomly exploring.

Also, the class and combat systems are both amazing. You have three basic classes (Fighter, Strider, Mage), three advanced classes that are more offense oriented versions of the basic ones (Warrior, Ranger, Sorcerer), and then three hybrid classes that combine aspects of two classes (Mystic Knight, Magick Archer, Assassin).

You can switch between classes at will (as long as you have the "Discipline" (i.e. skill) points to buy a new class, which you only have to do once and then you can switch back to any unlocked class for free), and classes have nine levels that are separate from eachother and your own level progression. Levelling up a class gives you access to new abilities and passives that you can unlock with Discipline Points.

What I just learned recently is that when you level up your stats increase depending on what your current vocation is. Fighters and Warriors get more HP and offensive power, Striders and Rangers get more stamina but are otherwise pretty balanced, and Mages and Sorcerers get more magick power and defense. And of course Hybrid classes have their own stat progressions.

Anyway enough of that, let's talk about combat. Oh boy the combat. The demo seemed kind of lackluster but now I'm blaming that on the lack of customization and the lame foe variation. Fighting weak golbins things quickly degrade into button mashing, but if you're against a group of bandits that out-level you, then things get interesting. And it gets even better when you have a group of abilities that you love and that compliment your play style.

But where the game truly shines is against large enemies, the ones you can climb on. It is by far my favorite part of the game. And once again the demo doesn't really do it justice. The chimera is one of the lamer fights, where you just cling and slash away like a mad man. Ogres are much more interesting, because they're stronger, faster, and if you climb onto their back they will jump and slam their back against the ground to get you off.

Another great fight I had was against a Golem. I stumbled onto him as the sun was starting to set, and I wanted to explore some strange looking stones sticking out of a hill before heading back to a camp. I was horribly underleveled for the fight, but I refused to run away. I grabbed onto him and started slashing away at the glowing disks that were his only weakpoint. The battle lasted until nightfall, where the only light was from my lantern, and the few remaining glowing discs on the golem, who had fallen to the ground for a few moments. Then the Golem stands up, glowing red instead of purple-blue, and kills me instantly with a single punch. I wasn't even mad. The fight and the progression from day to night with the amazing lighting effects made it all worth it.

Of course the game does have its flaws. For one, there's no fast travel, so getting places can take a while. Also, while travelling, your pawns never shut up. Sure the knowledge system is great, but there are points in the map, regardless of if you're heading towards or away from something, where your pawn will spout the same nonsense about something that he or she has said a thousand times before. Yes, I get it, this encampment is a great fucking bulwark against monsters, now shut up. And lipsyncing outside of cinematics is terrible. Yet despite all that, I still love this game.

Anyway I think that's enough rambling from me. I know there's some of you on here that have played this game (since the few recent posts about it in the Boycott Atlus and ME3 threads convinced me to give it a second look), so feel free to brag about how awesome your character is. Also if your Pawn is around level 25 and on the 360, let me know so I can send you some rotten meat.