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Dragon’s Dogma Review

Travis Bruno
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Dragon’s Dogma Review


Dragon’s Dogma
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Platforms: Xbox 360 (Reviewed), PlayStation 3
Release Date: May 22, 2012
Price: $59.99 – Available Here

Overview:
Over the past decade the RPG genre has evolved into something that gamers may never have thought possible back in the ‘90s. The rise of the open world and action RPG concepts have created many different experiences which fans have swarmed around. While a number of other publishers jumped on the open world RPG bandwagon, Capcom has only offered gamers the Monster Hunter series and seemed to have stepped away from the RPG genre as a whole.

However last year Capcom surprised many by revealing that they were creating an open world action RPG set with a medieval European setting in the form of Dragon’s Dogma. With RPG fans eager to see what Capcom has to offer, do the many unique features contained within Dragon’s Dogma make it far stronger than a normal RPG? Or should it fear the flame of the masses criticism?

Story:
The land of Gransys has been relatively peaceful as of late and many people are enjoying their simplistic lives, with only the worry of bandits and the occasional monster attack concerning them. However that all changes because a giant dragon of prophecy has come to the land to bring apocalyptic ruin to everyone and everything.

However the minute the dragon appears on land, one fishing village resident refuses to run away and let his/her home be destroyed. In a desperate and ultimately futile attempt to slay the dragon, this villager is batted aside and has their heart stolen and eaten by the dragon. While this may sound like the end-game already, it turns out that this very act has made this villager the one person who can destroy the dragon and bring peace to the land, the Arisen. As the Arisen you set off to track down the dragon and reclaim your heart, if only you can get past the legions of monsters and fanatical cultists which have begun roaming the land.

Dragon’s Dogma’s storyline isn’t anything too original as it calls upon a number of classic RPG clichés such as a simple villager rising to save the realm from imposing doom. However despite these clichés the game presents an easy to follow and enjoyable story that will keep the player interested in following the main quest-line despite the fact that there are so many other intriguing distractions to lead you astray. This is only helped by the fact that the many elements of Dragon’s Dogma’s world just seem to fit in perfectly with its storyline. With the religious cult begging for salvation in death, political strife and so many monsters to face off against, players will likely find themselves quickly invested in the world.

That isn’t to say that there aren’t plenty of small areas of disdain however, as a number of side-quest storylines seem to have been left hanging or end without any seeming resolution. This is disappointing as a few of these side-quests involve interesting characters that are abruptly left hanging with little to no resolution. While yes these are side-quests involving side-characters, the lack of a relatively long side-plot resolution may leave a sour aftertaste once they are completed.

Visuals:
Dragon’s Dogma creates probably some of the most atmospheric battles you could possibly experience as the character and enemy animations are amazing to behold. During battle it truly feels like you are actually striking enemies and dealing damage. Seeing a Pawn cling desperately to the back of a chimaera as the beast tries to shake him off while seeing another Pawn carry your downed compatriot out of the reach of the beast’s claws as you rain fiery arrows into the beasts fur to set it aflame will leave you breathless.  The attention to detail on many of the larger beasts is lovely to see, especially on griffons and dragon-like enemies.

Unfortunately there are a few downsides to Dragon’s Dogma’s visuals. There are quite a few clipping problems that will be experienced where even smaller enemies will just clip into objects as if they weren’t there and a number of textures are blurry and visually bland. Many characters the player runs into will also look as if they are a few years out of date with today’s graphical expectations with bland expressions and basic textures. This is helped some by the fact that players are able to use a mildly in-depth character creation system to create a character and main Pawn however they like.

Audio:
There be aught to talk about here and that happens to be the fact that the Pawns always have aught to say whenever the player does aught. In case you don’t know, like most people wouldn’t before playing this game, aught just happens to mean something and good lord do the Pawns love to say that word. This is only made a bit worse by the fact that the Pawns will quite literally never be quiet. While receiving tips in battle is nice, hearing about how wolves are afraid of fire for the literally thousandth time can tend to be a bit annoying at times.

It is also worth noting that the Pawns will constantly talk about their locations as well. This means you can sometimes have all three of your followers chiming in and mentioning how big Gran Soren is, or where you are on the map after you’ve already traveled and seen these places over fifty times. In fact they will often just make random statements which are out of place, as they can warn you about goblins or enemies in the area even though you literally just killed said enemies.

That being said, and the Pawns will say over and over again, even over important dialogue, the rest of the game’s cast and even the pawn’s voice actors are handled well enough and sound believable and the game features quite fitting background music.

Gameplay:
At its basic core, Dragon’s Dogma is an action RPG where the player has the ability to choose from a number of classes, however only three are offered in the beginning. Again these classes don’t do anything we aren’t already familiar with, as they are your simple warrior, mage and strider (bow-using) class. These classes can be a bit more diverse as later on in the game players will have a chance to take these classes to the next level, make a hybrid version of these classes or simply focus on developing all of the skills for their basic class by using development points. Players even have the chance to simply switch their class as well, becoming a warrior rather than a mage. These development points are earned through combat and can be used to learn new skills, add little bonuses to your character and more.

Modern Warfare 3’s Content Collection 2 drops on the Xbox 360

Dustin Spencer
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It’s that time again, Infinity Ward faithful. Those of you who opted out on Elite (which is still a puzzling decision in my eyes due to the value alone) can now snag up Modern Warfare 3’s Content Collection 2 on the Xbox 360 for 1200 points. Along with three new multiplayer maps, this pack also comes with two special ops missions for fans of the game to enjoy to top off a varied add-on as a whole.

Want all of the deets? Check out the official listing for Collection numero duo below:

• Getaway: This former white-sand vacation spot, boasting exotic aquaria and surfside infinity pools, is now a Face Off map and a haven for ruthless run-and-gun violence.
• Lookout: A perilous warren of chokepoints and tight corridors, the second Face Off map drops your one- or two-man teams into a forward observation base carved into a war-torn mountainside.
• Sanctuary: Destroy the opposition—and the ornate relics of an ancient monastic order—in the towering sandstone cloister of central Greece’s Sanctuary. SMGs, assault rifles and shotguns will make short work of both.
• Foundation: Choose your rules of engagement in this decommissioned cement factory in the heart of South Korea, perfectly constructed for both sniping and run-and-gun combat.
• Oasis: Once a postcard-worthy holiday spot, now a paradise for a different sort of traveler—the ones who’ve traded fanny packs for combat fatigues. Pick your combat lanes carefully atop this ancient stone fortress turned five star resort.
• Kill Switch: Armed with an EMP, you and a squad mate must neutralize a Russian carrier deep within enemy territory. This Special Ops Mission tasks one team member on the ground, fighting through hostiles on your way to the detonation site, while the other must maintain vital cover from behind a sniper scope.
• Iron Clad: For the first time, take the wheel of an Abrams-class tank with full escort. Breach and clear and exfiltrate from behind enemy lines in Hamburg in this all-new Special Ops mission.

As always, these content packs deliver a ton of new stuff to do, and it looks like Activision will be keeping their latest CoD relevant for quite some time with even more content drops in the future. For now though, you can find all of the goods on the Xbox Live Arcade, and keep an eye out as soon the PS3 will be seeing the same treatment. Check out the official trailer below for a more in-depth look.

Lost Planet 3 Preview

Jessica Barabas-Bui
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The Lost Planet franchise has always had the ability to bring the awesome monsters to the screen for you to take out. Capsule Computers was given the great opportunity to try out the third game of the franchise, Lost Planet 3, which is a prequel to the first game. It involved a whole bunch of wandering around frozen terrain, an ambitious mining crew, and some giant icy crabs.

The gameplay we tried out involved exploring some of the forbidding terrain, scoping out some of the areas, and recovering ourselves a Mech and using its melee attacks. The gameplay involved quicktime events when taking on some of the creatures, which you’ll hate if you dislike these events, but shouldn’t find too difficult to take on either. It also involves a lot of ‘shoot the glowing part of the creature’, and ‘quick, dodge!’.

In the sampled gameplay there weren’t a whole bunch of tactics required, or cover that you could duck behind (which is kind of to be expected in a snow-storm heavy terrain). But there was certainly some interesting looking stuff in the preview game, and this is definitely a game to watch in the future, especially if you like your third-person monster-hunter shooters.

Lost Planet 3 is due for release on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC in 2013. Keep tuned to Capsule Computers for more information on the game as it comes out!

World of Warplanes Moving Out of Alpha

Simon Wolfe
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After 3 months in global alpha testing, Wargaming.net’s World of Warplanes has had 600,000 requests for an invite, but now on May 31st, it’s prepping for takeoff for closed beta.  Following the success of World of Tanks, and looking to follow it up with World of Battleships next year, Wargaming.net is hoping to finish off World of Warplanes for official release this year, so they need plenty of players for the closed beta.

World of Warplanes is set to feature three main classes in terms of planes; aerial dogfighters, heavy fighters, and strafe fighters.  Plus, plenty of customization for each plane in terms of engine, ammo, and more, which players will have a chance to better explore in the closed beta.  Competition for spots in the beta will be fierce though, as those that applied for alpha get priority, but aspiring pilots can check out contest details for a chance to win access at their website HERE.

Ridge Racer Unbounded Demo Released

Simon Wolfe
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Ridge Racer Unbounded may have released back in March, but now players that are curious about the newest installment of Namco Bandai’s racing series can try out a demo of the single player campaign.  The demo released today for the PSN and is set for release tomorrow for Xbox LIVE, while the demo on Steam was already available.

The demo features two races from the campaign as players race to destroy everything from the environment, to rivals, to regular traffic and prove themselves worthy of being part of The Unbounded.  The demo also allows players the chance to get a feel for both street class vehicles, through the Wolfseye GT, and super class vehicles, through the Hurricana CX.  Now players have the chance to get a feel for what the game has waiting.

Groupees Build a Bundle Released

Jamie Laike Tsui
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Groupees has pushed out their latest pay what you want games bundle in support of the charity Polar Bear International. For every dollar spent on the Groupees Build A Bundle, 20 cents will go to Polar Bear International. In a twist to the traditional pay what you want format, the Groupees team has laid out 12 games for the bundle. Choose a minimum of three and a maximum of all 12 games to purchase. Each game added to the bundle will raise the minimum price for the bundle, but buyers can skip out on any game they aren’t interested in or already own. The games are all available as DRM free downloads and most games are available as Steam keys as well.

Games available

  • Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals
  • Sideway New York
  • Caster
  • The Ball
  • Necrovision
  • LightFish
  • PAM: Post Apocalyptic Mayhem
  • Xotic
  • BEEP
  • Ubersoldier 2
  • Dark Fall: Lost Souls
  • Diamond Dan

Company of Heroes 2 Reveal Interview

Julien Durand
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Company of Heroes 2 Reveal Interview

Capsule Computers recently got the chance to interview Simon Watts, Creative Manager on Company of Heroes 2, at a THQ pre-E3 event. The event also featured the first hands-off demo of the game ever to be shown to the press.

Company of Heroes 2 is a real time strategy game that takes place on the Eastern Front of World War II, with the player controlling the new-to-the-series, Russian faction. Queue “in Soviet Russia” jokes.

Though talk of a sequel has been rife through Relic, the developers of the series, for a long time, Watts says that the studio had been waiting for “technology to evolve for the sequel. We really wanted to do the first game justice.”

That being said, he went on to affirm that Relic were not out to change the formula, but rather to “give it new life”. The first step in doing this was the setting.

“The Eastern Front of the war is one that’s been rarely reported,” he says, “but it’s also the theatre in which Germany lost 80% of its troops.”

I then raised the question that, since the Eastern Front involved gargantuan amounts of troops, if the number of units we’d be controlling will have been increased in comparison with the first Company of Heroes.

“The focus of Company of Heroes, the thing people loved about it, was the close-up, tactical combat,” he replied, “The player still has front-line control over a small number of squads, though we have increased the number of units in each squad… There’ll be plenty of heroic moments.”

When the demo kicked off, it became apparent that terrain would play a tremendously important role in the game. Units travelling in snow move far slower than those who travel on the roads; of course this does also mean that they are less exposed. Artillery can flatten snow to reduce the movement penalties, soldiers can now vault over fences instead of having to annoyingly run around them, and the cover available in the environments is dynamic and destructible. Observant players can even notice enemy tracks in the snow, giving them the key advantage of knowing their movements. In short, Relic have upped the ante on realism and tactics over the past few years.

In a similar vein, the game features a line-of-sight system unlike anything in past real time strategy games, called True Sight. Watts talked at length about this feature: ” We wanted to do something that had never been done before and create realistic line of sight.”

Buildings and cover will block line of sight, so that rather than having a 360 degree view surrounding your units, the map will only unveil what they can actually see on the battlefield, as if the little three-dimensional soldiers each had his own pair of eyes. Squads of infantry will, of course, be far more useful at seeing things around their position, while vehicles will have a mainly linear field of view, which balances their heavy weapons and armour.

“This will be great for setting up ambushes, and it will always keep players in suspense about what’s in the dark parts of the map,” continued Watts, “It also makes skills like the smoke grenade much more useful, as they now block line of sight.”

Last, but certainly not least, any fan of the original Company of Heroes will know that the focus on graphical fidelity that was such a staple of the first game has returned in the sequel. The game looks fantastic and Relic have been aiming for “higher levels of detail and authenticity”. Though the featured demo was running on DirectX 9, Watts assured me that there would be DirectX 11 support when the game released. The beautiful will be beautiful-er.

Company of Heroes 2 is aiming for a 2013 release, and for more on what THQ is cooking up in the near future, be sure to check right back at Capsule Computers over the next few days.

 

 

XCOM: Enemy Unknown hits stores on October 9

Travis Bruno
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Today 2K Games has revealed the release date for XCOM: Enemy Unknown, not to be confused with the basic XCOM meant to be released in 2013. Those who are eager to see a more strategy oriented version of XCOM will be happy to know that XCOM: Enemy Unknown will be released on October 9 and the 13 in North America and around the world respectively. The PC version will be released the same time as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 version.

Those who pre-order the game will receive the Elite Soldier Pack DLC which features a recruit based on the original XCOM and soldier decoration packs for players to customize their characters with.

Dead Island: Game of the Year Edition set for release on June 26

Travis Bruno
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It seems that even an electric machete can’t keep this zombie down for long, because Techland and Deep Silver’s Dead Island is coming to stores once again but this time around, it is coming with a few special features.

Dead Island: Game of the Year Edition will be released on the PS3, 360 and PC for only $30 and it will contain the basic game as well as “Ryder White,” “Bloodbath Arena” and “The Ripper” DLC when it is released on June 26. Strangely enough, those who pre-ordered Dead Island back when it came out would have received The Ripper and Bloodbath Arena for free so this GOTY version is probably best for those who never have played the game before.

RuneScape Get Biggest Update Ever

Matthew Vella
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RuneScape is the world’s most popular online free-to-play MMO. Now in it’s 10th year, RuneScape is about to launch an unlimited-access beta to it’s largest ever update on the 26th of June: The Evolution of Combat.

The Evolution of Combat Project is the biggest update in the ten year history of RuneScape, revolutionising the way players battle and interact with the game. This will offer an even more immersive and involving gameplay experience that will fundamentally change the way gamers play RuneScape.

RuneScape members will have the chance to be among the first to trial the new system with a limited access closed beta. Registration for the beta will open to all RuneScape members on 1st June in preparation for the first beta entry on 26th June. This beta will run from the 26th until September to give testers an exclusive preview of the expansion before anybody else.

Want to take part in the exclusive access beta? Just make sure you have a RuneScape membership by June 1st, and continue to be a member through the beta period.

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