This is the first review that matches my impressions about the game. A lot of people are talking about the performance and microtransactions, but you're the first one I see talking about the lacking enemy variety, poor story and quests.
@@bjornolfactory9363 literally the only thing you said that's remotely true is that there's fewer enemy types. But thank God the beholder is gone because that fight was dog shit
@@bjornolfactory9363The enemy variety is definitely not worse than the first game lol. It’s about on par with Dark Arisen, though I admit it could have used an extra flying enemy (RIP Cockatrice). The quest design in the main story is abysmal though
I have the sad feeling that DD2 was meant to be more but got the minimum viable product treatment. The first area branched off in more than a single direction and had some good quests like helping the elf or revisiting the first town to help them, the caves networks often had multiple entrances you'd have to find to open blocked one direction doors, the first big city is an hour or two all on its own if you do all the quests therein. But everything passed the mountain rest stop town is more or less the single road all the way to the end of the game with a few things hidden just off the single layer deep side roads. Now, the first game was similarly shortish and got much better after the addition of the DLC, so one can *hope* something similar happens here? It's a great foundation, the gameplay feels SO good when it's doing what it's supposed to, I LOVED the brine boys you fight in the red beams from the true ending sequence and really wished they had done more with that version of the world. But as I mentioned I sneakily suspect it got rushed out the door and Capcom is now going to move on.
Not enough people mention that despite how many enemies got directly ported from the first game into this one, we still somehow didn't get the hydra, cockatrice, or evil eye, and the enemy variety is very poor generally
The game is worse in every aspect maybe combat is better in the second one and graphics are better in this one for sure, but DD: Dark Arisen is still better game in every other area.
No Hydra sucked for sure but I actually think the enemy variety is OK, the real problem is the density of mobs across the world. That needed to be toned way down so you don't feel like you're constantly wading through hordes of the same goblins and lizards
I don't know how true it is but I could see publishers not want people who are completely honest to review their games. I would expect them to sent their stuff to reviewers who say only the positively, or only minor downsides, and give the worst games 5-6 out of 10 but will go higher with patches, with good being 8-9. Seeing someone give a completely honest review, and in a lot of details for various sections, is something that a lot of companies wouldn't want unless they know for sure they have a hit.
I just finished the game and the second red world ending in 40 hours too I was expecting more sure you could run around and explore more but the main campaign was too short
@@TeddyboyRnR13 first game had a really short main campaign like 10 hours or less short. What really expanded it was side missions and the dark arisen dlc.
It seems to really depend person to person, since there's a lot of unmarked side content to discover like really big underground dungeons and stuff. I finished the game with the true ending in 30 hours. Some of my friends haven't even left the first area when they were 30 hours in.
yesh i finnally began to slowly realize he cant be human , i mean what kinda person w a normal job, gf, kids and family, a successful man has even TIME to accomplish all that in just a few days...it ----cannot----stand---.
Mortim your frankness for the story during it's section was so real and refreshing from a game reviewer. This is why you're one of the best reviewers on TH-cam. Thanks again for the very helpful review that covered so much.
He reviews RPGs for a living, so he knows what a good story looks like. Many action reviewers don't. It's a sin for an RPG title to have such bad narrative and uninspiring characters.
It’s funny… the game is technically DD2, but the main menu just says “Dragon’s Dogma” and the director has even said it’s basically a reboot of the first game that’s closer to the original vision. Most of the new content is stuff that was cut originally for budget or technical reasons.
I don't know about that either. I've seen a lot of the documents for cut content on the first game and I feel like it's not even close to the original vision. And not because it was too crazy either, everything is perfectly doable nowadays, they just focused on other things.
@@IBlowitByTheOh I think by saying "remaking" Itsuno didn't mean lore-wise but meaning he was given a second chance to make the game he actually wanted to make the first time. The first game was very niche and clearly under-budgeted because Capcom wasn't doing so hot in the early 2010s with a bunch of flops. From his perspective, Itsuno probably sees the Dragon's Dogma 1 as a "first draft" and Dragon's Dogma 2 as the "final version"
"So why am I even doing this?" About the story is probably one of the harshest critiques I've heard you give in a long time. Great to hear your true thoughts, thank you.
To be fair the same can be said about Elden Ring. It’s just not that type of game. It’s similar to the first game really. It’s more about questing than it is a big cinematic story. And personally I think it works as it’s at least something different than the usual cookie cutter triple A story rpg. I think there’s still A LOT of room for growth with the IP and this really just feels like a refined Dark Arisen and I’m sure a lot of the dev time was spent on the excellent pawn systems, vocation variety, and combat (which is some of the best I’ve seen), world detail and design, and simply getting the RE Engine to handle an open world of this scale. But as a product that is essentially ‘Dark Arisen but actually complete this time’ it excels and I haven’t been immersed in a world like this (it is also full of secrets to find) in a while. And given the modern gaming landscape where we just do not get games like this anymore. And I hope it does well enough that they are allowed the opportunity for evolution of what I really think could offer something unique in the era of question mark laden paint by numbers overly cinematic open world titles today. Elden Ring offered a glimpse into this but the field is scarce of other IP’s, especially ones that are not soulslikes.
Dragon's Dogma 2 is, essentially, a chance to play the first game again on a different map. It's a very unique game, and I put it in the same category as I do Kingdoms of Amalur and Final Fantasy XII, in so much as it will greatly appeal to people who want to essentially play a single-player MMO. The pawn system gives off that automated party vibe better than any other title.
@@R-YR29It think $40 is underselling it quite a bit. It's still a very good game on the face of it, especially for people who never played the first game it probably feels worth the asking price. But for folks who did play the original, it doesn't really hit the mark to slap the big "2" on the end of it. It's a weird one where it's more valuable if you never played the series before, but not really worthwhile for what someone would want as a "sequel" game.
I am constantly blown away with how amazing your work ethic is. I have been seeing you for years now and it never fails to amaze me how you 100% games, I just give up most games after a while cause I lose interest. Keep it up buddy!
I expected to like this game but was surprised at how much I like it. Not since Skyrim have I experienced a game with such addictive exploration, it's a "stay up way later than I should for just one more quest" game for me I mean I usually hate companions in games like this and almost always play solo, but in this game I find the pawns especially my main pawn, so weirdly charming. I make a habit of never watching guide videos before I've put some solid time into games like this. Just to avoid spoilers but also because of things like this: when my main pawn died, I was heartbroken. I'd spent hours exploring the countryside with her, she'd had my back fighting hordes of enemies, I'd chuckled at her weird sense of humour. It wasn't until one of my other pawns mentioned that I could resurrect her at a riftstone that I actually realised this was possible. I didn't learn that from watching a TH-cam guide, I'd learned it organically by simply playing the game. Any game that can make me care about a companion NPC that much is a winner for me. I couldn't care less about best builds, OP builds, best pawns, "beating" the game, etc. All decisions are made by instinct not strategy, and the game is so much better for it. This is fast becoming one of my favourite RPGs.
Many many downsides for this game but everyone said 9 or 10/10s. I have several hours and sidequests are one of the worse I've played in years. Enemy variety is almost the same as one. Mediocre story and I hoped it would get better :/ don't even talk about combat. But nah 10/10!
@@gabrielgutierrez6086 Yeah, even if you're totally into the core gameplay loop of the game, I have no idea how any reviewer can justify a 9 or 10 here - the flaws are too many and some of them too glaring for that.
yep, all the early game reviews hyped the game up too much as if they were salesman for capcom. i don't remember hearing any negatives in any of the early reviews. for now on, it's best to just wait for mort's review before deciding on getting a game lol.
@@Skobeloff... The gameplay is fantastic. Combat is addictive. But you get to play it while simultaneously feeling frustrated. Even previous DD1 players can feel like there have been downgrades in some aspects. If you are not hyped, then wait for a big discount. I myself bought if with 15% discount from Nuuvem, but even then I feel like the game should've been a lot cheaper. Maybe with 50% discount it can be good for your money.
@@iamdopeasfcuk No surprise they didn't give him a review copy. Probably Capcom gave for anyone that was already hyped and that doesn't have the history of talking bad or truths about games.
There are like four game review channels I actually enjoy watching; two of them are more on the comedic side (Mandalore and Sseth), another is more serious but still silly and very sporadic with uploads (Josh Strife). And then there's you, machinegunning lenghty, deep, detailed, objective reviews of games you played extensively, along with constant smaller videos talking about game news, opinions, future projects, etcetera. I don't know how the hell you do it but a 100% Dragon's Dogma 2 review five days after release is insane and just convinced me to join the channel as a supporter. Cheers mate.
I love your reviews - you are so open and fair with your critiques. Even for games I never plan on playing, I love your thoughts. This was one I was really anticipating and when I saw all the negatives coming out about it, I literally said that I was going to wait for your review to see what you thought! I appreciate your work!
Great review I looked at all the other reviews and no one is talking about that there are almost no new enemies or bosses. Or that the side missions are very basic.
Well their are new enemies and bosses. The issue is they removed more than they added and the huge majority of the game you fight the same enemies all the time. The new bosses are usually one or two time fights only.
Reviewers kept quiet about the microtransactions (yes they knew) and they skimped over the horrendous performance. What makes you think they would mention the lack of mob variety. Capcom has a policy of not giving reviewers who are critical review copies in the future. And Capcom has a "creator program" where they pay people to hype and review their games. Capcom reviews are completely pointless outside of a few independent reviewers like Worth A Buy.
It's so refreshing to have a youtuber who is consistently unbiased and is able to put aside his own hype for a product to give fair balanced reviews which has the consumer best interests in mind. Too many youtubers like WorthABuy try and be controversial/polarising for views but you are fine asset who I always turn to for a calm head when it comes to spending my money. Thank you.
Nothing wrong with Worthabuy. Its always good to get some really negative ones in the sea of review code shills. Gives a better impression of the middle ground.
It almost feels like someone was making the main quests/story comically bad as a flex. Like, the combat in this game is soo good… that people will tolerate micro-transactions, abysmal performance, horrible writing, & a handful of the worst quests I have ever slogged through in a RPG.
Thank you for keeping it real. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been shouted down for wanting/expecting multiple character slots. People say “stop crying - you can change vocations whenever you want”. But people who love RPGs don’t play them that way. Also, the story and quests…oh my. Any quest without combat was laughably bad. But, once I started thinking of this as an action game instead of an RPG, I enjoyed myself a lot more. The combat and exploration loop is really phenomenal. I wish someone good at the RPG part could take these bones and make something amazing. Anyway, this is the only review that really covers all the good and the bad - I can always count on your reviews to paint the real picture - thank you!
People have been really kicking others for having criticisms of the game. I made a post where I said the game was about a 7/10, because the side quests suck and there's practically no story or end game, and man I got called every name in the book. People really wanted this to be a game of the year contender and reality is that it's just a little better than mediocre. I think people bought into the hype and just don't want to accept that they got a good foundation for a great game but didn't actually get the great game.
@@goldenhole321 100%. What’s sad is that these same people that want this game to be revered are the ones that shut down the ideas that could make it better. Look at what Larian achieved after spending 2 years in early access with Baldurs Gate, inviting feedback and adjusting to it. This game could be so much more.
@goldenhole321 This. Same happened with Elden Ring.... WHOOOPS forgot that wven up until today, you're not allowed to do anything but to bootlick Miyazaki and give it no less than a 12/10.....
@vadim6656 Oh, that's for sure, as it is maybe I'd buy it for 60% less but idk, for now I'll wait till they fix performance and allow us to make a new game whenever we want
I've noticed that microtransactions in Capcom that this particular game director makes seem like the company forcing the devs to put them in and then Hideaki Itsuno makes sure to make them almost useless
all capcom mtx's are basically pointless and non intrusive. the media attention its receiving should be targeted at games selling skins. at least this game never has a pop up telling you to check out the weekly store items or to buy RC. they didn't develop anything with the mtx in mind which is nice.
In DMC 5 they had red orbs (the game’s currency) are microtransactions which is pretty much useless because they have a weapon called Dr Faust which is a hat that you can pretty much abuse to earn a shit ton of red orbs from enemies.
@@Roflpancakes707 I kinda disagree. These microtransactions are noob traps. If you know what the items are and how they're gained and used, you'd never buy them. It's just overly hyped people on launch that will buy these thinking "what if I can't get them in game" and then realizing they wasted money on them. At least with skins you're getting something that doesn't have any gameplay implications while also providing something that someone wants (making their character look a certain way so they feel cool). Its also something that you won't be able to earn in game. So it's not a wasted purchase, like buying the bunch of flowers gift, which you can make with some super easy to find flowers in game. Basically, the microtransactions are so useless they shouldn't exist, but they do exist. So why? It's to catch out people that don't know any better. Young children, people that don't play games much, people new to the series who are excited from the trailers, etc. It's just another manipulative marketing strategy designed to screw people out of their money.
I was very disappointed with the main story quests - It boils down to "sneak into the castle 3 times, go to the next town, now you're done" Would be nice for the quests to actually integrate with the gameplay loop
Appreciate the reviews mate - waiting for patches and a sale in the future as the initial price is a bit nuts and there really is no rush to play it for any valid reason
FightinCowboy's opinion is informed by experience. People can have different opinions and like different things. This person agreeing with you doesn't make it an objectively better take.
The game should have 3 things: 1. A mount, because it's stupid how long traversing can take. It doesn't have to be horses, it can be some kind of tamed monster like the Garm. Exploring on foot can be nice. But after some time it gets tedious and having the option to either use an oxcart or ferri stone is just not enough. Especially since in some games, a mount can be used to store items on if you gave it a saddlebag, which would really help with the constant inventory management in this game. And number 2: Some type of law enforcement game mechanic. The fact that you can go into anyones home and take whatever you want, money, food and other items, is so dumb and was only excusable 12 years ago. Not today. The game even allows you to murder people and sure in the cities you will have guards put you in jail or in this case "gaol" (don't know why they changed the word but not the pronunciation), but otherwise there will be no bounty put on your head, and you basically get too much damn freedom that takes you out of the immersion. Number 3. Some goddamn swimming mechanics. It was pretty obvious in DD1 that "the brine" was put so developers didn't have to make swimming animations and mechanics. I don't care what excuse the in game lore has for the brine, it's not excusable today. It only was back in 2012 when the game was released unfinished. I found myself once falling down the water trying to get a seeker token near the edge of a cliff, but kept being put back on the bottom of the edge of a cliff with no way up as my character kept sliding down. If i didn't have a Ferrystone, i would have been stuck there. Otherwise this is a fun game. But i wish Capcom tried to make it feel like a proper sequel with these type of things in mind. Because as it stands now, this game feels like a more complete version of what Dragons Dogma 1 should have been (except for the lack of swimming). But at the same time they took a few steps backwards by not giving us Eternal Ferri stones, and by removing the Strider and Assassin class, and lowering the amount of skills you can have equipped. I hope a huge expansion similar to Dark Arisen comes out someday.
The best review I've seen for this game, thanks for your hard work! I love that you mentioned not understanding your character's motives, starting with taking out Talos... I was also extremely confused about why my character was doing what they were doing throughout the game, which is a MAJOR flaw to me, in a game that really emphasizes a macro story about fate/free will.
This encapsulated perfectly my opinion as well. A fair and balanced review and I think in time most of the community will outlive both the hype or the bad and reach the same conclusion.
Thanks for the honest and thorough review. It seems like everyone else online is calling this the greatest thing since sliced bread. In the little bits I've watched, I'm surprised no one talks about how horrible the dialog is. I've seen too many things questionable or dubious for my own personal tastes to ever pay full price for this, plus my personal stance against MTX. You've helped me confirm some of my suspicions, and saved me some money in the process. Deep Sale, for me. Thank you.
Man, you are insane. I thought you would take at least another week or maybe 2. Edit: it was a harsher review then I anticipated, increased enemy verity was one of main reasons I was exited for the sequel and seeing it wasn't really - I'll wait for a good discount or a nice dlc.
I am glad for reviewers like you Mort, thorough, complete and informative. While I couldn't really get into DD1 because of the chunkiness of the controls and just the general game design, I was hoping they would have learned from those lessons in DD2. My wallet is glad to know they didn't learn much. Will definitely wait for a very sharp sale before grabbing this.
Your comment on mtx affecting game design is something that I always hope more player understand. Especially the young ones. They selling you bikes with flat tires so you can pay them again for fixing it. It will always escalate further if left unchecked. On another note, I'm a new subscriber. I've been binge watching your videos for the past few days, love your approach on reviewing games
True. I even like DD2 but if we don't push back against stuff like RC being in the store, future titles will be designed to make it overwhelmingly grindy to earn them through gameplay to capitalise on income at expense of the game's design
@@dkeane6152 You mean the part where he says you can buy Portcrystals? You can only buy a single one per account, he makes it sound like you can buy a lot of them when that's just not true.
@@iAmPimmiCue It's not about how many of them you can buy, it's what they represent. These MTX are predatory and can adversely affect the industry if left unchecked. They shouldn''t be in single player full price triple A games at all. They're slowly pushing you into purchasing them to help convenience. It's a scummy practice and deserves the negativity it has already recieved.
I was LOVING the game for the first 40 hours then I did the final quest thinking that I wasn't close to the end and was just doing another normal main quest and and then it was just over and I felt so confused. It really changed how I felt about the game to be honest, even though I had 40 hours of fun and was truly loving the game and would have probably rated it a 9/10 the way the story just ended so abruptly made the game feel so unfinished and rushed, I'd now rate the game a 7/10, I still really enjoyed it. Overall I think it is basically just dd1 with better graphics with improvements to the combat and pawn systems. only other problem I had other than the story was the lack of enemy and armour/weapon variety, hopefully the dlc adds lots more like dark arisen did. I got the game for £35 and feel like for the price I got good value and I'm still planning on doing NG+ to play the other vocations I didn't try in my first game. edit: also wish there was a hard mode like dd1 because the game is WAY too easy, I killed Grigori in literally 2 seconds with my magic archer.
you probably got the bad ending lol, i didnt finish the game myself but i heard online that the bad ending causes the story to finish abruptly and the good ending is alot better
@@Homophonic Which makes only 1 character save even more ridiculous. 40+ hours and you get the bad ending and you have either NG+ or start again and wipe your save/character to get the better ending.
@cmdr.jabozerstorer3968 it's ridiculous that u can't start a new game but having only one save forces u to live with ur decisions, alot of ppl like that kind of design, it's unusual but not inherently bad
Thank you so much for your honest review! It's really rare these days to find honesty on youtube with all the sponsored review copies floating around. I hope that even with review copies your honest opinion never gets missing in your review videos. ❤
I want to play this to experience a taste of the cult classic gameplay that so many have lauded. But between the reviews and the MTXs, I think I'm gonna wait a while for a major sale. Also I love how someone already named their pawn Panam.
Honestly, I was left disappointed and expected much more from this game. Very little improvement over original, outside of visuals, and microtransactions with performance issues on top of that.
MaximilianReyCartwrightDark Arisen was essentially an expansion, not the base game. Bitterblack Isle was NOT in the original game. Original DD was very incomplete, too.
@@devranyilmaz9806I played the original before BBI came out, and I still found that it was more complete than this game. In fact, that was the reason I got the expansion. I won't for this one.
@@lorecow88 I beg to differ, but to each their own. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is still a great game, despite its flaws, just like the first game. Many people criticised the first game for the exact same reasons, and yet it’s still considered in VERY high regard. Maybe you should appreciate its good qualities instead of ONLY focusing on its flaws.
I still have quite a ways to go before beating the game, but your sentiments here echo how I've been feeling so far - this game feels like a remake or reinterpretation of the first game. Interestingly, the main menu of the game only says 'Dragon's Dogma,' without the 2, which is basically how I'm choosing to enjoy it - an updated and minorly revamped version of the first one. Anyone expecting the game to significantly expand on the first one will be very disappointed.
I also thought it was weird and telling when you boot up the game and it only says dragons dogma. I'm not far in at all yet but it does feel like a reboot more than a sequel. ALL I kept hearing before launch was that it's dd1 but bigger. But idk, I'm enjoying it, but it does feel really weird.
Love the review and I 100% agree with your conclusion of the game. As someone who waited 12+ years for a sequel with the hopes that they would build upon the foundations of the first, only to get what is essentially a remaster/remake left me severely disappointed in the title, even if the games core is still good. It genuinely feels like nothing was added, only traded in for something else. We gained trickster,warfarer, and mystic spear but lost the mystic knight and assassin, we got new monsters such as medusas,sphinx, and minotaurs but lost hydras, beholders, and the cockatrices, inventory system is still bad, world still feels shallow, the linear gear system is boring and eventually everyone wears the same thing because the only thing that matters is higher number, and somehow the story in this one is worse than the first. Dissapointing, hopefully they add something to the scale of dark arisen and BBI and bundle it together with the game, and once that complete edition is on sale maybe Ill be able to recommend it to someone.
Been seeing a ton of misleading information on just how much content this game actually has, especially with how much of the content is optional and with how new game+ works - so I’ve been really looking forward to this one! Thanks Mortismal!
@@bladechild2449How did they lie? The endgame is pretty darn substantial. It's not infinitely repeatable like the Everfall was, but it basically repopulates the entire world and unlocks a significant amount of additional land mass due to all water in the game evaporating into the sky. Some enemies, like gore chimeras and the upgraded wight (lich, dark bishop? not sure how dd2 calls it) as well as the 3 "main" bosses are exclusive to the unmoored world.
@@bladechild2449there is a massive end game unlockable before the credits , look for a video as its very hidden and you could go to Ng+ without unlocking the end game.
Yeah I am not spending money on this game, I was hoping for massive amounts of endgame content with this kind of game with lots of new bosses and many capital cities. I do think this game will 100% have a DLC though.
Every one of your points were my thoughts exactly. Side quests are so dissapointing for me, no love or magic in them. Just like starfield. They need to do it like skyrim, give you a reason to explore and fight.
If you've got older hardware and feel like you're missing out this game feels like a fresh side grade (not upgrade) to the first game. Older alternative that are similar and still hold up would be the first Dragons Dogma or Dragon Age Inquisition
Thanks for the video. The "pay for convenience" features are pretty discouraging. Onward to 300k (here's hoping this video puts you over). All glory to the algorithm.
So is this basically a remake of DD1? What's the relation to DD1 in terms of story since you basically said if you know what happens in DD1 then that's pretty much what is going on here... Can you still get free wyrmfire upgrades like in DD:DA? Ie if you kill the ur-drag, drakes, wyrms, undead drag there was a chance for a random item to be randomly upgraded in DA with a guaranteed chanced on undead drags and the ur-drag
I think it's necessary to mention that even though appearance can be changed ingame, it requires an object that there are only two copies of in the entire game. So you and your pawn can only be changed two times combined. There's a mod that I use that adds 99 copies of said item that works great.
Yeah this is my first time playing anything on this level as I usually played sport titles and call of duty . You have to consider who is reviewing the game. I actually enjoy the side quests more than the main quests
It's really not, it's a phenomenal game his expectations were just way too high for what it is. It was never supposed to be some true DD2.0 Its the DD1 the devs wanted to make back in 2012
You perfectly described how I feel about the game - it's so hard to explain as a big fan of Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen that in many ways this feels like a downgrade, even if the combat is fun. You've more earned my subscribe, good sir! 👍 Will be watching you in the future for other games, as I am becoming more hesitant about buying games because of incidents like this, and you seem to be a great objective reviewer.
100% already? You finished your first run sub 30hrs? I think I have been playing around too much. I'm 30+ hrs in and still haven't even done one of the quest the captain sends you to do. I got to the city and started doing my own thing. With everyone saying the story is bad, I guess me treating it like Skyrim and just going to do my own thing is a good thing.
Game is fantastic if you play it that way. First game since first playing Skyrim that felt like I was in a world going on an adventure. With the pawns even more so.
@@Josh87538 Funnily enough that's exactly how I see it. Like Skyrim. Fun world with fun adventures to be had, meh story. I am still assuming the story is meh since I haven't actually finished it yet. Now if only Capcom removed the Denuvo and whatever else they have in place to stop us from modding it, we would really have a Skyrim situation.
Yeah doing the Main story isn’t the way to play this game at all. And also if you just focus on main quests you’ll finish the game in like 20 hours, it’s very very short.
I appreciate your in-depth review and willingness to discuss many points of criticism that others do not. - The lack of enemy variety and even removal of many from even the first game was very disappointing. - While the combat system in many ways was improved, it honestly felt dumbed down in other ways. Throwables like water vials, poison, bombs are taken out. Poison coating gone. Many vocations that had dual weapons like strider, gone in favor of more limited single weapon vocations like archer, yet a lackluster Jack of all traders warfarer added. -Pawn system while improved in some ways, yet less dynamic and natural seeming than the first. No longer can sit down and talk to your pawn. Instead inclination is now tied directly to even their voice. Overall it seems like many systems were refined yet options were taken away. That with the lackluster story, lack of meaningful side quests and content didn’t really leave a great feeling with me for the long awaited sequel.
I've finished my first playthrough after almost 70 hours, thoroughly enjoying most of it. Despite that, I wholeheartedly agree with your criticism. Now that I've started NG+, it feels like I've done everything and there's no reason to do it again. The story was serviceable enough once as a means to guide you through the world, but the characters all lack depth and emotional impact. That makes the concept of exploring alternate ways unappealing. There are great experiences to be had in the world, mainly combat related, but trying to engage with anything more intensely quickly reveals the game's imits. Quests are largely forgettable outside of the chaos that might happen randomly on the ridiculously long journeys they often send you on. I doubt that the aforementioned issues are going to/ can get fixed, but I hope that the devs are working on more content that can challenge high level parties, add enemy variety and provide new mysteries to solve. Not having a challenge dungeon similar to Bitterblack Isle on release was honestly a surprise. Starting at an excavation site seemed like the perfect setup for that.
27 hours? I am about half way through and played for about 35 hours so far. There are so many side quests and secrets to find throughout the world, l just love going exploring and stumbling onto a new quest or dungeon. There is a lot of content if you want to seek it out.
So you wander around aimlessly for hours on end and you're surprised someone who actually grinded out content has a lower play time? You are certainly strange
@@MrDrManPerson so a game comes out with a huge open world that doesn’t hold you hand at all and a player takes their time to explore and find hidden stuff and you call it “wandering aimlessly” man you are a strange one.
@@charlestruppi7793 First off, not huge open world. A decent sized open world. You kind of revealed my point 'Taking their time' so just going slow, maybe afk for a bit? And then they compare that to someone who is actively engaging the game and grinding it. 'taking their time' vs 'grinding' it and they can't figure out why their hours are so much higher then the normal? Yeah that's a baffling lack of logic.
@@harrenysk I have 1200 hours into Warframe and over 300 hours into baulders gate 3. I think Outward is a better dragons dogma, similar philosophy less confusing bullshit. I'm more of a gamer then you are probably buddy.
I totally agree with you. I just think you were a bit gentle with the amount of enemies that constantly cross your path kkk it’s one the most annoying thing I’ve ever seen in games, since you are forced to walk all the time but you cannot actually do it without being intercepted by the same enemies you have already killed thousands of times. It’s like the devs never played their own game ..
You are one of the few reviewers I have seen that has really talked about the story, most I have seen tend to hand wave as like.. story is meh, but without much detail. I tend to be story first and gameplay second, in terms of priorities, so I appreciate it! This is more of a "game on sale" for me, I can't justify dropping $100 CAD on something that I am not sure I will stick with. As always, thanks for the hard work and well written and thought out review.
I don’t understand how the same company that makes Monster Hunter, somehow makes a game that is extremely limited in enemy variety. Honestly, just confusing to me.
That's easy to explain that people who worked on Monster Hunter. Is likely a different team than the people who worked on this. The skills wouldn't transfer is what I'm trying to say.
My largest complaint is that we lost an entire skill bar. Vocations dont feel very balanced, The warfarer was implemented in the worst way possible, the second half of the game is rushed, and there could have been a whole story arc of you actually being the sovran and dealing with what comes with it.
Hi Mortismal, I never leave comments but I just wanted to say recently discovering you has reignited my love for gaming again. Thank you for your hard work on your videos, it clearly shows through the quality of your reviews. One of my favorite youtubers! Keep up the great work!
Can't believe how so few people are talking about how mouse accel is forced on with no way to disable it. That's a major deal breaker for any game that has free form aiming of any sort. I don't care how easy it is. You completely ruin game feel.
@@coops1992I fail to see the resemblance. Angry Joe is a showman, his reviews, while usually informative enough, focus more on the skits and jokes. Mort is fairly serious and delivers extremely informative reviews.
Not only should have the devs added more enemy types, they should have made certain enemies roam the land. The griffin seems to be the only one that does this. I would have loved to see dragons do soaring the skies and swooping in on your group for a surprise attack. It'd be cool to see groups of bandits roaming the roads and setting up ambush points. The devs should have also added in rare spawns that were far tougher than their original counterparts.
I could be wrong, but it sounds like they made a minimal viable product to ensure microtransactions can be justified. Forget actual effort for side quests and other obvious stuff they should have polished.
I’m in a mixed opinion of DD2 atm. I LOVED the original; worts and all, but the sequel feels like it has improved in a lot of aspects while cutting down a lot of things that really didn’t need to be cut. Just off the top of my head: why does Sorcerer not have more than half of its spell list from the original? Why does warfarer have to use a skill slot for swapping weapons? Why does archer have to have a dedicated skill slot for every single type of arrow; along with the requirement to craft said arrows, while other vocations don’t? Why make some maester quests so difficult to follow, while others are just as easy as doing a single side quest ? Just a lot of little issues I’ve had; building up over the playthrough, that really have been taking the fun out of a lot more of the game than I was hoping.
So i was not wrong saying that is more a DD1.5 as an DD2. For now, i going buy this game on GoG if it's happen on sale in 2 years ;) Thank you for your honest review
the game feels two steps forward, one step back. it's funny that the second game still feels unfinished (the story finishes when it starts to get better lmao). tbh I expected a game to scratch the skyrim/elden ring for me but I guess this isn't the one. still a fun 7.5/10 game
What’s fooked, is that this game was made with 1/4 of the staff that’s usually on Capcom titles and actually a lot of games in general. Capcom STILL doesn’t believe in the potential of this franchise man. Dragon’s Dogma had 392 ppl in the credits, and games like Redfall- 1,996 ppl, Spidey 2- 3,582 ppl and Diablo 4- 8,694 ppl. Damn shame Capcom can’t even trust Itsuno to make his ultimate game.
My take from this review is that DD2 is pretty much a mediocre game, not the "masterpiece" it was marketed as before and (from a lot reviewers) after release. Seriously this doesn't sound like a game that was planned for 12 years and developed for 5 at least (the devs quote not mine). The lesson here is, don't get hyped so easily, wait for the dust to settle, then decide if you don't wanna get disappointed or regret your 70 bucks. I was hyped and am glad I have got accustomed to my rule "never pre-order, never buy on release day, wait for multiple reviews".
Swapping vocations is what makes this game great. That, along with the fighting and exploring, makes this GOTY contender for me. The only other games that made me not care about the story and progressing are Elden Ring, Skyrim, and The Witcher 3.
I am enjoying the game quite a lot but this is definitely the best review I've seen of it. It's balanced in that it doesn't overly gloss over the major flaws it has, while also not going overboard with the negative aspects. Great review as always. Keep it up! :)
The combat is the only reason I stuck with it to the end. I estimate that of the 40 hrs it took me to finish it about 25 were spent traveling... Definitely a game of all time.
Pawn acting independently? Straight to brine. Pawn talking back to you? Brine, right away.
Pawn walking slowly.... Brine awaits ye
Wash your pawns, people.
Pawn mildly negative? Believe it or not, straight to brine.
Pawn telling me to stop running everywhere? Brine, right away.
Pawn not making me a sandwich for lunch straight to the brine
No reviewer grinds harder. At least not publicly. Respect bro, fr.
Always that one guy in the comments that try to downplay other people’s work.
And he claims to be married. Idk how you can manage this grind and keep your wife happy lol
With 297k subscribers, maybe because it's his job? Playing for 27 hours isn't even a 5 day work week at 8 hours a day. His wife is fine.
if he is making money she IS happy. what else do women care about?@@llwonder
It took me around 45 hours to 100% the game. If it take a guy 80 hours. He's probably afk 50% of the time.@@DANCERcow
This is the first review that matches my impressions about the game. A lot of people are talking about the performance and microtransactions, but you're the first one I see talking about the lacking enemy variety, poor story and quests.
So the first game but bigger
Sounds dope
No. The story is somehow worse, the enemy variety is worse and character movement feels like the world is smothered in Vaseline.
@@bjornolfactory9363 literally the only thing you said that's remotely true is that there's fewer enemy types. But thank God the beholder is gone because that fight was dog shit
@@bjornolfactory9363The enemy variety is definitely not worse than the first game lol. It’s about on par with Dark Arisen, though I admit it could have used an extra flying enemy (RIP Cockatrice). The quest design in the main story is abysmal though
I have the sad feeling that DD2 was meant to be more but got the minimum viable product treatment. The first area branched off in more than a single direction and had some good quests like helping the elf or revisiting the first town to help them, the caves networks often had multiple entrances you'd have to find to open blocked one direction doors, the first big city is an hour or two all on its own if you do all the quests therein. But everything passed the mountain rest stop town is more or less the single road all the way to the end of the game with a few things hidden just off the single layer deep side roads. Now, the first game was similarly shortish and got much better after the addition of the DLC, so one can *hope* something similar happens here? It's a great foundation, the gameplay feels SO good when it's doing what it's supposed to, I LOVED the brine boys you fight in the red beams from the true ending sequence and really wished they had done more with that version of the world. But as I mentioned I sneakily suspect it got rushed out the door and Capcom is now going to move on.
Not enough people mention that despite how many enemies got directly ported from the first game into this one, we still somehow didn't get the hydra, cockatrice, or evil eye, and the enemy variety is very poor generally
The game is worse in every aspect maybe combat is better in the second one and graphics are better in this one for sure, but DD: Dark Arisen is still better game in every other area.
@@NapphoI think they’re both even.
Other monsters and areas will probably come soon in dlc, so we haven’t seen the full package yet from DD2
@@Nappho The world feels more alive in this game and exploring is more fun. Everything else I'd say DDDA did it better or equal.
Lets be honest, Cockatrice was just the Griffin reskinned with one petrify attack.
No Hydra sucked for sure but I actually think the enemy variety is OK, the real problem is the density of mobs across the world. That needed to be toned way down so you don't feel like you're constantly wading through hordes of the same goblins and lizards
Holy shit, no review copy? Dude i'm steadily impressed with the work you put in. It's absolutely jawdropping.
Sah dude! Love to see your positivity for honest reviews made by good people! o7
I don't know how true it is but I could see publishers not want people who are completely honest to review their games. I would expect them to sent their stuff to reviewers who say only the positively, or only minor downsides, and give the worst games 5-6 out of 10 but will go higher with patches, with good being 8-9. Seeing someone give a completely honest review, and in a lot of details for various sections, is something that a lot of companies wouldn't want unless they know for sure they have a hit.
@@solandras666 depends on the company and the game
Im pretty sure Morty is just an AI with a preference for Isometric RPGs coded into him now. His completion speeds have become inhuman.
I just finished the game and the second red world ending in 40 hours too I was expecting more sure you could run around and explore more but the main campaign was too short
@@TeddyboyRnR13 first game had a really short main campaign like 10 hours or less short. What really expanded it was side missions and the dark arisen dlc.
It seems to really depend person to person, since there's a lot of unmarked side content to discover like really big underground dungeons and stuff.
I finished the game with the true ending in 30 hours. Some of my friends haven't even left the first area when they were 30 hours in.
U didn't mention the spearcaster vocation. Isn't that a new arisen vocation?
yesh i finnally began to slowly realize he cant be human , i mean what kinda person w a normal job, gf, kids and family, a successful man has even TIME to accomplish all that in just a few days...it ----cannot----stand---.
100% Already?! You’re built different! Thanks for the hard work and video.
IF we all only didnt have " real " jobs. Everything comes arround time u have avilable on your hands.
@@exvex5108it’s a choice you can make. Good luck 👍🏻
@@exvex5108lol as if any job is anything more than a paycheck
@@exvex510827h to end game twice isn't that big time as you imagin. 14 evening sessions of 2 hours each.
This guy is a beast. I can't sit for more than an hour on one game unless I'm really really into it.
Mortim your frankness for the story during it's section was so real and refreshing from a game reviewer. This is why you're one of the best reviewers on TH-cam. Thanks again for the very helpful review that covered so much.
He reviews RPGs for a living, so he knows what a good story looks like. Many action reviewers don't. It's a sin for an RPG title to have such bad narrative and uninspiring characters.
It’s funny… the game is technically DD2, but the main menu just says “Dragon’s Dogma” and the director has even said it’s basically a reboot of the first game that’s closer to the original vision. Most of the new content is stuff that was cut originally for budget or technical reasons.
Link? I wanna read what else Hideaki itsuno Said about "just remaking dragons dogma 1"
It's kind of a spoiler but they do something with that fact later in the game.
We get a glimpse of Dragon's Dogma 2 after the game's "finale".
I don't know about that either. I've seen a lot of the documents for cut content on the first game and I feel like it's not even close to the original vision. And not because it was too crazy either, everything is perfectly doable nowadays, they just focused on other things.
@@IBlowitByTheOh I think by saying "remaking" Itsuno didn't mean lore-wise but meaning he was given a second chance to make the game he actually wanted to make the first time. The first game was very niche and clearly under-budgeted because Capcom wasn't doing so hot in the early 2010s with a bunch of flops. From his perspective, Itsuno probably sees the Dragon's Dogma 1 as a "first draft" and Dragon's Dogma 2 as the "final version"
"So why am I even doing this?" About the story is probably one of the harshest critiques I've heard you give in a long time. Great to hear your true thoughts, thank you.
Lol not really. Nobody expected a good story from Dragon's Dogma.
@@AuthorityCat there's a difference between a "good story" and one that doesn't literally waste your time.
To be fair the same can be said about Elden Ring. It’s just not that type of game. It’s similar to the first game really. It’s more about questing than it is a big cinematic story. And personally I think it works as it’s at least something different than the usual cookie cutter triple A story rpg.
I think there’s still A LOT of room for growth with the IP and this really just feels like a refined Dark Arisen and I’m sure a lot of the dev time was spent on the excellent pawn systems, vocation variety, and combat (which is some of the best I’ve seen), world detail and design, and simply getting the RE Engine to handle an open world of this scale. But as a product that is essentially ‘Dark Arisen but actually complete this time’ it excels and I haven’t been immersed in a world like this (it is also full of secrets to find) in a while. And given the modern gaming landscape where we just do not get games like this anymore. And I hope it does well enough that they are allowed the opportunity for evolution of what I really think could offer something unique in the era of question mark laden paint by numbers overly cinematic open world titles today. Elden Ring offered a glimpse into this but the field is scarce of other IP’s, especially ones that are not soulslikes.
@@AuthorityCatthe problem is it’s BARELY even a story
Like every Souls game including Elden Ring and the original Dragons Dogma.
Dragon's Dogma 2 is, essentially, a chance to play the first game again on a different map. It's a very unique game, and I put it in the same category as I do Kingdoms of Amalur and Final Fantasy XII, in so much as it will greatly appeal to people who want to essentially play a single-player MMO. The pawn system gives off that automated party vibe better than any other title.
It looks like it'd be a really cool game for $40 lmao
At last someone who speaks of Amalur ❤
Shout out for my Amalur boys
Monolith Soft is the king of single player "MMO". I recommend especially Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition.
@@R-YR29It think $40 is underselling it quite a bit. It's still a very good game on the face of it, especially for people who never played the first game it probably feels worth the asking price. But for folks who did play the original, it doesn't really hit the mark to slap the big "2" on the end of it. It's a weird one where it's more valuable if you never played the series before, but not really worthwhile for what someone would want as a "sequel" game.
I am constantly blown away with how amazing your work ethic is. I have been seeing you for years now and it never fails to amaze me how you 100% games, I just give up most games after a while cause I lose interest. Keep it up buddy!
The review I was waiting for! Glad to see it’s here!
I expected to like this game but was surprised at how much I like it. Not since Skyrim have I experienced a game with such addictive exploration, it's a "stay up way later than I should for just one more quest" game for me I mean I usually hate companions in games like this and almost always play solo, but in this game I find the pawns especially my main pawn, so weirdly charming. I make a habit of never watching guide videos before I've put some solid time into games like this. Just to avoid spoilers but also because of things like this: when my main pawn died, I was heartbroken. I'd spent hours exploring the countryside with her, she'd had my back fighting hordes of enemies, I'd chuckled at her weird sense of humour. It wasn't until one of my other pawns mentioned that I could resurrect her at a riftstone that I actually realised this was possible. I didn't learn that from watching a TH-cam guide, I'd learned it organically by simply playing the game. Any game that can make me care about a companion NPC that much is a winner for me. I couldn't care less about best builds, OP builds, best pawns, "beating" the game, etc. All decisions are made by instinct not strategy, and the game is so much better for it. This is fast becoming one of my favourite RPGs.
The thing you mention with the giant statue "enemy" is really funny, they must think the players are also mindless pawns.
These are the best reviews by far. Lots of information and very well presented
It's really cool to know we can always count on you speaking honestly in your reviews. Great video again as usual!
This is the the most balanced review I have seen of this game. I wish more reviews were like this prior to release. Subscribed.
Many many downsides for this game but everyone said 9 or 10/10s. I have several hours and sidequests are one of the worse I've played in years. Enemy variety is almost the same as one. Mediocre story and I hoped it would get better :/ don't even talk about combat. But nah 10/10!
@@gabrielgutierrez6086 Yeah, even if you're totally into the core gameplay loop of the game, I have no idea how any reviewer can justify a 9 or 10 here - the flaws are too many and some of them too glaring for that.
yep, all the early game reviews hyped the game up too much as if they were salesman for capcom. i don't remember hearing any negatives in any of the early reviews. for now on, it's best to just wait for mort's review before deciding on getting a game lol.
@@Skobeloff... The gameplay is fantastic. Combat is addictive. But you get to play it while simultaneously feeling frustrated. Even previous DD1 players can feel like there have been downgrades in some aspects. If you are not hyped, then wait for a big discount. I myself bought if with 15% discount from Nuuvem, but even then I feel like the game should've been a lot cheaper. Maybe with 50% discount it can be good for your money.
@@iamdopeasfcuk No surprise they didn't give him a review copy. Probably Capcom gave for anyone that was already hyped and that doesn't have the history of talking bad or truths about games.
There are like four game review channels I actually enjoy watching; two of them are more on the comedic side (Mandalore and Sseth), another is more serious but still silly and very sporadic with uploads (Josh Strife). And then there's you, machinegunning lenghty, deep, detailed, objective reviews of games you played extensively, along with constant smaller videos talking about game news, opinions, future projects, etcetera. I don't know how the hell you do it but a 100% Dragon's Dogma 2 review five days after release is insane and just convinced me to join the channel as a supporter. Cheers mate.
I love your reviews - you are so open and fair with your critiques. Even for games I never plan on playing, I love your thoughts. This was one I was really anticipating and when I saw all the negatives coming out about it, I literally said that I was going to wait for your review to see what you thought! I appreciate your work!
Great review I looked at all the other reviews and no one is talking about that there are almost no new enemies or bosses. Or that the side missions are very basic.
Yeah it gets repetitive for sure. I’m on ps5 and it gets choppy/laggy/frame dips in some fights as well.
A couple have mentioned it, that coupled with the low difficulty is ultimately why I won't play it. Will have to see if the dlc fixes things
Well their are new enemies and bosses. The issue is they removed more than they added and the huge majority of the game you fight the same enemies all the time. The new bosses are usually one or two time fights only.
@@alexrogers9051yea that cpu bottleneck, the game optimization stuff to do.
Reviewers kept quiet about the microtransactions (yes they knew) and they skimped over the horrendous performance. What makes you think they would mention the lack of mob variety. Capcom has a policy of not giving reviewers who are critical review copies in the future. And Capcom has a "creator program" where they pay people to hype and review their games. Capcom reviews are completely pointless outside of a few independent reviewers like Worth A Buy.
It's so refreshing to have a youtuber who is consistently unbiased and is able to put aside his own hype for a product to give fair balanced reviews which has the consumer best interests in mind. Too many youtubers like WorthABuy try and be controversial/polarising for views but you are fine asset who I always turn to for a calm head when it comes to spending my money. Thank you.
Nothing wrong with Worthabuy. Its always good to get some really negative ones in the sea of review code shills. Gives a better impression of the middle ground.
That's how review should be done not just playing it casually for one day and upload review for it !!
you wouldn't get any reviews for at least a week after release and everyone would just start complaining about that instead.
@@kao123456654ever heard about review copies?
He actually did this though
It almost feels like someone was making the main quests/story comically bad as a flex.
Like, the combat in this game is soo good… that people will tolerate micro-transactions, abysmal performance, horrible writing, & a handful of the worst quests I have ever slogged through in a RPG.
Thank you for keeping it real. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been shouted down for wanting/expecting multiple character slots. People say “stop crying - you can change vocations whenever you want”. But people who love RPGs don’t play them that way. Also, the story and quests…oh my. Any quest without combat was laughably bad. But, once I started thinking of this as an action game instead of an RPG, I enjoyed myself a lot more. The combat and exploration loop is really phenomenal. I wish someone good at the RPG part could take these bones and make something amazing. Anyway, this is the only review that really covers all the good and the bad - I can always count on your reviews to paint the real picture - thank you!
People have been really kicking others for having criticisms of the game. I made a post where I said the game was about a 7/10, because the side quests suck and there's practically no story or end game, and man I got called every name in the book. People really wanted this to be a game of the year contender and reality is that it's just a little better than mediocre. I think people bought into the hype and just don't want to accept that they got a good foundation for a great game but didn't actually get the great game.
@@goldenhole321 100%. What’s sad is that these same people that want this game to be revered are the ones that shut down the ideas that could make it better. Look at what Larian achieved after spending 2 years in early access with Baldurs Gate, inviting feedback and adjusting to it. This game could be so much more.
@@justinmills1721 Yep. This could have been so much more.
"People who love rpgs don't play like that"
Speak for yourself😬
@goldenhole321 This.
Same happened with Elden Ring....
WHOOOPS forgot that wven up until today, you're not allowed to do anything but to bootlick Miyazaki and give it no less than a 12/10.....
I'm glad I've decided to wait for your review, still probably gonna buy it but I'll wait for a sale
I'll wait for a sale AND patching of those pesky performance issues.
wait for a deep deep sale please dont support capcom
@@arcanefeline Bro I waited for Wild Hunt's performance fix but it never came XD
@@username-ql8ox Wild Hearts?
worst pc port I've ever seen in my life.
@vadim6656 Oh, that's for sure, as it is maybe I'd buy it for 60% less but idk, for now I'll wait till they fix performance and allow us to make a new game whenever we want
I've noticed that microtransactions in Capcom that this particular game director makes seem like the company forcing the devs to put them in and then Hideaki Itsuno makes sure to make them almost useless
all capcom mtx's are basically pointless and non intrusive. the media attention its receiving should be targeted at games selling skins. at least this game never has a pop up telling you to check out the weekly store items or to buy RC. they didn't develop anything with the mtx in mind which is nice.
In DMC 5 they had red orbs (the game’s currency) are microtransactions which is pretty much useless because they have a weapon called Dr Faust which is a hat that you can pretty much abuse to earn a shit ton of red orbs from enemies.
@@Roflpancakes707 I kinda disagree. These microtransactions are noob traps. If you know what the items are and how they're gained and used, you'd never buy them. It's just overly hyped people on launch that will buy these thinking "what if I can't get them in game" and then realizing they wasted money on them.
At least with skins you're getting something that doesn't have any gameplay implications while also providing something that someone wants (making their character look a certain way so they feel cool). Its also something that you won't be able to earn in game. So it's not a wasted purchase, like buying the bunch of flowers gift, which you can make with some super easy to find flowers in game.
Basically, the microtransactions are so useless they shouldn't exist, but they do exist. So why? It's to catch out people that don't know any better. Young children, people that don't play games much, people new to the series who are excited from the trailers, etc. It's just another manipulative marketing strategy designed to screw people out of their money.
Thanks for the review. 100% honest. Will buy on sale.
I was very disappointed with the main story quests - It boils down to "sneak into the castle 3 times, go to the next town, now you're done" Would be nice for the quests to actually integrate with the gameplay loop
So this the dude that got the 0.1 percent platnium trophy
As per usual:D
Yeah lol I thought some trophies were too grindy especially the spinx one fuck that one mistake you gotta re do the play through ewww
He is daimon from dd1 😂
Appreciate the reviews mate - waiting for patches and a sale in the future as the initial price is a bit nuts and there really is no rush to play it for any valid reason
This is why you're the goat. Thanks for the vid!
Number one game reviewer with a take informed by experience rather than hype.
FightinCowboy's opinion is informed by experience. People can have different opinions and like different things. This person agreeing with you doesn't make it an objectively better take.
The game should have 3 things: 1. A mount, because it's stupid how long traversing can take. It doesn't have to be horses, it can be some kind of tamed monster like the Garm.
Exploring on foot can be nice. But after some time it gets tedious and having the option to either use an oxcart or ferri stone is just not enough. Especially since in some games, a mount can be used to store items on if you gave it a saddlebag, which would really help with the constant inventory management in this game.
And number 2: Some type of law enforcement game mechanic. The fact that you can go into anyones home and take whatever you want, money, food and other items, is so dumb and was only excusable 12 years ago. Not today. The game even allows you to murder people and sure in the cities you will have guards put you in jail or in this case "gaol" (don't know why they changed the word but not the pronunciation), but otherwise there will be no bounty put on your head, and you basically get too much damn freedom that takes you out of the immersion.
Number 3. Some goddamn swimming mechanics.
It was pretty obvious in DD1 that "the brine" was put so developers didn't have to make swimming animations and mechanics.
I don't care what excuse the in game lore has for the brine, it's not excusable today. It only was back in 2012 when the game was released unfinished.
I found myself once falling down the water trying to get a seeker token near the edge of a cliff, but kept being put back on the bottom of the edge of a cliff with no way up as my character kept sliding down.
If i didn't have a Ferrystone, i would have been stuck there.
Otherwise this is a fun game. But i wish Capcom tried to make it feel like a proper sequel with these type of things in mind.
Because as it stands now, this game feels like a more complete version of what Dragons Dogma 1 should have been (except for the lack of swimming).
But at the same time they took a few steps backwards by not giving us Eternal Ferri stones, and by removing the Strider and Assassin class, and lowering the amount of skills you can have equipped.
I hope a huge expansion similar to Dark Arisen comes out someday.
The best review I've seen for this game, thanks for your hard work! I love that you mentioned not understanding your character's motives, starting with taking out Talos... I was also extremely confused about why my character was doing what they were doing throughout the game, which is a MAJOR flaw to me, in a game that really emphasizes a macro story about fate/free will.
Great review, gonna hold off on getting it then!
Same I'm upgrading m GPU instead
Im 20 hrs in and just realized the combat doesnt get good later on. Wish i got Horizon instead.
Wow, a reviewer that actually is honest and speaks the truth. You're the best Mort, all other reviewers are glazing this game too hard
This encapsulated perfectly my opinion as well. A fair and balanced review and I think in time most of the community will outlive both the hype or the bad and reach the same conclusion.
You can loot 3 ferry stones with the thief skill from phantasms at night they are everywhere. Youre welcome ^_^
Thanks for the honest and thorough review. It seems like everyone else online is calling this the greatest thing since sliced bread. In the little bits I've watched, I'm surprised no one talks about how horrible the dialog is. I've seen too many things questionable or dubious for my own personal tastes to ever pay full price for this, plus my personal stance against MTX. You've helped me confirm some of my suspicions, and saved me some money in the process. Deep Sale, for me. Thank you.
Man, you are insane. I thought you would take at least another week or maybe 2.
Edit: it was a harsher review then I anticipated, increased enemy verity was one of main reasons I was exited for the sequel and seeing it wasn't really - I'll wait for a good discount or a nice dlc.
Probably the best and most articulated review I have seen for this game on YT.
What exactly 100% means here, I'm trying to do it myself, but there is still no proper list of all Side Quests, how do you know you did them all?
I am glad for reviewers like you Mort, thorough, complete and informative. While I couldn't really get into DD1 because of the chunkiness of the controls and just the general game design, I was hoping they would have learned from those lessons in DD2. My wallet is glad to know they didn't learn much. Will definitely wait for a very sharp sale before grabbing this.
Your comment on mtx affecting game design is something that I always hope more player understand. Especially the young ones. They selling you bikes with flat tires so you can pay them again for fixing it. It will always escalate further if left unchecked.
On another note, I'm a new subscriber. I've been binge watching your videos for the past few days, love your approach on reviewing games
True. I even like DD2 but if we don't push back against stuff like RC being in the store, future titles will be designed to make it overwhelmingly grindy to earn them through gameplay to capitalise on income at expense of the game's design
MTX doesn't affect the game design though, not in DD2
@@iAmPimmiCue You're missing the point like a lot of people do. Listen from 33:57 again in this video and really pay attention.
@@dkeane6152 You mean the part where he says you can buy Portcrystals? You can only buy a single one per account, he makes it sound like you can buy a lot of them when that's just not true.
@@iAmPimmiCue It's not about how many of them you can buy, it's what they represent. These MTX are predatory and can adversely affect the industry if left unchecked. They shouldn''t be in single player full price triple A games at all. They're slowly pushing you into purchasing them to help convenience. It's a scummy practice and deserves the negativity it has already recieved.
I was LOVING the game for the first 40 hours then I did the final quest thinking that I wasn't close to the end and was just doing another normal main quest and and then it was just over and I felt so confused. It really changed how I felt about the game to be honest, even though I had 40 hours of fun and was truly loving the game and would have probably rated it a 9/10 the way the story just ended so abruptly made the game feel so unfinished and rushed, I'd now rate the game a 7/10, I still really enjoyed it. Overall I think it is basically just dd1 with better graphics with improvements to the combat and pawn systems. only other problem I had other than the story was the lack of enemy and armour/weapon variety, hopefully the dlc adds lots more like dark arisen did. I got the game for £35 and feel like for the price I got good value and I'm still planning on doing NG+ to play the other vocations I didn't try in my first game.
edit: also wish there was a hard mode like dd1 because the game is WAY too easy, I killed Grigori in literally 2 seconds with my magic archer.
you probably got the bad ending lol, i didnt finish the game myself but i heard online that the bad ending causes the story to finish abruptly and the good ending is alot better
@@Homophonic Which makes only 1 character save even more ridiculous. 40+ hours and you get the bad ending and you have either NG+ or start again and wipe your save/character to get the better ending.
@cmdr.jabozerstorer3968 it's ridiculous that u can't start a new game but having only one save forces u to live with ur decisions, alot of ppl like that kind of design, it's unusual but not inherently bad
@@Homophonic The first Dragon's Dogma allowed it. It did overwrite everything but it allowed you to do it.
DD2 there is no option.
@@Homophonic i did the true ending and have 80% of the achievements.
Thank you so much for your honest review! It's really rare these days to find honesty on youtube with all the sponsored review copies floating around. I hope that even with review copies your honest opinion never gets missing in your review videos. ❤
I want to play this to experience a taste of the cult classic gameplay that so many have lauded. But between the reviews and the MTXs, I think I'm gonna wait a while for a major sale.
Also I love how someone already named their pawn Panam.
As usual, you answered all my questions and my wallet thanks you. ;) I'll definitely be waiting for a sale on this one. Thanks man!
Honestly, I was left disappointed and expected much more from this game. Very little improvement over original, outside of visuals, and microtransactions with performance issues on top of that.
And even the visuals are pretty poor, there are PS4 games that look more impressive..
MaximilianReyCartwrightDark Arisen was essentially an expansion, not the base game.
Bitterblack Isle was NOT in the original game.
Original DD was very incomplete, too.
@@devranyilmaz9806I played the original before BBI came out, and I still found that it was more complete than this game. In fact, that was the reason I got the expansion. I won't for this one.
@devranyilmaz9806 The sequel is largely a downgrade even compared to base DD1.
@@lorecow88 I beg to differ, but to each their own. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is still a great game, despite its flaws, just like the first game.
Many people criticised the first game for the exact same reasons, and yet it’s still considered in VERY high regard.
Maybe you should appreciate its good qualities instead of ONLY focusing on its flaws.
I still have quite a ways to go before beating the game, but your sentiments here echo how I've been feeling so far - this game feels like a remake or reinterpretation of the first game. Interestingly, the main menu of the game only says 'Dragon's Dogma,' without the 2, which is basically how I'm choosing to enjoy it - an updated and minorly revamped version of the first one. Anyone expecting the game to significantly expand on the first one will be very disappointed.
Yes it is strange there's no number 2 in the title screen. Feels very deliberate
I also thought it was weird and telling when you boot up the game and it only says dragons dogma. I'm not far in at all yet but it does feel like a reboot more than a sequel. ALL I kept hearing before launch was that it's dd1 but bigger. But idk, I'm enjoying it, but it does feel really weird.
21:50 XD
I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away
Love the review and I 100% agree with your conclusion of the game. As someone who waited 12+ years for a sequel with the hopes that they would build upon the foundations of the first, only to get what is essentially a remaster/remake left me severely disappointed in the title, even if the games core is still good. It genuinely feels like nothing was added, only traded in for something else. We gained trickster,warfarer, and mystic spear but lost the mystic knight and assassin, we got new monsters such as medusas,sphinx, and minotaurs but lost hydras, beholders, and the cockatrices, inventory system is still bad, world still feels shallow, the linear gear system is boring and eventually everyone wears the same thing because the only thing that matters is higher number, and somehow the story in this one is worse than the first. Dissapointing, hopefully they add something to the scale of dark arisen and BBI and bundle it together with the game, and once that complete edition is on sale maybe Ill be able to recommend it to someone.
Been seeing a ton of misleading information on just how much content this game actually has, especially with how much of the content is optional and with how new game+ works - so I’ve been really looking forward to this one! Thanks Mortismal!
If you listen to his review, you'll see he says it's an awful story with poor side content.
@bladechild2449 Unmoored World is actually crazy end game content though? Much better than the Everfall we had in dogma 1 before the BBI dlc.
@@bladechild2449How did they lie? The endgame is pretty darn substantial. It's not infinitely repeatable like the Everfall was, but it basically repopulates the entire world and unlocks a significant amount of additional land mass due to all water in the game evaporating into the sky. Some enemies, like gore chimeras and the upgraded wight (lich, dark bishop? not sure how dd2 calls it) as well as the 3 "main" bosses are exclusive to the unmoored world.
@@bladechild2449there is a massive end game unlockable before the credits , look for a video as its very hidden and you could go to Ng+ without unlocking the end game.
Yeah I am not spending money on this game, I was hoping for massive amounts of endgame content with this kind of game with lots of new bosses and many capital cities. I do think this game will 100% have a DLC though.
The story in the first game wasn’t great either honestly. Dragons dogma has always been about gameplay and combat and I’m having a blast
Every one of your points were my thoughts exactly. Side quests are so dissapointing for me, no love or magic in them. Just like starfield. They need to do it like skyrim, give you a reason to explore and fight.
I agree. Sometimes a unique vision for a game is NOT enough. Itsuno doesn't have people to rein him in and a lot of his vision falls flat.
If you've got older hardware and feel like you're missing out this game feels like a fresh side grade (not upgrade) to the first game.
Older alternative that are similar and still hold up would be the first Dragons Dogma or Dragon Age Inquisition
So hyped to watch your video! You're the man! 🎉
Holy moly! Thank you for the video. 🤘
more of a remake than a sequel, sadly. The story, characters, writing and side quests still suck like the first game. But thank you for the review!
This channel is criminally undersubscribed. Excellent, fair, comprehensive, reliable and timely reviews. What more can you ask for?
Me - restarting the character build for the 100th time after not liking how he looks …
Mortismal - “what’s going on guys…”
So fast and so good quality, love the content man.
Thanks for the video. The "pay for convenience" features are pretty discouraging. Onward to 300k (here's hoping this video puts you over). All glory to the algorithm.
The combat to me felt fun but pretty janky and the story was nonsensical. It's a 7/10 for me.
So is this basically a remake of DD1? What's the relation to DD1 in terms of story since you basically said if you know what happens in DD1 then that's pretty much what is going on here...
Can you still get free wyrmfire upgrades like in DD:DA? Ie if you kill the ur-drag, drakes, wyrms, undead drag there was a chance for a random item to be randomly upgraded in DA with a guaranteed chanced on undead drags and the ur-drag
I think it's necessary to mention that even though appearance can be changed ingame, it requires an object that there are only two copies of in the entire game. So you and your pawn can only be changed two times combined. There's a mod that I use that adds 99 copies of said item that works great.
Rarely does he say a game is mediocre when he had high hopes for it. Seems like the game is really mediocre. lol
Yeah this is my first time playing anything on this level as I usually played sport titles and call of duty . You have to consider who is reviewing the game. I actually enjoy the side quests more than the main quests
It's unironocally just DD1 again with new graphics and a new map, so I can see why people are disappointed
It's really not, it's a phenomenal game his expectations were just way too high for what it is. It was never supposed to be some true DD2.0
Its the DD1 the devs wanted to make back in 2012
@@Cronicrisis "it's not a sequel, just ignore the 2 in the title." What cope
@@Cronicrisisreally? Then explain how it's an objectively lesser experience than dd1?
You perfectly described how I feel about the game - it's so hard to explain as a big fan of Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen that in many ways this feels like a downgrade, even if the combat is fun. You've more earned my subscribe, good sir! 👍
Will be watching you in the future for other games, as I am becoming more hesitant about buying games because of incidents like this, and you seem to be a great objective reviewer.
100% already? You finished your first run sub 30hrs? I think I have been playing around too much. I'm 30+ hrs in and still haven't even done one of the quest the captain sends you to do. I got to the city and started doing my own thing. With everyone saying the story is bad, I guess me treating it like Skyrim and just going to do my own thing is a good thing.
Game is fantastic if you play it that way. First game since first playing Skyrim that felt like I was in a world going on an adventure. With the pawns even more so.
@@Josh87538 Funnily enough that's exactly how I see it. Like Skyrim. Fun world with fun adventures to be had, meh story. I am still assuming the story is meh since I haven't actually finished it yet.
Now if only Capcom removed the Denuvo and whatever else they have in place to stop us from modding it, we would really have a Skyrim situation.
Yeah doing the Main story isn’t the way to play this game at all. And also if you just focus on main quests you’ll finish the game in like 20 hours, it’s very very short.
@@Josh87538 the games doesn't offer the varied exploration and side quests of skyrim unfortunately. was really hoping for something that succeeds that
I appreciate your in-depth review and willingness to discuss many points of criticism that others do not.
- The lack of enemy variety and even removal of many from even the first game was very disappointing.
- While the combat system in many ways was improved, it honestly felt dumbed down in other ways. Throwables like water vials, poison, bombs are taken out. Poison coating gone. Many vocations that had dual weapons like strider, gone in favor of more limited single weapon vocations like archer, yet a lackluster Jack of all traders warfarer added.
-Pawn system while improved in some ways, yet less dynamic and natural seeming than the first. No longer can sit down and talk to your pawn. Instead inclination is now tied directly to even their voice.
Overall it seems like many systems were refined yet options were taken away. That with the lackluster story, lack of meaningful side quests and content didn’t really leave a great feeling with me for the long awaited sequel.
I've finished my first playthrough after almost 70 hours, thoroughly enjoying most of it. Despite that, I wholeheartedly agree with your criticism.
Now that I've started NG+, it feels like I've done everything and there's no reason to do it again. The story was serviceable enough once as a means to guide you through the world, but the characters all lack depth and emotional impact. That makes the concept of exploring alternate ways unappealing.
There are great experiences to be had in the world, mainly combat related, but trying to engage with anything more intensely quickly reveals the game's imits.
Quests are largely forgettable outside of the chaos that might happen randomly on the ridiculously long journeys they often send you on.
I doubt that the aforementioned issues are going to/ can get fixed, but I hope that the devs are working on more content that can challenge high level parties, add enemy variety and provide new mysteries to solve.
Not having a challenge dungeon similar to Bitterblack Isle on release was honestly a surprise. Starting at an excavation site seemed like the perfect setup for that.
27 hours? I am about half way through and played for about 35 hours so far. There are so many side quests and secrets to find throughout the world, l just love going exploring and stumbling onto a new quest or dungeon. There is a lot of content if you want to seek it out.
So you wander around aimlessly for hours on end and you're surprised someone who actually grinded out content has a lower play time? You are certainly strange
@@MrDrManPerson so a game comes out with a huge open world that doesn’t hold you hand at all and a player takes their time to explore and find hidden stuff and you call it “wandering aimlessly” man you are a strange one.
@@charlestruppi7793 First off, not huge open world. A decent sized open world. You kind of revealed my point 'Taking their time' so just going slow, maybe afk for a bit? And then they compare that to someone who is actively engaging the game and grinding it. 'taking their time' vs 'grinding' it and they can't figure out why their hours are so much higher then the normal? Yeah that's a baffling lack of logic.
@@MrDrManPerson just say you consume products and not play games man
@@harrenysk I have 1200 hours into Warframe and over 300 hours into baulders gate 3. I think Outward is a better dragons dogma, similar philosophy less confusing bullshit. I'm more of a gamer then you are probably buddy.
Genuinely the best review I've seen on this title that I too was highly anticipating.
Bro you don't have a PC you have a nasa server anyway my point is if it has issues on that then I'll get 1 frame on my rtx 3050
I totally agree with you. I just think you were a bit gentle with the amount of enemies that constantly cross your path kkk it’s one the most annoying thing I’ve ever seen in games, since you are forced to walk all the time but you cannot actually do it without being intercepted by the same enemies you have already killed thousands of times. It’s like the devs never played their own game ..
You are one of the few reviewers I have seen that has really talked about the story, most I have seen tend to hand wave as like.. story is meh, but without much detail. I tend to be story first and gameplay second, in terms of priorities, so I appreciate it! This is more of a "game on sale" for me, I can't justify dropping $100 CAD on something that I am not sure I will stick with. As always, thanks for the hard work and well written and thought out review.
I don’t understand how the same company that makes Monster Hunter, somehow makes a game that is extremely limited in enemy variety.
Honestly, just confusing to me.
this game is a joke. luckily i refunded it
That's easy to explain that people who worked on Monster Hunter.
Is likely a different team than the people who worked on this.
The skills wouldn't transfer is what I'm trying to say.
How did you reach level 40 in 27 hours i am level 32 with over 40 hours.
How? How were you able to 100% this game? Its been out for 5 days, i have maybe seen half of the game
14 Hours a day + some guides, but 100% was 66 hours not 27
@@MortismalGaming expected it to be more, but then again I'm taking my time and don't have it as a job. Good review tho
My largest complaint is that we lost an entire skill bar. Vocations dont feel very balanced, The warfarer was implemented in the worst way possible, the second half of the game is rushed, and there could have been a whole story arc of you actually being the sovran and dealing with what comes with it.
Hi Mortismal, I never leave comments but I just wanted to say recently discovering you has reignited my love for gaming again. Thank you for your hard work on your videos, it clearly shows through the quality of your reviews. One of my favorite youtubers! Keep up the great work!
Can't believe how so few people are talking about how mouse accel is forced on with no way to disable it. That's a major deal breaker for any game that has free form aiming of any sort. I don't care how easy it is. You completely ruin game feel.
Yea the camera feels like CRAP
The Leonard Euler of game reviews
that's a deep cut but I like it.
More like Angry joe
@@coops1992not even close. Do you not know any other reviewers? He’s nothing like AJ. What are you smoking?
@@TwinFather0420He's probably angry Mort didn't gush nonstop at the game.
@@coops1992I fail to see the resemblance. Angry Joe is a showman, his reviews, while usually informative enough, focus more on the skits and jokes. Mort is fairly serious and delivers extremely informative reviews.
To me Dragon's Dogma 2 is a masterpiece
Not only should have the devs added more enemy types, they should have made certain enemies roam the land. The griffin seems to be the only one that does this. I would have loved to see dragons do soaring the skies and swooping in on your group for a surprise attack. It'd be cool to see groups of bandits roaming the roads and setting up ambush points. The devs should have also added in rare spawns that were far tougher than their original counterparts.
“Don’t let the intrusive thoughts win” while your character falls was genuinely funny.
Great review!
First review telling hard truths instead of just hype from playing a couple hours, great review man
I could be wrong, but it sounds like they made a minimal viable product to ensure microtransactions can be justified. Forget actual effort for side quests and other obvious stuff they should have polished.
Great job mate. I think this was the most balanced, nuanced and honest review I’ve seen for this game.
Thanks for the honest thoughts. Not having the same kinda fun that everyone else seems to be… sounds like we have similar qualms.
I’m in a mixed opinion of DD2 atm. I LOVED the original; worts and all, but the sequel feels like it has improved in a lot of aspects while cutting down a lot of things that really didn’t need to be cut.
Just off the top of my head: why does Sorcerer not have more than half of its spell list from the original? Why does warfarer have to use a skill slot for swapping weapons? Why does archer have to have a dedicated skill slot for every single type of arrow; along with the requirement to craft said arrows, while other vocations don’t? Why make some maester quests so difficult to follow, while others are just as easy as doing a single side quest ?
Just a lot of little issues I’ve had; building up over the playthrough, that really have been taking the fun out of a lot more of the game than I was hoping.
So i was not wrong saying that is more a DD1.5 as an DD2.
For now, i going buy this game on GoG if it's happen on sale in 2 years ;)
Thank you for your honest review
More like DD 0.8 HD-edition.
the game feels two steps forward, one step back. it's funny that the second game still feels unfinished (the story finishes when it starts to get better lmao). tbh I expected a game to scratch the skyrim/elden ring for me but I guess this isn't the one. still a fun 7.5/10 game
Half a step forwards, five steps back.
What’s fooked, is that this game was made with 1/4 of the staff that’s usually on Capcom titles and actually a lot of games in general. Capcom STILL doesn’t believe in the potential of this franchise man. Dragon’s Dogma had 392 ppl in the credits, and games like Redfall- 1,996 ppl, Spidey 2- 3,582 ppl and Diablo 4- 8,694 ppl. Damn shame Capcom can’t even trust Itsuno to make his ultimate game.
Capcom is facing rough days since the last decade. Almost as if they were building towards failure.
My take from this review is that DD2 is pretty much a mediocre game, not the "masterpiece" it was marketed as before and (from a lot reviewers) after release. Seriously this doesn't sound like a game that was planned for 12 years and developed for 5 at least (the devs quote not mine). The lesson here is, don't get hyped so easily, wait for the dust to settle, then decide if you don't wanna get disappointed or regret your 70 bucks. I was hyped and am glad I have got accustomed to my rule "never pre-order, never buy on release day, wait for multiple reviews".
Swapping vocations is what makes this game great. That, along with the fighting and exploring, makes this GOTY contender for me. The only other games that made me not care about the story and progressing are Elden Ring, Skyrim, and The Witcher 3.
I am enjoying the game quite a lot but this is definitely the best review I've seen of it. It's balanced in that it doesn't overly gloss over the major flaws it has, while also not going overboard with the negative aspects.
Great review as always. Keep it up! :)
The combat is the only reason I stuck with it to the end. I estimate that of the 40 hrs it took me to finish it about 25 were spent traveling... Definitely a game of all time.