Dragon's Dogma: PS3 Game Review

Dragon's Dogma: PS3 Game Review 

Released by Capcom
Platform: PS3

There's just something inherently cool about dragons.

And there's just something inherently different about Dragon's Dogma as a gaming experience.

The latest from Capcom is a stylish RPG which really needs you to invest some serious hours into it to get a maximum return.

The story begins with you facing down a dragon - and losing your heart in the process. However, after the dragon's devoured your vital organ, killed a few people around by and moved on, you awake the next day to find your chest sown up and somehow, you're still alive and called The Arisen.

So, with a bit of customising your character (more on that in a mo), it's off to try and retrieve your heart as well as get vengeance on the dragon who inflicted this on you in the first place. But as you wander around the village, you soon find there are other quests and side missions to carry out if you're to achieve your ultimate aim.

Dragon's Dogma is epic in scale and while it may not be a perfect game in some ways (a lot of repetition of quests and endless treading/ retreading of steps may leave you a little frustrated) it's a thoroughly engrossing experience which fantasy fans will relish.

It begins with a major customisation of your character before you even kick anything off - it's a great touch that gives you the chance to build up your own look, your height and build and even what kind of person you want to be. It's redolent of the old days of RPG board gaming where you had to develop every arc and nuance of your character before you got to roll the dice and see where the adventure takes you.

Along the way, you do get helped by Pawns, characters which proffer up help to you - and while it takes a little time to get used to how exactly they help, they can be valuable, if tricky to control, allies. Unfortunately aside from Facebook sharing, there's no chance for others to take control of these characters - a shame as it'd have given the game a real quest like feel to have a charge along with you.

The world the Arisen lives in is well created and rounded - with a look and feel reminiscent of medieval ways and other fantasy genres. With different attacks combos on display and for you to take advantage of, there's certainly enough scope for you to get a great feeling for the character, the world and the game itself. Along with the interaction of villagers, people nearby and attacking hordes, it's a continually evolving game which has a life of its own outside of the confines of your own point of view.

Stick with Dragon's Dogma - sure, some of the quests are long and a bit tedious at times but the level to which you're playing isn't just a quick fix of a game - it's a deeply rewarding, fully immersive RPG on the PS3.

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