Dragon's Dogma 2 - My adventures so far!

 

(Xbox code provided by Capcom) 

By Sam Coles:  

Never thought I would be writing about a sequel for Dragon’s Dogma, but here we are with Dragon’s Dogma 2 12 years after the release of the original. It is hard to believe it has been that long between sequels, where I was a young 19-year-old playing the original in the hot summer of 2012, to an older somewhat wiser 31-year-old in 2024. Does the game capture the same magic of the original? Yes, it does, and I just want to talk about my initial thoughts about this game and this is by no means a full review, just me waxing lyrical about the game for a few paragraphs. 

Just a disclaimer, yes Capcom sent me the game and I am fully aware of the microtransactions of the game. Do they hinder the gameplay experience? No, they do not as everything can be earned in gameplay and it is not pay-to-win at all. This microtransactions have been in other Capcom games for years, I just feel this is selective outrage for the sake of it, be outraged by all of it or none of it. But I digress and let me get on with my thoughts.   

Dragon’s Dogma 2 sees you once again play as the Arisen, but this time you are in the role of royalty. You are a king or queen of the land, where you are quickly dethroned into a mine as a slave, where you conveniently have amnesia. You quickly uncover your memory as the Arisen, and realise you are the true ruler, and slowly regain power while purging the monstrous inhabitants of the land as the Arisen. The plot is more involved with this game, there is a lot more dialogue compared to the first game but that isn’t a bad thing as this game fleshes its world out more compared to the first game.  

The gameplay is like the original game, now that is not a bad thing as everything feels tighter and more fluid with its combat specifically. You get access to a selection of Pawns that players all over the world have made, with some interesting designs and names to say the least. Like the first game, you can have three Pawns in your party including the one you have created, it makes battles varied and sometimes easier depending on the party you have chosen.  

Not only that, Pawns also have more purpose in this game as players can set quests for their Pawn with a monetary or items specific reward which is a nice change adds variety to the game. They feel like more than just a filler in your party compared to the first game, but they didn’t fix the issue where they will constantly talk in the open world and state the obvious, yes, I know I can climb a ladder!  

Combat is one of the highlights of this game, I chose to be a fighter as I like to keep things simple in RPGs plus I like to get up close and personal. Anyway, combat is a big improvement from the first, the combat has weight to it you really feel every slash, every stab and the thud as these huge monsters fall when you slay them.  

You really get stuck in as a fighter class, blood flies everywhere as you slash into a goblin, explosions have amazing particle effects as your mage throws a fireball and you feel tense in situations as you climb a monster to stab at its weak point. Combat has always stood out to me in Dragon’s Dogma, as it was more exciting compared to other RPGs, where you would just hack away at a dragon’s ankle where in Dragon’s Dogma you ride said creature slashing at it as it drags you across the map. I think more RPGs need to take notes from this game with their combat system, as this game makes you feel like a fantastical warrior.  

What captivated me the most in this game so far is the exploration of its world, I have fond memories of playing Tolkien and Medieval inspired RPGs from the Xbox 360 generation. Games such as Oblivion, Dragon Age, Two Worlds 2, The Witcher 2 and of course the original Dragon’s Dogma.  

The reason I love exploration in these games is because it reminded me of my childhood, as I would explore the local woodland area I grew up in Bristol, which had various ruins, small castles and mysterious carvings in trees. It’s that sense of wonder I get from Dragon’s Dogma 2, where you want to explore each corner of the map and when you settle to rest at a camp you want to talk about what you found with your party. Coupled with the relaxing music as you explore, the game doesn’t discourage you from running off the main path because nine times out ten you will find something interesting, it’s something I haven’t felt since The Witcher 3 or to go further back Skyrim.  

Visually the game looks amazing, it runs on the RE Engine like most Capcom titles these days and it is beautiful. The environments look incredible, with a lush vegetation and foliage system which fills forests and fields with a lot of detail. Character models look okay, nothing mind-blowing they can look a bit lacklustre and washed out, however there are a lot of characters in the world with most of them being created by other players. Now, I played this on Xbox Series S and the framerate is 30 fps for the most part, but it does struggle a bit when you enter busy town centres as well as in some combat scenarios, but it mostly holds said framerate.  

Overall, I am enjoying my time with Dragon’s Dogma 2 so far, it is a lovely adventure and is a nice change of pace to the games I have been playing recently, less bang, bang and more stop and smell the roses. I can’t wait to explore more on my upcoming adventures.  

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Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun - Purge the Heretics!

 

(Nintendo Switch code provided by Focus Home Entertainment) 

By Sam Coles: 

The Warhammer 40k spin off franchise of Warhammer, has been going on for over 40 years and has enjoyed popularity throughout said duration. Games set in said universe have been mixed to say the least, from the awful Fire Warrior to the excellent 2011 release of Space Marine, which is getting a sequel soon (at the time of writing). So, who knew we would get an old school shooter from a developer based in Bristol, UK, but here we are with Boltgun. A shooter set in the 40k universe, however this time it is done in the style of the original Doom, with over-the-top violence with a metal soundtrack. Is it any good? Let’s find out!  

The narrative of Boltgun is rather paper thin, as it should be for a Doom style game where the gameplay does most of the talking. You play as an Ultra Marine, the white bread of the Space Marine chapters although easily the most iconic. Where you are sent to a planet to, you guessed it to purge the local heretics. What I love about the cutscenes although they are far and few, is that they take inspiration from 1990s games like Dark Forces, with basic yet well drawn animations it gives me a warm feeling of nostalgia in my belly. Although the lore of Warhammer 40k is vast and unique, I like how this game keeps things basic and to the point, as most players just want to tear enemies in half and blow them to kingdom come.  

As I have already detailed, Boltgun’s gameplay is in the style of old-school first-person shooters specifically Doom from 1993. The environments are 3D polygons, which give me an original PlayStation vibe where they almost replicated the texture warping from said platform. However, like Doom the enemies, items and weapon pick-ups are 2D sprites, so they will always be facing you no matter what angle you look at them replicating the style of that era and it looks outstanding.  

When you start the game, you start off with just your chain sword which can tear through basic grunts, but it is not long until you find your titular Boltgun. The chain sword works well as a good back up when you are in close quarter situations, it is a good companion to your Boltgun but ultimately it will fall to the wayside as you expand your arsenal. Not only do you get the Botlgun, but you also get a shotgun which just feels great to use as you blow someone into a bloody mist, a plasma gun, the Heavy Bolter (a personal favourite) and the Vengeance Launcher. The guns feel fantastic to use, and unlike a lot of old school fps games each weapon has a purpose, as you switch between them in each encounter to deal with the various heretics you will purge.   

Not only that, but the game also has a taunt button which I want in all fps games now and it is almost required in a Warhammer 40k game. I found myself getting into character, where I would almost spam the button after every kill as my Space Marine shouts a battle cry as he splits an enemy like a wishbone.

 

The game has massive and sprawling levels for you to explore, it is fairly typical of a 1990s first person shooter, where you find secrets and different colour keys to unlock new areas. The arenas are huge, with enormous enemy counts and I am going to say this right out the gate, this game is hard. I died numerus times in this game, it doesn’t mess around you have to keep moving during firefights because otherwise you will turn into a bloody pile of jam on the slice of toast that is the floor. It is very fast paced this game and requires quick reflexes, but the game does give you the tools to combat such endeavors, as you get power ups to give your weapons a little more kick like extended magazines to name a few.  

As I have said briefly before, the visuals ape the style of 90s fps, and it looks fantastic with the beautifully drawn sprites coupled with the gothic inspired architecture of the 40k universe. It is a surprisingly colourful game given its grim subject material it is based on. The only real issue with the visuals on Switch, is that the draw distance can be rather low, where it can be hard to see if there is a power up in the distance or an enemy ready to blow you into chunks. Not only that, but I also found performance would really struggle in places especially during moments where there is a large enemy count on screen. Maybe this is due to the Switch’s hardware, but I don’t see a reason for this given its simple art style and this platform can run games consistently with larger scales, perhaps it is an engine issue.  

Overall Warhammer: 40,000 Boltgun is an amazing game, even on the Nintendo Switch. It takes all the fun elements of the Warhammer: 40k universe specifically the Space Marine chapters and turns it into a gory, violent and over the top shooter! Even if you know nothing about Warhmmer: 40k, you can enjoy this regardless, as it requires no knowledge of the lore, and you can just get stuck into the gore fest! I highly recommend it!  

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