Dragon's Dogma 2 - Finally, Nihil's Final Review of the Sequel

[@GamerRoman]

It's sad to see that after OVER A DECADE this is what we got, it looks pretty but feels hollow.

[@TamJam]

16:50 Riftstones as fast travel points makes so much sense that I'm baffled that it was never implemented at all in any way, shape or form.

[@naylte6448]

It could also increase pawn rental turnover for people like me who otherwise never interact with rift stones unless a pawn dies. Being able to see new hires every time you fast travel would be great.

[@jprec5174]

its the same problem of the first game. the lead designer makes a subpar game that the other devs had to fix with the expansion. The expansion team also made Dragon's Dogma Online which is better than DD2.

[@BrotherSham]

​@@jprec5174Hopefully that'll happen again with DD2's expansion

[@baldr2825]

I always found it weird why half the main story is "go to vernworth keep and avoid guards that dont care if youre there or not, grab an item, watch cutscene, leave"

[@hitbu9471]

There's so much I miss from the first game that is NOT purely nostalgia based, and so much that could be fixed with this one. Things I dislike the most: - INCESSENT mob encounters on the road: Fighting mobs doesn't feel special after a certain amount of time, nor does it feel fitting for the fantasy setting. The charm of random encounters is lost when it's shoved down your throat with incredibly easy-to-kill mobs after the 50th time. At the BARE MINIMUM these encounters should've been more randomized. - Losing Strider/Ranger in place of Archer, and also losing Assassin, and Mystic Knight: I can't really place a reason these should've been removed, other than CAPCOM saying "We want more individuality amongst classes". I get it, I do, but I prefer having variance and personality more than restrictive class "individuality". - No Eternal Ferristone: Overpowered? Sure. BUT you still would have to FIND and then place Portcrystals that you wanted to travel to, therefore balancing the ability/item much much more. - Variance amongst weapons and armor: This I feel is pretty simple, but if you're going to just give us/reuse a lot of the same weapons from DDDA (like Almace and so many others) you mean to tell me that they couldn't have added MANY many more unique ones as well? Instead of the emphasis on weapon/armor recycling with only a sprinkle of new additions? - Likeable NPC's and romance options: This is pretty personal and nitpicky, but sure you can technically romance almost any NPC, BUT there's no real point. The lack of engaging storylines involving this opportunity is really disappointing. - I seriously mourn them taking away all of our skills: I SEMI mentioned this earlier, but instead of having only FOUR skills to use, I would LOVE to have the 6-8 that is VERY much so possible in DD2 that was prominent in DDDA. Separate sword skills paired with separate shield skills. Separate Dagger skills with Separate bow skills, etc etc.. Bring it back. I don't wanna hear the "Oh but- but- the CORE skills!"; Horrible argument. Not only did the remove some skills from the previous game, BUT they also just flat removed the amount you can have equipped at any given time. I want to feel like a badass combat machine, not a nerfed down no-name adventurer. - Smooth Performance: This is such a no-brainer. Yes, I can play on 60 fps (I have a 3080FE and a 5800x) in most places in the open world that aren't the inner cities, but this is 2025. Not even scraping 100fps consistently is laughable with how poor the performance is in this game. - This may be controversial, but the random Dragonforging of equipment: Being able to randomly Dragonforge equipment based on a chance from killing a drake was so badass. It felt like a true achievement to kill a drake, and it felt like it was being rewarded too. Sure, this could be annoying if you didn't hit the roll after multiple attempts, which is why I think they should keep the current wyrm crystal system (with some adjustments) and re-add the chance/roll of Dragonforging. - Bitterblack Isle OF COURSE: I know that this was a DLC addition, so hopefully it will get added back or something similar with some DLC. - Healing Springs and Bottles: Do I need to say anymore about this? It was so cool finding a healing spring out in the wild, and using bottles to make your own homemade team-wide heal potions out of them. What a cool mechanic and a sad thing to see leave. (The Volcanic Springs/Island doesn't do anything close to this, lets be real.) Things I LIKE the most: - Very pretty graphics: It's pretty to look at in a lot of ways. - Mystic Spearhand is badass and looks super cool (a tad OP though), and Trickster is cool to look at (even if it doesn't do much). - New variants of enemies are cool to see and fight, and I would've liked to see more of them. KEY TAKE AWAYS: ULTIMATELY, I would LOVE to see this game get some DLC that breathes MASSIVE life into the game and fixes all the previous things I said I wasn't a great fan of, while also improving on the things I DID like. CLEARLY that's a selfish take, and I don't expect my dream to come true, but I just thought I'd throw it out there. It's so damn cool to see how CAPCOM is taking player feedback SO SERIOUSLY when it comes to Monster Hunter: Wilds, and how they are implementing all the changes fans asked for after the super early playtest came out. For them to do the same with this game would be a dream come true.

[@monkeylungs3479]

Great critical observations. Here are some of my thoughts if anyone is interested: -Too many story threads that never went anywhere. I would have preferred less story, but all focused on finding the dragon and more quality less quantity. To Nihil's point: more combat quests with a boss at the end that led to getting closer to finding the dragon. -Would like less time and effort spent on npc's and npc dialogue and more time spent improving the pawn dialogue. -Should be able to use more skills. -Randomize enemy spawns -Increase difficulty with each newgame+ -Throw that dragonforged graphic effect in a fire in a deep pit of hell. -Let us make new characters without deleting our old one. -Upgrade system needs a complete revamp. Every path should have a reason to exist. As it stands knockdown is too superior to other choices. -More enemy types please -Make pawns stop yeeting off cliffs -Improve pawns choices in skill use There is soooooo much more but this is a good starting point. Thanks for all the cool vids Nihil0.0 👍

[@tyhjyys]

dragonforged effect can absolutely burn in hell. made my shadowy dark thief glow like a glowstick. and yeah i think the 4 skill maximum holds this game back in a very substantial way. warfarer was pretty much dead on arrival to me because of it.

[@mekudu-man3804]

we also don't have any connection to the main dragon. Grigori showed up 3 times before we had the showdown with him in DD1 and it felt way better than just in a flashback and then BOOM here he is.

[@monkeylungs3479]

@@mekudu-man3804 there should have been way more story and quests related to the dragon. I personally would have removed at least 50% of the quests and npc's connected to certain quests and spent that time and effort on more main quest surrounding the dragon and adding depth to the pawn system.

[@Sadistic_77]

To be honest I deleted it after the first 10 hours and went straight back to Dogma 1. I just couldn't click with the new combat style because I believe that it has changed for the worse. It is apparently "the same" but feels clunkier and slower, the attacks don't have the "crunchiness" of the original Dogma. The combat has always been the backbone of Dogma and they screwed it. DON'T FIX WHAT ISN'T BROKEN.

[@josephpercy1558]

The "crunchiness" was indeed part of what made DD1's combat so visceral. That's one thing that made me commit to Warrior, despite the class being more limited than the others.

[@kaipacifica1289]

Wish CAPCOM wasn't so controlling of their IPs. I'd love to have seen DD1 / DDDA mod kits even moreso than a sequel.

[@Samuel-j6w6u]

@@Sadistic_77 the sluggish quality and delay to everything is because Capcom is pushing their "adaptive difficulty" tech as a way to scam players into pay to win. I highly recommend playing the RE3 remake and then RE4 remake. The input lag in RE4 in dramatically increased so that there is a greater period of time between button presses and execution, this allows the game to cheat whereas when a game is instantaneously responsive it harder to cheat the player without them recognizing it.

[@robertrainford6754]

@@kaipacifica1289they gave full control to insuno he is to blame .

[@lukasmisanthrop8557]

3:33 pawns can still catch you when you fall off a cliff, harpy etc

[@ugn154]

Thank you for this video. It's always good to hear your opinion and see your gameplay.

[@tha_juice3262]

After finishing my 1st playthrough of DD2 I found myself wishing they would have just remade and fleshed out the 1st game 😢 Thank you for teaching me how to play mystic knight many years ago 🙏🏼

[@Horotoma]

Indeed, at this point I believe that most of not all Mystic Knight players were taught by the same guy.

[@brandmeow9014]

Mystic Knights live on in legends now..... broke my damn heart when it was confirmed.

[@FEDUP-xx]

I would have been less pissed if they just were like haha we got your $70 and it was just a graphical upgrade to the 1st. Way less pissed.

[@Dr.Strangelewd]

People often say that good gameplay was enough to make DD a cult classic, and that it was the main reason game wasn't forgotten over the years. Nothing proves them wrong better than the sequel. DD was great because it had a working story, likeable characters, great music, great attention to detail and a lot of heart. DD2 definitely succeeded at making some things better, but so many things were overlooked and lost in the process, that it's just baffling to me. If this is what Itsuno always wanted from the series, I'm fine with Dragon's Dogma 2 being the last in it. And funnily enough, I feel like I'd rather replay the original game over the sequel simply because it's a fairly short 20-30 hours long game and not a 100+ hour behemoth.

[@SDub817]

Yeah, even before Dark Arisen came out DD Vanilla was one of my top games. I did not feel short changed after defeating Grigori and thought that was the end. Was pleasantly surprised when I learned that not only does Gransys turns into a nightmare with stronger enemies but I had the Everfall to mess around with. I didn't have a strong opinion on the story when I first started playing it, but I fell in love with it after beating the Seneschal. I play DD1 on a regular basis and knew before DD2's release it wasn't gonna eclipse the first game because it was already a bunch of things revealed that I wasn't fucking with.

[@kaipacifica1289]

The first game had brilliant combat and great characters (I vividly remember them). Yes, the story was threadbare, but it was just enough to give the experience meaning. And from everything I've seen of DD2, it doesn't seem like 12 years of formula refinement. In fact it seems to me like Capcom told Itsuno to remake DD1 but make it look better, make it overall easier, and make it QUICK (get it out on store shelves asap)!

[@XxKidnoffxX]

I don't agree. Story of DD1 is really bad, some NPC was good, but everything was light and not really complete. The gameplay is what made DD good and not forgotten. And now, we just add nostalgia to it. DD2 got the same good combat, with a better physics and people don't like it... lol. I really like it and I don't f*cking care about the story. People was asking to not change everything because we love Dogma so much. That's what they did, I don't understand the problem.

[@BooBooDaFoo330]

⁠@@XxKidnoffxX they did change a lot…that’s what you’re missing…climbing, vocations, skills, enemies, difficulty, and armor customization all got neutered.

[@adamp6320]

No enemy scaling please. I don't find it a problem to steamroll lower level critters. Game just needs more end game content, not to have level scaling.

[@Mardolok]

Yeah, DD 2 is like Morrowind. Auto leveling is killing experience, like in oblivion

[@robertrainford6754]

@@adamp6320 leveling shouldn’t be in RPGs at all at least stats. I think you should have base stats and the rest should all be determined by armor and wepons. The only way I think leveling up should be is for skills but not by damage. I think that’s RPGs biggest problems.

[@optimoblunt2894]

Problems for me: Having to avoid every pawn walking down the road in fear that they will approach me at the most random times especially when I already have a full party. The pawn chatter is more annoying in dragons dogma 2. I never feel inspired to climb any large monsters,if I wanted to hack and slash a monster foot,I would play other games. I can not have fun exploring because every five feet I walk I get attacked by monsters,which is kinda unrealistic. Monsters tend to pursue my party even when iam just trying to get somewhere, and it is very annoying as well. Some of the side quest are unavoidable,people approach you and force a quest on you that you may not be interested in doing. These are just a few annoyances for me.

[@danyul2571]

you know you can say no right? it won't make the quest go away, unless it's just an optional escort mission to increase affinity. don't like the pawns approaching though. pawn chatter is like a specific niche alcohol, you either like it tolerate it or drive sober. i do miss the open fields though.

[@rhodan74]

Drakes have a bigger moveset than dd1, they still got the tailwipe, the headbutt, the spin, the grab, they got 3 different kinds of flamebreath attacks, the aoe stamina debuff (which is lame because it is a flat amount and not % based) , the buttslam, the spells and variations if stationary or flying. Problem is that they seem to rotate those not often enough and are not aggressive enough. Agree that all the "minibosses" need more aggression/speed. But it is unfair to critizise that they had "12 years" for advancement. They had exactly the time they got from capcom when it got greenlit.

[@federicocasali1565]

Yeah if it was a game made over these 12 years sure, but in reality it only started development after dmc5, they had to make everything from scratch for the new engine, they reused lots of ideas and concepts but implementing those takes time especially with the physics stuff they went with. Interested to see what we will get if they make an expansion

[@ramontavaresdacruz2256]

There's 12 years of reviews and other shit all over the Internet telling them what was good and what was bad. Many features they left out, they did out of their own desire. They were not concerned with what the community enjoyed about the 1st game.

[@TSotP]

Yeah, sure thing. But if this has always been their dream project, and they have been given a second chance to make it. Like Nihil said, why didn't they "remake" DD1 from near-perfect, and then perfect it. I, too, am enjoying the game. But I don't see me getting 10k+ hours out of it like I did DDDA.

[@JLG35X]

​@@TSotPAgreed, I recently went back to spreading democracy for Super Earth, did put a lot of hours into this game but unless there is dlc probably wont touch it for a while.

[@Mr.House38]

They tried to hard to sell DD to people that didn't care about DD... and this is the result. Non-fans will forget about the game anyway and DD fans got the middle finger.

[@mjesus850]

and we all seen the reaction from the skyrim/simpleton rpg gamers, they hated it. they all moved on and dont care tarnished the reputation of the game even though a lot were straight lies. all thats left is dd fans like us with a subpar game and probably no chance ever for the series to be big

[@marcpolain9663]

Haven’t noticed any veterans talk about the lack of Godsbaning in the sequel. In DD2, I have yet to stand in front of a chest and Godsbane repeatedly to get a 0.5% drop. I haven’t had the need to trivialise the coolest boss in the game so I can get BBI lvl 3 gear. In DD2 I just cruise around and do what I want, it’s nice.

[@yourhomiechillinvibes]

It's tough to admit, Dragon's Dogma 2 I still love. However, the game is a severe let down in so many aspects. Barely new enemies, vocations, lack of cohesive storytelling, lack of different enviroments in the world. I have to talk about the world being boring, imagine an actually mystical elf village with unique vegetation and trees. A winter biodome with norse inspired monuments and people. A dwarfen town that specializes is blacksmithing and rare armory. God so much missed opportunity and I've only just started....

[@nathancourtney94]

I should’ve known the absent of mystic knight was a red flag

[@baanfrey]

DD2 proves that Assassin wasn’t just a needless rehash of assets. In DD1 Assassin is the vocation that allows weapons to really become more than just the vocation themselves as new DPS skills were added to them, especially sword and shield. In DD2 it’s great that they specialized the vocations but it came at the cost of variety. Warfarer showcases this because being able to use any weapon you want doesn’t work in practice because the skills are what define the weapon. For example, a sword effectively isn’t a weapon, it just turns you into a tank vocation cause Fighter is the only vocation who uses swords. So you’re still forced to use a Duospear, Greatsword, and Daggers if you want a melee DPS option cause Mystic Spearhand, Warrior, and Thief have the weapons skills that do damage. Assassin can still be done in DD2 with little effort and would solve a LOT of issues especially for Warfarer, all they need to do is make the vocation use sword and bow. Mechanically it’d just be like DD1 where sword is the main weapon with the light and heavy attack buttons while the bow would be the secondary weapon with R1 being Steady Shot as the sword itself does not have a Vocation ability. All 4 skills would be shared between the two weapons. BOOM, more variety with little effort.

[@JuliusCaesar103]

Now that Capcom considers Dragon's Dogma a key franchise, we can only hope that the DLC and the sequel, whenever it comes out get the staff and resources it deserves from Capcom. Dragon's Dogma is most likely my favorite game and I dropped the sequel after a month and a half of playing after waiting 10+ years for it. Agree on the quests so much, whenever I think about Dragon's Dogma and starting a new playthrough I think about all the cool quests that await me, they're so many yet in Dragon's Dogma 2 I can only think of a handful, not really that much of an incentive to start a new save file.

[@melee-dexterdexterious2878]

A total remake of DDDA with complete contents as the dev team ever devised and planned but forced to released without and added contents from the doomed DDO sounds nice to me..

[@nightsage217]

The noticeable npcs dont have a lot of quests either, around 1-3 quests, but they make the game more interesting. i thought dd2 would easily improves on that.

[@daben7145]

Look at the quest with the noble boy and the girl in the slums, leading this quest to a somewhat satisfying conclusion would've been so easy even most of us would be able to write it, but they didnt, because they either gave no fucks or forgot or didnt have the manpower and time (12 years...) but it shows the lack of dedication to hand out a decent product, let alone a great one, which DD:DA would've deserved.

[@JovenCesare]

What do you mean by the staff and resources it deserves? I ask because if you are referring to the misinformation that there were only 400 devs working on the game, that is wrong. There were actually more than 1,500 devs working on the game. If you want to verify youself, look up Dragons Dogma 2 on MobyGames to see the full list of credits.

[@GoliathosUS]

If this is the treatment a game gets for being 'a key franchise' then I wish it wasn't

[@ullerbarwulf]

Mystic Knight was in DD1. That was the major issue in DD2 for me... plus I pretty much agree with all that you said. Always a objective, conclusive and all in all great video. Hope to see you back in DD1! I'm going back there now

[@danyul2571]

"Subjective" it's not entirely objective. for example, the combat system is altered from the first, it's not bad it's different and weighty. for many that is a plus. for others not so much. the pawns, they are alike the pawns in the first game with more dialogue and vocal performance options. their ai is impressive, side by side I think the pawns are a little more active in combat in this game. but only slightly. I don't think many people have unlocked the pawn trophies which acts like pawn knowledge of enemies in this title. again, a subjective view. the cave systems. caves in video games have always been subjective. enemy variety. if you include dark arisen which had between 70-80 different enemy types including skeleton, bandit and goblin varieties. then dragons' dogma dark arisen had more. however, pre-expansion the base game only had 53, compared to dd2 which has 54. so, comparing the two base games in this regard is objectively false. a true comparison between enemy variety can be made after the expansion for dd2 comes out. vocations. any critique on vocations is again based on personal preference and is again subjective. many players favoured vocation is the trickster. which isn't objectively bad just depends on play style. its only weakness stems from one-on-one duels with certain npc's which again in that situation you can still call your pawns to aid you or go full unarmed. quests. this i think is where you might be able to make an argument for objectivity. then again i haven't scoured every nook and cranny in the game to compare properly. but so far, the first did side quests and optional ones better. the story: on paper they are written in the same style and vagueness. objectively they are not one better than the other in their respective pacing and way of telling it. people can subjectively choose which ever one they prefer. though this is a sequel. so really the whole story should be judged with both games in mind. difficulty: the same difficulty as the first game pre-expansion. both games had me take around the same amount of time 25ish hours to complete the main story and both saw me finish the first playthrough around level 35-40. equipment: there is objectively less options in how to dress your character in this game. when taking into account that the first game had and under and over layer for both legs and torso. objectively Grigory was better in the first game. (is my subjective opinion)

[@MarztheStoic]

I feel the lack of combat quest was a problem too. Like I was hoping to get put into more situations where I would have to fight a juiced minotaur or drake like that sacred arbor and Dullahan quest. I just didn't care about becoming sovereign and just told my time to go fight monsters.

[@minty257]

Yeah, someone who misses mystic knight as much as I do, but hopefully, capcom does keep supporting the game, and we get updates and dlc that make the game better.

[@Desheep]

Don't think I agree with everything, but agree with most of it. While we all waited for 12 years, I don't think 12 years of dev went into it. In fact, it's probably more likely there was a prototype, the anniversary announcement, a review of the interest from fans, and THEN the real dev started. Warfarer makes sense to me, but weapon choice matters. My favorite is daggers with the grapple skill, smoke and a Magik Archer bow - usually with sleep or rebound. I don't like how toned down archer and warrior feel, but I like their standard movesets a lot more this time around. I also had quite a few boss fights, I thought.... Guess we just define that differently. The medusa/griffin questline, the sphinx, or dragons peak spring to mind. Same conclusion in the end. Good, not great.

[@carolinemccall6748]

Because the game starts with "Dragon's Dogma" and you get the screen with Dragon's Dogma 2" later, I took this to be a new Dragon's Dogma 1 with 2 being the new Bitterblack-like area. I do like the changes and have enjoyed playing it. I am hoping it's not another 12 years til we see something else in the IP.

[@neilhimes1059]

Just now saw dragons dogma 2 and this was the first place I came for a review!

[@qnmt5783]

I think enemy scaling is a bad idea, it ruins progression, only in the endgame world all enemies should be at their peak, the challenge is whole purpose of endgame. I agree with the rest, another thing to add would be the maister skills, some of them are op and some useless,no augment support for solo play.

[@NotCharAznable]

It’s the most confusing game I’ve played in awhile. The way he talked it up, it felt like he was able to make a true version of DD. But it doesn’t do much of anything new and the stuff it removes is worse. The biggest enhancements are superficial.

[@Rashadozo]

Away from graphics and the large map.. it feels this should be the first game and dark arisen is the second one..

[@MarztheStoic]

Garm got completely socialized. I remember when I first saw Garm in DD2 and I sweatin. But after the fight was over I was like what have they done to you man? You ain't even scary no more.

[@Nihil0.0]

Hey Marz. How you been man? It is a shame. The big enemies (the best part of Dogma) have all been downgraded. I'm working on a vid now comparing and it is sad.

[@MarztheStoic]

@@Nihil0.0 please do. I was thinking of trying the same thing but I'm mainly doing shorts right now and I got some other projects planned.

[@ricardosavagestrike]

OG Garms were broken as hell. Disappearing randomly into the stage, getting summoned wherever they wanted, causing damage by just turning , weird teleports, wonky hitboxes....all in all, it simply instilled that horror every time they showed up, invited or not.

[@zaskiaalsakila7248]

I played Dragon's Dogma and Dragon's Dogma 2 back to back, make videos of both. Restarted back my DD Dark Arisen 1 day after I bought DD2. And what I can see is night and day difference. Dark Arisen is way more fun, vocations are all balanced. Entire armors and clothing can be used by all vocations. Vagabond Armor, White Stockings, Tiara, Overknee Boots combo of gear are all not class locked. I can have my mage/sorc main pawn has about the same defence as my main Strider/Assassin Arisen. Strider/Assassin/Ranger are all similar enough that I can happily switch one to the other in DD. DD2 vocations are all so unsimilar, and importantly the fashion dogma become so unrecognizable, it gets tired very fast. Fashion in games are very important for me, I like my Pawn and Arisen to have the same "look". In Dark Arisen its easy ofcoz. Just equipped both with Silk Lingerie and I'm very happy yeah... In DD2 unless both Arisen and Pawn are same vocation, we can never be the same... Very sad, very wasted becoz the creator of Dd2 is so awesome. I spent 5 hours on creating both Arisen and Pawn using the free Creator demo they released. Time 0 to time 30 mins, I already at encampment with Scammer Rook and my main Pawn. So yeah the character creator in DA is like "nonstarter" compared to DD2. But with a combination of Vagabond Armor, Tiara, White Stockings, OverKnee boots, both my main women can really look like sisters yeah! I played many many Rpgs if the fashion did not give me "kick", I got bored very fast. Which is sad to say I got bored of DD2, the game's so beautiful and my Arisen too lifelike and beautiful too... And Before I forget, they bring back that Scammer Rook again to "trick" my poor Arisen! Ah I really don't like tat guy. And my chars are "women" not girls yo, I modeled them to look like 30s women yeah! Hey I'm a 35+ man bro.

[@Samuel-j6w6u]

It's clear DD2 was just an engine test for Monster Hunter Wilds. The number of downgrades, outright removals, and baffling design decisions are outrageous. What's really odd is that Dragons Dogma DA, though over 10 years old, has built the majority of its fanbase over the past few years...why with that being the case would you release a sequel that is lesser in the vast majority of meaningful qualities? I having a sneaking suspicion that there are some more devious schemes to nickel and dime players for fixes and improvements that will be disguised as DLC.

[@MrPistoleroGun]

I don't agree on all point but i agree on most tbh, to me this can game be resumed as "dragon's dogma, but less" in all aspect Sure it is prettier and has great additions ... but how can i forget DD1, DDDA and DDON's hundreds of mechanics, aditions, classes, mobs, and improvements ? We had so much, 2 games worth of content, and none of that made it in the sequel. Mods will most likely fix a lot sure, but in my book if a game needs mods then it is not good enough. DDON's story and mechanics were keeping me way more entertained, i remember sweating in fights and tryharding, just to get enough exp to unlock new combos/skills. In this game i never tried, never lost a single fight, and i'm not even good which angers me the most. But the worse offense to me were pawns themselves. How can we go from the depth of DDDA, with the good pawns of DDON, and end up with 4 pawn options. I've recruited as many different pawns, with as many different skills, with as many different configurations, and they all were the same in pattern, AI, fighting and ... voices as it's obviously painful that they linked voices with AI and made them repeat the same 6 to 8 sentences on a cooldown. (Don't even get me started on open world dungeons ... they are subpar to the first game in every aspect, it feels like every dungeon is the same) I hope that future entries give us way more, or that the dlc upgrades all of that by a lot, because i love this franchise too much to not buy the dlc but god, does this game not deserve me putting full price in it >.

[@ICDedPeplArisen]

Silence, Nihil is speaking... Listen and Learn

[@noseyparker6969]

Once upon a time maybe, not this time.

[@kaipacifica1289]

Nihil0.0's is the ONLY DD2 review for my money. I've played DD1 since it first released. I've put hundreds and hundreds of hours into it on PS3, PS4, and PC through many runs. It's my favorite game in any genre (and in fact turned me on to fantasy games, something I'd never had an interest in since Atari's Adventure!) and it's the yardstick by which I measure ARPGs. When DD2 released I was excited, but didn't have a PS5 and decided to wait on PC. Now? I've seen enough that my interest has waned... yes, even though I'm a big fan of Harryhausen and never thought a game would ever tip the hat to the master! This just doesn't seem like 12 years of perfecting the formula. And in many respects it seems like -- as Nihil0.0 shows -- a step backward. At this point I'd almost rather casually play the fan-revived DDO for more Dogma. I will play DD2 sooner than later, but my excitement is gone. I'd seriously rather CAPCOM make modding DD1 / DDDA possible and play fan tinkerings. *sigh*

[@A..lie..sha3]

I'm going to play Bitter Black Isle now. Disappointing.

[@heyjulzdontmakeitbad]

DD2 in summary: One step forward, Two step back 😢

[@IsaacChoo88]

For me, the battle feels a bit sluggish and the open world is just corridors connecting different rooms. In Dogma 1, we have 4 really large plains connected by mountain passes and shortcuts. In Dogma 2 the battle fields are much smaller, a lot of linear corridors with a lot of small enemies.

[@TSotP]

It's weird. If you were to magically flip round the Graphics and Pawn AI, it's almost like DD2 is the first game, and DDDA is the sequel.

[@yungossan379]

I miss the everfall. It was like a boss rush mode almost. Not talked about enough

[@TheLigon27]

I didn’t like how the loot drop worked and the way you get to different floors. Though it was fun facing a different combinations of enemies at once. Would’ve been better if the boss room gave guaranteed weapon and armor drops and all the floors were connected by going through the inside corridors. Overall it is still fun and challenging.

[@thaliuswarborn1148]

Since the first few gameplay trailers i've lived with this haunting notion that DD2 would be cursed from the start. It feels like Itsuno made DD1 and then went "aw man, i was almost there! well, too fucking bad Capcom's not gonna let me try THAT again haha :^)" and COMPLETELY ABANDONED THE POSSIBILITY OF IT HAPPENING. The sorts of mistakes Nihil lists are mistakes that anyone who's passionate enough about a project to wait 12 fucking years to finally realize it just would not miss. THAT'S what gets me: the feeling that, in the mind of Itsuno, this game could never exist therefore he didn't need to worry himself with bettering DD1's formula in order to make DD2 and this makes me really sad. DD2 should've been a easy game to perfect the formula. They had 12 fucking years of feedback, 12 years of progress. Hell they literally had the line traced in the sand for them to follow with DD1, it was simple; make DD1 but fix the kinks and add enough new stuff so that it isn't just DD1 with fresh graphics. Not only did they not do that, they also removed things from an experience that, if not for Dark Arisen, was already kinda barebones. A solid fundation sure, but barebones and THAT'S WHAT ANNOYS ME DD2 was supposed to be what DD1 couldn't due to problems of its time, so how in the fuck they managed to mess it up with EVERYTHING IN FAVOR when they pulled a rabbit out the hat to make DD1 happen is completely beyond me.

[@VB-92]

Holding out hope that the DLC will address at least some of issues.

[@MarztheStoic]

12:40 I was just talking about this. Ole school drake got that Dog in him. The current drake cares but not enough to really do anything.

[@wochaoainigejiba1211]

awesome video, cant wait for the final review of the sequel to dd2 in 12 years!

[@halcionjoy7]

I think a lot of people underestimate how difficult it can be to improve upon something that was done 10+ years prior. Life changes so much over that time frame, it can be hard to remember why something was done a certain way to begin with. That's especially true for artists, which may have drastically changed their philosophy towards their medium. The times change, too. I don't think anyone could make an objectively superior iteration on a previous product, because products are influenced by the culture and market they are released to.

[@princesszelda8577]

well said.

[@tyhjyys]

this is true in general but i doubt it was the case for this game. when you consider how many mechanics and features are holdovers from 1 but are implemented in such lackluster ways, it comes off as a game spread too thin, not the product of a change in design philosophy. dd1 had notoriously half baked systems and this game somehow follows that tradition which maybe says more about itsuno himself being too ambitious with this particular IP. the guy made devil may cry. he can make banger follow-up games that stay faithful after a decade has passed. let's just keep hope that a potential sequel is the final culmination of these 2 scattered titles, or that at the very least an expansion can bolster the experience like with dark arisen.

[@halcionjoy7]

@@tyhjyys My point is that getting this game to be as close to the original as it is must have been difficult. It's in a newer engine, so I'm sure they had to rewrite a lot of code. I have no doubt there was temptation to veer away from the original and make things "better." They did put 5 years of their lives into this. Maybe by attempting to stick so close to the original, they stifled the creativity of their own team? I'm sure it's pretty boring just touching up someone else's designs and rewriting someone else's code. I could see that draining the passion from a large portion of the team.

[@DragonmindLai]

I don't think they developed the game for 12 years, more like 4 or whenever it was when they started announcing about DD2. I also recall reading that they ran out of funds in the make of DD1 leaving 70% of the story/material out, which I was hoping that they'd be able to apply wholly this time around.

[@Sadistic_77]

It literally feels more like Monster Hunter than actual Dragon's Dogma. I'd be jubilant if they just added in the last 70% to the original Dogma lmao.

[@topnormaI]

I share a lot of your sentiments. Had some good time with the game but overall feels a bit lacking. I only hope they realize how loved BBI was and go hard on DLC. Also for anyone on PC, I encourage you to try the True Warfarer mod on nexus. Helps alleviate the feeling of too few skill slots and is really damn fun, albeit a bit op.

[@Buttz2Buttz]

100%. Also try out the skillmaker mod, you can make mystic knight if you want. Being a console player this game made my ankles itch. Alot of improvements, mixed with a lot of nonsense decisions ie the performance issues still ongoing (cant speak for pc but for console its still an issue), only four skills, warfarer gimped, no new game+, overly focused on useless npcs opposed to meaningfull important npcs etc.

[@frankdahtank354]

The 4 skill slot limit is what killed the game for me personally. 😔

[@xxXXRAPXXxx]

Yea imagine if real fights ware like: 1. Straight punch with left arm 2.Hook with right. 3. High guard stance 4. Low kick with left leg. And that is all moves you can do in a fight 🤣🤣🤣 DDDA was low on possible skill use for me but this one is hilarious.

[@joesaiditstrue]

yeah in DD1 with magick archer, it was nice having 3 dagger skills and 3 bow skills

[@G01010]

Of all the dubious decision they made, this is the one i find hardest to understand.

[@omegaxtrigun]

@@G01010It’s not really hard to understand. There’s less skill slots because they added vocation skills (stuff like warrior shoulder charge) and also folded some skills into core skills, like scarlet kisses.

[@todd3351]

Yea, force us to use skills instead of letting us pick. 6 skills in the original along with 2 different light combos and 2 different heavy combos

[@geofer.o.13.888]

6:55 what about the Dullahan at the end of that side quest (if it is considered a quest) from that certain noble?

[@upslide5073]

I was very disappointed with DD2. I glad a fan of DD has said some genuine criticism. I hate the clostrophobic corridor design of the open world. I didn't like the atmosphere, it wasnt a place i wanted to be.

[@selcouth86]

Riftstone travel would've been a perfectly elegant way to conjoin two systems. Such a good idea.

[@michaelp1923]

It’s like they did 1 step forward 2 steps back tbh

[@AMtoDG]

I miss mystic knight, but I love the animations to fighter and stuff, and what keeps me on the game alot is the pawn interactions. But I missed rusted weapons, and more elemental weapons and things they do. Also where is dark, and why is holy and dark night appliable.

[@Andicus]

It definitely feels like less time went into developing DD2 than DDDA. :/ Hopefully the DLC('s?) will right some wrongs at least with the same impact Dark Arisen DLC had to Dragons Dogma 1

[@vinniamsterdam700]

It's a really fun game to play but so many things simplefied. Pawn inclination, no notice boards, escort quest bunch of flowers, no Mystic Knight, no lassitude for me sorcerer. Mage is pretty good this time but i love the archer and the warrior. When i see the Garm first time in Batthal it actually scared the shit out of me, but then he went down. Let's say a hit and a miss is also very Dragons Dogma.

[@RevaXartist]

no gargoyles no cockatrice no hydra no evil eye and no UR dragon, they removed so much in this game.

[@therukshuka3616]

It feels as though they released a very playable build of the game, but its unfinished.. they absolutely owe it to long term fans like yourself to change and adjust things with free updates not waiting for paid dlc...

[@oldboykenji]

The main issue with this game is, that is unfinished in every aspect. Capcom management pushed it out right before the end of the fiscal year, just to boost the numbers. Those numbers where released just a few weeks ago. A record high. They don't give a fuck about side projects. They focus only on the main cash cows MH, RE and SF. DD2 needed at least 1 more year in the oven. The DLC will come, just because this a safe bet on make more money with low risk. Main development and assets are done. A small B team can now push out a DLC for at least half of the full price with low development investment.

[@EXXXcellent480]

One small thing I really feel makes dd2 lack combat fluidity is the lack of actual normal combos. Light attack being an endless loop has 0 weight to it I'm making a mod to restore MK to the game and so far I'm also going a bit over scope on it and restoring 3 hit normal combos and stuff to fighter. Didn't realise how much that affects the flow of combat until I really started doing side by side comparisons for skill timings

[@rouge-ish324]

I think it's fine for fighter cause they thrive in those active combat scenarios where you're attacking and you just counter attacks to continue your offense, but every other vocations skill expression was also tied to making the longest attack strings possible, especially since not every vocation easily stunlocks like the daggers

[@LzHiei]

I agreed to your opinions on all of them, it true that was almost perfect then they proceed to release this neutral state of a game compare to the original and not to mention a lack variety compared to their Online. What my take is, they did it because it's a "reboot without a reboot". We want the game to feel like the original with all the niche of what it had and new technology what we have now, mixed it up and we get this. A hybrid of a good passive progressive world with some NPCs have progressions and monsters just real slow, making them more "menacing" but after the 5th time, you kinda get the idea what they can do and that's that. That's why you don't see the "2" on title till Post, they even force you to get true ending and throw you to Unmoored. It's where the whole idea of a more bigger enemies could just roam around, more "aggressive" version and potential of what they CAN pull off. So the game is like a new entry title for NEW players to come and try, get the feel for the game while the veterans know what's already existed is there and probably polarizing for us. Some aspect is really good but there's more cons than pros ultimately for us that so used to DD1. I, for one, do not like the clamber in this game, it gets real janky when you try to climb higher by jump, the game feels like it forces you to jump off instead of upwards at times, it feels slow and most enemies are just fine cutting their knees off, except golems, fucking enraged golems and pawns being dumb. I really hope they stop holding back and just perfect the game with the DLC, just let that creativity potential go. A new vocation, upgraded skill, new monsters that doesn't need to reach enraged to be faster and just more coherent story telling AT LEAST.

[@yungjose3369]

I hope we get a DDDA remake before we get DD3. I miss the old gameplay and everything we lost on DD2 in just better graphics

[@WhenTheSunLordsFell]

i also hate how people thing monster hunter fans are the same as DD fans

[@verboten8]

Very informative take on this game. I have been on the fence about this game, and looking at the price it's quite steep in my country. I will eventually buy this at a discount. Maybe. Thank you for this video.

[@wamken619]

I also don't like how freakin skittish the drakes are now. They run away too often and too early.

[@emanul4773]

Monster aggression, speed, improved/nerfed moveset has killed a lot of the fun I had. I was looking forward to fighting orges out of everything because it was my first “wall” in relation to combat, specifically the one that spawns in that abandoned camp at night in DD1. Orges in DD2 will engage you, attack once, hop towards you, walk back, hope back, walk back, hop back, horny slam the ground, then enrage slam the ground, all this while you are actively attacking them. By the time their done with all these filler animations their on their last HP bar close to knockdown. This isn’t the same monster that rekt me for 2 hours in DD1, in 142hrs I’ve been drop kicked 4 times and they’ve all missed. The only monster I actually enjoyed fighting were Dullahans because they’re the only thing that is actively trying to kill you survive you because of the counter options they have, but it sucks that they hardly spawn.

[@SSS-yk2wv]

Hope they're gonna do something with the pawns. If not as you said, let us be able to create all of em, then at least add more filters to the rift pawn search so we can get the exact pawn with the exact skills that we want. Also let us do some customization to the AI. Wouldn't want to see them use explosive daggers on a critter. Let's hope for the best.. Have a good one!

[@dmac93065]

Good stuff Nihil. I am close to 300 hours in this game and when I hit that mark I will uninstall until/unless DLC is introduced. The biggest failing for me was the vocations. They effectively took away replay value with the changes made. Hopefully, they’ll restore what worked in the first game with DLC and give us a reason to play something other than Elden Ring which I really need to start some time soon.

[@Nihil0.0]

Derek, how are you buddy? Yes, indeed the sequel is not what we really wanted. And if this is what Itsuno wanted back in 2012, then I am surprised

[@dmac93065]

@@Nihil0.0 I’m doing well. How are things with you? Brilliant points made in your final review. I hope Capcom incorporates riftstone fast travel and restores the monster aggression and climb mechanics you mentioned. This game feels unfinished. The main quest line ended up not having a real impact on the game. There’s a false arisen in the castle and roving bands of false arisen and their pawns that we never get to expose as frauds. I’m a bit disappointed in Dogma 2 but hopeful most of it can be fixed with DLC. What’s the next game you’re looking forward to playing?

[@SparePencils]

Relatively minor in the grand scheme of things but its comical how clunky WF is from the guy that made DMC3 Dante. You literally couldnt make a more clunky weapon swap system unless you are called Metal Gear Rising Revengeance which is doubly impressive considering DD1 already has an answer to swapping - Shoulder buttons activating the associated hand's weapon. All they needed to do was let me use Assassin and swap to Daggers/Bow mid combat without giving up a skill slot in an already skill starved game. The core skills are alright, but they homogenize the shit out of the games character building aspect and for no worthwhile trade off! All the classes have less skills that let you personalize them besides maybe Thief and WF.

[@raccoon9469]

I couldn't bring myself to shell out the seventy bucks, and I'm glad I didn't. Might pick it up if they drop it down to fifteen or twenty bucks.

[@theqeffect14]

At this point DDDA > DD2. DD2 is great just doesn't stack up to DDDA. It needed more time in the oven, feels a bit rushed. Also they mentioned the stat gain per level was better in DD2 but after having played it I feel its more complicated and all over the place. DDDA was better in this regard as well (probably due to lvl 200 being max).

[@yoariku1]

I hope the dlc will give us the same if not more than dark arisen. 3 more vocations. I want mystic knight back, update of the warfarer. More elements also for smithing. An everfall.

[@yoariku1]

Oh and way more armor and weapons since it's more limited in here

[@WhenTheSunLordsFell]

not being able to equip from storage or from shops feels like a huge disappointment that is unnecessary

[@Xivinux]

Warfarer was the biggest dissappointment for me

[@WillWilkie-i8h]

That's about how I saw this review going. Its unfortunate, but I feel about the same. I guess I look forward to a DLC, if only so itll make the product more complete, but I know DD2 wont have the lasting power for me that DD1 had. An odd thought occurred to me, in that I wish there were "Dogma-likes" the way there are Soulslikes or Roguelikes etc. Rarely do Soulslikes rival actual Souls games, but I genuinely feel if someone copied the formula of DDDA with genuine passion, they could produce a better game than this. If this kind of combat became a mainstay I bet a lot of companies could do better than this studio, frankly.

[@sethsword9680]

Hopefully they'll do like a Dark Arisen esq DLC with all improvements made

[@strayargus9382]

For those who never played 1 it’s good game but not for veterans and I agree with you. I really am disappointed with the story and monster varieties after they had many years to make it even more exciting

[@dododog6]

Honestly this game is an embarrassment to the real fans. They should be ashamed. The only thing that makes sense was that much of the game was cut for DLC because I just can’t accept this is what they’ve come up with after all these years. Game needs a new director

[@solomonsignet]

Totally agree with your final review!!

[@duffduffington843]

They took away pawn learning. (For better or worse, pawns learning from example, was unique & they opted for milktoast). They removed mining ore, with powder kegs. (Not game breaking, but why remove that, when the mechanics are clearly there?).

[@TheLigon27]

the pawn system in DD1 just needed fleshing out not a complete overhaul. IMO all they had to do was make it where we could lock in certain combat traits, just like we could with personality traits in DD1 with the knowledge chair. Which could have been done by just talking to your pawn at a campsite , inn or a bar.

[@Mike-vl8zb]

Dark Arisen saved dragon's dogma and dd2 was a regretful purchase for me.

[@carosworldofficial]

DD2 is a hard pass for me. 1000+ hours with DDDA, but this one not even on sale...

[@nothingfancygaming]

lets face it the biggest travesty was removal of classes.... this kind of game should only add not take away.... theres no reason why they couldnt have stayed in the game at the end of the day the games always been about playing the game how you want.... and not adding all the classes from the previous game was just saying you cant play how you want you gotta play how we say you can...

[@Ptollemios]

I've been loving this game, but I've also had the creeping feeling that DD1 is just the better game.

[@garthandrewbrunn]

Graphics, combat mechanics, physics, and appearance of gear, is about the culmination of "upgrades" this game has compared to the first. Everything else, is just, mediocre equalness, or a downgrade, like skill usage, weapon handling (only having a bow as an archer, fuck that), dragon forging, the story, etc.

[@duobizarrobizarro]

Honestly at this point in time (it might change with the DLC whenever they release it), I'd recommend playing Dogma 2 BEFORE playing Dark Arisen. Sure, the graphics are better and it has some sort of main story; but it feels like the older game in every other aspect. I liked the idea of locking certain "tactics" behind some vocations, but man, they feel so boring when every vocation can only do 1 thing and that thing doesn't even do much anyway (or absolutely nothing at all, useless vaperwave class istg, I leveled that sh*t up to max)

[@naniwa111]

3:35 Pawns still catch you when you fall in 2

[@XxKidnoffxX]

that's weird because I have couple hundreds of hours on DD:DA (Ps4 + Pc), I did BBI probably more than 200 times and I NEVER get catch by my pawns. But it happen all the time in DD2, I was sure it was a new feature...

[@TheLigon27]

@@XxKidnoffxX it’s was not a new feature and can happen in dd1. They just made it more frequent in 2.

[@noseyparker6969]

Sorry, but, listening to this is almost as depressing as playing the game.

[@noseyparker6969]

@nihl not your fault.

[@jmcgee39]

Agreed.

[@bladeofmird]

For me personally the biggest flaw of the game is the lack of precision in terms of character movement. It simply feels more scripted and less accurate than in Dogma 1. Pointless animations that make the character not as fun to control and because of that combat just doesn't feel as satisfying as it was in the first game. It's also more automatic. For example when you go near a parapet your character automatically climbs it. I really hate that. But don't get me wrong i'm still enjoying the game for what it is.

[@ThePermanentMoose]

I'm feeling awfully vindicated right now. always maintained that the sequel wouldn't improve much, wouldn't have the big dearth of creativity people love to go on about being cut out of the original, and that there wouldn't be nearly as many vocations as everyone was constantly theorizing the minute they saw a green background for the archer symbol. it honestly isn't unreasonable to have expected any of this, but those expectations come from having played the first game which came from a time when games were mechanically superior to how they are now. I'm really sad to see that the only thing the wider gaming community outside of the dedicated fanbase seems to care about is the sphinx, the microtransactions, and the steak cooking video. a swing and a big miss, we'll see if the new games version of dark arisen can rectify anything.

[@enigmatic6872]

Video sums up my thoughts exactly, very fun game, also probably my biggest gaming disappointment ever.

[@raheimgreen8550]

I'm of the mind that they didn't put 12 yrs of thinking into this. I still love it but I'm realistic. They dropped the ball on a lot of shit and hopefully they do pt 3 properly. Hopefully all the good things from 2 and most of the things from ddda

[@federicocasali1565]

Yeah 5 years is the most it was in development, if they started right after DMC5 was released

[@FranK-tg7ou]

Good review but I will ask was this game actually in development for 12 years? Or was there just a 12 year gap between 1 and 2 because I remember them announcing it and then it kind of came out like 2 years later I think I do like how you point out your likes and dislikes and even how as fan of the first game you still find ways to improve it I would also love to make all my pawns I really like to make sure my party is diverse in RPGs design wise as well

[@capolean2902]

i miss sorcerer having its melee lighting whip 😔

[@rouge-ish324]

I miss magic classes having melee in general 😢 Especially the Sorcerer force push

[@vonblunder]

Dogma 2 does not allow to remap the numpad, a big middle finger to left handed players.

[@Vladarius.]

i agree with you with the enemy spawns, but I wish it would be more fleshed out, think of a migration pattern to categorical enemies, basically we all know bandits, goblins, and other creatures in forest areas should migrate based on how much danger you poses or how much you grind in an area, basically make it so that if you were to hunt bandits so much, they just say "Fuck it, lets go away to another place from here" and they might leave and just destroy a goblin fort and take it over as a new base, and from there the goblins without a fort would go to the area you kept killing the bandits at. with at least 10 years of preparation, i would have expected at least that much from the devs. the game feels static to a certain degree, no dynamic vision like the first.

[@TheMaerx]

You keep saying 12 years, it didn't take 12 years to make. This game started pre production shortly after the release of DMC5 in 2019 which means it's a few months short of having 5 years of development, there was also the pandemic that screwed with everyone. This is not a justification for the game being lackluster but it's clear to me most of the development time went into making DD in RE Engine and Capcom should've given Itsuno more time to complete the game. I understand you don't care about the story, lore, map, world, etc and you'll be happy with just Dark Arisen type dungeon crawling but remember DD is Itsuno wanting to make his version of The Elder Scrolls

[@wamken619]

21:03 THIS! Too many saves, man. They should've just gave us multiple saves.

[@WhenTheSunLordsFell]

im just mad the inventory and armor system was gutted

[@ToshioThunder]

@13:20 Garm With the Wind.

[@wayatvideos2142]

It’s a wonderful game by itself, but as a sequel not so much. In spite of that I do find myself playing it more than the first one these days. Maybe the lower difficulty makes it a cozier game for me.

[@nucklehead718]

I didnt get but a hour into DD2 and stopped. I uninstalled DD2 and reinstalled DD1 instantly. DD2 is a letdown and huge waste of time based off how much was achieved in DD1. Im also not a fan of them using the RE engine for DD2. I wish more devs treated their important franchises to a custom engine built for the game. Rather than making one engine that they think can handle everything superbly but fails miserably. The only engine i know that can even come close to doing that is Unreal. Capcom can code but they arent Epic/Digital Extremes level. Or at least they dont take the chances to display that level of coding. If any devs are reading this stop making a universal engine expected to run all your different franchises/games. If you arent going to make said engine rival or surpass Unreal then dont. Just use Unreal engine instead and pay Epic their percentage.