Dragon's Dogma 2 - Review After 100%

[@neverfadeaway9442]

No reviewer grinds harder. At least not publicly. Respect bro, fr.

[@adybli36]

Always that one guy in the comments that try to downplay other people’s work.

[@llwonder]

And he claims to be married. Idk how you can manage this grind and keep your wife happy lol

[@illuminotme825]

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.

[@dustinlawson5882]

if he is making money she IS happy. what else do women care about?@@llwonder

[@Dogparkz]

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

[@darks820]

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.

[@oldsaddad7274]

So the first game but bigger Sounds dope

[@bjornolfactory9363]

No. The story is somehow worse, the enemy variety is worse and character movement feels like the world is smothered in Vaseline.

[@oldsaddad7274]

@@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

[@PaSa7887]

@@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

[@Ducttapefiend101]

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.

[@blakebailey22]

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

[@Nappho]

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.

[@BooBooDaFoo330]

@@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

[@rance8838]

@@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.

[@BubbleGum566]

Lets be honest, Cockatrice was just the Griffin reskinned with one petrify attack.

[@LordWallace]

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

[@OptimumSlinky]

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.

[@IBlowitByTheOh]

Link? I wanna read what else Hideaki itsuno Said about "just remaking dragons dogma 1"

[@Hekk.]

We get a glimpse of Dragon's Dogma 2 after the game's "finale".

[@rance8838]

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.

[@Aliens1337]

@@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"

[@t.t6294]

funny, because the game feels unfinished like the first one

[@jonsible]

"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.

[@AuthorityCat]

Lol not really. Nobody expected a good story from Dragon's Dogma.

[@jonsible]

@@AuthorityCat there's a difference between a "good story" and one that doesn't literally waste your time.

[@mandrews6282]

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.

[@Chris-rj4bt]

@@AuthorityCatthe problem is it’s BARELY even a story

[@gamersinger5118]

Like every Souls game including Elden Ring and the original Dragons Dogma.

[@cordeliacentauri1737]

Pawn acting independently? Straight to brine. Pawn talking back to you? Brine, right away.

[@normalsteel1613]

Wash your pawns, people.

[@screwyouguysimgoinghooome8479]

Pawn mildly negative? Believe it or not, straight to brine.

[@SuperGamerules]

Pawn telling me to stop running everywhere? Brine, right away.

[@neilhogg3297]

Pawn not making me a sandwich for lunch straight to the brine

[@dudeify234]

Pawn told me my strategy sounded like it wouldn't work? Brine.

[@exterminatus_now]

Im pretty sure Morty is just an AI with a preference for Isometric RPGs coded into him now. His completion speeds have become inhuman.

[@TeddyboyRnR13]

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

[@kingsolosound]

​@@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.

[@Erroratu]

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.

[@reefermadnizz]

U didn't mention the spearcaster vocation. Isn't that a new arisen vocation?

[@snxjsnsnjsiwnsjsosjsmmemsjsn]

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---.

[@jjstraka1982]

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-YR29]

It looks like it'd be a really cool game for $40 lmao

[@billida]

At last someone who speaks of Amalur ❤

[@plainluke722]

Shout out for my Amalur boys

[@fastica]

Monolith Soft is the king of single player "MMO". I recommend especially Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition.

[@hollow8136]

​@@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.

[@MrHulthen]

Holy shit, no review copy? Dude i'm steadily impressed with the work you put in. It's absolutely jawdropping.

[@solandras666]

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.

[@Joe-fb9ns]

@@solandras666 depends on the company and the game

[@Kenny-yl9pc]

I don't know if that's a good thing per say, I mean it leads to overworking, or in this case excessive gaming in a short period of time, to top it off, a singular game without any change/variety to take your mind off or relax. That can absolutely negatively affect his opinion of the game and thereby influence the review. We are all human, and we are led by our emotions, no matter what some believe, but rationalism is an illusion when it comes to human nature, and there is a difference between playing a game relaxed, with no short deadline, compared to being under stress to finish it 100% in a weeks time in order to make the review...

[@tfonias]

The thing you mention with the giant statue "enemy" is really funny, they must think the players are also mindless pawns.

[@JellyJman]

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 KZbin. Thanks again for the very helpful review that covered so much.

[@Steamyhoodie]

100% Already?! You’re built different! Thanks for the hard work and video.

[@exvex5108]

IF we all only didnt have " real " jobs. Everything comes arround time u have avilable on your hands.

[@GomesHeitor]

@@exvex5108it’s a choice you can make. Good luck 👍🏻

[@CornOnDeCobb]

@@exvex5108lol as if any job is anything more than a paycheck

[@marcdzik]

​​@@exvex510827h to end game twice isn't that big time as you imagin. 14 evening sessions of 2 hours each.

[@JC-kl3uc]

This guy is a beast. I can't sit for more than an hour on one game unless I'm really really into it.

[@gondalasatvarsh5892]

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!

[@attrage7545]

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 KZbin 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.

[@joshuadaugette2503]

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!

[@silverheart7964]

This is the the most balanced review I have seen of this game. I wish more reviews were like this prior to release. Subscribed.

[@gabrielgutierrez6086]

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!

[@appetizingly]

@@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.

[@iamdopeasfcuk]

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.

[@mehdistitou7427]

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.

[@alexrogers9051]

Yeah it gets repetitive for sure. I’m on ps5 and it gets choppy/laggy/frame dips in some fights as well.

[@ama9385-w2g]

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

[@Unknownost]

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.

[@sophieedel6324]

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.

[@mehdistitou7427]

@@sophieedel6324 i don't agree with the performance part al reviews mentioned them.

[@OkayJay444]

The review I was waiting for! Glad to see it’s here!

[@mariomares6572]

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.

[@maicman1220]

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.

[@s.a4034]

That's how review should be done not just playing it casually for one day and upload review for it !!

[@kao123456654]

you wouldn't get any reviews for at least a week after release and everyone would just start complaining about that instead.

[@AhbibHaald]

@@kao123456654ever heard about review copies?

[@joshramirez7]

He actually did this though

[@troy_mills]

These are the best reviews by far. Lots of information and very well presented

[@HimiJendrix21]

It's really cool to know we can always count on you speaking honestly in your reviews. Great video again as usual!

[@josephercanbrack8393]

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.

[@KnightBallistic]

So this the dude that got the 0.1 percent platnium trophy

[@Hekk.]

As per usual:D

[@emanuelperez3595]

He is daimon from dd1 😂

[@HubertTheMad]

This is why you're the goat. Thanks for the vid!

[@nikolarjaniko]

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

[@Roflpancakes707]

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.

[@SleepyMook]

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.

[@duskmare0000]

​@@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.

[@ewe_e-]

I'm glad I've decided to wait for your review, still probably gonna buy it but I'll wait for a sale

[@arcanefeline]

I'll wait for a sale AND patching of those pesky performance issues.

[@vadim6656]

wait for a deep deep sale please dont support capcom

[@username-ql8ox]

@@arcanefeline Bro I waited for Wild Hunt's performance fix but it never came XD

[@ewe_e-]

​@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

[@sentryion3106]

@@R3TR0J4NGOT is definitely more enjoyable than dd2. The problem with this game isn’t the gpu it’s the cpu.

[@justinmills1721]

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!

[@goldenhole321]

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.

[@justinmills1721]

@@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]

@@justinmills1721 Yep. This could have been so much more.

[@McNugge.]

"People who love rpgs don't play like that" Speak for yourself😬

[@McNugge.]

​@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.....

[@LionofDawn]

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.

[@isaac3252]

Number one game reviewer with a take informed by experience rather than hype.

[@robbiemedica2652]

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.

[@jazactane]

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

[@spacesui-t]

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.

[@alonzoh.8385]

This is 40:46 was probably the most well rounded and truthful review I’ve seen so far. As a fan of the series, and having played the original on 3 generations of consoles, I’d high hopes for the sequel. For it to fall flat and feel exactly as you put it like an expansion of the first game and not truthfully as a successor to it is somewhat disappointing. Hopefully DLC can come out that’ll give it more quests and an end game like the first was given, but even still to feel like I’m left wanting more is disappointing. The lack of enemy variety is something I noticed immediately and it struck me as weird they didn’t include all the enemies from the first one if not creating more new ones.

[@EuphoriaDeep]

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.

[@borderreaper2833]

Great review, gonna hold off on getting it then!

[@alwayswearblack2840]

Im 20 hrs in and just realized the combat doesnt get good later on. Wish i got Horizon instead.

[@pronstorestiffi]

Probably the best and most articulated review I have seen for this game on YT.

[@junka7684]

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

[@Makofueled]

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

[@iAmPimmiCue]

MTX doesn't affect the game design though, not in DD2

[@iAmPimmiCue]

@@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.

[@scottbecker4367]

​​@@iAmPimmiCuedepends. How many people are clamoring for a dlc to fix the enemy variety? People are missing the forest for the trees.

[@wdf70]

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.

[@Stefan-xt5sk]

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.

[@justincrowe888]

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.

[@EliaVelden]

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.

[@EzaneeGires]

Yes it is strange there's no number 2 in the title screen. Feels very deliberate

[@vayneglory655]

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.

[@xuxusito]

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. ❤

[@Vaytra]

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.

[@_brutalista]

Holy moly! Thank you for the video. 🤘

[@Stephanie-we2mv]

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.

[@Evanz111]

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!

[@tsavin]

If you listen to his review, you'll see he says it's an awful story with poor side content.

[@matthewchase3213]

​@bladechild2449 Unmoored World is actually crazy end game content though? Much better than the Everfall we had in dogma 1 before the BBI dlc.

[@TheJezryk]

@@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.

[@bakalap2]

​@@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.

[@coops1992]

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.

[@TheDarq0n]

So hyped to watch your video! You're the man! 🎉

[@bossrangoon3711]

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.

[@matchaboyyyy]

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!

[@MatthewM1331]

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.

[@hoovypotter2550]

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.

[@Homophonic]

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

[@cmdr.jabozerstorer3968]

@@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.

[@Homophonic]

@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

[@cmdr.jabozerstorer3968]

@@Homophonic The first Dragon's Dogma allowed it. It did overwrite everything but it allowed you to do it. DD2 there is no option.

[@hoovypotter2550]

@@Homophonic i did the true ending and have 80% of the achievements.

[@wraithalcon]

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!

[@connorsimpson9423]

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! :)

[@robinbugge4240]

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.

[@comancostin4623]

Absolutely quality reviews each and every time!

[@Kisaiele]

So fast and so good quality, love the content man.

[@coconutologist]

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.

[@Kavino]

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.

[@m4nc1n1]

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.

[@antonioperezhernandez5846]

First review telling hard truths instead of just hype from playing a couple hours, great review man

[@juistb2]

Genuinely the best review I've seen on this title that I too was highly anticipating.

[@deskmanatee]

You're the best in the game Mort, thank you for all your hard work and care!

[@pmacgilli]

This channel is criminally undersubscribed. Excellent, fair, comprehensive, reliable and timely reviews. What more can you ask for?

[@keisir8984]

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.

[@agres88]

Great job mate. I think this was the most balanced, nuanced and honest review I’ve seen for this game.

[@peppeaccardo]

I was on the fence on this and yuo confirmed my thoughts .... other so called reviewers would give an arm and a leg for a piece of bread. You stay true to your passion of playing videogames. This industry has become a money making scam. Thank you for existing !!!

[@vulcanjoe8258]

Me - restarting the character build for the 100th time after not liking how he looks … Mortismal - “what’s going on guys…”

[@Constellasian]

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.

[@jordank5551]

You can loot 3 ferry stones with the thief skill from phantasms at night they are everywhere. Youre welcome ^_^

[@jeritron74]

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.

[@MrDrManPerson]

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

[@charlestruppi7793]

@@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.

[@MrDrManPerson]

@@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]

@@MrDrManPerson just say you consume products and not play games man

[@MrDrManPerson]

@@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.

[@StarContract]

The Leonard Euler of game reviews

[@revolversnake126]

that's a deep cut but I like it.

[@coops1992]

More like Angry joe

[@TwinFather0420]

@@coops1992not even close. Do you not know any other reviewers? He’s nothing like AJ. What are you smoking?

[@PedroGomes-cx7ku]

​@@TwinFather0420He's probably angry Mort didn't gush nonstop at the game.

[@miguelcondadoolivar5149]

​@@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.

[@Dog.Dad.Studios]

As Indie game reviewer, I don't know how you get 100% on these AAA games, it's a testament to your dedication. The videos are always amazing, thank you!

[@mancer-iv3ep]

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

[@Noel_Tamura]

I'm kind of shocked. Despite me agreeing with almost all of your criticism of the game, I still consider DD2 one of if not the best gaming experience I've had in the past few years. A party based classical fantasy rpg with great music and a beautiful world is absolute heaven to me. I really hope that DLC wil add challenge and new enemies to the game, since the potential is insane

[@sephonium]

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.

[@8Paul7]

And even the visuals are pretty poor, there are PS4 games that look more impressive..

[@devranyilmaz9806]

MaximilianReyCartwrightDark Arisen was essentially an expansion, not the base game. Bitterblack Isle was NOT in the original game. Original DD was very incomplete, too.

[@scottbecker4367]

​@@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]

@devranyilmaz9806 The sequel is largely a downgrade even compared to base DD1.

[@devranyilmaz9806]

@@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.

[@samuel.jpg.1080p]

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!

[@tjgrant6471]

Thank you so much for the review! This was the only game I was really looking forward to this year, but I'll take your advice and wait a few months when it goes on sale. I loved the first DD and I know I'll like DD2 as well, but not at full price.

[@dominickpost8291]

Thanks for the honest thoughts. Not having the same kinda fun that everyone else seems to be… sounds like we have similar qualms.

[@jackelofnar]

To me Dragon's Dogma 2 is a masterpiece

[@dragonfalcon8474]

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.

[@epruno3583]

The game really shines when you get into fair trouble. Once I crossed a country border illegaly, and upon being chased my main pawn died with my camping kit. No main pawn=no other pawn recruitments. Then I came across a very strong npc needing an escort and accepted. We went through the night fighting skeletons, red wolves, goblins and a desert ogre. I almost died, but when we finally made it, it felt rewarding. But whenever a drake nukes all my pawns because they don't know they have to move away from the meteors, it doesn't feel rewarding...

[@nobody-tt6qc]

Respect. Had a terrible day, this video made me feel a little bit less terrible. Thanks! 🎉

[@gamerboy6787]

Thank you so much for your hard work. One of the few channels whose reviews I can trust wholeheartedly. Please don't overwork yourself and get burned out. Thank you for describing the mtx with proper context. I've seen some extreme arguments regarding them, both in favor and against.

[@daganbanks]

Bad story makes a bad game. Some may argue, but no pay off is a big hindrance for me, so pass.

[@mmogeek1]

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.

[@Slymind]

The only review(er) that i need, keep doing it Mortismal, phenomenal job as always.

[@MikeTheD]

They’ve matched when I’ve played the game too. That’s what you want subjectively, so yeah for some he’s the goat.

[@DanChippendaleMusic]

Thank you. This is the first honest review that I've seen that has confirmed all of my concerns as a non-RPG gamer. This is not for me. Having been spoilt by Elden Ring (my first action RPG I've ever played 😝) this seemed, at first, a good option until I wait for the DLC. But no, I can tell I'd be bored stiff after a few hours and my pile of shame would grow. Subbed! I'll be back for more honesty again soon 🙌🏼

[@CaLbaTr00se]

Elden Ring is a better game for sure, but this is just me...I'm having more fun with this game then I ever did with Elden Ring and I'm a Fromsoft Soulsborne fan. I did play the first one though and expected this to be the same thing, it definitely isn't a major improvement, just slight improvement in some areas and a few steps back in others unfortunately but the core gameplay loop is similar enough.

[@syncopatedglory]

perfectly stated mtx section. subscribed!

[@BlackWipeout]

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

[@Nerazmus]

More like DD 0.8 HD-edition.

[@REALVINERGY]

I'm happy to see our reviews about this game are so aligned. You've become my favorite reviewer throughout the years, keep up the good work.

[@t.t6294]

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

[@lorecow88]

Half a step forwards, five steps back.

[@glenspleen2969]

Great review thx. Better than any media outlet on the internet btw. I love dd1 but i will wait for the remaster or i will buy dd2 at the same price as the number of fps i Can get in combat...

[@raigequitz]

I do find the story or lack there of very disappointing as this was a great opportunity to expand this universe. Thank you for touching on that point.

[@TheSuperbhs]

Side quests and exploring were my favorite part of the game. I feel like we played a different game. But I guess Im a way bigger fan. I love how the game doesn't hold your hand.

[@sentryion3106]

Idk the side quest and exploring just doesn’t feel fun to me. It’s more like a chore when you compare it to other benchmark open world games

[@TheSuperbhs]

@@sentryion3106 I absolutely fucking hate the Ubisoft formula of open worlds. I will never play another one of those games so this just feels way better to me. But yeah, it's not for everyone.

[@sentryion3106]

@@TheSuperbhs I mean when I say benchmark open world I wasn’t talking about the Ubisoft one. I am talking about elden ring and kingdom come deliverance which I feels much better than dd2 with similar settings minus the fantasy stuff

[@720pchannel]

​@@TheSuperbhsnobody waa talking about these, though

[@t.t6294]

the exploring and the side quests are very lackluster though. I expected something like kingdom come or skyrim or even elden ring.

[@isaacsh789]

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

[@sorboom]

Every gripe you have with the game I feel in my soul, but, I still can't put the game down. I am loving it despite it's very large amount of short comings!

[@uhskn9753]

Literally, like it's blatantly obvious it's not perfect but I've completely fallen in love with it. It's way funnier to play than it has any right to be lmao Edit: I never played DD1, or shadow colosus or anything like that, so it's very new to me

[@charliem5604]

It really depends on perspective. For me, it's an upgrade from DD1. For others, not so much

[@alexblades5218]

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

[@antoniotruong5647]

One of the few reviewers I trust and go to before deciding if I will purchase a game or not. Except Elden Ring DLC or a Larian Studio game...those are automatic purchases.

[@JinzoTK]

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.

[@Josh87538]

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.

[@JinzoTK]

@@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.

[@shaunkennedy174]

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.

[@t.t6294]

@@Josh87538 the games doesn't offer the varied exploration and side quests of skyrim unfortunately. was really hoping for something that succeeds that