I recommend: Dragon's Dogma 2 (Review)

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  • Опубликовано: 12 апр 2024
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    Dragon's Dogma 2 is good...I think.
    Video written and voiced by Ralph P
    Edited by Austin B. and Stuart K.
    Additional gameplay from Austin B.
    #Review #DragonsDogma2 #Capcom
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Комментарии • 2,1 тыс.

  • @SkillUp
    @SkillUp  Месяц назад +95

    Thank you Raycon for sponsoring this video. Go to buyraycon.com/skillup for 20% off your order, plus free shipping! Brought to you by Raycon.

    • @konohake
      @konohake Месяц назад +5

      skill up i respect you but play the first DD and i can guaranty you'd see the true flaw from the mechanically point
      i myself played it after DD2 and trust me there's alot more flaws in DD2 then you think

    • @jac6548
      @jac6548 Месяц назад +1

      honestly one super quick easy fix that would take almost zero development time and boost the game well - at the end of the caves give some new spell or cool loot or whatever. it's an overused fantasy trope to but it's overused because it works

    • @jac6548
      @jac6548 Месяц назад

      actually another super quick patch that would take almost zero development time...as you progress, since the monsters are the same, make them a little stronger, increase size by 10%, change color, add some easy superficial changes like, idk, horns or spikes or multiple heads or arms

    • @marcusclark1339
      @marcusclark1339 Месяц назад +5

      DONT BUY
      game has egregious $40 microtransactions in it, at launch, hidden from review season
      never about what you can stand or "not affecting the game" it always does and is a problem

    • @SkullHandy
      @SkullHandy Месяц назад +6

      High quality and raycon is such a bs statement. I don't know how could You eat their money knowing the shit you are advertising

  • @FrancisGX
    @FrancisGX Месяц назад +281

    Putting 15 year olds out in the wilderness to see if they survive confirms every suspicion I’ve had about Australians.

    • @gabrielolsen2648
      @gabrielolsen2648 Месяц назад +43

      Why does everyone else seem to have glossed over this anecdote

    • @Seantorious
      @Seantorious Месяц назад +10

      I need to know how this isn’t even the top comment! Like wtf 🤣

    • @lobsterboy2020
      @lobsterboy2020 Месяц назад +6

      We did the same thing at my school in the UK, it's pretty common.
      Obviously not as many deadly creatures in southern England though..

    • @gabrielolsen2648
      @gabrielolsen2648 Месяц назад

      @@lobsterboy2020 it’s definitely not common in the US at least from what I know lol. Like Boy Scouts but not any school or camp I’ve ever heard of.

    • @paulmccluskey3466
      @paulmccluskey3466 Месяц назад +4

      Most Australian thing I think I've ever heard

  • @WT83
    @WT83 Месяц назад +746

    Never has there been a more perfect description of DD2: "What a strange and curious accomplishment, for a game to engender such awe and affection after letting the player down so many times."

    • @rocstarang5747
      @rocstarang5747 Месяц назад

      "good D syndrome"

    • @JBob08
      @JBob08 Месяц назад +4

      Perfectly put.

    • @Mohgenstein
      @Mohgenstein Месяц назад +33

      Itsunos vision is to make you wonder if the game you’re playing is the best game ever or the worst game ever.

    • @arustyitalianhairyasscheek5305
      @arustyitalianhairyasscheek5305 Месяц назад +8

      Boring , generic , sluggish gameplay with no real characters would be my perfect put for this game.

    • @Mohgenstein
      @Mohgenstein Месяц назад +47

      @@arustyitalianhairyasscheek5305 You obviously haven't played it if you think its generic.

  • @ionian525
    @ionian525 Месяц назад +37

    9:41 On the "headcanon" point
    My friend and I did a playthrough of the first game where we tried to make Jimmy Neutron and Timmy Turner for a "Jimmy & Timmy POWER HOUR 4: The Dragon's Dogma". (Jimmy was Sorcerer and Timmy was a Barbarian)
    We also had a playthrough as the Impractical Jokers.

  • @imshail
    @imshail Месяц назад +107

    I really hope this game gets a Dark Arisen treatment, it's not too surprising to see it as such a flawed gem currently, considering how tiny the dev team was it's actually surprising that they got this much done, one thing I did find disappointing is them deciding to go with 4 active skills instead of the 6 most classes had for the previous game.

    • @ComradeBread
      @ComradeBread Месяц назад +41

      One of the most frustrating things about DD2 is it's most definitely getting the dark arisen treatment. That's frustrating because DA already exists and 2 should have already incorporated all the fixes that brought the first time.

    • @elliotwatson3964
      @elliotwatson3964 Месяц назад +1

      @@ComradeBread exactly, its history repeating itself

    • @mechanicalmonk2020
      @mechanicalmonk2020 Месяц назад +4

      You mean to tell me that Dark Arisen was the "fixed" version?

    • @jas6853
      @jas6853 Месяц назад +4

      @@mechanicalmonk2020yes lol

    • @dennisclancy9439
      @dennisclancy9439 Месяц назад +3

      If by "dark arisen treatment" you mean an update that still leaves the game a disappointing mess, then I'd say we could skip it this time.

  • @PerpetuallyTiredMusician
    @PerpetuallyTiredMusician Месяц назад +1234

    Ralph my man, your script writing does not get enough recognition. Wether we agree or disagree, your videos are always on a whole other level than most if not all other reviews.
    Peace

    • @SkillUp
      @SkillUp  Месяц назад +331

      Cheers mate

    • @tenisviejos
      @tenisviejos Месяц назад +19

      Thanks for the great review! You captured the love-hate relationship with the game perfectly. As a former DD1 player and DD fan, I agree with all of your points more than I was even expecting. Your writing shows respect for the game and sets you apart from other reviewers.

    • @jenishmaharjan9655
      @jenishmaharjan9655 Месяц назад +2

      ​@@SkillUp bottom feeder

    • @xzanthick92
      @xzanthick92 Месяц назад +3

      Great review….except you said William Dafoe….

    • @yasielromero8236
      @yasielromero8236 Месяц назад +10

      This is why he is one of if not my favorite reviewers, I don't know anyone else that can get in the nuances of how they feel about a game. I'm not really looking to see if I agree or not when I watch his reviews. I'm just glad to hear someone so beautifully explain what they like or don't about a game

  • @DamImperial
    @DamImperial Месяц назад +673

    You can romance the brothel lady she has a whole quest chain that he must have missed

    • @NionAeon
      @NionAeon Месяц назад +94

      Yeah sadly it can be easily missed, for something that involves quite a lot of back n forth, investigating etc too

    • @HyouVizer
      @HyouVizer Месяц назад

      she is pretty forgotable tho, never saw her in the main story again after forcing herself on my arisen.
      Totally forgot about her whore house too.

    • @ATLsF1N3ST91
      @ATLsF1N3ST91 Месяц назад +123

      I think the fact that this game doesn't hold your hand and put neon signs up to tell players what they can and can't do, a TON of people miss HOURS of content

    • @henryduttweiler
      @henryduttweiler Месяц назад +120

      Wow you telling he missed a whole quest chain with filler, subpar dialog and a ferrystone for reward??
      Unsubscribed. He clearly doesn’t know what he’s doing

    • @NionAeon
      @NionAeon Месяц назад +98

      @@ATLsF1N3ST91 yep! I mean even Wilhelmina’s quest-line being missed in this review, Ralph used her as an example of a negative, which is immediately countered by people who started to understand how the game works.
      You have to literally think “hey, what about Doireann, in the elven village, I wonder how she’s doing after that attack?” To then check on her and see that there’s another quest-line.
      A lot of players are just sticking with the main, obvious quest line that DOES hold your hand in a way, and completelyyyy missing a lot of content.

  • @10XSeiga
    @10XSeiga Месяц назад +30

    At 18:00 at the broken bridge, if you didnt kill the final harpies you could have jumped and grabbed their legs and guided them across the gap!

    • @Syaniiti
      @Syaniiti Месяц назад

      Or gone around using a the rocks downriver.

  • @steeldragon9041
    @steeldragon9041 Месяц назад +18

    HUGE TIP FOR ESCORT QUESTS. You can grab the person, and use a ferrystone while you are carrying them and it will take them with you

    • @twinkiestorrstoenailclippi2122
      @twinkiestorrstoenailclippi2122 Месяц назад

      Did not know that wth

    • @steeldragon9041
      @steeldragon9041 Месяц назад

      @twinkiestorrstoenailclippi2122 it's part of the sphinx quest, the pot one where you have to take the fragile pot to the baatal guy. Just pick him up and tp him to the pot

    • @vasheldiablo507
      @vasheldiablo507 Месяц назад

      FYI
      You don’t have to pick them up. As long as they are near you when you use the stone.
      It worked like that in the first game.

  • @monkfishy6348
    @monkfishy6348 Месяц назад +1157

    Dragon's Dogma 2, like Dragon's Dogma 1, is what I like to call "A Perfect 7" game. There's something about them, that despite all their numerous and obvious flaws, jankiness and half-baked systems, the imperfections somehow add, rather than subtract. It's the blemishes that make them rise above other mediocre games. Perhaps if only because they are refreshing in their attempts. They are a 10 in my heart, but a 7 in my mind.

    • @JuliusCaesar103
      @JuliusCaesar103 Месяц назад +93

      I call it a flawed masterpiece.

    • @nazgulsenpai
      @nazgulsenpai Месяц назад +27

      Best way I've ever heard of described

    • @Evanz111
      @Evanz111 Месяц назад +39

      100% agree. I’d rather a game come out flawed but distinct, then play yet another 9 or 10/10 game that just kind of blends among all the others. Very few other games feel the same way Dragon’s Dogma does to play, and set out to do what it does with stuff like the pawn and vocation systems.

    • @abhiss6705
      @abhiss6705 Месяц назад +14

      For me it's fun , but a bit repetitive. But the performance issues are unexusable. Really jarring and takes out all the fun. I have a decent rig too.

    • @1621lionheart
      @1621lionheart Месяц назад +12

      That is exactly what i had in mind. Objectively its 7-8 and can't go higher, but my experience is 10/10. I got attached to my pawn now, i will not erase my save ever. It can be bigger content wise but fukin greedy Capcom need reasons to make DLC later.

  • @TalonsII
    @TalonsII Месяц назад +292

    Just wanna say that Wilhelmina does have a quest line that deepens her character/story but it is very easy to miss. That's not to suggest that it's particularly good, it falls flat like every other story in the game, but there is more if you go looking for it.

    • @NionAeon
      @NionAeon Месяц назад +9

      Yea a lottttttt of easily missed optional quests that fall flat.
      They’re there though, so still need acknowledgment 😂

    • @MetalGamer666
      @MetalGamer666 Месяц назад +7

      I like that the game is not afraid to have quests that you only find if you go looking for them. Although, who choses NOT to visit the brothel in ANY game!?

    • @TalonsII
      @TalonsII Месяц назад +4

      Yeah I love that there is missable content. I’ve done 4 playthroughs and found at least one quest I missed on each subsequent run. I think I’ve finally found em all now but since I haven’t looked anything up I can’t be sure.

    • @NionAeon
      @NionAeon Месяц назад +1

      @@MetalGamer666 😂 says a lot that I found this quest on my first playthrough

    • @CptEddyPrice
      @CptEddyPrice Месяц назад +9

      u mean 2-3 fetch quests? and a shitty custscene... afterwards she doesn't even care enough because the dragon will hold the ELF dude instead of her at the main fight xD?

  • @lolmanYAA
    @lolmanYAA Месяц назад +25

    As a major DD 1 fan with +400hrs, this is probably the most accurate and honest review of this game. You definitely listened and heard what the original fans think of the game and presented ur opinions for newcomers to this series stunningly well. I hope this series can flourish again with the bitterblack dlc remake lol

    • @Archflip
      @Archflip Месяц назад +2

      Now even bitterer and blacker than before.

    • @Syaniiti
      @Syaniiti Месяц назад

      I'm guessing underground through certain doors you can open once you have the godsbane. Bitterer blackerer cave system.

  • @The.Nasty.
    @The.Nasty. Месяц назад +7

    Love that you actually covered this one… after seeing your whole review, I agree with everything you said.
    I will say this though… I found the combat diversity, on the players end, comes from the makeup of your team.
    For example: using a pawn archer with status inducing arrows vs DPS arrows… if you’re playing as a sorcerer, you’d probably want an archer with arrows to drench or tar your foe, setting you to bonus damage with your lightning or fire spells.
    Or use a healing mage who also knows your lightning spell, thus enhancing YOUR lightning spell when you both cast.
    Add that to the debuff archer, and a fighter tank to draw aggro and group enemies for MASSIVE DPS.
    It’s another layer of experimentation I’ve been enjoying anyway.

  • @gracecalis5421
    @gracecalis5421 Месяц назад +143

    I was really hoping that Dragon's Dogma 2 would've ended up being the game that Dragon's Dogma 1 tried to be. For all the reverence that first game receives, all well-earned, so many aspects of it feel like their potential isn't even close to being actualized. It left the game feeling like it could've been so much more.
    Instead of the sequel realizing that potential, it ends up suffering the exact same issue. It feels not fully realized. Like the first game, DD2 is one of the best 8/10s I've ever played in my life. But it stings a bit that it's "only" an 8, knowing it has the bones of a genuine 10/10 game.

    • @chriswihulu
      @chriswihulu Месяц назад +2

      Think that's the curse of trying to start out on an "Ambitious" new franchise.
      Especially when the first game wasn't widely appreciated and it's sequel didn't happen until 12 years later.

    • @jackc.5271
      @jackc.5271 Месяц назад +37

      I really think it's itsunos fault. He didn't direct Dark Arisen or DDO, he just directed the first game. This makes me think he doesn't really understand what the fans wanted, or what really makes a good open world game. He understands good combat and good boss fights, and his ability to make anything greater than that just isn't there. I really hope if there is a dlc, he doesn't direct it. The game needs attention from a director that genuinely understands where the game falls flat, and he just doesn't. I think he proved that with DD2. Not saying he's a bad director by any means, he created arguably the best combat system in any open world game, but he also created one of the most barebones storylines in any open world game. Seriously, some of the far cry games feel like they try harder than DD2 in the storytelling aspect. Not to mention the fact that battahls story ends extremely quickly and the last half of the game feels really unfinished. All the while he said, "this is what dragons dogma was supposed to be." I think he genuinely believes that, it's unfortunate that the fans don't.

    • @canniballistic555
      @canniballistic555 Месяц назад +2

      @@chriswihulu How is what is essentially a remake either ambitious or new?

    • @gracecalis5421
      @gracecalis5421 Месяц назад +23

      @@jackc.5271 This will sound harsh but I think it's time Capcom gave someone else the reigns. The things that Itsunos is good at, the first game already has! And the 2nd game is them too but it feels like a retread. You mention ANY criticism of the first game and I guarantee you most players will think "Hang on... that can be applied to DD2 too".
      He's given us the combat system. He's given us the formula for boss fights. Any new director can simply transcript those established systems onto their next game and the weaker aspects can FINALLY be improved upon under the leadership of someone whose strengths align with that of an open world game.

    • @chriswihulu
      @chriswihulu Месяц назад +1

      @@canniballistic555 I was referring to the first game, that he had a vision for the first game and when it didn't get the recognition he may have wanted, he didn't think to innovate or improve.
      He supposedly wanted elves and orcs already in the first game, but was limited by Capcom, so his full vision may not have come to fruition once more.

  • @eddieford9373
    @eddieford9373 Месяц назад +296

    As an American hearing an Aussie say the word "pawn" sounds a lot like the word for adult entertainment, which made this fun to listen to.

    • @BadEnd98
      @BadEnd98 Месяц назад +36

      Funny that, one of the most popular Pawn's name, is "Pawnstar"

    • @chriswihulu
      @chriswihulu Месяц назад +5

      ​@@BadEnd98wasn't that also the case in the first game?

    • @iampliny
      @iampliny Месяц назад +13

      Dune/June

    • @SuperInu
      @SuperInu Месяц назад +13

      Meanwhile, I'm German and every time I say it, my British girlfriend goes "CAN'T YOU JUST CALL THEM MINIONS, PLEASE?!" 😂

    • @raye.4459
      @raye.4459 Месяц назад

      I too sat up at the mention of a p*rn system.

  • @AlkisGD
    @AlkisGD Месяц назад +2

    27:50 - This perfectly encapsulates my own experience. In fact, I paused my playthrough to go finish Alan Wake 2, then started Lies of P, checked out Tunic, and have also been playing Helldivers 2 instead of finishing DD2 because ... I shouldn't be able to bully dragons at Lv65. I don't even use OP skills like Formless Feint! I use Smoke Bomb and Plunder! 😭
    This situation makes me appreciate the balancing of Fromsoft games. Now, if only those games had combat as potentially deep as DD2, with multiple classes and skills and enemy climbing 🤩

  • @FrozenAXL
    @FrozenAXL Месяц назад +8

    I always said in the passed 6 years that my dream game is Skyrim with Dragon's Dogma's combat.
    Glad to see someone reached the same conclusion (kind of) :)

  • @DirkMcThermot
    @DirkMcThermot Месяц назад +302

    "Dragon's Dogma 2 is...both terrible and incredible at the same time."
    Joseph Anderson: *heavy breathing*

    • @DreadedLad88
      @DreadedLad88 Месяц назад +11

      No one knows who the fu*k that is.

    • @tbone11x
      @tbone11x Месяц назад +74

      ​@@DreadedLad88 I do. Makes pretty good video essays.

    • @ssjbargainsale
      @ssjbargainsale Месяц назад +85

      @@DreadedLad88 You don't, and that's ok. No need to get mad about it

    • @Rithysak101
      @Rithysak101 Месяц назад +23

      ​@@tbone11x dudes too pretentious.

    • @Nikelaos_Khristianos
      @Nikelaos_Khristianos Месяц назад +14

      @@DreadedLad88 I didn’t know “nobody” was how you spelled “millions of people.” 😂😂😂 Seriously?

  • @BadEnd98
    @BadEnd98 Месяц назад +123

    The worst thing about DD2 is there's not more of it. We need more enemies, more map to explore, more story, more vocations to play, more skills to learn, more gears to get,....

    • @AmbrosiusIII
      @AmbrosiusIII Месяц назад +29

      For real, the whole time playing it I wondered where all the dev time went. Obviously they put a ton of effort into it, but 90% of the major mechanics and concepts (even enemies to an extent) are from DD1. And this is coming from someone who adores both games

    • @Samhain23
      @Samhain23 Месяц назад +2

      Yes, this is exactly my feeling as well.

    • @rundown132
      @rundown132 Месяц назад +1

      It's literally just a reboot of DD1 lol, with less enemies

    • @xtalpax902
      @xtalpax902 Месяц назад

      Might be an experiment for MH Wilds,so they "aimed high doing less"

    • @Nexyyy7
      @Nexyyy7 Месяц назад +4

      there is literally 50+ different types of enemies, what more do you want lmao

  • @dylanhendley5003
    @dylanhendley5003 Месяц назад +11

    Rather than Bethesda + Dragons Dogma, I think my dream game would be more of an Outward + Dragons Dogma. I actually would like more friction in my journeying. Less camps with more limits on their bonuses, more randomization in the field enemies, etc.

    • @superbuneary8819
      @superbuneary8819 Месяц назад +2

      Exactly bro. While I'm playing I can't help but think they really shouldnt have added that damn camping mechanic. I feel like the journeying would've felt even better without any of those security. And random enemy encounters yes. Tbh they don't even need to add new enemies, they have enough enemies. They just didn't spread them properly. Imagine if we have random Medusa encounters and random dullahan encounters instead of just 1 Medusa in a specific area and dullahans at hidden locations at night.

    • @mikejenkins1270
      @mikejenkins1270 Месяц назад +1

      Hello fellow Outward enjoyer, I would also love that.

  • @KahranRamsus
    @KahranRamsus Месяц назад +27

    If you want examples of trespassing not being handled well, take the castle vault. You can find a Makeshift key to open the vault, and there's a guard posted there 24/7 and going closer than 5 steps in front of them has the game just teleport you back away from the door. So what's one of the solutions? Go back down the hall, grab a barrel, throw it at them to make them angry, grab them when they get close, and then go and throw them into a room behind you. In the time it takes to walk back, you can just walk up to the door now and use this fake key to open the door and pillage everything in the vault.
    What happens when the guard gets to the door and finds it ajar? Absolutely nothing. You open the door again and you just get teleported back to the same spot, and the guard does literally nothing. You're not even arrested and sent to Gaol. Thanks for the riches and loot that you just let me take.

    • @depoant
      @depoant Месяц назад +3

      Ohh...I triigered dragonsplague in Vernwoth on purpose to just open that door...guess I might had do what you diid XD

    • @Pabzooloo
      @Pabzooloo Месяц назад +2

      There was no guard there when i went in there one time. Im thinking he must've died somewhere at some point lol.

    • @wistfulwizard307
      @wistfulwizard307 Месяц назад

      There was no guard when i found it, i just unlocked the door and looted the place 😅

    • @Patek.01
      @Patek.01 Месяц назад +4

      @@depoant Bro nuked a city to get some money LMAO

    • @Turkeyfoot1990
      @Turkeyfoot1990 Месяц назад

      He does leave eventually.

  • @LinktheSamoyed
    @LinktheSamoyed Месяц назад +36

    I enjoyed DD2 but I loved DD1 at the time. I found 2 actually went backwards in a lot of ways. Like DD1 had a more varied map with lots of different areas, but 2 was 3 areas that felt same.

    • @zolo4600
      @zolo4600 Месяц назад +9

      I think I understand? Although dd2 has an overall upgrade to its aesthetics, it feels as though it was really limited to the whole narrow path skirmishes we constantly face. Dd1 had more open areas and forest encounters that also utilized hills for some more interesting encounters. Dd2 also lacked any sort of castle/tower raid missions that dd1 had with its wyrm hunt, which I really liked.

    • @Insan1tyW0lf
      @Insan1tyW0lf Месяц назад +9

      ​​​​@@zolo4600 DD1 also felt like it had more meaningful character stories. Julian and Mercedes, Madeline, the witch in the woods, the story of the Duke, the "villain" who didn't get the end he expected - even the dragon itself - they all had more presence and personality and arc.
      Wilhelmina, Hugo, Sven, and a few others try to do the same here, but the interactions are shallower, with typically only 2 side quests each that offer extremely limited character detail and basically no growth or emotion, after which they just stand around and do nothing.
      I free the magistrate guy (SQ1), get him his glasses (SQ2), he makes some comment about exploring the "rich trove of lost histories" in this cool, hidden library vault he moved into and... Nothing. Never had any further interactions. DD2 quest lines in a nutshell.

    • @BKRandy94
      @BKRandy94 Месяц назад +3

      I was also hoping they would have used a lot of elements of the DLC in the first game. If there were dungeons like that in place of some of the caves would be incredible getting that dungeon crawling feel and increase in difculty

    • @LinktheSamoyed
      @LinktheSamoyed Месяц назад

      @@zolo4600 yep, the paint job is a definite upgrade, also, I was stunned to find out new game plus wasn't the cool redone much harder enemies like the first one, wolves into hellhounds, Griffin in cockatrice, etc. Made it exciting to see a whole new world. That to me was such a stand out unique feature from that game that I still think about to this day.

    • @PrimalDirective
      @PrimalDirective Месяц назад

      ​@@LinktheSamoyedDD1 didn't have that or hard mode until a later update. DDDA packaged everything up in a re-release.
      DD1 is amazing but I think this game clears the base game in almost all levels, but DD1/DA still has some unique feature and systems that it doesn't share with DD2.
      I'll probably be replaying each game every year for the foreseeable future just like with DD1 😅

  • @slt328
    @slt328 Месяц назад +34

    Respect to Skill Up for really nailing a core part of the Dragons Dogma games: the Journey.

  • @FynPrint
    @FynPrint Месяц назад +1

    I like how Ralph brought up D4 in this. As someone who plays both DD2 and D4 - It's actually quite a weird sensation I get when playing an A(asym)RPG that has an overtuned scaling system (D4) - and then hop on another A(adv)RPG with an under-tuned scaling system. Although weird, as a sensation, I really like the feeling I derive from my gaming sessions.

  • @brentelledge8690
    @brentelledge8690 Месяц назад +2

    I love the glitching ox cart behind the pawn, perfect Dragons Dogma clip

  • @WinstonHofler
    @WinstonHofler Месяц назад +44

    Frankly, if it’s just more Dragon’s Dogma, I’m all in. I loved the original and am just glad to see it managed to finally get a sequel.

    • @Insan1tyW0lf
      @Insan1tyW0lf Месяц назад +1

      The story is not as good (more words with less impact) and character interactions seem generally shallower, but the world is seamless and impressive, and it does definitely deliver "more".

    • @HHTwice
      @HHTwice Месяц назад +5

      ⁠@@Insan1tyW0lfcharacter interactions seem shallower? Lmao what?

    • @cylop224
      @cylop224 Месяц назад

      I feel the same. I only played Dragon's Dogma 1 a year ago or so, so I guess I wasn't as crazy hyped as some other people. But I don't know why people expected the developers of a brilliant but flawed game to suddenly come out with this impeccable masterpiece on their second attempt.
      I'm very happy with what we got, especially as we'll likely get a big expansion as well.

  • @scalpingsnake
    @scalpingsnake Месяц назад +8

    I have kept myself quite blind when it comes to DD2, thinking I will take a page out of the patient gamer's book. This is the first time I actually watched content properly on it, learned a lot.
    The down sides are really unfortunate but I think the reason many will find the game good is exactly what Skill up says, the realistic timing and journeying. There is a reason why I disabled fast travel in Skyrim when I mod the game, because even after playing the game vanilla for over 8 years I started immediately finding new things as soon as I stopped instantly teleporting wherever I needed to go.
    So combine that exploration with having to stick to people's schedules sounds really cool. It also is inevitably going to be annoying and waste your irl time but that is something I am willing to deal with.

  • @nowaynowaynottoday
    @nowaynowaynottoday Месяц назад +1

    Ralph, a note for the quest bug mentioned at 32:26. You can kill all the guards and open the jail cell with a gaol key. Then just pick the kid up and take him outside to progress the quest. I actually got myself out of 2 other bugged quest lines with this type of trick

  • @LizdardKing86
    @LizdardKing86 Месяц назад +5

    5:40 - 5:57 "The end points are often disappointing, but the journey toward each of them is utterly captivating. Energized at all times by a potential unrealized. What a strange and curious accomplishment for a game to engender such awe and affection after letting the player down so many times.”
    Absolutely brilliant !

  • @nevermind0213
    @nevermind0213 Месяц назад +16

    The only time the stealth system worked for me was when I walked into the girl hot spring as a male arisen (without paying). Guards immediately started attacking me.
    I also sneaked into it from the female side by climbing through the wall after paying my entrance fee and I saw the Mage maister grandma in there. Someone please erase this from my memory.

    • @Shaderox
      @Shaderox Месяц назад +4

      Funnily i played a female arisen and arrived there by the quest to escort the dwarf... but he goes in as soon as he arrives.
      So i had to sneak into the male side and talk to him in the bath to get the reward, and while in there the elf king approached me (seems weird, given how he/elves speaks of not traveling anywhere) and gave me the archer master teachings he had refused to give after doing the quests related to him.
      No guards cared though, just 3 naked adults conducting adventurer business in a now-shared-bath.

    • @merManc
      @merManc Месяц назад +1

      One of my favourite moments of the game was similar. As a female arisen, I was in the female side of the hot spring, minding my own business, when the male elf leader appears out of nowhere, naked and blushing scarlet, to offer me his "heavenly shot" maister skill. No one batted an eye.

  • @TheFeralFerret
    @TheFeralFerret Месяц назад +81

    It's a fantastic action combat sandbox. The 'RP' in RPG is really not present, aside from faffing about with pawns, but it's so much freaking fun. The combat is so slick.

    • @GodOfWarConnoisseur
      @GodOfWarConnoisseur Месяц назад +3

      It looks meh AF

    • @trignite
      @trignite Месяц назад +10

      The combat is fun for the first 20-25 hours then everything dies in a few hits to the point where you HAVE to gimp yourself by using starter weapons or a mod to give everything 2-3x more HP so things dont die instantly and there's no scaling on NG or harder difficulty so doing NG is just pointless. There's also barely any new enemies in the other areas, and worst of all there's no reason the fight any of the monsters differently, you just fight them all the same way, they have barely any mechanics. Yeah, you can burn the wings on a griffin to stop it from flying, but why bother they die so quickly. Yeah, you could try and focus on the legs and push an ogre down, but this will happen from your pawns anyway. It just gets so repetitive. Worst thing about the game that Ralph didn't even talk about is the loot. None of the chests give a good weapon or armor piece aside from maybe the black matter mace. All the best items are in the shops at the city. The chests just give useless consumables or some gold

    • @canniballistic555
      @canniballistic555 Месяц назад

      I really dont understand the idea that this game is a sandbox.

    • @rpemulis
      @rpemulis Месяц назад

      @@canniballistic555 every game is a sandbox.

    • @TheFeralFerret
      @TheFeralFerret Месяц назад +9

      @@trignite Personally I was disappointed, and then I modded the difficulty instead of whining. 135 hours and still having fun.

  • @DrRipper19
    @DrRipper19 Месяц назад +4

    Hah that journey over destination thing is something that I've always found is weirdly compelling in a lot of otherwise half-baked or unfinished-feeling open world games, like the early years of Conan Exiles and the way that Minecraft was before they started fleshing out the item economy.
    I get the impression that if this game's difficulty/stat balancing, enemy variety, and main storyline writing were better, it would be one of the greats.

  • @umphreak9999
    @umphreak9999 Месяц назад +32

    i'm getting flashbacks to PreRec's (rip) review of DD1, where Jack explained that he hated every individual aspect of the core game mechanics and still ended up somehow loving the game

  • @teemunnee
    @teemunnee Месяц назад +7

    I am always impressed by how well you can verbalize thoughts I didn't realize I was having about games. Fantastic review.
    I keep using the word "gritty" to describe this game. It's not grand, the vistas are beautiful but in a more understated way, and the NPCs are never as interesting as you want them to be. Almost as though you went into a fantasy world and expected the grandness of Elden Ring, but you got there and they were like, "oh no sorry, it's a little different here- you still gotta pay your taxes."
    But if you can find the beauty in its simplicity, you're in for a stellar time.

  • @Highlander77
    @Highlander77 Месяц назад +1

    For the record, the beat method for getting back to Bakbattahl from the vocanic isle if you don't have a Port crystal placed there is to Ferrystone to Vernworth, and then take the ox cart to the Checkpoint Rest Town and then again from there to Bakbattahl.
    I feel like people overlook the ox carts a lot. But they alleviate a lot of the fast-travel woes.

  • @bendova_smith
    @bendova_smith Месяц назад +3

    Fantastic review, Ralph and team. I have seen so much coverage of DD2 -- and yet I still haven't felt like I've seen enough to make a purchasing decision. And this review finally helped me understand why haha, great one guys.

  • @SanityPotion776
    @SanityPotion776 Месяц назад +16

    You’re damn right you recommend DD2 Ralph.
    DD2 was a game that was not even on my radar. Was bored one afternoon and decided to check out gameplay on Twitch thought it looked entertaining enough. Picked it up annnnnnd I now have 200+ hours played and am 6 playthroughs in, getting my 100% of the game on my 4th. Even after all those hours and playthroughs, every subsequent playthrough I’ve discovered something new. Whether it be a new ending to a questline, a new NPC interaction, or new item and location.
    I fucking love it and hope we get a DLC that expands on the world and difficulty.

  • @Eudolus
    @Eudolus Месяц назад +3

    17:35 "no way to get across"
    there is almost always a way across after breaking a bridge.
    There is a path for this one specifically as well.

  • @ShiningEyeBrigade
    @ShiningEyeBrigade Месяц назад +2

    Once again, Ralph finds a way to bring new ideas and a new essence of what a game is about (new to me anyway) to the conversation about a video game.

  • @adrift4days
    @adrift4days Месяц назад

    It's a beautiful day outside & I'm stuck in my office at work. Then like a beautiful ray of sunshine, a the Skill Up review of DD2 has been bestowed upon me. Been looking forward to this one!

  • @kysimple1313
    @kysimple1313 Месяц назад +25

    As the biggest fan of Dragons Dogma 2 that opening line was the single truest thing ever spoken in this universe. Past, present or future.

    • @Luke-lg4vx
      @Luke-lg4vx Месяц назад

      Giving our mom premium audio?

  • @codycline2975
    @codycline2975 Месяц назад +10

    Waiting on a call from a rental truck company so I can finally move, this video came out at just the right time 🙏

    • @DroneCorpse
      @DroneCorpse Месяц назад +4

      good luck on the move!

  • @MOS41148
    @MOS41148 Месяц назад +7

    3 minutes in and I feel like Skill Up has hit the exact sentiment I have for this game. As an avid fan of the original game, I feel like the two games can be summed up in singular sentences.
    DD1: A great game that COULD be better.
    DD2: A good game that SHOULD be better.
    For me DD2 is a game that faithfully follows in the first game's footsteps even if those footsteps go right into an open beartrap.

  • @eldenboi7632
    @eldenboi7632 Месяц назад

    Loved your stories Ralph. Keep 'em coming if you can, in your future reviews 🙏😁

  • @Alvadar65
    @Alvadar65 Месяц назад +6

    18:58 with this part you could have fast traveled to vermund and then used an oxcart to the checkpoint town and then an oxcart to get to bakbattal. Also by that point in the game you are meant to have explored enough or have enough rift crystals to have some port crystals and the foresight to put one down in the capital before leaving. I know that isnt the point that you are trying to make in this example, but I wanted to mention it none the less.

  • @JudgementNutter
    @JudgementNutter Месяц назад +13

    Just gonna wait for Dark Arisen 2

  • @redfin382
    @redfin382 Месяц назад +1

    Its fun when you are exploring and your max health is at 25%. You keep seeing elite enemies and you are just running by everything trying to make it to the nearest campfire. The sun is setting and you are panicking.....thats a fun time. All the quests are literal fetch quests and the amount of escort missions is fucking crazy.
    One thing I didn't experience is cutting off parts of the mini bosses. In the first game you could cut tails off, you could cut one of the heads off a two headed beast in order to stop its magic attack. Maybe I just couldn't make it happen but I was trying to cut off wings or 2nd heads and it didn't happen.

  • @0ldmanstew
    @0ldmanstew Месяц назад +3

    What really stood out to me was the dialogue/voice acting. Im taking a very slow burn approach to the game but in my limited play time so far there were definitely moments that made me chuckle or nod my head in appreciation. The ‘vibe’ of the dialogue I really enjoy. Humorous at times but not ridiculously cheesy like some other games/tv shows often have. Really enjoying it so far.

  • @andyfaces
    @andyfaces Месяц назад +43

    Gotta ask.. did you miss the rest of Wilhelmina's questline?

    • @LuisMiguel-on5oe
      @LuisMiguel-on5oe Месяц назад +15

      seems like he did

    • @Shocknfunk
      @Shocknfunk Месяц назад +9

      And also looks like he didn’t realize Brant gives em a portcrystal that would be ideal to place in Bakbattahl. That’s fine I didnt really do any of the main story in vernworth til like 30 hours in.

    • @Hexxagone850
      @Hexxagone850 Месяц назад +3

      Of course he did, you have to give her flowers to increase affinity then wait a day, then come back then go into a room to trigger a cutscene. Its Elden Ring levels of stupid quest design. I know about the quest and I still havent been able to trigger it after giving her multiple flowers

    • @Hagosha
      @Hagosha Месяц назад +3

      @@Hexxagone850 doesn't have to be flowers.
      and her quest is tied to her affinity so of course you have to interact with that system to increase it enough to continue.
      Now, the affinity system could DEFINITELY have been handled better (though it's still better than the first game), but it's there.

    • @Hexxagone850
      @Hexxagone850 Месяц назад

      @@Hagosha The game doesnt tell you this so of course he missed it. Why walk around giving flowers to NPCs? and it doesnt trigger when you do it once so there is no reason to do it again, which is what you have to do to get this quest. there could have been a questline to raise affinity but there isnt, just give her items until it triggers

  • @SoraRyuuKamii
    @SoraRyuuKamii Месяц назад

    THANK YOU FOR MENTIONING THE STEALTH SECTIONS; I've been ragging on a lot about it, and it just feels missing. There's some rank and file soldier armour you can find around vernworth, and a beastren helmet you can buy that's the exact same as what they wear in the FORBIDDEN research lab, both of which I had assumed were going to be for said stealth sections. As for robbing people in sight, Myrddin the sorcerer maister is the only npc in the game that will actually react to you stealing things.

  • @Dino9474
    @Dino9474 Месяц назад +2

    Not one comment mentions your character’s name. That right there is a crime mate because I was chuckling hard when I saw it 😂
    Great review as always and I used to go on expeditions like that for Boy Scouts! You unlocked some good memories I hadn’t reflected on in some time.
    Thank you Ralph ❤

  • @maxwellvindman7212
    @maxwellvindman7212 Месяц назад +6

    Wait the settlements are filled with automatons?!?! Somebody call in an orbital laser.

  • @TheRyderShotgunn
    @TheRyderShotgunn Месяц назад +66

    the best part about "dungeons" in DD2? DD1 had better dungeons. real dungeons.
    a tomb built into a waterfall likely the first or second dungeon you come across at the start of the game. it's half flooded when you first go in, and you cannot actually drain the water until later on in the game when a dedicated quest to go in there. at first, its a saurian (lizardmen) nest, but once you drain the water and reveal the submurged lower half where all the coffins are, it turns into an undead tomb with skeleton warriors and mages. then, following the quest, you take a side path from the lower half to a large room in the back and you fight a freaking cyclops in a big room filled with loot chests.
    and a mine that's infested with monsters with a merchant at the entrance asking for your help to clear it out so he and other merchants can take it as a shortcut through a mountain, and once you clear it out, it actually stays cleared, and workers return to the mine to work, the merchant from before sets up inside of the mine and sells you some interesting items, and the best part is that the mine network expands over time as the work continues and opens up new paths and rooms with new loot.
    and then there's the catacombs, with something like 3 or 4 separate entrances all over the region, one of which is practically right outside the capital city, but theyre all locked, and the only way in that doesnt have a lock is really far away, and the catacombs are fucking SPRAWLING, with lots of rooms and multiple floors.
    meanwhile, in DD1, there's one true dungeon. and it holds such significance in the game's eyes that you get an achievement for going into it. and it's really big, and really long, but also really linear.
    anyways, see you fellas in another 12 years when dragon's dogma 3 finally realizes itsuno's vision lol

    • @kjj26k
      @kjj26k Месяц назад +17

      Wait, what?
      What game has what dungeons...what?
      I think your comment needs some more organization.

    • @TheRyderShotgunn
      @TheRyderShotgunn Месяц назад +3

      @@kjj26k i disagree

    • @hobojoe9717
      @hobojoe9717 Месяц назад +14

      @@TheRyderShotgunnHe’s not wrong. Near the end you said “meanwhile in DD1” after you just talked about DD1…I assumed you meant to say DD2, but yeah

    • @strifexiii9557
      @strifexiii9557 Месяц назад

      The game IS Itsuno's vision.

    • @truedps8
      @truedps8 Месяц назад +8

      Eh DD1 has like 3 actual dungeons. While I do agree they are better than DD2's dungeons, there really aren't many of them. DD2 has a ton more dungeons but those dungeons are just interesting enough to make you want to explore them, they're not interesting enough to fully remember. Dungeons were never really the focus of either game though, and DD2's open world makes DD1's look like shit.

  • @Jenohart
    @Jenohart Месяц назад

    I definitely like the take that it's about the journey not the destination. Very early on I decided to skip the main story and force my way to Battahl. So I raided a griffons nest for a portcrystal and made the long trek around the checkpoint rest town past two minotaurs and a chimera, scaled the cliffs, ran away from a drake, struggled with only one pawn until I found a riftstone to respawn my party and then fight a cyclops, golem and griffon back to back just to use the ropeway to get to the city. That journey pushing into lategame areas early ignoring the story was the most fun I had with the game. Then I went back to do the main story and was left feeling "wait... that's it?".
    Funny that the example of underused characters was Wilhelmina. She is one of TWO NPC characters that actually do have a long quest chain leading to special romance cutscene. A better example would be Nadinia the Empress of Battahl, the lion girl literally on the front cover of the game. Barely used after you meet her, you like thwart an assassination attempt on her and you get a pat on the back and that's it. Never learn her history or personal life or what the hell the "lambent flame" that she prays to is.
    The combat and open world design is everything I wanted from a DD1 sequel and left me very satisfied, but I can't deny that as a whole package it's pretty flawed and I'm not sure I can really recommend it to everyone.

  • @reza494
    @reza494 Месяц назад

    4:36 I dunno how much you are into anime but what you are talking about here reminded me of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. That "it's the journey that matters" is one of it's motifs.

  • @mellar5864
    @mellar5864 Месяц назад +26

    "A whole lot of caves, most of them full of lizards." That should have been the entire review :'D

    • @SuicideforDummies101
      @SuicideforDummies101 Месяц назад

      The Sphinx is behind one of them

    • @markyturner
      @markyturner Месяц назад +1

      … and slimes.

    • @RecentCobra
      @RecentCobra Месяц назад

      That's just untrue, most caves are filled with Goblins or Humans. Not many have lizards

  • @tacothunder2298
    @tacothunder2298 Месяц назад +18

    For yall information... when doing the Sphinx puzzles, give her a portcrystal when she asks for a valuable item and she will duplicate it. I followed a clueless guide on youtube and gave her a golden trove beetle and now i'm missing an extra portcrystal I could have placed in the volcanic area. Now I have to run there from Battahl city every time. Eff that. Over 70 hours in and i'm about to start a new character instead. OCD wont let me play without that extra portcrystal.

    • @canniballistic555
      @canniballistic555 Месяц назад +10

      And now the gnawing, unanswerable question emerges:
      "If the MTX didn't exist, would there have been more port crystals in the game?"

    • @Insan1tyW0lf
      @Insan1tyW0lf Месяц назад +14

      ​@@canniballistic555 No. Same deal in the first game. It wants you to travel by foot.

    • @canniballistic555
      @canniballistic555 Месяц назад +12

      @@Insan1tyW0lf If that were true there would be no port crystals at all, let alone ones you can buy for cash.

    • @tdarassp
      @tdarassp Месяц назад

      Check mate

    • @basiicbid8032
      @basiicbid8032 Месяц назад +9

      @@canniballistic555🤦🏾‍♂️It’s more nuanced than that. He wants you to travel mostly by foot but at the same time recognizes that it’d be super annoying having to walk across the entire map just to upgrade a weapon

  • @LunarisLacrima
    @LunarisLacrima Месяц назад

    I cannot express how on-point I felt this review to be. It definitely helps that right before this game came out, I was enjoying Death Stranding. It really feels like experiencing two games that took a stab at making traversal and the journey in an open-world game the highlight of the gameplay. I love them both.
    (nonessential story)
    I'll never forget the first day I was playing past the opening section of the DD2, my first real journey venturing far out from the main capital to one end of the map. Delivering an escort to their destination, finding the vocation master of the class I was using in that moment, and gaining their special skill. Then we traveled up a large hill to see the lay of the land and fought a golem until sunset. We camped, I awoke and took in the surroundings before undergoing a long journey back to the capital, suddenly a griffin landed next to us. My first one of the game! We fight until it gets low. I grabbed onto it, and it suddenly took off. Leaving my party behind as it flies directly towards the capital. I'm observing the landscape as I strike it over and over again, hoping it doesn't die and drop me into the ocean. I stagger it right over the coast of a gravel beach with lizards populating the area, and I finally slay the griffin and clear the lizards out. Suddenly, I found myself on the outskirts of the capital, near the farm villages. Nothing is more perfect than that feeling.

  • @jamespearce9973
    @jamespearce9973 Месяц назад +5

    Hired some great Pawns. 'Taylor Rift' was a highlight 😂

  • @leonardchurch814
    @leonardchurch814 Месяц назад +45

    Imma say a quote that really settled my feelings on DD2, “Friction makes sparks fly.” That sentence alone sums up DD2 for me and what makes it stand apart from its contemporaries.

    • @thereal4579
      @thereal4579 Месяц назад +9

      ...that's such a vague expression....

    • @Nikelaos_Khristianos
      @Nikelaos_Khristianos Месяц назад +8

      Sparks can also set things on fire and make a burning mess.

    • @SuicideforDummies101
      @SuicideforDummies101 Месяц назад +5

      Pat nailed it with that one. The lack of a hard mode or difficulty scaling though gets in the way of that currently though.

    • @leekyonion
      @leekyonion Месяц назад +3

      ​@Nikelaos_Khristianos better to go out in a fiery blaze of glory than to die in the darkness of insignificance

    • @bozzwick
      @bozzwick Месяц назад +3

      @@Nikelaos_Khristianos but fire can keep you warm and cook your food. Fire can be good. (Depends on how literal you want to take a metaphor)

  • @97wojak
    @97wojak Месяц назад +29

    One of the most unique games out there. I call it team based medieval Death Stranding

  • @plplplplplpl7336
    @plplplplplpl7336 Месяц назад

    12:57 One thing i have to say, i love the intro theme. Idk something about it is magical and i could listen to forever

  • @PrimeAdvance
    @PrimeAdvance Месяц назад +1

    Wow.... that hiking story man, that sounds crazy and dangerous as! One heck of an adventure though haha

  • @themetal2244
    @themetal2244 Месяц назад +14

    I don't know what the state of DD1 was at launch, but when I played it, it just seemed like a far more complete game than the current state of DD2, even ignoring the Bitterblack isle DLC (which was incredible). DD1 and 2 have the same amount of trash mob enemy variety, but DD1 is half the size, so it works much better. DD1 has more variety in its boss encounters with the evil eye beholders, hydras, cockatrice fights, and probably more I'm forgetting despite being a smaller game. I seriously cannot believe they ported the golem of all things to DD2 while ignoring these monsters. The first 10-20 hours of DD2 being the best due to player weakness was a solved problem in DD1. The boss fights in DD1 felt harder across the board and had a much wider range of difficulty from monster to monster. At most stages of the game, there were fights that could knock you on or ass if you weren't careful. It had a more reactive world with better and more interesting characters and a FAR better endgame than DD2 (the everfall was incredible, as was the narrative with the former king turning against you). Classes felt better to play with more skills and generally felt more balanced (other than warrior). In DD2, IMO, thief feels way more powerful than every other class, easily taking down the strongest drakes at lower levels even with sub optimal gear. Trickster as a class with no offensive abilities just feels kind of shitty to play. Sure I can buff my party and do some fun shenanigans, but during every encounter, all I can think is "This would've taken less than half the time if I was a thief and just killed these enemies outright." God help you if you run into a golem as trickster and have to entirely rely on the borked pawn AI to target the medals correctly. It just feels like a step back in all things except overall scale, and I'm honestly extremely disappointed. Here's hoping some good DLC like dark arisen could fix some of these issues down the line.

  • @Xl_Fenrir_lX
    @Xl_Fenrir_lX Месяц назад +11

    This game’s exploration was so good to me because you could look at any structure on the map and go there. In the other sense you could make it to your destination and look back on where you came from and it adds to the sense of adventure and gives story to your journey. The other game that did this so well was Dark Souls 3, and I believe Miyazaki in an interview said he specifically leaned into that direction, that you could look back from many of the points on the map and see where you came from or where you are headed next.

  • @johnnygao4993
    @johnnygao4993 Месяц назад

    Does anyone know the name of the track that starts playing around 12:14?
    Also just wanted to say that that part of the review (including the personal story after) was particularly moving - reminds me of Dunkey’s GOW reviews, where the commentary crescendos with the music into an emotional high

  • @GemayelDaniel
    @GemayelDaniel Месяц назад +1

    the quest about the kid you need to break out of prison is not bugged but its super convoluted to complete like a lot of other quests. you need to stop an assassination on the priestess and you must have talk to the lady at the brothel that helps you escape the castle and done her questline, then you can go kill the thieves group that the kid was part of and then he will appear and you can send him to work for the lady from the brothel.
    its weird how they designed those quests. like they were not finished and definitely not playtested at all to see how it all flows

  • @fleeplayTV
    @fleeplayTV Месяц назад +3

    "may reveal ought you have not seen before"
    I see what you did there Ralph.

  • @uptownmurda
    @uptownmurda Месяц назад +3

    Son…this man’s reviews are fuckin stupendous. You are truly a master of your craft. I’m buying this game.

  • @Archflip
    @Archflip Месяц назад

    I'm glad you were also able to get the DD1 experience fully of seeing the brimming latent potential in a game that is just flawed in crucial ways. It's an odd thing in how some of its flaws are part of its charm. There is something about recapturing the past in that, a reckoning within that has to do with realism, sure, but also nostalgia and determining the worth of a digital journey and how best to simulate that friction in the traversal. I find it so intriguing.

  • @Er_deibis
    @Er_deibis Месяц назад +1

    The first dragons dogma was so ahead of his time and the sequel is so behind of its time its crazy, i love the first one and i can love the sequel because they are the same game to some extent, but the first one is far superior over 2, it has a layered armor and clothing system, the items in your inventory have more uses due that things like stamina are more difficult to replenish, the map (maybe i dont remember correctly) is more open, the sequel has a map that it feels like interconnected corridors, like you go to a forest but didnt even put a foot inside of it and you can already see between the trees the wall of stone of the mountain that sirves as a wall of the corridor, and the history of 1 its far better than two without even being good, but the twist in the end at least does something with it, and reinforces the ng+ with the lore, and the dlc is a blast, i would love to see you review it. I dont hate the sequel but is just as you said, i played the first one and saw its flaws, i expected after 12 years to the sequel to not have those flaws, but not only does have them, it has more than the first one, and is a shame, i like that i can run into a sphynx and have a long ass quest but rewarding, i love that i can run into medusa lair and have all that stuff that premise make me imagine, but when i already defeated 5 griffins the 6th one isnt gonna be as fun as the other 5, dragons dogma 2 its a great game, but cannot take the bittersweet taste off my mouth.
    Also why are so manny goddamn griffins?

  • @hershmergersh6733
    @hershmergersh6733 Месяц назад +5

    the more i hear positive reviews for this game, the more I notice the extreme cope it takes to see it in a positive light

  • @user-tw1kj3jp9w
    @user-tw1kj3jp9w Месяц назад +3

    Damn Ralph you've created the Perfect Review. I don't think it's your best (your best goes way beyond simply reviewing a game) but in terms of covering and critiquing a games elements and synergies this review is absolutely flawless, anyone who hasnt played this will know everything they need to know about this games strengths and weaknesses as well as how it feels to play it, absolutely brilliant!

  • @brynmostyn4272
    @brynmostyn4272 Месяц назад

    This is why I value your reviews as much as I do. The consideration into your script, with the passion for the craft in your voice really helps sell not the game but your opinion of it. I've been considering buying this for weeks, but something didnt feel right and from this honest and nuanced take I can feel like I would have felt the same. Really appreciate it and please keep up the quality work

  • @monkeys7187
    @monkeys7187 Месяц назад +1

    32:48 at the start of the quest while he’s standing in the hall there are makeshift Gaol keys on his desk. Once he starts shaking you down you could just brake the guy out yourself.

  • @dragonflight2468
    @dragonflight2468 Месяц назад +7

    18:30
    ..... Why *didn't* you set a portcrystal in Battahl....?

    • @Insan1tyW0lf
      @Insan1tyW0lf Месяц назад +2

      Yeah, that was basically a must. Portcrystals are easy to miss though if you aren't hitting the side quests consistently.
      Volcanic camp too was a must.

    • @CQchaos7474
      @CQchaos7474 Месяц назад

      Wish they stayed around in ng+

  • @doubledangerous7898
    @doubledangerous7898 Месяц назад +3

    I was LOVING it in the first like 20 hours, but there was a moment when I realised that 'this was it', and it broke my heart.
    I found it super hard not to compare it to Elden Ring, and I feel like the overall choices around simply getting around was the biggest point of contention. In ER, you zip across the landscape (and obv have the ability to fast travel at will), then during dungeons, progress is achieved in inches. In DD2, you crawl across the open world, fighting the same mobs over and over and over again, and there's no signature dungeon payoff for your troubles. I do not class tiny caves, with identical enemies to the open world as dungeons. They are a minor interest in the first couple dozen hours, but after you've seen 10, you've seen them all.
    The combat is so laughably easy that I resorted to ditching all my pawns and exploring solo, just to have any sense of 'stakes' or danger.
    In short, it went from 'this is my game of the year!' to an absolute chore to plod through, in the blink of an eye.

    • @cartoonvideos5
      @cartoonvideos5 Месяц назад +1

      Yes

    • @HHTwice
      @HHTwice Месяц назад +5

      Don’t forget to mention how meaningless the open world is in ER, how repetitive its randomly scattered dungeons are other than Legacy dungeons, how many recycled enemies and bosses are regurgitated especially late game, and how the best approach to combat is pressing circle at the right time, and how it’s story is told in an even more convoluted way via post it notes scattered around the world. Wouldn’t want to leave those details out now would you? We’re being unbiased and all lol

    • @doubledangerous7898
      @doubledangerous7898 Месяц назад +3

      @@HHTwice ok mate, whatever you say

    • @abyssalrayz9499
      @abyssalrayz9499 Месяц назад +2

      @@doubledangerous7898he’s not wrong tho

    • @darny2314
      @darny2314 Месяц назад +1

      @@HHTwice Still more variety than DD2 tbh. Combat in DD2 is better for sure, I'll give you that.

  • @gus8723
    @gus8723 Месяц назад +1

    11:23 She tells you to come back later to speak with her and she gives you a full quest that goes more in depth on her character and origins, shes actually one the most fleshed out characters of the game.

  • @ramahsakul6850
    @ramahsakul6850 Месяц назад +1

    You really nailed this review. Captured my sentiments exactly.

  • @thats4thebirds
    @thats4thebirds Месяц назад +106

    Oh and my god. Cannot believe we stamina runs out… OUT OF COMBAT. In a world where the only danger is stepping on a goblin every 10 yards like an errant Lego piece

    • @PeePeePooPoo2112
      @PeePeePooPoo2112 Месяц назад +17

      I remember hearing that stamina was infinite outside combat and was so hyped lol I was so sad when I found out that was a lie

    • @Natsocenis
      @Natsocenis Месяц назад +17

      there is a mod to fix that on P.C, theres actually a few QOL mods that have made this game awesome for me.

    • @HeyArno1d
      @HeyArno1d Месяц назад +1

      If you're on PC - there is a mod for this problem)

    • @MrTrueCaller619
      @MrTrueCaller619 Месяц назад +4

      Capcom still stuck in 2012

    • @ImTakingYouToFlavorTown
      @ImTakingYouToFlavorTown Месяц назад

      One of the best features of Elden Ring is the change to stamina not decreasing outside of combat.

  • @bezoro2008
    @bezoro2008 Месяц назад +11

    Some of the best content in DD2 are the side quests, thing is they are missable. If you progress too much in the main quest for example dozens of hours of side content simply becomes unavailable to you. The ending of other side quests also affect the ones you will have available. (I've had multiple people die, get thrown in jail, lose their jobs, move to another village...)
    It also requires you to be super thorough and talk with everyone, multiple times. It expects you to just get lost in it explore and backtrack extremely thoroughly.
    I put DD2 up there with BG3 if you can believe it. But I feel most people simply don't play it like it wants you to and therefore end up with a painfully shallower experience.
    As an example I'm 75 hours in and still not even close to done. (most people finish the game in 25 to 30 hours and miss most of what the game has to offer)
    A shame that it seems he didn't encounter any of these. They are multi-phase, have multiple endings, tie with multiple other side quests and even the main story.

    • @LordShrub
      @LordShrub Месяц назад +3

      Ugh there was that quest with Lubomir getting poisoned by Elena the nun. I arrested Elena after Lubomir was moved to the basement. The quest completed, I assumed that Lubomir would now recover. Fast forward a few days later, I visit the chapel and they tell me Lubomir died. I searched online and it said that I was supposed to go to the doctor again and bring him to Lubomir, outside of the actual quest.
      Then I get another quest to decipher a letter and hire a Pawn as a quest guide and the pawn tells me that I need to talk to Lady Elena and takes me to the entrance of the noble area. By this time I had forgotten the name, but I checked the character in the History compendium and lo and behold it was the nun, so the Pawn was actually trying to lead me to the jail to talk to her.

    • @KingRat543
      @KingRat543 Месяц назад

      Yea, 140 hours in now. Still trying to find first seeker token, and even using a map I've found 50 new ones but not the first or finders token...

  • @brandtmiles2373
    @brandtmiles2373 Месяц назад

    Your anecdotes about the escort quest, the spellseal door, the one-way lift, all of that...I experienced the exact same thing in the exact same sequence of events 😅😅😅😅😅

  • @quickmaff9349
    @quickmaff9349 Месяц назад

    Being able to carry/throw npcs is such a great feature especially when a follower gets stuck on terrain or falls behind during an escort.

  • @Yusosuki
    @Yusosuki Месяц назад +18

    Okay, I am not saying that the story is amazing. But I am on my 4th play through, and the amount of story that is missed if you don't do side quests at certain times is really astonishing. When you state that you never see Wihelmina again after she saves you from the guards, you could be correct. Unless you do the side missions that lead to her backstory that leads to the true ending for the queens story. This is a game that is going to take a while for everyone to figure out all the possible endings and best way to get the full story. Love your coverage and this video.

    • @mellar5864
      @mellar5864 Месяц назад +5

      i could miss 50% of the story and it still would be dogshit, all of the characters are extremely robotic, honestly some of the worst writing and voice acting a have had the displeasure to experience.

    • @thereal4579
      @thereal4579 Месяц назад +4

      Side quests and stories were all shit, I couldn't be bothered to do a second playthrough much more, a 4th.

    • @canniballistic555
      @canniballistic555 Месяц назад

      AFAIK, there is only two endings, the fake one and the real one, which is similar to the first game, and while the choices and things you do along the way might differ and add to the flavour, it doesn't really effect the outcome, and the overarching plot makes anything you do moot.

  • @mikeesteves8427
    @mikeesteves8427 Месяц назад +5

    its almost a pet peeve at this point but i always find it disingenious when people talk about fast travel in this game and act like ferrystones and portcrystals are the only way to fast travel.
    Most of the major settlements in this game are connected via the wagons and they only cost 100g or 200g
    vernworth melve
    vernworth checkpoint
    checkpoint bakbattahl
    and with just that youve secured transportation to and from all the major hubs of the game except the one at the volcanic island and the elven town. Sure you still have to walk back to the nearest town but its only the nearest town that you have to walk back to when you want to get most of anywhere on the map.

    • @cylop224
      @cylop224 Месяц назад

      Disingenuous? Feels like a bit of a reach to me, or like you wanted to sound clever by using the word disingenuous. It's probably just a simple oversight. I doubt anyone's trying to hide the fact you can use oxcarts.

    • @mikeesteves8427
      @mikeesteves8427 Месяц назад

      ​@@cylop224 is it not? The man has clearly played this game a lot so theres no way he doesnt know about the oxcarts. Yet he still chose not to mention them. Unless youre implying that he doesnt know about oxcarts? I find that to be a stretch considering he made a whole 40 minute review on the game and probably did extensive research. Ive watched many different videos about this game and discussions on the topic of how they handle fast travel in dragons dogma 2 and ive rarely seen anyone mention oxcarts as a viable form of fast traveling between major settlements and thats the thing that upsets me enough to call it "disingenious" here so i will admit that its not a reaction that was caused by this video alone. Im just trying to figure out why this basic game mechanic is rarely mentioned when people complain about how fast traveling is handled in the game.
      In my opinion theres a huge difference in the picture painted if we compare the narritive being "oh you can ONLY fast travel with portcrystals and ferrystones and they are finite in each playthrough and the only way to get more is to pay money" versus "oh theres oxcarts that allow you to travel between all major settlements in the game that cost you measly 100 to 200g and a bit of ingame time in addition to the portcrystals and ferrystones that are finite to each playthrough and do cost you money if you want more".
      Like do you not see how the picture painted is vastly different?
      To clarify im not attributing malicious intent to the reviewer here im just saying that they are willfully leaving out important details to a contetious topic.
      Oxcart travel is near impossible to miss, the pawns mention it all the time and the game even hits you with an introductory quest to the system once you enter vernworth.

  • @westonnartey5129
    @westonnartey5129 Месяц назад +1

    Thank you so much for this Ralph!!!

  • @OldMateJohn
    @OldMateJohn Месяц назад +2

    17:50 you can duck down to the left and climb up the side of the cliff face to get across that broken bridge

  • @nazgulsenpai
    @nazgulsenpai Месяц назад +34

    When I was 15, I was sitting in my underwear playing Unreal Tournament in my room. Australians sending their kids to survival camps. :o

    • @biobroly5272
      @biobroly5272 Месяц назад +1

      Haha I went to the same thing, was a lot of fun - the occasional brown snake not withstanding 😂

    • @mo-akif
      @mo-akif Месяц назад +1

      fr i was like omg bro is telling us a torture story and looking back at it fondly hahahaha. but fr i wish i had that exp; sounds amazing, even if a lil dangerous.

    • @bozzwick
      @bozzwick Месяц назад +1

      Bro, we don’t want to picture a 15 year old on their underwear, we ain’t diddy or Epstein.

    • @yoshy5651
      @yoshy5651 Месяц назад +4

      We were all 15 at some point. No one is sexualizing except u :0
      Anyways no shade have a good day :)

    • @Daishi0861
      @Daishi0861 Месяц назад +2

      It's not unusual to have scout events like this in the US either.

  • @stve01
    @stve01 Месяц назад +3

    Yeah, this just isn't for me. Thank you for articulating your thoughts so clearly. A great review as always.

  • @Captainkrieger7
    @Captainkrieger7 Месяц назад

    The best way to experience DD2 (especially during NG+) is using only your main pawn without the additional 2 companions. It makes the journey feel alot more dangerous and makes you think about your team comp and what abilities you need to take with you. It also makes curatives more relevant.

  • @ravengorepictures
    @ravengorepictures Месяц назад +2

    lmao at the escort mission. I know exactly which mission that is. Luckily for me, I had the foresight to search for a fast travel point in the Capital City and not seeing one, so i used one of my Portcrystals in it. Im glad i did that, cuz that escort mission would've pissed me off.

  • @dingus2k
    @dingus2k Месяц назад +4

    this game has such a strange charm to it. like it definitely feels like it’s missing something, but the overall combat and vibes just keep me coming back

    • @Konfide4043
      @Konfide4043 Месяц назад

      Challenge, for me

    • @dingus2k
      @dingus2k Месяц назад +1

      @@Konfide4043 yeah that’s valid. for me it has to do more with the overall world systems and lack of narrative like Ralph said

  • @Ceece20
    @Ceece20 Месяц назад +22

    I’ll just wait for a 50% sale and a year, assuming they fix the technical issues and everything

  • @ChristianD_Avionics
    @ChristianD_Avionics Месяц назад

    Great review, ill definitely pick it up once it goes on sale. Think it will be fun.

  • @aaronpatrick7954
    @aaronpatrick7954 Месяц назад +1

    If they made a game combining Dogma’s vocation and exploring, with the dynamic monster battles and gear crafting of Monster Hunter World. I would play that game for years. Even if the story/side quests were just ok.

  • @rjt6765
    @rjt6765 Месяц назад +2

    Not the conflict against your foes, but the journey with your bros. 🤙

  • @Rulfio
    @Rulfio Месяц назад +5

    You have to go into the madame Wilhelmina main room after you get the membership to continue her quest line. You can also free the kid Hugo from jail just bt using a geol key when the guards go down the hall and grab the kid and leave the jail, it's not broken just doesn't hold your hand.

    • @Insan1tyW0lf
      @Insan1tyW0lf Месяц назад

      It is broken, you can just get around it with some creativity.
      One of the guards always attempted to kill me whenever I entered the jail, so I threw him off a cliff and was able to proceed. The Hugo was too far from the door to talk to without unlocking it, and unlocking it made a different NPC aggressive, so I threw him off the cliff too, and was able to finish the quest.
      Throwing jailers off cliffs not being a crime seems itself like a broken system, but it was sort of a "two wrongs don't make a right, but three rights make a left" kind of deal.

    • @Rulfio
      @Rulfio Месяц назад

      @@Insan1tyW0lf broken means it doesn't work imo but you and I figured it out though slightly different cause I didn't have to hurt anyone. and the geol key is on the guard room so it really feels like the game wants you to break him out.

  • @Geezusmusic
    @Geezusmusic Месяц назад +1

    That camping trip sounded awesome and insane.

  • @DarkestInstinct
    @DarkestInstinct Месяц назад

    I got the same jailor bug where I paid him and he says to come back later and I think that is what breaks the forbidden lab being free to enter. It seems like the forbidden zone allows you in when they take you down to do that prison quest since it has a back entrance tunnel to the forbidden lab. Seems like it turns off the guards stopping you for both when you start the quest to go down and see the prisoner.

  • @sinh7765
    @sinh7765 Месяц назад +3

    I was expecting/hoping they would build up on what dark arisen left behind. Unfortunately they did not.

    • @Mohgenstein
      @Mohgenstein Месяц назад

      Because the person who made dark arisen wasn’t itsuno

    • @sinh7765
      @sinh7765 Месяц назад +1

      @@MohgensteinI am aware. But because itsuno didn’t work on DA, doesn’t mean anything good DA brought for the game should suddenly be forgotten and not iterated upon.