Picked up Dragon’s Dogma for the 360. In a sentence: above average combat undercut by below average storytelling. But is it fun? Yeah, it very much is. That and utterly frustrating. I couldn’t tell you how many times I came this close to felling a giant, son-of-a-bitching troll when a flailing limb would completely pulverize me and my half hour of progress in battle.
Still, Dogma is a unique bend on the Westernized RPG that only truly falters when it tries to exactly match its influences. Of its innovations, I actually really dig on the pawn system. Not only do I enjoy enlisting other people’s decked out companions to quest with me, but I love the fact that my own created helper (“Ellie Ripley”) can journey out with strangers and recon their playthroughs.
When you relinquish other people’s pawns from your party, you’re able to rate their performance and leave stoic little preset messages like “Is cute” or “Fought bravely,” and then, if you want, send them back with a gift for their master. I try to gift items like healing herbs.
People usually send my pawn back with rocks or rotten food. Is cute.