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Dragon's Dogma II (PC/PS5/Xbox Series) - Information Thread, update (04/19): planned fixes for next update detailed


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33 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said:

This game is at least a year off right?

 

It would be a safe guess. However, it only took a year from announcement to being a playable game. Maybe it's further along than we think. That being said they haven't announced a date yet so either they are waiting till next year or maybe a surprise announcement at TGA (but I doubt it) - Perhaps they are holding off saying anything because they want to announce Monster Hunter World 2 first. :thinking:

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Hands-on previews articles:

 

WWW.VIDEOGAMESCHRONICLE.COM

The sequel to Capcom’s cult action RPG retains much of its unique and charming mechanics…

 

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For more than a decade, fans have been waiting for a sequel to Dragon’s Dogma, and that’s precisely what we’re getting.

 

Developers can take different approaches to sequels of a beloved franchise: iterate on what the original was successful at, or go in a bold new direction, which can either reinvigorate the series for an even larger audience (e.g. Breath of the Wild) or divide its fanbase (e.g. Final Fantasy 16).

 

But what about Dragon’s Dogma, which has only had one entry, unless you include its expanded 2013 re-release Dark Arisen? Having had the opportunity to play around with a preview build for an hour, our main impression is that it keeps very close to the original.

 

 

Not that we would call it a conservative sequel. After all these years, there just hasn’t been anything quite like Capcom’s strange but compelling take on the Western fantasy action RPG, which again sees you in the role of the Arisen, a character whose fate is tied to a dragon who has taken their heart.

 

 

 

WWW.VIDEOGAMESCHRONICLE.COM

Director Hideaki Itsuno and producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi discuss Capcom's first current-gen exclusive…

 

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More than a decade since it first released, Dragon’s Dogma has grown to become a cult favourite.

 

Much like Dark Souls, it’s a Japanese developer’s unique take on the Western fantasy action RPG that hasn’t been replicated until now with Dragon’s Dogma 2.

 

Having played the preview build at Tokyo Game Show, our impressions were that it largely and almost uncannily plays just like the original game, but its unique feature of pawns that you can recruit to fight alongside you have been developed to be more talkative and reactive to what’s happening in the game.

 

Game director Hideaki Itsuno tells us, rather to our surprise, that GTA 5 was a source of inspiration, saying, “That feeling of a living world is something that I’ve definitely tried to achieve in Dragon’s Dogma 2.”

 

Read on for our full discussion with Itsuno and Capcom producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi, who shares why it’s taken so long for the sequel to be made and why it’s the company’s first title of this console generation to be current-gen exclusive.

 

 

 

WWW.IGN.COM

Dragon's Dogma 2 seems primed to double down on everything that made the first game such a unique open world RPG classic. Our full hands-on preview.

 

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My big takeaway after playing an hour of Dragon’s Dogma 2 is that Capcom is doubling down on everything that made Dragon’s Dogma so unique, with a big focus on refining and polishing those elements to a shine. And in that regard, they’re succeeding. Pawns do everything that they did in the first game, but their contributions to both combat and navigation are more immediately noticeable. Melee combat feels more impactful and weighty, and exploration through its now seamless open world feels equal parts rewarding and dangerous. That said, after an hour of killing the usual Dragon’s Dogma rogue’s gallery of goblins, cyclops, saurians, harpies, bandits, and attempting occasional Griffin, I couldn’t help but wish that I experienced something that truly felt new in this sequel.

 

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All that said though, there definitely was a sense of deja vu while playing through this demo. The skills I used as both a fighter and a thief were almost identical to the early game skills from the first Dragon’s Dogma, I didn’t fight a single new enemy type, nor did I fight any of those enemies in a way that was much different from how I’d fight them in the original game. If there’s one comfort that I can have as a fan of Dragon’s Dogma, it’s that Dragon’s Dogma 2 will offer up more of what I loved about that first game, and that many of those minor elements have been improved upon. I couldn’t help but wish that I walked away from my demo a little more excited about something new about the sequel, though.

 

 

WWW.GAMESRADAR.COM

Hands-on | We played an hour of Capcom's open-world action RPG, and it's so far just as thrilling as the original

 

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On the surface, Dragon's Dogma 2 keeps with the general conceit of a fantasy adventure – pulling together a party of heroes, taking on quests that bring the crew to far-off areas of the land, and using teamwork and applied aggression to take down foes. Much like its direct predecessor, what the sequel does differently compared to other role-playing games is offer a high degree of freedom in engaging in exploration and combat, all with a party made up of custom characters from other players' worlds. 

 

Taking those steps outside of town and charting a course into the larger world, where dynamic encounters with flying griffons or packs of goblins can interrupt your trek, made for some of the original game's most memorable moments, and that is very much back for the sequel. With a hard emphasis on action in action RPG, you coordinate your party of pawns to fight with elaborate vocation-specific moves to knock down enemies, cling onto larger foes, and use environmental advantages to get the upper hand.

 

 

 

TECHRAPTOR.NET

Here's TechRaptor's Dragon's Dogma 2 preview, examining an early build of Capcom's brand-ew RPG, which certainly feels familiar, in a good way.

 

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Fans have asked for a sequel to Dragon's Dogma for a long time, and Capcom is finally delivering. While we still don't have a release date, this week at TGS I finally got my hands on a preview build of Dragon's Dogma 2. 

 

During my hour-long time with the game, one feeling reigned supreme: this is most certainly Dragon's Dogma. It's evolved and refined, but the sensation of continuity and familiarity from the previous game is absolutely present, in all the good ways.

 

The art style is where I first got that sense of familiarity, and though it is familiar it's certainly renewed for this sequel. The designs of the monsters are stunning, their fantastic detail is further highlighted when you see them in motion. 

 

 

 

WWW.THEGAMER.COM

I can't wait to return to Dragon's Dogma 2 to explore the world and annoy my pawns.

 

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Much like how the first game let you climb just about any big beasty, now you can also grab your pawns and other randomers, too. I found this out the hard way when I accidentally groped my pawns while walking past them. Sorry, not sorry, guys. At one point, one of my pawns stood awkwardly holding a rock because it planned to attack an enemy, but we killed it too quickly. They wouldn’t drop the rock, so I picked them up as if scolding them like a naughty child. It’s little quirky things like this that just highlight what it is about Dragon’s Dogma that I love. Much like the dragon kidnapping the wrong person or your pawns sometimes being absolute muppets, this accidental humour makes the game what it is.

 

I can tell that pawns will again be a source of both endless humour and frustration, and they’ll have to constantly put up with our abuse. They’re smarter than before at least, offering to guide you on quests if they know what you must do or where you must go. I wish I had more time with the game, as it felt like such a vast landscape with so much to explore and so many random little things to discover, like stumbling across the bizarre yet welcome inclusion of some incredible food cutscenes that put Marks & Spencers’ advertising team to shame.

 

 

 

WWW.PUSHSQUARE.COM

Heartfelt - Dragon's Dogma 2 sticks with the Dark Arisen template to a pleasant but almost surprising degree. Sequels ofte...

 

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So far, Dragon's Dogma 2 is shaping up well, but our main concern is that it's almost too familiar in places. If it weren't for the new map and cutscenes, you would think Capcom had intended to remake Dark Arisen, and half of what we've said above could easily apply to the first game.

 

Right now (and based purely on our short demo), there's very little evolution in its gameplay, and the new story / setting aside, it feels like the developer slapped some shinier visuals onto the existing foundations.

 

That doesn't mean Dragon's Dogma 2 isn't fun, but so far, it's just not the evolution we'd imagined. All the same, exploring the new setting feels great and combat remains entertainingly rewarding — and that's only helped by the major visual uplift on PS5. Though it's far too soon to judge the new story, what we've seen shows all the makings of an entertaining journey. For some fans after a decade-long wait, that will be more than enough.

 

 

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  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Dragon's Dogma II - Information Thread, update: hands-on previews articles and videos

 

 

WWW.ROCKPAPERSHOTGUN.COM

Dragon's Dogma was the action-RPG for people who wanted to play alone, but didn't want to feel alone. By far its most c…

 

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It speaks to how much I love Pawns that I can almost forgive Dragon's Dogma 2 for being, so far, absolutely indistinguishable from the 2012 original, with the same opening story beats and the same terrific combat system of colourful yet intuitive, beautifully staged class abilities. Once again, you're a lowly soldier whose heart is literally stolen by a rampaging dragon, whose voice you hear in your head. Once again, you'll be running around a bucolic open landscape of towns and dungeons, scooping up herbs and rocks to craft into potions and other tools, while earning class points and unlocking those abilities. Once again, you can hire wandering pawns after witnessing them in action against the wildlife, and climb on larger creatures such as griffins to whack away at specific body parts for specific loot. Once again, you'll have to worry about being massively overencumbered, with pawns doubling as dumpsters for players who can't be arsed to offload in-town.

 

 

WWW.PCGAMESN.COM

In our Dragon’s Dogma 2 preview, we fight against brigands and monsters both big and small, as formidable foes test the limit of our combat abilities.

 

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Right off the bat, it’s crucial to establish that in my time with Dragon’s Dogma 2, I didn’t see anything that reinvents the wheel. This series has not suddenly followed in the footsteps of other fantasy RPG games where everyone’s horny for a bit of action with the hero. Some developers have mastered that particular craft, so instead of trying to compete with that, Dragon’s Dogma 2 opts to be a fun monster-slaying romp in a fantasy land filled with mythological beasties. We still have a while until the Dragon’s Dogma 2 release date, but from what I’ve seen so far, there’s a wonderfully simple fantasy charm from times when RPGs had more straightforward stakes. For a fan of the 2012 original, that’s all I could ask for.

 

 

WWW.SILICONERA.COM

Dragon's Dogma 2 is functionally the same as the original game, but boasts a larger scope with a hefty visual upgrade.

 

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Dragon’s Dogma 2 is effectively an improvement on everything that was present in the first title, even if it feels functionally the same. However, Capcom did add a few extra bells and whistles in terms of what you can do on the map and what Pawns are capable of. Players can now set up camp at designated spots highlighted by smoke and the smoldering remains of a campfire. You can camp as often as you like, so long as you have a pack in your inventory. Cooking at camp allows you to replenish your health, and includes a mouthwatering cinematic of a sizzling steak on a cast iron skillet that looked so unbelievably real I thought it was a video of an actual steak being cooked.

 

But my favorite part of camping, outside of being able to replenish your health, is that you can freely pass the time of day once you’ve set up camp. This means that you can avoid traveling at night if you manage to find camping spots between objectives. Traveling at night is still just as dangerous as it was in Dragon’s Dogma. While I wasn’t getting overwhelmed by skeletons and the like, I was still being chased by goblins and wisp-like ghosts that would constrict my Pawns. It was enough of a nuisance to make me sigh in relief when I caught sight of a camping spot in the distance.

 

 

 

WWW.RPGSITE.NET

Hideki Itsuno's second go as his magnum opus looks primed to take the RPG genre by storm

 

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Our first thought upon starting our demo with the game was the sheer density of the environments. Dragon’s Dogma was well known for how dark that nights could get, necessitating the use of a lantern - but with the sequel, even heading into the canopy of the forest will immediately see the scene dominated by the shade of the trees. It feels like a proper extension of the world design from Dragon’s Dogma.

 

 

WWW.RPGSITE.NET

Capcom's upcoming Action RPG aims to truly elevate the genre, and the game's team sat down to explain their vision.

 

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During this year's TGS, not only did we get the chance to play around an hour of Dragon's Dogma 2, but Capcom was also kind enough to give us a chance to chat about the upcoming Action RPG with both Hideaki Itsuno and Yoshiaki Hirabayashi. We talked about the challenges and objectives the team faced while developing Dragon's Dogma 2, and what they hope fans can look forward to experiencing with the title when it eventually launches.

 

 

WWW.THELOADOUT.COM

Our Dragon's Dogma 2 preview covers why the game is doing more than just trying to be another RPG and how it is drawing from survival games on PS5, Xbox, PC.

 

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Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a perfect example of using technology and new gameplay mechanics over time to the fullest to create something beyond most RPGs and develop what people love about a franchise. The game itself sucks you in, captivating you as you explore the massive world – said to be about 4 times larger than the previous game. But, I would say it feels much larger and stands out the most when it leans into its survival aspects and the darkness rolls in.

 

 

WWW.GODISAGEEK.COM

After spending an hour with Dragon's Dogma 2, it's clear to us the final version is going to absolutely sing, and be a must play.

 

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It’s safe to say that Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a very highly anticipated sequel. Over a decade ago when the original Dragon’s Dogma hit, I stepped properly out of my comfort zone and into unfamiliar role-playing territory to review it for this very site, and ended up falling in love with it. Even to this day, it stands alone as a quirky, unique take on the genre, which ploughed its own furrow with the oddball Pawn system and propensity for climbing up large monsters in order to take them down by any means necessary. It also had a killer theme which blasts you into oblivion on the title screen.

 

When we received an invite to play Dragon’s Dogma 2, then, it is fair to say I was filled with joy at the prospect of once again vicariously living the life of the Arisen. Within half an hour of my arrival I had just scaled an enormous troll-like creature, gaining a particularly memorable foothold in its arse crack. Dragon’s Dogma is back, baby!

 

 

 

WWW.SILICONERA.COM

Siliconera spoke with Dragon’s Dogma 2 Director Hideaki Itsuno and Producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi about the game's mechanics and hidden theme.

 

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Shortly after its 2012 release, Dragon’s Dogma quickly garnered a passionate following thanks to the game’s mechanical complexity, exhilarating combat, and engaging low fantasy world. With Dragon’s Dogma 2 finally on the horizon, each new glimpse at the game reveals a more polished and refined version of what the original 2012 cult classic offered. To get an idea of what new and returning fans can expect from the sequel, Siliconera spoke with Dragon’s Dogma 2 Director Hideaki Itsuno and Producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi about it.

 

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There really is no RPG quite like Dragon's Dogma. It's a big, weird, wonderful, terrifying, enthralling mess of an adventure that demands you meet it on its own bizarre terms, or else get savaged by wolves in the middle of the night. Heading into my hands-on with Dragon's Dogma 2, my biggest fear was that they'd have sanded off too many of the first game's rough edges, losing some of that magic in pursuit of a more straightforward experience. What a delight, then, to find a sequel more in love with its own brilliantly strange identity than ever.

 

The thing I loved most about the first game was its sense of truly journeying across a fantasy land, so I decided the best way to get a sense of the sequel in the limited time available was to just pick a road and start walking. I'm not alone, of course—I'm joined by the series' trademark Pawns, AI companions created by yourself and other players that aid you on your journey. As soon as they open their mouths, I'm reassured. As in the first game, they're a talkative bunch: offering advice on what to do next, calling for help in battle, pointing out resources, and more. 

 

 

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On paper, nothing I find on my little trek is that exciting—I get ambushed by some monsters, find a raided village, and delve into a mine overrun with goblins—but the game shines in the details. The first game had a wonderful physicality, and Dragon's Dogma 2 runs with it. When a weakened enemy stumbles in front of me, I scoop him up in my arms and hurl him at one of his mates, knocking them both off a cliffside. Seeing a group of goblins charge across a rope bridge, I cut the supports, sending them plummeting down into the abyss. In battle with a furious troll, I leap and climb up onto its back, attach a mine to its neck, and jump off to safety as it explodes. 

 

It's ripe for slapstick comedy, of course—other stops along my journey include carrying a squealing pig off his farm and down the road until he wriggles out of my arms, climbing on top of a passing bison and squatting over her until she moos with dissatisfaction, and heaving a distinguished NPC I'm escorting over my shoulder to get him past some difficult terrain more quickly. But beyond the goofiness, that ability to grab onto and interact with all these things around you gives the world a physical reality that's really rare in fantasy RPGs. It's that tactility that makes your adventures feel so grounded.

 

 

 

WWW.TECHRADAR.COM

The real dragons were the friends we made along the way

 

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In fantasy action RPG Dragon’s Dogma 2, you’re never alone. Though your hero may find themself assailed by any number of deadly monstrosities, your party always has your back. 

 

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is still very much a work in progress, but, confident in the quality of their upcoming game, Capcom invited TechRadar Gaming to check out an early build of the fantasy adventure. The demo offered precise and deliberate combat against a wide range of fantastical foes while also showing off the game’s responsive and intelligent AI party members, known as “Pawns”.

 

Right from the get-go, I was accompanied by three party allies, led by a charming lion man called Max. Not only did Max lead me to quest destinations and helpfully comment on our surroundings, but he also proved indispensable in battle. Venturing from the safety of a typical fantasy settlement, we found ourselves under attack by goblins. Max sprung into action, enchanting my weapons with an aura of fire and giving my arrows the extra zest they needed to send those goblins packing.

 

Best of all, once we triumphed, rather than standing around slack-jawed or offering a canned line to indicate victory, Max came over and high-fived me, putting a big smile on my face. It’s touches like this that make Dragon’s Dogma 2’s NPC buddies feel refreshingly close to actual players. 

 

 

 

BLOG.PLAYSTATION.COM

First impressions from the Tokyo Game Show 2023 demo.

 

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The main focus of this demo was to experience exploration and combat, so overall, everything felt familiar to me since I’ve played the first Dragon’s Dogma. At the same time, the beautiful open world and the Pawns’ more refined behavior prove that the game has evolved and been thoroughly polished. As a fan of the series who has been waiting for the sequel, I cannot wait to see how the new story surrounding the Dragon and the Arisen will unfold.

 

 

WWW.THEGAMER.COM

We sit down with director Hideaki Itsuno and producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi to chat about improved mechanics, new systems, and steak.

 

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I played a demo of Dragon’s Dogma’s upcoming, highly-anticipated sequel at Tokyo Game Show, and afterwards had the opportunity to sit down with director Hideaki Itsuno and producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi to discuss all things Dragon’s Dogma 2. And boy, was there a lot to talk about, from the expanded world and improvements made to the pawn system and combat, to the new inclusion of camping and even a whole new race.

 

For one, the developers have previously stated that Dragon’s Dogma 2’s map will be four times that of the original – but that’s not what they want you to focus on. “It’s not just bigger and larger,” Itsuno-san tells me through a translator. “We really wanted to put an emphasis on making this a more dense experience.” This means that when you’re walking around the world and something catches your attention, pursuing it will lead you to something interesting that you might not find in other playthroughs. Yes, we’ll likely see new regions of Gransys, but the game’s world will also feel more lived-in.

 

 

 

WCCFTECH.COM

CAPCOM is endeavoring to create a 'fantasy world simulation game' with Dragon's Dogma 2 through a much greater emphasis on physics.

 

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Tokyo Game Show 2023 was a veritable treasure trove of information and footage on Dragon's Dogma 2, the long-awaited action RPG sequel in development at CAPCOM.

 

Speaking to Japanese website Gamer during TGS 2023, Game Director Hideaki Itsuno and Producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi highlighted their goal to create a 'fantasy world simulation game' with a lot more emphasis on physics. Players will have to be careful when moving, as positioning will be of key importance for combat.

 

 

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  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Dragon's Dogma II - Information Thread, update: TGS 2023 hands-on previews articles and videos
WWW.VG247.COM

This is like the first game, but better, which means Dragon's Dogma 2 is likely to be unstoppably good.

 

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Over the course of my hour-long demo, a lot of my consideration is on the little things. If a Griffin elects to take off, you can totally jump on it and grab it – and actually be carried across the map with it. Before, you’d be shaken off, but the sense of scale now means that you can soar above the land. Your AI-controlled Pawn companions talk more – not just to you with their nattering about the world and what’s going on, but also to each other, praising and bickering in a way that makes the party of adventurers feel alive.


A lot of these little things feel as though they’re going to add up to a greater, more changed whole experience, though - which is why an hour is seldom enough. The world is now seamless, for instance, which means things can happen like aggroed enemies following you into town. You can follow where this will lead - ‘emergent AI’ moments that’ll make for great stories and memes. Much of what made Dragon’s Dogma great was the emergent nature of its play. Here, there’s more variables than ever.


For all the ways in which it expands, however, it’s reassuringly similar. In a funny way, despite being a sequel to a game that merely did okay, Dragon’s Dogma 2 has a clear and beautiful reverence for its predecessor. When you fight a larger enemy and it is weakened, the musical score trills in exactly the same way it did a decade ago. The hairs on the back of my neck stand immediately. It’s awesome not just because of the nostalgia, but because that music cue is bloody awesome to begin with. Of course they haven’t changed it.

 

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World interactivity is a major part of the first game and, indeed, this sequel. And looking at it in a 2023 context, it’s hard not to look at some of this and think a little about Breath of the Wild. Dragon’s Dogma was ahead of its time. In this demo, a lot of this same interactivity remains, where you can use the environment to trigger and reverse traps laid by goblins and the like. My favorite moment of the whole demo was realizing a group of lizard men I was fighting were backed up against a cliff edge – so I stunned one of their mates, picked them up, and then threw them at the group, sending them all plummeting to their deaths. It’s good stuff.

 

 

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2 hours ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

Over the course of my hour-long demo, a lot of my consideration is on the little things. If a Griffin elects to take off, you can totally jump on it and grab it – and actually be carried across the map with it. Before, you’d be shaken off, but the sense of scale now means that you can soar above the land. Your AI-controlled Pawn companions talk more – not just to you with their nattering about the world and what’s going on, but also to each other, praising and bickering in a way that makes the party of adventurers feel alive.

 

Wat :|

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  • 1 month later...
  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Dragon's Dogma II - Information Thread, update: Showcase 2023 set for November 28 @ 1300 Pacific/1600 Eastern
8 hours ago, skillzdadirecta said:

Supposedly the release date will be announced today.

 

6 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

March 22nd according to a PEGI leak

 

STORE.STEAMPOWERED.COM

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a single player, narrative driven action-RPG that challenges the players to choose their own experience – from the appearance of their Arisen, their vocation, their party, how to approach different situations and more - in a truly immersive fantasy world.

 

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  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Dragon's Dogma II - Information Thread, update: 21 March 2024 release kinda/sorta announced
  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Dragon's Dogma II (PC/PS5/Xbox Series, 22 March 2024) - Information Thread, update: Showcase 2023
2 minutes ago, stepee said:

 it seemed a bit…lonely

In what way? You travel with like 3 pawns at nearly all times.

 

But I also love lonely games. Fallout 3 is my favorite Fallout because it had no emphasis on companions and you are just a Lone Wanderer.

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