This looks like an RPG interesting and different enough to hold my interest. However, from the reviews I've read, DD seems to be one of those games held from greatness by one or two major flaws. I generally like to get the dirt from gamers on these types of things, so tell me GB community, whataya think of Dragon's Dogma, both the good and the bad?

I loved it. I would say buy it. 

Without a doubt it is a buy in my mind. Any media critics who game this game less then a 75% to 80% are IDIOTS...they simply did not play the game. (That is no an opinion it is impossible to play this game and not be impressed with much of it...unless you didn't play it.)

The fighting is good. The story is interesting but a bit thin at first, if you don't mind long gaps between story element that might not even matter to you.

The Good..

- Large enemies that are fun to fight, even after doing it a dozen times ogres and huge trolls are fun

- The towns and cities are very large, I wish there were more, but the architecture in the game is ASTOUNDING for being correct scaled in most cases.

- The Pawn system is unique and you main Pawn going off an learning and bring back gifts adds a fun element of risk/reward for keeping them well trained/armed.

- Some of the dialogue is very clever, some of the characters are people you will remember years from now...few games make marks you won't forget like this game.

- This is the first action RPG where running, climbing, jumping, and exploring matter BECAUSE the whole world is meant to be explored, ran around, and climbed upon...you can even just grab stuff or people! Grabbing someone to toss them down a well never gets old, tossing dead bunnies off a cliff is sick (of course)...but oddly thrilling that you can even do that.

The bad...

- The story can get lost if you do too many side missions. There are few reminders about which mission in you log is teh one that is about the story...that can be an issue.

- Missions once take on cannot be rejected and some dialgue options TRICK you into accpeting quests.

- Quest can alos be failed either because they are timed or another quest will superceed it. Completcionist will get annoyed when they fail a few quests because of hiddne time limits. (The game tells you this will happen a few times, but not always.)

- The non-linear questing structure allows you more freedom to explore — but it has the potentially get in over your head & lost.

- You will tire of the 'trash enemies' quickly.

Intangibles...

- I think the lack of free quick travel is a BONUS. I like that the system is very limited and that you must WALK or RUN everywhere. This game gets you into the maps and you need to know it. I like the expensive 'ferrystone' and 'portal stone' system to move around.

- I like the world...some might not like it as much as I do...but I like the people and places in the world.

- I think the game needs more arms and armor at lower levels, and the amount of clothing needs to be increased 3x.

- I hate by-passing encounter with the same enemies just as much as I hate that the same enemies show up in the same spot after 24 in game hours...I like more randomness to enemy placement/replacement...but whatever.

I haven't got time for a lengthy reply, but in short, I was skeptical, but decided to give it a go, and it has been more than worth it. It is surprisingly good fun and I recommend it.

It's amazing! Currently in the Catacombs at level 32

The flaws you would have read about are not inaccurate, that being said I really enjoyed it. I may have enjoyed it less if it came out during the ridiculous holiday schedule, but as a summer filler it was great.

great game but a few things that bug me.

pawns will not shut the fuck up and say completely inane useless things and then say the same things again and then again and again.

elemental stuff is weird. everything is weak to fire for almost the whole game. i don't remember my pawns EVER saying "they are weak to thunder!" it's always fire except for saurians, fought maybe 20 of those.

no fast travel is not that bad, but no infinite sprint is ANNOYING. you have to spam stamina items constantly if you want to get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time.

completionist's nightmare. there is some weirdness with accepting and failing quests randomly.

but overall definetely a good game and worth playing.

It's a good game overall.

If you want an open world RPG with a more substantial action combat then DD is that. The leveling system the skills, the monsters, all that stuff is quite good. The pawn system while seems like a limited online gimic at first is actually quite interesting.

But don't go in expecting a good storytelling experience, the game does have one great story moment at the end but otherwise it's pretty much devoid of any substance. The world itself is mostly bland in terms of visuals compared to many other open world games, it is also actually quite small. The lack of fast travel system (or just a fast cruise option) on the first play through can make one hate the game, especially when quests make you hike halfway around the game world for an umpteenth time.

Currently still my game of 2012, worth play!

I really want to play it, but for some reason it's pretty much impossible to find in my area...

Same thing with Darksiders, but that isn't a new release, so that is some what understandable...

I was skeptical at first but I decided to give it a whirl and I ended up putting 150 hours into it and making it to level 96. It's an easy recommendation for me.

The standout features in my opinion:

• The pawn system. I think it's very cool how your pawn can be used by other players and returned to you with knowledge you may not have learned in your own game. They can come back with new monster fighting tactics and/or quest knowledge. If the other player is generous they can come back with upgraded equipment as well, although I found that to be rare. I found it quite fun to hire low level pawns while playing through new game + so they could learn new things and I could upgrade their gear. I would send them back after each act ready to rock for their level.
• The class system. Taking on a vocation, leveling and learning new skills and augments, switching to another vocation (any time you want!) and being able to bring certain things over from previous vocations makes trying every class beneficial. I ended up max level in all vocations by the end of new game + and the options you end up with for building your character are kind of crazy, particularly when trying to choose which augments to use. My favorite vocations ended up being Magic Archer and a dagger/bow Assassin. That surprised me because I never play as a rogue/ranger type character in RPGs. Now I'm geeked for Dawnguard to come out on PC so I can start a dagger/bow character. I still prefer the leveling system in the Elder Scrolls games, but for a system where you play one specific class at a time the ability to blend parts of them together was quite fun.

It isn't perfect, but it is very good and it's definitely a solid base to build Dragon's Dogma 2 on which I hope they make. I'd buy that in a second.

This game is a definite buy. I could write several pages detailing this game's flaws and still strongly recommend it.

As for the pawns, I find them to have the right amount of endearing stupidity that I feel is a staple of Japanese games. Nothing quite like seeing my main pawn shrug off getting run over by a huge boulder only to loudly complain a few minutes later of being "SOAKED TO THE BONE!!!!!!" after setting foot in a stream. Guess water is a pawn's worst nightmare.

And don't even get me started on that goddamn tree between the Encampment and the Waycastle.....

Feels like a great little marriage between Dark Souls, Oblivion, and some other oddities like Shadow of the Colossus and a CCG. What I'm saying is: this game is pretty fucking great. Janky and a bit broken, but fucking great.

Very fun game, been awhile since I took the $60 plunge, but it was worth every penny. Sad it wasn't on PC though, would look good in 3D.

Long story short, buy it. It is sitting as my GOTY 2012 right now. It has flaws but they are mostly minor and aren't terribly huge for most people. The game is tons of fun to play, has some neat story if you look for it, and at end game has some of the best boss battles I have seen in a game in years.

buy it, it's actually a good game with rough edges.

Despite the flaws the game is amazingly good. It is tons of fun and that's what ultimately counts. @MonkeyKing1969 said about everything there is to say.

GOTY 2012, I haven't had this much fun with a game in years