You can parry pretty much every attack in the game, even the ones from the big monsters. Parrying also helps with a specific enemy type that I'm not sure you've encountered yet. But generally dodge cancelling is just as effective.

@beforet: Not having started the game yet, Drakengard is really a game that I want to hit me in the face with melodramatic insanity. I was always annoyed that the localization of Drakengard 1 removed controversial, but still character defining, aspects to a number of the game's characters. That wasn't toning down, that was just censoring. And as a whole the entire world of that game is in such a messed up state that I feel theatrical presentation of the characters isn't a detriment.

@donchipotle: So I know that you wanna wait for the DLC before talking about your full thoughts on the game, but could you at least talk a tiny bit about it? Like, did you find the story good/satisfying, etc?

Sorry, I'm dying to play the game myself but my copy's still not here for some reason. Dx

Good stuff, homie. Unless I'm forgetting something, the last thing that I need to do for the Platinum is upgrade the rest of my weapons. Once that's done, I'll probably read what's left of the Novella and wait for the rest of the DLC so that I may tackle them all at once. I had a lot of fun with Drakengard 3, but I just wish more of the backstory/character development that took place in the book found its into the game. There's some quality stuff in there!

Do you have a tracking number or anything?

I don't know if I'd call the story good, exactly. I liked it less than Drakengard 1 in that regard. I thought the story was okay. In particular I enjoyed the dynamic between Zero and Mikhail. Whereas Drakengard had a grim, bleak fantasy story that, until it really went off the rails, maintained its depressing and bleak theme throughout. Drakengard 3, on the other hand, is fairly light-hearted (which is fine, it is what it is). The story is serviceable. I came around to it as it got closer to the end, which is coincidentally when the story decides to pick up. By the time the credits rolled, I felt that I got a decent conclusion to the plot, which is kind of all I really want out of any narrative.

@hailinel: Nope. I'm pretty sure I also never got an email saying it's been shipped either, unless I accidentally deleted it (which is kinda likely).

I've got my DLC and stuff downloaded, so I know the payment didn't screw up at least. Chances are the post office just didn't feel like bringing it to me yet. Here's hoping that changes on Monday!

Also sorry it took me a sec to respond, I'm suddenly not getting notifications anymore!

It doesn't appear that I'm getting notifications, either.

@hailinel: Well I hope you got my comment praising your hatred of Aiden Pierce's hat!

@donchipotle Hmm, interesting. Well, I'd argue that most (if not, all) Cavia games kinda don't get suuuper interesting until towards the end, so no big surprise there. I was hoping it'd have some big, crazy connections to Nier and the first Drakengard, but if it's more interested in itself, then that's okay too I guess.

I'm not super deep into this game yet, but so far it's given me a total No More Heroes vibe, which I am really digging. The gameplay and level design feel like they're ripped right out of the latest Dynasty Warriors game, which... I guess I'm okay with. It works. The dialogue and voice work are definitely whats carrying the experience so far. The only problem I've really noticed is the occasional drop in frame rate.

Did that novella you guys are talking about only come with the Collector's Edition or is it available elsewhere? I downloaded the Gold Edition off of PSN, so I got a bunch of DLC but no novella. It'd be kind of interesting to read it, if I could.

I went into this with zero (no pun...) expectations (having not played Drakengard 1/2).

The best way I could think to describe it is like God of War, if it were made by way less people, and if Kratos had no real motivation for his murder spree (or if it wasn't revealed at the start). The framerate is indeed terrible at times, but I didn't find it to hamper my experience too much. The camera is also pretty awful when fighting larger enemies in enclosed spaces. Though I didn't really run into any bugs, which was unexpected!

Game is pretty easy thus far too (completed the main story line). Didn't really get close to dying anywhere but the final boss fight, and that's only because I wasn't really trying too hard. The requests the game throws at you can be a little difficult time wise if you've not upgraded your weapons I guess. I never really got bored of the combat either, being able to cancel the recovery of weapon swings with the dash button made things pretty fun.

The narrative is mad. I can't think of a better way to describe it (again, I've only finished branch A so far, so opinion may change). But playing an antagonist in a game full of antagonists was an experience that I felt fully validated the price I payed for the game...

Overall thoughts are that it's a below average game that provides a fairly unique experience. I get the impression that fans of the first 2 games are disappointed, where as people like me, who can stomach a lot of crap, and had no expectations going in, are liable to have a good time with it. It's definitely one of the more memorable games I've played this gen.

Plus, I dunno, maybe it'll make the next game you play seem better.

Edit: forgot to add the OST is awesome if you're into that kind of thing.

So people have sorta touched on this, but I have been wondering, how is the story told in this game? I remember not really enjoying the first Drakengard (I might be completely wrong on this because its been a long time) because it just kinda told its story while you were running around killing dudes and reminded me a lot of dynasty warriors. So I guess what I'm wondering is does this game tell its story like that? Or are there cutscenes, and then you go fight dudes and then talking scenes etc. which I guess would be more like Nier. Maybe I'm picky, but I kinda want a game to put more focus on its story than these people talking while you're fighting, not that that can't be good sometimes, just not the entire game.

@kerse said:

It's mostly bad jokes and swearing during combat. The story is mainly told through cutscenes and a couple of quiet campfire sections.

There's a little bit of exposition during boss battles, but that's about it.

@kerse: The first Drakengard totally had a bunch of cutscenes, and even in-game cutscenes with little text boxes.

ok as a person who played nier and really liked it despite its problems.i bought drakengard 3 yesterday,and played a good amount ,and i have to say i really like this game.the graphics on a technical side arent great but there not horrible either,and the most important part for graphics is the artstyle imo,which i think is really good.i love the banter between the characters,i like the main character alot,and so far the story is interesting which i know if its like nier or the other drakengard games its going to get way better.i love and i mean LOVE the music in this game.very few games have music that gets me to actually want to listen to it outside of the game,this one has.in fact this might be one of my fave soundtracks this year.i really like the combat alot its very fun, and its only going to get better as i get more weapons and party members.i actually think this is the best combat system in the series including nier,which i know some people might disagree with.i havent really had the framerate drops that alot of people have mentioned so i dont know what to tell you there.so all in all so far i love this game alot,and if the story gets really good by the end like this series is known for then this will more than likely be my fave game in the series,and maybe could be a goty contender or atleast a honorable mention.

There are really small references to Drakengard, but it's much more interested in telling its own story.

The Drakengard Wiki has the translations of the chapters on it if you're interested in reading them. Though there is a suggested order to the chapters, namely there are three you should read only after finishing the game.

So here's a weird question: In traditional Cavia fashion (except for maybe the first Drakengard?), does the opening demo reel thingy spoil the entire game? :P

@steadyingmeat said:

A little, you're not really given enough context for it properly spoil anything. I'd say it was a safe watch, but skip it if you want to go in totally blind or something.

Huh. Thanks, duder.

I got up to the second boss, died once, and now I don't really have any desire to play the game again. The opening scene of the game where Zero stabs the narrator was great but I really dislike the 4th wall breaking that's happening. Especially where the characters comment on how stupid platforming is, or how all of these boring arena segments are the same, if the creators know this is stupid why don't they just leave it out? The bad framerate and repetitive side missions are kind of bringing me down too.

I'm interested to see where the story goes, but I'm already bored of the gameplay after 2 chapters. I don't think I could finish 4 different routes unless the story is amazing and exceptional, which I hear it isn't.

Polygon are such clueless fucking hypocrites lol.When I eventually pick up a ps3 for persona 5 I'm thinking this will be my only other purchase.

It was included in the Collector's Edition. I imagine it'll get a proper release down the road, but right now that is the only way to get it.

It's also a part of the Gold Edition on PSN, though I doubt that helps much.

Does anybody know how long this game takes to beat? I'd love to play it but I'm pretty burnt out on long games for the moment. I suppose the answer to this question might be kind of complicated if this game is anything like Nier.

It isn't long. If you are just going for a straight run through, it'll probably be like 12 hours or so. Maybe 15. The individual levels are fairly short, the game's length comes mostly in the form of grinding gold to get every weapon, which is needed to finish the game. Obviously if you miss a hidden weapon in a level, you'll have to replay it so that will add some length.

On the topic of the story being amazing, that's kind of open to debate. As someone who has spent way, way, way too much time reading up on the lore an story of the three main Yoko Taro Drakengard games I'll be the first to say that the story as presented in the game isn't amazing, and it's largely because most, if not all, of the character development for everyone outside the main two (Zero and Mikhail) is in the novellas (and I think the DLC, but don't quote me on that just yet) which really just makes some of the characters come off as one dimensional anime stereotypes.

Which is what Yoko Taro was going for in terms of character design, if not actual personality.

If you're bored of the game I don't think the story will sway you in that regard, especially since it doesn't really get to the truly serious and interesting story bits until you're near the absolute end of the game anyway..

But, as far as the fourth wall breaking thing goes, that goes away. The fact that the characters comment on it (and comment on how Zero much prefers just stabbing everything) is kind of a think Yoko Taro likes to do. It may not be earned (really, when is it ever earned in any game that does it?) but there's a reason for it other than just cheap fourth wall breaking. It's meta. Kind of.

@donchipotle: Do you see yourself writing a blog post about Drakengard 3 anytime in the future? Unless I'm trippin', you did a pretty nice write-up about Nier not too long ago.

To be honest, I just wanna pick the brains of other Drakengard/Nier fans.

I cant wait to play this. But I think I will have to wait for a cheap used copy.

I do, I do. But I want to wait until all the Sister DLC comes out.

After reading through some of the novella, I'm actually kind of disappointed that a lot of the characterization shown here never really makes it into the game itself. I'm really hoping the DLC based around the sisters is primarily going to be about filling in those blanks, but it still feels like a waste.

@donchipotle: Would also be interested in a write up from someone who's played other games in the series!

Also I retract my previous statement, the end boss of branch D is not easy...

Close your eyes. I'm serious. That boss is easier (I found it easier, anyway) when you close your eyes and just focus on the sounds. Considering what goes on during that boss, I have to believe it is intentional.

@donchipotle said:

Going to spoiler my response in case I get a bit specific (guide to beating the boss enclosed).

In regards to the arena requests, if you get every weapon to level 4 you get an outfit that essentially gives you infinite Intoner mode. It makes every side mission a joke.

.....Can you guys please mark your spoilers better? Anyone who played the first Drakengard would have a decent idea as to what the final boss is gonna be after that comment.

@petiew said:

This is basically how I feel and I finished the first branch. The more I play the game, the more I dislike it. And its hard for me to care about a story when its a chore to get to it.

Well my copy finally arrived and I played the tutorial and the first real level. Here are my scattered thoughts:

- I find it pretty fun

- I like that the music seems to change while in Intoner mode

- The way the lips aren't synced to the English dialog is really, really annoying

- Graphics are bad and it has some of the worst video game water I have ever seen

- Cutscenes, though, look pretty damn good!

- Why does Caim's sword look nothing like Caim's sword

- I'm already addicted to collecting materials and buying/upgrading weapons

- I really like Zero so far

- There's this weird....snap? to her movement that happens after you attack. I dunno how to describe it. But it sucks.

- I really hope you can call down your dragon anywhere in later levels. Having call down spots seems like a complete step backwards

Also, when should I read the novella that came with my CE?

@steadyingmeat said:

Just responding to these 3:

-You mean like the recovery? You can cancel it by dashing, which is by far my favorite part about the combat.

-You can't I'm afraid, plus calling him in destroys the frame rate, so I tended to avoid doing it anyway...

-I've not finished mine yet, but I've read somewhere that there are some spoilers in it that you'll probably want to avoid until you've finished the game. (I'll try and find my source for this...)

Also, since you started the thread, might want to include all the slatings the game got in reviews too, just so people know what they're getting into :P. Personally I loved it, but I can see how people would think the game is a pos too.

Well I played the game a bunch more and I'm still finding it really enjoyable. But man, that frame rate.....God, that frame rate. The boss fight with Five was just terrible at times. Definitely in the single digits.

@mwng Yeah, I actually started this thread when there was only a few reviews out. I'll probably go back and edit more in later. I'm lazy, sorry. ;_;

I've been reading each chapter based on what sister/disciple I'm chasing after and so far I've been finding it makes their section of the game a little more interesting without really spoiling anything too important. Of course, you could also do the opposite and read each sister's chapter after you defeat them to get a bit more background. You probably don't want to read much farther than that though.

No spoilers, but uuuuuggggghhhh, I've not had cathartic experience like this from beating a final boss in a long time...

Two whole evenings, I think I might be bad at video games...

In other news, Gamespot seemed weirdly positive about the game in their review.

So I decided to finally get the final ending of the first Drakengard. How the fuck do you beat this boss without cheating?

Hey, so is this where we go to bitch about the Final Boss? Cause I want to bitch about the Final Boss. Like about how awful an idea it was to change the camera so that you can see neither yourself nor where the attacks are coming from, and you literally only have audio cues to go by for several sections. Totaled up I've spent at least 6 hours on this, and I've only managed to make it four minutes on any one run.

Edit: Spoilered more. Probably unnecessary, but I had the final boss spoiled for me (not here, other site) by a really small comment, and I don't want to take chances.

You can do it!

Yeah, you guys should probably create a spoiler thread if you wanna talk about this stuff, mainly so you don't have to spoiler tag everything. I was probably gonna create one when I completed the game anyway. :P

@flappy: I've already tried using the sync up videos to no effect, so I guess it can't hurt to try that way.

Though now I got a question for aficionados here: overall, which have you preferred, the final boss to Drakengard 1, or the final boss to Drakengard 3? In all sense.

Done!

@beforet: I'm just going to put it all in spoilers (until someone makes a thread anyway). Edit: you did make a thread, re-posted there.

Just beat the first ending and saw the credits. Another 8-4 game! I don't remember them talking about this game at all on the podcast.

@ike7779 said:

I think they did Nier as well. Overall they did a good job, just some of the dialog felt off to me. Too modern and colloquial, though that could be related to plot stuff I don't know about. But still, I kinda miss the Britishness of the first game.

I'm nearing the end of Chapter 2 and so far it's a pretty harmless/uninspired hack and slasher that's got a sense of style, but not quite the budget to back it up. Sorta like Deadly Premonition where I don't really mind the game's flaws too much, but I've definitely had my fair share of the game's incredibly terrible technical performance botching missions for me with dropped frames and inputs or the camera spazzing out.

Can't really say at this point if I'll finish it or not. The side missions are so agonizingly bad, I don't really want to bother with them at all anymore already. Given how Japanese game design loves to hide good stuff behind tedious junky busywork tasks though, I'm sure there's items or weapons in there that'll be required to see everything the game has to offer.