Dragon’s Dogma puts you in the shoes as the Risen, a new hero to save the world from the return of the dragon. RAWR! It’s apparently going to be the first in a series as they’re calling it a "franchise" already. Hopefully the games will mature as time goes on because there are large, gaping holes in the gameplay of this title. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it and pour hour after hour into it. I did. I just didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I had hoped I would because of all the cool stuff they showed during development.

There are some really cool things in Dragon’s Dogma like the fact that you can grapple with enemies and if you’re larger than you, climb on them and attack from certain strategic positions. They also recognize some placed shots, so if say you hit a cyclops in the eye, it will freak out. That’s not to say that it’s always like that but I did try headshots with my bow anyway with some limited success. Yes, I also put an arrow in someone’s knee. That did not really stop them from advancing on me.

One of the major twists in the gameplay of Dragon’s Dogma is the introduction of the pawn. Like those old school isometric RPGs of old, you get a party. However, you have a main pawn who you get to customize both physically as well as personality for things like combat, aid, etc. Unfortunately, the pawn control system leaves much to be desired as you can only direct them to come, go and help. No, there’s not even an attack command, which is weird right? I mean it’s a game that has a serious focus on combat, and yet you can’t point to an enemy and yell attack to your teammates.