The other day – don’t worry, I’ve got permission to tell this story – I observed one of iGamesNews’s own members, while discussing the wonderful merits of Dragon’s Dogma 2, say, in a moment of enthusiasm, The following statement was issued: “Fuck Baldur’s Gate 3.”
To be fair, that’s true for everyone, but when I turned around and hiked the length and breadth of the two kingdoms of Wymonde and Ba’tar (since there’s no mounts or fast travel, if you haven’t heard of it ), a procedurally generated enemy appears every six or seven steps in the battle, and the words of my respected colleague made me realize something. I miss Faerûn.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of my favorite games of 2023, but due to various circumstances (especially the release of Dragon’s Dogma 2), I’ve only played one game since returning from the Christmas break. It’s been on my mind for a while and I miss it, but at this moment, I realize I miss it terribly.
Now, on paper, Dragon’s Dogma 2 should have a lot in common with Baldur’s Gate 3. But in reality, aside from both being fantasy role-playing games set in medieval Europe, the two games have very little in common.
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In addition to the usual complaints about the lack of proper fast travel, the one-save limit hindering experimentation, and the annoyingly questionable microtransactions, there are some more nitpicky criticisms I could level with Dragon’s Dogma 2 here. For example: As a former trained medievalist, the fact that Cod’s dialogue with Shakespeare is inexplicably favored by many self-proclaimed “medieval” high fantasy settings is an immediate turn-off for me, and it’s fully realized here display.
I don’t usually worry about my immersion being ruined in games, but hearing one of DD2’s NPCs project their stilted dialogue to the rafters during a supposedly informal or even intimate conversation was totally jarring for me. It’s a mood killer, especially after the demise of Baldur’s Gate 3. It is undeniable that the show’s critical acclaim is largely due to its characterization.
Okay, so I’m being a little flippant here, but actually, that little complaint really helped me capture what I miss most about Baldur’s Gate 3 right now: how often humanity spills freely out of the sword Moments – and magical combat encounters. I miss my vampire husband, my fiery wife, and my hilarious bestie with a magical nuke stuck in her chest, all of whom were great companions sitting around the campfire in the heat of battle. I miss being woken up in the middle of the night by Scratch fighting with an owl bear cub. I miss the feeling that my Tav was just a largely accidental individual caught up in a larger world, each the protagonist of his own story and reacting accordingly.
Dragon’s Dogma 2’s pawn system does have something truly unique, and the options for customizing your companions in this way are pretty extensive, but the trade-off is that they have no real life other than contentedly enslaving you as their resurrection By. In this game, you become the protagonist of the game world, and even non-pawn NPCs cannot avoid having their little lives largely revolve around you.You have a lot of options in Dragon’s Dogma 2, but saying the wrong thing and having half the team leave you isn’t one of them because no one is really interested in a heated exchange of opinions; world What You did it but didn’t care much Why you did it.
Of course, I get a pleasant shiver every time I return to Merv and the dragon renews its attack, seriously threatening to kill a plot-critical NPC in the process. The idea that a procedurally generated world could unilaterally elect the Deep Mane Six is certainly exciting – although it’s worth noting that the same thing could happen in Baldur’s Gate 3, in which case, It’s all up to your discretion as a potential group-murderer, if you like. But the point is: fight off that dragon again, and then all Lennart or Ulrika wants to talk to me about is the next step that the plot takes me to. No one seems to have the time or interest to have a proper chat.
In Dragon’s Dogma 2, being the Chosen One is a bit lonely, maybe that’s what I mean.
So, do I regret playing Dragon’s Dogma 2? Absolutely not, and now that I’ve gotten over the worst teething problems (getting the rhythm of combat in a massive open world without fast travel; getting my head around that weird 1.5-slot save system), I’m really big Enjoy it part of the time. I’m still filing Minority Report for iGamesNews, and while I personally don’t think it will end up being close to my GOTY, I’m not having a bad time regardless.
But most importantly, playing Dragon’s Dogma 2 gave me a valuable new perspective on my relationship with role-playing games, which have always been one of my favorite genres. It taught me to appreciate the difference between a well-written RPG and a chaotic procedural RPG, and while both are built with admirable craftsmanship, I’m personally very partial to the former – and that’s okay! I always enjoy experiences that allow me to better articulate the reasons for my opinions, and DD2 offers a useful lesson in this regard, as an undeniably well-made RPG that just Not quite to my personal taste.
Interestingly, I don’t think I’m alone: I haven’t met anyone yet like very much This is true for “Baldur’s Gate 3” and “Dragon’s Dogma 2”. I’m sure there are a lot of fantasy RPG fans out there who are eating well right now, but so far everyone I’ve heard from has at least jumped ship for DD2 like the anonymous Welsh colleague I mentioned earlier who has an acting background the same; or, like me, given their advice, they prefer to stick with BG3 rather than the new version. I find it interesting that 2023’s widely recognized GOTY and 2024’s first GOTY hotspot don’t seem to have much overlap among their passionate fan bases, even though their basic premise is very similar.
