hmm first of all, a few remarks (according to the Japanese designer):
1) Dark Arisen includes the Expansion as well as the FULL GAME.
2)BITTERBLACK ISLE, the new expansion areas is a SCALING dungeon (level 50-100)
That means you win some new areas and come back later.
The Gamespot reviewer tried to charge and probanly failed miserably, then complained about the cost of hiring overleveled pawns. well try at a more reasonable level than 30 levels lower. Also dont judge only the expansion, judge the whole deal
Now dear readers, the question you should ask is this: (that Gamespot never asked)
I dont have Dragon Dogma, should i buy Dark Arisen? Yes you should
I have Dragon Dogma, should i buy Dark Arisen? i would say Probably Not, not for a super dungeon.
Should Bitterblack Isle be purchased alon as DLC? Yes, but thats Capcom's choice.
and yet this article was posted on the same day that Square Enix announce that Tomb Raider didnt sell as much as they would have hoped. Coincidence? i think not.
Anyway, lets not stand on this, but lets look more closely on the conflicting opinions in official Gamespot about Lara's main character story development.
Or rather lets talk about why Tomb Raider costs 50 euros, without offering maps, art cover, etc.
Why official review praises main character development, and article bashes it?
Maybe the review should reflect it more appropriately, with a lower score.
Dark Souls is old classic, you alone vs monsters mainly (you may summon other players, but in the end its just you). very dark & brooding, and makes you to fear when venturing forth. A little mistake can kill you, and thats a a part of its allure.
The enemies/bosses will make you cry sometimes, but that forces you to think and adapt. Not a game for the fainthearted. You have to be careful, and when you kill a boss, you feel immensely rewarded. really good game.
Dragon dogma is more like adventure style, you+your customized mercernary+party of hired mercs vs the world.
The story seems simplistic at first, but with a few really good plot twists
The real deal is when you battle various bosses, and interact with the terrain, and you change your classes (about 8, but very disctinctive playstyle)
Not good scaling on the enemies, means its kinda easy after a certain point (which is what the Dark Arisen is trying to help, they also added a Hard mode too)
I bought DD for 30 euros and i havent regretted it a bit (even the easy scaling)
On the other hand i also brought DS +Artorias DLC and havent also regretted it
Both really good games, and in my personal opinion they have given the genre a new boost, and revitalized the japanese developer scene
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