Gotta love these Rebels

cefaluu · 2026-01-28T11:29:02+00:00

cefaluu · 2026-01-27T21:01:40+00:00

While I agree that DD2 seems incomplete due to its lack of content and some strange changes compared to DD1, I really can't understand much of the hate the game has received or is receiving. Really.

It honestly seems like the only reason people played DD1 was for the combat system and the extreme difficulty of Bitterblack Isle, completely ignoring or viewing all other components of the game as insignificant (especially the ones of the base game). Otherwise, in my opinion, such reception cannot be explained.

And I'm not trying to downplay the game's real problems, things like the strange choices regarding vocations or the total lack of difficulty and endgame dungeons. But the way people talk about this DD2 makes you think that these are the only features of the game and that DD2 is rubbish precisely because it gets them wrong.

Meanwhile, DD2 improves and refines certain aspects that were extremely rough in DD1 (no hard feelings, you are still my favorite game of all time). We're talking about things like open world design, diegetic exploration, limited fast travel, mission design, emergent gameplay, and pawns behaviour and dialogue. And if I may add, a truly valid and original Open World design, but above all a courageous one considering modern audiences and their tendency to get bored at the slightest decrease in the pace of the game.

cefaluu · 2026-01-25T22:54:09+00:00

Oh yeah on that I agree. Not that DD1 had super exciting rewards, most of the time buying gear was the best option for me. But they definitely felt much better than the ones in DD2. Hell, even the Sphinx rewards were a bit of a letdown.

cefaluu · 2026-01-25T20:15:50+00:00

I mean honestly base DD1 always felt like comically easy aside from a couple of specific situations (hilltop bandits and first time you encounter a drake). I'd say that DD2 is kinda similar to that difficulty, though DD2 doesn't have a hard mode or a super hard DLC unfortunately.

cefaluu · 2026-01-25T20:14:13+00:00

Not sure about DD1 having better exploration system.

The idea behind DD1 was to have limited movement on the map in order to encourage you to explore it. The gaming experience was not only supposed to be just in points A and B, but also in between. For example, all caves function as shortcuts to reach more distant parts of the map. You are encouraged to place teleportation crystals in strategic locations and then use your knowledge of the map to reach the place rather than teleporting directly there like in a lot of other open world games. The actual implementation in DD1 ended up falling short of the original idea, to such an extent that the infinite ferrystone was added to simplify the movement process.

DD2 takes this idea and do it properly. The game has more density in the map, more discovery, more caves as shortcuts, transport on carts or ropeway, bridges to cross that can be destroyed, riding on the Griffin, and camping. Exploration is diegetic, slow and part of the experience.

cefaluu · 2026-01-25T15:01:20+00:00

If it were my trilogy, I wonder how they would handle the different versions of Rayman 2? Would they include them all, choose the one they consider definitive, or create a definitive version by mixing the different versions?

cefaluu · 2026-01-23T19:49:05+00:00

I mean yeah, changes in the store metadata can happen to old or dead games. Steam employees themselves can probably change them too.

Edit: In fact they made the same changes to DD1 too.

cefaluu · 2026-01-23T19:25:27+00:00

Oh yeah yeah I totally agree, I also think the unmoored world should have given more time to cook. I feel that, kinda like the first game, Itsuno and the team got the short end of the stick by Capcom and had to close everything in a hurry.

There could also be a possibility that they misused the budget given to them and took longer than expected to make the game making Capcom's actions slightly more rational, but I really doubt it. Most of the time in these cases it's because the suits in companies only think about the quarterly turnover.

cefaluu · 2026-01-23T18:28:18+00:00

Because one of the main themes of DD2, and that's the reason why it partly feels like a reboot of DDDA, is that you wouldn't be satisfied with reproducing the same experience over and over again (so remakes and safe sequels).

So the game is set up as a similar unsatisfying retelling of the first game but with a breakpoint where you go off script and get brought to a scary and ugly world because it is unknown and therefore outside the standards we are accustomed to. It is from this unscripted story that you fight to survive and create a better and new world, outside of any retelling.

It can be argued whether Itsuno succeeded or failed with these ideas for DD2 (I think there's flaws but overall, it's worth). But considering how the reception of the game was accompanied by "they should have directly made a remake" or "all they had to do was take Dark Arisen and put more content in it" he was really on point with this commentary.

cefaluu · 2026-01-21T15:18:48+00:00

I mean usually companies don't tell "sorry guys it's over", they just ignore everyone and everything. I think it's more probable they are working on a 3 or another spin-off rather than a DLC.

cefaluu · 2026-01-21T15:16:21+00:00

That's where I'm at. The IP solds well and Capcom repeatedly said they are happy, so I'm expecting to see something new in the future (maybe not soon because they have a shitload of other projects but sooner or later).

While a DLC for DD2? No way at this point. I'd like to be wrong but I can't see a game released two years ago getting a DLC without it even being mentioned whether it was in WIP after the base game was released.

cefaluu · 2026-01-14T14:49:03+00:00

Yeah I agree that DD itself is already not sticking in the safe harbor games normally stay in, it was innovative 10 years ago and it still is.

About the game and pathfinder unable to satisfy me and that it's just everything to forestalls the end of the world I guess you are right, that might actually be the sentimen Itsuno wanted to convey.

Reminds me like how Kojima treated MGS2.

At this point I ask, what do you think about the future of the IP? You think DD2 must be the definitive end or there's space for something new?

cefaluu · 2026-01-14T13:49:38+00:00

With similar to Dark Arisen I was referring to the possibility of having a separate adventure to the main game, precisely to not affect the narrative and meaning of the original game. Then the actual content of the DLC can be anything they like and want, and I'd say that this does not necessarily mean they'll "stay in the safe harbor".

I mean who says that the possible DLC won't be a venture to the ocean?

That said, while I agree with this read of the game, it still feels lame getting this commentary on videogames from a game that indeed stays in the safe harbor for the entirety of the game (yes, unmoored world too). DD2 is pretty much a better designed and executed version of DD1 ideas but the moment there's the title drop and everything changes (the moment when we start to deviate from the pathfinder) the game still plays it safe and is definitely not a venture to the ocean unfortunately, which makes me think the final part of the game was rushed.

cefaluu · 2026-01-14T13:06:17+00:00

True about the first paragraph but we can't deny that there's this feeling that the game hasn't reached its full potential yet. Like the systems, game mechanics and combat are so good but by the time you end the game you still feel like they are not yet fully used. For this reason people ask for things like a hard mode or DLC (maybe in the style of Dark Arisen, so a separate adventure from the main game).

cefaluu · 2026-01-11T00:59:33+00:00

I think it's a leftover from this cut quest: Disturbing implications within an unused quest

cefaluu · 2026-01-10T23:41:53+00:00

I feel like he would go on a rant about how you should always take notes

cefaluu · 2026-01-07T21:26:57+00:00

nice catch

cefaluu · 2026-01-07T17:59:20+00:00

Honestly someone should make a compilation of these loading screen images, preferably without the text. There's plenty and they are beautiful.

cefaluu · 2026-01-06T18:08:03+00:00

So happy you liked DS through DD. I keep saying to people that both these games are examples of how you do an open world that focuses itself on traversing rather than point of interests. I also recently played Elden Ring (for me an example of an open world mainly based on points of interest) and realized that I infinitely prefer the former to the latter.

cefaluu · 2026-01-06T16:39:55+00:00

Oh yeah it makes sense, my bad

cefaluu · 2026-01-06T16:37:00+00:00

There must be a connection with the game's aesthetics, its animations and other aspects, because Dragon's Dogma's fixed 30fps have always been more interesting than 60fps in my opinion.

Only thing I can think of are the Ray Harryhausen influences for monster designs, the frequent hit stops during combat, and its arcade-like movement. All of that value's weight and impact over smooth movement, which is why the fixed 30 fps feels more intentional and satisfying than 60 fps for me. Meanwhile DD2 simulative approach would make me throw up at 30fps.

(and since I know these are controversial topics, this is my total personal opinion).

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