DRAGON'S DOGMA was one of the most interesting RPGs ever made. a bold game that tested many experimental mechanics and carved a tiny niche for itself.

it was also very clearly unfinished. messy in many different regards and with a degree of friction that turned off many players. it was a canonical 7/10 videogame.

but now... with a decade+ of experience under his belt, HIDEAKI ITSUNO returns to the directing throne. for DRAGON'S DOGMA II. also known as: DRAG-DOG 2.

with this new game, itsuno and CAPCOM tinker with and enhance many of the eld dragdog mechanics. leading to a game that masterpiecishly coalesces into a powerful work of digital artistry.

managing the impossible... turning a 7/10 game into an 8/10 game... which is, secretly at its core, a 10/10 game.

one of the most unique games ever made.

DEMON'S SOULS is the crystalized essence of a memory you can't quite place. a game produced during a strange era for even stranger reasons. pretty much sent out to die... yet, somehow, remaining.

it's an... odd duck. with the glossiest PS360 era visuals this side of E3 2005, the "gameplay balance" of the tower of pisa, and NPCs named shit like "SAGE FREKE". it's no wonder DEMON'S SOULS did not leave the meteoric impact that its main "competitor" OBLIVION did.

this was, after all, an era where being a mid-budget genre game from a japanese developer was pretty much a death sentence. nevertheless, the seeds planted by the first Souls game went on to completely revolutionize large parts of modern gaming.

a lot of players might be dismissive of this game, given its age. but i think there's something beautiful about its rough edges. the themes and ideas are palpably raw. it harkens to a time where HD game development was still giving a lot of developers, especially those overseas, big trouble.

the game wears its influences on its sleeve and executes on them with such conviction that you can easily overlook all the places where it kinda falls short. it does many interesting things. some of which are still unique to it.

sure, not all of those ideas add to the game, but those that do are unmistakeably excellent. the way it blends traditional FromSoftware elements with new, experimental mechanics, still feels fresh and inspired.

many scholars and game scientists refer to DEMON'S SOULS as the "best" ARMORED CORE game.

a wild experiment for the--then nascent--FromSoftware. ARMORED CORE proves to be a rock solid foundation for its genre and a game that still stands on its own as a worthwile experience.

one of the rare examples of a game that actually benefits from the artifacts of its age. the slow methodical controls and the delibarate combat mechanics kinda providing a simulacrum of "real" mech piloting.

this, combined with the game's carefully designed missions, create an addictive and rewarding gameplay loop. said loop rewards player progression and mastery of the movement mechanics with increasing levels of freedom.

ARMORED CORE has a pretty perfect amount of mechanical complexity. the customization is at a level of being rich enough to entice you with upgrades and build possibilities, while being agile enough to keep the game generally... arcadey.

the aforementioned missions do a fantastic job of touring you through the game's depths. they're often more creative and atmospheric than you would think for a "game about giant robots". it uses whatever little dropplets of storytelling it can leverage to build one hell of a strong tone.

some of the later missions create genuinely intense "plot twists" and set pieces that you will remember for a long time. this hand-crafted designed coupled with a very considerate difficulty curve make loving ARMORED CORE completely effortless.