When Dragon's Dogma dropped from the sky, breathing fire on unsuspecting gamers distracted by the snow-covered world of Skyrim, it caught a lot of people unaware. It had dragons in the title, but you spent a lot more time running away from the big wyrms then standing in front of them swinging your sword. It had unforgivable pop-up problems, practically non-existent fast travel, and a fractured story with some likable characters that were there, then were gone, and by the end you realise that they didn't really have anything to do with anything anyway.
BUT - and that's a very deliberately capitalised "BUT" - Dragon's Dogma was my kind of game. I loved the big world full of bandits, goblins, beholders, and dragons. I loved climbing up stuff, and killing it. The long treks through forests, castle-ruins, and mountains. The dangerous change in mood when night falls and you run out of oil for your lamp. And the pawns, your little buddies that you create yourself and borrow from other gamers online. Pawns that help out, have your back, but never bloody shut up.
Now we get to do it all again in Capcom's Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen. But, just like the original game, which came with more than its fair share of problems, Dark Arisen has its own issues. Or rather, one issue that has nothing to do with the gameplay, but just drives you nuts. Why do you have to pay more than fifty dollars for the original game, bundled with the new location and a few enhancements, instead of spending twenty something dollars on a download? Why?
Deep breath.
Putting that aside, Dark Arisen is a perfect addition to the original experience. The centerpiece to all the new abilities, magical items, weapons, equipment upgrades, monsters, and missions, is Bitterblack Isle.
