I bought Dragon’s Dogma 2 on Steam to do my review. I’m not a PC Master Race or anything, I usually played on consoles on games that gave me the option, however, I am currently giving more games on PC a try, and with that in mind, I honestly never had this much problems with a game before regarding crashing and performance. Looking at Steam reviews and the internet, it’s clear that it’s not just me, but many people are experiencing these kinds of problems.
At first, the game ran fine on high settings by default. I created my character and started playing. Without giving spoilers, there is a moment when the game lets you choose between going with a group of NPCS or alone. I chose to go alone and explore. After that, it began. The game crashes, I restart, the game crashes on boot, I restart again, the game crashes on loading, I restart one more time, the game loads I walk around for 20 seconds, and the game crashes again. I tried many things, lowering the graphics, limiting the frame rate, disabling ray tracing and nothing worked. Just so you know, below are my pc specs:
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-10600K CPU @ 4.10GHz
16 GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
100 GB SSD and 1 TB HDD
These performance issues plus the microtransactions and the presence of the Denuvo DRM are not making the player base happy. The microtransactions are especially absurd since it costs $2 to change the Arisen and the Pawn’s inclination appearance, besides the game having 21 DLCS, all with mostly negative reviews on Steam. I do know some people are playing fine on PC and if you are one of them I congratulate you because I absolutely cannot do that.
Now, from what I could see, the gameplay appears to be good, I especially liked the combat mechanic that remembers Shadow of The Colossus, where you climb onto giant enemies to hit weak spots. But unfortunately, that doesn’t matter if you can’t play. From what I read online, it seems that the console version of the game doesn’t have performance problems though, so that’s another history.
I don’t even need to play the full game to say that if you plan to buy on PC you should wait. Capcom has already madea post on Steam stating that they are aware of the problems and are working on a fix. However, if you plan to buy Dragon’s Dogma 2 on console then do as you will, considering the other problems mentioned above. Do keep in mind that the game runs at 30 FPS on consoles which is unacceptable for $70.
Hoyoverse released two new animations and a release trailer on Honkai: Star Rail’s YouTube channel to promote the new playable character Acheron, and the game’s 2.1 version.
The update will bring 3 new playable characters: Acheron, Aventurine, and Gallagher. Also, a new part of the main story will be released, along with new events, areas, enemies, lightcones, and more.
Character Event Warp
In Honkai: Star Rail, every major update usually comes with 2 new characters and 2 reruns of already existing characters. The banners are divided into Phases 1 and 2, with one new character and one rerun on each. The Character Warp has a pity system where 90 total summons guarantee the player a 5 star, with a 50% chance of being the featured one, and 180 total summons guarantee a featured 5 star. After you get a featured 5-star, the pity resets. It`s important to note that the summons carry through banners, so if you finish the current event with 90 summons, the next summon will be the 91, and so on.
Phase 1 (March 27 – April 17)
5-star characters:
Acheron (Lightning, The Nihility)
Luocha (Imaginary, The Abundance) banner rerun
4-star characters:
Gallagher (Fire, The Abundance)
Abilities
Basic Attack – Corkage Fee | Single Target: Deals Fire DMG equal to 130% of Gallagher’s ATK to a single target enemy.
Enhanced Basic Attack – Nectar Blitz | Single Target: Deals Fire DMG equal to 325% of Gallagher’s ATK to a single target enemy. And reduces the target’s ATK by 18%, lasting for 2 turn(s).
Skill – Special Brew | Restore: Immediately heals a target ally for 2020 HP.
Ultimate – Champagne Etiquette | AoE: Inflicts Besotted on all enemies, lasting for 2 turn(s). At the same time, deals Fire DMG equal to 187.5% of Gallagher’s ATK to all enemies, and enhances the next Basic ATK to Nectar Blitz.
Technique – Artisan Elixir: Immediately attacks the enemy. Upon entering battle, inflicts Besotted on all enemies, lasting for 2 turn(s). And deals Fire DMG equal to 50% of Gallagher’s ATK to all enemies.
Traces
Character Ascension 2 – Novel Concoction: Increases this unit’s Outgoing Healing by an amount equal to 50% of Break Effect, up to a maximum Outgoing Healing increase of 75%.
Character Ascension 4 – Organic Yeast: After using the Ultimate, immediately Advances Forward this unit’s Action by 100%.
Character Ascension 6 – Bottoms Up: When Gallagher uses Nectar Blitz to attack Besotted enemies, the HP Restore effect of his Talent will also apply to other allies for this time.
Eidolons
E1 – Salty Dog: When Gallagher enters the battle, regenerates 20 Energy and increases Effect RES by 50%.
E2 – Lion`s Tail: When using the Skill, removes 1 debuff(s) from a target ally. At the same time, increases their Effect RES by 30%, lasting for 2 turn(s).
E3 – Corpse Reviver: Skill Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15. Basic ATK Lv. +1, up to a maximum of Lv. 10.
E4 – Last Word: Extends the duration of the Besotted state inflicted by Gallagher’s Ultimate by 1 turn(s).
E5 – Death in the Afternoon: Ultimate Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15. Talent Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.
E6 – Blood and Sand: Increases Gallagher’s Break Effect by 20% and Weakness Break Efficiency by 20%.
It`s worth mentioning that the 4-star characters are available on both banners of their corresponding phase.
5-star Lightcones:
Along the Passing Shore (The Nihility):
Echoes of the Coffin (The Abundance)
4-star Lightcones:
Phase 2 (April 17 – May 8):
5-star characters:
Aventurine (Imaginary, The Preservation):
Aventurine`s kit hasn’t yet been officially announced. Keep in mind that the information here is fromhsr.honeyhunterworld.com. All details below consider the character to be max level at max traces.
Abilities
Basic Attack – Straight Bet | Single Target: Deals Imaginary DMG equal to 130% of Aventurine’s DEF to a single target enemy.
Skill – Cornerstone Deluxe | Defense: Provides all allies with a Fortified Wager shield that can block DMG equal to 28% of Aventurine’s DEF plus 410, lasting for 3 turn(s). When repeatedly gaining Fortified Wager, the Shield effect can stack, up to 200% of the Shield provided by the current Skill.
Ultimate – Roulette Shark | Single Target: Randomly gains 1 to 7 points of Blind Bet. Then inflicts Unnerved on a single target enemy, lasting for 3 turn(s). And deals Imaginary DMG equal to 324% of Aventurine’s DEF to the single target enemy. When an ally hits an Unnerved enemy target, the CRIT DMG dealt increases by 18%.
Talent – Shot Loaded Right | Bounce: The Effect RES increases by 62.5% for a single ally with Fortified Wager. And when this allied character gets attacked, Aventurine gains 1 point of Blind Bet. When Aventurine has Fortified Wager, he can resist Crowd Control debuffs. This effect can trigger again after 2 turn(s). Aventurine additionally gains 1 point(s) of Blind Bet after getting attacked. Upon reaching 7 points of Blind Bet, Aventurine consumes the 7 points to launch a 7-hit follow-up attack, with each hit dealing Imaginary DMG equal to 31.25% of Aventurine’s DEF to a single random enemy. Blind Bet is capped at 10 points.
Technique – The Red or the Black | Defense: After using the Technique, 1 of the following effects will be granted: There is a chance for DEF to increase by 24%. There is a high chance for DEF to increase by 36%. There is a small chance for DEF to increase by 60%. Note that when this Technique is used repeatedly, the acquired effect with the highest buff value is retained.
Traces
Character Ascension 2 – Leverage: For every 100 of Aventurine’s DEF that exceeds 1600, increases his own CRIT Rate by 2%, up to a maximum increase of 48%.
Character Ascension 4 – Hot Hand: When battle starts, grants all allies a Fortified Wager shield, whose Shield effect is equal to 100% of the one provided by the Skill, lasting for 3 turn(s).
Character Ascension 6 – Bingo!: After an ally with Fortified Wager launches a follow-up attack, Aventurine accumulates 1 Blind Bet point. This effect can trigger up to 3 time(s). And its trigger count resets at the start of Aventurine’s turn. After Aventurine launches his Talent’s follow-up attack, provides all allies with a Fortified Wager that can block DMG equal to 7.2% of Aventurine’s DEF plus 96, and additionally grants a Fortified Wager that can block DMG equal to 7.2% of Aventurine’s DEF plus 96 to the ally with the lowest Shield effect, lasting for 3 turns.
Eidolons
E1 – Prisoner`s Dilemma: Increases CRIT DMG by 20% for allies with Fortified Wager. After using the Ultimate, provides all allies with a Fortified Wager shield, whose Shield effect is equal to 100% of the one provided by the Skill, lasting for 3 turn(s).
E2 – Bounded Rationality: When using Basic ATK, reduces the target’s All-Type RES by 12% for 3 turn(s).
E3 – Droprate Maxing: Ultimate Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15. Basic ATK Lv. +1, up to a maximum of Lv. 10.
E4 – Unexpected Hanging Paradox: When triggering his Talent’s follow-up attack, first increases Aventurine’s DEF by 40% for 2 turn(s), and additionally increases the Hits Per Action for his talent’s follow-up attack by 3.
E5 – Ambiguity Aversion: Skill Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15. Talent Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.
E6 – Stag Hunt Game: For every ally with a Shield, the DMG dealt by Aventurine increases by 50%, up to a maximum of 150%.
Ascension Materials
Tatters of Thought: 15.
Fragments of Impression: 15.
Suppressing Edict: 65.
Shards of Desires: 15.
Trace Materials
Scattered Stardust: 18.
Tatters of Thought: 41.
Crystal Meteorites: 69.
Fragments of Impression: 56.
Divine Amber: 139.
Shards of Desires: 58.
Past Evils of the Borehole Planet Disaster – 12.
Tracks of Destiny: 8.
Jingliu (Ice, The Destruction) banner rerun.
4-star characters:
Lynx (Quantum, The Abundance).
Luka (Physical, The Nihility).
Serval (Lightning, The Erudition).
It`s worth mentioning that the 4-star characters are available on both banners of their corresponding phase.
5-star Lightcones:
Inherently Unjust Destiny (The Preservation)
Aventurine`s Lightcone details haven’t yet been officially announced. Keep in mind that the information here is fromhsr.honeyhunterworld.com.
Stats (Lvl 80):
ATK: 423.36/DEF:661.5/HP:1058
Skill (Level 5) – All-in: Increases the wearer’s DEF by 64%. When the wearer provides a Shield to an ally, the wearer’s CRIT DMG increases by 64%, lasting for 2 turn(s). When the wearer uses a follow-up attack and attacks an enemy, there is a 160% base chance to increase the DMG taken by the attacked enemy by 16%, lasting for 2 turn(s).
I Shall Be My Own Sword (The Destruction)
4-star Lightcones:
Concert for Two (The Preservation).
Shared Feeling (The Abundance).
Make the World Clamor (The Erudition)
Honkai: Star Rail’s 1st Anniversary
To celebrate Honkai: Star Rail’s 1st Anniversary many events will be held, and players will receive special rewards, such as Stelar Jades and Star Rail Special Passes.
Image: Hoyoverse
The Star Rail Passes will be distributed by a daily login method. The player will have to log in 7 days in total to accumulate 20 Passes.
Image: Hoyoverse
Events and game modes
Three new game modes will be available during version 2.1. They are named: Cosmodyssey, Vignettes in a Cup, and Tides of War.
Cosmodyssey
Video by Hoyoverse
Vignettes in a Cup
Video by Hoyoverse
Tides of War
Video by Hoyoverse
Two minor events will also occur. Planar Fissure 300% is an event where players receive 3 times drops of Planar Ornaments from Simulated Universe for a limited amount of runs per day. Likewise, there will be Realm of The Strange 300%, where players receive 3 times equipment drops from Cavern of Corrosion following the same conditions I said earlier.
New Simulated Universe World 9
The Simulated Universe will also be updated, receiving a new world, bringing along two new Planar Ornaments: “Sigonia, the Unclaimed Desolation” and “Izumo Gensei and Takama Divine Realm“.
Sigonia, the Unclaimed Desolation: “A set that accumulates higher benefits by eliminating enemy targets.
Izumo Gensei and Takama Divine Realm: “A set that confers higher benefits when there are characters of the same Path on the team”
New Enemy: Aventurine of Stratagems
Video by Hoyoverse
“A senior manager in the IPC Strategic Investment Department and one of the Ten Stonehearts. His Cornerstone is “Aventurine of stratagems.” Using his Cornerstone, he obtained a share of the authority of an Emanator of Preservation. He throws his own body into the game as a die, ready to face death in order to walk away alive.”
2.1 Release Date
Honkai: Star Rail’s version 2.1 will be released on March 27.
Unicorn Overlord is a tactical RPG developed by Vanillaware and published by Atlus in Japan, and Sega worldwide, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, and Xbox Series X/S. The developer is known for games such as Odin Sphere, Dragon’s Crown, and 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. The purpose of this review is to share my experience and help the reader better understand the game before buying it.
Gameplay
The game combat is divided into two parts: the tactical isometric view part, where you deploy and command your units, as well as use the character’s valor skills and items. The second one is the turn base fights, which are automatic, however, the player can change beforehand the tactics the characters will use in battle, such as skill priority, skill conditions, equipment, and much more. Unicorn Overlord is not just limited to combat, you also explore the Overwolrd, like old Final Fantasy titles, if you have played them. There the player will find battles, as well as new allies, shops, cities, items, and other secrets. It’s in this moment you can change your units formations, equipment, upgrade the units classes, and unlock more units/increase unit size.
The game employs an interesting mechanic for each class similar to Pokemon/Rock-paper-scissors, but a little more complex. Thief units are good at dodging attacks, however, truestrike units(attacks that bypass dodging) destroy them. Cavalry units take increased damage from flying units, which take increased damage from arrows, and sometimes magic, the list goes on. It’s also good to note that terrain influences units behavior. Flying units can fly through anything, cavalry units move faster on roads, but slower on forests. Infantry units are balanced in that sense, they are slow, but don’t suffer many drawbacks.
In the beginning, it’s extremely fun, since every new battle means a new character, new mechanic, or both for you to explore, however, this slows down as the game advances. I won’t consider this a problem, since there can be no game with infinite content.
The gameplay is excellent. The combat system makes you think, especially in higher difficulties, because of the terrain, weapons, and ambushes the enemy can employ. Also, your units have stamina, so you can’t just let them battle forever, they have to rest, use an item, or capture an enemy post to recover stamina, and item usage is limited, at least in the difficulty I am playing. The immense variety of characters, classes, and skills also come into play here. The amount of units and strategies you can make is insane, and the class upgrade system makes you feel accomplished and yearn for what your upgraded character can do. Despite all my praise for the game, I must say that it gets repetitive down the line. Once you start getting fewer new units and the cost for upgrading gets higher you just do the same thing for some battles until you can change something, but I don’t think in any way that this spoils the experience,, the good outweighs the bad here.
Narrative
The game narrative at its core is very simple, at least, until the part I have played. I won’t give any spoilers here, but it’s pretty black and white, good vs evil. The great variety of characters adds to the narrative. The units gather “rapport” between their members, which can unlock some cool interactions, as well as each new addition you get to the army usually has a history and a well-made one. I like that the game has you choose the fate of some villains/opponents you defeat, which can sometimes create a moral question. That choice can be to spare/kill them or something else, but I think that is a choice lacking in games. I haven’t finished the game yet, so I will update this once I have more information.
Graphics and Audio
Unicorn Overlord has an anime-style drawing and an extremely well-made one. Every character has an incredible design, and the animations are also impeccable, especially considering the number of characters and classes. The fight scenarios are also beautiful, and the Overworld/Stage parts of the game have a pixelated design. There are also some “cutscenes” that are more dialogues between members of the army that reuse some of the animations, however, the real deal is in the combat animations. They are fluid, have good VFX, and are unique.
The sound effects are nice, nothing out of the ordinary in my opinion. The soundtrack is magnificent, especially the combat ones, making the combat feel more agitated and exciting. The voice acting is impeccable as well. The voices fit the characters and don’t feel out of place. It’s good to mention that I played in Japanese.
Longevity and replayability
I don’t see much replay value at the moment I’m writing this. As I said before I still have to finish the game, so I don’t know if it has some kind of new game+ or similar, but the game is long, especially if you do everything you can, and I’m not even talking about achievements here, just the game itself. There is a multiplayer mode, however, you don’t play against other players, just against a unit they have uploaded. I still have to experience said mode, so I will update this post with more details when I have, but I think you shouldn’t buy the game, based on this. The multiplayer appears to be a plus at best and the real experience will be the history.
Conclusion
I will add my conclusion, along with my grade, once I have finished the game. I would like to add that, like everyone, I have to buy and play the game on launch, so it takes some time to do everything I need to complete this review.
Hello, I’m Gabriel, a gaming enthusiast since I can remember. From the first days I started playing in my childhood, I experienced the most diverse consoles, platforms, and games. The gaming world captivated and inspired me. Today, I have the opportunity to turn this passion into something more than just fun.
Upon entering the game review universe, I propose to merge my life experience as an avid gamer, combined with my dedication to research and analysis to offer unique and founded opinions on games.
So, trusting me to provide gaming reviews and insights, you can expect more than superficial opinions. I always try to experience the most out of a game, so it’s only natural that my reviews should convey such.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and visit my website. I look forward to continuing this journey and sharing my passion with you.
![Unicorn Overlord [First Impressions]](https://watchgamesystem.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/UnicornOverlord.jpg)
