Combat itself - the main draw of the game - is seriously all over the place. Clunky is the main word that springs to mind, with a lack of easily defined targeting hodling back most character types and a general sense you don't have the control you require to take on opponents in the tactical manner Dragon's Dogma expects of you. In theory it should be wonderful and strategic, seeing each character type work to their strengths. In practice it will boil down to headless chickens running and flailing, getting KO'd and necessitating being revived by a player character too scared of going anywhere near that Cyclops that can kill them in one hit. It isn't exactly exciting.
Difficulty is not by itself a Bad Thing. Back to the Dark Souls comparisons - that's a game that gets difficulty. You fail, it's your fault. Dragon's Dogma seems to have read the first part of that statement: you just fail. Unavoidable, random strikes out of nowhere; no ability to dodge as standard; no blocking at all for certain character classes; huge, non-signposted difficulty spikes that see the player taken out in one hit; AI companions who seem happier to pick flowers than actually help; the lack of logic in a world where you can revive team-mates but they can't revive you - the list goes on.
Verdict: A clunky, confused mess of a game that simply doesn't know what it wants to be. There's comfort in how compulsive it can be, but that factor doesn't magically turn Dragon's Dogma into anything other than a flawed, dull and unfair experience.
