Dragon's Dogma

Common Sense Media says

Mature role-playing adventure with action, blood, and gore.

Age(i)

NOT FOR KIDS

Quality(i)

 

Learning(i)

(i)
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What parents need to know

Positive messages

This role-playing game is about defeating evil -- and while that sounds noble and "positive," there is so much violence, blood, and gore in the game, along with other mature themes and imagery, that it doesn't have a positive message overall. Note: it's possible to kill civilians, but you're penalized with lower "charisma" levels.

Positive role models

Not much is known about the protagonist but you play as Glynn, a warrior on a quest to kill an evil dragon that is ravaging the lands and killing innocent people. You can customize your character in a number of different ways to tweak the look and abilities of the hero. You can also play as a woman, which makes your female love interest a same-sex relationship. There is no option to play as a woman and have a male love interest.

 

Ease of play

Despite some camera issues that can plague your view, the game is fairly easy to control -- especially for those who've played other third-person Capcom games. The game eases you in slowly, though, and teaches you the core mechanics before the action intensifies.

Violence

DRAGON'S DOGMA is quite bloody and gory, as the character takes on various enemies throughout the game. You can use swords, a bow, and magic attacks (such as fireballs) to kill humans and creatures. It's possible to dismember an enemy, plus some cut-scene sequences are gory, like a dragon taking your heart out and eating it, or a man strangling a woman.

Sex

The game has some partial nudity, including topless women (harpies), plus there is some suggestive dialogue with references to having sex, accessing someone's "privates," and bedding someone's wife. If you choose to play as a woman, you will have a same-sex love interest.

Language
Not applicable
Consumerism

Capcom is using this game to advertise for other upcoming games.

Drinking, drugs, & smoking
Not applicable
Privacy & safety

Some safety concerns. While there's no multiplayer to speak of, players can share their companions, called pawns, with others via Xbox Live or PlayStation Network. You can change the pawn's look and skills in a number of ways.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Dragon's Dogma is a role-playing game designed for mature players, primarily because of the intense action, blood, and gore. Both the in-game and cinematic scenes can be very violent, including limb dismemberment, impaling, and even a dragon who can rip your heart out and eat it. Players use all kinds of weapons and magic spells to kill enemies, some of which are human; it's possible to kill unarmed civilians but there are repercussions for doing so. Some scenes also have partial nudity and have sexually suggestive dialogue in some of the sequences.

What kids can learn

Subjects

Language & Reading

  • following directions
  • reading

Skills

Thinking & Reasoning

  • applying information
  • problem solving

Collaboration

  • teamwork

Responsibility & Ethics

  • following codes of conduct
  • learning from consequences

What Kids Can Learn

Dragon's Dogma wasn't created with educational intent, and we don't recommend it for learning.

What kids can learn

Subjects

Language & Reading

  • following directions
  • reading

Skills

Thinking & Reasoning

  • applying information
  • problem solving

Collaboration

  • teamwork

Responsibility & Ethics

  • following codes of conduct
  • learning from consequences

Dragon's Dogma wasn't created with educational intent, and we don't recommend it for learning.

This Learning Rating review was written by Marc Saltzman

Parents say

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AGE
13
QUALITY
 
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Kids say

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AGE
15
QUALITY
 
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What's it about?

An all-new franchise, Capcom's DRAGON'S DOGMA is an action-heavy role-playing game (RPG) set in a huge and expansive open world. The single-player adventure has you venture out to find and destroy an ancient dragon that has awakened, and along the way you will meet friends and foes, overcome obstacles, use might and magic to defeat baddies, and \"level up\" your character over time and experience. Unlike most other single-player RPGs, this game employs a \"pawn\" system, where you're adventuring with a party of three A.I. (artificial intelligence) characters, who fight independently of you, and they can be created by other players and downloaded to your console.

Is it any good?

QUALITY
 

While far from perfect, Dragon's Dogma is a compelling fusion between RPG and hack-and-slash action games. The stylized fighting is reminiscent of other third-person Capcom games, like Resident Evil and Devil May Cry games, but with a fantasy RPG backdrop, leveling up mechanic, and an interesting pawn system to help defeat enemies (including the option to download a friend's pawns). While the combat is quite fun, albeit very tough at times, three cornerstones of a good RPG -- story, characters, and dialogue -- are all lacking terribly in this game. All three are uninteresting, to say the least, so hopefully future versions of this game will make you care more about the world and its inhabitants (like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim or the Mass Effect franchise). But the open-ended world, intense action, and clever pawn system make this an interesting pick for fans of Japanese RPGs.

Families can talk about...

Game details

Platforms:Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Price:$59.99
Available online?Not available online
Developer:Capcom
Release date:May 22, 2012
Genre:Role Playing
Topics:Magic and fantasy, Adventures, Monsters, ghosts, and vampires
ESRB rating:M for Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes, Violence (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

This review of Dragon's Dogma was written by

Marc Saltzman

About our rating system

  • ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
  • PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
  • OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
  • NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids of any age.

Find out more

Quality

Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Learning ratings

  • Best: Really engaging, great learning approach.
  • Very Good: Engaging, good learning approach.
  • Good: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
  • Fair: Somewhat engaging, okay learning approach.
  • Not for Learning: Not recommended for learning.
  • Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

Find out more

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What parents and kids say

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Teen, 15 years old Written bynuditythehorror June 7, 2012
AGE
12
QUALITY
 
LEARNING

CSM you rate M rated games to harshly

It's rated 12 in the UK (just like another M rated game named Mass Effect). Enough said.
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Teen, 14 years old Written bypopcar2 August 9, 2012
AGE
18
QUALITY
 

not THAT great.

its actully not for kids. 18+ is recommended. its filled with bloody gore and death, but even though. i recommend anyone not purchasing the game. (why?) because the game has a CRUSHING difficulty. anyone would easily die.
What other families should know
Too much violence
Too much swearing
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Kid, 8 years old September 28, 2012
AGE
18
QUALITY
 
LEARNING

awsome

What other families should know
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
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