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Game of the week: Dragon's Dogma 2 and the power of five-star excitement

Harpy Friday.

A feminine feline character from Dragon's Dogma 2, with a fabric cowl on, holds their hands together as if pleading, while being bathed in a white, magical light.
Image credit: Capcom

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I love an exciting moment in games, and there are few more exciting than the arrival of an unexpectedly brilliant game. That's not to throw any shade at Dragon's Dogma 2, by the way, only to say I didn't realise it would be as good as it apparently is. That's why it's our Game of the Week and not Rise of the Ronin or Princess Peach: Showtime! instead, both of which are very strong in their own right.

What a golden five-star moment such as Dragon's Dogma 2's does is pull people in beyond the audience the game would normally get, a bit like a black hole out for a stroll somewhere, which in turn leads to a wonderful moment where newcomers are sucked in and experience something very loudly for the first time. What is this, they collectively bellow, and why haven't we seen it before? They are people like me who flock to see what the five stars are all about, and then bump into something quirky, like the game's ridiculous ye olde English, and say they can't believe this is what constitutes a five these days. Whoops! I'm giving away my commenting habits again.

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