I've talked about this before but Dragon's Dogma and its expansion are one of the few reasons I even considered getting a console this past generation. In the end I decided against it but the fact that I'm missing out on such a good game kept nibbling at me.
However, after quite the wait, Dragon's Dogma is just about ready to launch on the PC with what seems to be an incredible port. Unlocked FPS, 4K support, customizable controls, improved graphics and full gamepad support (including Dualshock) - what is there not to like?
Dragon's Dogma is a fairly undemanding game given that it released for the old series of consoles so you should be able to meet the minimum system specs below with ease:
OS: Windows Vista or newer
Processor: Intel Core i5-660 CPU or equivalent
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: Radeon HD 5870 or equivalent
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Storage: 22 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX-compatible sound card or onboard audio chip
And if you want to go with the recommended settings your rig will need to be something along the lines of:
OS: Windows Vista or newer
Processor: Intel Core i7-4770K or equivalent
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 or equivalent
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Storage: 22 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX-compatible sound card or onboard audio chip
If you're a true member of the "master race" and your rig surpasses the recommended settings you can set the framerate cap to variable and enjoy a much smoother experience. However, if you find yourself struggling to maintain your high framerate you will have an option to lock it to either 30 or 60 FPS.
As far as PC exclusive features go, besides the graphical improvements you can expect all of the DLC to be bundled with the Steam release, an option to mute main and support Pawn (your followers) chatter while traveling, new achievements, remappable keybinds and mouse functions as well as customizable hotkeys for quick-menu items.
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is coming to Steam on January 15 and will set you back $29.99 / € 29.99 / £ 24.99 which, all things considered, is not a large sum of money for an upgraded version of a game + its expansion. Preordering it will also net you the digital soundtrack as well as the art book. Personally I don't see a point in having these things in virtual form but each to his own.
As for me, I'm quite hyped for Dragon's Dogma because everything shown so far has indicated that this is a high quality port of a game I already know I'm likely to enjoy. So expect a review/analysis once it finally releases on January 15.