Blue Dragon any good?
 

Thinking of getting it, I'm having something of a japanese RPG withdrawal here.

Re: Blue Dragon any good?
 

I thought about it, but decided not to as it only got okay reviews.

Re: Blue Dragon any good?
 

the demo was pretty lackluster at best.. the reviews make it sound like its an okay game but requires about 10-15hours of boring gameplay to get to the fun parts.

Re: Blue Dragon any good?
 

Most of the reviews affirm that it's exactly what you'd expect: an oldschool traditional style jrpg. This game scored a 37 (9/9/9/10) from Famitsu (!!). If you like jrpgs, you'll love this. If you don't then you probably won't. I think this section from the Wikipedia entry is very apt:

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Upon closer inspection of the IGN review and several other reviews which do not at all vocalize recognition of the depth in the turn organizational strategy nor ignore the fact its turn based before moving onto the meat of explaining things, it would appear alot of the bad attention the game is drawing to itself could be attributed to the philosophy most 360 gamers abide by. Dragon Quest VIII, a game which is arguably more generic in appearence and lacks the complexity of combat was praised for its very simple 'JRPG' formula, netting high scores left and right, but PSX and PS2 owners are generally more accepting of the turn based rpg concept. The fact that Blue Dragon is presenced on the 360 may make it the black sheep in the pack, considering few reviews draw comparisons to similar RPGs nor recognise the same line of depth most Japanese RPG players would take enjoyment from, such as the keen planning system in combat or the more looser hearted plot with focus on humor and character development rather than moody or dramatic events.

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This is a new jrpg IP, on the 360, being released in America. It's going to polarize.

Gamerankings Ratings Distributions:
http://www.gamerankings.com/Charts/927950.png

I'll definitely be picking it up once I finish with Bioshock.

Re: Blue Dragon any good?
 

More good reviews (9/10, 9.5/10) are also starting to roll in for the game. Above image is dynamically updated and the link has links to all the reviews. Just more evidence that the game really is going to be polarizing. Looks to be a great game if you like jrpgs. Not so much if you don't. The game was supposed to be released today, but it was still unavailable in my area with expected dates between tommorow evening and the 31st.

Re: Blue Dragon any good?
 

if you want a great old-school japanese-style RPG, wait for Wild Arms 5...it's gonna be sick

Blue Dragon looks really generic and overhyped, one of those games like Rogue Galaxy that gets good reviews but is completely forgotten within a month

i mean what is the point of developing for the 360 if your character models are gonna look like they belong to an early Xbox game

Re: Blue Dragon any good?
 

ilya, you really might want to try the game before bashing it. I really can't even believe you just said the graphics look like they belong to an early XBox game. The graphics in Blue Dragon, while not my cup of tea stylistically, look beautiful, especially in HD. Very crisp and clean with some amazing animation sequences. Even stranger is that you bash the graphics in the same post you're recommending Wild Arms V as a replacement, a PS2 game with mediocre graphics even by PS2 standards.

EDIT: Also, Wild Arms is also not what one would generally refer to as a JRPG. If anything it is an SRPG.

Re: Blue Dragon any good?
 

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ilya, you really might want to try the game before bashing it. I really can't even believe you just said the graphics look like they belong to an early XBox game. The graphics in Blue Dragon, while not my cup of tea stylistically, look beautiful, especially in HD. Very crisp and clean with some amazing animation sequences. Even stranger is that you bash the graphics in the same post you're recommending Wild Arms V as a replacement, a PS2 game with mediocre graphics even by PS2 standards.

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it's true that the graphics in Wild Arms are technically inferior to Blue Dragon's, but a PS2 game can't be held to the same technical standard AND it is superior aesthetically (i understand this is a matter of opinion, but it is also a more important consideration than the graphics' technical quality).

as for not bashing a game until i've tried it, well, i don't claim to have tried it, so i don't see the huge problem. we here in the video game forum are constantly expressing opinions about unreleased games that are based on no more than what i've based my opinion on, namely website, screenshots, trailers, interviews, etc....i have been gaming & reading about games for over 20 years and in my experience it is VERY rare for a game to seriously surpass the expectations created by the above. just like movies rarely live up to their trailers.

i'm a big 360 supporter but i'm confident that Blue Dragon will not go down in history as a classic or even a cult favorite. if i'm wrong, great! anoter good game for my favorite system.

Re: Blue Dragon any good?
 

two more points,

i concede it was a low blow to compare Blue Dragon graphics to early Xbox graphics technically...they are much better from that standpoint.

i don't agree however that Wild Arms 5 is an SRPG. IMO it is a very typical example of a JRPG. It features an explorable 3d overworld design identical to that of most Final Fantasies, random encounters, a focus on short battles against a small number of enemies, and dungeon exploration elements that tend to be totally absent from SRPGs.

Re: Blue Dragon any good?
 

The problem here is that one of the primary components of your complaint with the game was just wrong. Go look up even the most critical reviews and you'll see praise for the graphics. They really are beautiful.

And you were also wrong regarding it being overhyped. If anything, this game has had a relatively luke warm western reception - and has almost no main stream appeal. I was suprised to see it in the top ten UK sales charts.

Re: Blue Dragon any good?
 

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The problem here is that one of the primary components of your complaint with the game was just wrong. Go look up even the most critical reviews and you'll see praise for the graphics. They really are beautiful.


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Why would I read reviews to tell me what to think about the graphics when I can just look at them myself? I am glad that many reviewers enjoyed them, but in my judgment the graphics are not beautiful. I think it is strange that you should say my opinion is "wrong" simply because many reviewers claim to disagree with it.

As for it being overhyped -- this game has been a Game Informer cover story, which I believe to be more exposure than it deserved. But I will happily admit that many games are overhyped much worse than this one.

Re: Blue Dragon any good?
 

More than it deserved? Man you haven't even played it. How would you be able to tell with any level of confidence if it's a horrible letdown or the best game ever made? Same thing for the graphics. Yes - you get a general feel from screenshots and video clips played on a little monitor, but wow... to judge them based 100% on that is just not very reasonable.

And the reason I mention the reviews is because they're from people that have actually played the game. Something that really helps in judging it. Not to mention they generally have a decently objective view in regards to graphics at least.

Re: Blue Dragon any good?
 

I'm actually surprised MS hasn't tried to hype this game more here in the States. This was a major game for the Japanese market when it first came out, and MS hyped the heck out of it there. Now that they are releasing it here I have barely heard much.

I figured since MS invested so much into the game, and had a lukewarm reception in Japan, that they would try to cram this RPG (which there arent a ton of for the 360) down our throats.

Re: Blue Dragon any good?
 

As of April, Blue Dragon had sold over 200k copies in Japan with something near a 50% attach rate. It also received great reviews including a 37/40 from Famitsu. That's way more than luke warm, especially when you're talking about the 360 and Japan. Gotta remember it's also a new IP.

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Do you think Blue Dragon could become as popular as Final Fantasy?

Sakaguchi: I don't know. I see a gradualism in the success that the Final Fantasy series has attained. The very first instalment sold 350,000 units and then has built on as the series of instalments has reach the marketplace.

Blue Dragon has sold through more than 200,000 units in Japan and again will continue to build momentum as we get into things like BD2 and BD3 - and that's what we're hoping; to really build on the franchise. Maybe it'll take ten years (laughs)


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Re: Blue Dragon any good?
 

That Wiki section needs to be taken down. Reviewers aren't panning it because there's some bias against Microsoft's system, they just expect more from a new IP on any next generation system. Dragonquest got grandfathered in, any new RPG needs to have deep characters and an engaging story to get more than a lukewarm reception from an American audience. FFVII is still and will always be the template for America's vision of RPGs.

I'd probably still get it but the two things that the harshest reviewers keyed in on are the two things that are my biggest issues with RPGs: Story and time. I want a plot that's going to keep my attention and characters I'm going to care about in my RPG, otherwise I'm going to lose interest. And I just don't have the time anymore to slog through filler sequences, and I've read that the first 20 hours are tedious and boring.

FWIW I bought and enjoyed Draqongquest VIII, but I never finished it because it dragged on too long and the plot never grabbed me. I'd rather not risk that happening with this one.

Re: Blue Dragon any good?
 

Ok. Just finished playing for the evening. First impressions:

The character development (skill/magic/etc development) and battle system rock. The turn based combat mixed with timing based charge attacks and unlimited possibilities for character development make the fights and leveling up your characters very fun and very rewarding. The music and graphics are also top notch. The music is Nobuo Uematsu and it shows in all the right ways. As far as the visuals - they look just simply beautiful. They do abuse the heck out of depth of field effects, but it looks nice so more power to 'em. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Seems the main complaint in the reviews is the story/compelling characters, or lack thereof. Can't say anything about the story yet as it is still very rapidly advancing and is pretty entertaining. As far as the lack of compelling characters - unless something changes, this is definitely a legitimate criticism. Your characters so far are pretty generic: the brave rebellious protagonist, his more intelligent friend always being convinced to go along with the protagonist's schemes and "the girl". Remains to be seen if they do much with the characters or not - but as is, you're tossed into the heat of the moment so quickly that you really don't learn much about the characters.

So far this game seriously delivers.

Re: Blue Dragon any good?
 

Also... this game does not start off slow at all. You are in combat within 2 minutes, the story is rapidly advancing and and you're already tweaking out your characters and playing with new skills / dragon combinations within an hour.

Re: Blue Dragon any good?
 

Dire,

Let's just agree to disagree this time, alright? I don't really fancy an endless pointless argument right now, especially when we both know I'm right.

Re: Blue Dragon any good?
 

That comment takes childishness and immaturity to a whole new level, even more so than bashing games you've never played. We can end this, as I will be ignoring you now.