BLUE DRAGON - Impressions

[MazzingerZ]

<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 12pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US">I just wanted to post my impressions about Blue Dragon. Please consider that my english is limited so be kind while reading and use your imagination! [:)]</SPAN>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 12pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US"></SPAN>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 12pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US">At this stage is not really possible to give a score to the game, I would need to finish it first, but based in what I have played I would put it like this:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN>
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<DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 12pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US"><o:p></o:p></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US">This is not a game for everybody, if you have not liked J-RPG or RPGs in general before, there is no reason why you would like this game, even if you liked (who didn’t?) and played Oblivion that does not mean you can pick up any RPG, this is an J-RPG and as such should be judged.</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US"></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US"></SPAN></DIV></LI>[/list]
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<DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 12pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US"></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US">If you have enjoyed Chrono Trigger and FF series and do also have read Dragon Ball (or liked the anime series Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z), then you are in heaven playing this game and you really do not need to read any reviews or anything else, all you needed to hear was said a long time ago when this title was announced:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>‘Sakaguchi – Toriyama – Uematsu’</SPAN></DIV></LI>[/list]
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<DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 12pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US"></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US"><o:p></o:p></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US">If you like and have enjoyed J-RPG in general then you will appreciate this experience, you must play this game, the J-RPG style is there but adapted to fit as a “next-generation” title (read below) <o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV></LI>[/list]
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 12pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US">I have spent a little time playing during the weekend and what I can say is that Blue Dragon is exactly what I expected and wished for. I do not know what part of the story the demo covers…I never played it as I wanted to save the full experience for the game so I will not describe anything regarding how it starts and similar details<o:p></o:p></SPAN>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 12pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US"><o:p></o:p></SPAN>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 12pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US">The pr

[Sard of KC]

Nice review! Although I think I have too many games to play right now (plus moving to a new house) that I will wait on this one til I have nothing much to choose from and/or if it goes on sale. I don't mind a J-rpg every now and again, especially if it is well done (did not like Enchanted Arms due to redundancy). Prior to my Xbox days I played the Gamecube and played a few jrpg's that were fun; Tales of Symphonia and Baten Kaitos were two of my favorites on that system. Keep us posted on your final comments on Blue Dragon as you finish it.

[virtual-human]

Thanks, Mazz.

Also looking forward to this game, love the all-star cast behind it, and like JRPGs, but don't know if I'll have the time either to get it immediately. Not like there's a lull any time soon though...

[MazzingerZ]

Yes, I agree with you guys, right now to pick up a lengthy game like this does not sound like a smart idea, you can buy/rent itlater instead, there are always periods where nothing is released, usuallythe 1st quarter is always kind of quite..but not this time, whith all those titles that today we thankfully see being pushed back to next year the first quarters next year look as loaded of good titles as this fall...


Well, I will complement this thread with final comments after beating the game (within 2 years maybe[:P])if no one has already done so, I am actually not buying Bioshock right now, I will dedicate full time to Blue Dragon, I just played The Darkness and I think an RPG is a good change of pace...I hope to be done with it before Halo 3 comes out!


I need actually to start from the beginning in my 360 asmost of the time I played Blue Dragon this weekend I did it in my mother in law's 360!!, she used to play gameboy but she cannot see anymore what's going on in the screen, she is not that old, she is64, one day she tried UNO and other XBLA board games in the 360 and she liked them so she got a 360 (price cut) and asked me to setup her account and test the console during a couple of days... maybe I can convince her of getting the Halo 3 edition with the helmet [;)]


Ahhh yes Sard, Tales of Symphonia is a great RPG, also one my favourites in the GC.

[Nitereaver]

Awesome review Mazz. I have been looking forward to getting this game, and after reading that...I gotta get it!!!!!! Again, great review!

[MazzingerZ]

[Y][B]

[Vampyre]

I should have this in my mailbox from gamefly today. But i must beat rouge galaxy before poping this one in.

[MazzingerZ]

Anyone playing this please, eventually, post your impressions or review so the people planning to get it can get a better player feedback than just mine

[Eye Tyrant]

I haven't liked a JRPG since FFVI and Chrono Trigger on the SNES.
Everything I've played since then has been crap (and I've tried a lot
of them). So I wasn't too excited about Blue Dragon (http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?p=7763200#)
especially since the reviews are all over the place (which goes to show
you, once again, how accurate reviews are). Once I started seeing
people posting about the gameplay it sounded more and more like a game
I'd actually like, so I bit the bullet and picked it up. With Bioshock
beaten I need something to tide me over until Halo 3 (http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?p=7763200#), right?



So I'm only a couple of hours in and so far I dig it. Reviews were
saying that the first disk was boring but I'm having fun. There doesn't
seem to be a lot of depth to the characters nor the plot (granted it's
early) but this game makes up a lot of ground on charm and atmosphere
alone.



I'm diggin' it.

[Toothcake]

Beyond the fixation on turds, i'm enjoying Blue Dragon. It's really one of those titles where you can't rely on the reviews but rather trying it for yourself. Some of the dubbing is annoying. I really can't stand Shu's voice. The story is pretty much what you would expect from a JRPG, but still provides enough to keep you interested. I'm noticing a Mario-like pattern in that you're often distracted from your objective by other tasks. The combat is turn-based in the same vein as your standard RPG, but depending on what class you pick for your Shadow (The beastly thing that does your attacking for you) there's the added bonus of a charge bar that allows you to strengthen your attacks, but moves them down in the action queue.

One thing that folks may or may not have trouble with is the boss music. You can have a sample courteousy of youtube. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q08So0gixwE) It annoyed the crap out of me to start with, but I have to admit that after spending some time with the game, the music does have a nice fit as a backdrop for all the roars, spell effects and other sounds of combat.

I dunno if I want to pay $60 to pick it up, but with Stranglehold clocking out at around six hours, and the only other things between us and Halo 3 is another Medal of Honor game, I might just take the plunge.

[Eye Tyrant]

Just a few points:



1. Does this game ever get difficult? I'm about two hours in and I've walked through every battle without ever worrying about the danger of dying. I know I can go to the Hong Kong Marketplace and download hard mode but I really don't want to start over... I don't want it to be impossible but I don't want it to be a cake walk either.

2. @Mazz: When you heard the female voice say "lost" it doesn't mean you're lost, it means you've lost an enemy that detected you. Just a head's up! :)

[MazzingerZ]

2. @Mazz: When you heard the female voice say "lost" it doesn't mean you're lost, it means you've lost an enemy that detected you. Just a head's up! :)





Yeah, I realized about that now[:)], this happened only once in the beginning...since I fought every enemy I found so I did not hear that "lost" again


The game is a beauty and a real RPG

[Toothcake]

Just a few points:



1. Does this game ever get difficult? I'm about two hours in and I've walked through every battle without ever worrying about the danger of dying. I know I can go to the Hong Kong Marketplace and download hard mode but I really don't want to start over... I don't want it to be impossible but I don't want it to be a cake walk either.

2. @Mazz: When you heard the female voice say "lost" it doesn't mean you're lost, it means you've lost an enemy that detected you. Just a head's up! :)







I've had the game three days and have yet to see the Game Over screen.

[MazzingerZ]

I've died a couple of times although the game is in general not challenging like a FF would with some bosses, personally, I prefer no that hard, I do not have much free-time anymore like I used to so I do not want a 40 hours game turn into a 60 hours long game insteadjust because of the difficulty, I enjoy it much more like this, I 've beaten all the RPGs of the world and now the real challenges I have them at work and athome dealing with 2 littlel girls plusthe older one(wife)[;)] besides Halo 3 is just around the corner and I usually don't like to combine good titles, that's why I have not bought Bioshock yet because I decided to buy Blue Dragon first, I have been waiting for its release from day one when it was announced for Japan...I must beat it before Halo 3 is out! [O]

[Rassilon]

I'm only on the first disc still but I think the game is great.* I love J-RPGs the best and this game certainly makes me feel like I'm playing some of the older Final Fantasys again (even if it is a bit easy).* I do agree with some of the above comments that the difficulty isn't so bad though.* I too don't mind that it's a bit easier as I'm just having fun with the story and job system.* I only wish we had more games like this on the 360.

*

[MazzingerZ]

Not that the game really needs it but it can come in handy... I used it a couple of times for Disc 1...the walkthrough has even images...pretty nice...


http://www.bluedragon-360.net/walkthrough1.php

[MazzingerZ]

For those wanting a little more challenge there seems to be a new charge-free DLC for the game


I just started playing Disc 3,
<H3><FONT color=#ff8000>In Game Content</FONT></H3>


Title: Blue Dragon
<DIV style="MARGIN-LEFT: 25px">Content: Ultra Hard Mod
Price: Free
Availability: Not available in Japan
Dash Text: [ESRB: T (Teen) FANTASY VIOLENCE] The Ultra Hard Mod adds three new features to Blue Dragon. New Game Plus is a game mode that allows you to start your game over using a saved game from near the end of Blue Dragon. The Hard game mode allows you to play at a difficulty level that is twice as high as the original. The Impossible game mode is the ultimate in difficulty and is meant to be played starting at Level 50 or higher. © 2007 BIRD STUDIO / MISTWALKER, INC. All Rights Reserved. © 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. BLUE DRAGON contains AT&amp;T Natural Voices® Text to Speech technology licensed from Wizzard Software Corporation. Microsoft, the Microsoft Game Studios logo, Blue Dragon, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.</DIV>

[MazzingerZ]

<P mce_keep="true">Today I beat Blue Dragon. my final conclusions are that it is a really enjoyable RPG, I downloaded the demo from Market place to see what impression people got when playing it, and well, the demo is terrible and helps nothing with getting people interested in the game, sometimes the demo can be the worst enemy of a game, another good example is The Darkness demo, it was really bad and had nothing to do with the game that was really good.
<P mce_keep="true">In Blue Dragon you don't get bored as there isactionall the time,there's no side quest with a lot of blablabla...actually the first 2 disksfocus completely in the story, there's no people showing up asking you for favours or help as it is a standard in RPGs...so you will never be trapped between the eternal dilemm: should I accept the side quest or should Icontinue thestory (or main quest)
<P mce_keep="true">As I said,the story is very simple and there's no tweaks in the story as you would expect from an RPG or aSakaguchiRPG, this RPG is made mainly to relax you to the max, you characters arerather powerful from the very beginning,there's a lot of enemies in the game rich in details,I was very pleased with this as in most of the cases, only bosses gets that elaborated design and details
<P mce_keep="true">I loved the battles, there is constant variation of the camera angles when you attack sothe battles doesn't feel repetitive, I was surprised that even during the 3rd disk views from other angles showed up, I thought I had seen all of them but they still included others in the 3rd disk, nice detail
<P mce_keep="true">Another cool thing is that there are a LOT of bosses during the game, maybe around 60, and the cool thing is the music that plays in the background when you fight a boss: a song written by Nobou Uematsu and performed by Ian Gillan! That rocks!http://www.gamereactor.se/lay/smil/dance.gif
<P mce_keep="true">I have read in some posts in the xbox forums and other saying that it sucks and that the singer sings horrible...they have no idea who Ian Gillan is,I don't know if you knew but Deep Purple was a god in Japan, that's probably the reason behind why a 60 year old Ian Gillan is the one performing that song and no other singer, it was probably a dream that finally became true for these guys, they really had fun with Blue Dragon.
<P mce_keep="true">Another detail, is the appearance of Akira Toriyamain the game, Toriyama portrays himself in his mangas (Dr Slump andDragonball)as a small robot, a man with a mask mask or a bird smoking cigarretes which usually can be seen hanging from trees or in the backgound, in Blue Dragon he makes some cameosunder the name "Toripo", a guy you will meet maybe 3 or 4 times during the game and he will sell you level ups...the first time Shu calls him a "Weird old guy"...there's no way you can tell he's old, unless you know he is suppose to beToriyama [:)]
<P mce_keep="true">As I mentioned, the first 2 discs focus in the story, then in the third disc, after playing a couple of hours you get the option to either go to the final mission or perform a number of side quests, which I recommed to do, as you will level up at least 10 levels, the side quests are not boring, as I said, the game doesn't have that much blablabla....the side quests consists always in getting to the end of a castle, fortress, etc to defeat a boss, during you way there you will meet enemies and maybe solve some easy puzzles...there's even som mini-games where you must shoot from you flying "mecha"!
<P mce_keep="true">I must say that the game fails in making you care about the characters, they never develop as you would expect in a game from the FinalFantasy creator, another thing is that there are some moraldilemmas that for people outside Japan are not