So I picked this up today after the short bit Ben said about it. After that I did a little reading up on it, and was sold on it instantly... Why?
Hironobu Sakaguchi.
Co Founder of SquareSoft, and the creator of Final Fantasy. TREMBLE IN FEAR SQUAREENIX!
Only to be watching the opening credits to see the music score by...
Nobuo Uematsu.
x2
So here I am now thinking to myself... (
And mind you I have followed SquareEnix from system to system for 20 years, and they are the #1 reason I bought a PS3...) SQUAREENIX IS IN DEEP ****! Let's face, it, SquareEnix the dominant RPG developer, or least that's how I feel about it. Now here we are with the 2 people that made SquareSoft a name, now broken off from them and doing what? Making a really great RPG game imo!
As for the game itself, it's a real full fledged turn-based RPG, just like any old FF game! Gameplay is easy and solid, just like I'd expect from an RPG!
Story even seems Final Fantasyish, and imo, I see hints of FFVI running around. Just waiting to see if who I think is the antagonist will really come off as a new generation Kefka! All but the main character appear to have personalities. The main character you get a stronger feel for through his memories which you unlock.
The music is definately not what I'd have expected from Uematsu, but despite that it's decently composed.
The graphics are not what I'd call "amazing" or anything. One thing I've noticed is the high ratings in the graphics. They're not very impressive honestly especially compared to other new games. Devil May Cry 4 imo eats it alive, and doesn't even leave a bone for the dogs.
What I do have to ask though... 4 discs? Wow! LOL, I have to say here, SquareEnix must be laughing about this one. Hope there's alot of game go around on 4 discs! That being said, you have a 'loading' screen everytime you turn around, making me wish there was an install function! Oh, and the discs almost look like they came from a bad batch, but I'm not getting errors. Could almost swear the glue sealing the disc didn't set correctly.
Overall, I'm happy! Great purchase, and a powerful team worked on this game! I hope to see other good games from them in the future like this. Btw, I have played the demo of Blue Dragon, and was rather annoyed by the animation and characters. It felt like some very childish Digimon-YuGiOh RPG game. The music was even worse.
Gameplay: 8.5 (It's a turn-based RPG in a FFXII world. Infact, you could almost say they stole the world system right out of XII! Easy to learn battle system, camera angles are not difficult at all. It's...
Almost perfect! Alot of loading though)
Graphics: 7 (I'm simply not impressed. Perhaps it's just the style used, but it's just not that impressive imo.)
Audio: 7 (Nobuo Uematsu... Whatelse do I need to say?!? Still, it feels a little more like classical/comtemporary music than typical Uematsu. I believe this was the idea though. The English track is tolerable, but other languages including the original Japanese are selectable.)
Story: 10 (Alright, the story deserves a 10! It's definately a common kind of FF type of story... People digging up magic, and it makes bad things happen, somebody wants to control it to rule the world, etc etc. So why rate it high? Simple, it's a beaten dead-horse classic done again and again that ALWAYS sells! As said, if it's not broken, don't fix it!)
Extras: 7 (Not alot seen here, but the unlockable dreams although nothing more than reading a story, they are insight into the main character's past. It's kind of original. Early in the game, so endgame it could be better)
OVERALL: 8