Blue Dragon reviews so far are slightly lower than ultimate

[Madame Adequate]

78-80% is a perfectly fine score, as far as I'm concerned, and I'm still looking forward to the game. While most people seem to be getting swept up on a tide of wanting all sorts of ghetto new shiet in RPG's, I'm still much more a fan of traditional style jRPG's and so I'm hopeful that Blue Dragon will pretty much be what I've been craving for a while.

I think FFXII amply highlights the risks of ghetto new shiet. In fact it always seemed to me that the hype about Blue Dragon was precisely because it looked like it was going to be some epically old-school JRPG.

[Slothy]

I think FFXII amply highlights the risks of ghetto new shiet. In fact it always seemed to me that the hype about Blue Dragon was precisely because it looked like it was going to be some epically old-school JRPG.

I disagree. I've played traditional JRPG's. Dozens in fact, and I'll take RPG's that are offering a new gameplay experience over just about any ultra-traditional one. I'm just tired of games that are either too afraid to try something new, or totally incapable of it. Maybe I'm a little conceipted in that regard, but I suppose playing hundreds of games over the last 17 years can have that effect on you.

[edczxcvbnm]

Blue Dragon sucks. I downloaded the demo and here is my biggest problem with the game.

It is SLOW! It is like they took the effort to make the game boring and never ending. I like faster paced battles. There is no reason for to be so slow now and days. The story looks like a standard anime/JRPG which is fine by me but the slowness of it all is just murder. The demo gives you and hour or till you beat the demo. I beat the demo in 40 minutes while avoiding all but 2 battles and the boss battles. This is just slower than crap and I can't stand it.

[DK]

78-80% is a perfectly fine score, as far as I'm concerned, and I'm still looking forward to the game. While most people seem to be getting swept up on a tide of wanting all sorts of ghetto new shiet in RPG's, I'm still much more a fan of traditional style jRPG's and so I'm hopeful that Blue Dragon will pretty much be what I've been craving for a while. :monster:

I think FFXII amply highlights the risks of ghetto new shiet. In fact it always seemed to me that the hype about Blue Dragon was precisely because it looked like it was going to be some epically old-school JRPG.

I concur. I understand the need for change and all that, especially in a series as long standing and running as Final Fantasy, just the changes in FFXII were mostly dire, imho. FFXIII actually looks like it may be done a lot better though, which is nice to know.

But yeah. I enjoy trad RPG's and I'm sure many people still do as well, so it's nice to be getting something out of it.

[Dragonsoul]

The other poster has a problem with the game pacing. Please give us more details, I heard something about a ten second delay while shadow swords in the air attack or something, what is that? What do you think of the lack of innovation and the character design?

I'm annoyed with my lack of internet, I'm trying to move and set up internet in a new place. I was hoping that somehow I could get the Blue Dragon demo from EB Games/Gamestop, or from a website, or in the mail from some company. Apparently I have to sign up for internet and use my Xbox Live account(which I need to setup). I wonder if I'll get to play the demo, since I don't know people nearby me who are playing this game.

I earlier had a poll asking people if they'd buy Bioshock or Blue Dragon, maybe I'll bump it up to see what happens. Currently I'll rent both but probably won't buy or beat either. Persona 3 by the way probably arrived in the mail today(rental) for me, I'm excited!

Hehe, yea I often talk about other games in my threads for another game, I got a lot of interests, I should stay focused on the Blue Dragon topic. Blue Dragon reviews are pretty good, I'm still concerned about the three main flaws.

[Roto13]

Lets join the camp that will or won't buy games based on someone elses opinion. WHAT DO YOU SAY, GUYS? WE COULD CALL IT CAMP..NOTBASEDONOUROWNOPINION?!

Oh, do you have enough money and free time to rent or buy and play every single game ever? You're so lucky. I have a job and a life, though, so I have to rely on the guidance of popular opinion a bit.

Not that the game is getting terrible reviews anyway. 80% is pretty respectable.

[Nifleheim7]

I have just read the review in Edge#179.
I know that many people think of this magazine as elitist,but personally i find 90% of it's reviews speak the truth.
The last paragraph of the review goes like this:
"Ultimately,if you were to remove the famous names from blue Dragon,it would undoubtedly receive only quiet attention.It's too rooted in tradition and too uninspired in it's exploration of convention.Even the shine of it's exciting and varied battle system dulls after 20 hours or so as the game settles into a tiring grind.Without characters to care for or a story compelling enough,only the most dedicated genre faithful will make it through Blue Dragon's three discs."

Score:6/10

[DK]

So it's basically a Dragon Quest game with a decent battle system?

[Nifleheim7]

^Personaly,i liked DQ's VIII story,characters and battle system a lot.

[Ashley Schovitz]

It still doesn't make sense to me that it's on the 360. In advertisements they put in Hironobu, Toriyama, and Uematsu's names and Chrono Trigger on there, but most of these people that are familiar with their names have PS2's As most people who have played FF have really only played the new school wioth the PS and PS2 era as it's harder now to get the old school games. I've only played one which was IV that Chrono Trigger was in also so it would've made more since to release it for PS3 or the Wii instead of the 360.

[Roto13]

I think they just wanted to cash in on the lack of competition of JRPGs on the Xbox 360.

[Madame Adequate]

I think FFXII amply highlights the risks of ghetto new shiet. In fact it always seemed to me that the hype about Blue Dragon was precisely because it looked like it was going to be some epically old-school JRPG.

I disagree. I've played traditional JRPG's. Dozens in fact, and I'll take RPG's that are offering a new gameplay experience over just about any ultra-traditional one. I'm just tired of games that are either too afraid to try something new, or totally incapable of it. Maybe I'm a little conceipted in that regard, but I suppose playing hundreds of games over the last 17 years can have that effect on you.

I fully understand your sentiments. Whilst I'm happy to play an unoriginal game done well, I'm no fan of a static industry, and innovation is something important to me. But what we want doesn't necessarily echo what other folks want; however much gamers might talk about innovation and originality, when you get some big, established names working with a solid, well-known system, it garners attention.

I have just read the review in Edge#179.
I know that many people think of this magazine as elitist,but personally i find 90% of it's reviews speak the truth.
The last paragraph of the review goes like this:
"Ultimately,if you were to remove the famous names from blue Dragon,it would undoubtedly receive only quiet attention.It's too rooted in tradition and too uninspired in it's exploration of convention.Even the shine of it's exciting and varied battle system dulls after 20 hours or so as the game settles into a tiring grind.Without characters to care for or a story compelling enough,only the most dedicated genre faithful will make it through Blue Dragon's three discs."

Score:6/10

I find Edge to be a pretty fair magazine for the most part. Of course I don't agree with everything, but they're really not ones to pull punches if they think something isn't good.

So it's basically a Dragon Quest game with a decent battle system?

... this concept is alien to me, Dan my friend. Please elaborate?

[Dragonsoul]

I have another question. All those who have interest in Blue Dragon(traditional japanese console rpg), what do you think of it's main competitors this fall: Persona 3, Wild Arms 5, .hack//G.U. Vol.3: Redemption, Eternal Sonata, and Lost Odyssey? Those are the other top traditional japanese console rpg's coming out this fall, I wonder what you think of them.

I'll rent Blue Dragon, probably won't beat it or buy it. I have the same feelings about the other games I listed, except for Lost Odyssey, which I will buy on the day it comes out and beat it too 100% completion. I'm currently renting Persona 3, and so far it's about as good as Rogue Galaxy. The strength an hour into the game is the story, characters, and voice acting. It's always great when you can say that the story is the best part of the game. Story, characters, and music is what the top rpg's are remembered for.

Blue Dragon appears to need a better story and characters, but how good is the music?

[Ishin Ookami]

Being a fan of the TRADITIONAL style of RPG gaming, I really really really hope this gets ported to the PS3. Basically it seems like Sakaguchi has officially thrown down the gauntlet to square, and putting the title on the oppositions system is his way of heating up the competition.

I've never gotten the complaints people have about old school RPG gaming. I personally don't give a crap about fancy cinema's or emo game characters. Just give me a good story, characters that are likeable, a cool rpg world, and good gameplay and I'm happy. Considering the team I fully expected Blue Dragon to be old school in execution, and thus I expected the western world to not be quite as keen on it as the Japanese were.

Once again, if you're reading this mistwalker, get over the competitive spirit and please put this on PS3.

[Rengori]

As much as the lack of innovation I've been hearing about would turn me off, the endless dungeon-crawl-orgy that is FFXII would make this seem refreshing.

But I don't have a 360 so it doesn't matter.