Blue Dragon

[George]

I'm with you, I liked the demo and will be getting this, but probably not before Metroid Prime 3.

[Thief Silver]

Persona 3 > Blue Dragon.

[Opaque]

I'm really liking this game.

It's simple and cookie cutter, but whatever, it's been a long time since I've played something like this; even if a lot of it has come out on PS2 in the last year.

Character design makes me happy, music is cheerful and like the old PS Final Fantasies and the game just looks so damn sharp. I mean, this is the first truly next gen JRPG and somehow that's making up for the lack of innovation.

I'm sure this isn't for everyone, but damn if it's not for me.

[blueskied]

Blue dragon isn't a bad game. I'm not much into RPGs anymore, but back in the day I think I would have really enjoyed this. With that said, I did play about 20 hours of it before I sold it (and my JP X360), but the game got gradually more interesting as I played it. That's always a good quality for a game.

[bbobb]

The Honeymoon phase won't last long.

[Opaque]

That sounds good to me.

What's happened so far is interesting as far as I'm concerned. It's not omfgbeststoryevar but it's been better than what everyone here had set me up to expect.

[Compass]

Everyone here over-exaggerates the crappiness of every J-RPG. Who goes into these at this point not knowing even the best usually turn into a bit of a grind/snooze/cliche-fest?

But actually, wait, Opaque, weren't you the guy who bought Enchanted Arms, and then were shocked that it was <gasp!> a traditional J-RPG complete with all the expected shortcomings?

[Opaque]

[eM]'s developers said that only players who had MMO backgrounds would be familure with a world as large and open as theirs. Then they made a world so closed and so narrow that not one single fucking house had an interior; shit, the casino was nothing more than a menu.

Enchanted Arms wasn't bad because it was a traditional JRPG, it was just a complete piece of shit.

Blue Dragon on the other hand is fun.

[Frogacuda]

Everyone here over-exaggerates the crappiness of every J-RPG. Who goes into these at this point not knowing even the best usually turn into a bit of a grind/snooze/cliche-fest?

It's just frustrating because there's no reason for it. This genre has so many possibilities open to it with next gen technology, and every time they squander than on conventions that were only born in the first place because of the limits of 8-bit consoles.

If every racing game to this day still played like Pole Position, you'd be goddamned sick of it no matter how much you like Pole Position.

[Compass]

It's just frustrating because there's no reason for it. This genre has so many possibilities open to it with next gen technology, and every time they squander than on conventions that were only born in the first place because of the limits of 8-bit consoles.

If every racing game to this day still played like Pole Position, you'd be goddamned sick of it no matter how much you like Pole Position.

No, there is a reason for it. Games following this strict formula have proven time and again to be decent to incredible sellers -- especially in Japan. Where's the incentive to innovate?

And my point was that none of this should surprise people anymore. Anyone going into Blue Dragon expecting anything but exactly what it is, and as a result ends up disappointed, is a moron. Oh my god, an overworld with dungeons and random battles?! Oh my god, scrappy characters saving the world in a convoluted storyline?! I've been duped! My outrage demands I warn everyone not to buy this terrible game!

Also, this "conventions only borne out of 8 bit's limitations" thing gets thrown around a lot on here, but I'm calling bullshit. There will always be a place for more comtemplative (read: turn-based) combat. If it's just random battles appearing out of thin air you're referring to (and by the way, I don't buy that it was too difficult for Enix to add a couple more sprites to DW's overworld; I'd bet more on laziness), is the game really going to turn amazing for you if you can see the enemy before it attacks? I agree this is a better design all around, but if an RPG doesn't have it, the game isn't ruined for me.

Would I like to see developers try new things with the genre? You're goddamn right I would. Does this mean I don't enjoy the games that decide not to, and instead stick closely to tradition, while still being fun, polished, enjoyable and familiar RPG romps? No, it does not.