Official Blue Dragon Thread
08-15-07, 08:53 AM
#1
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
Official Blue Dragon Thread
IGN has their review up. Reading it is starting to give me 2nd thoughts about buying it right when it comes out. I may wait for a price drop. I will definitely be playing it at some point though.
Closing Comments
Blue Dragon is not the most original RPG as far as design goes. Nor is it the first "must have" RPG on a Microsoft console. The pacing through the first half of the game is far too slow to stay engaging for all but the hardcore JRPG fan and the story is not nearly as epic as the multiple disc, 50+ hour game implies. But for those needing a solid traditional role-playing experience on Xbox 360, Blue Dragon will fit the bill.
Another Take
from Hilary Goldstein
I have been desperate for some JRPGs to make it onto Xbox 360. With a great pedigree, it seemed Blue Dragon would deliver as one of the better experiences on Microsoft’s console to date. That didn’t turn out to be true. Though it has some nice touches, Blue Dragon’s first disc (which will eat up 15 hours of your life) is a total snooze fest. Sure, things pick up the more you play, but when a third of the adventure is designed to cure insomnia, it’s difficult to give an enthusiastic thumbs-up. The skill system is engaging and the enemy designs are fantastic. If there were any type of worthwhile story or intriguing characters, I could look past some of the more lackluster aspects of Blue Dragon. But the story – the reason most folks pick up an RPG – is sophomoric and uninteresting. If you enjoy the grind, you might enjoy Blue Dragon. But if you are expecting something on the level of Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, you’ll be wearing the same sad expression currently displayed on my beautiful face.
6.5 Presentation
The pacing and story are unlikely to be well received by the majority of the American audience.
8.0 Graphics
It looks nice but could use a lot of work to make it run smoothly.
7.0 Sound
That boss music gets seriously annoying.
7.5 Gameplay
Classic RPG gameplay with a few nice touches.
8.0 Lasting Appeal
Go ahead and try to get all of the achievements.
7.9
Good OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)
Blue Dragon is not the most original RPG as far as design goes. Nor is it the first "must have" RPG on a Microsoft console. The pacing through the first half of the game is far too slow to stay engaging for all but the hardcore JRPG fan and the story is not nearly as epic as the multiple disc, 50+ hour game implies. But for those needing a solid traditional role-playing experience on Xbox 360, Blue Dragon will fit the bill.
Another Take
from Hilary Goldstein
I have been desperate for some JRPGs to make it onto Xbox 360. With a great pedigree, it seemed Blue Dragon would deliver as one of the better experiences on Microsoft’s console to date. That didn’t turn out to be true. Though it has some nice touches, Blue Dragon’s first disc (which will eat up 15 hours of your life) is a total snooze fest. Sure, things pick up the more you play, but when a third of the adventure is designed to cure insomnia, it’s difficult to give an enthusiastic thumbs-up. The skill system is engaging and the enemy designs are fantastic. If there were any type of worthwhile story or intriguing characters, I could look past some of the more lackluster aspects of Blue Dragon. But the story – the reason most folks pick up an RPG – is sophomoric and uninteresting. If you enjoy the grind, you might enjoy Blue Dragon. But if you are expecting something on the level of Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, you’ll be wearing the same sad expression currently displayed on my beautiful face.
6.5 Presentation
The pacing and story are unlikely to be well received by the majority of the American audience.
8.0 Graphics
It looks nice but could use a lot of work to make it run smoothly.
7.0 Sound
That boss music gets seriously annoying.
7.5 Gameplay
Classic RPG gameplay with a few nice touches.
8.0 Lasting Appeal
Go ahead and try to get all of the achievements.
7.9
Good OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)
08-15-07, 08:56 AM
#2
DVD Talk Legend
I too am gonna be waiting for a price drop. I'm not too into JRPGs in the first place, it was the production team that made me so interested.
08-15-07, 09:00 AM
#3
DVD Talk Legend
If you enjoy the grind, you might enjoy Blue Dragon.
I hope the final version fixes the insane amount of seriously distracting screen tearing in the demo.
08-15-07, 09:03 AM
#4
Banned by request
I'm one of those who was far less than impressed with the demo. I too will use Eternal Sonata for my JRPG fix. Heck, I've still got RPG's on my PS2 I haven't finished.
08-15-07, 09:05 AM
#5
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by Suprmallet
I'm one of those who was far less than impressed with the demo. I too will use Eternal Sonata for my JRPG fix. Heck, I've still got RPG's on my PS2 I haven't finished.
08-15-07, 09:45 AM
#6
DVD Talk Hero
Same boat. Demo did more harm than good, especially with Eternal Sonata on the footsteps 
If TRU has a B2G1 sale later this year, I might look into Blue Dragon then. Shame, really.
If TRU has a B2G1 sale later this year, I might look into Blue Dragon then. Shame, really.
08-15-07, 09:56 AM
#7
DVD Talk Legend
Well, I don't trust "professional" reviews of RPGs anyway since they still use Final Fantasy as the apex of the genre and dock games that don't explicitly follow in its footsteps. If mainstream sites are not digging Blue Dragon, then chances are pretty good that I'll probably enjoy it.. so a mediocre review from IGN actually gives me a little hope for this title.
08-15-07, 09:57 AM
#8
DVD Talk Hero
Only a 7.9 isn't mediocre, its merely okay.
08-15-07, 11:01 AM
#9
DVD Talk Godfather
I might wait a bit for a deal or price drop on this unless some more stellar reviews come out. I'll have a fine backlog of games with Madden and Bioshock coming out that I'm not sure about putting in 50 hours into an RPG. I haven't even finished FF12 yet and I love the gameplay and story. Dissapointed that IGN felt it was a little slow... 
08-15-07, 01:42 PM
#11
DVD Talk Limited Edition
EGM sure didn't like it (6.8) but the metacritic rating is currently 83/100 which is pretty darn good.
http://www.metacritic.com/games/plat...=blue%20dragon
I think it's going to get mixed reviews like a lot of more traditional RPGs do. I bet if it was a Real-time battle system it would be getting more slack. Turn-based RPGs that aren't strategy RPGs sure get whacked on in reviews nowadays.
http://www.metacritic.com/games/plat...=blue%20dragon
I think it's going to get mixed reviews like a lot of more traditional RPGs do. I bet if it was a Real-time battle system it would be getting more slack. Turn-based RPGs that aren't strategy RPGs sure get whacked on in reviews nowadays.
08-15-07, 01:48 PM
#12
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by GreenMonkey
EGM sure didn't like it (6.8) but the metacritic rating is currently 83/100 which is pretty darn good.
08-15-07, 03:15 PM
#13
DVD Talk Legend
Hmmm.. I was really looking forward to this as I have never really played any RPG before (unless Pokemon is considered one, than thats the only one really).
08-15-07, 03:28 PM
#14
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by FantasticVSDoom
Hmmm.. I was really looking forward to this as I have never really played any RPG before (unless Pokemon is considered one, than thats the only one really).
08-15-07, 05:23 PM
#15
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
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Originally Posted by noonan4224
But if you are expecting something on the level of Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, you’ll be wearing the same sad expression currently displayed on my beautiful face.
How can we be so sure? What is the point of saying that in a review lol.I'm looking forward to this still, it looks like it might be fun. But Eternal Sonata looks incredible! That might be the game that makes me buy a 360 so I can stop pestering my brother to play his.
08-15-07, 08:11 PM
#16
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Like others here, I was disappointed with Blue Dragon and impressed with Eternal Sonata, probably because I had higher expectations for Blue Dragon.
08-16-07, 10:43 AM
#18
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Like others, I'll definitely play it, it's just a matter of when. Probably not until a slow period after H3, Mass Effect, Assassins Creed and COD4.
Last edited by dgc; 08-16-07 at 10:45 AM.
08-29-07, 12:52 PM
#19
DVD Talk Legend
This one comes out today! I'll be picking it up after work but I don't think I'll be able to tear myself away from Metroid Prime 3 until at least the weekend to pop it in. Hopefully as it's not too long as it's guaranteed to get tossed like a salad once Eternal Sonata comes out.
08-29-07, 01:01 PM
#20
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Originally Posted by PixyJunket
This one comes out today! I'll be picking it up after work but I don't think I'll be able to tear myself away from Metroid Prime 3 until at least the weekend to pop it in. Hopefully as it's not too long as it's guaranteed to get tossed like a salad once Eternal Sonata comes out.
08-29-07, 03:02 PM
#21
DVD Talk Legend
I think I'll like it in the end, the reviews tend to emphasize that there's a good deal of dungeon crawling properties to the game. But I can't help but be a bit disenchanted by the general notion of mediocrity surrounding the title. This needed to be the impetuous that helped move the 360 in Japan and bring more Japanese developers over. On the other hand, it does feel like the sluggish reception of the PS3 in the US seems to be convincing Japanese developers that cross-platform releases are going to be needed to make a profit in both territories.
08-29-07, 03:08 PM
#22
DVD Talk Legend
Well, Im going to get it on Friday so I can get 10% off at Best Buy... I should finish Bioshock by then so Ill have this waiting for me when I get back from Florida.
08-30-07, 08:02 AM
#24
DVD Talk Hero
Originally Posted by PixyJunket
This game is packaged cheaply, the three discs are on top of each other in a single DVD case. 
08-30-07, 03:22 PM
#25
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Originally Posted by PixyJunket
This game is packaged cheaply, the three discs are on top of each other in a single DVD case.