It is frustrating how little recognition this game has garnered. The amount of quality and care put in by Xseed makes this an easy purchase. The story has individual twists for each region you visit, and the grand finale will leave you at the edge of your seat. The combat has mixed the perfect amount of strategy and timing with turnbased, it is balance perfectly to ensure battles don't get boring and each character can be customized in different ways so your party will be unique to you. The music is fantastic, and you don't really notice it until you listen to it out of context. The game is filled with vibrant scores from the great Falcom Sound Team. The graphics are perfect for this kind of game, 3d sprites with a full 3d world. Character portraits each have a handful of emotions to go along with the dialogue. The script is amazing thanks to Xseed's wonderful localization, you will really get into the characters and find yourself chuckling at the banter between the characters. All of the characters are likeable in different ways and each has their own backstory. Personally, I've found the replay value quite high, the first time through I played for just the story. The next time will be even more challenging if players want to try completing all of the guild missions, some are hidden so it can be difficult to get all of these without help from a guide. People say the JRPG genre is becoming repetitive (while FPS games are praised with the same game every year). This game doesn't do a ton that sets it apart from others, nor does it need to. But the plot is original and you'll love all of the twists and witty dialogue it has to offer, everything this game does do, it does it very well. Pick it up, play it, and PRAY for the rest of the series to be localized!
2 of 2 found this review helpful.
Overall rating
5/ 5
Gameplay
4/ 5
Graphics
4/ 5
Sound
4/ 5
Lasting Appeal
4/ 5
JRPGfanAZ
fromPhoenix, AZ
This game is perfect for:hardcore gamers
If you like JRPGs, BUY THIS!
PostedOctober 25, 2011
I'm gonna try and keep this short. I just beat this game and I came on here just to give it a good review so that we can get the rest of this series over here. I didn't even know it was a trilogy til I beat it and it talks about "things to come." They are working on the "Second Chapter" but it's going to be awhile because it's 2 discs!
So, about the game. It does start off slow and I will tell you now that there is a lot of dialogue, but I really enjoyed it. Sometimes it's too much, especially if you're really tired, but whatever. The story is pretty good. A little cliche at times but isn't that what we love anyways? The mood is pretty light-hearted for the most part. The humor is cute and refreshing. You really get to know a lot about the characters and the towns and such. The game is being praised for it's great translation and you can tell. The ending to this game is what puts the icing on the cake. Very touching. I honestly teared up a bit and I'm not afraid to admit it being a 30 y/o male. And then it leaves you wanting more with a teaser for the Second Chapter.
Ok, so this isn't that short. I don't need to say much about the battle system, for it is done really well. Simple but still opens up a lot of strategy. Solid magic/stat system. What I thought was kinda unique, was that even though you can have 4 in your party, you go through out most of the game with less than that. You don't just get tacked on characters to fill up your party. They are there for a reason. And someone below mention that the game was too easy. I found the difficulty to be just right. Not hard really but did have some challenging moments. You will die. There is some fights where I died a few times. I guess what makes it easy is that you can restart from THAT battle as opposed to your last save(which you can also do). I liked it. I hate going back to save points. You can also save whenever you want.
If you've read this far, stop and go get this NOW!
3 of 4 found this review helpful.
Overall rating
4/ 5
Gameplay
5/ 5
Graphics
5/ 5
Sound
5/ 5
Lasting Appeal
5/ 5
Azezel
fromSpringville
This game is perfect for:hardcore gamers
Over 50 hours of Gameplay, Beat in 35 Hours.
PostedMay 5, 2011
This game has had a massive graphic update from the original trilogy. My only disappointment was that there was hardly any challenge. Other then that it's a great game.
1 of 3 found this review helpful.
Overall rating
5/ 5
Gameplay
4/ 5
Graphics
4/ 5
Sound
5/ 5
Lasting Appeal
5/ 5
Rykeria
fromBrooklyn, NY
This game is perfect for:casual gamers
this is just plain awesome!!
PostedApril 19, 2011
This game is really great!! I've been waiting for this game to be licensed ever since I heard about this a long time ago. Although the game may be a strategy game like you see in Disgaea or Phantom Brave, some of the moves are pretty flashy. The music sounds pretty nice too, especially a music piece called the Silver Will which plays during certain boss battles. The story is also awesome!! I just beat this game and I'm still crazy for more. And to think that this is only the first game of a trilogy!!! I seriously can't wait for the next two games of the trilogy to be released. If you like a good story, this is definitely something you should get because you get pulled in right away and leaves you wanting for more even after you beat it. Plus, this game has a new game+ feature so if you want to get some items you missed or just to replay the story, this will help.
(117)
(26)