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| | Title:
Blue Dragon
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System:
Xbox 360
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Genre:
RPG
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Publisher:
Microsoft
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Developer:
Mistwalker
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Release:
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Online:
No
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ESRB:
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Having been very limited in the past, Microsoft is going for the gusto on the Xbox 360. What I mean by limited is in the obvious lack of quality RPGs. That's not to say there haven't been some good ones, but true mastery comes from experience, and that's what Mistwalker has behind them.
Led by Hironobu Sakaguchi (the “Father of Final Fantasy”), composed by Noboru Uematsu (also of Final Fantasy fame), with art design by Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball creator), Blue Dragon is destined to be great. And it's only on the 360, along with another project in the works titled: Lost Odyssey.
Seeing as Mistwalker is still a fledgling company with a limited staff; for a game this large and special, they're going to need additional manpower. A small development company, Artoon, will be assisting in the development of Blue Dragon (whom are also based in Japan). The goal of Microsoft's team-up with Mistwalker (and, consequently, Artoon) is to give fans what they want, especially those in Japan. Likewise, sales of the 360 in Japan is very limited, with this installment, hope can come alive. I think an epic RPG is a good way to go about it.
The story revolves around the main character, Shu, who is just 16-years old, but includes a total of 5 playable characters. Marumaro, a 14-year old yellow demon of the “Devil tribe”, expresses himself through dance (which leads me to believe his origins are from Dragon Quest VIII, where dancing “devils” were encountered in battle). Kluke and Jiro are of similar age to Shu, and consequently, there seems to be a love triangle going on here, or at least Jiro feels as such. A 20-year old mercenary, Zora, who is the stereotypical “strong, silent type” who doesn't trust anyone, completes the cast of 5. The storyline itself is the infamous “struggle against evil” in a world full of relics from a past civilization, but with obvious character development to make things more interesting. Showings from E3 place the birthing of the struggle in Shu's hometown, where a purple mist envelopes it, forcing villagers to higher ground. Here Shu is chased by a land shark controlled by the main villain, Nene, an ancient human bringing chaos to the world through magical powers thought to be forgotten.
The game is titled “Blue Dragon” because that's the primary power Shu wields. Each character has a “phantom shadow” power that they control, giving them obvious advantage in battle. The shadow is sort of an alter-ego, or puppet, and mimics the movements of the master. If Shu swings downward with his fist, the Blue Dragon does the same... with much more impact of course. But there isn't only a single shadow that characters can use. Similar to the “Job” class found in Final Fantasy Tactics, Blue Dragon will have characters developing their shadows, creating new forms and mastering them. This job system also goes for the 5 main characters. They'll be able to change classes throughout the game, such as that of swordsman, assassin, and mage.
The graphics are good, though cartoon-like and aren't mind-blowing for a next-generation console. They're something that could possibly be rendered on the Xbox, but perhaps not as detailed as it looks like the polygon count is quite high. The water effects are very realistic, and the unique environments are detailed and creative, which range from dusty plains to caverns with resplendent ore. And if the screenshots are further indication, the lighting effects translate to the characters very well and don't make the models look out of place on such detailed landscapes, which tends to happen using cel-shading. Perhaps this is why they opted not to use it in this game as compared to Dragon Quest VIII. And of course, we have yet to see what's going to happen in battle, which is where the real magic happens. We can only dream and wait for more screenshots.
An important element to mention is that Sakaguchi-san plans for some integration with Xbox Live, though, it's stated that it's not going to be a primary focus. Perhaps we'll see some updates, content, trading, or even some playable features or mini-games.
So, let's just not forget who we're dealing with here... With the experience behind Mistwalker, you can expect to be blown away. You can be sure that graphical splendor will be there, as well as a rich storyline, epic and memorable music scores, and, finally, an epic RPG created from the veins of the greats! Keep your eyes on Blue Dragon (and Lost Odyssey) if you're any kind of RPG fan.
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