The BLUE DRAGON Thread!

[MarkMan]

Blue Dragon is coming out in a few more months!

Get ready! The game is pretty much ready for a US release, I have no idea why we have to wait that long... oh well.. :)

I'll have a preview/impressions up in a few days...

[MarkMan]

Here are some screencaps I did earlier today... (Click thumbnail to view original size)...

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1112/648801220_cf11caaef0_m.jpg (http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1112/648801220_f702f19c0f_o.jpg)

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1149/648800432_703645b261_m.jpg (http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1149/648800432_088b6f2121_o.jpg)

[pete5883]

Lucky bastid.

[BREVITY]

I am really looking forward to this game and not just becuase of the lack of these game types on the 360. This game seems like it will be good fun. I only wish it would have come out at the start of the summer and not in Aug since Aug has several great games comming out and even more in Sept.

Lucky you for getting this early!

[terribledeli]

Microsoft finally announced the release date today. August 28th. A mere 61 days away.

[evilpenguin9000]

I'm hopeful for this game. Anyone know if it's turn-based combat or otherwise? I could probably look it up, but I'm lazy.

[MarkMan]

Turned based, it also has a lil' thing like in FFX where it shows who's turn is next.

[Kendal]

I have had this pre-ordered for awhile. I can't wait!

[asianxcore]

my most anticipated game of 07'

I have my pre-order at Gamecrazy paid off in full. I can't wait!! :)

[io]

my most anticipated game of 07'

I have my pre-order at Gamecrazy paid off in full. I can't wait!! :)

I preordered mine at GC yesterday as a thank you to the guy who let me trade in 6 games with the 50% bonus and allowed my swap of Puzzle Quest for GrimGrimoire to count as my one required "new game" purchase. When I bring in my next set of trades I'll probably put in a preorder for Eternal Sonata.

[depascal22]

Turned based, it also has a lil' thing like in FFX where it shows who's turn is next.

Can you swap the characters in and out like in FFX? That would make this a Day 1 purchase for me.

[Kendro]

Does this game have epic production values like a Final Fantasy game or is it Robin to Square's Batman?

[Layd Dly]

I cant wait. I love RPG's but i think i want it even more due to it being on the 360, i also cannot wait for Eternal Sonata. I need to take a trip to the store and pre-order these games so i can get them day 1.

[Apossum]

Does this game have epic production values like a Final Fantasy game or is it Robin to Square's Batman?

I'm wondering the same thing, except I'm wondering more about the gameplay. I'm not convinced that this or Eternal Sonata are anything more than your average j-rpg.

[Foolman]

I'm wondering the same thing, except I'm wondering more about the gameplay. I'm not convinced that this or Eternal Sonata are anything more than your average j-rpg. You could probably google for some impressions. People were generally impressed much more with Blue Dragon than with Eternal Sonata. Blue Dragon has some gorgeous graphics and a light hearted story, it also has some very nice music. Since this is an MS published title, and pretty much what MS was hoping Japan would go crazy for (turn based RPG with Toriyama art), its budget was probably pretty big.

Markman, does your disc have a ton of different voice options? Im thinking that is what held the game back for so long. Wish they had just released the game when the English was done though.

edit: http://www.gametrailers.com/player/20992.html ---> GameTrailer preview.

[Apossum]

You could probably google for some impressions. People were generally impressed much more with Blue Dragon than with Eternal Sonata. Blue Dragon has some gorgeous graphics and a light hearted story, it also has some very nice music. Since this is an MS published title, and pretty much what MS was hoping Japan would go crazy for (turn based RPG with Toriyama art), its budget was probably pretty big.

Markman, does your disc have a ton of different voice options? Im thinking that is what held the game back for so long. Wish they had just released the game when the English was done though.


most rpgs have good graphics, music, and a light hearted story-- i'm wondering if the gameplay is unique in any way. people haven't had much to say about it, so it seems like that might be a bad thing...

[MarkMan]

It borrows a lot from other games(Esp Square Enix games, SUPRISE!)... but yea, overall it is a fuckin' solid title... Nothing mindboggling new... :(

But I love it.

[spoo]

It borrows a lot from other games(Esp Square Enix games, SUPRISE!)... but yea, overall it is a fuckin' solid title... Nothing mindboggling new... :(

But I love it.
I'm excited to play this game and I'm excited that the 360 is getting some more RPG love. The reason I'm posting this is that my theory about Blue Dragon is that it is Mistwalker's title to do nothing more than to practice on making a solid old school RPG on the 360. Now that they have the practice they can put most of their creative efforts into their true passion project Lost Odyssey.

[Surferflames]

I'm excited to play this game and I'm excited that the 360 is getting some more RPG love. The reason I'm posting this is that my theory about Blue Dragon is that it is Mistwalker's title to do nothing more then practice on making a solid old school RPG on the 360. Now that they have the practice they can put most of their creative efforts into their true passion project Lost Odyssey.

I too am hoping Lost Odyssey gets more love. I've grown tired of the DQ/blue dragon art style and really look forward to LO. It seems to be getting completely overshadowed by Blue Dragon though, which makes me fear it's being called in by some team of interns or something.

[spoo]

I too am hoping Lost Odyssey gets more love. I've grown tired of the DQ/blue dragon art style and really look forward to LO. It seems to be getting completely overshadowed by Blue Dragon though, which makes me fear it's being called in by some team of interns or something.
The way I see it is that BD is the DQ-esque game and LO is the FF-esque game.

FF is always pushing the envelope while DQ continues to perfect the classic gameplay style.

[defiance_17]

The way I see it is that BD is the DQ-esque game and LO is the FF-esque game.

FF is always pushing the envelope while DQ continues to perfect the classic gameplay style.
That's probably the best way to look at it. I'm not expecting anything too ground-breaking with Blue Dragon, but I'm confident that it will be a great, old-school JRPG. The Xbox has needed one for years. I really want to see how big of an impact the Achievements have for me--there's a good chance I'll go for 1000 points when I normally would put it back on the shelf after 70-80% completion (between my schedule and my backlog, it's getting harder and harder for me to justify hours of sidequests these days).

[TheBlueWizard]

I'm definitely pumped for this title, however, with Two Worlds, Blue Dragon and Mass Effect all within about 45 days, that's going to suck....having to work 50-60 hours a week means not as much gaming time as I would like.

TBW

[mikeyg76]

I cant wait for this game.. i am so excited

[depascal22]

Sorry for the repost but it wasn't answered. Can you swap out team members during a battle a la Final Fantasy X?

[Rei no Otaku]

I too am hoping Lost Odyssey gets more love. I've grown tired of the DQ/blue dragon art style and really look forward to LO. It seems to be getting completely overshadowed by Blue Dragon though, which makes me fear it's being called in by some team of interns or something.
I agree with this. I mean I'll probably end up getting Blue Dragon, but I'm not that impressed. Looks like a standard RPG to me. Doesn't help that I don't like Toriyama's art style. After playing games like KOTOR, Oblivion, and Odin Sphere I have a hard time going back to these by the book JRPGs. Not to mention I'm not a fan of the light stories, and I'm getting a bit sick of 13 year old kids saving the world. That being said, Lost Odyssey looks awesome.

[pete5883]

Sorry for the repost but it wasn't answered. Can you swap out team members during a battle a la Final Fantasy X?
I typed in "blue dragon swap" into google. The fifth result (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=78472&page=2):

All five playable characters can appear in the battlefield, so you won't have to swap between them or worry about some of them not gaining experience points.You're welcome.

[depascal22]

I typed in "blue dragon swap" into google. The fifth result (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=78472&page=2):

You're welcome.

Thanks. I didn't know how to word it. That just made it a Day 1 purchase for me. I can't wait to see some of the combo attacks they think up for all 5 people.

[Kendal]

I'm definitely pumped for this title, however, with Two Worlds, Blue Dragon and Mass Effect all within about 45 days, that's going to suck....having to work 50-60 hours a week means not as much gaming time as I would like.

TBW

Mass Effect has a release date now?

[LinkinPrime]

Blue Dragon Demo coming for a limited time:

Blue Dragon demo is slated for July 20. Weighing an impressive 1.1GB, the demo will apparently contain a whopping 2 hours of available gameplay. We hope you've grown accustomed to the English voice-overs though, as Japanese will not be an option in the demo. There may be a few different subtitle options, depending on the language settings of your Xbox. Finally, be sure to grab the demo as soon as you can, as it will fly away from Marketplace (http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/tag/Marketplace/) on August 3rd, giving just over three weeks to save up for the real thing (http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2007/06/28/blue-dragon-officially-lands-on-august-28/).

http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2007/07/05/blue-dragon-demo-set-for-july-20/

[Kendal]

I just peed a little. I am glad to see more JRPG love on the 360.

[SynGamer]

2 hours of gameplay? Ha, i can easily extend that by exploring ever little piece of the map :)

[Kendro]

2 hour demo = :drool:

[MarkMan]

I got to try the demo earlier, it is nowhere near 2 hours lol...

But yes, it's coming...

Super Contra sucks too if anyone cares..

[Mr. Anderson]

Sweet, big ass BD demo. Can't wait!

[BREVITY]

2h dam thats nearly as long as some full Wii games.
Nice find.

[Weedy649]

I got to try the demo earlier, it is nowhere near 2 hours lol...

But yes, it's coming...

Super Contra sucks too if anyone cares..

aww, thats too bad about Super Contra...ill still get it anyway tho lol

As for the demo, im sort of mixed on it. I know im going to get this game, so should i really spend 2 hours playing the demo instead of just waiting a few weeks and putting that time into the game?

decisions, decisions

[Foolman]

I got to try the demo earlier, it is nowhere near 2 hours lol...

But yes, it's coming...

Super Contra sucks too if anyone cares..
Where does the demo take place timewise during the full game?

[dios]

Does anyone know if the American release of blue dragon will have both english and japanese voices? if not, does anyone know if the import ver. from japan or asia have subtitles with jap voices, and will work on a american 360?

[pete5883]

Yes, there is a Japanese voice option in the American release. I give it 10 posts before this is asked again.

[jer7583]

http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/7908

This boss battle music makes it a day one purchase. Holy crap. Japanese prog metal for the win.

1upYours' comparision to dream theater was noted, but not very accurate. More like new Iron Maiden.

The chrono trigger-like visuals help too. I like toriyama's designs when it isn't dragonball. ugh.

[defiance_17]

http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/7908

This boss battle music makes it a day one purchase. Holy crap. Japanese prog metal for the win.

1upYours' comparision to dream theater was noted, but not very accurate. More like new Iron Maiden.

The chrono trigger-like visuals help too. I like toriyama's designs when it isn't dragonball. ugh.

God, I hope that song doesn't play often. Awful.

[thrustbucket]

http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/7908

This boss battle music makes it a day one purchase. Holy crap. Japanese prog metal for the win.

1upYours' comparision to dream theater was noted, but not very accurate. More like new Iron Maiden.

The chrono trigger-like visuals help too. I like toriyama's designs when it isn't dragonball. ugh.

Dream Theater is my favorite band, and I wouldn't agree to the comparison being accurate either.

But holy crap, that battle music was awesome. I hope it is more varied though, throughout the game.

I wasn't paying much attention to this game but now I am.

[Sarang01]

God, I hope that song doesn't play often. Awful.

Shut up and "Fly into eternity.". I don't see your issue with it seriously. It's catchy IMO.

[jer7583]

It's just boss battle music, apparently not composed by the normal composer. I think it's a nice changeup.

Don't mean to hijack, but thrustbucket, what did you think of systematic chaos? It took a while to grow on me to being okay, but I still think it's pretty average.

[pete5883]

Are you going to argue that looping a song with vocals is a good idea? Because it's not, for long boss battles. If it weren't for the voice of the singer and the bad-MIDI sound of the instruments, it could be a good song.

[MarkMan]

So now that the demo is out, how does everyone feel about the game?

IMO the demo did a rather poor job of conveying the game's magic... but it was still fun nonetheless...

[defiance_17]

Shut up and "Fly into eternity.". I don't see your issue with it seriously. It's catchy IMO.

And I don't see how you could even begin to like it. Seriously. In my opinion, it's fucking awful.

[Justden]

Does anyone know why Gamefly won't offer Blue Dragon for rent?

The game description reads: "Note: This title is not rentable because it does not meet packaging restrictions."

http://www.gamefly.com/products/detail.asp?pid=127640&t=0&tab=1

[coltcannon]

Multiple DVDs?

[GizmoGC]

So...a few weeks now. How does this game play compared to Enchanted Arms? I don't play too many RPGs anymore (skipping all the PS1/PS2 offerings eccept Kingdom Hearts I and II) so thats the best comparison I have towards it. I second, how many DVDs, 3?

[CAG 79]

Reviews are in:

8.5 (http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1365/Blue-Dragon/p3/) from TeamXbox and 7.9 (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/812/812365p3.html) from IGN.

[flybrione]

I enjoyed the demo but I hope the framerate during combat is improved in the final code. It seemed a little out of wack at times.

[Justden]

FYI, I just noticed Blue Dragon is now available for rent on Gamefly (http://www.gamefly.com) As of a couple of weeks ago it wasn't available due to "packaging restrictions".

Just in time for my 10% discount on purchases to kick in.

[Weedy649]

edit: thought it was out early maybe but looks like i just got a lucky friend lol

The review from IGN wasnt the best but im still looking forward to it.

[Bezerker]

The PAL version of the game was leaked, its region free so that may be why you've seen people with the game in their achievements.

[Weedy649]

nah he was playing reviewers copy, i cant be too mad since i wouldnt have the time to play it now anyway

[ighosty]

now that this is on gamefly i might actually play it

[Bezerker]

Just a heads up, seems that some Toys R Us's have already put the game out for sale. I'll be checking my location tomorrow, but i wont be holding my breath (then again, i did pretty well last year when TRU released the 360 camera a month early).

[Robobandit]

Just a heads up, seems that some Toys R Us's have already put the game out for sale. I'll be checking my location tomorrow, but i wont be holding my breath (then again, i did pretty well last year when TRU released the 360 camera a month early).

Blue Dragon? Are you sure you didn't mean to post in the Bioshock thread? ;)

[Bezerker]

Nope, people are reporting that Blue Dragon is out @ TRU. They're well known for releasing things before street date, so its not that big of a surprise. I think its a marketing ploy to make people actually shop there.

[GizmoGC]

Nope, people are reporting that Blue Dragon is out @ TRU. They're well known for releasing things before street date, so its not that big of a surprise. I think its a marketing ploy to make people actually shop there.

Few more days...

[asianxcore]

Two more days...

Does anyone know if this will be a street-dated title or will it be available in stores the 29th or 30th?

[Rei no Otaku]

It's not street dated.

[brandonabley]

So this game ships today -- in-stores on my birthday, August 29th. Crazy!

The review scores for this game are all over the place! The average is about a 79 on Metacritic, but I'm seen major outlets give it as little as a 5 (Eurogamer) and as much as a 9 (Play Magazine, Official XBox Magazine UK, others). As always, IGN's review is the exact average of Metacritic scores. I wonder how their editors do it, because they usually get their reviews up early.

Generally, the consensus is that it's excellent for an old-old-school jRPG, and depending on the editor, that's a good thing or a bad thing. It's a very good thing as far as *I* am concerned, but I can understand why it might review low. If I were reviewing an excellent niche title, I'd give it a decent score and warn the reader that it's only for the genre-hardcore.

Is anyone else picking this up day-one?

[Apossum]

edit: nm, just read the uber thread

[Callandor]

Waiting on a copy from Liongames. But I've got some Phazon to deal with in the meantime.

[io]

Generally, the consensus is that it's excellent for an old-old-school jRPG, and depending on the editor, that's a good thing or a bad thing. It's a very good thing as far as *I* am concerned, but I can understand why it might review low. If I were reviewing an excellent niche title, I'd give it a decent score and warn the reader that it's only for the genre-hardcore.

Is anyone else picking this up day-one?

This is exactly what I was thinking. I like turn-based JRPGs so I'd probably trend towards the higher scores. So I'll consider this an 8.5 level game or so.

I am getting it day 1 but only because I have a ton of credit at Gamecrazy and there's some question as to their long-term stability (or even short-term stability). So I might as well use up $60 of the many $100's I have there ;).

It's just that unless a game is near perfect I don't like to spend $60 on it, even in credit that cost me less than half that ;). I wonder how fast this will drop in price though? I'll have to commit myself to playing it soon (Metroid is first though). I figured this is not a good rental game (if they even carry it at BB or HV being a 3-disc game) as it is something I'd like to spend a few weeks on.

[RynoZebz]

I played the demo on XBL and wasn't impressed. I was looking forward to this one but I found Eternal Sonata to be more fun. Blue Dragon was kind of boring in my opinion.

[asianxcore]

Just picked up my pre-order. Going to devote the next month or so to playing this game. I'm so excited.

Big slops to Microsoft in regards to the packaging. 3 disc but 1 spindle? All stacked on top of each other.

Didn't Bioshock have separate spindles for each disc for the CE? I don't see why Microsoft couldn't do this with Blue Dragon.

[Apossum]

Didn't Bioshock have separate spindles for each disc for the CE? I don't see why Microsoft couldn't do this with Blue Dragon.



All cut corners go straight to the "help us pay for the Xbox 1" fund :)

[io]

Just picked up my pre-order. Going to devote the next month or so to playing this game. I'm so excited.

Big slops to Microsoft in regards to the packaging. 3 disc but 1 spindle? All stacked on top of each other.

Didn't Bioshock have separate spindles for each disc for the CE? I don't see why Microsoft couldn't do this with Blue Dragon.

Ugh, you're kidding? That's horrible. Well, I guess I can break out an old PS2 2-disc case and put 2 of them in there. The only other game I know of like that is the Clancy Triple Pack for Xbox.

But this is $60 and they can't package it half-decently?

Oh well. I'm getting my Gamecrazy preorder in an hour or so. I probably won't play the game for a few weeks though as Metroid comes first.

[Robobandit]

I was a little disappointed to see the single spindle.. they could have done two discs overlapping slightly and a flap inside the case instead.. that would have been preferable..

[sasukekun]

Wow good thing I bought those quad DVD cases from Sonichigh.
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1987966

I planning on picking up my copy since I got a $20 gift card from CC the other day.

[shrike4242]

Just picked up my pre-order. Going to devote the next month or so to playing this game. I'm so excited.

Big slops to Microsoft in regards to the packaging. 3 disc but 1 spindle? All stacked on top of each other.

Didn't Bioshock have separate spindles for each disc for the CE? I don't see why Microsoft couldn't do this with Blue Dragon.Great, Halo 2 LE all over again. :roll:

Bioshock CE had an added double-sided spined disc holder for the two bonus discs, extra disc on the front, soundtrack EP on the back. Game disc was in the normal spot on the back of the case.

Prey CE was another screwy packaging job, with the game disc directly on the back part of the case against bare metal.

Splinter Cell Chaos Theory CE had the discs on a double-sided spined disc holder, worked perfectly.

[Kendal]

I played for a couple minutes and loved it. I can't wait to play more.

[brandonabley]

When is the last time any of you guys bought a PC game? PC games routinely come with install/play or separate play discs stacked on top of each other on a single spindle. It's not actually that strange!

I was majorly psyched for this game, but after hearing the boss music, I don't think I am interested.

[AdvOfJet]

Anyone seen this game at Target yet ? I have a gift card I have nothing else to use it on right now.

[sasukekun]

Anyone seen this game at Target yet ? I have a gift card I have nothing else to use it on right now.
Yesterday, at my local Target, I saw the price sticker behind the case, but no game. It's possibly they sold out by the time I got there or are expecting a shipment soon since I also saw a Stranglehold price sticker right next to it.

[AdvOfJet]

Yesterday, at my local Target, I saw the price sticker behind the case, but no game. It's possibly they sold out by the time I got there or are expecting a shipment soon since I also saw a Stranglehold price sticker right next to it.

Yeah the tags have been there for a while. Alot of other store got them in today so I was just curious if anyone had happened to notice if Target got them as well.

[asianxcore]

It's not actually that strange!

Not strange, but insanely annoying. I'd rather have my discs on separate spindles, so I didn't have to worry about accidentally scratching them or something.

I've only put an hour into the game so far, but I'm liking it. It's still too early to judge seeing that there are a ton of FMV's right now, simply to push the story along. I have to say it was a pretty awesome feeling when I got my shadows for the first time.

[JohnnyFoxDarko]

I picked up my preorder copy from Gamestop.
I had this preordered A LONG TIME ago.
Like a 3-4 months ago.
I was really excited for it then, but now I'm just playing it to tide me into Halo 3. :]

[Kendal]

Yeah the tags have been there for a while. Alot of other store got them in today so I was just curious if anyone had happened to notice if Target got them as well.


Picked mine up from Target.

[Tsukento]

So is it just my copy or are all Blue Dragon cases wrapped in what appears to be the crappy resealed wrapping?

[Scorch]

So is it just my copy or are all Blue Dragon cases wrapped in what appears to be the crappy resealed wrapping?

received 18 at my store.. all had the standard 360 seal.

[Tsukento]

Hm. Odd. When I opened mine up, it looked like someone had already played it. All three discs were covered with finger prints around the center holes of the disc and disc 3 had a couple of scuffs.

[Layd Dly]

Hm. Odd. When I opened mine up, it looked like someone had already played it. All three discs were covered with finger prints around the center holes of the disc and disc 3 had a couple of scuffs.

Sounds like it was "Rented/Borrowed" and then resealed. Id take that shit back and bitch and go buy it someplace else.

[Tsukento]

That's what I'm thinking. The Microsoft seal was there and everything, but if I was able to remove it without breaking it, I can only wonder if the whole game was in fact opened, played, Microsoft seal slapped back on and then reshrinkwarpped. :\

S'mainly why I'm asking if BD came in the standard wrapping most other games do come in.

[Kendal]

Mine was in the shitty resealed stuff.

[asianxcore]

So how is everyone liking the game so far? I'm about 6 1/2 hours in and I'm really enjoying it. As I've been telling a lot of people, the strictly traditional gameplay might be really boring for most people.

So unless you don't know already, if you are on the fence about this game rent it first.

Right now I'm just outside Marumaro's village. My entire party is Level 16 w/ 21+ Shadow Class Ranks. I'm setting a goal at Level 20 before I move on to where I am supposed to go.

Hooray for level grinding :)

[TrenoV]

I like it, but there are some things that bother me. Mainly the difficulty (too easy!) and the horrible boss music. The voice acting is TERRIBLE in my opinion, but I may be spoiled because I just got done with Persona 3 which had great voice acting.

[NorthX08]

Just got my copy but im gona wait to open it for a while....

this will be one of my 1st console rpgs ^^

[io]

received 18 at my store.. all had the standard 360 seal.

Mine (from GC) is normally-sealed as well. Scorch, what is it with this game? I noticed my GC got a ton of them as well. Yet Jeanne d'Arc, which is I believe a Sony-published game (for the PSP) they only got 1 preorder copy in with no more on the way. I really wanted to pick that up after reading reviews (I hadn't heard about it before it came out or I would have preordered).

Anyway, I rushed over to GC to get Blue Dragon thinking they might run out (even though I preordered it) and they had more copies than I've ever seen them have of a game :lol:. It's just that with all the PSP and DS releases they only seem to get 1 or 2.

[grm4009]

So I bought Blue Dragon and I know the reviews have been real wishy washy, but I am really enjoying it. I was wondering how many of you that have bought it and enjoyed it. Let me know, thanks!

[Robobandit]

I've sunk about 10 hours into the game and I think I'm getting to the end of disc 1.. which is supposedly where the story really kicks off.

I love this game, and I can't understand all of the reviewer hate being thrown around. There have been a number of wonderful surprises in battles.

I'll give one example, not really a spoiler.. just an enemy name and a helpful tip..

At some point in the game, you'll encounter Stone Poo Snakes (Toriyama's crazy monsters.. gotta love em). They are of course hard as rocks and nearly impervious to physical attacks.

If you cast a water spell on them, you'll get a notification saying that they've turned muddy and a "defense down" will appear. Now your characters physical attacks do much more damage :)


The game is full of little things like that that make sense and can give you an edge in battle. I will say that outside of bosses and the abilities of some enemies that can catch you off guard, the game is fairly easy, but considering how many enemies there are to fight on the screen, I don't think the game would be nearly as much fun if the fights were all challenging.

Can't wait to finish disc 1 and move on to disc 2 :)

[asianxcore]

Wow, you are already at the end of Disc 1, Robobandit?

I've put in about 9 1/2 hours and I just arrived at the Island Of the Dead

Then again I've spent way too much time level-grinding and exploring everything I possibly can (for items, HP recovery, EXP/SP points).

[TrenoV]

9 1/2 and still on the first disc?! What level are you?

[Robobandit]

Wow, you are already at the end of Disc 1, Robobandit?

I've put in about 9 1/2 hours and I just arrived at the Island Of the Dead

Then again I've spent way too much time level-grinding and exploring everything I possibly can (for items, HP recovery, EXP/SP points).

I wasn't as close to the end as a I thought lol

I Just started disc 2 and I'm at 16 hrs... played pretty much all day. The end of disc 1 is spectacular :)

[asianxcore]

9 1/2 and still on the first disc?! What level are you?

Level 21

[JohnnyFoxDarko]

Just finished the first disc.
I wasn't going to get this game because I was gunna get my money back and get a preorder for GH3...

But this game is REALLY awesome so far.
I can't wait to see how it ends.
...I still want GH3 though. :/

[Kendal]

6:30 hours in, at the Wetlands. I'm there to kill them, or save them. I don't know. The Bluths are holding a dinner party for them. Anywho, I am lvl 13 all around and am lvl ten+ in a few of my shadow classes. I love the game. It is so much fun and can't put it down.

[brandonabley]

Yeah, I like the game a lot, too. I don't think it's too easy at all, but I try to aboid as many monster encounters as possible. Some of the bosses in particular have been pretty vicious.

[JohnnyFoxDarko]

Does this game default to the easy difficulty setting?
Because, as most of us probably know, there was no indicating "Easy-Medium-Hard" selection at the beginning of the game.

[Robobandit]

Does this game default to the easy difficulty setting?
Because, as most of us probably know, there was no indicating "Easy-Medium-Hard" selection at the beginning of the game.

defaults to the only difficulty it has.. Normal, I think..

Hard is available on the hong kong marketplace as well as new game+ as free DLC

The hk version DLC is compatible with our NTSC version

[asianxcore]

Still loving this game. My party is at Level 24 w/ almost 40 Shadow Classes.

About 12 hours in and I just finished exploring everything in Talta Village (before Mural Valley). I am going to level grind up a couple levels and then head out to my next destination.

I find that level grinding is particularly enjoyable with this game because of the various skills you learn. I also found that exploring/examining everything is a nice payoff too. In many areas I explored, I found high-level spells as well as free EXP and SP points for each character.

I am definitely going to take my time with this game, seeing that I have been looking forward to it for a LONG time.

[Bezerker]

Its good to explore all over, near the end of disk one you meet a guy who gives you rewards for every 50, 100, 200, 400 "nothings" you find.

[asianxcore]

Its good to explore all over, near the end of disk one you meet a guy who gives you rewards for every 50, 100, 200, 400 "nothings" you find.

Does he show up more than once? I used all of my earlier medals and now I have 99 just sitting around in my inventory.

I just arrived at Jibral. My party is at Level 28 right now and I've sunk in around 17 hours into Disc 1 so far. I hope I can get my party to Level 30+ before the disc ends.

The creature designs are pretty cool in this game, especially the ones I recently encountered in the last 2-3 hours.

[h2dk]

Does he show up more than once? I used all of my earlier medals and now I have 99 just sitting around in my inventory.

I just arrived at Jibral. My party is at Level 28 right now and I've sunk in around 17 hours into Disc 1 so far. I hope I can get my party to Level 30+ before the disc ends.

The creature designs are pretty cool in this game, especially the ones I recently encountered in the last 2-3 hours.

It is actually "nothing" that the Nothing Man is rewarding you for. Everytime you do a search and find "nothing", the game keeps track. You are rewarded based on how many times you found "nothing" (or so I have read).

Anyway, I picked this up yesterday and played for 5 hours today (:-oI don't know when the last time i did that). So far I am loving it.

(The last JRPG I played was Skies of Arcadia on the DC)

[asianxcore]

It is actually "nothing" that the Nothing Man is rewarding you for. Everytime you do a search and find "nothing", the game keeps track. You are rewarded based on how many times you found "nothing" (or so I have read).

I found that out not too long ago. I got Berzerker's description of this man mixed with the guy who rewards you for collecting medals.

I just finished Disc 1 tonight (clocked in 20 hours) and hopefully will be starting Disc 2 soon.

[JohnnyFoxDarko]

Damn, I totally missed the purpose of Shadow Class Skills and ranks.
...I want to start over because of all the stuff I read on the Walkthrough on IGN.

[dave17]

I dont know why some of these people are level grinding when it is as easy as it is.

[Tsukento]

I dont know why some of these people are level grinding when it is as easy as it is.
Achievements

[asianxcore]

I dont know why some of these people are level grinding when it is as easy as it is.

...because I actually like level grinding? Dragon Quest VIII didn't have achievements and I did it in that game too.

Gaining new abilities for your Shadow is pretty neat too.

Apparently paying $60 for a game doesn't entitle me to play the game how I wish around here.

[crowbb]

I have to agree. Some of us actually *gasp* like level grinding. I hate when a game has a low maximum level for the characters because I WILL reach it sooner or (preferably) later.

...because I actually like level grinding? Dragon Quest VIII didn't have achievements and I did it in that game too.

Gaining new abilities for your Shadow is pretty neat too.

Apparently paying $60 for a game doesn't entitle me to play the game how I wish around here.

[io]

...because I actually like level grinding? Dragon Quest VIII didn't have achievements and I did it in that game too.


:rofl: Wouldn't it have been great if DQ VIII had achievements? Man, I put over 120 hours into that and did nearly all the optional stuff (didn't go back to beat the dragons a second time, where you get them all in a row, as that was just a bit too much. But if it had been an achievement...).

Anyway, if someone who liked DQ VIII likes this game then I'm definitely going to play it next. I'm finishing Metroid first though. But I have Blue Dragon and will definitely pop that in next.

Can someone give me a spoiler-free run-down on the achievement/level grinding/shadow issue? I mean, so I don't have JohnnyFoxDarko's problem, what is it that I should be doing from the beginning to make things easier down the line? Note that I've only played one part of the demo so I know the basics of fighting but not of levelling or abilities. Also, are there any achievements that can be missed? It seemed from looking at the list there were ones where you had to beat bosses in certain ways - if you don't get those at the time, are you screwed?

[Callandor]

Played the first hour today, and I like. I can already see where the "Its too easy!" complaints are coming from, though.

[Gourd]

If it's "Too Easy!" for you guys, this might be just right for The Wife. She generally enjoys games like this, and it's better if I don't have to hear shrill screams of frustration coming from the living room.

[asianxcore]

Can someone give me a spoiler-free run-down on the achievement/level grinding/shadow issue?

There are a handful of achievements that can be missed in the game. Some of them require beating a mini-game without taking damage or doing them perfectly. If you want those, I would suggest checking out an achievement guide before starting up so you don't miss them. The problem with that is that these mini-games happen during key points in the game and reading up how to get them will spoil the story for you.

As for the level grinding for characters and shadows there is an easier way to do it. I didn't bother to have anyone in my party choose a "Barrier" Class, but the Barrier Class when leveled up high enough has a ton of field spells. There is a spell if you level that class high enough to where it will repel all weaker enemies on the field, defeat them and take 1/2 or so of their EXP/SP. This saves time with actually having to battle, since you won't have to.

[jd302426]

I just rented this at Hollywood, but they only gave me 2 discs they told me that the third disc was a bonus disc and that I didn't need it, is this true?

[TrenoV]

No, the person you were talking to is an idiot.

[io]

There are a handful of achievements that can be missed in the game. Some of them require beating a mini-game without taking damage or doing them perfectly. If you want those, I would suggest checking out an achievement guide before starting up so you don't miss them. The problem with that is that these mini-games happen during key points in the game and reading up how to get them will spoil the story for you.


Ugh - I hate stuff like that. I don't mind difficult or time-consuming achievements (as long as there is some fun in the time spent ;)) but this sounds horrible. I'll have to read up on those as much as I can without spoiling too much...

OK, just getting the list I see these:

Mechat Shooting Stage 1: Perfect 30
Clear Mechat Shooting with no damage.

Wagon Escort: Perfect 30
While escorting the wagon, make sure that it takes no damage.

Can this Mechat shooting thing be done again to get it perfect, or is it a one-time thing? I assume this wagon escort is a story item (hardly a spoiler since it is so vague :)) and thus probably a one-time thing.

And then the following "secret" ones. Of course, I have no idea what some of this stuff is, so I don't quite know if these are missable or just things you need to do anyway. I'm putting these in spoiler tags since they are "secret" achievements but with very little knowledge of the game I don't consider them true spoilers. A couple of these things were in one of the demo levels though, I think:


Closed Flying Fortress Door 5
You closed the Flying Fortress door without fighting the mecha robos.
Pulled in the Flying Fortress 5
You helped pull in the Flying Fortress without angering the Gorgo giants.
Rescued Kluke 5
You rescued Kluke without falling.
Got to Nene Before Bomb Went Off 5
You arrived at Nene's location before the time bomb went off.
Saved Kluke from Choking 5
You saved Kluke from being choked by Nene's collar.
Summoned Shu's Shadow 5
You summoned Shu's Shadow.
Escaped from Squashtrich 5
You escaped without being stomped by the Squashtrich.
Mechat Shooting Stage 2: Perfect 30
You destroyed all the mechat base machine guns in Mechat Shooting Stage 2.
Moon Laser: Perfect 30
You got a bonus for completing the Moon Laser perfectly.
Mechat Shooting Stage 3: Perfect 30
You cleared Mechat Shooting Stage 3 with no damage.


Most of the other achievements are for doing things a bunch of times (different attacks, maxing out classes, etc).

[Callandor]

Closed Flying Fortress Door 5
You closed the Flying Fortress door without fighting the mecha robos.
Pulled in the Flying Fortress 5
You helped pull in the Flying Fortress without angering the Gorgo giants.
Rescued Kluke 5
You rescued Kluke without falling.
Got to Nene Before Bomb Went Off 5
You arrived at Nene's location before the time bomb went off.
Saved Kluke from Choking 5
You saved Kluke from being choked by Nene's collar.
Summoned Shu's Shadow 5
You summoned Shu's Shadow.
Escaped from Squashtrich 5
You escaped without being stomped by the Squashtrich.
Mechat Shooting Stage 2: Perfect 30
You destroyed all the mechat base machine guns in Mechat Shooting Stage 2.
Moon Laser: Perfect 30
You got a bonus for completing the Moon Laser perfectly.
Mechat Shooting Stage 3: Perfect 30
You cleared Mechat Shooting Stage 3 with no damage.


Most of the other achievements are for doing things a bunch of times (different attacks, maxing out classes, etc).

Damn, I think that first one on your list is from the very beginning of the game. Ah, hell, I could just replay that part quickly tonight to find out.

[TrenoV]

For most of there dexterity achievements and mechat ones they conveniently put a save point right before it happens. So if you dont get the achievement and you really want it just reload before moving on.

[asianxcore]

Can this Mechat shooting thing be done again to get it perfect, or is it a one-time thing? I assume this wagon escort is a story item (hardly a spoiler since it is so vague :)) and thus probably a one-time thing

I've only done one Mechat level so far (I'm on Disc 2), but there is a save point before you do the first one. So as long as you set the option to skip cutscenes (by pressing start) you should be able to re-try it as many times as you want.

I got hit once, but I made a separate save for it just in case I felt like trying to get that achievement.

The Wagon achievement is pretty annoying, but luckily there is a save point before you start it. Again on this one I had the wagon get hit once, so I kept a separate save for that too.

BTW, I found a really nice place to level up on Disc 2. Most likely I'll be spending the next couple hours here. I am at Level 43 right now, I'm hoping to end at around 50+ before the end of this disc.

[io]

Thanks, guys. You know, for some reason I hadn't thought of the multiple save option. I guess it's just that I've been playing games with limited save slots recently (eg, Metroid Prime 3). I'm assuming you can make as many saves as you want for Blue Dragon then? Then you can just go back to any of those simply for the achievements even if it isn't along your "main" game path. Brilliant! I'll make sure to make frequent, multiple saves when I start playing. I still have 60GB free on my Elite, so it shouldn't be a problem ;).

[Tyvan]

So is everyone still loving this game? Done with Bioshock (IMHO Highly overated) and looking for a good game to trade it for. Love FF games , so I am thinking about picking this one up.

[TrenoV]

If you're a fan of rpg's you should definitely check it out. Fun game in my opinion. Just about done with it, dont think im even going to bother trying to stab the item/monster catalog achievements.

[Layd Dly]

Picked up the game at bestbuy last night. Used 10% off coupon plus i had 2 $25 gc's so for $7.50 out the door i couldnt pass it up but im waiting to start it until i beat bioshock which will be soon as im on the last level.

[brandonabley]

Did anyone else download the difficulty fix off of the Hong Kong marketplace? I was pretty surprised that I was able to do it, but whatever.

Basically, you can download a patch that lets you start a new game in a harder difficulty. You can also do New Game+, and there is a third difficulty intended strictly for New Game+ parties (like it's impossible if you aren't level 50 and all that).

I was thinking the game was too easy and it wasn't keeping my attention, but playing in Hard mode is definitely more rewarding. In many cases, I can't even beat an enemy unless I exploit its weakness! Furthermore, the two support magic classes suddenly become very key to victory.

I really recommend getting the patch! It's supposed to come out in the US eventually, but since it works fine with my US version downloaded with a phoney Hong Kong account (my "address" is a pizza place in Central district), I don't see why you shouldn't nab it now.

[Radioactive_Man]

I thought they put up that extra dungeon for the marketplace a week or so before the game came out. Now I go to the game space and it's gone, so it's safe to assume they took it down?

[Callandor]

Well, if that patch ever comes out here, I hope they let you up the difficulty at will. I want to try the harder setting, but I don't want to replay many hours just to do it.

[yuckfou]

quick question
1. is there any option for japanese voice acting on the US ver. Blue Dragon ???
2. Can US version 360 play the international version of blue dragon (it has japanese voice acting with english subs), i.e. is there any region lock ?

don't have a 360, interested in getting a blue dragon and play it on my roomate's 360

Thanks

[TrenoV]

1. yes
2. no

[thakingrocka]

i played through the japanese version a little while ago, and i erally liked it. i think i may be alone in that sentiment at times, but it really captured everything i liked about jrpgs from back in the day. it is not a revolution or anything, but it is a quality modern-age update to the way jrpgs once were. most importantly, the characterization was of the more traditional sort that i prefer. there were no long-haired ladyboys and there were no "stylish" maneuvers or combos.

[GizmoGC]

I'm loving this game. Just got to Jibral...

[drbutchevil]

After playing the game about 20 hours, I must say, I disagree with the many reviews that bash it. Sure, the first 15 hours wasn't epic and riddled with story, but it wasn't mind numbingly boring either. I am having alot of fun with the game. Its not FF6, or Chrono Trigger, but its very fun.

[Monsta Mack]

Been a good ten hours into this game and I'm enjoying it. If it had the title "Final Fantasy" reviewers would be more favorable towards this. It's not the greatest RPG in the world, but it certainly isn't poor either. Very enjoyable and my only three complaints are 1) Characters are alittle too generic, granted they are "kiddie" 2) The stupid lag/framerate loss during dragon attacks in certain areas 3) It's too damn easy, but I didn't d/l the hard patch.

Highly recommended if you can grab this game on sale, even more recommended if you like RPGs at all.

Game deserves a 8/10 in my book so far, maybe higher. Nothing lower though.

[asianxcore]

I'm glad everyone is enjoying the game.

I've been out of town for the last 4 days, so I haven't been able to play anymore of the game. Hopefully that will change soon.

Last I left off I was near the end of Disc 2 (or what feels like it) I believe, with near 30 hours clocked in.

[Azumangaman]

Last I left off I was near the end of Disc 2 (or what feels like it) I believe, with near 30 hours clocked in.
30 hours total or just 30 on the second disc?
I'll probably be picking this up on Tuesday, just wondering the length.

[Robobandit]

I'm holding off playing any more until I get myself a new 360 that isn't banned from Live.. I want to play in Hard mode before I throw away more than 23 hours on the game :)

[Callandor]

Just got up to the laser field, gonna see what that's all about tomorrow after school.

Really solid, old-school RPG thus far. Nothing revolutionary, or even evolutionary for that matter, but simple and solid. It's a looker, though. The art style, design, and overall graphical polish are superb (with the exception of a few little hitches, like the minor slowdown in battles and the shadow pop-in).

[asianxcore]

30 hours total or just 30 on the second disc?
I'll probably be picking this up on Tuesday, just wondering the length.

Most reviews I read said the game was a 50+ hour game total.

I'm at the 30 hour mark (total), but your hour total at this point really depends on your style of play. I read of a lot of people who had started the 2nd disc at the 10-12 hour mark, where I was maybe 21-22 hours before I started the 2nd disc.

The reason (for me at least) why I have only tacked on 10 hours since the 1st disc is because of how I've changed my playing style since then. I started to level grind A LOT on the 1st disc and maybe 30% of the 2nd disc. It got to the point that I knew by playing that I was over-leveled so I just stopped grinding and concentrated on the story.

I am a couple hours into the 3rd disc now and haven't run into any sidequests yet in the game. I am hoping that they are on this disc since it would be kind of weird for an RPG to lack sidequests this far in the game.

[Callandor]

I am a couple hours into the 3rd disc now and haven't run into any sidequests yet in the game. I am hoping that they are on this disc since it would be kind of weird for an RPG to lack sidequests this far in the game.

There is a sidequest at the beginning of the second disc. Go to the Exile Forest and then Gorgo Village southeast of Jibral.

[AdvOfJet]

I'm nearing the 20 hours mark and am just now inside Nene's Flying Fortress after pulling it in with the giants. Whats taking me so long is searching every single item on the screen looking for Nothings and other bonuses. How many Nothings did you guys finds before the end of disk one ?

[GizmoGC]

I'm nearing the 20 hours mark and am just now inside Nene's Flying Fortress after pulling it in with the giants. Whats taking me so long is searching every single item on the screen looking for Nothings and other bonuses. How many Nothings did you guys finds before the end of disk one ?

There is a guy is Jibral village that will give you accessories (those +1 things you earned if you used the Generalist class). I had close to 600 at the end of Disc 1.

[AdvOfJet]

There is a guy is Jibral village that will give you accessories (those +1 things you earned if you used the Generalist class). I had close to 600 at the end of Disc 1.

That is probably why it's taking me so long then. Last time I checked with the guy in Jibal, I had just shy of 900 Nothings and still on Disc one.

[asianxcore]

There is a sidequest at the beginning of the second disc. Go to the Exile Forest and then Gorgo Village southeast of Jibral.

Thanks, I just got the Mechat, so I can go wherever I want now and all the sidequests are marked on the world map :)

Even though I'm a tad over-leveled, the sidequest bosses are tough. The last one I beat took me maybe 3 tries before I got it right.

[drbutchevil]

Maybe I missed something aside from the sidequest mentioned, but disk 2 only took me 8 hours :(

[jer7583]

I think this game is going to drop like a rock in price.. I'd love to play it after the holiday blitzkrieg, or fiend on it for a few days around christmas for $40. Is the voice acting really that bad?

[Monsta Mack]

I think this game is going to drop like a rock in price.. I'd love to play it after the holiday blitzkrieg, or fiend on it for a few days around christmas for $40. Is the voice acting really that bad?

It may drop in price, but keep in mind this is a RPG. The 360 doesn't have many RPG's so there isn't much market to drop in price. The chances of this dropping in price are low, but it might go on sale for $50 here and there (and it already has, through Family Video I got mine pre-ordered for $45ish). Enchanted Arms took forever to drop, and It was a friggin' UBISOFT product. How many Ubisoft products dont' drop in price within the first few months? How about a year? Oh and this is a RPG. Point taken. It will be atleast March of next year before this sees a permanent price drop of $40 or less unless Microsoft is stupid (which at times they are).

The voice acting is acceptable as soon as you realize your entire team are kiddies. They shouldn't talk like grownups or have too much maturity. They are kids.

[Callandor]

I think this game is going to drop like a rock in price.. I'd love to play it after the holiday blitzkrieg, or fiend on it for a few days around christmas for $40. Is the voice acting really that bad?

Marumaro is annoying as hell, and Shu can be a bit aggravating at times, but otherwise, it's got a decent voice cast. Kluke and Jiro are both quite good, and I know I've picked up a few voices from various anime dubs thrown into the mix.

[asianxcore]

I agree, Marumaro's voice is really annoying in this game.

I've sunk almost 40 hours into this game so far and I have maybe one sidequest left to do according to my map.

I'm pretty close to getting my first Level 99 on my shadow classes, so I'll be spending a lot of time on that. It also looks like the game has an HP cap. I've already hit 999 on my entire party (Level 58+) and it stopped increasing when I recently leveled up.

Also I think I'll dump a bunch of hours into finding those 'legendary' creatures that the achievement list mentions.

[Collectordragon]

Was a Blue Dragon faceplate ever released in the US?

[R1V3R5]

Was a Blue Dragon faceplate ever released in the US?

No.

[Collectordragon]

Is the Blue Dragon Faceplate being sold by itself on import sites and eBay the same one that came with the Japanese 360 bundle?

[asianxcore]

Is the Blue Dragon Faceplate being sold by itself on import sites and eBay the same one that came with the Japanese 360 bundle?

Yup, looks like it.

Xbox 360 Blue Dragon/Japanese Bundle (Pic)
http://image1.play-asia.com/640/PA.75870.003.jpg

Blue Dragon Faceplate (Pic)
http://image4.play-asia.com/640/PA.82159.001.jpg

I really want to pick up the faceplate, but I really don't want to pay an arm and a leg for it.

So I beat Blue Dragon after putting nearly 45 hours into it. Great game and I really enjoyed the final battles/ending. The last dungeon got a little tedious though. I think the game deserved a 7-8 rating for the reasons that Callandor mentioned a handful of posts ago. Nothing really revolutionary/evolutionary but solid nonetheless.

I probably will be pouring even more hours into this game trying to get at least one class of shadows to 99. Also I'm sure (as I mentioned many times before) that I will try and get my entire party up to 99 and find some of the 'legendary' monsters.

[asianxcore]

I finally got my entire party leveled up to 99 :)

I also got at least one of their shadow classes up to 99 as well.

Anyone else still playing this game?

[io]

I finally got my entire party leveled up to 99 :)

I also got at least one of their shadow classes up to 99 as well.

Anyone else still playing this game?

I'm going to start in a few days. How long did that take you?

[asianxcore]

I'm going to start in a few days. How long did that take you?

About 54-55 hours. I did most of my leveling up during the beginning and final portions of the game. I also did a large chunk of it once I beat the main quest.

[Callandor]

I finally got my entire party leveled up to 99 :)

I also got at least one of their shadow classes up to 99 as well.

Anyone else still playing this game?

Yeah, my next part is the 60 minute race through Nene's fortress.

And I won't be able to get the item log achievement; I missed my one chance at a shield ring. :bomb:

[asianxcore]

And I won't be able to get the item log achievement; I missed my one chance at a shield ring. :bomb:

I was originally going to try for that achievement but it seemed like too much to remember during my first run through.

So I'm extremely annoyed. According to the Fortune Teller at Lal Mountains I have unlocked all the barriers in the game. Guess what......no achievement.

What the hell.

[Callandor]

I was originally going to try for that achievement but it seemed like too much to remember during my first run through.

So I'm extremely annoyed. According to the Fortune Teller at Lal Mountains I have unlocked all the barriers in the game. Guess what......no achievement.

What the hell.

Including the black ones? It includes all the non-chest barriers, as well.

[vashknives114]

I was originally going to try for that achievement but it seemed like too much to remember during my first run through.

So I'm extremely annoyed. According to the Fortune Teller at Lal Mountains I have unlocked all the barriers in the game. Guess what......no achievement.

What the hell.
She doesn't keep track of wall and door barriers, so you have to find and keep track of them yourself.

Taken from my post on another board:

There are six blue ones:

1 in Ancient Ruins Caverns
1 in Ancient Hospital Ruins (second floor)
1 in Underground River
1 in Mecha Base (second floor)
2 in Upper Mecha Base (both are on the second floor as well)


Three red ones:
1 in Glu Mountains
1 in Mecha Base (second floor)
1 in Upper Mecha Base (second floor again)

One green one in the Forest of the Dead.

Six white ones:
2 in Ancient Hospital Ruins (first floor and third floor)
1 in Underground Paches Town
2 in Upper Mecha Base (on second floor)

And finally 6 black ones.

1 in Ancient Factory
1 in Kelaso Village
2 in Sea Cube (1 in the third floor and the other in the Deep Area/final floor)
and the final two are in the first and second floors of the Primitive Cube.

[asianxcore]

She doesn't keep track of wall and door barriers, so you have to find and keep track of them yourself.

Taken from my post on another board:

There are six blue ones:

1 in Ancient Ruins Caverns
1 in Ancient Hospital Ruins (second floor)
1 in Underground River
1 in Mecha Base (second floor)
2 in Upper Mecha Base (both are on the second floor as well)


Three red ones:
1 in Glu Mountains
1 in Mecha Base (second floor)
1 in Upper Mecha Base (second floor again)

One green one in the Forest of the Dead.

Six white ones:
2 in Ancient Hospital Ruins (first floor and third floor)
1 in Underground Paches Town
2 in Upper Mecha Base (on second floor)

And finally 6 black ones.

1 in Ancient Factory
1 in Kelaso Village
2 in Sea Cube (1 in the third floor and the other in the Deep Area/final floor)
and the final two are in the first and second floors of the Primitive Cube.

Thanks a bunch for that.

I didn't know she didn't keep track of wall/door barriers. I'm going to take a short break from this game (put 60 hours in so far) and start looking at ones I've missed.

Here's hoping I didn't miss any in the Primitive Cube. I really really don't want to go through that level again.

[vashknives114]

Here's hoping I didn't miss any in the Primitive Cube. I really really don't want to go through that level again.
Check your item log book. If you have #244 Himiko's Necklace and #274 Himiko's Earring then you broke both barriers in there.

If you don't have either one, or one but not the other you either missed the barrier, or didn't pick up the treasure behind them.

[Azumangaman]

Picked up this game yesterday, will be playing it soon. Hope its really good :D

[asianxcore]

Picked up this game yesterday, will be playing it soon. Hope its really good :D

I hope you like it! P.S...Heroes is an amazing show.

Also about the barriers, it's weird that the fortune teller doesn't keep track of wall/door barriers.

The only reason why I think that is because I was going back and forth between searching/de-activating them and the Lal Mountains.

At many points I'd have 3-4 of one color and after de-activating a colored door/wall I found, the count at the fortune teller would go down.

[thurston]

been playing this for 2 weeks logged 20 hrs already Disc 2....im loving it..i dont know why it got all the hate...the game reminds me of Final Fantasy 1 and Chronotrigger alike..the graphics are amazing as for landscapes and such...
purchased mine on ebay for 47 shipped.. i think i got a steal on this..

[Azumangaman]

I hope you like it! P.S...Heroes is an amazing show.


And I am. Today I played for 4.5 hours straight (an insane milestone for me) while chatting with Chac who was playing MP3...Anyway, I got pretty far.
Current Time Clocked in: 8hrs 01min 03sec.

When the heck do you get the encyclopedia/log thing? Also, when do you start breaking barriers.
Oh yeah, I just got into the Forest Of The Dead.

[KyotheWicked]

I'm nearing the end of disc 2 with about 40 hours logged so far.

The reviews for this game are a bit unfair and the demo is definitely not representative of the full game. It's very reminiscent of Dragon Quest VIII so if you liked that or classic turn based RPGs, then you will enjoy this game.

[asianxcore]

When the heck do you get the encyclopedia/log thing? Also, when do you start breaking barriers

I forget where you get the log, but I know I got it during the storyline.

As far as the barrier devices, you'll get most of them on your main quest. If you want ALL of the colored devices, you'll have to go through the side quests to get them.

The side quests were fun, I don't regret going through them.

[io]

I put in about 4 hours last night to start it off. Very fun so far, though I haven't done too much. I was also wondering about the barrier breakage stuff. I've found several blue and now a green barrier. I guess there will be a lot of backtracking once I am able to get these.

I got wiped out by a "lazy bear" who hits multiple times for 50 damage each. My chars have about 50 HP right now :lol:. He was guarding a path and I thought I'd try getting past him to a treasure chest. In that way, the game does remind me of DQ VIII (with the special monsters that you could see on the map and if you take them on too early you get wiped out). I'm assuming that if I wait a bit and come back to him he'll be a pushover.

I have no clue what to do with shadow classes. I switched Jiro to the "barrier" class as I thought maybe that had something to do with getting past the colored barriers. That's probably wrong, but I'll stick with it anyway.

[Callandor]

I put in about 4 hours last night to start it off. Very fun so far, though I haven't done too much. I was also wondering about the barrier breakage stuff. I've found several blue and now a green barrier. I guess there will be a lot of backtracking once I am able to get these.

I got wiped out by a "lazy bear" who hits multiple times for 50 damage each. My chars have about 50 HP right now :lol:. He was guarding a path and I thought I'd try getting past him to a treasure chest. In that way, the game does remind me of DQ VIII (with the special monsters that you could see on the map and if you take them on too early you get wiped out). I'm assuming that if I wait a bit and come back to him he'll be a pushover.

I have no clue what to do with shadow classes. I switched Jiro to the "barrier" class as I thought maybe that had something to do with getting past the colored barriers. That's probably wrong, but I'll stick with it anyway.

Work Jiro up a bit in both black and white, then switch him to barrier magic to pick up a few spells. You'll come back to that lazy bear after probably 5 hours and a few dungeons, ready and able to cream it.

Currently running around the sidequests at the end of disc 3. Holy crap, they throw a nice assortment of optional areas at you. And I tried the blizzard dragon... he killed me. After I stole his ribbon. :bomb: I'm honestly glad I picked up the guide for this game.

[JohnnyFoxDarko]

Work Jiro up a bit in both black and white, then switch him to barrier magic to pick up a few spells. You'll come back to that lazy bear after probably 5 hours and a few dungeons, ready and able to cream it.

Currently running around the sidequests at the end of disc 3. Holy crap, they throw a nice assortment of optional areas at you. And I tried the blizzard dragon... he killed me. After I stole his ribbon. :bomb: I'm honestly glad I picked up the guide for this game.

I'm at that part too, but I just want to finish it because I know I won't finish it after I get Halo 3.
Can you continue with the story and get your ass handed to you?
Right now I tried fighting that other tree, and I can almost beat him, but he gets me everytime. I also tried fighting the Phantom Dragon and he killed me badly. :cry:

[Callandor]

I'm at that part too, but I just want to finish it because I know I won't finish it after I get Halo 3.
Can you continue with the story and get your ass handed to you?
Right now I tried fighting that other tree, and I can almost beat him, but he gets me everytime. I also tried fighting the Phantom Dragon and he killed me badly. :cry:

Supposedly the final areas aren't that hard, and the "superbosses" like the dragons are worse than the final fight against Nene. Or whoever it is; the guide doesn't say what the final boss is. :) So the EXTRA extra bosses are a bitch, the achievement ones, are a bitch. The others, way too damn easy.

Do some trial runs on the dragons to figure out their attacks. Plan your accessory and skills carefully to counter those abilities.

The Ghost Yeet on the eastern island? Ribbons, ballet shoes, and a good resistus spell will make the fight easy. Just protect against petrification and slowly whittle away at his health while building up corporeals, if needed.

[asianxcore]

Can you continue with the story and get your ass handed to you?
Right now I tried fighting that other tree, and I can almost beat him, but he gets me everytime. I also tried fighting the Phantom Dragon and he killed me badly. :cry:

What level is your party at when attempting that boss? Also what skill/shadow focuses do you have on each character?

I didn't attempt that group of bosses until I had my party over level 87/88.

Zephyrus (highest group heal/white magic), resurrection, pre-revive, double cast, etc all work well on those bosses. Also the bosses are easier if you find Belly Button Ring of ______. Most of them have attacks that are primarily wind or earth, so if you find these Belly Button Ring of the Wind for example, the Dragon using wind attacks cannot do ANY damage to you. That makes things easier, since you'll always have one person in your party alive

[GizmoGC]

What level is your party at when attempting that boss? Also what skill/shadow focuses do you have on each character?

I didn't attempt that group of bosses until I had my party over level 87/88.

Zephyrus (highest group heal/white magic), resurrection, pre-revive, double cast, etc all work well on those bosses. Also the bosses are easier if you find Belly Button Ring of ______. Most of them have attacks that are primarily wind or earth, so if you find these Belly Button Ring of the Wind for example, the Dragon using wind attacks cannot do ANY damage to you. That makes things easier, since you'll always have one person in your party alive

Crap...I hope I didn't sell those spoilerized items!

When you say level 87/88...did you mean the character level or class level?

[asianxcore]

Crap...I hope I didn't sell those spoilerized items!

When you say level 87/88...did you mean the character level or class level?

I hope you didn't either :)

It definitely makes fighting those bosses a lot easier since most do lots of damage or have multiple turn attacks.

87/88 entire party level as well as at least one shadow class near 99 at that point.

[dave17]

when does the combat start to get challenging? I'm 10ish hours in, at the place with the people in the wall and I'm finding myself just running past all of the enemies because combat is very tedious since there isnt much challenge. I at least like how they got rid of the random combat so I can advance the story faster and get to the harder fights.

also, one thing I really hate and dont know why they put it in is how you can find some crap item on every god damn rock that you check. usually it's like an antidote or 10 gold, but I know that it will entice a lot of people into running along walls, spamming A to try to make sure they dont miss anything good like a super weapon xyz that you couldnt go back and get. it's really annoying.

[pete5883]

So I guess choosing hard mode would be a bad idea if one wants to beat optional bosses?

[Callandor]

Crap...I hope I didn't sell those spoilerized items!

When you say level 87/88...did you mean the character level or class level?

Black Belts and the Eyepatch double SP. Advice: level Shu's Assassin class up to 32 before the end of disc 2 (so he gets steal and treasure hunt).

Some locations of these items:
- Red barrier chest in Mural Town; belt
- Rare steal from the tree boss at start of disc 3; save after you regain Shu's shadow, give him steal/treasure hunt, and reset until you get the belt
- 1200 nothings from Nothing Man: belt
- Find the autographed item in the desert after the mountain sheep camp; the human at the camp will give you an eyepatch for it
- There is a belt in the optional ancient ruins forest area by Talta after you get the mechat

There are a few other steals as well.

As soon as I get that last one, I'll have an SP-doubler for each character. And no, they don't stack. :cry:

[Ahadi]

Do you guys think that this game will appeal to casual RPG fans, such as myself? I'm very intrigued by it, but I don't know how "deep" it goes. Like, I enjoy the occasional RPG, but I hardly ever finish them. Would it be worth it for me to pick it up now and chip away at it little by little, or do you think it would be more wise for me to hold off on a price drop if I end up never having time for it?

[Callandor]

There, after 56 hours, and all of the sidequests except for the dragons, king poo, and gold mecha robo, Blue Dragon is finished.

Running through the final "bosses" at level 60+ with decent shadow skill levels was easy. I say final "bosses" for a reason. Deathroy being a boss wasn't surprising, but the circumstances were. And the OTHER "boss", well, I won't spoil that little entertaining twist, but it did explain a really big plot loophole.

I think I'll work on the character level 99 and the one shadow class 99 achievements, but that's all. I don't have the time to go for 99 in all classes. Should get the monter log achievement when I kill off the last couple optional bosses. I'm still pissed I missed that fucking shield ring...

It was a decent game overall, but no real replay value. I think I'll sell it once I get a few more achievements.

[h2dk]

56+ hours and your complaint is lack of replay value?

[tenzor]

56+ hours and your complaint is lack of replay value?

I think he means playing it again after beating it because there is no multiplayer or extra modes to make you want to play it again.

[ighosty]

question for those of you who have played this and eternal sonata. I am going to one of these from gamefly, and probably get both over the next year. But which one should i get first since with h3, orange box, and mass effect coming out i will probably only have time to really play one other rpg this fall so should it be blue dragon or eternal, i have played both demos and found eternal sonata very fun, but also found blue dragon fun. Opinions?

[io]

I think I'll work on the character level 99 and the one shadow class 99 achievements, but that's all. I don't have the time to go for 99 in all classes. Should get the monter log achievement when I kill off the last couple optional bosses. I'm still pissed I missed that fucking shield ring...


I can't possibly see myself playing through it AGAIN (given it takes 50+ hours) if I miss an item or monster. Could you tell me where this shield ring thing is and how I could miss it (so I make sure I don't)? I'm about 11 hours in, now, and at the Valley of the Murals (just went through the town). Also, are there any other items or monsters that are missable?

I could see myself going for the 99 in all classes deal in this game - but ONLY if I have a chance at all the other achievements, otherwise it will seem pointless. So I don't want to miss anything. In games like this, I always want there to be a FAQ just to help with missable things. It should have just enough info so you can get 100% without spoiling anything it doesn't have to. For a game like Suikoden V it is critical (I had to sift through the regular FAQ to get that info and saw things I didn't need to see). Callandor, it seems you are on track for all the monsters and all but 1 item. Maybe you can let me (and others) know which ones are tricky.

But man, this game is stingy with the gamerpoints... I'm 11 hours in and have all of 15 so far :lol:.

By the way, the graphics and design of the Mural area are incredible. I was underwhelmed by the graphics and art design when I played the demo (I only played the Nene fight level and not the other). I know others commented on how bland it was in the demo. Well, just about every area I've been to so far in the game has been much better than the place in the demo. And Mural town is just stunningly beautiful in HD.

So far I'm definitely glad I didn't let the usual cadre of turn-based JRPG haters on CAG keep me from getting this game. I think it is excellent so far and may replace Viva Pinata as my favorite 360 game.

[io]

question for those of you who have played this and eternal sonata. I am going to one of these from gamefly, and probably get both over the next year. But which one should i get first since with h3, orange box, and mass effect coming out i will probably only have time to really play one other rpg this fall so should it be blue dragon or eternal, i have played both demos and found eternal sonata very fun, but also found blue dragon fun. Opinions?

I would say all you need is Blue Dragon. But that might just be because I got it first and started it. Now I see no need to get Eternal Sonata at full price so I'll wait for a drop. UNLESS, that is, I can get a faceplate when I go out to EB tonight. If they have a cool one left and let me get it with a purchase, I may pick up ES. But I don't plan on playing it any time soon with all the other games coming out this Fall.

Of course, had I got Eternal Sonata first I would probably be saying the opposite. From what I've read and the short demo I played of ES, I'd say they are both fine choices if you like JRPGs and I'm definitely glad both came out on the 360. It is a lack of games like this that kept me from the original Xbox. Throw in Katamari in a few weeks, and my 360 has become, for all intents and purposes, a next-gen PS2 :lol:.

[Callandor]

I can't possibly see myself playing through it AGAIN (given it takes 50+ hours) if I miss an item or monster. Could you tell me where this shield ring thing is and how I could miss it (so I make sure I don't)? I'm about 11 hours in, now, and at the Valley of the Murals (just went through the town). Also, are there any other items or monsters that are missable?

Ok, based of the official guide, here is the list of miss-able items and monsters in the game:

Items:
Disc 1:
-Get the special gift card from one of the people at the party after you take down Nene's fortress. Do not leave the party until you do.

Disc 2:
-At the beginning of the disc, get the shield earring (sorry, not ring, that was my typo) from a soldier in the cafe before you sleep and leave Jibral. THIS IS THE ONE I FUCKING MISSED.
-Also get the designer vase from the workshop in Jibral BEFORE you sleep and leave; you will need it to get the first-aid vase and Devee idol from a disc 3 sidequest.
-Buy the Supermetal bracelet and ring in Baroy town after you get the blue device and before you leave the town.

Disc 3:
-Get the rare steal of Nene's ring from Ultimate Szabo in the Primitive Cube.
-Get the rare steal of Nene's earring from the optional superboss Phantom Dragon at the southern end of the great desert in disc 3.
-Get the autograph paper by killing the optional superboss King Poo in the ancient ruins by Talta. Find Toripo during the playable end segment (after the final boss) behind a tree which is behind your Mechat, and he will sign the paper to give you one last item, an Autograph.

You can't get the item collection achievement without beating the end boss and getting the two items that pop up during the endgame sequence: a rare flower, and the above autograph.

NOTE: You need a total of 1800 nothings to get all the special accessories from the Nothing Man under the bridge in Jibral. I do not know if anything past the 1200 nothing gift is unique, since I only found ~1350 during my play. So no promises that the above list is complete; the Prima guide did not specify his later items.



Monsters: In general, fight everything you come across, especially in all the "temporary" areas (mostly Nene's various fortresses and bases)
Disc 2:
-Let the Scything Skull boss in the Pachess Underground Factory summon Skeleton Generals (and kill them) before you kill him.
-Let the Versatile Mecha Robo's in Nene's Fortress summon Intercept Dynadrones (and kill them) before you finish the fortress.
-Make sure to kill the two types of Servant mecha robos during the Yasato boss fight at the end of disc 2. Kill them BEFORE you release Yasato.

Disc 3:
-In Devour forest, start a monster fight between the wolf ghosts and zombie monkeys to make the Skeleton Monkey appear.
-During the Rockwind Wolf Ghost fight, do not kill it too quickly; let it split into the Rock and Wolf ghosts before you finish the fight.
-In the Upper Mecha Robo base, let a damaged Security Electrogue split into it's two separate parts.
-In the Sea Cube, kill a Kelolon in front of a Kelolon defender to turn the defender into a balloon toad.
-Let the Wandering Sages in the Primitive Cube summon Spine Ghosts and Sanguine Slashers.

You can't get this achievement without clearing out the Primitive Cube (through Ultimate Szabo) and killing all the optionals superbosses.

You owe me. :P Or, you owe Prima for making the guide. Your choice.

And just for kicks:

I KILLED THE LAST TWO MAIN BOSSES OF THE GAME WITHOUT THEM EVEN GETTING A CHANCE TO HIT ME!!!! That is 1) how powerful my lvl 60+ team using level 65-80 shadow classes is, and 2)how easy the game is.

[io]

Ok, based of the official guide, here is the list of miss-able items and monsters in the game:

Items:
Disc 1:
-Get the special gift card from one of the people at the party after you take down Nene's fortress. Do not leave the party until you do.

Disc 2:
-At the beginning of the disc, get the shield earring (sorry, not ring, that was my typo) from a soldier in the cafe before you sleep and leave Jibral. THIS IS THE ONE I FUCKING MISSED.
-Also get the designer vase from the workshop in Jibral BEFORE you sleep and leave; you will need it to get the first-aid vase and Devee idol from a disc 3 sidequest.
-Buy the Supermetal bracelet and ring in Baroy town after you get the blue device and before you leave the town.

Disc 3:
-Get the rare steal of Nene's ring from Ultimate Szabo in the Primitive Cube.
-Get the rare steal of Nene's earring from the optional superboss Phantom Dragon at the southern end of the great desert in disc 3.
-Get the autograph paper by killing the optional superboss King Poo in the ancient ruins by Talta. Find Toripo during the playable end segment (after the final boss) behind a tree which is behind your Mechat, and he will sign the paper to give you one last item, an Autograph.

You can't get the item collection achievement without beating the end boss and getting the two items that pop up during the endgame sequence: a rare flower, and the above autograph.


Monsters: In general, fight everything you come across, especially in all the "temporary" areas (mostly Nene's various fortresses and bases)
Disc 2:
-Let the Scything Skull boss in the Pachess Underground Factory summon Skeleton Generals (and kill them) before you kill him.
-Let the Versatile Mecha Robo's in Nene's Fortress summon Intercept Dynadrones (and kill them) before you finish the fortress.
-Make sure to kill the two types of Servant mecha robos during the Yasato boss fight at the end of disc 2. Kill them BEFORE you release Yasato.

Disc 3:
-In Devour forest, start a monster fight between the wolf ghosts and zombie monkeys to make the Skeleton Monkey appear.
-During the Rockwind Wolf Ghost fight, do not kill it too quickly; let it split into the Rock and Wolf ghosts before you finish the fight.
-In the Upper Mecha Robo base, let a damaged Security Electrogue split into it's two separate parts.
-In the Sea Cube, kill a Kelolon in front of a Kelolon defender to turn the defender into a balloon toad.
-Let the Wandering Sages in the Primitive Cube summon Spine Ghosts and Sanguine Slashers.

You can't get this achievement without clearing out the Primitive Cube (through Ultimate Szabo) and killing all the optionals superbosses.

You owe me. :P

Excellent, thanks! Once I get my main computer working again (some dude is here now replacing the motherboard AGAIN!) and can print, I'm printing this out ASAP. I'm still on disc one and I don't think I've taken down Nene's fortress yet. When does that happen? And now I see why you are telling people to get the steal skill going - 2 things that are stealable (and rare) only. I'll start working on that one soon.

I have another question about the medal-trading guy. I ran into him early on (in the sea caves area I think) and bought one of each thing from him. Then he left for some other place. Is it going to be like this the whole time? Does he ever set up shop somewhere permanently or should I be buying more off of him while I can? Also, does he ever offer more than he has that first time? Basically, I'm wondering if I should just spend all my medals next time and get a bunch of stuff (it seemed to be mostly hearts for upgrading classes). If I'm going for the 99 level thing it would seem useful to get as many of these as possible. BUT, I want to save the medals if there is anything better (or rare) that he sells later.

Also, when do you run into the "nothing" person?

[Callandor]

Actually, I recommend the lvl32 assassin ON SHU for steal+treasure hunt early for a few reasons:

- Getting the black belt rare steal from the tree boss at the start of act 3; She is the only one with a shadow here, and hence the only one that can "easily" steal rare items.
- Stealing magic life-crusher bracelets rare steal from the snakes in the underground waterway after Baroy town in disc 2; they are fucking overpowered for that early in the game!
- Lots of bosses have kick-ass rare accessory steals, as well.
Keep in mind you might have to do some "save first, then reset" to get some of those rare steals.

Toripo is the metal-trade guy; he'll pop up a few times throughout the game. He only trades for the skill hearts and the stat-boost items. Just buy one of every item from him to ensure you get them on your item lists. Splurge on the barrier hearts; you want a lvl50 barrier mage as soon as possible for Field Barrier 3. :drool:

The Nothing Man is an NPC in Jibral castle town. You can first meet him near the end of disc 1.

And work on your Generalist class early; those +Skills and +Accessory abilities are very nice to have later in disc 2. Just gradually build up the classes throughout the game, get Field Barrier 3 before the end of disc 2, and keep running the underground waterway to build up your classes.

Man, I'm starting to feel like your Metroid and Blue Dragon helper. \\:D/

[io]

Thanks. I just switched Kluke to Generalist last night and in no time had her levelled up to get the extra skill slot. Very nice indeed. I need to get Maro into that class as he has tons of unused skills right now. And Jiro, too, since he is my white/barrier mage. The extra accessory slot seems pointless, now, though, as I don't have anything that fits in that slot!

I just love Maro's monk class multiple target charge-up attack. That thing takes out most of the groups I'm running into in one hit.

I *really* like that once you switch classes you can still use everything from the other classes you have. That makes changing around and experimenting so much more enjoyable (because I can keep the cool stuff and get new powers). But I definitely see the need for everyone to power up in Generalist for a bit to make use of all those skills.

I'm a bit worried that I didn't pick Assassin for Shu the last time I got to add a class, so I may have to wait a while before I can even get it again. I think I just hit level 20 and got a class. How much longer before I can add another?

[Callandor]

Level 30. The new classes come at 5-10-20-30-40-50. Just build one up in Assassin right away, but I recommend Shu for that extra black belt.

[Spades22]

When I first saw that you can have new shadow classes, I was planning on giving shu assassin, jiro barrier/supportégeneralist, and generalist to kluke first...but then I accidentally gave jiro assassin as well as shu accidentally when they both ranked up for the first time and I pressed A too quickly. My question is, should I restart that hour or so of gameplay (I killed a bunch of stuff and I always search everything...probably would take half that time to get back there though), or do I eventually get to choose every shadow class anyway...

This game is awesome as well...don't know why some reviews were so negative. Even though some of the things they say is lame (ex "I know why we're going back up, I said I will never give up!" or "If anything happens to us when we swallow these, you're responsible!") But the gameplay is great and its waay better than I expected, especially after playing the horrible demo.

[Callandor]

So you're at the beginning? Nah, by the time you'll want Shu's assassin class for good ol thievery, you should be well past lvl 20.

Just unlock classes as you go to fill in the roles you want the characters to play.

[Spades22]

Ya...the beginning. Shu wasn't the one I messed up with...it was Jiro who I gave the assassin class by accident. So...I get every shadow class eventually then too?

[modium]

I really love this game. The best part is the shadow class/level-up system. I haven't had this much fun leveling up and changing my skills around in such a long time. As soon as I get more levels, I'm going to get everyone up in Generalist. Those extra skills slots are nearly essential. Also, the enemy designs are truly awesome, even if the characters and story still feel a little trite. Every time I go into a new area, I'm surprised how I'm still seeing fresh, imaginative creatures.

There's a New Game+ option, right? If that's true, I could probably go through the game, getting as much as I can on my own, probably level everything up (since it's so fun), then start a new game and rush though, getting everything I missed, field barrier-ing everything and plowing through the bosses. Seem about right?

[io]

Anyone else still playing? I figured this game is about as anti-Halo as you can get (with its non-twitch, turn-based battling and all). Maybe the rest of us can take refuge here for a bit ;).

I just got to disc 2 this weekend. I also went back and completed the wagon and Mechat shooting (level 1) achievements. Both of them were a bit tricky but after several attempts I managed to get them. The key to the wagon one is to be in the right place and to use the encounter circle. For the Mechat shooting I found myself really wishing I had the Metroid Prime 3 Wii remote controls :lol:.

I really liked the ring-creation minigame at the start of disc 2. I made a pretty good one and was tempted to go back and get the best possible ring, but I figured the game isn't *that* hard so I'll just stick with my above average ring for now... (The one I made was a bit better than Jiro's so that's good enough).

[h2dk]

I still play it when I get a chance, but it is hard to only play an hour at a time. I wish there was a way to skip the "victory" cutscene at the end of each battle, I also had to "speed up" my play a bit. My kids watch and get tired of me searching for items. I am about 25 hours in, was hoping to be farther along before H3, now I will have to juggle the two.

For those through/on disk 2, quick question:

I was chasing Nene in the snow mini-game where his robot jumps the large crack. I ended up going into the "green" town and I am now stuck in there. I didn't have time to look around, but I am wondering if I should start from a previous save and avoid the town for now, or is it fairly simple to get out?

[SirMikael]

I just started a few days ago, and I'm getting close to level 20. I'm rarely having a hard time with any enemies - which I don't mind. I'm really enjoying it so far.

[Callandor]

I still play it when I get a chance, but it is hard to only play an hour at a time. I wish there was a way to skip the "victory" cutscene at the end of each battle, I also had to "speed up" my play a bit. My kids watch and get tired of me searching for items. I am about 25 hours in, was hoping to be farther along before H3, now I will have to juggle the two.

For those through/on disk 2, quick question:

I was chasing Nene in the snow mini-game where his robot jumps the large crack. I ended up going into the "green" town and I am now stuck in there. I didn't have time to look around, but I am wondering if I should start from a previous save and avoid the town for now, or is it fairly simple to get out?

Pachess Town? That is an integral part of the story prior to hunting down Nene. You need to complete saving that town first, then continue on after Nene.


I beat all the optional superbosses The fucking King Poo was a bitch! Take him down by focusing on healing & protecting with the back row, and defending/corporeals with the front and did the "max 1 class in each Shadow" achievements last weekend, and missed the monster record achievement, and forgot to save after my 1.5 hours of barrier field skill leveling to get the achievement. :bomb:

I'm done with this game. Maybe, if I'm really bored one weekend, I'll go after the skill level achievements, but it would take me at least 10 hours to get all my skill levels.

[h2dk]

Pachess Town? That is an integral part of the story prior to hunting down Nene. You need to complete saving that town first, then continue on after Nene.




Good, I was hoping it wasn't something I got to "too" early.

[yuckfou]

So i just got my copy from ebay, and got a problem
from the area where you first encounter the monster attack, when i go to the next area, my game always freeze on the loading screen......
anyone else got this problem ?

[io]

So i just got my copy from ebay, and got a problem
from the area where you first encounter the monster attack, when i go to the next area, my game always freeze on the loading screen......
anyone else got this problem ?

I don't understand where you are saying the problem is,
but I'm 20+ hours in and the game has not frozen on me once.

[yuckfou]

basicly 30mins into the game right after you plane crash, and you are trying to get back to the village. 2 screen from the crash site, when im entering the new screen, it froze on now loading screen
it is just a bad disc.
So anyone know which stores (CC,BB, or Walmart) will take exchange without a receipt ? without questions ?

[nintendokid]

If any of you are interested...

Blue Dragon anime (subbed) http://www.tv-links.co.uk/listings/3/2850


*Disclaimer: By listing the above internet address, the user "nintendokid" does not claim to be a visitor of the site or a viewer of media presented on the site.

[h2dk]

basicly 30mins into the game right after you plane crash, and you are trying to get back to the village. 2 screen from the crash site, when im entering the new screen, it froze on now loading screen
it is just a bad disc.
So anyone know which stores (CC,BB, or Walmart) will take exchange without a receipt ? without questions ?

Me thinks your only option is rental....:-#

[Callandor]

Free DLC for New Game +, Hard difficulty, and Impossible difficulty modes is now available.

[h2dk]

"The Ultra Hard Mod adds three new features to Blue Dragon. New Game Plus is a game mode that allows you to start your game over using a saved game from near the end of Blue Dragon. The Hard game mode allows you to play at a difficulty level that is twice as high as the original. The Impossible game mode is the ultimate in difficulty and is meant to be played starting at Level 50 or higher."

[Azumangaman]

So, I played 6.5 more hours today.
I must say, this game has suprised me. I like it, a lot.
I'm at the Wagon Escort (at 14.5 hours).
Am I going slowly/medium/quickly?
I'd assume slowly :D

Each of my guys ranks are at least 18 (Kluke/Shu are Black Mages at 21 and 23 respectively.) Jiro and Marumaro are White Mage/Support Magic/Generalist and Monk/Generalist respectivaley.

Going well, died once in 14.5 hours :D

[io]

So, I played 6.5 more hours today.
I must say, this game has suprised me. I like it, a lot.
I'm at the Wagon Escort (at 14.5 hours).
Am I going slowly/medium/quickly?
I'd assume slowly :D

Each of my guys ranks are at least 18 (Kluke/Shu are Black Mages at 21 and 23 respectively.) Jiro and Marumaro are White Mage/Support Magic/Generalist and Monk/Generalist respectivaley.



I wouldn't say that is extremely slow. I was around 20 hours when I went to disc 2 (where I am now) and you aren't that far from there. I didn't do any level grinding, but I am extremely thorough in my exploration (and I've examined every item I can possibly examine for all the nothings and other goodies).

Wow, using Shu as a mage... He's my brawler (well, along with Maru who I just kept as a Monk and he kicks serious ass now).

I've kept it pretty simple. Shu is the "swordsman", Jiro is the healer/barrier magic dude, Kluke is the black mage, Maru is the super-powered puncher, and the last one is, so far, what she started at, but after I level her up a bit I'll change to something else. They are all taking levels as Generalists, too, since you can't beat the extra skill slots and, especially, the extra accessory slots.

I'm in the underground river right now. I'm following along with just part of a FAQ that describes which items and monsters you can miss and when to get them and so far I'm doing good. I just got to some of the exclusive item sections (Shield ring, and also the couple of items in Baroy town). I have to admit, with my thorough play style I would not have missed these things, except for possibly the vases - though I've seen several hints pointing me towards those (after I got them of course) so I probably wouldn't have missed those. If you don't make a habit of searching everywhere and talking to everyone, though, some things are easy to miss. It's the monsters I'm more worried about now.

I know a lot of people could care less about the achievements, but I have always leaned towards being a obsessive-compulsive completist ANYWAY (especially for RPGs), and the achievements give me the extra "boost" to get things done like the item and monster encyclopedia. I did most of the extra stuff in DQ VIII and Rogue Galaxy without even having that incentive (though the monster record in RG would have taken another 20-30 hours or so of play and I wasn't about to do that after spending 80 already!). At least with the 360 these accomplishments are somewhat recognized. I hope enough people buy this that they continue to make these types of games, as I now love HD JPRG gaming with achievements ;).

[defiance_17]

I know a lot of people could care less about the achievements, but I have always leaned towards being a obsessive-compulsive completist ANYWAY (especially for RPGs), and the achievements give me the extra "boost" to get things done like the item and monster encyclopedia. I did most of the extra stuff in DQ VIII and Rogue Galaxy without even having that incentive (though the monster record in RG would have taken another 20-30 hours or so of play and I wasn't about to do that after spending 80 already!). At least with the 360 these accomplishments are somewhat recognized. I hope enough people buy this that they continue to make these types of games, as I now love HD JPRG gaming with achievements ;).
I know exactly what you mean, and in many ways I feel that this is the perfect type of game for the Achievement system. Now there is even more incentive to do absolutely everything, even though you don't really get anything more out of it than you would have five years ago. I'm hoping that plenty of JRPGs eventually make it to the 360, but it's looking like a slow road.

[Azumangaman]

Yeah, Shu as a mage. I'll definetly be training him more in either Sword/Monk, because those are nice (especially Monk, which is amazing).
I just love magic over brawling, I guess :P
At the end of the game, I'm hoping my characters to look like this:

Shu:
Black Mage, Monk
Kluke:
Black Mage, Assassin
Jiro:
White Mage, Support Magic, Barrier Magic
Marumaro:
Monk, Monk, Generalist, Monk
Zola:
Don't have her yet (what does she start as?)

[io]

Zola starts pretty far up as an Assassin (high 20's). So I've kept her there until I get all the skills and then I'll switch. I'll probably go with Assassin for Kluke, too, as you plan. She's pretty much done with Black Mage and now I'm doing Generalist and Support Magic a bit first. I guess the only major difference in the way we are playing is Shu - I'll do Sword/Assassin for him as well. Apparently there are reasons for getting him up high in the Assassin class later in the game (something to do with stealing items when the others are missing their shadows).

You can do well with both brawling and magic. Maru is pretty tough as a Monk, especially with the charged multi-attack. He can take out most groups on one punch. But Kluke as a high 30's Black Mage also is pretty tough and can take out most rows with a Watera spell.

[Logg]

I want this game so bad, but after just getting Halo 3 and I want to get PGR 4 and Orange Box and like 5 other games. I will just have to wait for the price drop.

[Bezerker]

I found a really great Combo for Marumaro. I've got him with Total Guard (Defender), Absolute Counterattack (Monk), and Double Strike (Assassin). Basically anytime someone tries to physically attack one of my party, Maro steps out in front of them then counterattacks with a 2 hit strike.

I recommend that anyone starting the game have someone as Barrier. The Field Barrier skill helps big time when you want to grind shadow levels.

[defiance_17]

I finally cracked the seal on this late last night, and have sunk about three hours in so far. Even though I've barely scratched the surface, I really think someone screwed the pooch on the demo--it doesn't even come close to doing justice to the actual game.
I was all jazzed up to grab this at launch, but the demo changed my mind in a hurry. I said I would pick it up at $30, which is what I paid (in a roundabout way--I picked it up at TRU during the B2G1 along with BioShock and Oblivion:GotY, and returned BioShock with my launch receipt to get $60 back. In my eyes, BD and Oblivion were $30 a pop. Anyway...), and I'm loving it so far. I didn't think I could go back to a "true" turn-based RPG after FFXII, but Blue Dragon reminds me so much of Dragon Quest VIII.

Basically, for anyone who was really looking forward to this until the demo came out, be sure to give the full game a shake.

[Azumangaman]

This game is great.
Just finished disc one with the time of 23 hours 36 minutes.
My characters are level 21/22 (which seems really low) and their classes are around 25.
A question about the wagon escort and mechat missions:
Do you have to END with full health or just never ever lose any health at all?

[spoo]

This game is great.
Just finished disc one with the time of 23 hours 36 minutes.
My characters are level 21/22 (which seems really low) and their classes are around 25.
A question about the wagon escort and mechat missions:
Do you have to END with full health or just never ever lose any health at all?
I ended the first disc at around lvl 19 and my classes were in the low teens ( I did a bunch of class shuffling) so you are on track and not low. . I'm also loving the game I need to stick it back in.

[GizmoGC]

Beat the game last week...amazing game. Top game this year for me.

[Callandor]

This game is great.
Just finished disc one with the time of 23 hours 36 minutes.
My characters are level 21/22 (which seems really low) and their classes are around 25.
A question about the wagon escort and mechat missions:
Do you have to END with full health or just never ever lose any health at all?

NEVER lose any health.

Except for one. One of the mechat fights is to gain entrance to the optional upper mecha robo base. For this mechat state, a "perfect" means destroy all of the machine gun turrets in addition to all the required destructions.

[asianxcore]

Beat the game last week...amazing game. Top game this year for me.

Glad to hear someone else feels that way.

The game is definitely in my Top 5 of the year so far. It was a blast to play through. I was going to fire it up again and try to grind out all the Shadow Classes, but I want to start some new games right now.

[io]

It is my favorite 360 games of the year, without a doubt (but then I haven't played Halo 3 or Bioshock ;)).

I'm well into disc 3 now, at around 45 hours. I just went all over to open up all the barrier-protected treasure chests (well, except for the black ones - don't have that device yet). I'm trying to make sure I get all the achievements on this playthrough as I really can't see starting again just to get a few. As a result I've used as little FAQ as I have to - just to make sure I don't miss things.

I'm all done with the rapid button-pressing achievements (gotta say, my least favorite parts of the game by far - fortunately they are rare). Somehow I completed the Mechat level 1 and Moon Laser achivements too. It took me about 8 tries on the Mechat and 20 or so on the Moon Laser. What a pain... I'm not looking forward to the next two Mechat levels, although it sounds like #2 is not so hard (but #3 is very hard).

I also just took care of the 10 monster encounter achievement (used the Roboballs that drop out of the circling Mecha Base in the snow area). I'm trying to make sure I get all the monsters and items and then do the level 99 on one Shadow class for sure. I don't know if I'll have the patience to get them all up to 99, but we'll see - apparently there's a great place to Shadow grind...

It looks like I'm coming up to the part of the game with lots of optional stuff in it. I'm looking forward to it (just went in to the desert from the Lal Mountains).

[nintendokid]

Why did Dragon Quest VIII, which essentially had the same mindset in terms of design and (generic but gets it done) story but DQ8 gets 8-9/10 across the boards while Blue Dragon gets 6-7/10?

[halfbent]

Shadow grinding is easy. Turn on Barrier 3, with Stink on 2-3 members and hang out on the world map. Walk away and come back once in a while to replenish MP. Level grinding more or less is the same, Stink on a few, and mash A while you watch TV or something. I did both near Kelaso on the zombie birds, although I still need to put it in one of these days to finish and get the points. =P

[defiance_17]

Why did Dragon Quest VIII, which essentially had the same mindset in terms of design and (generic but gets it done) story but DQ8 gets 8-9/10 across the boards while Blue Dragon gets 6-7/10?
Probably because it was Dragon Quest, and it did what that series has always done--provide an incredible, old-school JRPG experience without feeling the need to be revolutionary.

I guess people were expecting a lot more from Blue Dragon, given the names involved and the amount of hype that was built up (it's the "dream team" that worked on Chrono Trigger!). You're absolutely right, though. I think GameInformer was the only review I have read that really nailed it.

[Azumangaman]

I'm loving this game. I want to get another 10 hours or so in before Tuesday (yay Canadian thanksgiving). I'd actually like to finish the game, but I doubt that'll happen.
At 26 hours now, in the Gorgo Town. I have no idea where to go at the moment.

What guides have you guys been using? I rarely use the guide, even though if I see the Blue Dragon official strategy guide, I'll get it to keep track of monsters/items/etc. I look at the IGN guide from time to time when I'm stuck (pretty pictures :D )

[io]

What guides have you guys been using? I rarely use the guide, even though if I see the Blue Dragon official strategy guide, I'll get it to keep track of monsters/items/etc. I look at the IGN guide from time to time when I'm stuck (pretty pictures :D )

I just glance at the FAQ's on GameFAQs occasionally (as I said before, for missable things and also some tips on the achievements).

Where you are right now is probably the only point at which it isn't fairly clear where to go. I like in this game that it doesn't just stick you on a linear path to the next destination. It is much like DragonQuest VIII in this regard, actually. Anyway, once you are done with the Gorgo stuff, just head north out of there and keep going... Also, make sure you go back to the town once you free so-and-so and talk to him again as you'll get a pretty good accessory out of it (that I'm still using in Disc 3).

As for why DQ VIII was critically acclaimed and this isn't, I'm not sure. But I would have to say I liked DQ VIII a bit more. It is probably my top PS2 RPG. Blue Dragon is great for the 360, but I don't think it quite compares. I can't really say WHY, that's just my general impression having played both. To me, DQ VIII was a solid 10, and Blue Dragon is an 8-9. I guess one criticism of Blue Dragon vs DQ VIII is that it is too easy. I'm at the point now where even the new monsters and bosses I'm running into are WAY too easy, and I haven't even been level grinding for the achievements yet. But set up Maro with the Monk charged attack, the Assasin double strike, and the Shoes of Hermes, and he can pretty much wipe out any monster party with one turn (that he gets before they do thanks to the shoes). I'm not sure how tough some of the later optional bosses are, but the Dragovian stuff at the end of DQ VIII was *extremely* difficult and provided a nice, fun challenge after the main game.

What I am curious about is how BD compares to Eternal Sonata (which I haven't played yet). It seems after the demos everyone was more excited for ES over BD, but I didn't really feel that way.

[halfbent]

I liked BD despite how extremely easy and typical "JRPG" it was. It was a still a good game that fell into a great slot riding the tails of Bioshock's short length when nothing else was really out. I really really like ES from what I've played, which due to some personal business and Halo 3 coming out have kept me from playing it as much as I'd want to so far. Visually it's just amazing, but the story makes you snore. The cutscenes get so long and frequent at times it's like you are watching a movie, not playing a game. Reminds me a LOT of Xenosaga's deployment of the story, which is not necessarily a bad thing at all.

[Azumangaman]

Are you guys actually enjoying the story? I think the script is one of the stupidest things I've ever seen. Its the awesome gameplay and amazing graphics that keep me coming back.

[ThatDamnDave]

Is this a game I can play in 2 hour bursts? I'm interested in the game, but I very rarely have the time now to devote a night's worth of time to gaming. It's in my Gamefly queue at the moment, so just curious as to whether I should push it up or down. Any thoughts are appreciated.

[Azumangaman]

I can see 2 hour bursts. There are some moments (i.e. past where I am now, somewhere in disc 2) when I believe you have to play for a while at once.
Otherwise, I think your fine.

[io]

Is this a game I can play in 2 hour bursts? I'm interested in the game, but I very rarely have the time now to devote a night's worth of time to gaming. It's in my Gamefly queue at the moment, so just curious as to whether I should push it up or down. Any thoughts are appreciated.

Yeah, you can definitely do that. I tend to go for 4-5 hour "bursts" because I always just want to do "one more thing". I consider that a sign of a great game though ;).

As for the story? Eh. it isn't mind-blowing but I don't have any problems with it. Even late into Disc 3 there's still some mystery surrounding Nene. Yeah, the whole "love gives you strength" thing is an uber-cliche (but heck, it was one of the central themes of the Harry Potter series, so...).

I'm at the part in Disc 3 where you can go anywhere you want and do optional stuff - definitely the best part of the game. I actually fought something that took me out last night - Phatom Dragon. That was a nice surprise. But my chars are still just level 50. I imagine if I got them to 99 for the achievement that guy would be no trouble.

[Callandor]

Yeah, you can definitely do that. I tend to go for 4-5 hour "bursts" because I always just want to do "one more thing". I consider that a sign of a great game though ;).

As for the story? Eh. it isn't mind-blowing but I don't have any problems with it. Even late into Disc 3 there's still some mystery surrounding Nene. Yeah, the whole "love gives you strength" thing is an uber-cliche (but heck, it was one of the central themes of the Harry Potter series, so...).

I'm at the part in Disc 3 where you can go anywhere you want and do optional stuff - definitely the best part of the game. I actually fought something that took me out last night - Phatom Dragon. That was a nice surprise. But my chars are still just level 50. I imagine if I got them to 99 for the achievement that guy would be no trouble.

Yeah, those guys are fully capable of creaming a party at that point. Do some sidequesting first and get some uber equipment, and try to plan some elemental resistances where needed, and you can take them down in a few rounds without even using corporeals.

(Double-strike + charged attack) * repetitions = DEAD.

[magiic]

I may have to try this game. You guys make it sound really good.

[io]

(Double-strike + charged attack) * repetitions = DEAD.

Well, I'm taking everything else out that way with my first character (add the Shoes of Hermes to that character...). HOWEVER, that dragon HEALS when you hit it with physical attacks. I finally got to the point of using a corporeal, and it healed the bastard for nearly 3000 HP. You have to use magic only against him, while he pounds on you for 300-400 per character with a group attack or 900-1000 on one character with a physical attack. I actually lasted 15-20 rounds, but after that corporeal attack gave him back all his health I couldn't make it through. Sucks because I stole Nene's Ring on the first attack too ;). (Warning to those trying to collect all the items - you need to do that here).

[Callandor]

I may have to try this game. You guys make it sound really good.

Do it. Peer pressure, buddy. Do it. :lol:

Just download the free "Ultra Hard Mod" before you play, unless you want a REALLY easy 50 hour JRPG.

Well, I'm taking everything else out that way with my first character (add the Shoes of Hermes to that character...). HOWEVER, that dragon HEALS when you hit it with physical attacks. I finally got to the point of using a corporeal, and it healed the bastard for nearly 3000 HP. You have to use magic only against him, while he pounds on you for 300-400 per character with a group attack or 900-1000 on one character with a physical attack. I actually lasted 15-20 rounds, but after that corporeal attack gave him back all his health I couldn't make it through. Sucks because I stole Nene's Ring on the first attack too ;). (Warning to those trying to collect all the items - you need to do that here).

Oh yeah, THAT dragon...

Just have the front row defend or use charged magic sword attacks, and have double-cast on your back row magic users. Use shield/shell, quick, and magic attack up spells with two double casts the first round, then heal and/or pound with Flara/Flarus as needed. :)

Man, reading all this makes me want to go back and level grind for achievements this weekend... and maybe use the added new game + mode to finish off the item/monster lists...

[Azumangaman]

At 33.5 hours. Just entered the Ancient Hospital (or Ancient Factory, one of them). All my characters are at level 28. Levelling up everyones generalist to get +5 skill.

WOW, I just realized it goes up to +8 skill. I'll go for that and then go back start raising up other classes.

[Scorch]

It's great to hear so much positive reception for it after so much negativity regarding the demo. I ordered it off the retail site, i'm hyped to give it a shot!!

[leveskikesko]

I only played the demo and I've heard it isn't a good representation, but Blue Dragon just seems like another cliche story combined with over-grinding mistaken for good "classic" rpg gameplay.

If my favorite JRPG is FFX (yes, FFX, not FFVII), would I like this game?

[asianxcore]

It's great to hear so much positive reception for it after so much negativity regarding the demo. I ordered it off the retail site, i'm hyped to give it a shot!!

I guess I'm in the crowd that feels you can't demo an RPG. The genre just seems more based on the entire experience, rather than just a small section (ala an action game).

I remember a friend of mine played the DQVIII demo and hated it. After playing the entire game it became one of his favorite RPG's.

[io]

I only played the demo and I've heard it isn't a good representation, but Blue Dragon just seems like another cliche story combined with over-grinding mistaken for good "classic" rpg gameplay.

If my favorite JRPG is FFX, would I like this game?

I can't answer that as I haven't played FF X. But as for the "grinding" comment - absolutely NO grinding is required for this game if you just want to complete it. Sure, to get all the achievements you need to, but it is by no means required. I'm 55 hours in and at level 50-55 and have not done any level grinding. I am a completist, though, so I'm hitting any optional areas I can find. As a result I really appreciate the pacing as I am getting close to the max levels without having to grind and I am being rewarded a bit for doing "everything". As a result, I'll get pretty close to the level 99 achievement without grinding. Now, getting all shadows to 99 in each class will take a bit of grinding.

The game has visible enemies that you can "bump" off if you level up your barrier magic, so there's no need to slog through endless random encounters (thus the drawn-out, boring gameplay of some RPGs).

Scorch - You generally seem to have good taste. I'm sure you'll like it ;).

About the demo - I played through the one area of the demo in the real game not too long ago and it happens differently in the real game. I thought that was odd... (You don't have the corporeal attacks in the main game yet, but I'm pretty sure I had them in the demo).

[defiance_17]

Final Fantasy X just seems like another cliche story combined with unnecessarily drawn-out battles that are mistaken for good "classic" RPG gameplay.

There.

EDIT: Seriously though, if you're looking for something revolutionary, Blue Dragon ain't it. And it still manages to be better than most RPGs released in the last few years.

[io]

Seriously though, if you're looking for something revolutionary, Blue Dragon ain't it. And it still manages to be better than most RPGs released in the last few years.

Bingo... Summed up in a much more concise way than possible from me ;).

I am, however, potentially pissed off at the game right now. I'm near the end and I've done everything right so as not to miss any monsters. Earlier I went through my monster list and I have 255 of the 290. Then I went through a monster list FAQ and found out which ones I missed. Many are in the primitive cube where I haven't been yet. There are a few I just missed out in the open - no problem, I can track them down. But one that I am missing (#285) is a boss from fairly early on. Maybe I made a mistake when I looked through my monster list, but I swear I went right from 284 to 286. And that would have to be a glitch as 285 is the first form of 286 (285 is Heat-Wave Sai, which is one of the 4 robot bosses in the flying mechat early on - you can't miss him and I didn't)... Hopefully I just read it wrong, otherwise I'm screwed in terms of the monster encounter achievement. The game has been very glitch-free to this point though (not a single freezeup, and no wierd things happening otherwise). I'd be disappointed if a boss didn't get counted though - especially if I get every other monster in there.

Edit - Dammit, couldn't sleep without knowing for sure. And what do you know, that #285 IS missing. I don't see how that's possible. Now the only way I can complete the list is to play later with a New+ game. At least that boss is fairly early so should I feel like doing that it won't be too much trouble.

[deadite76]

Seriously though, if you're looking for something revolutionary, Blue Dragon ain't it. And it still manages to be better than most RPGs released in the last few years.

That's good to know! The last few weeks I've had a craving for a good RPG, but wasn't sure what to pick up. Can't wait to jump in!

[jer7583]

I've got this ordered from the retail site.. I didn't like the demo, but that's because it's a random slice of the game with no explanation/context. I think I'll enjoy it much more from the beginning.

[Walt Jay]

Well, considering I finished such highly acclaimed 360 RPGs as Enchanted Arms and Phantasy Star Universe, I figured I might as well give Blue Dragon a shot since it has gotten mostly positive reviews.

Is there any advice to give for someone that just started?

[Midnite]

Get the "Generalist" class ASAP and start leveling that.

[ThatDamnDave]

This just shipped from Gamefly today. Hot damn. Not sure when I'll have the time, but looking forward to it.

[io]

Well, considering I finished such highly acclaimed 360 RPGs as Enchanted Arms and Phantasy Star Universe, I figured I might as well give Blue Dragon a shot since it has gotten mostly positive reviews.

Is there any advice to give for someone that just started?

If you care at all about the achievements, make sure you get the small list of missable items and monsters so you can get them when the time comes. I think someone posted it earlier in this thread. Or you can get the achievement FAQ on GameFAQs. It isn't full of spoilers if you just look at the two sections for the item and monster completion.

But, yeah, the Generalist class is nice. I waited a bit on doing that since I wanted to level up some fighting and magic skills first. As with most RPG's it is more difficult in the beginning when items and HP are hard to come by. So maybe snag a few levels in the startup classes, and then switch people to Generalist (so you can get the extra skill and accessory slots). Of course those are useless unless you are leveled up in other classes (so there are skills to use). And you won't get the extra accessories that fit in the special slots until Disc 2.

[vlv723]

Anyone know if the 6 Handy Treasures DLC is worth downloading?