Ni No Kuni out January 22, 2013

[quote name='Jodou']Do NOT use hammers that lower accuracy on him; the few extra points of attack power are not worth the ~50 points of accuracy you lose. Same goes for any armor that lowers a stat; complete waste on him because he's an uber tank. Also, give him a Dragonstooth Ring soon as you can steal one in glittering grotto off a sasquish (or there's one in a green chest IIRC in one of the forest glades). That will increase his attack speed to 3-star making him a slugger. If you do all that, his accuracy should wind up over 200 once you max him out completely.

As for the red one, blue has higher attack IIRC and better abilities to round him out. The boulder throw he learns has very long range and hits for ~1500 with warcry up. Make sure Oliver uses him since he's good with dragon types and prepare to dominate. :D[/QUOTE]

Gotcha, thanks.
 
Is level maxing really worth it? I haven't been maxing my familiars, just evolving them when they get all their abilities.

Is the bonuses you get that much better, or should I not worry about it. I been trying to get a decent team now. About 22 hours in and I just reached
Skull Mountain with that air pirate ship.
 
[quote name='Sir_Fragalot']Is level maxing really worth it? I haven't been maxing my familiars, just evolving them when they get all their abilities.

Is the bonuses you get that much better, or should I not worry about it. I been trying to get a decent team now. About 22 hours in and I just reached
Skull Mountain with that air pirate ship.
[/QUOTE]



Wow, I forgot quoting you would reveal the spoiler. Totally not cool CAG.

Well to answer you, I too fought myself on when to morph a familiar. I can say that by the time you find the fairy island, your familiars should be near max level on their first form, so just wait it out and don't morph early, you'll regret it later if you're OCD.
 
man im at the Tombstone Trail and its hard as hell. Anybody have any pointers? im lvl 23 about 13 hours in maybe im moving to fast in the game so thats why im finding it difficult in this dungeon.
 
I had some time to play during the weekend and all I really wanted to do was grind. I went to the Toko island and did some major power leveling. Upgraded a bunch of familiars to thier final form. I still haven't finished Hamelin yet. I need to go on with the story now.
 
See the 3 highlighted islands? It's the southern most one. This cluster of islands can be found north of the main contenent that you start out at:

468px-Ninokuni-swan-island.jpg
 
[quote name='Teh Reaper']man im at the Tombstone Trail and its hard as hell. Anybody have any pointers? im lvl 23 about 13 hours in maybe im moving to fast in the game so thats why im finding it difficult in this dungeon.[/QUOTE]

Are you doing the quests? They give pretty good rewards and money, which is good for buying treats/items/equipment.

Also, make sure you do Horace's riddles. He's the ghost you first meet in Ding Dong Dell and appears in every town you go to, assuming you answer his riddles (he won't move on until you answer them). He gives you some really useful spells. If you missed him though, it's a long trip and probably not worth going back for until you get better travel options.
 
[quote name='Romeo']Draggle DLC is now live! Get him while he's "hot"![/QUOTE]

Wait, what? Is this free? Too bad I finished the game already. I could never catch the gold Draggle and variants that you see post-game.
 
Well did some research and decided on my team I am gonna use to finish the game. Can't get it all now but I can get most of it. Just need to capture a toko but the great part is every time I fail capturing one and just kill itl, I still get a boatload of xp :cool:.

Also leveling up my party for a bit before I continue the story.
 
[quote name='Romeo']What level are you? You have no chance unless you're a least lv30+.[/QUOTE]

If you have Monolith and use Yoo Woo to draw attention. You might stand a chance, not a good chance but it's a tactic I used until my party was up to par.

Also I should note the Toko's like to run away almost immediatly. It's better to sneak up on them and target them first. The Toko's are pretty easy but the Mites and monkey's will hit hard if you're under leveled.
 
Out of curiosity, did anyone else notice that mobs tend to gravitate towards whoever you're controlling for aggro? I dropped any taunt abilities after realizing that 95% of the time I had aggro lol.
 
Just got the game. I am not a fan of anime, but the game is so highly praised, I had to give it a shot. I have to admit, the intro was fantastic. Really showed off the world you are about to explore in an exciting, captivating manner, coupled with great audio work. I hope to expect this level of quality in the actual game.

Just a quick question, does the game reward a lot of random exploring, or is it more straight forward?
 
It's fairly linear at the start until you get more modes of transportation, but for the most part you can explore anywhere you like if you don't want to follow the quests. Finding hidden forest glades or chests are the only real reward though and are quite literally hidden on the overworld map until you get a spell to reveal them. Until then, you'd basically have to run around spamming X to find them by luck or guide.
 
Cool, thanks, I will wait then until I can reveal and just concentrate on enjoying the atmosphere and quests.

Played up to the
Old Man in the Woods
and I am surprised at how taken I am with the game. I expected to enjoy it, but I have really resonated with this adventure thus far.
 
[quote name='Jodou']Out of curiosity, did anyone else notice that mobs tend to gravitate towards whoever you're controlling for aggro? I dropped any taunt abilities after realizing that 95% of the time I had aggro lol.[/QUOTE]

Yep, which makes it all the more annoying when Esther or Swaine go into their random "maybe I'll just stand here for 15 seconds doing nothing" while Oliver gets pummeled.

During some fights though, enemies close in on Esther and kill her off (because she's too busy making sure I'm fully healed even though I still have plenty of HP left). She doesn't have the ability to aggro but I found that kinda weird that the enemy AI is smart, but your allies are dumb as bricks.
 
Just an update on Draggle so far.... he seems useless. I have him near max level form 2 and his stats are very low with no good abilities. Griffy still destroys every other familiar in game at this point right before Hamelin.
 
[quote name='Romeo']Just an update on Draggle so far.... he seems useless. I have him near max level form 2 and his stats are very low with no good abilities. Griffy still destroys every other familiar in game at this point right before Hamelin.[/QUOTE]


I like mine. I got my gold one up to Dragamuffin a while ago though.
 
[quote name='Jodou']I agree with everything said here. :lol:[/QUOTE]

"what desserts to force feed them with so that they acquire diabetes themed buffs" :rofl:

However, his conclusion was crap... And what's with all the complaints (here and in real reviews) about not getting certain abilities (like "all" defend or attack) until 12 hours in when they could have used it on earlier bosses. It's not like the game is too hard or anything.
 
Just finished the game and really enjoyed it. To me this game still falls behind Lost Odyssey and is close with Tales of Vesperia this gen! -only read if you've finished
anyone else disappointed with the ending? I can't be the only one, there was really nothing after the boss, it just seemed odd to me.
 
[quote name='Sir_Fragalot']2 and a half goddamn hours of playing tonight, but I finally captured a Toko. I am so happy now :D.[/QUOTE]

I'm loving the game but I am a newb when it comes to the strategy behind it :lol: So what's so special about Toko?
 
[quote name='highoffcoffee496']I'm loving the game but I am a newb when it comes to the strategy behind it :lol: So what's so special about Toko?[/QUOTE]
Toko at his highest evolution doesn't take much physical damage. Ok he does, but his evasion is when he evolves to his third evolution is 596 and caps at like 770 evasion so he evades most of his attacks (highest in the game). He also has great magic defense, decent magic attack and is a good healer.

Basically I will be using him as my backup healer and for when against physical enemies. I am trying to have a Tank Mage/Healer and straight DPS character for each character. Not the best familiar in the game but he is also very cute (reminds me a bit of Totoro).
 
[quote name='io']And what's with all the complaints (here and in real reviews) about not getting certain abilities (like "all" defend or attack) until 12 hours in when they could have used it on earlier bosses. It's not like the game is too hard or anything.[/QUOTE]
Maybe because people see this as a staple of game design, not a reward for playing the game for 12 hours lol.
[quote name='Sir_Fragalot']Toko at his highest evolution doesn't take much physical damage. Ok he does, but his evasion is when he evolves to his third evolution is 596 and caps at like 770 evasion so he evades most of his attacks (highest in the game). He also has great magic defense, decent magic attack and is a good healer.

Basically I will be using him as my backup healer and for when against physical enemies. I am trying to have a Tank Mage/Healer and straight DPS character for each character. Not the best familiar in the game but he is also very cute (reminds me a bit of Totoro).[/QUOTE]I wish he had a use in my lineup, but the sad truth was nobody in my party ever needed healing by the time I was done min/maxing. Just pure kung-fu cleave.
 
[quote name='Jodou']Maybe because people see this as a staple of game design, not a reward for playing the game for 12 hours lol.[/QUOTE]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't even have 3 characters until 12+ hours in. And the second doesn't come for a while either. So "ALL" anything comands aren't needed in the beginning.
 
[quote name='io']"what desserts to force feed them with so that they acquire diabetes themed buffs" :rofl:

However, his conclusion was crap... And what's with all the complaints (here and in real reviews) about not getting certain abilities (like "all" defend or attack) until 12 hours in when they could have used it on earlier bosses. It's not like the game is too hard or anything.[/QUOTE]

When he reviews good games, it seems like he highlights the negative things because that's when he's really funny. But I'm with Jodou and agree with his complaints. I don't get how some people aren't bothered by the bad AI and terrible pacing, though somethings he complained about were jokes (such as Drippy watching/dancing sadistically instead of dropping more HP/MP:lol:).

[quote name='io']Correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't even have 3 characters until 12+ hours in. And the second doesn't come for a while either. So "ALL" anything comands aren't needed in the beginning.[/QUOTE]

It would have been super useful during the Trials boss... and the Volcano boss... and the two Castaway Cove bosses... and the "boss" you fight in the sea. The terrible AI makes all of your allies a liability rather than an asset so anything that would have given you more control would be a nice welcome... even if they don't always defend in time when you tell them to.

In this day and age, the limited options they give to dictate what your allies do is laughable. They should have done something like the Tales games.

[quote name='FrankySox']Just finished the game and really enjoyed it. To me this game still falls behind Lost Odyssey and is close with Tales of Vesperia this gen! -only read if you've finished
anyone else disappointed with the ending? I can't be the only one, there was really nothing after the boss, it just seemed odd to me.
[/QUOTE]

Yeah, the ending sucked.
 
[quote name='io']Correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't even have 3 characters until 12+ hours in. And the second doesn't come for a while either. So "ALL" anything comands aren't needed in the beginning.[/QUOTE]
I think his point is that defend should be allocated to a button, since the gameplay is very twitch and I totally agree. All defend coming in later is fine, but could be a modifier key, like R2+square. Having a turn-based menu in a real-time action RPG is shit design, like really bad IMO. The only way I could see it working is if time slowed or stopped once your menu was open. Otherwise, certain commands should have been all hot-keyed.

From personal experience, I'd often miss the defend because there just wasn't enough time to cancel, scroll the menu, and hit defend. Literally impossible when an incoming attack is a 1s cast time and I'm GCD-locked. Flawed system is flawed.
 
[quote name='Jodou']I think his point is that defend should be allocated to a button, since the gameplay is very twitch and I totally agree. All defend coming in later is fine, but could be a modifier key, like R2+square. Having a turn-based menu in a real-time action RPG is shit design, like really bad IMO. The only way I could see it working is if time slowed or stopped once your menu was open. Otherwise, certain commands should have been all hot-keyed.

From personal experience, I'd often miss the defend because there just wasn't enough time to cancel, scroll the menu, and hit defend. Literally impossible when an incoming attack is a 1s cast time and I'm GCD-locked. Flawed system is flawed.[/QUOTE]



I just had a conversation about this among other things with a friend last night. This is what ruins the game for me.... it's all about physical attacks. With traditional RPGs you control your entire party. In NNK you control one character, the AI controls the other two. The problem is that if you set the AI to anything but 'don't use abilities', the AI drains your mp after 1-2 battles.
 
[quote name='Jodou']I think his point is that defend should be allocated to a button, since the gameplay is very twitch and I totally agree. All defend coming in later is fine, but could be a modifier key, like R2+square. Having a turn-based menu in a real-time action RPG is shit design, like really bad IMO. The only way I could see it working is if time slowed or stopped once your menu was open. Otherwise, certain commands should have been all hot-keyed.

From personal experience, I'd often miss the defend because there just wasn't enough time to cancel, scroll the menu, and hit defend. Literally impossible when an incoming attack is a 1s cast time and I'm GCD-locked. Flawed system is flawed.[/QUOTE]

Well, time does stop when you have to select an opponent. When I'm facing a boss, I'm usually spell casting most of the time anyways, and when it stops to select a target, the game usually warns me when the boss is making a big attack (with a balloon over its head) so that I know that I don't have time. So, I cancel and defend instead. I've gotten pretty good at it. I do agree, tho, that the "defend all" coming later is kinda silly.

No, what I really want a hot key for is "Tactics", or at least the ability to set tactics outside of battle. It is really a pain after a boss battle to have to select your guy in the next battle, and scroll over to "Tactics", just to get back to the typical setting.
 
[quote name='FrankySox']Just finished the game and really enjoyed it. To me this game still falls behind Lost Odyssey and is close with Tales of Vesperia this gen! -only read if you've finished
anyone else disappointed with the ending? I can't be the only one, there was really nothing after the boss, it just seemed odd to me.
[/QUOTE]

The whole game
after you beat Shadar was tacked on from the DS game (meaning the DS game ends when you beat Shadar), and you can really tell it was half-baked.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']The whole game
after you beat Shadar was tacked on from the DS game (meaning the DS game ends when you beat Shadar), and you can really tell it was half-baked.
[/QUOTE]
That makes sense, because they insult your intelligence once again by acting like 'yay the world is saved, except the white witch is still out there and we completely forgot!' It's like they think we're stupid or something.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']The whole game
after you beat Shadar was tacked on from the DS game (meaning the DS game ends when you beat Shadar), and you can really tell it was half-baked.
[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Jodou']That makes sense, because they insult your intelligence once again by acting like 'yay the world is saved, except the white witch is still out there and we completely forgot!' It's like they think we're stupid or something.[/QUOTE]

Wait... so does that mean that the
White Witch doesn't exist in the Japanese DS release? I mean, it just ends after you beat Shadar? What about the parts with Pea?
 
[quote name='Jodou']I think his point is that defend should be allocated to a button, since the gameplay is very twitch and I totally agree. All defend coming in later is fine, but could be a modifier key, like R2+square. [/QUOTE]

No, that was a different point he made that I didn't address - I agree that a "defend" button would have been useful. But he also complained about the "all defend" not coming until 12 hours in. It's just that I had read the same complaint about not getting certain abilities until hours into the game in a few of the more negative "real" reviews and I think that argument is complete BS. I mean, it might be slightly annoying if you are having trouble with some bosses, but I actually like getting new things further on in the game. I was somewhat disappointed when everything was revealed in the menus and that was the end of it (pretty early on in the grand scheme of things). Just my opinion.

I also had very little trouble cancelling out of things and hitting defend on nearly every boss encounter. Jodou, I know you are a pretty hardcore gamer (an expert at Dark Souls for example). I can't play that game worth crap (though I did muddle through it to a platinum ;)). In particular, I can't defend myself at all in that game (unless I use the spear/shield combo). But I had no problem with this game. Yeah, sure, occasionally I would fumble and do the wrong thing, but in general defending was pretty easy though it does require some quick menu changes/button presses. Considering how old I am and with my lost reflexes (I'm trying to play Uncharted on the Vita and I can't aim using the tiny second stick on that tiny screen worth crap) I had very little issue with this game while others seem to have had a lot (again, referring to some reviews I read which complained about how hard it was). I just find that odd.
 
I wish there was a defend button personally but the game isn't so hard that I need it. Granted I am not anywhere near the end of the game, so my opinion can change, but with a good team I am having no trouble with it.

I don't see how reviewers are complaining about difficulty. I mean granted 1-2 hours in it's kinda not hard but a bit overwhelming to non JRPG players but it's nothing within 5-10 hours in you can't master. Hell I can probably name you a few JRPGs coming out this year that will easily be harder than this.
 
[quote name='io']I also had very little trouble cancelling out of things and hitting defend on nearly every boss encounter. Jodou, I know you are a pretty hardcore gamer (an expert at Dark Souls for example). I can't play that game worth crap (though I did muddle through it to a platinum ;)). In particular, I can't defend myself at all in that game (unless I use the spear/shield combo). But I had no problem with this game. Yeah, sure, occasionally I would fumble and do the wrong thing, but in general defending was pretty easy though it does require some quick menu changes/button presses.[/QUOTE]
It's more a complaint for twitch gamers who want the added edge of hot-keys or button customization. I want to be able to eek out as much DPS as possible and blow a cooldown like defend right before an incoming attack, especially since evasion has a short duration. One thing I did really like was how you could cancel attacks by smashing something in the face as they were casting. It wasn't consistent, but if I had two targets close together and saw one powering up, I'd peel to them and try to cancel. Love rewarding mechanics like that.
 
[quote name='Vinny']Wait... so does that mean that the
White Witch doesn't exist in the Japanese DS release? I mean, it just ends after you beat Shadar? What about the parts with Pea?
[/QUOTE]

Correct. I don't know about Pea.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']Correct. I don't know about Pea.[/QUOTE]

Wow, I had no idea this was the case between the DS and PS3 versions. I definitely wondered why
she played such a minimal role (especially given that her name is in the title), only appearing as a background personality throughout the game and not partaking in the story until the end.
Guess it all makes sense now.
 
Man I had some horrible luck catching a couple familiars for Derwin today, and this was with the extra 20% chance to catch familiars merit reward. I have grown to absolutely hate that miserable bastard. I still haven't been able to catch one of those damn Lotus Bubbuds that roam around Yule.
 
[quote name='Vinny']Wow, I had no idea this was the case between the DS and PS3 versions. I definitely wondered why
she played such a minimal role (especially given that her name is in the title), only appearing as a background personality throughout the game and not partaking in the story until the end.
Guess it all makes sense now.[/QUOTE]

It looks like Pea isn't in the DS version. Look at this video of the first hour of the DS version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucs8dDig47o

Pea isn't in there at all, but almost everything else plays out exactly the same. Instead of Pea giving him the wand, he just appears to find it on the ground. The White Witch I believe was also in this part in the beginning of the PS3 version somewhere.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']It looks like Pea isn't in the DS version. Look at this video of the first hour of the DS version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucs8dDig47o

Pea isn't in there at all, but almost everything else plays out exactly the same. Instead of Pea giving him the wand, he just appears to find it on the ground. The White Witch I believe was also in this part in the beginning of the PS3 version somewhere.[/QUOTE]

Wow. Now part of me wants to play the 3DS version. Old Father Oak looks creepy as shit though.
 
[quote name='io']Considering how old I am and with my lost reflexes (I'm trying to play Uncharted on the Vita and I can't aim using the tiny second stick on that tiny screen worth crap) I had very little issue with this game while others seem to have had a lot (again, referring to some reviews I read which complained about how hard it was). I just find that odd.[/QUOTE]

Tiny screen? Vita? The screen is massive to me.

Seriously though, I can't recommend gyro aiming enough. Actually use it and get used to it. It may seem cumbersome initially, but it can be invaluable once you get it down.
 
I did some exploring after getting
Tengri
and found an even better place to level grind than the island. A forest area northwest of Hamelin has Toko's second evolved form. They drop 9,000 each with a chance of fighting 2 at the same time. I netted 17,000 EXP points off one fight.

They're kinda rare but it was worth the hunt. I was already overleveled, but now it's just ridiculous.

Also been playing a lot of Platoon in the casino. Easily the best way to rack up chips if you know how to exploit the computer. I got 60,000 in just a few minutes of playing. Unfortunately you're pressing your luck. I had over 100,000 in one run then got dealt a shit hand and lost it all. :bomb:
 
I think thats the billy goat island. I stumbled on that island while hidden chest hunting. Hehe! I didnt want to break my game just yet so i passed on overleveling.

On platoon? How did you exploit the computer? Care to share? Hehe! Just pm me if its ok. I dont want to grind on the casino too much. I just want to get all the items there as soon as possible.
 
I could use some platoon tips....it seems so easy but I can never do well enough to make any money. The only casino game I have any luck on at all is blackjack. I can't win on the slot machines to save my life either.
 
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