Operation Darkness X360 $29.99 at Best Buy B&M

T

tenkaistar84

CAGiversary!
I just came back from my local Best Buy (Harlem Irving Plaza in Chicago, IL) and picked up a copy of Operation Darkness for $29.99. There were about 5 or 6 copies left after I bought mine. The demo wasn't the greatest and the original price of $60 was too much for me but I figured I'd bite at $30. It's also an Atlus published game as well. So has anyone else spotted this at any other Best Buys?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Upvote 0 Downvote
It's not even listed on their site (yet Disgaea is) but the general rule of thumb is that if it scans at the price (rather than you having to fill out a form for price overide) than it's universal.

In any case the game is still overpriced by about $25.
 
Bit too much for the worst game on the 360. IMO

If it was free and came with a $20 GC, I'd definitely think about it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I picked it up Friday at the BB in Lexington KY for $29.99 as well.

Both OD and Spectral Force 3 had regular price tabs for $29.99 (not clearance/stickers on old tabs) so I assume this is the new BB price.
 
[quote name='jstew9']I picked it up Friday at the BB in Lexington KY for $29.99 as well.

Both OD and Spectral Force 3 had regular price tabs for $29.99 (not clearance/stickers on old tabs) so I assume this is the new BB price.[/QUOTE]


Spectral Force is $29.99 too? It was still stickered at $59.99 at my Best Buy but the Best Buy site lists it as $29.99 so I guess they didn't put a new sticker on it yet. I guess I'll pick that up next time I'm there.

I just noticed that the Operation Darkness guide is $9.99 at Gamestop. It's a DoubleJump guide so it may be worth it.

http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=71321
 
It looks like Operation Darkness could be a permanent price drop, as Amazon.com has it for that price, too. No such luck on SF3 though. No change in price at Gamestop yet, although that could happen later this week - we'll have to wait for the Gamestop price update thread to see.

I for one wouldn't mind picking up OD for $17.50 with the 20% coupon + EDGE. I've heard there are some redeeming qualities in the game, especially if you're a fan of the genre.
 
[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']What...we're talking about Bomberman Act Zero, now? :D[/quote]

Close, but I can actually play Act Zero without wanting to hang myself with my own intestines.

Plus it has boostable achievements ;)
 
[quote name='62t']I guess we can finally throw the all Atlus game are rare theory out the door.[/quote]

I thought it was only "Atlus games where teenage kids shoot themselves in the head" are rare?
 
[quote name='62t']I guess we can finally throw the all Atlus game are rare theory out the door.[/quote]


Well im sure you can say that put you can blame that on re-sellers.Atlus is one of the few companies that listens to it's fans and when you hear people constantly bitching about limited print runs then not being able to find it anywhere even at Gamestop for less then what it was retailed at used your going to say give the re-sellers the middle finger and re-print and in the future we will print enough so everyone who wants to play it will get the chance and it will cut down the re-selling profits.

The fired the first shot in this battle with the massive print of Persona 3 FES and setting the retail Price to $29.99.
And seeing it was pretty much the complete version of P3 it almost made the orginal worthless except for the artbook and soundtrack.
 
[quote name='62t']I guess we can finally throw the all Atlus game are rare theory out the door.[/quote]

I pity the re-seller that bought copies of this hoping to unload them for a profit. Actually, no I don't... :lol:
 
[quote name='benjamouth']Bit too much for the worst game on the 360.

If it was free and came with a $20 GC, I'd definitely think about it.[/QUOTE]

Seriously? The worst? Have you played Pimp My Ride?

Operation Darkness is exactly what it attempts to be a turn based strategy game. The story doesn't hide what it is either. Nazis. World War 2. Werewolves. Zombies. Vampires. I don't understand the hate at all, let alone by people who generally would never even touch these games.

The game is fun. I've put a ton of time into it and I don't see any actual criticisms in most of the posts here. Let me give you a few things I really liked:

(1) Like some other Atlus/NIS RPGs of this type, you can go back and play some boards/fields again. This is especially helpful in making some of your characters a little stronger.
(2) The characters evolve as you play. There's a lot of additional skills and powers the characters learn along with the story. I don't remember this being a huge deal in a lot of similar games in the past (Phantom Brave, for example)
(3) The voice acting is pretty decent. The story make no bones about what it is. It sounds absurd, but it's really just trying to be a good time. The main character's serious tone for a lot of it attempts to root it in reality, but it works. You root for the characters and when there are mysteries you're looking to find out what exactly Cordelia is hiding from your lead character or what the deal is with this Battalion you've randomly just joined.
(4) Meta-Critic's reviews knock the game as repetitive. I imagine this would be a good hunk of the knocks on this game. I think those knocks are unfair and unwarranted. I don't knock every FPS for being the same thing every time. Why do we criticize turn based games this way? The stages evolve and there are a good hunk of them. The achievements are mixed. Some hidden and some you get just for playing through. There's enough variance that I'm kind of lost as to where the hate is from.

Honestly, I understand that this game isn't for everyone. If the premise doesn't keep you away and you like turn based strategy rpgs, you'll have no problem with this game. If you don't like turn based strategy rpgs--- SAY IT. Don't go slamming something without ever playing it or it just not being something you enjoy.

This game is hardly the worst game on the 360. It's not even in the bottom 25%.
 
[quote name='tenkaistar84']I just came back from my local Best Buy (Harlem Irving Plaza in Chicago, IL) and picked up a copy of Operation Darkness for $29.99. There were about 5 or 6 copies left after I bought mine. The demo wasn't the greatest and the original price of $60 was too much for me but I figured I'd bite at $30. It's also an Atlus published game as well. So has anyone else spotted this at any other Best Buys?[/quote]

Hey what whats the SKU# for the game?
 
[quote name='benjamouth']Bit too much for the worst game on the 360.[/QUOTE] Played Hour of Victory?
 
[quote name='Thrinn']Played Hour of Victory?[/quote]

What are you talking about? Hour of Victory was great...in 1999...when it was called Medal of Honor. Wait...nevermind...no need to disrespect the memory of MoH.
 
hmm...if Spectral Force 3 price dropped to $30, I'll be tempted to buy the game new considering a used copy+20% off coupon costs $40 at Gamestop. That's one of the few Xbox 360 titles I actually want to play.

If OD's used price on Gamestop goes to $24.99...I'll definitely pick up a used copy with a coupon in the future unless the price drops before the current 20% off coupon expires.
 
If anyone is on the fence about getting this...please don't. Buying crappy games like this only encourages developers to make more crappy games.

Operation Darkness is definitely in the "bottom 10" in any competent list of worst 360 games of all time. Hands down. SRPG's are my favorite genre and I've played almost every one to completion. That being said, let me be clear: Operation Darkness is an abomination that no one should waste a minute of their time with. It's place in the SRPG world is much like Beyond the Beyond was to the PS1 RPG catalog. They're different games obviously, but they're similar in that each one is a perfect example of how to take a beloved genre, pile on loads of unnecessary tedium, then take out everything fun. That's what Operation Darkness does. Broken camera, unnavigable menu/inventory system, if your character dies they're gone forever...I could go on and on.

The game sucks. Bad.
 
[quote name='heybtbm']If anyone is on the fence about getting this...please don't. Buying crappy games like this only encourages developers to make more crappy games.

Operation Darkness is definitely in the "bottom 10" in any competent list of worst 360 games of all time. Hands down. SRPG's are my favorite genre and I've played almost every one to completion. That being said, let me be clear: Operation Darkness is an abomination that no one should waste a minute of their time with. It's place in the SRPG world is much like Beyond the Beyond was to the PS1 RPG catalog. They're different games obviously, but they're similar in that each one is a perfect example of how to take a beloved genre, pile on loads of unnecessary tedium, then take out everything fun. That's what Operation Darkness does. Broken camera, unnavigable menu/inventory system, if your character dies they're gone forever...I could go on and on.

The game sucks. Bad.[/quote]

Sounds like you copied that right out of one of the many numerous internet reviews...What do people want from a SRPG!!! And with the Beyond the Beyond comment I bet most people that rip that game love Golden Sun on the GBA even though they were both made by the same company and have a very similar look.
 
[quote name='tenkaistar84']Spectral Force is $29.99 too? It was still stickered at $59.99 at my Best Buy but the Best Buy site lists it as $29.99 so I guess they didn't put a new sticker on it yet. I guess I'll pick that up next time I'm there.

I just noticed that the Operation Darkness guide is $9.99 at Gamestop. It's a DoubleJump guide so it may be worth it.

http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=71321[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the Tip. I ordered Spectral Force 3 from BB.com because none of my local stores had it available for pick up.
 
[quote name='Derrick1979']Sounds like you copied that right out of one of the many numerous internet reviews...What do people want from a SRPG!!! And with the Beyond the Beyond comment I bet most people that rip that game love Golden Sun on the GBA even though they were both made by the same company and have a very similar look.[/QUOTE]

Nah, the graphics in Golden Sun are much better. Sadly, I'm not really kidding. Putting 2D sprites in a 3D space, didn't work out so well.
 
I'm also a HUGE fan of SRPG's. I would have to say, though, I was bored with Operation Darkness within just 5 minutes of playing it. Although I do not think it is within the 10 worst games for the Xbox 360, this might be one of the worst games I've seen Atlus put out.

But think about it. Has anyone played a good SRPG that had full 3-D? The only good SRPG for current-generation consoles is Disgaea 3, as far as I know. And that one still uses character sprites (as opposed to full 3-D models).
 
I really hope all the people in this thread that are trashing the game have actually played it. Not the demo, mind you, but the actual game. Because it would be a shame if people were just dissin' it based on some shitty reviews.
 
[quote name='InFlames215']I'm also a HUGE fan of SRPG's. I would have to say, though, I was bored with Operation Darkness within just 5 minutes of playing it. Although I do not think it is within the 10 worst games for the Xbox 360, this might be one of the worst games I've seen Atlus put out.

But think about it. Has anyone played a good SRPG that had full 3-D? The only good SRPG for current-generation consoles is Disgaea 3, as far as I know. And that one still uses character sprites (as opposed to full 3-D models).[/quote]

Well there are not to many for the current gen consoles as it goes and everyone is going to have a different opinion on them but nothing as bad as they get ripped on the 360(it is just a different crowd of gamers on the 360)...

There is Spectral Force 3, and Operations Darkness on the 360 and maybe Enchanted Arms(also on PS3) can be borderline and they are all 3D models...

And the other 3D SRPG I can think of would be Fire Emblem on the Wii
 
[quote name='Camwi']I really hope all the people in this thread that are trashing the game have actually played it. Not the demo, mind you, but the actual game. Because it would be a shame if people were just dissin' it based on some shitty reviews.[/quote]


I think most people are bashing it based off reviews period..and that seems to be the thing to do with 360 games...
 
[quote name='Thrinn']Played Hour of Victory?[/quote]

Yep, 900 odd points in it, bad, but not Operation Darkness bad, and I only paid $9.99 for it.

[quote name='Camwi']I really hope all the people in this thread that are trashing the game have actually played it. Not the demo, mind you, but the actual game. Because it would be a shame if people were just dissin' it based on some shitty reviews.[/quote]

So the actual game doesn't have the terrible camera angles, poor gameplay and PS2 graphics then ?:whistle2:k

Anyway we're getting OT here and thats probably my fault, I'll ammend my first post accordingly.
 
Just picked up Operation Darkness and Spectral Force 3 for $29.99 each from Amazon and Best Buy.com, respectively.

As for all the bashing of these games, I figure I'll take my chances because I love JRPGs. I even played completely through Beyond the Beyond and Enchanted Arms. Everyone bashed those games but I liked them, especially Enchanted Arms.

Now I just have to wait for Zoids Assault to drop and I will have my Atlus trifecta!! Actually, Zoids looks like the most interesting since it reminds me of the Front Mission games.
 
[quote name='heybtbm']If anyone is on the fence about getting this...please don't. Buying crappy games like this only encourages developers to make more crappy games.[/quote]
Except Atlus localized it, not made it. I don't think Success was ever planning to make a sequel.

Out of the three 360 games Atlus has localized thus far, only one makes sense (Zoids), one sorta makes sense (Operation Darkness' WWII theme and design is a selling point, if only the gameplay wasn't so broken), and one is wtf (Spectral Forces 3).

There are so many other random 360 RPGs they could have taken that would probably have sold better. It just feels that Atlus had money to burn on 360 localization and picked games out of a hat rather than look and study them like they generally do for their PS2/PSP/DS localizations.
 
[quote name='Derrick1979']Well there are not to many for the current gen consoles as it goes and everyone is going to have a different opinion on them but nothing as bad as they get ripped on the 360(it is just a different crowd of gamers on the 360)...

There is Spectral Force 3, and Operations Darkness on the 360 and maybe Enchanted Arms(also on PS3) can be borderline and they are all 3D models...

And the other 3D SRPG I can think of would be Fire Emblem on the Wii[/quote]

I forgot about Enchanted Arms. That game is actually pretty good. I would recommend that over Operation Darkness.

Like I said... I don't think it is the worst game ever. I think many of the criticisms are off-base. I was just disappointed, and bored. I suppose some people might like this game, but honestly there are better SRPGS out there, including Enchanted Arms. I agree though... saying that this game is one of the worst games ever is a gross-overstatement. It is an OK, game, nothing more, nothing less. For people who actually like it, I think it would be worth $30.
 
[quote name='heybtbm']If anyone is on the fence about getting this...please don't. Buying crappy games like this only encourages developers to make more crappy games.

Operation Darkness is definitely in the "bottom 10" in any competent list of worst 360 games of all time. Hands down. SRPG's are my favorite genre and I've played almost every one to completion. That being said, let me be clear: Operation Darkness is an abomination that no one should waste a minute of their time with. It's place in the SRPG world is much like Beyond the Beyond was to the PS1 RPG catalog. They're different games obviously, but they're similar in that each one is a perfect example of how to take a beloved genre, pile on loads of unnecessary tedium, then take out everything fun. That's what Operation Darkness does. Broken camera, unnavigable menu/inventory system, if your character dies they're gone forever...I could go on and on.

The game sucks. Bad.[/quote]

I was listening to this until you mentioned beyond the beyond one of my favorite rpg's till this day, I guess that makes me a true rpg fan? Anyway there is no way that operation darkness is the worse game on the 360, I have played and seen much worse in my opinion. With a strategy guide even the hard parts are fun.
 
[quote name='benjamouth']Yep, 900 odd points in it, bad, but not Operation Darkness bad, and I only paid $9.99 for it.



So the actual game doesn't have the terrible camera angles, poor gameplay and PS2 graphics then ?:whistle2:k

Anyway we're getting OT here and thats probably my fault, I'll ammend my first post accordingly.[/QUOTE]

I'm not denying that the game has flaws. It's just that when a game like OD gets such crappy reviews, a lot of people piss on it without giving it a fair chance and actually PLAYING the game for themselves.

Take Earth Defense Force 2017, for example. That game got pretty bad reviews. It's got crappy graphics, repetitive gameplay, and hilariously bad voice acting. But I'm having an absolute BLAST with the game.
 
I've beaten both Operation Darkness and Spectral Force 3 and they aren't that bad. OD becomes infinitely more playable when you turn the minimap on. That pretty much kills the negative of the horrible camera immediately. A lot of people are turned off by the difficulty too but it's really not that hard once you get the system down (autoheal matters, looting matters, carry weight REALLY matters and rocket launchers are your friend) The story gets better as you go on as well and I pretty well enjoyed it despite its flaws. There are a couple of hellish missions though but like I said I enjoyed it overall.

SF3 I liked too despite its flaws. Storywise there's barely anything there and what exists is generic but I enjoyed the system. The whole game felt rushed and like lots of stuff was missing but I still enjoyed the core system. The idea of picking off the other countries one at a time by your choosing was a cool idea but kind of weakly done too.

I'd certainly rank either of them above Lost Odyssey, Too Human, or Infinite Undiscovery, 3 more 360 RPGs I also own and have found to be incredibly disappointing so far (though I'm not particularly far in any of them so I still hold out hope)
 
[quote name='Camwi']I'm not denying that the game has flaws. It's just that when a game like OD gets such crappy reviews, a lot of people piss on it without giving it a fair chance and actually PLAYING the game for themselves.

Take Earth Defense Force 2017, for example. That game got pretty bad reviews. It's got crappy graphics, repetitive gameplay, and hilariously bad voice acting. But I'm having an absolute BLAST with the game.[/quote]

EDF 2017 is one of my Favorite 360 games, lol something about it just makes it fun, another one you may like is War Tech if you haven't already played it...

Alright people buy some of my games so I can go out and grab OD :bouncy:
 
LOL...people can (and should) buy whatever games they want. I can only offer my opinion on the ones that I've played. People can take it to heart or ignore it. It really doesn't matter to me either way. It's your $30. Spend/waste it as you see fit.

[quote name='Derrick1979']I think most people are bashing it based off reviews period..and that seems to be the thing to do with 360 games...[/QUOTE]


I don't see any evidence of that in this thread. Keep in mind that my opinion of Operation Darkness isn't a random spewing copied and pasted from some review. It's coming from a hardcore SRPG fan's perspective. It's my favorite genre and I've played them all. Simply put, this one was a huge disappointment and not worth the average gamer's investment of time.

FYI: If people want to judge for themselves, there's still a demo available on XBL.
 
[quote name='Derrick1979']I think most people are bashing it based off reviews period..and that seems to be the thing to do with 360 games...[/QUOTE]

You've really got to explain to me what's wrong with making purchasing decisions based on reviews. If every review and the metacritic score is low, and the comments here all are negative, chances are that most people aren't going to like it. It's not like there's some international critic's conspiracy or something. Sure, you might like it and a few other people might like it, but for most people, it's not going to be enjoyable. Life's too short to waste time and money on games that just aren't much fun and if it means I miss a game or two I might actually like once in a while, I can live with that. After all, over 5,000 new games come out each year on consoles and the PC. I'll never get to them all anyway.
 
[quote name='bojay1997']You've really got to explain to me what's wrong with making purchasing decisions based on reviews. If every review and the metacritic score is low, and the comments here all are negative, chances are that most people aren't going to like it. It's not like there's some international critic's conspiracy or something. Sure, you might like it and a few other people might like it, but for most people, it's not going to be enjoyable. Life's too short to waste time and money on games that just aren't much fun and if it means I miss a game or two I might actually like once in a while, I can live with that. After all, over 5,000 new games come out each year on consoles and the PC. I'll never get to them all anyway.[/quote]

I wasnt talking about reviews on this site I was just talking from other sites I visit,if they do reviews on this one that's news to me and might actually take them into consideration seeing most of the people here actually play games more so then the mainstream reviews(thos were the ones I was refering to).

What makes my mind up on a game is reading or watching reviews from a number of different places and watching a bunch of gameplay videos and even if the castrate it in reviews if I see something I may be interested in im going to try it out.

Im not arguing with anyone's opinion in this thread.
 
[quote name='benjamouth']Bit too much for the worst game on the 360. IMO

If it was free and came with a $20 GC, I'd definitely think about it.[/quote]


Should have been called OPERATION SUCKFEST!!
 
Nazi Germany with Werewolves, Vampires, and Zombies... the premise alone makes me want to mow through this suckfest. Sometimes the camp value is worth it for me but I still feel that 30 is a little to much, I'm waiting for a steeper price drop.
 
[quote name='MrNEWZ']Seriously? The worst? Have you played Pimp My Ride?

Operation Darkness is exactly what it attempts to be a turn based strategy game. The story doesn't hide what it is either. Nazis. World War 2. Werewolves. Zombies. Vampires. I don't understand the hate at all, let alone by people who generally would never even touch these games.

The game is fun. I've put a ton of time into it and I don't see any actual criticisms in most of the posts here. Let me give you a few things I really liked:

(1) Like some other Atlus/NIS RPGs of this type, you can go back and play some boards/fields again. This is especially helpful in making some of your characters a little stronger.
(2) The characters evolve as you play. There's a lot of additional skills and powers the characters learn along with the story. I don't remember this being a huge deal in a lot of similar games in the past (Phantom Brave, for example)
(3) The voice acting is pretty decent. The story make no bones about what it is. It sounds absurd, but it's really just trying to be a good time. The main character's serious tone for a lot of it attempts to root it in reality, but it works. You root for the characters and when there are mysteries you're looking to find out what exactly Cordelia is hiding from your lead character or what the deal is with this Battalion you've randomly just joined.
(4) Meta-Critic's reviews knock the game as repetitive. I imagine this would be a good hunk of the knocks on this game. I think those knocks are unfair and unwarranted. I don't knock every FPS for being the same thing every time. Why do we criticize turn based games this way? The stages evolve and there are a good hunk of them. The achievements are mixed. Some hidden and some you get just for playing through. There's enough variance that I'm kind of lost as to where the hate is from.

Honestly, I understand that this game isn't for everyone. If the premise doesn't keep you away and you like turn based strategy rpgs, you'll have no problem with this game. If you don't like turn based strategy rpgs--- SAY IT. Don't go slamming something without ever playing it or it just not being something you enjoy.

This game is hardly the worst game on the 360. It's not even in the bottom 25%.[/quote]



I agree with you. I had fun with this title. The graphics are not nearly as bad as people point out.

My biggest gripe with the game is that there is no option to skip cutscreens. Before each battle, the cutscreens can be as long as 10 minutes. If you die, you have to watch the whole thing over again. Even worse, you have to press a button to move the dialogue again.

It is awful game design.
 
I like both games... wish I would have waited for this price drop, I would have bought both of them new... instead of buying them months ago with the 25% off coupon + edge at GS... even tho I paid a little less than $30 each I would have preferred new games and given Atlus my cash. Oh well... Thanks for the link to the $10 OD Guide tho! Have to pick one up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top