The Xbox 360 gets its first epic Japanese-style role playing game - Enchanted Arms notwithstanding - that sold a bevy of 360’s in Japan (and you know how hard that is), made by three legendary Japanese artists, Hironubo Sakaguchi, Akira Toriyama, and Nobuo Uematsu.
Off the bat, I detected nothing truly special from Toriyama (character design) nor Uematsu (music score) - the most memorable music in the game so far has been the wonderfully cheesy 1980’s rock ballad music by Anonymous Hair Band. Oh, there have been some sweet orchestral tunes at times, but nothing truly awe-inspiring, though the Devee Celebration Music was both in form and function like the Ewok Celebration from Return of the Jedi, only less annoying and more cutesy. As for Toriyama, the character design is Basic Anime 101.
However, 10 hours into the game so far, the writing has been splendid. That’s not to say it isn’t somewhat clichéd - there are some definite roleplaying game staples in it - but the massive size of the story allows the game to tell its story slowly. Heck, after 10 hours, the fifth major character hasn’t joined the party yet, and while the game comes on three discs, barely much of the first disc has been explored, so while the characters may have stock characteristics, already several of the characters are getting fleshed out slowly but surely. This is relaxed, sure storytelling. (Also true to JRPGs is the sheer amount of cutscenes, which explains the need for three discs.)
As for the gameplaying part, the mechanics are slow to show their efficacy, but by the time you battle the mini-boss King Ghost, the first truly challenging monster, you begin to truly appreciate the genius behind the design. For one, the character and class levels are seperate, and switching between classes with your “Shadow” (a device for picking your class) allows you to earn different skills and character modifiers. Having an attack circle in which you might get monsters to beat up (or eat up) on each other is a nice touch, as is the ability to “charge up” a power, sometimes sacrificing that character’s place in the turn order.
So far, my experience with the game has been rewarding, especially if you have experience with JRPGs. Those of you not familiar with the genre may have to gut out 5-10 slow hours before the game truly becomes really fun. This is a pretty long game, so be prepared for a big investment in time. This isn’t a quick Achievement grab, either. Most of the Achievements require a lot of playing.
INITIAL VERDICT: Worth a look
