Blue Dragon Review

System: X360
Dev: Mistwalker
Pub: Microsoft
Release: Aug. 28, 2007
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: Teen
Review by Amanda L. Kondolojy

Review Rating Legend
1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor
2.5 - 2.9 = Average
3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
3.5 - 3.9 = Good
4.0 - 4.4 = Great
4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
5.0 = The Best

Another way that Blue Dragon adds depth is through its lasting replay value and extended features. Much like the Kingdom Hearts series, there are several "secret bosses" and extra abilities that are available to you once you beat the game's main boss. There are also several achievements that can only be garnered after devoting many hours to them post-game. So if you're looking for a game that gives you a lingering challenge, Blue Dragon definitely fits the bill.

Blue Dragon screenshot

The musical scoring of this game, to put it plainly, is absolutely beautiful. The complex symphonic orchestrations coupled with the gently sweeping piano melodies make listening to this game a true delight. I would challenge anyone to sample some of the instrumental compositions of this game and then disagree with me. Nobuo Uematsu is a musical genius, and his score is one of the most beautiful musical movements I have heard resonating from a game. The voice acting is also first-rate on the Japanese language track and only slightly below that on the English track. The only time when the sound bothered me slightly was when the vocal music tracks kicked in. Honestly, I really preferred the instrumentals, and the vocal songs just sounded cheesy to me (with the exception of the "The Seal is Broken" which featured an extremely intense yet enjoyable vocal).

If I could sum up the Blue Dragon experience, I would describe it as classic RPG gaming brought to the next gen. Sure it's no political drama, and it won't have you aggressively button-mashing, but Blue Dragon promises engaging gameplay that you'll not only want to play through once, but revisit again and again. Plus it looks great, has a memorable story, and has an absolutely breathtaking musical score. And that's all I think we can ask for in a game.

By Amanda L. Kondolojy
CCC Freelance Writer

Features:

Innovative RPG gameplay features: As their quest progresses, warriors can create original attack methods by utilizing several types of Shadow Change, including Sword, Assassin, and Power Magic. You can choose to focus the hero on certain areas of expertise. Shadows level up and gain new abilities associated with the job they are currently doing. Once gained, abilities are not lost and remain available to use when needed.

Massive scope and engrossing environments: Shu and his companions battle their way through an immense world filled with vividly illustrated remnants of ancient civilizations long forgotten.

Stunning graphics: Taking full advantage of the power of Xbox 360, Blue Dragon engages you in a world and characters that are brought to life with vibrant colors and detail, from Shu's wild hair to his martial arts-style garb, conveying the beautiful simplicity and sense of adventure found in this truly next-generation RPG.

Dazzling character design and effects: Toriyama's unique influence is evident in the design of the game's anime style characters, as their actions are enhanced with next-gen blur effects. Additionally, the game's algorithmic animation system adds heightened realism to character and creature movements.

Screen Resolution: Up to 720p (Standard HDTV, Widescreen).

Rating out of 5	Rating Description
4.8	Graphics Very smooth and sleek. A refreshing new look for an anime-stylized game.
4.0	Control Standard RPG controls. Absolutely no surprises here.
4.6	Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting With the exception of some of the vocal tracks, the sound is absolutely beautiful and a joy to listen to.
4.8	Play Value An absolute blast to play, this game hearkens back to a classic RPG type of gameplay. Replay value is solid with extra missions and challenging achievements.
4.6	Overall Rating - Must Buy Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

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Do you like the fact that the soon-to-be-upgraded Xbox 360 dashboard and firmware will let you install games to the 360 before you play them?
Definitely, I can't stand all the racket the spinning drive makes
Yes, as long as the install time isn't too long
Yes, as long as I have enough space on my hard drive
No, I hate waiting for games to install
No, I don't have enough hard drive space as it is
No, if I'm going to install a game first, I'll get it for my PC
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I don't own an Xbox 360
I didn't know it was going to have that capability. I'll click the link and read the news first

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Xbox 360

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Blue Dragon Review

4.8

4.0

4.6

4.8

4.6

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