Publisher: Microsoft
Developers: Mistwalker and Artoon
Release Date: August 28, 2007
Decription:
Famed game producer Hironobu Sakaguchi of Mistwalker and developer Artoon present the highly anticipated Xbox 360™ exclusive Blue Dragon. Featuring the character design of Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball Z and music by Nobuo Uematsu of Final Fantasy, Blue Dragon is an epic role-playing game that centers on a young boy named Shu and several of his friends. (description from
Ebgames.com)
The Critics
95-
GamePro
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"...the combat, exploration, and storytelling are so addictively engaging, and memorable. Blue Dragon might not be sheer perfection, but it still delivers a truly exemplary console RPG experience by thoughtfully executing and expanding on longtime genre traditions."
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85-
Teamxbox
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"Blue Dragon can easily go on for fifty hours (way longer if you want all 43 achievements), making it more “epic” than most games erroneously coined as such. Challenging to play well and entertaining to just sit back and watch, Blue Dragon deserves a serious look whether you’re avid JRPG’er or not."
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80-
GameSpy
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"For most 360 gamers, Blue Dragon is going to be a hard sell, but for that sliver of the community that longs for a return to the days of Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, you simply couldn't do any better. Without question, it's one of the longest games available on the 360, clocking in at roughly 60 hours depending on how quickly you blaze through it. For huge anime/JRPG geeks like us, Blue Dragon is a fantastic game as long as you can make it through the first few plodding hours and don't mind the hyper-cute character design. Now, if you'll excuse us, we need to go see if we can pick up a version of the boss fight music without the lyrics for future karaoke parties."
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80-
Games Radar
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"Blue Dragon is, ultimately, enjoyable. Its appeal, once started, is undeniable. Yes, it's a turn-based RPG, and it's a wholly traditional one. With generally excellent storytelling and competent voices in English or Japanese, though, it's one you'll enjoy for its dramatic tale. And the system of building up your shadows' powers is also irresistible. But the game does lag in pacing when it comes to exploration and battle; a touch more evolution might have launched this from extremely good to indispensable."
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79-
IGN
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"Blue Dragon is not the most original RPG as far as design goes. Nor is it the first "must have" RPG on a Microsoft console. The pacing through the first half of the game is far too slow to stay engaging for all but the hardcore JRPG fan and the story is not nearly as epic as the multiple disc, 50+ hour game implies. But for those needing a solid traditional role-playing experience on Xbox 360, Blue Dragon will fit the bill."
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65-
1up
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"I've got a tremendous amount of respect for the men behind Blue Dragon...but at the same time, I can't overlook its massive warts just because three developers I grew up idolizing created the game. I'm not gonna give these guys a free pass -- and neither should you. If you come into Blue Dragon expecting anything more than a serviceable RPG, don't be shocked if you come away disappointed."
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60-
GameSpot
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"Blue Dragon may be the first Japanese RPG we've seen in a while on the Xbox 360, but it's also totally forgettable, telling a story that didn't beg to be told in a game that doesn't do much to stand out. If you're into role-playing games, you'll find that Blue Dragon is long and mostly serviceable, but it doesn't give you much back for all the time you'll spend on it. Let's hope there's another RPG for the platform soon that gives us more to sink our teeth into."
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