Support NeoGAF

[donkey show]

Just started playing this last night after satiating my Prime 3 fix. Wow. Talk about throwback to the past, but it just works. Graphics, beautiful. I can live with the slowdown because it's not gamebreaking. Story, simple but effective. Gameplay, fucking love it!!! In fact, it's a grinder's paradise minus random battles. Music... anyone who hates this soundtrack has to be castrated. The game is simple, effective, and most of all, fun.

The Gooch wins my heart over again.

 

[Masta_Killah]

Where is that dude? Before I figured out the right tactic I got a Game Over from a Magic Jellyfish. The thing DEMOLISHED me.

When you leave Lago Village, make a left till you reach the ocean, then go up. Also, if you go down instead of up, you'll reach a huge green soldier guarding a chest. Chest has a nice accessory you can pick up and the soldier gives you a nice amount of sp for taking it down.

Edit: just defeated the thing. When its asleep, attack with magic sword/magic to prevent it from waking up. Makes the fight a lot easier.

 

[Snaku]

Didn't even make the top 10. I think MS really missed an opportunity with Blue Dragon. Should have marketed this at kids. I think kids would love this game...

They should have marketed it, period.

 

[Cruceh]

Didn't even make the top 10. I think MS really missed an opportunity with Blue Dragon. Should have marketed this at kids. I think kids would love this game...

http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/09/01/live-activity-for-week-of-8-27.aspx

Imminent price drop??

Spoiler

Pleaseeee

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

They should have marketed it, period.

There were ads all over the place, and they marketed it on Marketplace. It was just a bad demo. It's unfortunate, and yeah, they could've done some TV ads but I also think BioShock ended up much more popular than anyone humanly imagined.

 

[Snaku]

There were ads all over the place, and they marketed it on Marketplace. It was just a bad demo. It's unfortunate, and yeah, they could've done some TV ads but I also think BioShock ended up much more popular than anyone humanly imagined.

Without a televised marketing campaign, it's just lip service.

But yeah, the demo should have never been released.

 

[FateBreaker]

Actually, I think you guys are being a little rough. I saw a lot of Blue Dragon ads, from magazines, to a LOT of websites (anime ones, fan ones, big ones, ones ones), to even EBGames/Gamestop stores with their HUMUNGOUS pop-up poster at the front door (anyone see those?). Honestly, they did a good job of advertisement. It's just that damn demo, guys--and the not-better-than-Bioshock review consensus doesn't help the general public appeal, either.

A better demo alone would have raised sales, though, definitely. If it's as good or (please God) way better than Blue Dragon, then Lost Odyssey will definitely have an opportunity for the hot spot...deciding where to put the date is crucial, though.

Oops, sorry for going off-topic.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Actually, I think you guys are being a little rough. I saw a lot of Blue Dragon ads, from magazines, to a LOT of websites (anime ones, fan ones, big ones, ones ones), to even EBGames/Gamestop stores with their HUMUNGOUS pop-up poster at the front door (anyone see those?). Honestly, they did a good job of advertisement. It's just that damn demo, guys--and the not-better-than-Bioshock review consensus doesn't help the general public appeal, either.

A better demo alone would have raised sales, though, definitely. If it's as good or (please God) way better than Blue Dragon, then Lost Odyssey will definitely have an opportunity for the hot spot...deciding where to put the date is crucial, though.

Oops, sorry for going off-topic.

I think word of mouth will help it. There are indeed RPG fans out there looking for fixes. It should have a fairly healthy life on the racks.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

:O

You stop learning new skills in the 30s? (And in one case, at 50.) That sucks. I was hoping the grind to the 99 achievement would at least result in some fascinating and fun new skills. Quel fucking drag.

 

[Sysgen]

:O

You stop learning new skills in the 30s? (And in one case, at 50.) That sucks. I was hoping the grind to the 99 achievement would at least result in some fascinating and fun new skills. Quel fucking drag.

Doesn't that encourage you to diversify your characters and not stick with one discipline?

 

[Masta_Killah]

:O

You stop learning new skills in the 30s? (And in one case, at 50.) That sucks. I was hoping the grind to the 99 achievement would at least result in some fascinating and fun new skills. Quel fucking drag.

Yeah, but most jrpgs are like that, at least the old school ones. That's when you need to exploit the system by using your accessories and to find some enemies that offer high experience that are easily defeatable. Kinda like the dinosaur exploit/8-16 hit combo in FF6.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Doesn't that encourage you to diversify your characters and not stick with one discipline?

Oh I'm planning to level up all of them with everything. I was just hoping it take me a while for them to get everything. I guess when you throw accessories and spells into the mix, it'll still take a while. And I'm sure it won't be nearly as fast a trek from 10 to 30 as it was from 1 to 10. But man, that just means going from 40 to 99 on ALL of them is going to be this completely unrewarding slog, as you don't get any attribute bonuses for raising your shadow's class, do you? Like their attacks aren't stronger, are they?

 

[Sysgen]

Oh I'm planning to level up all of them with everything. I was just hoping it take me a while for them to get everything. I guess when you throw accessories and spells into the mix, it'll still take a while. And I'm sure it won't be nearly as fast a trek from 10 to 30 as it was from 1 to 10. But man, that just means going from 40 to 99 on ALL of them is going to be this completely unrewarding slog, as you don't get any attribute bonuses for raising your shadow's class, do you? Like their attacks aren't stronger, are they?

...and your going to 99 on ALL of them because of the achievements?:lol

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

...and your going to 99 on ALL of them because of the achievements?:lol

Well, not if they don't power up the dragon as they rank up. I'm not that insane.

 

[puebla]

They should have marketed it, period.

yeah, i'm surpised that i haven't seen any commercials for it. i thought i was gonna see "from the creators of Final Fantasy" etc on tv. hopefully they take Lost Odyssey seriously.

 

[Nolan.]

yeah, i'm surpised that i haven't seen any commercials for it. i thought i was gonna see "from the creators of Final Fantasy" etc on tv. hopefully they take Lost Odyssey seriously.

They're not allowed to do that.

 

[Xamdou]

I've put about 14 hours into Blue Dragon already and I must say I am enjoying it!

Does the BD Main Menu title screen really all white and only shows press START?

 

[Quazar]

They're not allowed to do that.

Well they do in magazine ads. :lol :lol What do you mean?

NVM just read ad just lists devs.

 

[Blimblim]

Does the BD Main Menu title screen really all white and only shows press START?

Yup.

 

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

Didn't even make the top 10. I think MS really missed an opportunity with Blue Dragon. Should have marketed this at kids. I think kids would love this game...

http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/09/01/live-activity-for-week-of-8-27.aspx

I don't know if this happens with other people or not but when I play Blue Dragon it'll kick me off Live. I never notice it happening until I press the guide button and reconnect. I'm not sure if that's going on elsewhere and whether or not that's a factor into those rankings.

 

[Frillen]

Ok, so I've played uptil you return to Talta Village. I'm definitely enjoying it thus far, even though it's very easy. Bosses and the regular enemies are quite easy to beat. The story is pretty bad though, at least uptil this point, so I hope it gets better.

 

[soco]

I don't know if this happens with other people or not but when I play Blue Dragon it'll kick me off Live. I never notice it happening until I press the guide button and reconnect. I'm not sure if that's going on elsewhere and whether or not that's a factor into those rankings.

it doesn't do it to me.

 

[TheDuce22]

Got this game from gamefly today. Aside from the annoying voice of the head kid its really well done. I love the combat/job system and the music has been amazing.

 

[Android18a]

My Xbox is starting to feck up on me.

It's taking a LOT Longer to load now (even giving me placeholder art between locations now!), and certain fights/bosses just come up with "dirty disc" errors and throw me back to the dashboard. This has been progressively getting worse as I played through the game, was really fast loading when I started.

I suspect I'll be seeing the 3 red lights soon. I hope so, at least then I can get the problem fixed and start taking on those

Spoiler

dragons

for the ultimate rare thingy item. As it is I can't even fight them

 

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

Ok, so I've played uptil you return to Talta Village. I'm definitely enjoying it thus far, even though it's very easy. Bosses and the regular enemies are quite easy to beat. The story is pretty bad though, at least uptil this point, so I hope it gets better.

You're just about to the point where the game starts to kick in gear. Keep going.

Got this game from gamefly today. Aside from the annoying voice of the head kid its really well done. I love the combat/job system and the music has been amazing.

Turn on the Japanese dub if you haven't already. It really makes the whole thing go down alot smoother, especially when it comes to Marumaro.

 

[Geoff9920]

Just finished Disc 1 and things have really started to pick up. Great ending!

 

[TheDuce22]

Whats with the red areas on the charged attacks. Should I be aiming for them or avoiding them?

 

[soco]

Whats with the red areas on the charged attacks. Should I be aiming for them or avoiding them?

aiming for them. they're the sweet spot. i think it's explained in one of the tutorials, but you might not have gotten to that one yet.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

WHOA!

Spoiler

Anyone else beat this Peddler/Mad Eye douchebag? Fucking clever little bastard. Took me like four Phoenix Talons before I discovered his weakness. Oh well, at least I got a mad amount...um...pride...feelings....and just 4 sp....

Anyway. I never got an answer about Class leveling. Even if you're not getting skills after the 30s, do any attributes continue raising? Like, I wouldn't mind grinding to 99 if it meant I'd step out the otherside like fucking Galactus. But if it's just for some achievements, no thanks.

OH, and I met my main man GasFace in the tracksuit. I get to catch up with him ALL GAME?? Oh Blue Dragon, you are so fucking good to me.

 

[Robobandit]

Alright.. well, I completed disc 1 and just started disc 2.. and I've clocked right at 16 hours.

Characters are around lv 23

All I have to say about the ending of the first disc is "wow", that was an awesome sequence of events.. I even liked the

Spoiler

mechat machinegun segment where I was chasing down Nene trying to blow him out of the sky

The only part on the whole first disc that I didn't enjoy was

Spoiler

Protecting the villager caravan on the way to Jibral. Mainly because I just hate "escort" type missions in games. Though the entrance of the King and Zola was awesome

 

[Xevren]

The caravan stuff really sucks if you're an achievement whore, cuz after a couple tries it just gets annoying.

 

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

The caravan stuff really sucks if you're an achievement whore, cuz after a couple tries it just gets annoying.

I kept a save so I can go back and try to get 100% but after my first run through of that, I pretty much had enough. I don't think I want to bother getting that achievement.

 

[Takuhi]

Anyway. I never got an answer about Class leveling. Even if you're not getting skills after the 30s, do any attributes continue raising? Like, I wouldn't mind grinding to 99 if it meant I'd step out the otherside like fucking Galactus. But if it's just for some achievements, no thanks.

OH, and I met my main man GasFace in the tracksuit. I get to catch up with him ALL GAME?? Oh Blue Dragon, you are so fucking good to me.

Your class-specific boosts do continue to go up (so long as you have that class equipped), so your stats will continue to improve significantly (although not all classes have good boosts—Generalist gives you nothing, for example). But being that powerful is pretty pointless, so it's mostly just for the achievements. Fortunately, there are plenty of infinite SP tricks you can do late in the game.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Your class-specific boosts do continue to go up (so long as you have that class equipped), so your stats will continue to improve significantly (although not all classes have good boosts—Generalist gives you nothing, for example). But being that powerful is pretty pointless, so it's mostly just for the achievements. Fortunately, there are plenty of infinite SP tricks you can do late in the game.

Galactus confirmed. I'll do it for at least one track and for Generalist if I'm ever buried in my apartment for 17 years.

 

[gunstarhero]

Anybody have any idea when the hard mode will be available for download? I'm thinking of holding off till it does...

 

[Diablos]

Wait, you have to download hard mode for this game? You can't just unlock it after beating it like you would in 99.9% of RPG's that have such a mode?

::scratches head::

 

[Robobandit]

Wait, you have to download hard mode for this game? You can't just unlock it after beating it like you would in 99.9% of RPG's that have such a mode?

::scratches head::

hard mode and new game + are/will be available as DLC..

they weren't coded in to the main game.. but were added as a patch to the JP version.. I guess they didn't see fit to make it part of the US version from the start.

Does anyone know if you can put DLC onto a memory card? My machine is banned from live, so I'm going to have to do without the DLC unless I can find another way to get it.

I hate to miss out on new game+ when I am having such a good time with the game.

 

[siamesedreamer]

My JRPG experience is limited to about 2/3 of FF7 and about 1/2 of Digital Devil Saga 1, so I don't have much to go on here. But, I've played it for about an hour and its really fun. The little creature on Nene's shoulder is fucking hilarious.

Anyone know if looking at the achievements will spoil the story? Will you get all the achievements for just beating the game (like Enchanted Arms)?

 

[Mr Killemgood]

About Major Nielson's tracking numbers -

It would be fitting to know that the numbers were as-of August the 27th. Blue Dragon didn't SHIP in the US until the 28th (and atleast where I live, only available since Wednsday)....So I fail to see how BD could really chart on his lists with ease.

If you check out the Genre Leaderboards over at www.mygamercard.net, Blue Dragon was the #3 top RPG played thus far, and has been steadily increasing. Two Worlds is still winning in the charts (TW is @ 20k, Oblivion @ 17k, and Blue Dragon @ 12k), but Blue Dragon has improved through the day, and wasn't on the list at all until today. It's got somehwere near 10,000 cards increased since Thursday, as I've been checking the RPG leaderboards since then to see if TW and BD would chart vs. Oblivion.

 

[Mr Killemgood]

Also, about the Blue Dragon achievements -

There are plenty of secret achievements in the game that prevent you from seeing anything about the story, at all.

You'll get a few, few achievements for completing the story (I think). But the vast majority of achievements are ungodly and insane. I think I have 1 right now (preform a back attack on an enemy once, for 5GS).

I cannot wait to 1000/1000 this game though....Having those "get your Dragons to level 99 for all classes" will be worth it on my profile, as every RPG achievement I have is so shallow since they've all been easy.

 

[Masta_Killah]

Also, about the Blue Dragon achievements -

There are plenty of secret achievements in the game that prevent you from seeing anything about the story, at all.

You'll get a few, few achievements for completing the story (I think). But the vast majority of achievements are ungodly and insane. I think I have 1 right now (preform a back attack on an enemy once, for 5GS).

I cannot wait to 1000/1000 this game though....Having those "get your Dragons to level 99 for all classes" will be worth it on my profile, as every RPG achievement I have is so shallow since they've all been easy.

Do that 100 times and you'll get another. And for the completionist, run away 100x or get surprised 100x and you'll get achievements. I wouldn't recommend these though(for reasons I wont say), unless your anal about achievements

 

[siamesedreamer]

I cannot wait to 1000/1000 this game though....Having those "get your Dragons to level 99 for all classes" will be worth it on my profile, as every RPG achievement I have is so shallow since they've all been easy.

Yeah, there appears to be a lot of really time consuming achievements. There's one for getting 1,000,000 gold and the description makes it seem like you have to have all of without spending it.

 

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

Frankly, the 1 million gold seems a hell of a lot easier than alot of the other achievements. I'm over 100,000 and I'm not really even trying.

 

[Sysgen]

My JRPG experience is limited to about 2/3 of FF7 and about 1/2 of Digital Devil Saga 1, so I don't have much to go on here. But, I've played it for about an hour and its really fun. The little creature on Nene's shoulder is fucking hilarious.

Anyone know if looking at the achievements will spoil the story? Will you get all the achievements for just beating the game (like Enchanted Arms)?

My jrpg experience isn't that much greater. I've looked at the list and it hasn't spoiled anything or anything that I've noticed.

 

[siamesedreamer]

Man, checking acouple of websites makes some of the achievements to be almost impossible to get without a hintbook. For example, some achievements are for bosses using rare summons. So, if you don't know which boss has what summon and how long to leave him alive to let him do the summon, then you're screwed.

 

[Proc]

I could care less about the achievements, so long as I get one that says I completed the game.

 

[theultimo]

hard mode and new game + are/will be available as DLC..

they weren't coded in to the main game.. but were added as a patch to the JP version.. I guess they didn't see fit to make it part of the US version from the start.

Does anyone know if you can put DLC onto a memory card? My machine is banned from live, so I'm going to have to do without the DLC unless I can find another way to get it.

I hate to miss out on new game+ when I am having such a good time with the game.

Wow, how'd you do that so I can never do it. I am a DLC whore. :lol

 

[Robobandit]

Wow, how'd you do that so I can never do it. I am a DLC whore. :lol

If you never modify the firmware on your xbox 360 dvd drive, you shouldn't ever have that problem. I did several months ago, my machine was banned from live back in July and I can't access the marketplace. Unfortunately, that means I can't acquire dlc free or otherwise or buy tv shows, movies or arcade games.

I'm not upset with anybody about it, I'm just going to need to find another way to get the DLC for Blue Dragon.. maybe download it on a friend's xbox or something.

 

[Snaku]

Do that 100 times and you'll get another.

Yeah, I've been working like Hell on getting that one. I think I've got 45 back attacks so far.

 

[theultimo]

Do that 100 times and you'll get another. And for the completionist, run away 100x or get surprised 100x and you'll get achievements. I wouldn't recommend these though(for reasons I wont say), unless your anal about achievements

As a note: they are worth 0 GP also.