White Knight Chronicles Media and Information Thread

Oh snapplecakes, there's some new scans floating around that I never saw. They have some of the singleplayer ingame stuff :O
 
Damn, there should be a direct feed video so I can rip something to my PSP.

It is pretty lonely since the last WKC video I put on the PSP was the trailer when the damn game was announced and the purple haired girl had gravity defying boobs.
 
I watch those pictures, and I like what I see. It's not amazing, but doesn't look average to me, also because the quality of the pictures isn't so clear to make out all the little details (or their lack) and knowing that it is the online mode.

This shot http://i38.tinypic.com/s3zkvc.jpg also reminds me so much of FFXI but with better graphics/textures.
 
-Kh- said:
That's the feeling I get as well. I hope it is much more fun than FFXI (it was lots of fun for me during 5 years), and without the tedious grinding, then it is a sure win.
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We shall see!

Anyway, someone make me a banner for the hype and information thread that'll go up once the official site gets updated more.
 
Eurogamer preview:

White Knight Chronicles Preview

Preview by Keza MacDonald


At first glance, White Knight Chronicles doesn't appear to be pushing the JRPG envelope. It starts with a captured princess and a young boy charged with retrieving her, it's set in a medieval fantasy world, it features characters who can transform in battle to enhance their abilities. But what Level-5 is attempting is actually something new for the genre. In a country where popular online console games are still a relative rarity, White Knight Chronicles is attempting to seduce Japanese gamers into playing an online RPG by giving them everything they're used to from single-player ones.

The online and offline portions of White Knight Chronicles are entirely separate. You can't play the offline story co-operatively with friends, or play missions from the online game alone. The single-player game is an epic fantasy story starring a transforming hero; online it's a mission-based multiplayer game for up to four players, structurally far more similar to Phantasy Star than, say, Final Fantasy XI. White Knight Chronicles is two games in one, rather than online and offline versions of the same thing.

"Players should be able to find it really easy to play both an online game and an offline game, in the same title," Level-5's studio head Akihiro Hino reckons, as we catch up with him in Tokyo. "When we started working on the plan for White Knight Chronicles three years ago, there were not many online games available here in Japan. We wanted to create an online game that could convey that multiplayer fun to as many people as possible - a game in which players could casually move from online to offline."
Naturally there is some interplay between the two game modes. Your single-player level might affect which quests are available in multiplayer, and certain items will be transferable. But it is the developer's expectation that the majority of gamers, at least in Japan, will only try their hands at the online multiplayer once they've completed the single-player story, so it's important that the two sides of the game function completely independently.

White Knight Chronicles stars Lenard, a boy caught up in disastrous events in his kingdom's palace during the princess' coming-of-age ceremony. A rebel group called Wizard captures the princess and razes the palace to the ground, and Lenard finds himself stumbling upon a magical piece of armour as he attempts to flee. This armour gives him the ability to transform into the titular White Knight, a seven-metre-tall, ancient warrior who could be mistaken for a giant white Gundam robot.

The game's battle system is built around this ability, and the main theme running through the gameworld is the contrast between micro and macro. It's a game obsessed with scale, throwing you into battles with gigantic, Shadow of the Colossus-scale bosses and set in a world where entire towns are built on the backs of towering leviathans. Lenard's transformation gauge isn't just a gimmick, or a way to take a few extra hit points off an enemy; it's at the heart of WKC's large-scale battles, and gives them a lot of visual impact.


Level-5 has faced a considerable challenge in creating a battle system that works equally well in a co-operative RPG and a single-player one. The emphasis is on personalisation and visual flair; it uses timed button-presses to simulate cool-looking, action game battles, both large-scale and small. You can arrange different moves in sequence in the battle menu, so instead of seeing the same combo attacks in every battle throughout the game, you can arrange for Lenard (or anyone else in your party) to strike an enemy a few times before throwing him up into the air with the sword, then use a fireball spell, then smack him back down to earth again, for instance.

The move-set customisation looks really flexible, and the moves for each different weapon and type of magic can be combined freely. Switching between combo sets is going to be a big part of battle strategy in WKC, and especially in multiplayer, it will be interesting to see how players combine their combos for the most effective and visually arresting battle strategy. "We wanted to achieve a battle system that can work both in online and offline modes, and so we wanted to provide a command set-up system that makes sure players can easily reflect their own battle styles, preferences and tactics," Hino explains.

Given that repetitive and boring battling is one of the chief problems afflicting even the best JRPGs, WKC's system is an intriguing alternative. The extent of each weapon's move-set is unknown, and it will be difficult to incorporate enough variety and customisation to keep things interesting through all 100 hours of WKC's single-player storyline as well as online, but what we've seen so far is encouraging.
As well as creating your own battle combos, White Knight Chronicles also lets you create your own avatar, who turns up both in the online game (as your player character) and offline as an incidental character in the main plot, accompanying Lenard and colleagues for the latter part of the story. We caught only the barest glimpse of the game's character customisation, but the fact that it includes an ear angle slider suggests that it's rather more comprehensive than we'd expect for the genre. Hopefully, then, the online world won't be populated by identikit avatars with slightly different swords.


We won't have to wait long to find out, of course, because White Knight Chronicles will be released on 25th December in Japan. Bizarrely for a game so close to release, there are still a lot of important questions unanswered. We've seen that you can use text and emotes to communicate in multiplayer, but Level-5 won't yet confirm whether or not the game will support voice chat. We've seen players invite their friends to play an online mission and gather in a lobby, but we've not seen how it's possible to meet new players and make new friends online.

Given that this is a Level-5 game, we know that White Knight Chronicles has a high chance of hitting the mark as a traditional-but-compelling RPG in single-player, and the battle system really does look impressive. But the developer's lack of previous experience with multiplayer and reluctance to confirm specific details about how things like communication and picking up quests are going to work has us concerned that the online mode will end up as a peripheral feature, rather than the incredible co-operative JRPG experience that Western audiences have been hoping for.

Look out for our review in the New Year to find out.
White Knight Chronicles is due out on 25th December in Japan, and should be out in Europe next year. It's a PS3 exclusive.
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Given that repetitive and boring battling is one of the chief problems afflicting even the best JRPGs, WKC's system is an intriguing alternative. The extent of each weapon's move-set is unknown, and it will be difficult to incorporate enough variety and customisation to keep things interesting through all 100 hours of WKC's single-player storyline as well as online, but what we've seen so far is encouraging.
Click to expand...

Er, what? I know this couldn't be true either way, but is this based on actual Sony/Level 5 comments? Because I can't even imagine bragging about that. I'm happy to hear they're pretty positive about the battle system, as it certainly looks boring to me, but hopefully it'll be fun to play (especially with customisation to factor in).

As well as creating your own battle combos, White Knight Chronicles also lets you create your own avatar, who turns up both in the online game (as your player character) and offline as an incidental character in the main plot, accompanying Lenard and colleagues for the latter part of the story.
Click to expand...

I thought the avatar character was there more or less for the whole game. True or not?
 
batbeg said:
Er, what? I know this couldn't be true either way, but is this based on actual Sony/Level 5 comments? Because I can't even imagine bragging about that. I'm happy to hear they're pretty positive about the battle system, as it certainly looks boring to me, but hopefully it'll be fun to play (especially with customisation to factor in).



I thought the avatar character was there more or less for the whole game. True or not?
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FFXII says otherwise.



In another article from last week, it was told that the avatar features for the single player mode would be available after a few hours into the game.

They probably want the players to appreciate the story and the characters as the writters intended.
 
-Kh- said:
FFXII says otherwise.



In another article from last week, it was told that the avatar features for the single player mode would be available after a few hours into the game.

They probably want the players to appreciate the story and the characters as the writters intended.
Click to expand...

Good enough for me.
 
I still am not sure if I should allow myself to get excited for this game. I have been so burned by about every
next gen JRPG and I am still waiting to see if this game is going to save the genre for me.(On next gen consoles)
 
BruceLeeRoy said:
I still am not sure if I should allow myself to get excited for this game. I have been so burned by about every
next gen JRPG and I am still waiting to see if this game is going to save the genre for me.(On next gen consoles)
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I don't know how it will fair against the other JRPGs from this gen based on its single player mode.

However you should look at the multiplayer aspect of the game which will be a great one and should be the perfect balance between a single player RPG and a MMORPG this gen on HD (because there is MH3 too, but that one won't have a great single player as WKC).
 
BruceLeeRoy said:
I still am not sure if I should allow myself to get excited for this game. I have been so burned by about every
next gen JRPG and I am still waiting to see if this game is going to save the genre for me.(On next gen consoles)
Click to expand...

Believe in Level-5.
 
OMG ... NeoGaf makes GR news :lol



They actually mentioned the Marvel vs Capcom 2 rumor, and cite it to a 'poster at NeoGaf who found the information via ESRB documentation' ...

... and that's it. They fully acknowledge there is no other information or corroboration. :lol
 
Given that repetitive and boring battling is one of the chief problems afflicting even the best JRPGs, WKC's system is an intriguing alternative.
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I hope that doesn't imply that there will be a lot of fighting and crunching. This title now has a 50/50 chance of being disqualified from my BUY-list.

BruceLeeRoy said:
I still am not sure if I should allow myself to get excited for this game. I have been so burned by about every next gen JRPG and I am still waiting to see if this game is going to save the genre for me.(On next gen consoles)
Click to expand...
I already gave up last-gen. FF13 was the last jrpg i bought, and I didn't enjoy it. Luckily I've discovered that sometimes, those things that I enjoy in a jrpg can be found in titles that aren't specifically categorized as 'jrpg' - without the various jrpg annoyances and disappointments.
 
WYWY said:
I hope that doesn't imply that there will be a lot of fighting and crunching. This title now has a 50/50 chance of being disqualified from my BUY-list.


I already gave up last-gen. FF13 was the last jrpg i bought, and I didn't enjoy it. Luckily I've discovered that sometimes, those things that I enjoy in a jrpg can be found in titles that aren't specifically categorized as 'jrpg' - without the various jrpg annoyances and disappointments.
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Can I have your time machine?
 
N30RYU said:
Some captures of the videos

Video in-game 2 captures

11hb4ec.jpg
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I know this shot really isn't showcasing anything particularly interesting but I'm loving the weapon models and armor sets in this game.
 
lostxii said:
Oh, right. I forgot they haven't put up anything from TGS yet:lol
hopefully WKS will be there.
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well, they do have some stuff... just very little.

But that's a pretty cool read on WKC there. I really do hope they go all out with Sony support on WKC's online mode, though. I'd be terribly disappointed if it didn't let you play with strangers, or include voice support. It'd be awesome if there was some sort of virtual couch system to let someone in if you're missing a player.

lol...

LFG? D:
 
They haven't updated the J PSN store after those 4 videos that went up on day 1?

I am really looking forward to seeing the Yakuza stuff on my TV, in addition to all the WKC stuff I've probably missed by not following this thread much. Goddamn it Sony.
 
GameSpy: In other Level-5 games such as Dragon Quest VIII and Rogue Galaxy we saw characters wearing several different outfits. Is there going to be anything similar in White Knight Chronicles, other than the knight armors?

Hino: Yes, there will be even more than that. Players will be able to choose almost every single element of their characters, including clothes and physical aspects, and this will happen both in online and offline modes. The selected costumes will also be reflected in the graphics of the game, so players who decide to wear a particularly strange outfit will have to go through special events in the storyline dressed like that.
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GameSpy: In one of the White Knight Chronicles movies we saw there were flying ships. Could you tell us more about the vehicles included in the game and about the way characters will move from one point to another on the world map?

Hino: Unfortunately, I'll have to refrain from answering your question regarding vehicles, as details have not been revealed yet. As for the way characters move from one point to another, it hasn't changed since the demo build that was released a year ago. By selecting a destination on the map, character icons will automatically move to that point. As White Knight Chronicles takes place in an enormous world, we thought that this would be the most appropriate solution.
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http://ps3.gamespy.com/articles/918/918991p1.html
 
nelsonroyale said:
groarrr!! no DQviii overworld damnit
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Well to be fair, I know I know next gen systems and all but, it'd be asking alot to see the enemies on the world map ala DQ and make it real-time ala FFXII.
 
Single player campaign is 100 hours? Wat? :D I like how changing your look changes your look in the game and apparently the cutscenes also.
 
Steroyd said:
Well to be fair, I know I know next gen systems and all but, it'd be asking alot to see the enemies on the world map ala DQ and make it real-time ala FFXII.
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Seeing the enemies on the map ala DQ? Shouldn't you have only mentioned FFXII? In DQ8 you only see some monsters on the map, otherwise it is just random battles (at least as far as I remember, maybe dungeons where different? don't remember).

If in WKC you can't travel around for going from point A to point B but you're forced with the character icons automatically moving to the destination, then I'm disappointed. While doing it helps with tedium in a game with such a big world and should be there, they should have the normal "by foot" way as well imho, which makes it way more immersive.
 
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