Developer: Mistwalker and Artoon
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Genre: Role Playing
Rating: Teen
Number of Players: 1
Release: August 28, 2007
Platform: Xbox 360

Blue Dragon is brought to you by the folks over at Mistwalker, which was founded in 2004 by the creator of the Final Fantasy series, Hironobu Sakaguchi, with financial backing from Microsoft. The music was composed by Nobuo Uematsu (Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VIII) and the characters were designed by Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball). Blue Dragon was developed exclusively for the Xbox 360 with the hope of giving it a much needed boost in sales overseas in Japan (which it did for a month or two), as well as add some much needed flavor to the 360’s software line-up, which lacks diversity. Has it succeeded in doing so? Yes and no.

Gameplay
The game has the classic RPG turn-based battle system, and for the most part doesn’t differ from any other RPG. You battle enemies, gain experience points, level up, learn new magic and attacks, etc. But there is something that separates Blue Dragon from other RPG’s; and that is the way you can battle your enemies. If you see an enemy you can casually run up and challenge it rather than deal with the annoyance of not knowing when you will be interrupted by an invisible enemy. If you see multiple enemies on your screen you can battle them all at once with a push of a button (right trigger), saving you time, unlocking an achievement – which is always great - enabling you to level up quicker, and learn new skills faster. Despite having that feature, you still find yourself battling enemies for a good 10-12 hours – primarily the entire first DVD - before the storyline and character development starts picking up. This is the main downfall of the game and probably the reason why the game received bad reviews initially. Those of you with patience, this shouldn’t be a problem. For those of you who have purchased the game and are bored, trust me when I say this: keep playing! The game really picks up during the second and third discs when you have to go back to previously explored areas, challenging side quests, higher leveled enemies, new towns and more. You also find more goodies inside chests and the dragons take physical form to deliver more damage when attacking, all of which certainly give the game more longevity.

The skill system is another fantastic feature that makes Blue Dragon a good game. As you level you learn magic, which can be assigned to your shadows. At first it seems as if there is a rather small amount of magic abilities to learn and work with, but as you move throughout the three-disc game you learn more, much more. You have the ability to assign magic to different shadows even after switching to a different class and through a mix-and-match process, you’ll eventually figure what skills you want to teach your five characters, greatly improving your team and chances on defeating the enemy. While this option is great, it also makes the game a bit too easy. It is only until the end of the game when you face your only true challenge, and that is another reason why people put the game down prematurely. But like I said, keep playing and the pay-off is worth it.

Music
One of the reasons why Blue Dragon extends over three discs is because of the FMV’s, not the music. For the most part the same song is played during boss battles, giving the game a repetitive feel – as if the first 10 hours of the game weren’t bad enough – but at the same time it is the best music in the game. Boss music aside, the other tunes that play throughout the game are there just to stimulate your brain. As you go into the RPG the music becomes so habitual that you don’t realize it’s there. Overall, the music doesn’t take away anything from the game, but you won’t find yourself in awe of the soundtrack either.

Graphics
The cut scenes in Blue Dragon are absolutely gorgeous. The amount of detail put into the characters by Toriyama is really shown off at these times. The downside, you can tell that the rest of the game wasn’t given the same amount of attention. At times you find the game slowing down, especially when you arrive at the Mechat airship. When you use certain moves during battles the game also gets a drop in frames, which can be frustrating. But, it only happens for a few seconds, and not all the time; it comes down to how many enemies are on your screen at any given time. When it does happen it tends to draw away the effects that Mistwalker tried to incorporate into the game, for example, blur. But when the game does run smoothly, it looks great, especially when flair reflects off the water.

Conclusion
Is Blue Dragon a must-buy title? No. Does it deserve a chance? Definitely. The game offers 40 to 50 hours of gameplay and changing your DVDs aren't a hassle at all, especially since you're prompted when to do so, preventing any confusion. Blue Dragon, in many ways, is your traditional RPG, but in other ways it does give you a unique and pleasurable experience. Building your ultimate team and defeating the final boss gives you a sense of accomplishment. And despite the occasional slowdown, the game is beautiful to look at; the enemies were well thought out and as most RPGs do, contain goofy-looking characters that might get a laugh or a “what the…” out of you. If you’re able to make it through the first disc you will enjoy Blue Dragon.



+ The amount of gameplay you get is worth your $59.99
+ Beautiful looking.
+ Gives the 360 something else to play besides shooters.


- Takes too long to get the storyline going.
- Graphics sometimes handicap the game, especially towards the end and in boss battles.
- Voice acting can get annoying.








What the other guys are saying:
GamePro: 95
Game Informer: 90
Team Xbox: 85
GameSpy: 80
IGN: 79
1UP: 65