Hironobu Sakaguchi. Akira Toriyama. Nubou Uematsu. Between them, these three men are somehow linked to the most important – and most successful – role-playing games in the history of game consoles. With the Xbox 360 sorely lacking in the Japanese RPG department, this grouping of hit makers designing an epic game for the console should be the answer to all of Microsoft’s prayers.

Dragon Spirit

In a lot of ways, that’s the case. Blue Dragon certainly looks the part. Toriyama’s character designs tend to translate to 3D very nicely as most of us discovered with Dragon Quest VIII. With the added power of the 360, everything looks that much better. If it weren’t for the relatively frequent loading screens, you’d be forgiven for thinking this is a cartoon.

The voice acting adds to the whole thing. In general, the characters are well-acted and fit into most of the anime stereotypes we’ve all come to expect from these fantastical tales -- right down to Marumaro, a character whose cuteness is outstripped only by his impressively annoying, grating voice. The point is that the presentation in Blue Dragon is excellent, as long as you’re a fan of the artistic style.

RPG Blues

As an actual game, Blue Dragon is a mixed bag. It’s not fair to trash the game too much, because as a traditional J-RPG, it covers all the bases and is incredibly solid. The world is nice and big, with lots of nooks and crannies to explore as you move from one area to the next. The fighting system is solid, with just enough character classes and abilities to require a bit of strategy in the major battles.

Unfortunately for all the great bits and pieces and the way they all come together, Blue Dragon feels far too familiar right from the get go. If you’ve ever played an old-school Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, or any other traditional Japanese RPG; Blue Dragon won’t feel terribly unique. Though they are easier to avoid, you still have way too many random battles. You still have way too many dungeon slogs. You still spend far too much time getting lost on the overworld thanks to the useless camera…okay, that last one isn’t really a general issue in most games, but it is a problem in Blue Dragon.

Familiar Dragon

Blue Dragon doesn’t fail by any stretch of the imagination. It’s a solid, entertaining RPG with pretty graphics and very functional game engine. In fact, it’s definitely worth a purchase. Whether it’s because we all expect more from our games now, or whether it’s because there’s just no way Blue Dragon could possibly live up to the hype it received due to its famous designers, the game just isn’t that impressive. Fun, but nothing special.

Article by: Greg Sewart
Video Produced by: Jeanne Goshe