JUICY GAME REVIEWS
  • Welcome
  • Video Game Reviews
  • Retro Game Reviews
  • Game Shops
  • TheGebs24
  • Bio

video game reviews

ANything from Xbox 360, Playstation 3, playstation 5, xbox series x and Nintendo Switch

Mistwalker (Game Studio) - How they helped the XBox 360

31/3/2016

0 Comments

 
Guest Blog By Kevin @Agent_Prince
Mistwalker Game Studio
Mistwalker Game Studio - How they helped the Xbox 360
Hironobu Sakaguchi, the world famous ‘father’ of Final Fantasy, could well be considered the Miyamoto of JRPG games. Since the unfortunate box-office bomb that was Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (which Sakaguchi directed), Sakaguchi left his presidential position at Square (which ultimately became Square Enix), and founded his own company, Mistwalker in 2004. Since that time, Mistwalker have developed a range of titles for different platforms, and a further title looks to be on its way, although only concept art has surfaced thus far. Sakaguchi also enlisted the immense musical talents of Nobou Uematsu, who also left Square in 2004. 
​

Mistwalker initially signed up with Microsoft to produce Xbox 360 exclusive titles, of which there are two: Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey. Blue Dragon in particular helped boost sales of the Xbox 360 in Japan, at the time of its release (2006).
Microsoft sold 35,343 Xbox 360s – an increase of nearly 90 per cent over the previous week’s figure of just over 4000 consoles. It’s likely that the rise was linked to the release of Blue Dragon, which was developed by Mistwalker, the studio led by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi
– Ellie Gibson, Blue Dragon release boosts Xbox 360 sales in Japan, GamesIndustry.biz
Blue Dragon CharactersBlue Dragon
Blue Dragon is as traditional a JRPG as you’ll ever come across. A group of heroes set about to save their land from an evil ruler, traversing a massive world and using turn-based combat to defeat foes along the way. This may well be deemed old-fashioned in the western world of gaming, but it certainly still has its fans, including myself. Blue Dragon was one of the first 3D RPGs released for the 360, also boasting the unique art style of Akira Toriyama, creator of manga/anime series Dragon Ball and whose style is also used in the video game series Dragon Quest.
​
The game itself is indeed very long. This was the first multi-disc Xbox 360 game released, encompassing the whole adventure on 3 discs. In my opinion, although I’m still making my way through it slowly but surely, it’s JRPG-by-numbers, but still enjoyable because I knew to expect that. Although it has been somewhat criticised for being too-traditional, there are some nice touches. For example, the battles are not the often-loathed ‘random’ battles from past Final Fantasy games, but instead are induced or avoided by engaging/escaping the enemies on screen. Hitting them first also gives you the first hit once a battle is initiated. Blue Dragon may not reinvent the wheel, but that does it no harm at all.
​
Following on from the success Blue Dragon brought (albeit more so in Japan than here), a franchise was born. An anime series was created, and 2 sequels were also developed, this time for the Nintendo DS. The first was the rather unimaginatively titled Blue Dragon Plus. This entrant to the series was billed as a real-time simulation RPG and retains the Toriyama-style visuals that define the series. The series’ transition from 360 to Nintendo’s plucky handheld gives it more of a Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings perspective, a perfect blueprint for its RTS roots. The sequel also retains the characters from the original game, and many of its RPG elements, despite being more of an RTS title. It certainly ranks up there with Revenant Wings, and similar titles Heroes of Mana and Lost Magic. 
Blue Dragon Awakened Shadow followed soon after, not only continuing the real-time strategy elements of its predecessor, but also adopting Dragon Quest IX’s route of allowing creation/customisation of your own lead character.

Lost Odyssey characters
Lost Odyssey - Characters have large personalities here!
Mistwalker’s other big release was Lost Odyssey, again for the Xbox 360. Boasting incredible visuals, this 4-disc epic is still a favourite among many an RPG fan, both east and west. For those that were waiting for their Final Fantasy fix at the time, this more than filled the gap. While there have always been varied opinions of Final Fantasy XIII, Lost Odyssey still sits firmly on my gaming shelf where Final Fantasy XIII is hanging on, possibly never to be touched again. Lost Odyssey may have reverted back to the use of random battles, but the battle trigger system (pressing within a time frame to land extra hits) is superior to Blue Dragon’s old school ‘press A and wait’ system, providing more interaction and more reward for doing so.

The story and characters are excellent, providing moments of danger, fear, action, even comedy, and giving the gamer a great sense of empathy to boot. You really feel you are following the journey that Kaim, the lead character, is taking, and will be as determined as he is to find out about his past and how he appears to be immortal.

Following the Nintendo DS releases, Mistwalker stayed with Nintendo, culminating in the production of The Last Story. It proved to be the Nintendo Wii’s swansong RPG, and is now becoming increasingly rare. The Last Story was Sakaguchi’s first title as director since Final Fantasy V, way back in 1992. A Wii exclusive, and still yet to be released on the Wii U’s Virtual Console (please please please), The Last Story is proof that Sakaguchi has definitely still got it. The back story is typical RPG: The Last Story is framed by the ongoing war between humans and the Gurak, set in and around the fantasy setting of Lazulis Island. The story is simple: boy meets girl, gains superpowers and proceeds to save the world. Typical life for a JRPG hero.
​

However, unlike your typical JRPG that last 60 hours plus, the main story is around the 20-30 hour mark, with no grinding required, as everything happens in real time. Its streamlined controls make it easy to pick up and go, and the action is fast and furious. This, along with co-operative AND multiplayer deathmatch modes, means that Mistwalker certainly have innovated the JRPG over the years, more so than the Final Fantasy series ever has. 

Guest Blog by Kevin @Agent_Prince
Picture
Drop kick the Subscribe Button to support Gemma on Youtube aka TheGebs24
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Video Game Reviews for the PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch

    Join the Community:

    Thegebs24 youtube
    Click me
    Team24 hoodie
    Grab Team24 Merch here

    Latest YouTube Videos:

    Video Game Shops:

    doorway to dorkness
    Doorway to Dorkness is gaming mecca
    Super Game Shack
    Super Game Shack
    Vintage Gamer
    Vintage Gamer
    retro hub shop
    Check out Retro Hub Shop for amazing retro games, consoles and more
    Picture
    Check out Warner's Retro Corner
    Picture
    Game Smart Yardley
    Tweets by @JuicyGameReview
    RE3 Remake review
    RE3 Remake review
    days gone review
    Days Gone Review
    198X The Game Review
    198X The Game Review
    world war z review
    World war Z review
    Resident Evil 2 Remake review
    Resident Evil 2 Remake review
    Yakuza: Dean Souls Review
    Yakuza: Dean Souls Review
    Detroit Become Human review
    Detroit Become Human review
    Sega Mega Drive classics review
    Sega Mega Drive Classics Review
    Super Mario Odyssey
    Super Mario Odyssey Review
    Resident evil VII review
    Resident Evil VII: Biohazard - 3 reasons we love it
    Dark Souls 3  - 3 Tips to early success
    Dark Souls III - 3 Tips to early success

    Categories

    All
    3DS
    Alan Wake 2
    Alien Isolation
    Amiibo
    Assassin's Creed
    Batman Arkham Knight
    Bloodborne
    CoD
    Destiny
    Diablo III: Reaper Of Souls
    Doom
    E3
    Eurogamer
    Fallout 4
    Far Cry 4
    Far Cry Primal
    GTA V
    JRPG
    Just Cause 3
    Majora's Mask
    Mario Kart 8
    Metal Gear Solid V
    Microsoft
    Minecraft
    Next Gen Consoles
    Nintendo
    Nintendo Switch
    PC
    PS3
    PS4
    PS4 Slim
    PS4 VR
    PS5
    Resident Evil
    Silent Hills P.T Demo
    Tales Of Xillia
    The Division
    The Evil Within
    The Last Of Us
    Turtle Beach
    Uncharted 4
    Until Dawn
    Wii U
    Wolfenstein
    Xbox 360
    Xbox One
    Xbox One S

    RSS Feed

Juicy Game Reviews

About
TheGebs24
thegebs24
thegebs24
thegebs24
thegebs24

Get Involved

Affiliates
Retro Gaming
Juicy Game Reviews 2022 ©
Privacy Policy
Social Media Icons License Creative Commons 3.0
  • Welcome
  • Video Game Reviews
  • Retro Game Reviews
  • Game Shops
  • TheGebs24
  • Bio