Real Time Blue Dragon Trailer

[OtakingGX]

Are people really heralding this game as the savior of Xbox 360 in Japan? I mean, hyperbole aside, I can't see this game increasing Japanese interest in the 360 at all. The main character looks like he was ripped straight out of Dragonball (the original, when he's a kid). I know that all Japanese like anime (I'm being sarcastic), and especially Dragonball (again, sarcasm), but at least they could have come up with some original characters (now I'm serious).

Honestly, this game looks to me like an American stereotype of a Japanese RPG.

If they're trying to compete with the heavyweights of Japanese RPGs, I'm highly doubtful. The concept is cool (I loved Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) but the execution seems lacking. Especially when the hero is a prepubescent child.

At least Microsoft is addressing their lack of Japanese penetration, even if it isn't very effective.

 

[vazel]

Reason it may look like Dragonball is because Akira Toriyama designed the characters.

Here's a comment i found insightful.

I would doubt this game can "save" the 360 as you put it. I don't know if you could call me a Japanese gamer but I am a gamer who lives in Japan. The trouble is that the 360 isn't even on the radar here. I talk to my students outside of class and they are often suprised to hear that I play videogames (or as they call them terebi-gemu). They always ask what games I have and when I give them some names they look at me funny and say they've never heard of them (Halo, DOA etc). I tell them I have an Xbox, or more recently a 360 and they say the same thing again... "What's that?" Outside of the hardest of the hardcore no one knows what a 360 is. MS has had all kinds of TV ads and such but people still don't get the message. Heck most of the ads don't show any kind of game or gameplay at all. They are "emote" or "cool" ads like the Jump In commercial with the double dutch group. I hate to say it but unless MS can come up with 3 or four quadruple A titles over here within a year's timespan they are sunk. One of the other commenters mentioned Oblivion. There is a petition over here to get it translated and published. That is a good sign because aside from that no intrest has been shown for any ot the other existing properties. It is tough being a 360 fan over here.

http://www.xbox360******.com/2006/08/02/blue-dragon-could-it-save-japan/#comments

 

[pipo]

And the first direct feed version of the trailer, I believe it's an extended trailer as well:
http://www.xboxyde.com/news_3255_en.html

Where have you been?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Sure they have, watch the trailer, there's a scene by a stream, where the boy and his sidekick run out and stop at the rivers edge. That's clearly ingame to my eyes. Granted, there's not any NPC's in that scene.

This is one of my most anticipated games by far, I can't wait for this.
Here's a shot from the scene I'm talking about:

Yes I remember that. I was thinking of the 'town' views and flybys we had, followed by characters on a white screen. We haven't really seen much by way of populated scenes, apart from this journeying you point to. Have we any news on gameplay? It could be turnbased like DQ and FF, with random encounters. At which point we won't get very populated scenes and when they are populated, they might be fairly static. That'd be a shame IMO. It be nice to have at least richly populated areas. The art style and quality of visuals would really make the most of that.

 

[Gollum]

Are people really heralding this game as the savior of Xbox 360 in Japan? I mean, hyperbole aside, I can't see this game increasing Japanese interest in the 360 at all. The main character looks like he was ripped straight out of Dragonball (the original, when he's a kid). I know that all Japanese like anime (I'm being sarcastic), and especially Dragonball (again, sarcasm), but at least they could have come up with some original characters (now I'm serious).

Honestly, this game looks to me like an American stereotype of a Japanese RPG.

If they're trying to compete with the heavyweights of Japanese RPGs, I'm highly doubtful. The concept is cool (I loved Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) but the execution seems lacking. Especially when the hero is a prepubescent child.

At least Microsoft is addressing their lack of Japanese penetration, even if it isn't very effective.

According to Famitu's most wanted charts, Japanese gamers really do want this game. It's been in their top 10 for months now, usually between ranks 6-9, which isn't bad at all, especially for a game on a console that has next to no sales in Japan...

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Yeah but the game isnt out yet so they could hit the render target err...

Yeah they could, although to date no-one's said they were render targets or visualisations, so it's left to speculation based on experience and education and the like, whether to file these as rendertargets, or as ingame movies cutscenes, or just as promotional trailers. That's one of the problems with showing CGs (like TV adverts for games that show CG images of gameplay without telling you they're promotional mockups and not actual graphics) when you don't know what to make of them, and that's why it's nice when a company who does show CGs informs people before hand what they're seeing so there's no need to guess

 

[Shifty Geezer]

According to Famitu's most wanted charts, Japanese gamers really do want this game. It's been in their top 10 for months now, usually between ranks 6-9, which isn't bad at all, especially for a game on a console that has next to no sales in Japan...

It's the game on XB360 that most appeals to me (in look - seeing as gameplay's unknown!) and I expect it to do well, but bear in mind Famitsu isn't representative of the Japanese public. A poll of theirs had something like 20% of readers wanting an XB360, but that hasn't resulted in 20% of Japanese console sales being XB360s. I don't know whether this game will create enough interest in the platform to attract Japanese buyers, and to play it safe they really need to make it very accessible to Western markets. Seeing how well Kingdom Hearts did, it's definitely possible to appeal to both hemispheres. Hopefully these guys can pull that off.

 

[StefanS]

It's the game on XB360 that most appeals to me (in look - seeing as gameplay's unknown!) and I expect it to do well, but bear in mind Famitsu isn't representative of the Japanese public. A poll of theirs had something like 20% of readers wanting an XB360, but that hasn't resulted in 20% of Japanese console sales being XB360s. I don't know whether this game will create enough interest in the platform to attract Japanese buyers, and to play it safe they really need to make it very accessible to Western markets. Seeing how well Kingdom Hearts did, it's definitely possible to appeal to both hemispheres. Hopefully these guys can pull that off.

I remember that Halo (I think it was part I) was on that list for a while, too. The list is nice barometer, but not a garantuee for anything.

 

[Gollum]

Agreed, its a good indicator. The game seems to have at least hit many japanese gamer's radar and caught their interest. That's more than pretty much any other 360 game can claim for Japan so far, so I'd say its a - tiny - step up for MS.

 

[expletive]

I dont think any one game can resurrect the 360 in Japan, its going to take an ongoing commitment of quality Japanese titles, that when viewed as portfolio, add up to a compelling reason to drop $350 on a 360.

Keep in mind that now that decision is quickly becoming $350 on a 360 instead of a Wii or PS3 in Japan. Definitely an uphill battle for MS.

 

[PG2G]

Well, isn't Blue Dragon also becoming a Shonen Jump manga? I think the game will get its share of exposure over there...

 

[czekon]

i think i'm not gonna see any new screens/vids from BD until it will be realased!! thats sick!! one trailer and few screens from trailer, what's wrong with them????

 

[ZiFF]

i think i'm not gonna see any new screens/vids from BD until it will be realased!! thats sick!! one trailer and few screens from trailer, what's wrong with them????

Rumors are that the development of BD was falling behind. MS had to send a team from Ensemble Studios to help them out.

If it does not turn up playable at TGS.. MS knows its not too good.

 

[expletive]

Rumors are that the development of BD was falling behind. MS had to send a team from Ensemble Studios to help them out.

If it does not turn up playable at TGS.. MS knows its not too good.

That only means they felt it wasnt ready to show, or that cobbling together a demo was too invasive to the development process. I dont see a way to read into how 'good or bad' the game is or will be based on being a no-show at TGS.

And incidentally, do you have a link that discusses Ensemble being parachuted in to help out with development?

 

[AlNom]

Kind of weird seeing as how Ensemble Studios makes only RTS games ("Age of xxxxxx"). At this time they're looking at MMO development according to their webpage. And it just doesn't seem like they should spread their own development resources when they're working on something as big as an MMO.

I guess the question is, "What sort of helper team did they send?"

Edit: according to a 1up podcast, Artoon needed help with the graphics engine. Ensemble Studios is helping out with that.

 

[expletive]

Edit: according to a 1up podcast, Artoon needed help with the graphics engine. Ensemble Studios is helping out with that.

Thanks for the info, I listen to that one i didnt catch it. Well done!

 

[czekon]

Kind of weird seeing as how Ensemble Studios makes only RTS games ("Age of xxxxxx"). At this time they're looking at MMO development according to their webpage. And it just doesn't seem like they should spread their own development resources when they're working on something as big as an MMO.

I guess the question is, "What sort of helper team did they send?"

Edit: according to a 1up podcast, Artoon needed help with the graphics engine. Ensemble Studios is helping out with that.

artoon ? i was under impression that mistwalker is doing graphics engine. Reading IGNs intreviews i was pretty sure that mistwalker is doing that, Sakaguchi himself in one interview was talking about gfx and stuff. And if they need help how manage they realase this trailer as X360 realtime demo??? i'm confused right now

 

[PG2G]

artoon ? i was under impression that mistwalker is doing graphics engine. Reading IGNs intreviews i was pretty sure that mistwalker is doing that, Sakaguchi himself in one interview was talking about gfx and stuff. And if they need help how manage they realase this trailer as X360 realtime demo??? i'm confused right now

Artoon is handling all programming, AFAIK. Mistwalker acts as more of a producer/director.

Anyway, maybe the graphics engine chugs when there are a bunch of charcaters on screen, who knows? The screens don't tell you much, we have either very few characters or none and a basic environment. I guess we'll find out at TGS.

 

[czekon]

Thanks for info.

Anyway, maybe the graphics engine chugs when there are a bunch of charcaters on screen, who knows?

this could be the reason, i remember reading impressions at gamespot ( they saw it behind closed doors) i think, and they seems to be dissapointed that BD was only showing main character in empty environments. Anyway i hope UE3 will be less problematic for mistwalker and Lost odysee.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Like I've said, if this game is like standard turn-based JRPG fare, mostly you're walking around empty scenery with but a couple of characters. You do that a lot in FFX but I don't remember anyone complaining about a lack of things on screen. That has to be likely. I can't see that this is an action game with lots of characters and monsters all over the place when we have seen a single screenshot to suggest as much.