I could go with the anti-traditionalism explanation if Dragon Quest 8 didn't review so well. That got solid 9s practially everywhere I've looked, and is the very definition of a traditional jRPG.

What was said was pretty straight forward. Traditionalism, in the sense that a game keeps with traditions that have been set in stone for multiple generations of videogame consoles, doesn't imply depth of any kind.Wouldn't that imply that they just don't like something about Blue Dragon, itself? That's impossible.

I don't personally think there's anything wrong with Blue Dragon, since I haven't played it.. and I wouldn't have even said anything, if it weren't for that "too deep" comment. I just thought that was sorta ridiculous. Can't a critic disagree with someones opinion without being criticized himself?

Uh. Yes. That is what I'm implying. You're getting paranoid. :O

lol he's fat!I know.That's the nature of critical writing. If critics only played games they enjoyed playing, there really wouldn't be much of a point to their existence. You make it sound like games should only be reviewed by people who enjoyed them before they even played through it. What exactly would be the point of that?

The fact is that critics DO force themselves through many a game they dislike. That's just part of what they do.. and rightfully so.

*puts on the Acert Hat*

Blue Dragon is seeing some pretty harsh criticism from the reviewers. I can't say I can blame their views based on what I'm seeing in the market right now. Here we are on the verge of entering Q4 - the fall season - where we'll be seeing games like Project Gotham 4, Call of Duty 4, Halo 3, Mass Effect and other potential sales giants. Although I don't think the reviews are what will impact fans of the JRPG genre, I believe that with such anticipated titles on the horizon, the competition will be fierce.

I'm all for whats familiar and traditional when it adds some innovation. From what I can tell from the reviews, Blue Dragon is playing it safe, going tried and true, and marketing towards its core gamer group. Microsoft's first next-gen JRPG endeavor really was a chance for them to expand the market by catering towards not only towards JRPG fans, but to casual adventurers alike. I believe the recently released E3 2007 demo may have put off fans who were hoping that the game might take risks, and show that the genre had changed since they visited it on PS2.

And then there's the art style that a few, *like Grift for example* dislike greatly. It might have benefited Sakaguchi if he had gone with a more neutral character type than the Toriyama style. Chrono Trigger had a unique style to it besides being based on the Toriyama style, that lent itself to the more interesting visual theme at the time. In part, perhaps the limitations of the hardware actually IMPROVED the art design.

Lost Odyssey seems to be making strides in gaming altogether with it being the first Unreal Engine 3 RPG, as well as the first Japanese game released using the engine. I would be more confident in the game, as it seems to be taking a more Final Fantasy approach, that I believe Sakaguchi is more familiar with. In turn, I believe this form of "media confidence" will boost sales, combined with its visual appeal. The Xbox 360 user base really is a more hard core group.

In the end, I feel that Blue Dragon was ultimately a much needed step in the right direction. But thats in reference to the launch in Japan. I don't believe that it will result in the major success Microsoft and Sakaguchi had hoped for. I do believe it has the potential to sell well in the European and North American markets, simply because of devout followers like Optimus, Jollipop, and LEBATO*.

*lol

I do hope that this won't discourage buyers from making future purchases of 360s, believing that the platform just wasn't meant for them. Not at all. I believe we've just seen the beginning of what this genre was made for. It just needs to be retooled, and make strides in the areas we're seeing become more interesting and well received.

You look like that dude from Brokeback Mountain with lipstick and....on his face?

Dude, you were there too! Midnight showing! You kept saying