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Eurogamer: Infinite Undiscovery Review

Eurogamer writes: "That title. I mean, really. Are they even trying to make sense, or do Japanese RPG developers just shove random English words together these days and hope for the best? Will next year see the release of a 60-hour epic called Melancholy Windsock Concerto? Decoding its semantic tangle, I can only surmise than an "infinite undiscovery" refers a long-winded and fruitless task that feels like it'll never end. And, funnily enough, that's almost the perfect description of this deeply flawed effort from Star Ocean creator tri-Ace.

According to the pre-release hullabaloo, the idea was to create a revolutionary game that would shake up the staid world of JRPG with its bold ideas. What we've ended up with is a game that wallows in the exact same narrative clichés as its peers, while its attempts to break out of the traditions of turn-based combat and linear progression are either non-existent or hopelessly fumbled."
Cyrus365 - contributor
Published: 486 days 6 hours ago | Review | Xbox 360
 
 

Showing: 1 - 26 of 26 Comments
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fadeawayjae - 486 days 6 hours ago
1 - A 5????
damnnn
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Bombibomb - 486 days 6 hours ago
1.1 -
Poor old tri-Ace. I won't be surprised when Star Ocean 4 fails too.
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Immortal Kaim - 486 days 5 hours ago
1.2 - @ Bomb
You are actually one of the saddest fanboys on N4G, why are you trolling here? Why would you want a game to fail? Anyway, this my ignorant friend is called a review, its based on personal perspective and opinion, hence the wide range of scores IU has attained. Your a sad, sad individual.
1.3 Laexerias | 486 days 5 hours ago - deleted by mod -
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Immortal Kaim - 486 days 5 hours ago
1.5 - @ Bomb
I understand IU isn't a AAA title, with a metacritic score of 72, its just an average RPG, I'm not disputing that. I'm talking about the childish manner in which you come in here and say "I wont be surprised if SO4 fails". It's obvious your 5 year old attitude your displaying is present because Star Ocean is coming to the 360? Am I right?

Also, I haven't actually played IU yet, though I do base my purchasing decisions on a culmination of reviews, I prefer to actually try a game before I diss it, I'm guessing you don't have the same principles?
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Taker_129 - 486 days 5 hours ago
1.6 - @Bombibomb
You're being fanboyish, lol. Dont let reviews decide what games you buy. Some of the best games I have ever played had low reviews. Decide for yourself if you like the game.
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badz149 - 486 days 5 hours ago
1.7 - @bombi
IU is a new franchise and of cause the review will be quite critical for it! as for SO4, I have to disagree(but I didn't press that disagree button, mind you)because the franchise name itself already warrants a 7/10 from most reviewers no matter on which console it's on! I'm predicting around 8.5/10 for SO4 - just for fun!
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Firstkn1ghT - 486 days 3 hours ago
1.8 - Bombi...
Just accept the fact that you have absolutely no life and the only happiness you have is when an 360 exclusive game gets low scores. I bet you crack a smile every time you see a low score on a 360 exclusive huh? I bet that's the only time you crack a smile.

It's sad really. :(
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chanto23 - 486 days 2 hours ago
1.9 - ^^^^LMAO!!!!^^^^
look who's talking...OMG i can't believe you had the nerve to say that...
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gaffyh - 485 days 22 hours ago
1.10 -
5 is really low man, I was expecting atleast a 7 from most sites, it can't be that bad.
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mfwahwah - 485 days 9 hours ago
1.11 - @1.5
That was completely your perspective. You thought "It's only on 360, so he's bashing it because of that." Maybe, he said it based on their previous game, Infinite Undiscovery. It's not a good thing to do sometimes, but it's not necessarily a "fanboy" thing. Look at what you thought of first, and didn't even look at it another way and rationalize it.
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nieto - 486 days 5 hours ago
2 -
tri-ace made Star Ocean 3 (ps2) and Valkyrie Profile 2 (Ps2) and those games were sooooo boring, even for me that Jrpg's are my favorite type of games...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...
now that i see tri-ace has made only three good games: Star Ocean 1 (snes/PsP) and 2 (PS1/PsP) and Valkyrie Profile 1(Ps1/PsP)...
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FantasyStar - 486 days 4 hours ago
3 - Say what?!
Infinite Undiscovery gets a 5? Maybe the gamers beyond the Atlantic don't like jRPGs much? hum.... I have a good record with Tri-Ace, this is pretty unreal. If IU received a 7 then that would've been fine with me because Star Ocean 3 got a 7 (from Gamespot) and I loved that game to hell and back.
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idontcare - 486 days 2 hours ago
4 -
so there's another kick a$$ game for TheMART .. lolol
5 Firstkn1ghT | 486 days 2 hours ago - comment has been reported as off topic -
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Tacki - 486 days 2 hours ago
6 -
In my opinion a 5 is quite a harsh review. I've been playing the game for a few days now... and while I agree it's a fairly average RPG, they make some of its flaws sound worse than they are. At least from my perspective. Really if you were interested in this game before and are a big RPG fan I'd recommend you at least give this a rent. I mean, I know the reviews haven't been all too good... but there is things to enjoy about the game.

The combat itself while seeming quite repetitive actually doesn't feel that way to me. Perhaps it will by the time I've reached the end of the game... but the nice thing is that unlike so many J-RPG's, the battles aren't terribly drawn-out with you hacking away at an enemy for a half hour or something. At least not to the point I've reached. As long as you don't go into the game expecting something new or extra special I think big-time RPG fans could still get something out of the experience. From what I've played though so far I'd give the game a high 7... bordering on an 8.

Also, as they say the voice acting is rather spotty... but I think the game does a decent job at differentiating the character personalities. You're introduced to so many so fast and while you may not get invested in them all... I do feel they're pretty uniquely defined. Though be warned the game is VERY cliche in just about every way. Still, I find myself enjoying to game to some degree and I actually feel the main character (Capell) is more likeable than I previously assumed. He's cowardly for sure, but he doesn't come off as whiny as some reviews have suggested. At least I'm not seeing it that way. Oh, and the game does have a nice humor about it. That's actually something that has proven to enhance my liking just that much more. The story makes little sense (at least at this point)but it's managed to keep me interested.

I just wanted to put some of my opinion out there since it seems not many here have had a chance at the game yet. Hopefully it's a help in some way. The best advice I could give is... if you were interested, go ahead and give it a try! Don't completely forget the reviews and go in expecting something grand though. And if you're not a fan of RPG's to begin with this isn't likely to change your mind. In my mind it's less about the game being 'flawed' and just more about it doing most things decently... but nothing more. If you can live with that you might have yourself some fun.
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Immortal Kaim - 485 days 23 hours ago
6.1 -
Thanks for the breakdown Tacki, as always an intelligent, straight to the point post. I will pick this up eventually, just so many other games coming out.

Cheers
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Silver360 - 486 days 2 hours ago
7 - Totally Agree with review
I am forcing myself to play this game. Reached the second disc and hope the experience doesn't last much longer. Getting rid of this one as soon as I am done.
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lordgodalming - 485 days 23 hours ago
7.1 - ??
Dude (or lady), I don't mean to tell you how to live your life, but why don't you just sell the game now, while it can still command a good price on eBay, if you hate it that much? There are plenty of other games you might enjoy playing more. Just a thought.
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ud - 485 days 23 hours ago
7.2 -
Do you usually like JRPGs? not necessarily the best but some? Cause I like JRPGs and even when they get low scores i often find myself enjoying them
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ud - 485 days 23 hours ago
8 -
"The frame-rate is a fragile beast, felled by the slightest activity on screen, and this isn't just an occasional dip under extraordinary circumstances. Every hit results in an explosive burst of light, and it seems this is just too much for the limping engine to handle. Just Capell's strong attack, used on its own against a couple of foes, can result in a frame-rate that looks more like a series of freeze frames."

I hate slowdowns 8( sadface
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pansenbaer - 485 days 21 hours ago
9 -
What's with Eurogamer lately? Their throwing 5's at everything it seems like.
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Sangria - 485 days 16 hours ago
10 -
When they gave 5/10 to Folklore, i though Eurogamers were dumbasses, but 5/10 to Infinite Undiscovery... Wow, it seems a bit hard, it's actually intriguing me so much that i want to play the game to review the game on my own.
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Magnus - 485 days 11 hours ago
11 -
This game is alright it does have a decent story alas no good music to it same like every other rpgs but what the hell this game is keeping me busy for now lol
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XanderZane - 485 days 9 hours ago
12 -
If this had been released on the PS3 Eurogamer would have definitely have given it at least 1.5-2.0 pts higher score. I'll still be picking up the game eventually when I get a chance. If it's any consulation Disgaea 3 didn't score much better and actually sold less copies then Tales of Vesperia. Looks like JRPG's are pretty bad this year on all consoles, except maybe the DS. Can't wait for Dragon Age. If that flops, I'm going to be pissed.
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