IGN | White Knight Chronicles Review

The game comes from the folks at Level-5 and it combines traditional JRPG mechanics with MMO functionality. That all sounds like a roaring good time. But White Knight Chronicles is a disappointment. Besides the unimpressive visuals and poorly-told story, the game suffers from a flawed battle system and inconsistent gameplay rules

[Bungie]

wow that's too low

i might give it a rent but,damn only 5.1/10 :(

[THE MAX SPEED 21]

I really love your avatar lol Blair is hot!

on topic: I havent played White Knight Chronicles yet but from what i've heard online the gameplay is reminiscent of FFXII which was that great. To say the truth the gameplay of FFXII kinda made the game boring to me because The story was good IMO and the cast of characters was great. the gameplay was really annoying compared to previous titles. Being able to get hit with a short range attacks when you were far from the enemies was stupid in a way.

also all these japanese rpgs are getting low scores from Western Devs because the japanese rpg gendra hasnt really evolved in the past years. Some still has the talent to make different stuff like sega with end of eternity and Valkyria Chronicles who both have an unique style of gameplay.NamcoXbandai also has evolved in their own way with the Tales series because they always tweeks some new stuff into the battle system and upgrade it from game to game. Tales of vesperia was a pretty normal , typical Jrpg but the battle system was So well made that it was really well received in the west.

[shocky16]

it's 2006/07 for my ps3 gp's all over again =.(

[Nikuma]

Tough luck Level 5.1. Lulz.

[Nineball2112]

Man... it's a rental not a buy for me, that's for sure.

[Chris399]

Really? I'll reserve judgement till I play it myself, but 5.1 seems incredibly low. I'm playing MC: 2 at the moment, and while the game is decent, it certainly does NOTHING NEW and has a host of graphical issues.

Maybe they're just high off the fumes and from ME: 2 or something (I'm not knocking the game, it's great, but the same dialog-tree/ morality spiel Bioware has been doing for years). Disappointing score.

I think it's the cool thing to hate on JRPGs now.

Edit: And since when are people such sheep that review scores determine whether or not we buy a game? Especially if it's an RPG. Even a bad RPG has VALUE. A bad FPS or action-game gives you what, 6 hours of painful voice acting and wretched graphics? Most RPGs give you triple that play-time easily. It makes it easier to forgive the flaws as a consumer, if you're getting better value.

I do think that Sony really botched the launch on this though. It should have been released last year when it's appearance on the market would have been appreciated more.

Not after ME:2 and before Final Fantasy XIII. Seriously dumb move.

Edit #2: And how are people reviewing this game when the online component just launched today? Based on some 1-2 hour preview of Georama? That's just shoddy journalism.

@ Sac_boi. I don't think that IGN is biased (against a particular platform - PS3 I assume you meant); I'm fairly certain that they don't like JRPGs though :P Demon's Souls got a free pass because it was 'Westernish'. I do think that JRPGs have clearly left the sphere of being "cool" like they were in the early 2000s, and have gone back to being "niche", which means only Otaku's and anime-whores (like me) really enjoy traditional JRPGs. It's a market shift, is all. And please don't stealth-edit your comment, it makes me look like a crazy person :)

@ Bea. Yeah, the game has to at least be tolerable. But enjoyment is relative. I really liked Conan, for example, but that was clearly not AAA. At least it was decent, limb-flaying hacknslash and lasted about 13 hours. IGN is saying that this is almost ShellShock or nigh X-Edge bad though, which seems a little odd to me.

[sack_boi]

51/10 is a very good score, in fact no game has ever scored that high. I can't wait to play it.

Edit : My bad, I thought it was 51/10, but it's 5.1. Were they scoring the surround sound?

[darx]

And Too Human is better.

[Blaze929]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!! Did NOT see that coming at all O_O! Can someone say flop?

[FlipMode]

I wasnt very hyped about this anyway, but I am surprised it scored so low.

[Aquanox]

Wow... this is beyond flop. I was actually excited about the very first trailer. What the heck!

[BeaArthur]

Chris399...people use reviews to determine purchasing habits because no one wants to waste $60. I like your comparison though.

"Even a bad RPG has VALUE. A bad FPS or action-game gives you what, 6 hours of painful voice acting and wretched graphics? Most RPGs give you triple that play-time easily"

I know what you were going for but the way you phrased it makes it sound like you would rather have 18 hours of crappy gameplay and graphics instead of 6. As if you would rather prolong your suffering, haha.

[Christopher]

I'm not at all surprised. I was kind of wondering why they were even bringing the game to the U.S. considering it's reception in Japan.

Edit: A disagree for stating the obvious? C'mon people, let's not delude ourself, this scored poorly in Japan last year and overall look of it screams 2006/2007.

[sack_boi]

Too Human is not a JRPG, so how can you compare both?

[camachoreloaded8806]

once again, have fun with your towns, FFXIII haters! hahahaha

[BeaArthur]

sack_boi....biased. That is your justification for this score? Come on man, I acknowledge that there is bias amongst game journalists but that is just a weak excuse. What, if they weren't biased they would have given this game an 8+?

[THE MAX SPEED 21]

I dont think that they're trying to hate on Jrpgs. The thing is the gendra is getting stale and not really original. It's not evolving in a way. Only a few Jrpgs are standing out nowadays and those are mostly the ones who will get better scores from Western Reviewers like Demon soul, valkyria and Tales of vesperia. Personally i'm pertty sure I could have alot of fun with FFXIII & WKC because I'm a japanese Rpg lover. I just think that it's only targeted to the people who already like this type of game and that new comers wont like them.

[-Alpha]

Don't bother. Websites are only biased when they don't share your own.

I never really liked the idea of WKC, but I had faith in Level 5. This has upset me greatly. Hopefully this gets them thinking on bringing back Dark Cloud 3. WKC2 is already in development so maybe they can still turn this series around.

[evrfighter]

wow this game must blow

[Chris399]

Valkyria Chronicles, Demon's Souls, Magna Carta (feels like an MMO), Final Fantasy XII, Knights in the Nightmare.

I could go on.

But the "market", i.e., Joe Consumer is currently caught up in the thrill and wave of Western RPGs.

Everything old becomes new, and when that tide receeds, JRPGs will have a resurgence. Just like fashion or cinema (we're into the "remakes" atm, happens every two decades or so) and many other forms of pop culture.

As someone who has always enjoyed Eastern things, who used to watch fan-dubbed Oh-My-Goddess on VHS, JRPGs are a part of my culture and hobbies. They are not something I tried out because it got rave reviews.

@ cgoodno. WRPGs have been on the up and up more than ever lately. Aside from Baldur's Gate and some SOE projects, what high-profile RPGs were making their way into the average consumer's home via a CONSOLE before 2005? None.

This generation is different (partly due to MS' machine and it's friendliness with PC architecture). So yes, for long time PC gamers like you and I (I go back to the BBS, Ultima and Krynn games) WRPGs have been around for well over a decade.

For JOE CONSUMER they have not. That's all I'm saying. This is a new experience for the masses, not PC affectionados.

[A Cupcake for Gabe]

WTF? That is the lowest score I think I have read. Dear Lord, did IGN hate this game or what?

[Christopher]

That wave sure has lasted a long time... for me since 1998... Man, when will this wave end?

[THE MAX SPEED 21]

lmao that's what I said in my 2 last comments only a few Jrpgs games have shown improvement and I named demon soul ,valkyria aswell as an example.

[menoyou]

I bet all the retards scoring this game low will give FFXIII perfect 10s though, rofl.

[BeaArthur]

menoyou...you think WKC is a better game than FF13? Because that is kind of what you are implying.

[StanLee]

This game isn't very good. I think there is a consensus building now and as much as the PS3 hype machine wont want to admit it, the fact is, it's not just JRPGs on the XBox 360 that are bad; the genre really is dated. The genre needs to be rejuvenated.

[callahan09]

This is a criminally unfair score for this game. They scored The Last Remnant higher and that game was a complete mess! This game works perfectly, there's no slowdown, or lag, the fact that it actually runs appropriately means it shouldn't have been scored lower than The Last Remnant, for god's sakes. The game has a really fun combat system and online multiplayer for 4 friends to go questing together, and it gets scored lower than complete trash like X-Blades which they gave a 6.0? Just look at the list of games that IGN has scored higher than this, it's insane! They're completely off their rocker!

[UltraNova]

From IGN
'Lasting Appeal:
I imagine a moderately thorough player will take approximately 30 hours to get through the main story. There's plenty more to do in the additional quests, especially with friends.' Score: 6.5/10

?????? WOW! simply WOW! What more can a game offer than a 30 plus hour story and plenty more to do like extra quests especially if you enjoy playing with friends to get a 10 or even a 9 or an 8????

IGN I 'imagine' your illogical inconsistency is becoming a joke.

[Akagi]

Wow, you let reviews influence your judgement in a game? Why not let IGN play your games for you?

[WikusVanDeMerwe]

Not that it matters to most but do the majority of people even know what these "review" numbers mean?

http://games.ign.com/rating...

Seems pretty opinionated to me to a degree and one shouldn't base their purchase solely on another persons thoughts. Just saying.

IGN's definition of a '5'

5.0 (Meh)
A 5.0 game is the epitome of "middle of the road." A product with this score leaves our reviewers so indifferent that there's really nothing else to do other than shrug our shoulders and move on.

I loved FFXII(200+ hours into it) Lost Odyssey, Infinite Undiscovery and many other good and bad games so if I went off reviews alone I might not of enjoyed some of those games I took pleasure in playing based on others opinion(review.) I also liked Avatar and most tell me it's a horrible movie but I enjoyed it.

Edit: People acting like this game is a 3* or lower and that's nonsense when they haven't even played the game.

*IGN definition

[callahan09]

What did IGN give Final Fantasy XII? Because WKC is so much like FFXII that I don't know how anybody could like one and not the other, to be honest. The battle system's are RIDICULOUSLY similar. The whole reason he didn't like the game was because he didn't like that enemies could hit you even if they don't appear to hit you, just like in FFXII. You can be standing out of range of the enemy's physical swing, but it can still hit you because that's just the way the battle system works. It wasn't harped to death by IGN in FFXII's review 3 years ago. It shouldn't be harped to death in this review right now. WKC has a really fun battle system, actually, the combo customization and skill tree are really cool.

[Arnon]

This really isn't surprising if you just look back at this gens list of RPGs. There's only been a handful of good ones between both platforms.

Off the top of my head...

Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
Lost Odyssey
Valkyria Chronicles
Demon's Souls

...and apparently Final Fantasy XIII, but I find it hard to believe that it's any better than this game considering how much content they cut and it's extreme linearity. I'll definitely give this a try, as I totally can not trust reviews when it comes to RPGs. Has anyone else noticed that it's basically the only genre in gaming existence to fluctuate this much with it's own scores?

However, there are aspects of this game that do bug me, and I'm sure anyone else with any sense of levelheadedness would agree.

[JokesOnYou]

Just blame the 360, because we all know this game did not live up to its true potential because of the lack of bluray, its obvious this game failures are due to them having to dumb it down for.....errr, wait OK, so anyway its got to be 360's fault somehow, so I blame micro.

lol, WKC is just another great jrpg thats getting hated on by the western media, truth is they just dont get the same old tired stellar gameplay mechanics and cliche story jrpg's have been using for the last 20yrs, their lost.

JOY

[sack_boi]

Come on dude, you're trying to tell me a multiplat is better than a PS3 exclusive? Lets be realistic here.

/s

[BeaArthur]

sack_boi...because WKC is shaping up to be a stellar PS3 exclusive right? I assume you are talking about the FF13 reference. Why, do you think this game will be rated higher and be a better game than FF13 because FF13 is now multiplatform?

[baum]

Fail :(

[FamilyGuy]

You'd think Micheal Patcher reviewed this or something. I know it ain't AAA but geez, that's a really low opinion of the title, lowest I've seen so far in fact.

I've been keeping my expectations low for this one cuz I'm buying it either way but this is threatening my own judgment. Either way, I'm getting Star Ocean 4 too and FFXIII soon after so even if it's bad it won't annoy me for long.

That's just really bad to see, even if you don't buy games based on their review scores.

[Homicide]

Metacritic score: 64

Just let it go guys. This game is average.

[FamilyGuy]

5.5 Presentation
7.0 Graphics
7.5 Sound
5.0 Gameplay
6.5 Lasting Appeal

5.1
Mediocre OVERALL

WTF? Not that it would be much higher but you'd think the "lasting appeal" would = the overall score.

[ico92]

wow im suprised, oh well heavy rain is a game i've been looking forward to for over 3 years was never really exited about WKC

[Christopher]

Still have to disagree with you.

The _only_ thing that's changed is that the mass market buys their games on the console. You can't somehow compare a current-day PC afficianado against the market now and not call them the mass market for games 10 years ago.

12 years ago the mass market bought the majority of their games on the PC, not the console. Look at the sales figures, they'll show you on games like BG, Plancescape, Elder Scrolls, Gothic, and so on and so on.

Now, as the mass market migrated to consoles, so did the WRPGs. Baldur's Gate, Deus Ex, and more all started to appear on the PS2 right along with the migration of JRPGs.

To sit there and say that there's a wave of interest in WRPGs as if it has come out of nowhere, even on consoles, is pretty myopic IMHO. What has improved in melding various gameplay models has been WRPGs (RPG + FPS, RPG + TPS, RPG + Puzzle, etc.) and the reason why they're becoming more prominent is because of the stagnation of JRPGs, their inability to evolve out of what they were 10 years ago with FFVII other than throwing some better graphics at us. It's not because it's a sudden fad, it's because they're better games in general with more options and diversity than JRPGs, which is what the mass market has always looked for in their games.

As to answer your question about RPGs making it to the mass market before 2005:
- Deus Ex
- Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
- Champions of Norath
- SW:KoToR
- EverQuest OA
- Lord of the Rings

Yeah, they're well known titles that overshadow at that time, but so were the JRPGs that sold well, if at all, in the U.S.

[Rush]

At least now we can lay rest to the horde of silly fanboys spamming 360 RPG's suck and they would but 10x better if they where PS3 exclusives.

Last year all I read over this site is "Square-Enix are worthless they can't a good game anyway." just because it was on the 360.

And what I find the funniest one "In level 5 we trust"

Well here is your saviour the one you trust in, I hope you don't abandon him now.

Seriously this is sorta bitter sweet I was really looking forward to this game. But at the same it should lower the hypocrisy around here abit.

Finally we can start to admit JRPG won't get reviewed great regardless of platform. Doesn't stop them being good games well some of them.

[Chris399]

Active reading is key. I never said that the WRPG fetish came out of "nowhere". I said it came with the advent of this generation, most noticeably accompanying MS' push to have those sorts of titles (and easy ports) on it's machine. Do you honestly think that Oblivion or Fallout would have been 1/2 as successful or revered if they weren't on a console? You think that Mass Effect would be where it was without a fresh audience and a healthy dose of marketing from MS?

That sort of marketing and hype simply did not exist for any of the games (2005 and beforehand) that you mentioned. The gaming landscape and it's demographic has changed significantly since that time.

The majority of the audience who are buying these titles now are a new generation of consumers. Not 30 something PC weaned persons who are migrating to consoles. You only have to look at the median age of a Live user (that's not a dig, I'm just referencing statistics - not pulling this outta my as$ either, Google the related Nielson article), to see that this is the case. These consumers did not play Planescape. They were in the womb, or at best in grade-school.

I'm really not trying to argue, but I'm having difficulty understanding where you're coming from.

Edit: @ Blaster. Yeah, I've been playing it off and on for the past couple hours. It's CLASSIC JRPG. You're either going to love the stereotypes and cliches or hate them. It is very epic though, in terms of it's scope and direction. Great music too.

[Blaster_Master]

A 5.1? Personally I dont care what anyone thinks about the game but me and my friends. If its bad, then its bad, but Im not gonna let any game review site with noob media types tell me what a bad game is. They thought Gears was a 9. LOL! Its all about your personal taste.

[Blaster_Master]

Hahahaha! Just popped it in and let me tell you what. It already feels epic. This 5.1 just made me give up on what anyone thinks, especially all of you.

[FACTUAL evidence]

Only RPG nowadays that even breaks 7.0 average is a FF title. If it isn't Final fantasy don't expect reviewers to give it past 7.0 most of the time. Guy's regardless of the review, if you own a ps3 this will be a great buy if you're into JRPGS. Don't let this score fool you, play it.

[PopEmUp]

I like the game, so I gonna buy it :) You guys just focus too much on review to be able to buy a game that is sad lol

[DaTruth]

This is total biased BS! These guys are completely biased... against crap games! They do this every time!

[Christopher]

Of course not, but it was the explosion of the PS2 that ended up with more PC games on all consoles this generation. Again, following the mass market.

"That sort of marketing and hype simply did not exist for any of the games (2005 and beforehand) that you mentioned."

The type of marketing we have today wasn't seen with any game beforehand. Games have become mainstream now as well as an entertainment industry to compete with music and movies. This has absolutely nothing to do with when WRPGs took off but with the taking of video gaming as an acceptable mainstream media element.

"The majority of the audience who are buying these titles now are a new generation of consumers. Not 30 something PC weaned persons who are migrating to consoles."

Which was the exact same thing ten years ago. The same majority type of people who are buying now were the same back then. It wasn't mostly 30-somethings who were buying BioWare's early PC games, it was teens and people in their early 20s.

"I'm really not trying to argue, but I'm having difficulty understanding where you're coming from. "

Your original statement I quoted said "...Joe Consumer is currently caught up in the thrill and wave of Western RPGs." My response to that was that there is no wave of Western RPGs. In fact, there are about the same number of WRPGs put out each year now as there was ten years ago.

You responded that this was on the consoles and I followed up saying that in the past people got their majority of gaming on PCs and as consoles became more popular, the people and the WRPG developers followed onto the console.

Regardless of any of those comments, though, I still wonder why this game was even brought over from Japan when it wasn't well received there either. What made them think that it would appeal to Westerners just because it didn't appeal to Easterners?

[Marquis_de_Sade]

Callahan, this is 2010, games evolve, why on earth are you comparing it to FFXII? That game came out 4 years ago for crying out loud.

[Rampant]

Epic score for this epic game. This is one review guys, and it's .1 above average, so don't tell me that IGN has been biased always, and eurogamer, because I am so buying this game, because it is a ps3 exclusive I will love it many more times than if it was multiplatform, You know all sites take off 4-5 points for ps3 exclusives so GUESS WHAT GUYS this is a 10.1 from IGN, lolol so true.

[Tru_Ray]

It if the game had guns or FPS elements it would have automatically have received an 8.0 or above. Is this the same douche that gave Folklore a 9.0?

[TROLL EATER]

it must be the mass effect LOOL. jrpgs seem to be losing it.

[The Happy Baby]

How LOW can you go? How LOW can you go?
LIMBO EVERYBODY!

[Optical_Matrix]

Woah....

[Pillage05]

yeah...ouch

[-Alpha]

The whole premise of WKC sounded stupid and dull to me and this has only confirmed my worst fear.

I think I'll skip it now. But don't give up on these guys, they are behind the brilliant world of Dark Cloud and that is all I'll ever wait for. I appreciate the fact that they wanted to do something different but it clearly hasn't worked for them.

[Shang-Long]

Wow havnt been this shocked since haze however unlike haze I'll play this sooner or later

[Bnet343]

Lol holy sh*t, I still might get this just to get my JRPG fix. Reviews aren't everything. I got Blue Dragon and that got bad reviews too. I thought this game would do better than a 5 though. :/

On a side note, WRPGs are the way to go this generation with games like Mass Effect 2. Japanese devs have lost their touch and I'm not putting my chips on FFXIII to do superb.

[hetz15]

I recommend you to get it man. I just bought it and the game is awesome.

Also, why most reviewers now say "no multiplayer, minus 3 or 4 points"? I know multiplayer is fun, but this JRPG is not the right genre for multiplayer I think (side quests or a small portion is fine,but not the whole damn game). And for the story, I think saving a princess and saving humanity's life are pretty similar, except for one using swords mainly, and one using blaster guns.

Now,only SO4 and FF13 remain in my preorder list, and also Last Rebellion,End of Eternity, and Record of Agarest War pretty soon (I still have Heavy Rain in my preorder list for $15 LOL)

[Hidden Star]

i don't recommend the game. This is 2010 and this game screams 2006 quality. No offense to Level 5 but it's not worth $60 imo.

[hetz15]

oh well, if you talk about the graphic yes, it's not that impressive. But I always think that a game doesn't make from graphic only. I'm playing FF4 now and although it has 1990s graphic I still enjoy it so much.

[Homicide]

Ouch! Not looking pretty for WKC. A 5.1 from IGN and a 6.0 from GameSpot. Guess I'll rent it then.

[BeaArthur]

This game had me interested but is it safe to put a fork in this one? I know not everyone agrees with IGN's reviews but that is pretty low and not low as in it's an okay game.

[Skyreno]

WOW well...hmmm maybe i should cancel this preorder go for with Heavy rain :) well I JUST HOPE! that Level 5 Make New Dark Cloud game but better and EPIC and sure everyone will buy it >> has name lol

[NYC_Gamer]

rent the game and play it for yourself...lets all remember reviews are just opinions.

[BeaArthur]

Very true, but a 5.1 is approaching the score Haze got and that game was pretty crappy.

[Redempteur]

go play XBlade then ..IGN gave it a higher score !!

you really can't spell IGNORANT without IGN

[Bumpmapping]

Nothing but a pile of paid off reviewers looking for hits.

[THE MAX SPEED 21]

that's not fair of you. Demon soul , Valkyria Chronicles Both PS3 exclusives received great scores from IGN. the problem with White Knight chronicles is the gameplay which is too much like FFXII which had a tacky battle system.

and I dont MS would pay for a 2 year old game to get bad reviews.

[chidori666]

Inb4Can'tspellignorantwithoutI GN...

[blitz0623]

Ryan Clements, the guy who gave Cross Edge a 3.5. Not saying Cross Edge is a really good game, but IMO it deserves about 6-8. By that logic, WKC would go around 8-9 to me personally. IGN apparently don't like next gen JRPGs. FF13 would score <9 to them. And that's more hype.

[Conando]

IGN Review Scores

Metal Gear Solid 4 - 10
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - 9.5
LittleBigPlanet - 9.5
Resistance 2 - 9.5 (LOL!)
God of War Collection - 9.4
Killzone 2 - 9.4
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction - 9.4
Demon's Souls - 9.4
Ninja Gaiden Sigma - 9.3
inFAMOUS - 9.2
Resistance - 9.1
Uncharted - 9.1
Flower - 9.0
Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time - 9.0
Fat Princess - 9.0

Yeah, you can tell by those reviews that IGN is REALLY biased against the PS3. You delusional PS3 fanboys make me sick. Every single time a PS3 exclusive gets a low review, you relentlessly bash the site and call bias. Then when some no-name site gives your crappy exclusive a high score, you act like it has all the credibility in the world, and they're the only reviewer who knows what they're doing.

Every time a 360 exclusive scores high, you say Microsoft paid the website or "there are no other games for the 3fixme, so they rated it high" or some bull like that. I've never heard anyone ever say that Sony paid a site off for high reviews. Bots are not THAT delusional.

[Gue1]

All these people are playing WKC right now and all of them say that the game's one of the best jrpg this gen:

http://www.justin.tv/riccio...

http://www.justin.tv/projec...

http://www.justin.tv/munkim...

http://www.justin.tv/bkarev...

[Droid Smasha]

can I add this one to the growing floplist droids?

30 days and you already have 3 games....this might be a record LOL

[Trebius]

Only because this game was never really hyped to begin with ...

When it first released in Japan I didnt hear anything extraordinary about it.

It's just another game to me.

I may give it a try, but definitely gonna wait til I can borrow it or til it's bargain priced.

[DigitalHorror81]

It's an exlusive JRPG. Notice that the reviewers don't generally give them great scores. Personally, I enjoyed Blue Dragon. Metacritic gave it a high 70 something. 78? 79? I liked it. This game is by no means a terrible game. Is it a little uneven in the gameplay? Sure. But I wouldn't call it "Average" by any stretch of the imagination. Call it a flop if you must, but do us all a favor and play it before passing judgment, or you're just another pathetic fanboy/troll.

[Pistolero]

Ok, then don't call Ninja Blade a flop...fair enough?
I really loved Ninja Blade.

[TROLL EATER]

ouch epic fail. should keep ps3 fans busy whilst dey dream of mass effect 2

[Son_Lee]

I don't have the money to blow it on what looks to be a mediocre RPG. I want to try it for myself, and I haven't played an RPG in almost 4 years but damn. Thank God for Star Ocean and FFXIII

[Gue1]

Star Ocean is not that good either but probably better than WKC though...

[Son_Lee]

I'm a huge fan of the Star Ocean series, so no problem there.

[Foxgod]

Sadly hes right, i like Star ocean a lot, 4 however isnt exactly the best in the series.

Oh mighty J-rpg, thou has fallen....

:(

[maxcer]

i picked up SO today for $35 and almost grabbed this as well. i guess i'll wait till it hits a lower price point.

[Gue1]

I'm speechless. =0

[Tr10wn]

The game is good i loved the idea of the MP in a JRPG and the story is good too, but this review is not in place it has to be like a 8+ its like the gamespot review for Halo Wars which was a good game, i am enjoying WKC and thats what matters.

[Hakimy]

what the.... well I guess I will stick to ff13 for my jrpgs this year (SO4 and TOV are still in my radar).at least in the worst case scenario it will get an 8 from many sites (hopefully not less) :P

[Rumor Monger]

i played this game (the JP-version) and i can say its a 8.8/10.
Yes the figthing mechanics are simmiliar to FF12, but with a touch of FF13...

BTW IGN in my Opinion... http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[Foxgod]

Told you so, worst thing level5 made in years.
I like level5, but the very moment i lay my eyes on this i couldnt believe what i saw.

I played their games on the ps2 and the psp, and they all deserved at least an 8.5.
I dont understand what where thinking when they came up with this concept, and the way they executed it.

[MajesticBeast]

Coming from the site that gave infinite undiscovery a 7.1. That game was just horrible beyond believe with voice acting that sounded like nails on a chalkboard and combat that was so crap i returned it the same day i bought it. doubt wkc is worse then that junk.

[saint_john_paul_ii]

that sucks. so dissapointed.

[Lucreto]

Thats disappointing. I am still getting it though. It is not like I am swamped with JRPGs at the moment.

What I saw from the videos the combat doesn't look boring at all.

edit: I believe all the JRPGs will get low scores including FFXIII from now on. I believe reviewers are comparing it to WRPGs like MS2 and Fallout.

I offer some advice I saw on another site. If you played JRPGs all through the PS2 days and miss the old style RPGs this game is for you.

[englandsbest316]

Fantastic score.

Turdstation 3's year just keeps getting better & better :-)

[MajesticBeast]

Dont you bots have games to play like me2 instead of trolling ps3 game reviews.

[testerg35]

Weird.. I really only see PS3 peeps here... so I guess you're right.

[swiftshot93]

IGN arent biased. They have teams for each respective console, and remember, reviews are only opinions.

That said, I didnt see this coming. I usually agree with IGN's score, so Ill stay away from this one.

[lowcarb]

The PS3 (2010) AAA list that was posted again and again is quickly shrinking.

[jalen247]

Wow...This will hurt sales.

It was already bad enough that this game was released in the same relative time frame as a lot of good games.

But low review scores will put the finishing touches on its sales potential.

Hopefully, Level-5 can rebound with their next game on the PS3.

[Gigalol]

PS3 ONY FLOP GAMES
MAG 6/10

HEAVY RAIN 6/10

WKC 5.1/10

bububububu but ps3 has GAMES!!!! :)

PS3 HAS AAAA GAMESSSS!!!!!!

PS3

HAS

NO

GAMES

[maniacmayhem]

Damn, a second review and it's even lower.

I'll still give it a try, call me crazy but I love trying out every RPG no matter what. And so far only Tales of Vesperia took the cake for me.

The rest have been blaaaah (only talking about JRPG's that is)

[Pennywise]

IGNorance strikes again.

@below - I won't even waste a bubble on you. You must be one of the reviewers. I can tell because of your lack of wit.

[Chicken Chaser]

don't be so harsh on yourself

[labwarrior]

Now what ?

[Homicide]

.......wait for Gametrailers!!

[Pennywise]

Wait for gamereactor? lol
Gamekult?

[WikusVanDeMerwe]

Maybe take their OPINION with a grain of salt and play it for yourself and decide on your own if you like it or not?

[Blackcanary]

People these day's are to scared to take risk.... And they give the real and enjoyment on playing new games over to review's imho that's weak and playing it safe....

[Ryuk]

Well, like they say in killer instinct gold... Ultra, Ultra, FLOOOPPP!!! hahahaha!!! This is a prime runner up for turd of the year. Hyped only by the fan droids LMAO!!

[Mozku]

Geez, JRPGs really seem to suck this gen. ^^

[maniacmayhem]

I wonder if Sony fans still believe that all RPG's that are on the PS3 will automatically equal hits.

Because they were cursing Square up and down and praising this game ONLY because it was an exclusive. I hope they realize that mediocrity is only that and has nothing to do with what system it is on.

[Son_Lee]

Our starvation for a good JRPG on the PS3 has blinded us. Looks like I'm waiting till SO4 next week, and FFXIII in 4 weeks

[maniacmayhem]

You're gonna be disappointed with SO4. I couldn't get past the little girls voice in that game.

Here's hoping the PS3 version has an option to switch to Japanese voices and English subtitles.

[Two-Face]

Lol. I remember in 2009. PS3 owners were bashing Xbox 360 owners games.

Race Pro, Halo Wars, Ninja Blade were all flops.

Now it's the other way around.

MAG and White Knight Chronicles flopped even harder.

What goes around comes around I guess.

[Bordel_1900]

Put on your good face and stop being a moron.

[Nineball2112]

What is it with this recurring theme that MAG flopped? I don't have it, but guys I know do and they all really seem to like it quite a bit.

I'll agree that it probably didn't get as high of review scores as a lot of ppl expected, but I'd hardly call a game with a metacritic score of 76 a FLOP.

It has scores ranging from 91 to 60 (from Edge). But whatever...

This game does seem to be in the "floppage" zone, though personal mileage on the game may vary.

[Pennywise]

I must love flops, cause MAG has taken ALL of my gaming time since its release.

[Two-Face]

''I'd hardly call a game with a metacritic score of 76 a FLOP''.

You should have seen the PS3 fanboys then. They screamed flop on every Halo Wars article.

Though the game has 83 on metacritic.

[jakethemuss]

ps3 fans never hyped these games up to AAA only 360 owners did in the bashing of them.

Ps3 owners never expected a multiplayer only game (cs only has a 88 meta and its the best FPS shooter) and a JRPG, which are hard to rate as these so many niches and they don't appeal to the mainstream, were ever going to be AAA.

Man xbox owners are more critical and hard on the ps3 than sony fans, even thou they don't own that console.

[Pistolero]

No, he is pointing out the hypocrisy....Halo Wars is a good game and it has a higher metacritic score than MAG...but that didn't stop PS3 fanboys from hating on it and calling it a flop. I don't care though because Halo Wars is the best RTS I have played on consoles.

[Double Toasted]

$20 it'll move some decent units. I'll spend $20 on it, no doubt...

[BreakNeckSpeed]

FLOPTASTIC start for PS3 this year.

Have fun watching your Movie coming later this month.. I heard its being nominated for an oscar!

[Dark360]

DROIDS...White Knight Chronicles

Flop.Flop.Flop...Another one bites the FLOP...Flop.Flop.Flop
Flop.Flop.Flop...Another one bites the FLOP...Flop.Flop.Flop
Flop.Flop.Flop...Another one bites the FLOP...Flop.Flop.Flop

Flop.Flop.Flop...Another one bites the FLOP...Flop.Flop.Flop
Flop.Flop.Flop...Another one bites the FLOP...Flop.Flop.Flop
Flop.Flop.Flop...Another one bites the FLOP...Flop.Flop.Flop

...Sorry DROIDS Better Luck Next Time...LOL

[BreakNeckSpeed]

[url] http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[BreakNeckSpeed]

Steve walks warily down the street with the brim pulled way down low
Ain't no sound but the sound of his feet, machine gun's ready to go
Are you ready? Hey, are you ready for this?
Are you hanging on the edge of your seat?
Out of the doorway the bullets rip to the sound of the beat, Yeah
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone
And another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust

How do you think I'm gonna get along without you when you're gone?
You took me for everything that I had and kicked me out on my own
Are you happy? Are you satisfied?
How long can you stand the heat?
Out of the doorway the bullets rip to the sound of the beat (Look out)
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone
And another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust

HEY
Oh, take it
Bite the dust
Bite the dust yeah

Hey
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust, oh
Another one bites the dust, hey, hey
Another one bites the dust, heeeeey
Oh, shoot out

There are plenty of ways you can hurt a man and bring him to the ground
You can beat him, you can cheat him
You can treat him bad and leave him when he's down
But I'm ready, yes I'm ready for you
I'm standing on my own two feet
Out of the doorway the bullets rip, repeating the sound of the beat. Oh yeeeah
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone
And another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust
Shoot it
Hey
Alright

[Blackcanary]

I don't let review's till me what game i should buy from what i've heard from my friends in Japan and from what i've seen when it comes to the game play i'm still buying this game... with the added mmo fetcher and the ability to build towns i'm buying this game once it come's out in Europe....

If you love RPGS you will buy this game you won't let someone else's opinion tell u if you should buy it or not you'll buy it cause its an JRPG
which has over 100 hr's of game play in it.
My friends buying it in Japan was just the icing on the cake for me it was the video footage of the game and game play that baked the cake and hit ball out of the ball park.

Buy this game if ur an RPG fan don't let a review till you what u should do when did you become brain dead pie pod people....

Buy it or rent it and see for ur self...

[ElementX]

You don't have friends, especially in Japan.

[Blackcanary]

You don't no me so do ur self and everyone else on here a favor and stop acting like an ass.

Unlike you i have a life... Don't be a hater on the net spewing hate and negativity it just just makes you look stupid.

[no_more_trolling]

megaouch

[lowcarb]

PS3 fanboys had it coming with all three negative mindless hate towards 360 and it's fanbase. Something tells me it's only going to get worst(HR) for Sony exclusives forcing them to put all there cards on the table come E3.

edit canary: Yes I know not every ps3 fanboy hates 360 but this comment goes out to the ones that do.

[Blackcanary]

Single PS3 fanboy is negative when it comes to the 360 games.

When the hell did a few people hating on the 360 become every single PS3 fanboy... stop being so over dramatic.

[right and wrong]

Many of us like 360 games but just prefer PS3 and can only afford 1 console.

[Double Toasted]

A few? Surely you jest.?.?.?

[Blackcanary]

Because not every one on this site is a childish 13-20 year old who act there shoe size when leaving comments and act like the Fanboy/Fangirl/ ps3/360/Wii war is real like there fighting for there country and if they fail or don't they end up losing something dear to them...

[FlipMode]

You guys are kinda pathetic.

[Pennywise]

DAMMIT!

I really want a RPG that I can play online with friends. Is it that much to ask that consoles get a mmorpg?

[darx]

?

[Pennywise]

Beat it back in the day. Imported from playasia.

[Arnon]

Agreed. Demon's Souls is one of the best games I've played this generation. To me, it's above Uncharted 2, and it's most certainly above this.

If you haven't picked it up yet, Penny, I highly suggest you do. It's crazy fun, and the online is awesome.

[Pennywise]

I think I stopped playing at level 141... right around there. Beat the game 3 or 4 times(been a while).

It isnt the persistent online world I am looking for. I thought DS's online mode was cool and unique, but I want a game mode where everyone earns items/xp and progresses in the story. DS you had to do it twice with your partners... even 3 times if you had 3 people. Very cool idea, but I want something MORE.

Don't get me wrong DS was my GOTY until UC2 came out.

@below - Out of bubbs. You are right, kinda do want a MMO on my console!!! I have a PC. I am a reformed WoW addict. I tried Aion out, but it wasnt too goo. I am hoping for something on the PS3... heres hoping for The Agency and DC Online this year

[evrfighter]

sounds like your looking for an mmo. why not just get a pc?

[Arnon]

I'd wait for Final Fantasy XIV then.

[slave2Dcontroller]

I know my PS3 does everything but I didnt want it doing bad JRPS's! I was looking forward to this game. I guess I will grab it out bargain bucket somewhere down the line. SO4;International and FF13 it is then.

Level5 best get crackin with Dark Cloud3. You know its bad when IGN goes harder on a game than Gamespot does.

[Blackcanary]

if its bad until you play it your self. LO got 7.5, in my brother mind that's a bad score, I bought it for my 360 just to show to my brother that you shouldn't let big website till you what game you should buy.

Cause LO for the 360 is a great game.

WKC has had a bunch of mix reviews some people hate it some love it.

Don't make a judgment on a game until you have tried it ur self.

[slave2Dcontroller]

to try it. After the price drops.

[ingrando]

and alot of people were saying they were going to buy this instead of FFXIII

[peeps]

ah lol in general i know whether i wanna try a game or not regardless of reviews. this game however was a game i'd only really check out if it got lots of praise. isn't looking that way atm tho lol and with already so many games coming out this is 1 game i'll have to miss

[Ko_Uraki]

Not a great score considering that we are still in February.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

Actually the 2009 360 is looking a lot better than your 2010 PS3. At least the 360 got games that scored 8.5 to 9.3 in 2009, the PS3 however has yet to get to 8.

[Bordel_1900]

Really disappointing score. I was waiting for this, but after it was delayed for so long and now it's coming the 26th of Feb. in EU, I'm not gonna get i at all. Probably gonna pick up Heavy Rain, Final Fantasy XIII and then God of War III.

[labwarrior]

The problem is that this is trying to be a generic MMO WRPG style, that is its main problem, that it is not even remotly close to anything like FF, SO or Lost Odyssey

FF13 and Lost Odyssey are the absolute kings in JRPGs so far

[polow got sol]

*doesnt even comment just goes back to playing AAAE Mass effect 2*

[Alan Wake]

heheheheehehheheheheehehehehhe eh
FLop
heheheheheheheheeheehheehhehe ehe
FLop
heheheheheheheheheheheheheheh ehe
FLop
heheheehehehehehehehehehehehe heh
Blue Dragon More Score heheheehe

[Heartbroken-Menace]

Last time I checked it got a handful of 8s, and as a person who owns the game I simply love it. Heavy Rain has also recieved nothing but 9s so far. So STFU fanboys.

[blackblades]

IGN sucks just like I said with darksider review, the only one with 5/10 and everybody else 8/10, damn IGN.

[Light Yagami]

HUGE FLOP! Time to write White Knight Chronicles in my notebook.

[polow got sol]

Sonys 2010 seems to have one foot out the door and the other is on a banana peel

[Dylantalon1]

i'm playing this game right now and i love it. i wont say its the greatest rpg ive ever played but ign.com rating it with such a low score is wrong and isnt indicative of how the game really is. ign among a lot of other review sites are very unreliable when it comes to scoring the overall quality of a game, especially when they espect all games in a certain genre should copy the same formula of another game they like . if were up to reviewers like ign.com , we wouldn't have games like M.A.G, heavy rain ,lbp, mod nation racers, and any game that is different or trying new things because they will always deduct points because of features the game should have instead of how the overall game is. white knight chronicles is a good game.

[tatotiburon]

wow is worse than lair

[WikusVanDeMerwe]

I guess since the guys at Gamespot and IGN didn't like WKC that much means I shouldn't like it either.

/sarcasm

PS: Got my copy today from Gamestop. /Cheer ^_^;

[no_more_trolling]

be sure to take ur fanboy glasses off when playing it

[UP]

how was his comment fanboyish
I bet there are plenty of people who love Too Human even though that game did not receive great scores.

[kwyjibo]

Buying a game based on hype alone is pretty fanboyish. Sure, yeah - he might put in the time and get something out of it - but why not just buy something else, something better.

It's like spending your money on seeing the Street Fighter movie, buying Susan Boyle's albums, and eating raw effluence at a restaurant.

[UP]

he mentions no hype in his comment. Maybe he likes these types of games and wants to try it himself to see if wants to keep it.

[right and wrong]

I've waited too long for these crap games! Sony better put out some good stuff starting with Heavy Rain or I'm buying a 360.

[jakethemuss]

.

[MajesticBeast]

Buy a 360 then after 1 year when it dies like they all do buy a ps3 again and enjoy quality games.

After 1 year xbox fanboys are back welcome back i know you couldnt bash the ps3 much after its amazing 2009 and the only arguements you had we gotz Natal and salez.

[Pistolero]

You guys are so ignorant...the 360 has a higher number of good games than the PS3 does...seriously how do you guys have the audacity to say some of the things you do?....so far everything on the PS3 this year has been mediocre.

[aaronisbla]

Mass Effect 2 is amazing from the time i had to spend with it, although its not a real exclusive, its exclusive on the consoles for 360

@Pistolero: have you even tried MAG since it was released? or are you just basing your claims off of others?

[Socomer 1979]

They want all the rpg players to only gravitate to final fantasy.
Low ball reviews. A 5 means it's garbage. I'm interested in user reviews.
I have a feeling the outcome will be drastically different.

DTA.
Don't trust Anybody.

[labwarrior]

Actually Heavy Rain just got a 6/10, all reviews say that it is not even a real game, but a series of QTE, funny stuff

Why on earth would i ever play or even worst buy a game like that or WKC, when i can play/buy Mass Effect 2, Splinter Cell 5 and soon Fable 3 ?

[MajesticBeast]

why dont you go back to trolling gametrailers forum you were more fun there.

[jakethemuss]

just a random one that probally hasn't even played the full game.

[Heartbroken-Menace]

You lack the brain capacity to understand what Heavy rain is.

[jakethemuss]

yet ps3 has had 3

[Arnon]

and from this article its quite apparent that the number of exclusives is not indicative of their quality.

[Snert]

Is ign on drugs or something. A 5.1/10, here we go again with the ps3 exclusive bad review scores. It was going on back in 2007 now it's starting up again.

[Raupet]

The IGN previews (they had multiple) were overall positive and gave hints of a deep good combat system, yet in the review (written by the same man) it's knocked down.

And wasn't the J-version accepted as a good(avg. 70-80) game. there were tons of import reviews I remember.

[Blink_44]

This game does look shiiitty, get demon's souls instead.

[bjornbear]

jrpg's aren't really cutting it (these classic jrpg's i mean)

[Optical_Matrix]

I think what killed WKC is the online. As innovative as it is, and as much as I've enjoyed it over the past year....I just can't help but think how much better if the game was just single player. And I hate how the graphics (Im not a graphics whore) took a serious hit from the TGS06 build...arghh can't wait for WKC2 ..I hope it's great. It looks amazing

[True_Religion]

PS3 is the biggest FLOP in 2010

One flop after the other.

[dkgshiz]

Every JRPG this gen seems to stink. Besides Demons souls of course. Which isn't really a JRPG.

[dkgshiz]

People on here are pretty funny. That act like there striking peoples nerves by saying "PS3 is the biggest flop of 2010".

[jalen247]

I will pick this up when it reaches $19.99. I supported Level 5 on the PS2. I will support them on the PS3 as well.

[ElementX]

Why support crap? They'll just make more

[jalen247]

Not every game is going to rate high with the critics like Uncharted 2 and not every game is going to sell like MW 2.

Level-5 has a strong pedigree. White Knight Story might not completely live up to their pedigree but that doesn't mean that they are washed up and don't deserve our support.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

PS3 just rolling em out this year. 2010 best year for the PS3 ever :D

[Namikaze_Minato]

Like I said... even THE LAST REMNANT SCORED HIGHER!

FLOP!

[dtrain21]

My head hurts from all the Flops on PS3. My brother plays more on my 360 than his PS3. It only does BLU RAY movies

[Araceae]

I’m sorry, but this is total BS. According to this review the game is broken and doesn’t work. That is what a 5 means. If you are going to complain about some pop-in and slightly dated graphics, then why didn’t I see these issue brought up in other games. Hell, IGN almost gave the console version of Dragon Age a 9 and that game is horribly ugly, has pop-in, and crazy muddy and low rez textures. It also has bugs, bad lip synching, and an incredibly cliche fantasy story. But did that bring that game’s score this far down? Nope, just because it is from Bioware, had hype, and is a WRPG. I’ve always hated how the western media reviews JRPG’s in general. It seems they are always several points below what I would rate them. I know JRPG’s aren’t for everyone, but it seems people are really starting to hate on them this generation. According to this review WKC is worse than Magna Carta 2, SO4, and The Last Remnant... Sorry, I don’t think so. I expected it to get a bunch of 7’s and a few 8’s, but not a 5.

[luiti1]

its a trap! they give it 5.1 cuz people might overflow the servers! :D

[UP]

Remember these are the same people that gave God Hand a 3/10 and that game was awesome. So maybe you guys should try the game yourself and see if you like it, same as MAG.

[ElementX]

I thought this was the JRPG all the fanboys were dying for? How many of you had this on your list of AAA games? I have to laugh at the 50+ people who kept on bringing this up as a quality must-buy game because it's Level-5. The fanboys will still buy this because of blind devotion to the label. Admit it, it's a POS.

[Blitzkid]

A slap in the face! hoped this game will be good!

[Homer Simpson]

All I can say is...

[UP]

Eurogamer gave it a higher score (8)

[ElementX]

They must've been drinking.

*EDIT*
I'm not a fan of JRPGs, but I've played some good ones. WNC isn't one of the good ones.

[UP]

It was a pretty good review. You should read it and make a desission yourself. Then play the game yourself to see if you like it or not unless you hate JRPGs.

[aaronisbla]

this game hasnt really held my interest, so i might not even rent it.

element, you played this already?

[Figboy]

ga ga over western style, "open world" RPGs.

White Knight Chronicles is a JRPG to the core. but it's not just any JRPG, it's a Level 5 JRPG, and they deliver.

if you have enjoyed Level 5 RPGs in the past, chances are you'll really dig WKC.

i haven't spent too much time with the game yet, but my tentative opinion of the game is:

1) The graphics are really good, in particular the environments. The character models are heavily anime, but they work in context with the world.

2) The battle system is really enjoyable. being able to string together your own combos is really cool. knocking a guy up in the air, blasting him with a fireball, then following through with a backward slash is excessive, but cool looking nonetheless. an RPG with a weak battle system is a poor RPG. fortunately, i think WKC feels like a refined version of FFXII (some people on the internet seem to hate FFXII, i happened to love it).

3) The tone of the game reminds me of Dark Cloud mixed with Rogue Galaxy. both being Level 5 RPGs that i loved. i enjoy this one more.

4) Character customization is incredible. my wife made Sandal from Dragon Age. lol

5) The story is standard, cliche Japanese storytelling: idealistic young protagonist is swept off on a world-saving adventure revolving around a beautiful and mystical girl conveniently his own age. anyone that's played a JRPG will be familiar with this archetype. fortunately, the voice acting is quality, and while it doesn't hold a candle to Uncharted, it's the equivalent of listening to a good anime's English voice cast.

6) It feels like a single player MMO (just like FFXII). i haven't spent enough time with it to really discover any game imbalances, but i usually don't go hunting for reasons to not enjoy a game. it's easy to nitpick the hell out of something to make it seem like you are being all hardcore and thorough, but at the end of the day, WKC is a good JRPG, from one of the best RPG houses in the industry.

it's not a Fallout, or Oblivion, or Mass Effect; all excellent Western designed RPGs.

considering that i haven't enjoyed any of the JRPGs released this generation thus far (barring the imported FFXIII), i think WKC is one of the best in terms of it's depth. i played the Japanese import WKC a few years back, but stopped when things got a bit too complicated feature wise. now that i have the English version, i'm really getting into the more intricate nature of the game's systems, in particular the "Classes" in the game.

i'm specifically creating my Avatar to be a sort of Arcane Warrior, where she's a blademaster, but can rock you with magic also. i'm leveling up Leonard and Eldore to be my fighters, relying on swords, and Yulie i have being my dedicated "White Mage." she handles all healing, reviving, buffing, and debuffing.

i think it's one of the most complex Level 5 games they've made, and it's quality.

i can understand some people's disappointment with it coming from a year that gave us Killzone 2, MLB: The Show, inFAMOUS, Demon's Souls, Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time, and Uncharted 2, but WKC is most certainly worth the buy to anyone who enjoys Level 5's style of RPGs, which often veer towards the more traditional RPG of old.

being a gamer of 30, i like the more measured, non-D&D style RPG along with the more intense, action-heavy Western RPGs like Mass Effect 2. i don't have a preference. sometimes i'm in the mood for a JRPG style RPG, other times i'm in the mood for a more Western style RPG.

i just recently bought Mass Effect 2, and i've been really enjoying it, but then i can just flip on over to WKC when i want something more traditional. both are good.

Level 5 fans should enjoy the game.

[Chris399]

Pretty much echoes my sentiments exactly, even down to the 30 something demographic.

Cheers and bubbles.

[Figboy]

i just love a good JRPG, and this one is old school, and yet the way it's implemented it's various systems, character customization, and online is unique for that type of game.

i don't get why everything has to be just like everything else.

right now, the industry is swept up in Western RPG fever, and if it ain't like Fallout, Mass Effect, and Borderlands, it must be crap.

i don't expect my JRPG to have a story on the level of something like Mass Effect, and i don't expect my JRPG to have game play elements like Fallout 3 or Oblivion.

i like variety, and like i said before, i can enjoy both styles of RPG, Western and Japanese. they're ALL good. my current mood has me jonsing for JRPGs. i'll return to Mass Effect 2 eventually. even my wife is swept up in WKC, and she LOVES Bioware games like Dragon Age, Mass Effect, KOTOR, etc.

the gaming media has a very narrow view of the industry, and it's damaging as a whole. reviews like this, overly critical for genuinely FUN games are going to hurt the chances that we see more games like it, and we'll be seeing more "flavor of the day" games (ie, war-themed FPS after war-themed FPS), because that's what they feel like pimping these days.

[Fade_Walker]

Really? Wow, I was expecting somewhere around a 9.

[shutupandplay]

I continue to stand by the 360`s lineup.

[R4mpage]

Im not buying then, thank god for reviewers saving me money.

[CryWolf]

White Knight Chronicles still looks like a very interesting JRPG tho I would have to play the game my self to see if I like it so i'm just going to ignore this review, why is the score so low even on xbot 360 games the score haven't been that low before ign.com still a 360 fanboy.

[Solotov]

Lesson to all developers: if you make an exclusive jRPG on the PS3, it will fail.

[Meus Renaissance]

JokesOnYou said it best.

If this game was on the 360 too, I am 100% certain that the majority here would blame the Xbox 360 for getting the game "dumbed" down in terms of storage.

[pippoppow]

Funny how 360 diehards jump all over this news and how too many gamers put so much in reviews, especially by the big ones. I've seen enough videos to know this game will be a good experience. Funny how it's the US based gaming media frowning upon this game.

Reviews are inconsistent. So many games have gotten a range of 6-9. So which is more accurate the low or high score. If your looking forward to a game you'll probably think higher than lower of it.

Stop letting the ill informed, bias and bought for gaming sites determine what you buy!

I just picked it up and I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

[Pistolero]

Ok, but are you guys going to do the same thing?...are you going to quit hating on the 360's games that don't score over 9?....are you going to admit that Halo 3 ODST is a great game and that many reviewers scored it 9+? Sadly...I doubt it.

[Evocation]

I'm disappointed, it won't put me of buying, it's just knocked it down afew pegs on my buying list.

[W-k]

hmm is wkc any good for people who have never really played a lot of jrpgs?.. i mean really my only jrpgs have been legend of the dragoon,ff7 cant really think of any others i have played to the end,i really wanted to get this game but now im not so sure, i know every one will have different opinions,any other rpgs i should look out for on the ps3 ?(I'm going to get ff13)

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

LMAO!

[DelbertGrady]

Having watched videos of it way back when it was released in Japan I wasn't at all impressed with what I saw.

[JonnyBigBoss]

Wow, what kind of score is that? I've played it pretty extensively and it's hardly a 5.1...

[Wii360BeatsPS3]

I've been let down with all RPG's on PS3, even Demons souls that I imported , I just don't understand the appeal. It's slow paced, depressing dark levels and enemies, very grey game with bad english voice acting. Mass effect 2 has cheered me up though, this is how you do story telling in games.

[rob6021]

While the score is a shocker, 5.1 is absolute crap. I may see why they'd score this game so low, but I'm still very interested in it, I'm a person that likes MMORPG esqe mechanics, and average joe reviewer seems to hate that and hate everything JRPG nowdays as well.

Aren't the graphics 1080p in this one? I can't believe they'd score last remnant higher though, that game was a terrible videogame.

Hope it doesn't take it too long for this get down to $30 and I'll buy it then - I had planned to get this but my budget is really tight.

[CharlesDCI]

Its funny that most of you guys think that IGN's review translates into sales numbers. They gave it a 5 so that means it's not going to sell? IGN isn't the gaming authority, so it seems the bots are using this review as an excuse to bash the PS3. The 360 has maybe 3 exclusives worth talking about this whole year, Maybe lol.

This isn't going to stop the PS3's momentum at all so take your shots while you still have them. Unlike the 360, the PS3 doesn't need a small handful of exclusives to save them. Like always Sony will crank out the exclusives and believe me more will be coming in the future.

A bad score given to an exclusive by a site that people unfortunately treat like gaming gods when its convenient to them isn't going to hurt the PS3 at all!!!

[stonecold1]

had any games for the last 5 mnths xbot ask m$ for your exclusive games because the xbot is pretty much of a drought for games at the moment well 2010 rip xbot 360 oh yeah 360 has no games hhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeee

[Pistolero]

PS3 fanboys have been hyping this for months...putting it on lists that were supposedly going to beat the 360 in 2010...and now people are just pointing out that you guys were wrong. I still think the 360 has a much stronger lineup this year than the PS3...the 360 has Mass Effect 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, Fable 3, Alan Wake, Crackdown 2, and Halo Reach....I'm sorry, but there is nothing on the PS3 this year that equals that lineup...God of War 3 and GT5 are the only games that will have that kind of impact...but the 360's year is loaded with huge games.

[Aleusia]

I love how the xbox fanboys are laughing at us and saying this game is 2006-2007 quality...GEE I WONDER WHY maybe because it is a 2006-2007 game do you get that? it's not new by any means it was DELAYED and reviewers also need to take that into account..watched a gameplay video, sure beats the hell out of Fable 2 and it came out before Fable 2 so you go on thinking you got the upper hand and that mag and wkc are failures because everybody i have seen that owns these games and has played them...like them.

isn't that what matters? you sure were starved for trolling opportunities for months weren't you 360 fanboys? give me a break.

[Pistolero]

This beats Fable 2?....OMFG you have to be completely off your rocker...Fable 2 is so far beyond this it isn't even funny.

[aaronisbla]

have you played this game Pistolero? simple question

[Allowen]

Star Ocean 4 international and FF13 will probably get bad reviews as well.

People are sick of JRPGs that are the same style now as they were on the old days of Nintendo and Master System.

On the other hand Eastern RPGs made a huge evolution with franshises such Elder Scrolls , the Wich , Diablo ,Star Wars online, WoW and now Mass Effect .

if the JRPGs don't change drastically they will stop selling outside Japan.

[saint_john_paul_ii]

you mean western RPGs. Not Eastern.

[Socomer 1979]

Ign said...
But ign said & it's the mos trusted source in America so...

STFU!

I Say Whats Hot & Whats Not.
The people asked for jrpgs on the pS3.
We've Got some. Now you don't want it because IGN said...
Fck IGN!

Ask your friends list. Watch developer interviews. See gameplay vids.
Visit the official site.
3rd party critics are at eachothers throats. All they know is what's dumbed down enough to sell to casuals.
It's not about challenges or skill anymore or even fun. It's about sticking to a formula that works & getting paid except reviewers don't get paid. They get treated to a night out.
I make more money than the author of this review & so can you.

Let publishers & reviewers battle it out on the metacritic. In the end it will be exposed.
Forums & user reviews & your friends is the only way to go with games you're interested in.
If I were a reviewer I would sh1t all over the system if it meant I got free stuff from marketing departments.
Wouldn't you? Fck credibility. Buy me a sandwich & get me laid at the strip club.

[Aleusia]

They need to start getting reviewers familiar with the genre to review them, not just randomly pick people and if you don't have any people familiar with the certain genre on your review panel...HIRE SOMEBODY WHO IS...the point is, IGN doesnt care. You need to get reviewers for each game who are familiar with the genre.

[adlt]

Never let a review keep me away from a game, hell my favorite series is almost always reviewed badly. MONSTER HUNTER FTW

[Blaster_Master]

The game rocks. wtf are you all yapping about?! LOL!

[ELite_Ghost]

weird how every score was over 5.5 and the final score turned out to be 5.1 :S

[Major Kanimo]

weird how gay you are

[MeatAbstract]

Damn, I thought it wouldn't get any lower after Gamespots score. But oh well, I'm still tempted to pick this up.

[iceman2885]

If possible, I recommend a rental. I'm about 6 hours in and I'm not enjoying it at all (and starting to regret dropping $60 bones on it).

[Lex Luthor]

Owned.... Simply Owned.

[KidMakeshift]

I can't believe he said the voice acting is good.

It's almost as atrocious as the Star Ocean 4 English dub

Any news on the NA release of Heavy Rain having the original French dub as an option?

[maniacmayhem]

AMEN BROTHA

Everytime that little girl opened her mouth and said "kaaaay" I wanted to throw up!

[KidMakeshift]

I really don't understand why foreign games and anime get such horrible english dubs.

I'm not trying to be a snob but come on. Every english dub sounds like it's for toddlers or the mentally challenged. Hell, even Eureka's Castle sounds more mature than most english dubs.

[LiViNgLeGaCY]

I see a lot of you concerned. Yeah, IGN gave it a low score. So what? That doesn't mean WKC is a bad game. Not one bit.

I picked up my preorder this morning and I haven't gotten that far into it yet but so far I haven't run into anything that makes it terrible.

Yeah, the story is going just a bit slow right now, but I can name you a BUNCH of JRPG'S that do too. I love the Dark Cloud Series but I'm glad Level-5 tried something new. What I can tell you, however, is that the combat and skill learning system is really fun!

I'll let you guys, who are interested anyway, know more of what I think as get further into the game.

[DigitalHorror81]

I haven't gotten far, but I would personally give it an 8 thus far. Don't mind the bots, they wouldn't notice quality if it bit them in the buttocks.

[DigitalHorror81]

Look at the review of this on Metacritic.

Game Revolution: 67/100

Really? Someone wasn't doing their math correctly. Since when is a "B-" equal a 67? Spin it all you want, the math isn't right. It would be at least an 80. And as far as the review that gave it a 5.1, I've seen six 'Eights' for this game. 5.1? Why? Because it's a JRPG? Piss off. I love this game. Morons.

[Socomer 1979]

In a attempt to deter 85,000 Jrpg sales for WKC gives your site buzz & hype money from publishers. That's dev money stolen for marketing. Negotiation to square enix & final fantasy can count on ign to garner at least 70,000 of those hardcore jrpg audience in America. Who hurts? Level - 5 is on Sonys Salary. They are proud to get this game put out. Reviewers take a cut of the devs Family money. Those herbs get hoes pregnant & now they have mouths to feed.

It's a futile attempt.
Business as usual because Sony doesn't bleed money for these a$$holes.
We are the marketing department. If a Game is Good The Game is Good.
Where I'm from bad Games was nintendos Jasons Friday the 13th.

[DigitalHorror81]

I'm telling you, that score on Metacritic is not sitting right with me. I know, I know, it's just a dumb number--the game speaks for itself, but what do these reviewers TRULY gain by panning a game that is no worse than a solid 8? I mean, it's fun. The graphics are inviting. It's an enjoyable game. I'll take that B-minus, but the last time I checked, a 67% on my old Term paper would not translate to a B+ or a B-. Someone's out for blood and it's not funny.

Buy the game. It's just fine.

[iceman2885]

And I'm gonna have to agree with the review so far.

The battle system is boring and not fun, the graphics are less than stellar and the dialogue in the storyline is ridiculously childish/dull.

I'm gonna finish it and get what trophies I can then I'm gonna exchange it to while the resell value is still high.

I'm very disappointed, I was really looking forward to playing a good JRPG, and this isn't it.

I hope FF13 doesn't disappoint like WKC has for me.

[KidMakeshift]

The battle system is pretty much the gambit system from FF12 but not as good.

FF12's battle system was great after you could assign specific gambits to each character. It almost felt like a unified MMO where everyone was working together

[Odin777]

I shouldn't be surprised...but I have to say I am somewhat. This game is by no means perfect but it does not deserve a 5. I am not super far into the game but I am far enough to tell it is at least an 8. I give up on reviewers, sheesh!

[keysy420]

i used to wait for the reviews from ign but now i have come to the conclusion they are baised. how is it that the one thing that every site has said is that white knight chronicle succees in the visuals but ign said they dont get out of here ign.piss off your site has been falling off for months

[PLAYstar]

A FLOP! FLOP I say! Atleast the PS3 got exclusives that could flop while the xbox360 still on its 13months drought. Or are the xbots taking multi-plats as their exclusives? LMFAO~! FYI that's like merely 5% of the PS3 exclusive libraries that have flopped.

If I am to throw away my Xbox360, tell me what 2010 game I couldn't play that you can?! LAWL! NONE!

[XDF]

" Atleast the PS3 got exclusives that could flop "

LMFAO..I couldn't agreed more.

[PLAYstar]

First of all who the f^ck is palysingstar? What is the point of only to agree with a piece of string? I agreed in every word i spoke of.

[DigitalAnalog]

This just makes me want to buy the game even more. Since I'm in Asia, it would take a few days before the copy would arrive and I'm gonna enjoy the HECK out of it.

-End statement

[PSK22]

I have the game already and so far so good. I have not reached to the online portion yet so I cant rate the online but as the for game's single player, its a pretty straight forward decent JRPG game. The graphics are nice in my opinion, the battle system does reminds me of FF12 which was ok but I feel that WKC battle system is really good cuz u can create your own combination of skills and as for the story which I cannot lie is really too typical and predictable, but I like how the story is going so far. Here is my rating, it deserves a 8 in my books so far. IGN exaggerated that review in my opinion. People, buy this game if u like JRPGs :)!!!

[HINDERIZATION]

i played dark cloud and White Knight chronicles has almost the same dungeon system and battle gameplay as Dark Cloud. I guess they just don't like the old style used for the gameplay. But I love playing oldies games or games that have the same style. God I miss the 90's...

[jedicurt]

I don't really know what to think about this review... I bought this game today have have played it for about 12 hours today... and i'm not bored with the combat system... i will agree that the lip syncing is terrible, and i don't know why distance doesn't apply to enemies, but if you don't run away and try running around them, most of their attacks seems to miss at that point.

but i have to say, i love the game.... it is exactly what i thought it was going to be, sure the visuals aren't amazingly stunning, sure it isn't revolutionary or ground breaking, but the story is good (minus a few plot holes) and all and all, it is fun..

also, if you add up the scores and figure an average as the overall... it's a 6.3... how that hell did they arrive at 5.1? just randomly pull it out of a hat?

[TerrorCell]

somethings wrong. when i do the math my score for WKC comes to 6.3???

[Kos-Mos]

ign gave gta iv 10/10.
Further explanation not needed.

[XDF]

It is 5.1/10 so it still sneaked past 50%. So what is the problem here?

[Pistolero]

LMAO...so much for the mighty PS3 lineup....karma's a b'tch.

[aaronisbla]

The game had my interest when the first vids were shown but the longer it took for it to come out, the more i forgot about it

[Mr Remz]

This game is definitely not for everyone but it's in no way a 5.1 score that's a complete insult to the game............I've been playing for 5 hours and I can't stop. Many will love this game like I do.......a definite 8. IGN should seriously look into euthanizing itself!!!

[Pistolero]

So?...I really enjoyed Ninja Blade, but it still got a lot of bad scores.

[Solotov]

This game is lucky to even get a 5.1. The combat system is broken: There is no challenge at all; all it takes is making sure you just execute the heal spell and you can't die. The characters are not appealing and look & sound boring. The story is a failure: there is no tension or drama. Level-5 should go out of business for trying to past this off as a $60 purchase. It is a waste of Blu-rays disks and cases.

[Gimped Hardware]

along with lair, haze and M.A.G (Mediocre And Gimped) the PS3 line up keeps gettin better and better..........

Still theres always next year for patchstationthird owners........always next year.

[saimcheeda]

up till now there have been 3 exclusives...Heavy Rain-Very well recieved, MAG-Average, White Knight Chronicles-Mediocre

[Whitefox789]

I'll trust user review scores before I let big review sites determine what games I buy. Like hell I let scores determine what games I get anyway I'm still going to get this game because it peaks my interest. Then again it could be just because I'm a dying breed of old school gamers that haven't conformed yet to have games be nothing more then shooters.

[Darkfiber]

Hahaha

[FF7numbaone]

Oh yea? I'm just gonna add 2.0 to that review. 7.1....oh...Yea but they gave 7.0 LOD which was better than 7.0.

[illjaden]

As the title says, yes, I played this game a year ago when it was released in japan.

This review is so much bullshit. If this game was to recieve 5,1/10. Then ME 2 should get a 7/10. Both a score the game does not diserve.

Graphics (7/10)

Yes, WKC is not a perfect looking game, but hey. This came out in japan 2008.. When it came out the graphics was good, not the best, not even realy good. They where nice. Good looking: environment, special effects, design etc.

Story (7,5/10)

The story in WKC is as many other JRPGs: filled with u-turns and great moments to remember; both bad and good. It's not unique in any way, but they do a fine job of delivering a beautiful story.

Design (8,5/10)

I love the design in this game, it realy feels 'Fable-ish' with a large amount of anime (who could've guessed?). Sort of realy old school JRPG design coming to life in a beautiful 3d world a'la next-gen.

Gameplay (8,5/10)

I dont think that this fighting-system is boring. I realy dont know what they are talking about.. It beats me what do think is so bad about this. When you level up you get skill points to spend on different areas: axe, sword, spear, bow, white mag, black mag, claymores and staffs (think I got them all). When you choose an area you then have the oppertunity to choose what type of action, upgrade, ability, aura or combo-moves you want to have. From the start you have but a few to choose from - as they are chosen they unluck new moves, or whatever they might unlock, for your taking. It's like FF X sphere grid remade into a list. I loved it.

After choosing this you go into your skill page and put whatever skill or magic you choose, onto your "skill-panel" to use in combat; some at a cost of Action point which are points you get for battling. As you evolve in different areas you begin to unluck combo possibilities. You then place your skills and magics in different orders to form different combos. You then save the combo and put the combo "button" onto the skill-panel. As you can see from what I've said this far. It's alot more then a 5.1/10.

ONLINE (?/?)

The online part is totaly new for me so I cannot say anything but from what I've seen in the trailers etc. But it looks ALOT of fun. To design your own city for your mates and possibily, if you would like, random people that need items: to go shop at, spawn at, gather at, and just chill at.

EXTRA -----

Pro's
- Good, kinda oldschool JRPG story
- Fun and rewarding battle-system, works like a MMORPG skillbar,
great to have
- Beautiful environments
- Alot of fun and challanging sidequests
- Easily a 40h+ game
- You can design your character as you like, char-creation system
works like: Aion/Oblivion/Fight Night or Mass Effect; but
more 'anime-ish'
- Good overall design
- One of the few JRPGs where changing gear effects your look.

Cons
- Stiff graphics
- Bad lip-sync on international edition
- Some ingame scenarios seem a bit badly worked on.
- Only new aspect of this game is the Online part.

OVERALL: (7,9/10), This is my honest opinion. They are doing a fine job in delivering on the aspects of what people love about JRPGs. If you dont love them, you should'nt review them;if a person that dislike JRPGs, review a JRPG for me: then thats if a blind person should review a game for me.

BUY THE GAME! Dont listen to this bullsh!t. If you like JRPGs, then buy it. ASAP!

[skatezero246]

Whatever lol, still buying this game I have not took any review seriously since last gen.

the reason why because there simply opinions, I'll buy the game and decide for myself.