5 Failures Of White Knight Chronicles

TheGamersHub writes:

"White Knight Chronicles is an exclusive Playstation 3 JRPG. Many people were hyped about this game and for all the right reasons. If you take a closer look at the game, though, you will see that it's full of false promises and lost hope. The game had a lot of potential with its online capabilities, but in the end, it was uneven."

[-Alpha]

My only complaint is that it wasn't Dark Cloud 3

:)

Seriously, it's like Level 5 was sucked of all the imaginative brilliancy with this game. It looks so bland and... "typical". Dark Cloud was such a beautifully crafted game.

[koehler83]

Dark Cloud 2 was a beautifully crafted game. I defy you to go play Dark Cloud and see how long the nostalgia holds up.

Give L5 a break. 1) This was their first PS3 title and they did a lot better than most and better than many still. 2) The game went gold in Japan almost a year and a half ago. Compared with other 2008 titles, it's very good. It's still not GOTY, but it's not abysmal failure that critics are making it out to be.

The only true failure of the game was it's localization. TOTAL FAILURE. It took 12 months too long. The english VO is mediocre and there is absolutely no attempt at lip syncing.

We'll see if they learn their lesson on WKC2, if that ever comes out in North America.

[-Alpha]

I'm all for giving L5 another chance, but what I am upset about is the fact that they are now working on WKC2.

Personally, I find the whole game quite dull-sounding, but hopefully they can improve everything for #2.

My point is that Level 5 went from making such an engaging and attractive world to something that seems a lot more typical and expected.

[sack_boi]

Rally, only 5? I could find a lot more without even looking.

[Socrates]

"The game went gold in Japan almost a year and a half ago."

Well, if that is the excuse, I guess we can expect Yakuza 3 to bomb too.

Come on, face it, that is a weak excuse. There are plenty of games from a year and a half ago that would still be considered excellent games even today. It's not like WKC received great scores then and is suddenly so much worse just because of the time that has passed. The scores it received in Asia were generally low as well.

Level 5 simply didn't do a good job on the game.

[Chris399]

A nation/ generation of sheep. To the most adamant trolls, tell you what, PM me your PSN ids so that we can compare trophies for the game.

I hate to break it to you, but GTA wasn't exactly original nor everyone's cup of tea. Certainly wasn't a 10, and was riddled with technical faults by everyone's standards.

Technically (visually, depth of field, textures, game-play) there is no fault to be found with this game. If you're an Otaku and you like JRPGs, you will like WKC. It's not "lifeless", it's actually quite full of anime personality. It doesn't have space marines, guns or tits, so it may be on a different level than many of you are used to.

Grow up. Gaming, as with every other artistic or entertainment medium, does not have to cater to your exact tastes.

[Mr_Bun]

You are in every PS3 article "rating" games you have never played...How 'bout a tall glass of STFU!

It is one thing to come here and comment giving your own personal review of a game after HAVING PLAYED IT, but you pull this "My only complaint.." bs knowing full well you haven't seen anything other than some youtube clips.

It is annoying to see you comment like this and infer that you have working knowledge of these games when you clearly don't. You don't have to like every game you play but you should at least PLAY the game BEFORE you pass judgment.

[SaiyanFury]

I'm forced to agree with Chris399. It's almost 'cool' these days to harp on JRPGs. Some of them try to innovate like WKC, and if they don't meet strict criteria, they're labeled as failures. The ones that prove awesome to fans, that don't innovate are labeled as not being with the times. There's really no winning, unless a game like Demon's Souls (awesome to be sure) conforms to the western style of RPGs. Then they're lauded to be awesome. I'm getting SO4, and eventually Tales of Vesperia on my PS3 when it comes out over here.

[koehler83]

@Socrates

Yakuza 3 came out less than a year ago in Japan. And it's by a developer with more PS3 experience than almost any other third party. It is also going to bomb. Sorry. There's a reason why Sega didn't want to localize it and it's not because they fear success.

[kewlkat007]

I said the same exact thing when Lost Odyssey came out way back and look it's happening again.

They try to keep a game traditional it gets sh!tted on and when they add some new elements and straying from the old-school flavor, some still do not like it. Well a game still has to be judged and reviewed on it's own accord in relation to the GENRE it's in.

The way I see it, I've played some great JRPG's over the years that have been considered "Traditional" as far as the elements and settings. Well the best ones I've played have been. So I'm all game with old-school/turn-based.(some love it and some don't)

I guess the western JRPG crowd is a big Mix bag, is what it comes down to. Personally I'll take a Turn-Based JRPG everytime over MMO type free for all.

[FamilyGuy]

"It’s Been Done- Between the battle system and the leveling up grid. It seems to copy many elements from previous Final Fantasy installments."

What, how? Becoming the White Knight is like summoning now so that makes them similar? BS

And then, calling it a bad game is fine, that's an opinion, BUT I HATE IT when articles actively tell people NOT TO BUY a game, rent it instead or buy this alternative. This is what happened to Heavenly Sword and it's ridiculous.

Just rate the games and shut up, we don't need your suggestions.

[Pennywise]

Bun,

Already had a long private discussion with Alpha about that. I guess he feels he is entitled to bash games because he has a N4G account.

Somethings will never change. Save your breath.

[Mr_Bun]

If he is going to constantly post his ignorant comments in the Gamer Zone, I am going to call him out every time I see him.

Basically, he reads reviews on these games, then posts the gist of the reviews as if they are his own without having played the game. In fact, I don't think I have seen him post a comment on a game that he has actually played.

It is EXTREMELY ANNOYING to read his spam, especially when it is the first comment in every article

[Chris399]

You touched on an interesting point. The - critically maimed - review system.

I like Ars Technica's the best; even Kotaku's "liked/ disliked" system is an improvement over the current model. With Ars, they give you a multi-page spiel on the game, it's strengths and flaws, followed by a simple: "pass", "rent" or "buy".

That's as arbitrary as reviews should get. Even those three choices leave much room for consideration, and are vague enough that you ACTUALLY HAVE TO READ THE REVIEW AND FORM AN OPINION OF YOUR OWN, instead of just blindly summating and parroting all the merits and flaws of a game in a numerical score (which is then ranked against other scores in the infinite fanboy-circle-jerk-metacritic- wars).

Christ these "numeric" scores aren't even balanced properly. IGN vividly declares that a game is not the sum of all it's individual ratings, but instead an whimsical number assigned IN LIEU of everything that they have written in the review. The score is not even a sum. It's a "feeling". I don't know about you, but people's feelings are as variegated as the weather. I don't need someone else's emotional state to dictate my own.

Pass, rent, or buy. Read the review. That's as complex as it should be, really.

Edit @ Alpha-Male22. Your troll-fu is weak, young one. And for the record, calling yourself "alpha male" is about as cool as those desperate chicks on Plentyoffish calling themselves "Blond_Bombshell69". It's a cry for help and a gross misrepresentation of one's self-esteem. I can bench press 200 lbs and have a BMI ratio of 6%. But you don't see me calling myself "MuscleStud399" (which isn't how I think of myself at all). Why? Because it's sad. Strength and charisma speak for themselves, you shouldn't have to announce them or they're traits you don't actually possess.

[Altourus]

I'm going to have to disagree with the avatar point. If there was no online mode then he might have a case, however there is, so his point falls apart.

[Mr_Bun]

LOL

[nycredude]

Alphamale

You talk alot for someone who hasn't played the game. I have the game and started it 2 days ago. It's old school JRPG, very lighthearted, funny, graphics are ok, and has a darkcloud feel to it. Your character is actually a silent travel companion and the creator is very detailed. I made me a super hot chick with big boobs (cause I like big boobs) to travel with. Sure it's not for people looking for a wrpg but for old school jrpg this is par for the course. The combat mechanics is real time but very deep. The reason for the average reviews is because people expected a revolutionary jrpg but got just a jrpg, and the fact this is a Ps3 exclusive and ME2 just dropped.

You seem to take every review for every game as gospel. that is the biggest mistake you can make as a gamer. Some reviews like this game some didn't. You should judge for yourself. So far I would give it about a solid 8, which is good enough in my book. I have plenty of games rated 7-8 I love. It's not great but it's not crap like some (IGN) called it, and I haven't even touched on the online mmo component.

[Xof]

...WKC is a beautiful, well-crafted game. It only has ONE big flaw--an atrociously-designed GUI. That's it. In terms of art design, music, style, it blows most of Factor 5's previous games out of the water--especially Dark Cloud.

[Bodyboarder_VGamer]

Ok, I think this guy haven’t even played the game... He's probably writing this based on a few videos because his argument it’s so wrong on so many levels.

First, the graphics are not sub-par. If you knew anything you would know that it takes a lot of effort to make whatever equipment you have on, to be rendered into the cinematics. Another thing is that the draw distance it’s incredible and the water effects are really nice.

Second the battle system is composed in combos that use something called “action chips”. The battle system is based on MMOrpg’s and FFXII didn’t even had combos to begin with nor you could use the shield. In FFXII if the character used the shield to defend it was by pure luck, in WKC you do it by pressing the R1 button. The battle system was made this way because of the online system.

third, it is true that the story is very weak (that’s the only point the guy got right) but the meat of the game lies in finding items, customize your characters with new weapons and armors and play with friends online. And don’t forget the georama were you can create your own town and invited friends so they can spend money on your shops and you gain more money and materials to create more awesome weapons that are not found in the main game. Or to just used it as a HUB to coordinate the online quests.

fourth, the point of the character creation is for you to have a completely customizable character to bring to the online quests. Because what would be the fun if everybody was using Leonard to play online?

fifth, yes it feels like FFXII but at the same time the FFXII battle system is based on old MMorpg’s with no combo system or anything. So before you say that it feels like FFXII you should be complaining that FFXII feels like an old MMOrpg.

and sixth

this article failed and let me repeat, it is obvious that he haven’t even touched the game. Don’t diss what you haven’t played please. Isn’t this a gaming website? The purpose of it, is to inform people not to spread lies.

[WIIIS1]

I think you probably haven't played the game either, so you kinda fail too.

[Socrates]

"the graphics are not sub-par"

Uh...yeah they are.

[Ravage27]

then no, the graphics are definitely not sub-par.

[callahan09]

@Will, where the hell do you come off telling him he probably hasn't even played the game? SO now if you like a game that isn't getting 90% review scores you're going to get accused of not having played it and just defending it for... for what reason? What exactly are you insinuating by suggesting that he hasn't played it? I have owned the game for over a year (the Japanese version) and I was addicted to it all the way through until Demon's Souls came out (in Japan), playing hours a day for a couple of months straight. Everything he mentioned sounds accurate to me, and is comprised of points that someone who played the game and knows about it could say.

[Godmars290]

How about it being a year old game?

[kanetheking]

this is n4g no logic just hits.

[sack_boi]

How about the PS3 fanboys that were hyping this turd as the FFXIII killer?
How about "Square sucks now, in Level5 we trust"?
Or how about "reviewers are wrong, this tur... err...game is the bestest evAr"?

[the_bebop]

@sack_boi

Since when?

[Godmars290]

Who ever said that besides you? Why would a pS3 fanboy even call a one PS3 game a "killer" of another?

And what has Square done that it doesn't suck? There isn't one HD game they've done that's been questioned?

[sikbeta]

@sack_boi

Who said that? like if PS3 gamers hate the Franchise for NO Reasons Now, come on don't lie to yourself, PS3 gamers will enjoy FF13 as always like in every PS Console and obviously will enjoy FFvs13

On-topic

Even if reviews are destroying this game I'll buy it

[kewlkat007]

I certainly remember that...remember it took like a year to get this game so the hype shot way done while the localization was being done.

Everyone fanboy praising Level 5 over Square-enix at some point. Well because of Level 5's pedigree on their past projects(understandable) and as well as when Final Fantasy going muiltiplatform(at the time) PS3 fans sh!tted on Square-Enix + Square 360 projects and Lost Odyssey at the time with it's review score.

Hell even Star Ocean as well and now they get both at the same time.

[blitz0623]

You bet it does, and I liked FFXII for a number of reasons, which is why I am enjoying WKC right now.

The article is right, it is a generic JRPG which mediocre graphics, unoriginal, a poor International port and the story is almost lifeless.

But it's been some time when something like this has come along, and I can think of more than 5 things that WKC did right, and one of them is bringing that JRPG feeling I have been waiting for quite some time.

[120FPS]

If it makes you feel better then you tell yourself that, i did the same when i paid £35 for infinate undiscovery

[XDF]

keep telling people that this game is good. It is a bad game just like Too Human and HAZE and Lair. Get over it.

[DelbertGrady]

The new excuse seems to be "They haven't played the game enough".

[Lucreto]

I played Lair (before the patch and after) and Haze.

They are both good games but nothing spectacular. I will just say it I enjoyed those games. I would have missed games like The Saboteur and Darksiders if I went by reviews.

I am still getting WKC. The story does not bother me as the games director said it was the standard save the princess story. I expected the scores as well. It was compared to Mass Effect and other WRPGs as it seems to be the new standard sadly and they expected to be on par with them.

[120FPS]

Too Human aint that bad, it just had 10 years of hype behind it

[callahan09]

Why are there so many trolls in all of the articles that have anything to do with MAG or White Knight Chronicles? Constant trolling. People always talking about how nobody is allowed to like these games, saying these games are flops or crap or whatever. Get a life. We can like whatever games we want, what do you gain by trolling?

[Pennywise]

Funny thing is, all of the people on my friends list actually playing the game bought it to play a JRPG and they really like it. I haven't heard anything bad from actual gamers.

[sikbeta]

@Soda Popinsky

I can say why you talk and make an opinion of this Game if you actually NEVER Play it and never will, so what's the point anyway, Now you see how opinions about a game that you don't care are Really subjective

@XDF

Pal, you probably don't have a PS3 and you'll never going to play WKC, so your opinion worth less than a piece of used toilet paper and what's the problem if people say the Game is GOOD, It hurt your feelings or something?

Unbelievable

[KillaManiac]

@Penny

Same here...got around 7 old friends from RL and other stuff who bought this game and I haven't heard a complaint yet.

I personally love it as a oldschool JRPG fan.

True JRPGs are sadly a dying breed.

[Antan]

They should of fixed the problems (be it gameplay or technically) from the original Japanese release, especially given the lengthy timeframe between both releases.

[Kalowest]

Still a good game, can't wait to buy it.

[Viper7]

just a place to advertise your own blog/site? Not to mention behind an avatar and internet nickname? it holds no more value than any of the posts in this thread.

why was this approved? weren't there some quality standards and rules what one could post?

[JD_Shadow]

You forget what kind of place this is.

This is N4G. We don't think rationally about games here. We can't just have an opinion without the usual trolls getting into bubble wars about it. We can't just say a game they didn't like (even though they probably never played) is good to them. We have to always agree with THEM or else have them track us and have bubbles constantly raped. You can't just say a PS3 game is good without them constantly accusing you of being some member of a parody group that was thought up by some 360 fanboy.

And no, they haven't played the game enough. No, the game is NOT perfect. However, it doesn't deserve the reviews and the hate it's receiving (and let's be honest in that some of these sites wanted to hate on a PS3 exclusive as it is that time of the month for them, and they really can't get away with hating Heavy Rain that easily, and they saw the easy target here). The graphics are bright and colorful, the battle system is easy to understand and grasp, and the story, though not much of depth, holds its own. While you may not necessarily agree with ME, my opinion would hold water since I, you know, PLAYED THE GODDAMNED THING!

It's like these people are b!tching about a politician doing this or that, but they never actually voted in the election that got him or her into office. Didn't vote? Don't b!tch!

Didn't play the game? Well, sorry for your luck!

[120FPS]

It wouldnt be so funny if the fanboys hadnt hailed this as the second coming of christ, i remember when ff13 was announced,it put this game on a pedastle it had no right to be on, still fanboys never learn, the same happened with lair, haze and even heavenly sword to a certain degree

[Redempteur]

i have never seen so much 360 fanboys in disguise ..

Why nobody talk about the onlie part of the game ? The geo net and the georama ?

Isn't that important you do create a character for it ...
As far i know the only comparable game on that scale in monster hunter ..

Wkc is a good game ... and please people ..nobody forces you to buy it ..

i guess ps3 owner have been blessed with too mnay awesome games ..and when a game is only good that is what happens ...

[Homicide]

But why is it there in the single player? It makes no sense at all having that lifeless mute there. The avatar doesn't play a role in the story, he doesn't have any dialogue choices, and most of your characters ignore him/her most of the time.

It's a poorly done execution. I spent like an hour creating my avatar only to find out my character ain't worth sh*t in the single player.

[Veneno]

but I haven't played that much yet, maybe 4 hours, because I've been flip-flopping between this and MAG (MAG is bloody brilliant and addicting!). But I know for sure that the graphics are Fantastic! That's how I know this criticism and the the ones from the haters on the other console are total BS. But I also know that this game was squarely targeted for the Japanese, which is why the game took so long for a world wide release. 360 jihadists are really scrambling to find anything to talk $hit about PS3.

[creeping judas]

Who cares about the article. I don't!!
Want to know why??
Cause I'm having a great time with the game!!

[raWfodog]

Not every game can be a Mass Effect 2 or Uncharted 2 but, with that being said, many games are still entertaining and fun to play. This is not Level 5's best work but I'm still getting it because from what I've seen in gameplay trailers it's not as bad as many make it out to be. The graphics are not FFXIII but I came from the Atari 2600 era, and calling the graphics 'sub-par' is a gross over-statement. I'm sure some gameplay elements will not be up to some peoples tastes, but how many games are?

It seems nowadays the thing to do is hate on anything that doesn't fit AAA game standards.

[xXKingofStingXx]

From the few hours i played of this game, i can't honestly recommend it to anyone, atleast not at a $60 price tag.

The game is just so bland and uninteresting that after only a few minutes of storyline you'll stop caring. I'm not saying the story had to be a masterpiece or anything but man would it have killed Level 5 to atleast try to make it passable?

Localization hurt this game ALOT had it been out last year it might have fared better but as it is it just looks like an outdated, uninteresting, uninspired, down right boring piece of kaka-dookie.

Want a good RPG with some online integration on the PS3? Stick to Demon's Souls, it may be hard and unforgiving but atleast it's fun!

[raWfodog]

...but I like other RPG's also. Emphasis on the plurality. And also on the variety. There's something for everyone and not everyone will like everything. That's a fact. After seeing gameplay and reading the differing reviews, I would say that this game seems to be deserving of a 7/10 which is my opinion isn't terrible at all.

I agree though, the current price tag may be hard for some to justify this purchase now but I'm still picking it up.

[edub1026]

Haven't played it yet, getting it next week. The complaints people have about this game is stupid.
"Graphics" I'm sorry level 5 didn't invest all their money in over the top graphics and cut scenes. I would rather have a fun game with OK graphics than a beautiful game that sucks.
"It's been done before" so what what hasn't been done before? Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. How many of those do they have it'll be pretty hard not to do something that hasn't been done before. To the people/reviewers who played or are playing the game I just want to know Is the game playable and is it fun.

[nycredude]

It's more than playable and it really fun. Graphics are good but not top of the line, but that is because everything is done in real time so whatever your character is wearing or equipped with will show in all cutscenes. The character creator is very detailed. I made a hot chick with big boobs to travel with. The story is very generic save the princess story but I don't see anyone complaining about the story of Zelda and Super Mario Brothers. The combat is very deep and towns and dungeons are huge. Overall this game is very lighthearted and doesn't take itself serious, lots of funny stuff. I have touched on the online as I haven't tried it yet but form what I heard it's not part of the single player story line but you get to go on monster hunter quest. you can create a town and have your friends meet up to buy gear and go on missions.

I would give it an overall rating of 7.5-8, which is a good score by most (people who started gaming before this gen) people's standard.

If you are a JRPG fan, chances are you will have a good time with it.

Add me if you guys/girls want to try the online component.

PSN: NYCREDUDE

I still have to finish ME2 first before I can get back to this. MAG is really f'ing everything up for me! It's so additive.

[happy_gilmore]

5.) Graphics Are Sub-Par- umm, the actual gameplay graphics is top-notch. it's the cinematic are can be done better. proof that the dude was basing the list on videos.

4.) It’s Been Done- everything has been done before. but the combat system is unique. did not see this popping up in mass defect 2, which is a fcuking sequel.

3.) Little To No Story- what, what? before and after every dungeon there's a cutscene.

2.) Character Creation Amounts To Nothing- uumm, there's an online part. that's what it's for, dummy. every sidequest is either you play it online or you play it only using your created character. quests are very hard when tackling them solo.

1.) Feels Like FFXII- overrated dragon's age copied ffxii gambit system but to critcis that's a good. btw, i loved ffxii.

i hate these liars. this guy has the balls to tell me to skip the game even though he hasn't even played it. gaming journalism is a joke.

[phantomexe]

I don't claim to be a einstein but i'm preety sure this game was ment for jap gamers that love this stuff.The only reason sony even brought it over here was because there was some people beging for it.One more thing FF games were much much better before se started pushing grafics before story.People should feel lucky they even got White knight whatever over here to begin with.

[Delive]

Its fun and deep. So much to do. Online is great. community features are not even spoken of and this adds so much to it. I chose to see for myself. I feel like I won.

[Figboy]

game play feature, and holy crap has the game exploded!

seriously, for $60, there is a LOT packed into this game:

1) Ludicrously deep character customization
2) Gigantic maps (you can literally get lost in many of the various locales in the game)
3) Engaging battle system (if people love WoW, with it's pressing one button to execute your moves, i don't see how they can't enjoy WKC, which actually has a combo system that lets you craft your own combos)
4) Georama system; it's like Dark Cloud is packed into WKC! lol. this mode alone has so much depth that i won't go into it now, but recruiting people for my village and upgrading it has become my new obsession. i don't even care about rescuing the Princess anymore at this point. lol.
5) Online play. the game already feels like a single player MMO, but when you add in the fact that you can team up with 4 other players, it really does feel like an MMO.

as for the story? it's typical anime. those touting how much they love Dark Cloud, but hate WKC: the story in the Dark Cloud games, and Rogue Galaxy, are just as standard and cliche as White Knight Chronicles. and i LOVE the Dark Cloud games (even part 1, which, if i remember, people shat on).

what made games like Dark Cloud and Rogue Galaxy as good as they are most certainly wasn't the "epic, original" story. it was the fun game play. taking photos, building towns, and fighting monsters are what make Dark Cloud so fun.

guess what? those features are in WKC too. so why all the hate for it?

i've yet to play a JRPG on any console that has as much content, and quality content to boot, as WKC.

and what's with all the hate on the graphics? the visuals are CLEAN as all hell.

as much as i love Dragon Age, i think it's graphics are sh*t. the textures are weak, and character models are highly inconsistent and look plastic.

WKC on the other hand, has very clean, crisp art design, full of color. my wife was playing Dragon Age after i played WKC, and DA is very brownish. it fits the tone of the game, just like WKC's rich, vibrant color palette fits it's world.

the character models in WKC look better than the DA characters, not because of character detail, but because they fit the style of that game better. it's a 3D anime.

Dragon Age is trying to look "realistic" but can't quite pull it off. it's a shame that DA couldn't look like Mass Effect 2, but i understand Bioware was going for a different visual tone.

anyway, any fan of JRPGs and Level 5 games is more than likely having a ball with WKC.

i'm about a good 12 hours into the game, with my character only at level 16.

it's a genuinely great game, and i even think that MMO fans may find something to the game, since the game has a VERY MMO feel to it, and being able to have 16 players in your town/hub, and then take 4 of them with you, completing quests and earning rare loot, as well as buying, selling, and crafting items/armors/weapons, is exactly why a lot of people seem to dig MMOs like Guild Wars and WoW. the stories in those games aren't exactly screaming "Oscar Worthy!" either, but their game play is top notch.

this hate for WKC is just more hypocrisy and double standards from the gaming press. because we're currently in love with Western Style RPGs like Fallout, Oblivion, Borderlands, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect, Japanese Style RPGs are suddenly "tame, passe, boring."

the dirty little secret of this whole thing is that Western Style RPGs like Fallout, Oblivion, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect are that they have been the same for DECADES as well.

Fallout 3? just a reskinned Elder Scrolls; Bethesda has been using the same template for their games for YEARS, just with new settings/characters.

Mass Effect? just a reskinned KOTOR, which was a reskinned Neverwinter Nights; Bioware has been using the same "moral" good/bad dialog system for YEARS. just because it's set in outerspace instead of a fantasy setting (like Dragon Age, or Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights), doesn't make it new or fresh. Even the characters in Bioware's games cross over. Kaiden Alenko? Carth Onassi, and in more than just his Voice Actor. Ogren? just Wrex, who was Canderous in KOTOR. it's like game character reincarnation at Bioware, but across different series!

now, because those games are simply reskinned concepts from their previous games, does that make them bad?

HELL NO! i LOVE Fallout 3, Oblivion, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect! and those games have their faults in areas like visuals, combat, game balance, etc. but they are FUN, at the end of the day.

WKC is simply another iteration on the game play concepts and elements that made Level 5 the loved developer that they are. why suddenly WKC is horrible, is confusing to me. i wonder, if the game was multi-platform, or on the Xbox 360, would it be getting so much flack?

games like Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Oblivion, and Fallout 3 are either multi-platform or exclusive to the 360, and they don't get nearly the amount of criticism that WKC has gotten, despite being copycats of their respective developers previous titles.

i love them all, from DA, to ME, to Oblivion, to Fallout, to WKC, and i appreciate them for all the entertainment they give me, flaws in design/characters and all.

i don't think the hate for WKC is justified, but i don't think it's a 10/10 game either.

i don't have a grade to give it, because it would just be an arbitrary number that doesn't quantify my enjoyment factor of the game.

my enjoyment factor of the game is most certainly 10/10. but i would also give an enjoyment factor of 10/10 to games like Second Sight and Indigo Prophecy. two games that not only got mediocre reviews, but had flawed game play mechanics like controls.

so far, WKC doesn't have any glaring technical/design flaws i can think of, and the sheer number of things to do game play mechanic wise is overwhelming.

like most RPGs, regardless of Eastern or Western developed, you start off at the bottom, and work your way up to a badass. WKC is no different. it starts off slow and simple, but now, at the 12+ hour mark, i'm swimming in options, and my character already feels like a badass, at level 16, because of the way i've upgraded her stats.

people that don't like games like FFXII, Dark Cloud, Rogue Galaxy are complaining about White Knight Chronicles.

i don't like games like Gears of War, so who would take my criticisms of that kind of game seriously? i find the story and characters in Gears to be laughably bad, cliche ridden, testosterone fueled bromances, but does that make Gears a bad game? no. i think it's one of the most visceral action/shooters out there. it's just not to my tastes.

there are certainly complaints to lob at WKC, but the arbitrary scores being slapped on it, and the people reviewing them not being particular fans of the JRPG genre, is a bit unfair to it.

reviewers can't seem to keep their platform preferences separate from their objective view of the game.

i HATE Microsoft. but that has no bearing on my enjoyment of Mass Effect 2. i LOVE Mass Effect 2. it took a while, but it's really grown on me, despite it's removal of a lot of the RPG elements i loved about the first one. i can even overlook the crappy hacking/scanning mini-games, because the rest of the game is so quality.

i'm pretty sure people don't play World of Warcraft for the story, so why hate on WKC? the story is standard fair, but the game play is addicting.

meh. alright, i'm done here. sorry for the long rant.