Blue Dragon

Class Menagerie

While the turn-based combat itself might seem too traditional in its old-school cast-or-attack simplicity, the change-at-will class system opens up a level of character customization that could, in and of itself, warrant weeks of play.

Experience points increase your base level, thus growing base stats and unlocking new jobs, but Shadow Points count toward your current career's rank, and skills earned in one profession carry over to others via skill slots. Earn high agility as an Assassin then flip that boost over to your work as a Black-Magic User. Open up additional skill slots as a Generalist, and fill them with the abilities you scooped up as a Sword Master. The freedom of this system is the true heart and soul of the game, and a large part of why you'll want to keep playing even after you finish the long and satisfying quest.

Fierce Creatures

On the one hand, there's no wrong way to build a party. On the other, this is chiefly because difficult battles are so few and far between, and that's where Blue Dragon's one minor frustration kicks in. The battle system is a blast once you've ranked up a few party members, but you'll find fights fall into only two categories: those where you tear through opponents like tissue paper, and those in which you suddenly start sustaining one-hit deaths every turn. There's virtually no middle ground, and that may well disturb players longing for a sustained challenge.

But complaining about bi-polar difficulty seems trifling when the combat, exploration, and storytelling are so addictively engaging, and memorable. Blue Dragon might not be sheer perfection, but it still delivers a truly exemplary console RPG experience by thoughtfully executing and expanding on longtime genre traditions.

PROS: Awesome class development system, unique monsters and locales, long and wonderfully satisfying.
CONS: Spastic encounter difficulty, goofy hard rock cheese in boss battles, anime-style histrionics might irritate some folks.

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BloodyRugburn

This seems a good game, but I am looking for something.... more Dark and Deep. GREAT!

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