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Tag Archives: White Knight Chronicles

White Knight Chronicles: What a welcome relief!

I’ve written about my vast disappointment in the generally well-reviewed Demon Souls, so now it’s time to talk about the game I traded that crap-tastic title in for: Level 5′s White Knight Chronicles!

Sony published this RPG which mixes action and turn-based elements together quite nicely, and the only reason I didn’t buy it over Demon Souls originally was that Demon Souls was a lot cheaper at the time; but I found White Knight Chronicles on sale this time, so with the trade-in credit, I did OK. Better than most people do in selecting the best weight loss products, at any rate.

Also, White Knight Chronicles was inexplicably savaged in the reviews, usually earning a score somewhere in the six-range on a 10-point scale. I can’t relate to that; after playing the game this weekend for a few hours, it seems to possess all the same laudable qualities I loved about other recent Level 5 titles like Dragon Quest VIII and IX, Rogue Galaxy and Jeanne d’Arc.

The biggest rap against White Knight Chronicles in most reviews was that the game didn’t possess enough innovation … whatever that means. Who cares? The game is what it is and isn’t what it isn’t. And taking it for what it is, White Knight Chronicles is a fun story with an enjoyable battle system and it keeps me wanting to keep playing. What more can one ask?

I don’t know if I’ll do a full review eventually or not, but one thing this whole episode has taught me is that great reviews mean nothing. I hated the well-reviewed Demon Souls and love the poorly-reviewed White Knight Chronicles.

So there.

Final Fantasy XIII is mine!

This weekend, my wife and I decided to get Final Fantasy XIII. It wasn’t an easy decision because there are so many titles we’d love to own on the market right now, including Uncharted 2, White Knight Chonicles, Heavy Rain, and before too long, they’ll be joined by Dragon Age: Awakening and Prince of Persia 2.

That’s a rich selection of titles to choose from, but Final Fantasy XIII was certainly a top priority. And as one of the few games lazy developers have actually gone to the trouble of making in 1080p resolution, Final Fantasy XIII stands out from the crowd with its sheer True HD level of detail and gorgeousness.

Any sales person who tells you that, short of a 50-inch screen, no one can tell the difference between 720p and 1080p needs to start a job search in a new line of work; 1080p shows up in brilliant clarity on our 32-inch screen just fine, thanks.

While I’m too early on in the game to comment much, I will say that I love the new battle system, which is much more involving than the one found in Final Fantasy XII, four years ago.