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Blue Dragon

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8.1 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 56 critic reviews
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Based on 70 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Microsoft

Developer: Mistwalker

Genre(s): Role-Playing Game

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: August 28, 2007

Summary

Famed game producer Hironobu Sakaguchi of Mistwalker and developer Artoon present Blue Dragon. Featuring the character design of Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball Z and music by Nobuo Uematsu of Final Fantasy, Blue Dragon is an epic role-playing game that centers on a young boy named Shu and several of his friends. These unlikely heroes possess the power to control phantom shadows that mirror the actions of their masters, giving Shu and his comrades miraculous strength and magical powers. The warriors can create and develop their combat styles by utilizing different types of Shadow Change, including Sword, Assassin, and Power Magic. Shu and his friends must use the shadows as weapons and wield their skills to save their world from impending doom. Encountering various people on a planet where numerous ancient ruins remain, the characters and their shadows travel through a world full of mysteries and illusions, where the slightest touch can cause reactions of unparalleled magnitude. Innovative RPG gameplay features: As their quest progresses, warriors can create original attack methods by utilizing several types of Shadow Change, including Sword, Assassin, and Power Magic. You can choose to focus the hero on certain areas of expertise. Shadows level up and gain new abilities associated with the job they are currently doing. Once gained, abilities are not lost and remain available to use when needed. Massive scope and engrossing environments: Shu and his companions battle their way through an immense world filled with vividly illustrated remnants of ancient civilizations long forgotten. [Microsoft]

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Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

GamePro

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.

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Digital Entertainment News

While Blue Dragon is clearly old school in its cartoonish art and turn-based gameplay mechanics, very distinctly different from a completely next-gen RPG-style title like Mass Effect, Blue Dragon definitely delivers something to the 360 that the original Xbox system never had enough of: an RPG so original, exciting and appealing, it will make PlayStation fans feel like they’re missing out on something important in the RPG landscape.

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Cheat Code Central

Classic RPG gaming brought to the next gen. Sure it's no political drama, and it won't have you aggressively button-mashing, but Blue Dragon promises engaging gameplay that you'll not only want to play through once, but revisit again and again.

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Deeko

Other than that, you've got the first definitive RPG from Japan that shows what the 360 can do and it's just the start - there are more to come.

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ZTGameDomain

This is the RPG that fans have been waiting for! If you love the Final Fantasy brand, but don’t own a Playstation system then this one is for you.

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Computer and Video Games

Blue Dragon finds the perfect balance between linearity and excessive freedom - it doesn't embarrass you by holding your hand, and yet it doesn't just leave you alone crying in the supermarket. Hironobu Sakaguchi (the FF creator and Blue Dragon mastermind) is as good a parent as Shigeru Miyamoto.

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360 Gamer Magazine UK

Where so many RPGs deliver dry experiences that adhere too closely to traditional type, Mistwalker delivers an RPG that pushes the genre in all the right directions. With supreme technical qualities and gameplay to match, it’s little wonder that Blue Dragon has revived the 360 in Japan. [JPN Import]

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Play Magazine

If the market allows giant-budget RPGs in the "Final Fantasy VII" mold to continue to be made(and there is some doubt as to that), they're going to look and feel a lot like this game...and for that reason alone, Blue Dragon is an absolute must-play. [JPN Import; Feb 2007, p.74]

games(TM)

It does as much as "Final Fantasy XII" to inspire hope that RPG developers are now beginning to look forward. In this instance, looking ahead results in a slightly more linear experience than some hardened role-playing game fans may appreciate. [Feb 2007, p.116]

Official Xbox Magazine UK

Enormous, intelligent, wily - a true dragon. [Sept 2007, p.98]

IC-Games

Mistwalker and Artoon have developed something special with Blue Dragon and the end result should appeal to both Hardcore RPG fans and fresh faced adventurers.

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GotNext

This is a game meant to be enjoyed, not induce frustration.

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Video Game Talk

It's a new world, new story, and new characters, but it feels like an old friend.

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Game Informer

From its astounding visuals to the constantly compelling gameplay, this experience will make role-playing veterans recall the good old days, and give newcomers the opportunity to start creating some memories.

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GameBrink

Blue Dragon's light-hearted charm and role-playing goodness fills a lacking aspect of the Xbox 360's lineup. [JPN Import]

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GameZone

I hope this sells like hotcakes because I would love to see Mistwalker and Artoon deliver a sequel and continue on the series.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

As perfectly as it nails the traditional, linear turn-based approach and draws you in before opening up, the only real giant leap it makes for the RPG genre is by being easily the finest Japanese example to so far grace the Xbox 360. Traditionalists, however, will simply love it.

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Games Master UK

A mostly old-school adventuring format, swanked up in a manner worthy of Xbox 360. [Sept 2007, p.74]

Extreme Gamer

Blue Dragon is a wild ride that has a lot of character and plot development over a wide range of environments. For those who like the traditional aspects of RPG’s like levelling up, turn-based combat and long winded dialog phases then Blue Dragon will not disappoint.

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Xbox World 360 Magazine UK

Blue Dragon definitely has the pedigree and quality to appeal to RPG gamers, however long they've been putting the hours in over the years, with enough peculiar touches to keep the old hands engrossed, even if it won't be the best they've ever had.

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Team Xbox

A solid battle system is flanked hour after hour by attention-grabbing cutscenes and cinematics. Fun to watch, fun to play.

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Pelit (Finland)

Blue Dragon is done by the book, even too much so. The game faithfully reproduces all the love-and-hate clichés of Japanese RPG's. It is like a Hollywood remake of a classic Japanese movie. In short, it lacks character. [Sept 2007]

Planet Xbox 360

There is nothing too original here to set it apart from other J-RPGs but the simple fact that there are slim to none other option on the Xbox 360 I can only recommend this game to fans of the genre.

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Worth Playing

A great RPG for a next-gen system. It doesn't earn a perfect score because every element of Blue Dragon has been done time and time again.

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Xbox World Australia

Blue Dragon is wading into a difficult market; any veteran Japanese RPG player will feel like they've seen and done it all before – better too – while newcomers will likely be overwhelmed by the sheer scale of what is on offer.

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AceGamez

While it's undoubtedly one of the best looking and most consistently polished and flawlessly constructed games I've ever come across, with masses to discover and a very nifty class and skills system, its many neat touches and features can't hide the fact that it's a very straightforward old-school RPG, whose repetitive action can get tiresome and whose cutesy graphics will fail to inspire, or even impress, some people.

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DailyGame

More of a solid foundation than a groundbreaking game, Blue Dragon still offers plenty to do. Here's hoping for a bit more punch to the sequel.

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GamingExcellence

When it comes to battling, the possibilities of engaging in combat provide an interesting dynamic.

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Gamers Europe

All in all then, if you love the premise, you'll love the game - assuming you have the stamina to have a fair whack at it. If you don't like what the game represents, you'll be wondering why you've bought what appears to be a stuttering interactive cartoon and probably be put off RPGs for life.

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GameSpy

Without question, it's one of the longest games available on the 360, clocking in at roughly 60 hours depending on how quickly you blaze through it. For huge anime/JRPG geeks like us, Blue Dragon is a fantastic game as long as you can make it through the first few plodding hours and don't mind the hyper-cute character design.

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Games Radar (in-house)

The system of building up your shadows' powers is also irresistible. But the game does lag in pacing when it comes to exploration and battle; a touch more evolution might have launched this from extremely good to indispensable.

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IGN

The pacing through the first half of the game is far too slow to stay engaging for all but the hardcore JRPG fan and the story is not nearly as epic as the multiple disc, 50+ hour game implies.

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RPG Fan

Overall, Blue Dragon offers an above average, traditional RPG, though only the superb gameplay puts it over the mark of the uninspired and average.

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GameShark

There’s more than enough story, combat, and customization to keep you Blue Dragon for a long, long time; the game stretches out over three discs, an impressive enough feat back in the days of the PlayStation, but truly staggering on the 360.

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Hardcore Gamer Magazine

In an era where games are getting even-shorter, Blue Dragon is a staggeringly 16-bit, grind-happy title. [Oct 2007, p.53]

PALGN

Got an Xbox 360? Want a Japanese RPG? Not expecting a revelation? Then Blue Dragon has something for you.

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Gaming Age

Its biggest issue is that it just drags on for too long without giving you anything to strive for, 3 DVDs worth of dragging on to be exact.

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Official Xbox Magazine

A very lengthy, beautifully wrought, and next-gen 1998, but 1998 nonetheless. [Oct 2007, p.82]

GameTrailers

While it's not the next-gen opus fans have been waiting for since Sakaguchi's departure from Square in 2003, Blue Dragon is a familiar, accessible, and comfortable game with outstanding production values.

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Gaming Target

Blue Dragon is not the definitive RPG experience on the 360, nor even in the past several years as it fails to do anything innovative.

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Da Gameboyz

Blue Dragon is a good RPG; it is just not a great one.

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Xboxic

While it certainly isn’t perfect, great features like an excellent story and quite a strategic battle system make it hard to put the game down at times, and will appeal to RPG fans.

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X360 Magazine UK

Beautiful to look at, enjoyable to play, but marred by disappointing aspects that do some harm. Nontheless, Sakaguchi has laid the foundations for an immense RPG franchise. [Issue 23, p.76]

Armchair Empire

Blue Dragon is a harmless, lighthearted role-playing game at its core with too many cutscenes but with some really great strategic battles.

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Gaming Nexus

Old school role-playing fans who have only owned Xbox products recently will no doubt get a kick out of Blue Dragon. This is a worthwhile game if only because it's the only game of its kind currently available for the Xbox 360.

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Kombo

Mistwalker’s dream team hasn’t given Microsoft the best RPG ever made and it won’t blow the minds of any long-time RPG fans, but they may have created exactly the kind of Japanese RPG that Microsoft’s western-centric audience needed to get their feet wet with the genre.

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Electronic Gaming Monthly

The game sabotages things right from the start by sticking you with four of the most vapid, unlikable protagonists I've seen in my 20 years as an RPG fan. [Sept 2007, p.94]

Game Almighty

The story won’t leave you in tears and the gameplay doesn’t break the mold in any way, but as the first epic Japanese RPG on the Xbox 360, Blue Dragon is adequate.

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1UP

I've got a tremendous amount of respect for the men behind Blue Dragon...but at the same time, I can't overlook its massive warts just because three developers I grew up idolizing created the game.

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Gamer 2.0

Blue Dragon is more of a rental than it is an immediate purchase, or wait until it hits the bargain bins. But either way, if this is your type of game you should at least give it a shot.

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G4 TV

Whether it’s because we all expect more from our games now, or whether it’s because there’s just no way Blue Dragon could possibly live up to the hype it received due to its famous designers, the game just isn’t that impressive. Fun, but nothing special.

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GameSpot

Blue Dragon is an unexceptional RPG that does just enough to escape mediocrity.

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NTSC-uk

With games like "Final Fantasy XII" pushing the genre forward, it’s disappointing to see a game with so much talent behind it not attempt to try anything new. [JPN Import]

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Edge Magazine

Without characters to care for or a story compelling enough, only the most dedicated genre faithful will make it through Blue Dragon’s three discs. [Sept 2007, p.88]

Talk Xbox

All in all, Blue Dragon is the type of game that would have made much more of an impression about a decade ago. Unfortunately, a forgettable story, cast, score, and battle system make for something that feels more akin to the eager ambitions of novices as opposed to the calculated work of seasoned veterans.

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Eurogamer

A very poor introduction to the genre for Xbox owners. It's by no means terrible; but without borrowing Sakaguchi's rose-tinted glasses, it's not much fun either.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 70 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jani gave it an8:
Good game, no doubts. The story is rather nice and it gets better after the first few hours. Battle systems is turn-based but it still very good. Only problem is that Blue Dragon too easy with the normal difficulty level, I strongly advice you to download the ultra hard mod from x-box live and use the hard difficulty setting.

James M gave it a7:
This game is by no means perfect, but if you like the RPG genre and have a 360 it would be a shame for you not to own this game. Richard E doesn't seem to know what he is talking about so take his review with a grain of salt. Also I can say that this game was not made for small children as it is rated T for Teen. For those who do not know that means 13 and up basically a PG-13 rating. I quite like this game and I think other fans of J-RPGs will like it too.

Richard E. gave it a0:
This game is just incredibly boring. I don't know how it has got such good reviews, it's as if people are afraid they're insulting the mighty fighting fantasy or something. I thought someone had to give this game a bad review. I would give it an average score for being an average game but in this particular case I think we have to factor in how much of a let down this game is and not be afraid to give it an unfairly low score.

Jan gave it a3:
This game is difficult to rate because it was clearly made for small children. Anyways it somehow is a 360 core gamer game and me who got bored so: The first boss in this game is generally threated as the hardest enemy you will find during the storyline. I agree on this and sadly have to add the fact that i didn't even have to use one single heal spell, smart strategy or item during this fight. This beeing said, imagine this game only getting even easier during progress. So you make your way through the embarrassing storyline, dealing with the embarrassing char design and storytelling, hoping that the game gets better until it is over. Waste of time, about 150 Gamerscore, a negative review at metascore, one more Blue Dragon on ebay and thats about it. 3 out of 10 from me.

Robert D. gave it a10:
If you like rpg than you will love this. No question.

Rich H. gave it an8:
The problem with this game, and all JRPGS is that they can never quite match the sheer joy of the PSX Squaresoft Era. The only mistakes they made were Chocobo Racing and that there fighting game - everything else being either brilliant or fun. The FEEL of Final Fantasies of this time period was magical, the lack of vocal interpretation of the characters allowing the player to actually engage with the stories within their own imagination. the games were longer, the world maps allowed you to actually explore and the turn based game play was so well perfected that trying to improve on it seemed a waste of time that could be spent on storyline.

Gamer G. gave it a10:
Best RPG of it's kind on the 360. A must have title. Nuff said.

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