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Last Remnant, The

EMAIL PRINT xbox360

7.1 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 49 critic reviews
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Based on 81 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Square Enix

Developer: Square Enix

Genre(s): Role-Playing Game

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: November 20, 2008

Summary

Long ago, the world was filled with Remnants — mysterious artifacts from an ancient civilization. But as time passed, the powers of the Remnants began to shift the world's balance. As the rift widened between those who ruled and those who were ruled over, a new era dawned: one of countless frays brought upon the world by those enslaved by their own lust for power. A thousand years later, the journey of one young man begins... Imagine a vast, war-torn battlefield, scarred by years of conflict. Countless enemies surround the player, who is backed up by his own army. Threatened by numerous foes and saved in the nick of time by allies, players feel the true tension of a soldier on the battlefield. In The Last Remnant, as many as seventy units duke it out at once in fierce yet beautiful battles. [Square Enix]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

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...

WonderwallWeb

Initially I would have written The Last Remnant off, but thankfully it improves loads once you have given it some time to become one of the best games of its type.

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GamingXP

The last Remnant is definitely not perfect, but very entertaining! Although the story isn’t very complex you’ll ask yourself after 40 hours of gaming: What ... 40 hours already? This title is a must have for roleplaying-fans that own a Wii.

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Deeko

Even with the technical issues at hand (boy is there a lot), Square-Enix has to be commended for making (what is in my opinion) one of the most original and addicting RPG's in ages; certainly one of the finest this generation.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

If Square Enix polishes the rough edges off this game's novel combat system, Remnant could be the foundation of an excellent series.

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GameFocus

If you enjoy role playing games, especially Japanese role playing games, the Last Remnant is a must buy. One of my favorite Square Enix role playing titles in years with much potential and hopefully a patch will fix the few noticeable graphic issues.

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X360 Magazine UK

As a JRPG, The Last Remnant is about as accessible as they come. An amazing battle system is wonderfully combined with an interesting group of characters, an epic storyline and huge amounts of gameplay.

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Gameplayer

The gameplay is refreshing and addictive, the strategic elements have you constantly assessing the situation and working the angles, and it has a decidedly non-Japanese, JRPG feel to it. Slick, fun, intelligent and rewarding, let’s hope this is the direction turn based affairs take in the future.

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GameTrailers

The Last Remnant is a hard game to judge. A person's enjoyment of it will be directly related to how much they can tolerate persistent graphical issues. If you can get past it, there's a lot to enjoy in the smart design decisions and its unique battle system.

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RPG Fan

If this game ran smoother, it would have been something special. Instead it's just a solid, worthwhile trip that will be remembered more for its shortcomings than it will its triumphs, and what a shame that is.

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Games Master UK

It won't be to everyone's tastes, but hardcore RPG fans will get a lot from it. If they have time. [Jan 2009, p.65]

Xbox World 360 Magazine UK

A massive RPG, which could break the will of all but the most dedicated of fans.

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Xbox360Achievements

This game falls just short of greatness mainly due to unacceptable graphical problems and a few poorly implemented ideas. If there had been less loading screens and more choice about battle commands, then this would have been the ideal game to tide us over until Final Fantasy XIII emerges.

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Gaming Nexus

It's suffering from some of the worst performance issues of all time, it's not the best looking game, the story sucks and the hero is pretty lame. But if you can look past those shortcomings you will find that The Last Remnant has a lot to offer.

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Meristation

Square Enix launches its RPG for the world. The Last Remnant offers a new gameplay in the genre, with many good ideas, a fun storyline, and some great moments. Anyway, it doesn't fulfill all of the promises made, and it seems to fall short of charm in some momentos. Some technical issues and an extremely simple gameplay for an RPG are its main flaws.

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Cheat Code Central

The Last Remnant has the makings of a great RPG: the story is engaging and the battle system is tons of fun to play with. And, with a lot of extra missions and side quests, there certainly is a lot of replay potential to this title. However, it seems that all these great aspects are not enough to pull it past its glaring graphical issues.

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Planet Xbox 360

There’s nothing particularly bad about The Last Remnant. Despite its flaws, it does remain a competent, if unremarkable RPG.

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Totally360

If you are a fan of Square Enix and a role playing game fan than I would definitely give this game a try.

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MS Xbox World

I’d recommend to anyone who’s into RPG’s to at least try The Last Remnant via a rent, you’ll probably won’t be able to complete it, but it’s the only way you’ll find out whether it’s a game you can enjoy while turning a blind eye to obvious downfalls.

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Official Xbox Magazine

There are certainly bits and pieces of decent storytelling hidden throughout the game, but for every ounce of beauty, you get three humdrum pounds of grind. [Holiday 2008, p.78]

Game Informer

In short, The Last Remnant that has all the trappings of a game in the RPG genre, but fails to stand out from the crowd. [Dec 2008, p.119]

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GameSpy

It takes a different approach than most other console RPG battle systems, one that will alienate some gamers while appealing to others.

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Official Xbox Magazine UK

The Last Remnant is a game the purists can sink their teeth into, and one we hope isn't the 'Last' of its kind.

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VideoGamer

A stale JRPG with interesting combat and lovely graphics that's crippled by technical deficiencies.

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Cynamite

The story is typical for a Square Enix RPG, which is okay. The characters are designed with love, the atmosphere is good. The stuttering was acceptable as well. But there are too many decisions, that I’d rather have taken myself.

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games(TM)

Every change of camera is greeted by painful seconds as the textures load in. Every opened door is greeted with the loading screen. Every battle features a cataclysmic drop in frame rate. The result callously skims the cream from the top, depriving you of your ultimate satisfaction. [Jan 2009, p.106]

TeamXbox

Massive, multi-party battles don’t deliver the strategic pop that hardcore RPG fans are looking for.

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Play.tm

Just don't expect too much from it. It likes to give with one hand and take away with the other.

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Gaming Age

Ultimately I came away from Last Remnant feeling more disappointed than pleased, but I can't say that the whole experience was a wash. The battle system is really a blast, and well worth checking out for RPG vets, but this isn't the great SE experience I was hoping to find.

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Kombo

Had the development team taken another six months and perfected their use of the Unreal 3 engine and the tools at their disposal, this title would be one more of Square Enix's instant classics.

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GameSpot

Technical flaws mar, but don't totally destroy, this long and fascinating role-playing game.

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3DJuegos

The promising The Last Remnant is unfairly flawed by its disastrous technical glitches and its awkward battle system. Whoever will be able to ignore its messy frame rate and its tedious loading times will find an occasional enjoyment in its proposal.

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Worth Playing

The Last Remnant is absolutely full of potential. There's a fantastic world accompanied by an incredible soundtrack, a great battle system in place and a ton of content to keep you going. However, the game is technically sub-par, and the story takes far too long to get anywhere remotely interesting.

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Eurogamer

The longer we've spent with The Last Remnant, the more we find ourselves wishing that it were a pure strategy RPG, because the more time you invest, the more interesting the battle system becomes - and, as a consequence, the more you begin to resent everything that prevents you enjoying it. [JPN Import]

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GamePro

It's really too bad that The Last Remnant is so uneven. For every one thing it does right, there is a glaring fault that ruins the fun.

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AceGamez

It's such a shame then that what could have been an excellent game is thwarted by sloppy design, confusing direction and an abysmally implemented graphics engine.

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GameZone

Square Enix has their attention elsewhere. This is quite evident. The Last Remnant might satisfy the diehards or those looking for an RPG fix, but many people will find this game very mild and less than expected.

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Destructoid

If you aren't pissed off about having to install it to your hard drive to avoid graphical issues and you like a strategic element to your battles, you may really enjoy the game. The truth of the matter is though, my standards for the genre are high, and I feel that if Square had spent a little more time clarifying the muddy parts and fixing the technical issues, this could have been a terrific game.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

Judging by Square-Enix’s immense standards, unbeatable by most developers on their very best day, then Last Remnant is a disappointment. It’s not the epic life consuming RPG we were expecting and falls a long way down the list of top RPG titles for the 360, which is saying something.

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Console Monster

As long as you don't enter into the story looking for a masterpiece, you should enjoy it.

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InsideGamer.nl

Square Enix games were once a guarantee for good RPG’s, but those times are gone. The Last Remnant fails miserably in almost every way, and is highly unpolished. The game has its strong points, like the profound battle system and a lengthy campaign, but the story, visuals and surrounding game world are one big letdown. The Last Remnant is yet another Japanese RPG that doesn’t live up to its initial expectations.

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XboxAddict

It’s hard to judge Last Remnant as it does have quite the amount of flaws, but underneath all of the problems, there is an interesting story and new gameplay.

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IGN

The Last Remnant is a technical mess, but it's also behind the curve in so many ways.

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BigPond GameArena

Since we’re stuck with an unrefined and choppy experience, it’s better to dust off some classics and remind yourself what makes this genre so special. After that, give Square Enix a call and let them know.

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Game Revolution

The Last Remnant is better than Infinite Undiscovery if you’re looking for a long, easy-breezy romp through fantastical lands, but RPG fans who care about a challenging combat system or characters who are worthy of your empathy will be disappointed.

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Edge Magazine

For JRPG unbelievers the battle system changes don’t address the common complaints leveled at the genre. For fans, the emphasis and pacing of its unique selling point overwhelms everything else, stripping the game of its poetry and balance. [Jan 2009, p.5]

Thunderbolt

And that symbolises the entire experience, really. It seems strange that to get my RPG fix in 2009, four years after this generation hit the scene, I have to dust off my PS2 to give me the type of experience that so many of us have been longing for in current-gen glory.

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GameShark

It’s a fairly formulaic plot, but an interesting one nonetheless.

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G4 TV

The concept behind the battle system is solid but dragging it through uninspired dungeons and a tired story can make putting in that second disk a chore.

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1UP

The battle system reeks of incomplete, unfinished ideas.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.1 (out of 10) based on 81 User Votes

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

Diego C gave it a9:
the best since final fantasy X! You take some time to enjoy it at all but its IS worth to give it a try if you like TRUE RPGs games(despite the action-rpgs like tales of vesperia). Best RPG on 360...and the slowdown aren't that much if you play from the hard drive.... At least don't bother me... The texture pop-in occurs sometimes...like in gears of war.....don't bother with it too...because you'll be amazed with the game!

Daniel L gave it a4:
Hard to level up.. you fight the same monsters over and over and over and over again.. Story line is Okay.. not great.. Not worth all the time spending to level up your characters. It has nice graphics and it can be fun but it takes too much time to do anything and fighting the same enemies is a drag.. I would not buy or rent this game.. stay away and wait for Star Ocean to come out on Xbox360 in the next few months.

[Anonymous] gave it a0:
I'd rather burn myself than play this game. And after receiving second degree burns before I say that rather seriously.Horrible slowdown, graphic issues, over complicated attack systems, jerky character movement, and not to mention horrible British accents. I really tried to play this game I really did but it was so bad that after 5 minutes I stopped

Thomas G gave it a9:
Fantastic game with a great usp. Scale of battles is phenomenal with great use of tactics. Quests is nice and long with plenty of side quests to complete and many optional extras to seek out. Unfortunately load times are frequent but if you save each disc to the hardrive they become non-existent. Only downside to the system is the problem of the unnerving game mechanics and how you create your unions.

Nadia L gave it an8:
If people can learn to put the technical/graphical issues aside and look STRICTLY at gameplay, they're going to see that this is one helluva game.

Troy P. gave it a6:
I love RPGs. I thought Lost Odyssey, Infinite Undiscovery, Fallout 3, and Oblivion were all great games. But Last Remnant is only an ok game in my opinion. I downloaded the game to my hard drive to try to fix the technical problems. The loading time didn't seem long to me and the slowdown was only noticeable in huge battles. But the texture pop-up really bothered me. Also, the game itself is just not very good. You can only equip one character; the plot is very weak; many of the characters look exactly the same; battles get very redundant; not enough to do. If you like JRPs a lot then you might like this. Otherwise you should stay away from this game.

andre t gave it a7:
Graphics: the overall result is good. Great character design, decent levels, textures and the towns are quite detailed. However you can actually see the normal maps being applied after a loading session, which is really bad. And you have many slow downs during combat, mostly due to the particles effects and the insane numbers of characters in a fight scene. Sounds: Voices over are sometimes great, sometimes totally horrible. The music is ok. The sounds for the monsters are great. Story: Generic for a RPG, but still interesting. The dialogues are left to be desire from time to time. And the main character name "Rush Sykes", common! That doesn't help for the credibility. The Conqueror should have taken more space in the story. Gameplay: Loading, loading and loading. On the PS3 ?? No joke, you get tons of them and it will stretch your patience. The combat system is addictive...but the game is almost only about that. Apart from fighting, the other gameplay areas are sub par. No interaction with objects, no mini games to breaks from the constant fighting. There is a ton of sub quest, which is fun. Overall it's an average good game, but it feels unfinished because of the incessant loading and the graphical issues. Don't do a follow up on that one, please.

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Last Remnant, The

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Summary

What The Critics Said

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