The Last Story

[Darth Kenshin]

So the Wii is pretty much dead, but given my love of JRPGs, I decided to check this game out. And so far, I gotta say it's one of the better games I've played in a long, long time.

I'm only 4 hours into it, but it's really engaging. The story seems more character-based: a group of mercenaries with aspirations to become knighs. Yeah, there's some political intrigue and an Aladdin-style love story, but the focus is on the characters, which I love.

Speaking of the characters, many of them are pretty cliche. Zael (the main character) is an innocent, naive, good-hearted young man. We have the brooding anti-social Yurick, the crazy character who loves to fight (Syrenne), the quiet girl with quirks (Mirania), the flirt (Lowell), and the powerful do-no-wrong leader (Dagran). On paper, it seems like a typically ecclectic group. But the more you learn about them, the more interesting they become.

Gameplay is fun so far, but I just got the command skill to let me control what other members of my party do. It has potential. I like that the game lets us check the battlefield before each fight to actually strategize, but again, I haven't the ability to do anything with my other characters yet.

Any one else checking this game out?

[Darth Kenshin]

Oh I should've mentioned, the game is directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi. He is the creator of Final Fantasy (yes, the original one) and worked on every Final Fantasy game up through IX, as well as other Square games such as Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPJG, Parasite Eve, and Kingdom Hearts. He's also given credit for the original story of FFVII, as well as being a producer of the game.

Creatively, The Last Story is the first game he fully directed apparently since Final Fantasy V. Lately, most of his work was either supervising or executive producing.

So yeah, the game lives up to the expectations it should have being a work of Sakaguchi.

[vesaker]

Originally Posted by Darth Kenshin

Oh I should've mentioned, the game is directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi. He is the creator of Final Fantasy (yes, the original one) and worked on every Final Fantasy game up through IX, as well as other Square games such as Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPJG, Parasite Eve, and Kingdom Hearts. He's also given credit for the original story of FFVII, as well as being a producer of the game.

Creatively, The Last Story is the first game he fully directed apparently since Final Fantasy V. Lately, most of his work was either supervising or executive producing.

So yeah, the game lives up to the expectations it should have being a work of Sakaguchi.

When i found this out about the game i had to laugh out loud as "Last Story" is just another way of saying "Final Fantasy", heh.

[Darth Kenshin]

Yeah I laughed at that, too. Apparently, this actually is his last game. If I remember the story correctly, Final Fantasy would've been his last game only if it failed. Obviously, it didn't. But this really is it (allegedly).

[boxterford]

Great 3rd person role playing game.I played it interesting game rather then other.Me and my friends really enjoy to play it.
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[Darth Kenshin]

So this game is starting to get on my nerves. It starts out as a character quest. I'm big on characters, and this roster is great. The story focuses on a group of mercenaries with aspirations to become knights. You really root for all of them.

But now, it's becoming an annoying love story focused really on one character, Zael. I like Zael, but I also like Mirania, Dagran, Lowell, and especially Yurick. In the beginning, they all seemed to get equal attention (although you only directly control Zael). Now, it's a dramatic love story about Zael and Callista. Not my type game.

My other issue with it is the lack of actual role-playing. I don't like games that offer TOO much choice (things like Skyrim are overwhelming and boring in my opinion), but I like to have a say in some of the events. There were so many times where, logically, my character should be able to choose a course of action. Particularly a trial scene, where I should be able to choose if and how to defend myself. But no. Thus far, the "choices" we make are basically "do you accept this side quest?" and "choose between two lines to say to a character, although it really doesn't matter any way."

[vesaker]

Originally Posted by Darth Kenshin

So this game is starting to get on my nerves. It starts out as a character quest. I'm big on characters, and this roster is great. The story focuses on a group of mercenaries with aspirations to become knights. You really root for all of them.

But now, it's becoming an annoying love story focused really on one character, Zael. I like Zael, but I also like Mirania, Dagran, Lowell, and especially Yurick. In the beginning, they all seemed to get equal attention (although you only directly control Zael). Now, it's a dramatic love story about Zael and Callista. Not my type game.

My other issue with it is the lack of actual role-playing. I don't like games that offer TOO much choice (things like Skyrim are overwhelming and boring in my opinion), but I like to have a say in some of the events. There were so many times where, logically, my character should be able to choose a course of action. Particularly a trial scene, where I should be able to choose if and how to defend myself. But no. Thus far, the "choices" we make are basically "do you accept this side quest?" and "choose between two lines to say to a character, although it really doesn't matter any way."

Funny thing is thats a thing with so many RPG's. You always seem to get the "be nice" or "be a dick" response choices but only selecting the be nice will advace: like rejecting won't let you through, or it doesn't matter: you just get called a dick and the thing goes ahead anyways.

[Darth Kenshin]

Originally Posted by vesaker

Funny thing is thats a thing with so many RPG's. You always seem to get the "be nice" or "be a dick" response choices but only selecting the be nice will advace: like rejecting won't let you through, or it doesn't matter: you just get called a dick and the thing goes ahead anyways.

Yeah. And in most cases, even if you are a "dick" throughout the entire game, it never impacts how people treat you down the road.

But this game is even WORSE because they mislead me into believing I have a choice, when I actually don't. For example, at one point my character is keeping a secret, and a General asks him if he has anything to say. Two options come up: "tell the truth," or "...," which basically means "say nothing." I choose "tell the truth," and then IN HIS HEAD my characters says "I can't tell him the truth." Then, the SAME TWO OPTIONS COME BACK. I tried to choose "tell the truth" 20 times, and each time it wouldn't let me. What's the point of making me click a phrase if it's already predetermined what I'm going to say? So annoying. And that was a point in the game where speaking could've made the story take a significant turn. But it wouldn't let me.

Anyway, the game is fun because I haven't played a solid, new JRPG in a while. But overall, it's really mediocre.

[Darth Kenshin]

Now the game pissed me off to the point where I don't think I'm gonna finish it.

Basically, the main character was given an opportunity: swear allegiance to a Count and earn a rank in high society, or continue as a mercenary. As he thinks about it, you get to wander around the city, talking to people about the Count and his possible ulterior motives, sketchiness, etc. You gather a lot of information and opinions on the matter. Then, when you go back to the Count... YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE. So ridiculous.

[vesaker]

Originally Posted by Darth Kenshin

Now the game pissed me off to the point where I don't think I'm gonna finish it.

Basically, the main character was given an opportunity: swear allegiance to a Count and earn a rank in high society, or continue as a mercenary. As he thinks about it, you get to wander around the city, talking to people about the Count and his possible ulterior motives, sketchiness, etc. You gather a lot of information and opinions on the matter. Then, when you go back to the Count... YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE. So ridiculous.

That sucks. Its one thing to have the illusion of choice, like so many RPG's have, but its another to have actual game play that is supposed to influence one of these choices only to have it mean nothing.

Sort of like the original Mass Effect 3 ending

[Ruly2]

'The Last Story' is the last original Wii game release for the system.