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The Platinum Road - Ni No Kuni.


On 08/25/2014 at 07:21 PM by Machocruz

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I've been putting this game off because I wasn't sure if I wanted to invest the time. But I need a break from ultra-violence, darkness, and pseudo-realism.  I haven't played a game like this in quite a while. You could say I like my JRPGs "old school." That means colorful graphics, abstracted overworlds dotted with towns and secrets, shonen anime sensibilities, charm, a certain innocence to the proceedings.  This game looks to fit the bill on all counts.  I was playing Persona 4, but I just can't stand the dungeon crawling and how you pretty much have to leave and come back another day if you run out of spell power and replenishing items, which is inevitable.  I also had Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne going, which I think is a superior game to P4. I feel it's one of the greatest JRPGs of all time, and I'm not even done with it. So why am I stopping ot play NNK?  I want to raise my PS3 gamer score.

Generally I'm not a trophy hunter. I usually go for variety of games over going balls deep into a single one; I usually finish them with the bare minimum of requirements satisfied, and then they go into storage. But money, and thus games, has been hard to come by recently, so I've switched focus to getting the most out of a game. Trophies help set a goal post for this.  I mentioned that I wasn't sure if I wanted to invest time into a long RPG, and trophies have something to do with it. I've platinumed the last few games I've played, none of them short.  Warriors Orochi 3...insane amount of grinding was required, including getting all 100+ characters to max proficiency. MGS4...you have to play it 7 or 8 times, mandatory. Dragon's Crown...you not only have to have twitch skills, but also luck with gear, play the story a few times, grind levels, keep track of what you've done, repeat stages over and over. RE6..one long ass action game, and it's pretty relentless; also features grinding, of course. Dragon's Dogma. Well, you get the picture.  But you know, it's slightly addicting, despite the time sink and often retarded requirements (still haven't gotten Pure Bladestone in Demon's Souls, which has a 1 in 200 chance to drop from only two specific, tough enemies in the entire game).

Posting this goal for others to witness provides extra motivation. No one wants to be known as someone who doesn't do what they say they're going to do. Not that I really give a shit what people think Cool , but it still serves as a psychological tactic nonetheless.  Maybe I'll do updates when I get to certain percentages, like increments of 20 or 25%.  I will be using a trophy guide to keep track of what I need to do, make sure I don't miss anything along the way; I don't want to spoil the game for myself, but I do want to make efficient use of my play time.

Most importantly, I'm out for them timeless JRPG feels you get when you embark on a new journey across sunlit, emerald fields; the spirit of youthful adventure, with characters who embody the highest ideals of heroism and goodness. I'll get back to monochrome manslaughter and edgy eccentricity soon enough, but right now all systems are go for color and optimism.


 

Comments

Cary Woodham

08/25/2014 at 07:51 PM

Ni no Kuni is one of my favorite PS3 RPGs, if not my number one favorite.

Machocruz

08/25/2014 at 08:04 PM

You're tastes seem to align with what I'm looking for right now, so that's good to know.   

SanAndreas

08/25/2014 at 09:19 PM

Love this game. In fact, it ranks second behind only Valkyria Chronicles as my favorite game for the PS3/Wii/Xbox 360 generation.

Machocruz

08/26/2014 at 01:40 PM

Must be the Ghibli influences in these two games. The battle system is taking a beating in the comments. What did you think of it?

SanAndreas

08/26/2014 at 11:21 PM

Ni no Kuni makes me wish Ghibli had done more games (the reason they didn't was a really bad Nausicaa game made during the 1980s that Miyazaki felt completely bastardized the movie). Valkyria has the Great War/Roaring Twenties flavoring of Porco Rosso.

On Ni no Kuni's battle system: It had a slight learning curve, but once I got past that, I actually really enjoyed it and found its battles better than the vast majority of RPGs I've seen. It's pretty fast-paced action and the battles are usually pretty brief.  On boss battles you do have to watch the boss's body language so you can put your party into defense mode against a big attack.

Matt Snee Staff Writer

08/25/2014 at 10:28 PM

I truly love this game, but I didn't like the battle system. I wish it had been more traditional.  I just couldn't get into it.  OTherwise, I loved the story, the artwork, the music, everything.  

Machocruz

08/25/2014 at 11:10 PM

I hope I like the combat.  Don't need anymore tedium going for platinum already entails.

KnightDriver

08/27/2014 at 03:07 AM

Same here. Battle system was fine until I hit a boss and then everything went to hell. I'd like to give it another shot, but I really prefer pure turn-based battles.

Casey Curran Staff Writer

08/26/2014 at 12:30 AM

I couldn't get into this game. It had plenty of charm, but combat was torture for me. Felt like it was trying to rip off Pokemon without better designs (which matters more than you think when it's based around capturing creaturs to fight) and a real time/turn based mix that just didn't work for me.

Machocruz

08/26/2014 at 01:35 PM

My complete ignorance of Pokemon should prevent that form being a strike against it, but combat seems to be the Achilles heel of this game for people. I'm a bit worried, to be honest.

xDarthKiLLx

08/26/2014 at 09:42 AM

this game's battle system pissed me off.  I put 25 hours into it, took it out of my PS3 and never looked back.  Hopefully you'll enjoy it longer than I did.

Machocruz

08/26/2014 at 01:38 PM

More thumbs down for the battle system. Apparently it takes anywhere from 75 to 95 hours to get all trophies. I hope this is a case of 'to each their own,' or it's going to be quite the chore.

xDarthKiLLx

08/26/2014 at 03:03 PM

Mileage varies on this game for sure.  For me, I got tired of hearing Oliver say ":let's do it!!" before each battle, lol.  So much, as a matter of fact, that I switched the language over to japanese, something I've never done in a game before.  

But yea dude,.that battle system wasn't up my alley at all.  I hope you get that platinum!!

KnightDriver

08/27/2014 at 03:09 AM

That's about what I did. 20 plus hours and had to put it down.

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