Feels like its been 10,000 years, but it's finally here. The beginning of my Xbox Exclusive JRPG series! Got a lot of work ahead of me, but I appreciate your patience and hope the wait is worth it. :) Also, PLEASE check out CJ Vidal's channel in the description. His Eternity Cover is so powerful and he deserves so much love for it. GO GIVE HIM JUST THAT!
You have NO idea how much I've missed you omg!!! I've been rewatching your Legend of Legaia, Nier and Drakengard videos last week! Have you played the Suikoden series? Will you make videos of them too??? Sorry I was too excited, don't mind me. 😅
My favorite part of Blue Dragon was exploring the world and getting the text "You found Nothing" and shrugging it off only to find a character that will trade you things for "Nothing". It made me feel so good knowing that I was rewarded for all the exploring I did and made me excited to find "Nothing". That was an amazing twist that I will never forget.
I just recently found Blue Dragon at an old game/movie store at my local mall, and thought "oh my God. It does still exist. The Nothing Quest shall be completed" because I had NO idea about the Nothing Quest when I first played it.
I missed out on this game when it was released. Just got it and the dlcs for like $7. Thanks for the heads up, I was starting to think exploring was a waste of time.
This game got me thru a whole deployment to Iraq, bought it on amazon and my 360, I still have the physical game, the 360 got killed in Iraq by the sand
Honestly the best thing in the game is when the party has to go to the Devee village after meeting Marumaru and are dreading a whole village of people just as annoying as him. Then when they get there, everyone just talks like normal and are like “nah he’s just like that”. Then the party thinks that oh it must because he’s a child! So they run into a child Devee and they also talk normal and are like “no really, he’s just like that”. It’s fucking brilliant.
Blue Dragon was probably nothing special for people who’d been playing JRPG’s since the SNES. But as the first JRPG that caught my younger self’s attention with that Dragon Ball Z art style, this thing really captured my imagination back in the day and really started my life long love of JRPG’s. If for nothing else I’ll always appreciate it for that. Also that boss theme absolutely slaps no matter what anyone says.
Nah, Blue Dragon's a good game. But it does have a few major issues: > Characters are kinda boring and the story overal does seem to be aimed at a younger audience. > On the normal mode, the game is extremely easy. I think the hard difficulty (which you have to download for free, not sure if you still can) was the perfect kind of difficulty for me, but the jump is humongous. It's basically the difference between Very Easy and Very Hard, in classic game's terms. Outside of those, the game is great. Dungeon design is good, fantastic soundtrack, superb art design and good gameplay and exploration (difficulty from the combat aside, it's a good combat system).
Without criticising any prior videos, I just want to say that this one really felt like you ... relaxed... a bit more? Less hard-cut edits for laughs and more sober returning jabs. I never got tired of the dragon screams for example. You may not have vibed with the game super hard, but it really felt like you stepped up the quality of the video itself imo.
I remember thinking Blue Dragon really felt like a good entry lvl jrpg which is something of a lost art as mechanics become more complex and developers seem to think anyone who picks one up has already played a thousand similar games.
Here's why, this reviewer himself knocks it for not being complex despite having a job system. I'm not saying he's wrong. But I like adventure ones with casual gameplay. Lots of good RPGs with the basics.
@@DSan-kl2ycbut he is wrong. This game has all the classic jrpg elements/story/gameplay, does he know who made this gem? The games a masterpiece and a collab that will NEVER happen again and even better on the XBSX due to the loading time being super reduced. Game was good for its time and aged well. Sorry I just dont agree😅
Definitely remember waking up to watch the anime and I was really shocked how different the story in the game was when I played it. Thanks for bringing back wonderful memories Clemps!
It can be pretty jarring. I remember that It blew my mind as a kid how each shadow could talk and had their own personalities. It also threw me off how there was an additional party member(character) that never showed up in the game. Kind of want to give the anime another try now since it never saw a conclusion on TV nor Toonami Jetstream in the west.
@@realtime8892 first season (Blue Dragon) is on Hulu. but the second season (Blue Dragon: Trial of the 7 dragons) can probably only be found on RUclips (that's the way i saw the entire series by someone named jirominotaur or something)
Blue Dragon's overworld RT circle where you could fight monsters back to back (and sometimes turn them against each other) was such an amazing feature that I wish more JRPGs used. If nothing else it was a great time saver, and it was very satisfying to watch rival monsters tear each other apart if you were able to combo the correct monsters.
Was seriously baffled as I watched the video and the Dragons didn't have any importance or anything at all, while in the anime they just as important as the characters.
@@briansilva3765its was 360 yall forgetting that hard, tech limits adaptation being EXACTLY like the anime. Jus sayin its cool to know they talk in the anime too no way the 360 could of pulled all that off
Lost Odyssey is probably my all time favorite JRPG. The story and characters are great, the battle system is pretty fun, and the small stories you find are amazing little tear-jerkers.
I've seen like three filler episodes of the anime and heard the boss theme in Barkley, Shut up and Jam! Gaiden. I feel like that reflects the average experience with Blue Dragon very well.
I have fond memories of watching my dad play this, face scraping every wall of every location once he found out about the Nothing Vendor to find all the "nothings." Beyond that and the boss battle theme, that's really all I remember from this game.
I definitely have very fond memories of playing Blue Dragon and it's two sequel games. The sequels play a bit differently from the original. The second game, simply called "Blue Dragon Plus" (or "Blue Dragon 2" in some parts of the world) is a strategy RPG. The story made me cry a bit towards the end, and we even get to see old characters join our little group of heros. I remember certain difficulty spikes kicking my ass because my team wasn't leveled up evenly. The third game was even more different, having a nearly real time like battle system. You play as a personally created character and you can switch your characters' Shadows around to use certain characters' strengths or gain new skills to your character. Your hero character has the ability to "share" their Shadow with the party and can use a wide array of spells and magic. As an example, Jiro mainly uses healing magic, thus a support or healing Shadow suits him well.
Oh, that's right. It does a little more with it if I remember. Like items or accesories that change the size of the sweet spots or make it so that normal hits count as fails in exchange for better critical hits. I'm also reminded of Legend of Dragoon's gimmick, with the timed button presses.
I loved this game and I come back to it every year or two. Fun fact Game UK use to have an Xbox demo where you can fight an optional boss which was ok or for some unexplained reason the final boss of the game.
You could even download that very same off the US Xbox 360 marketplace. How and why, they decided to put the final boss into the demo is completely and utterly baffling.
I'm so glad our little Rattie Boy was able to release this in August of the year 2022, and not 2023 as it looked like! Gotta love releasing a video a year early! I've been starting back up Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey in preparation for these videos--and much like these... I too feel like it's a year past what it is to even do so!
OH MY GOD THIS IS AN AWESOME REVIEW OF BLUE DRAGON!!! I've watched some of the episodes of the anime before playing this game and I was very surprised at how different the game and the anime are from one another. In my opinion I think the voice acting, characters, and story are stronger in the anime but the game has a great level of charm and fun on it's own. I love Blue Dragon. It's one of my favorite Xbox 360 JRPGs. The graphics are beautiful, the gameplay is classic turn-based combat with some twist here and there to spice things up, Akira Toyama's character designs brought into this amazing world is fantastic, the voice acting is fine but Nika Futterman's version of Maro Maro will drive to want to stick a screwdriver in your ears after a while. And last but certainly not least the soundtrack is one of my favorite video game osts of all time. Nobuo Uematsu's score is incredible as always from the light and calming piano tracks to the ABSOLUTELY KICK ASS ROCKIN BOSS THEME OF ETERNITY!!! I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS ETERNITY IS MY JAMMY JAM!!!! Thank you for this wonderful vid Clemps. I hope you get the chance to share your thoughts on other underrated Xbox 360 JRPG hidden gems.
Your editing work and the new intro are all awesome! Blue Dragon could've tightened up some stuff in the animation department, like what if the Shadows actually had different appearances per class you choose for each of the characters? I think that'd be a helpful way to shake things up.
I remember playing Blue Dragon when I was a small child. All I could remember was that battle theme where the vocalist sounds like he's having a bit too much fun. Thank you for making this video, nostalgia has once again come to choke slam me into oblivion.
Always a pleasure Clemps, good show! A game i hope you cover in this xbox rpg runndown is Phantom Dust A crimminally underated card based action rpg (although the gameplay is not the simplest so you can see why it underpreformed) imagine an early 2000 music video but they smack each other around with their decks (that should not work but somehow does) or Kindomhearts Chain of memmories except not Plutopoop
How exciting 😀 and very timely for me, as I'm finally able to play these exclusives now. I started with Blue Dragon (instantly fell in love 💘) and am soaking up this video. 🤗
Then you need to play more JRPGs if you honestly consider this one of the best you played in a while because there are much, much better JRPGs out there.
Been looking forward to this so much, I feel like I'm the only person I know who not only played but finished it. People knew about it but I swear I've never seen anyone else in my general circles own this. I always told people it was like someone found a lost solid B+ Super Nintendo era JRPG and went full on with an HD remake of it, era specific shortcomings included. Can't wait for the rest of the Mistwalker catalog
you forgot to mention that the bar for that boost in power also reduces the mp cost of spells and abilities. This is crucial for managing your mp since your mp goes quick
This was well worth the wait. I completely agree, to younger me who had lower standards with storytelling and plots, this game was great. Didn't need a big complicated story, just needed the villain and to be told to go get him. Same with the town plots, like the one with a barrier stopping people leaving and thus, you need to figure out how to bring it down whilst trying to convince the town you're not an agent of evil they need to fear, or the spooky hospital inhabited by ghosts. Just enough to tide me over. Agreed with world building, i loved hearing about the ancients and how they fell but that was also the history/mythology nerd in me geeking out about that kind of story-telling. Very solid review bud! Your edits were fantastic! :D
I love your takes on reviews being much more forgiving and honest about a game than other "reviewers" on RUclips. In addition, I love self-deprecating humor finding myself more interested in what you say and not feeling blind praise or hatred with your take on a game.
This game’s NG+ is still by far one of the hardest NG+ ive ever played and overall one of the hardest games ive played (NG+ specifically, i cant stress this enough)
Blue dragon is a core piece of my childhood. One of the first massive jrpgs I ever had the chance we to play. To this day, I will pull it out and do a playthrough in roughly the span of a week. Looking forward to what you have to say Clemps
One thing that really elevates this game for me, and something I'm really sad to see you didn't cover, is the sheer creativity and variety in monster designs for combat - the actual mechanics, not the visuals (which I also like). Elemental weaknesses aren't just extra damage, some enemies soften in water, water will short out machines but also cool some of them down allowing them to spam stronger attacks. The monster battles are also way more involved that just "monster A kills monster B". The fire and ice ghost wolves in the hospital near the start of the game will attack each other, stripping their elements and turning them into the regular wolf ghosts. I don't think I've ever played a JRPG with better boss design either. Blue Dragon isn't anything special, but it's an exeptionally well crafted game nontheless. I think that Lost Odyssey's story is miles ahead of Blue Dragon's for sure, but it lacks a lot of the creativity in mechanics.
This^. If gameplay was all that mattered Blue Dragon would be the best JRPG of all time because the sheer variety of enemy interactions like that is unmatched. Unfortunately for BD Story is king in JRPG land so Lost Odyssey is the real GOAT.
@@GodOfOrphans I don’t agree that story is what matters most in an RPG. The handheld Pokémon games (before the Switch) were some of my favorites and the stories in those games were always paper thin.
@@GodOfOrphans They follow the structure of JRPGs to a tee. Just because they don't put an emphasis on story doesn't mean they aren't JRPGs. They're much closer to traditional JRPGs then something like Live a Live, most modern FF games or the Xenoblade franchise. It's fine to have an opinion but don't act like some games "don't count" based on some non-existent rules.
Fantastic video Clemps! Really excited to see your videos on these XBOX exclusive JRPG's as I know little to nothing about them. Whilst I was in the same boat growing up with an XBOX 360 console, the only JRPG's I played on there was the Final Fantasy 13 Trilogy. Hope you are doing well, thanks for always putting a smile on my face with your personality and content 🤗
The supposed lack of JRPGs on the 360 is grossly exaggerated. Blue Dragon, Infinite Undiscoverery, Zoids Assault,Magna Carta 2,Spectral Force 3,Operation Darkness, and Lost Odyssey were exclusive. Tales of Vesperia, Star Ocean The Last Hope, Eternal Sonata, and Enchanted Arms were on the 360 orginally. Nier,Phantasy Star Universe, Resonance of Fate,The Last Remnant, Record of Agarest War, Record of Agarest War Zero,Vandal Hearts Flames of Judgement, Final Fantasy XI,Final Fantasy XIII,Final Fantasy XIII-2, Lightning Returns Final Fantasy XIII,Dark Souls and Dark Souls were multi platform day one. Not even talking about the games that never left Japan. People talk about the system as if it had hardly any JRPGs when you actually could make a top 25 list.
Getting some big nostalgia watching this. Was at the tail end of college when this came out and being a JRPG junkie I was pretty hyped. Ended up having a very similar opinion, the exploration and such was fun and addictive but I could barely remember a thing about the plot. Something about JRPGs this gen has always captivated me, like how they were still very much rooted in the past but also striving to move forward without having a clear idea how to do so completely. One of my favorite titles of the era is The Last Remnant (which thankfully is readily available on modern hardware so no need to dig up my old 360 copy) and it had a lot in common with Blue Dragon but felt more fleshed out.
5:23-5:35 Clemps: "And they'd push *very* hard to make this IP it's own franchise. Spawning multiple sequels, toy lines, and an entire anime series, which for some people is the only way they knew about Blue Dragon." Me: *Raises hand while slamming his hand on bed repeatedly* "ME!! I'M ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO GOT INTO BLUE DRAGON VIA ANIME!!" I remember watching this show on Saturday mornings as a kid on Cartoon Network, then I rewatched when I was a little older I binged the entire show during the summer and I *loved* every second of it. Kirk Thorton's Minotaur gives me so much life! Always wanted to play the game, surprised how much the different the story and some of the characters are from both the game and anime. Another reason I wanted to play this game was from the soundtrack. They even used some tracks in the anime and I have the entire OST on my phone.
Top ten greatest boss themes of all time: 1: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu 2: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu 3: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu 4: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu 5: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu 6: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu 7: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu 8: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu 9: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu 10: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu
I unfortunately missed out on both Blue Dragon as well as Lost Odyssey when I was a teenager. However, I recently decided to try playing them on Xenia (I finally finished up tales of Xillia 1 and 2 on RPCS3 and decided to take the plunge). I couldn't decide which to play first, so I essentially asked my kids to pick for me, and of course they landed on Blue Dragon because of anime style animation. So far I've had a blast, I'm so glad that emulation exists or I likely never would have gotten to play these lost treasures!
The 360 in the early days was crazy!!! It had infinite undiscovery, blue dragon, lost odyssey, Tales of vesperia all as 360 exclusives at the time. Not just that but eternal sonata, star ocean 4, nier. I totally get if your into RPGs Sony is the place to go but the 360 had something for everyone and they had plenty of experiences for rpg folk!
The PS3 was awful for JRPG's. It has the best version of some JRPG's, but I can't even think of a single great exclusive JRPG it has (exclusive to the PS3 at the time of release).
@@thenonexistinghero It's up to the individual I guess on what they are interested in. For me Ni No Kuni, Valkyria Chronicels, Tales of Xillia 1,2 where some of the things that interested me. Plus it had a bunch of not perfect but interesting games like Guided fate paradox, awakened fate Ultimatum, Atelier, the Disgaea games. Allot of fun distractions but certainly not perfect. Ni no kuni, Valkyria chronicles and the tales of games where why I got a PS3 personally. I get it depends on your taste in games though.
@@jayvman1311 Ni No Kuni was never a PS3 exclusive, the original is a DS game (but the PS3 version did add content I guess). Tales of Xillia 1 and 2 are generally seen as some of the wordt Tales games. Tales of Vesperia came on the Xbox 360 first and Graces came on the Wii first, both of which are generally considered to be better Tales games. All things said, there's not a whole lot of PS3-exclusive JRPG's that really impressed. The era sucked for JRPG's in general, but I'd argue that no PS3-exclusive JRPG (exclusive at the time of release) competes with Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey.
Blessed, I remember playing the ds spinoff/sequel Blue Dragon+, had a great time even though I had no context for the events that happened in the game story. Glad to see my favorite E-goblin take a look at it.
I have been hoping someone would talk about this game for YEARS. It's a delightfully charming little RPG, nothing too complex, but very much a simple meal we'll made. Plus that boss theme.
Blue dragon was ahead of it's time i remember you could overheat machine enemies with fire attacks that was so cool to me and have never seen anything like it in a jrpg since
This was my first JRPG as a kid, in a household that only had an Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. I remember loving it at probably 10 years old and the first game (besides Pokemon) that I completed
The final boss theme is also just super good. I don't care what anyone says, having a slow buildup chorus lead into a fast-paced song in Latin about how fucked you are is always great final boss material.
I remember this game as a kid for a lot of thing. Many things that people have already pointed out in the comments. However, the thing that makes me love this game is the fact that it made me more open to playing JRPGs and end up loving them. I remember trying a few as a kid and just being confused by something or just not understanding how to play. Somehow Blue Dragon kept my attention enough to continue to keep playing. Idk if it had something to do with Toriyama's artstyle or the music or something, but I'll always be fond of this forgotten gem. Too bad I might never be able to play it again as I don't own an Xbox console of any kind. I'd also like to point out that as a kid, I don't think I ever really knew how the mechanics worked. Still love it though. Edit because I think this might be something some people don't know, but at 19:56 the character you're talking to Toripo is actually Toriyama's self insert who's also referred to as Toribot. I just thought it was cute that they put Toriyama in the game through Toribot.
FINALLY. LOST ODYSSEY IS COMING. It's been over a decade since I've played it, never beat it, but I remember plenty of it. Immortals, the mage dude being voiced by a semi-famous stand up comedian, and the dreams. THE DREAMS. Think that's the first time I legit became a sobbing mess over a video game and it wasn't even the main plot. Good luck Clemps, and can't wait!
When I first got to the part where the world split into cubes I thought I'd have to explore a bunch of them, only to get the one. Guess that's the sequel hook. On another note, until earlier this year I had always assumed the different VAs between the game and anime was just a dub thing, but turns out the JP cast is different between the two too. Except Zola, who has the same English VA for both. And for a final tidbit, in addition to the anime, there was also a manga in WSJ with art by Obata Takeshi of Death Note fame. The manga has basically no relation aside from the core concept of using shadows. Showed a bit of potential but towards the end the axe rush hits, yet still an interesting read.
As much as I like that boss theme on it's own, it made me drop the game on the SECOND boss fight cause I couldn't stand how extremely high energy it was in comparison to the sleep inducing combat
Just found your channel thanks to this video and tbe positive talk around Lost Odyssey meant I immediately subscribed. Cannot wait for the video on that, LO is tied as my favourite game of all time with FFX. The story is fantastic. The music is beautiful. The Thousand Years of Dreams, specifically Hanna's Departure is masterfully done, always chokes me up and my god THAT ONE SCENE with a certain character, was heartbreaking. I haven't played it since I was 15, I turn 30 this year and I STILL get emotional even just remembering the scene. Unashamedly, that moment made me cry. It was just flawlessly executed and I did not see it coming. God I fvcking love that game. Nobuo Uematsu KILLED IT with tbe soundtrack, the first two notes of Parting Forever immediately brings it all flooding back, I can't even. How can something I played a decade and a half ago STILL affect me this much? I could gush for hours about LO. I would love to try my hand at a retrospective for the game one say. Great video, gonna binge your other content whilst eagerly awaiting the LO one!
This was one of the first RPGs I ever played I totally forgot about it until I saw your video It really makes me wanna revisit it and give it another try
I'm excited at the possibility of you doing a deep dive into the Wii's The Last Story. It's by no means the best JRPG ever, but it's such an interesting little game that really doesn't get talked about much.
I remember playing this game, hearing the boss music, and thinking "So this is the future of JRPG battle music!"... and not quite getting the same feeling since.
Feels like its been 10,000 years, but it's finally here. The beginning of my Xbox Exclusive JRPG series!
Got a lot of work ahead of me, but I appreciate your patience and hope the wait is worth it. :)
Also, PLEASE check out CJ Vidal's channel in the description. His Eternity Cover is so powerful and he deserves so much love for it. GO GIVE HIM JUST THAT!
You have NO idea how much I've missed you omg!!! I've been rewatching your Legend of Legaia, Nier and Drakengard videos last week! Have you played the Suikoden series? Will you make videos of them too??? Sorry I was too excited, don't mind me. 😅
Nice Opening, I really like it.
smt 9 called and demands its recognition
My introduction of Blue Dragon was "Ral Ω Grad."
That smell... I smell... LOST ODYSSEY REVIEW IN 2022 YEAH BOYYYYYYY
My favorite part of Blue Dragon was exploring the world and getting the text "You found Nothing" and shrugging it off only to find a character that will trade you things for "Nothing". It made me feel so good knowing that I was rewarded for all the exploring I did and made me excited to find "Nothing". That was an amazing twist that I will never forget.
That's rad as hell.
I just recently found Blue Dragon at an old game/movie store at my local mall, and thought "oh my God. It does still exist. The Nothing Quest shall be completed" because I had NO idea about the Nothing Quest when I first played it.
“Nothing” sounds like a very powerful tool
I missed out on this game when it was released.
Just got it and the dlcs for like $7.
Thanks for the heads up,
I was starting to think exploring was a waste of time.
This game got me thru a whole deployment to Iraq, bought it on amazon and my 360, I still have the physical game, the 360 got killed in Iraq by the sand
Honestly the best thing in the game is when the party has to go to the Devee village after meeting Marumaru and are dreading a whole village of people just as annoying as him. Then when they get there, everyone just talks like normal and are like “nah he’s just like that”. Then the party thinks that oh it must because he’s a child! So they run into a child Devee and they also talk normal and are like “no really, he’s just like that”. It’s fucking brilliant.
That’s hilarious
Something to always count on with Sakaguchi RPG's is having great humor moments like that
Ha even your explanation is funny.
Loud and ready to go! He my dude❤
Marumaro is him bro
Blue Dragon was probably nothing special for people who’d been playing JRPG’s since the SNES. But as the first JRPG that caught my younger self’s attention with that Dragon Ball Z art style, this thing really captured my imagination back in the day and really started my life long love of JRPG’s. If for nothing else I’ll always appreciate it for that. Also that boss theme absolutely slaps no matter what anyone says.
It was a retro inspired JRPG before it was cool.
@@Chelaxim Dragon Quest: “am I a joke to you?”
It’s not Dragon Balls art style, it’s Akira Toriyama’s, if you really want to attribute it to a series then it’s Dragon Quest’s as it came first
Nah, Blue Dragon's a good game. But it does have a few major issues:
> Characters are kinda boring and the story overal does seem to be aimed at a younger audience.
> On the normal mode, the game is extremely easy. I think the hard difficulty (which you have to download for free, not sure if you still can) was the perfect kind of difficulty for me, but the jump is humongous. It's basically the difference between Very Easy and Very Hard, in classic game's terms.
Outside of those, the game is great. Dungeon design is good, fantastic soundtrack, superb art design and good gameplay and exploration (difficulty from the combat aside, it's a good combat system).
@@Lanoman123 actually no, Dragonball manga came out it 1984. Dragon Quest wasn’t released until 1986.
Boi that new intro clean af 🔥
STARE INTO ETERNITY
I never finished this game but I will always remember the hype/goofy boss battle track that never seems to change.
deep purple vocals + Nobuo Uematsu is pretty awesome
That guitar riff is so addicting tho
Without criticising any prior videos, I just want to say that this one really felt like you ... relaxed... a bit more? Less hard-cut edits for laughs and more sober returning jabs. I never got tired of the dragon screams for example. You may not have vibed with the game super hard, but it really felt like you stepped up the quality of the video itself imo.
I remember thinking Blue Dragon really felt like a good entry lvl jrpg which is something of a lost art as mechanics become more complex and developers seem to think anyone who picks one up has already played a thousand similar games.
Here's why, this reviewer himself knocks it for not being complex despite having a job system. I'm not saying he's wrong.
But I like adventure ones with casual gameplay. Lots of good RPGs with the basics.
@@DSan-kl2ycbut he is wrong. This game has all the classic jrpg elements/story/gameplay, does he know who made this gem? The games a masterpiece and a collab that will NEVER happen again and even better on the XBSX due to the loading time being super reduced. Game was good for its time and aged well. Sorry I just dont agree😅
Definitely remember waking up to watch the anime and I was really shocked how different the story in the game was when I played it. Thanks for bringing back wonderful memories Clemps!
It can be pretty jarring. I remember that It blew my mind as a kid how each shadow could talk and had their own personalities. It also threw me off how there was an additional party member(character) that never showed up in the game.
Kind of want to give the anime another try now since it never saw a conclusion on TV nor Toonami Jetstream in the west.
@@realtime8892 first season (Blue Dragon) is on Hulu. but the second season (Blue Dragon: Trial of the 7 dragons) can probably only be found on RUclips (that's the way i saw the entire series by someone named jirominotaur or something)
Blue Dragon's overworld RT circle where you could fight monsters back to back (and sometimes turn them against each other) was such an amazing feature that I wish more JRPGs used. If nothing else it was a great time saver, and it was very satisfying to watch rival monsters tear each other apart if you were able to combo the correct monsters.
25:52 That is probably why they are given unique forms and actual personalities in the anime adaptation.
Was seriously baffled as I watched the video and the Dragons didn't have any importance or anything at all, while in the anime they just as important as the characters.
@@briansilva3765its was 360 yall forgetting that hard, tech limits adaptation being EXACTLY like the anime. Jus sayin its cool to know they talk in the anime too no way the 360 could of pulled all that off
Lost Odyssey is probably my all time favorite JRPG. The story and characters are great, the battle system is pretty fun, and the small stories you find are amazing little tear-jerkers.
Same company wish they wouldve kept going😢
I was caught so off gaurd by the appearance of nenechi, it was a stroke of genius
I've seen like three filler episodes of the anime and heard the boss theme in Barkley, Shut up and Jam! Gaiden. I feel like that reflects the average experience with Blue Dragon very well.
I have fond memories of watching my dad play this, face scraping every wall of every location once he found out about the Nothing Vendor to find all the "nothings." Beyond that and the boss battle theme, that's really all I remember from this game.
I definitely have very fond memories of playing Blue Dragon and it's two sequel games.
The sequels play a bit differently from the original. The second game, simply called "Blue Dragon Plus" (or "Blue Dragon 2" in some parts of the world) is a strategy RPG. The story made me cry a bit towards the end, and we even get to see old characters join our little group of heros. I remember certain difficulty spikes kicking my ass because my team wasn't leveled up evenly.
The third game was even more different, having a nearly real time like battle system. You play as a personally created character and you can switch your characters' Shadows around to use certain characters' strengths or gain new skills to your character. Your hero character has the ability to "share" their Shadow with the party and can use a wide array of spells and magic. As an example, Jiro mainly uses healing magic, thus a support or healing Shadow suits him well.
shadow hearts has a quick time event gimmick on all moves that never really gets old. I love that series
Oh, that's right.
It does a little more with it if I remember.
Like items or accesories that change the size of the sweet spots or make it so that normal hits count as fails in exchange for better critical hits.
I'm also reminded of Legend of Dragoon's gimmick, with the timed button presses.
Gotta play it...
Ahhh I see you too are a fellow scholar of cultured temprament~
"Eternity - Misheard lyrics" is still one of the best videos on RUclips. Love the soundtrack of this game.
I loved this game and I come back to it every year or two.
Fun fact Game UK use to have an Xbox demo where you can fight an optional boss which was ok or for some unexplained reason the final boss of the game.
You could even download that very same off the US Xbox 360 marketplace. How and why, they decided to put the final boss into the demo is completely and utterly baffling.
Excuse meWUT
Is this another " NES G.I Joe put the ending as the Did Not Press Start Sequence"?
Or were they planning for another Final Boss?
I'm so glad our little Rattie Boy was able to release this in August of the year 2022, and not 2023 as it looked like! Gotta love releasing a video a year early!
I've been starting back up Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey in preparation for these videos--and much like these... I too feel like it's a year past what it is to even do so!
thank you for introducing me to the boss theme, my life from this point onwards will be better
OH MY GOD THIS IS AN AWESOME REVIEW OF BLUE DRAGON!!! I've watched some of the episodes of the anime before playing this game and I was very surprised at how different the game and the anime are from one another. In my opinion I think the voice acting, characters, and story are stronger in the anime but the game has a great level of charm and fun on it's own. I love Blue Dragon. It's one of my favorite Xbox 360 JRPGs. The graphics are beautiful, the gameplay is classic turn-based combat with some twist here and there to spice things up, Akira Toyama's character designs brought into this amazing world is fantastic, the voice acting is fine but Nika Futterman's version of Maro Maro will drive to want to stick a screwdriver in your ears after a while. And last but certainly not least the soundtrack is one of my favorite video game osts of all time. Nobuo Uematsu's score is incredible as always from the light and calming piano tracks to the ABSOLUTELY KICK ASS ROCKIN BOSS THEME OF ETERNITY!!! I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS ETERNITY IS MY JAMMY JAM!!!! Thank you for this wonderful vid Clemps. I hope you get the chance to share your thoughts on other underrated Xbox 360 JRPG hidden gems.
Your editing work and the new intro are all awesome! Blue Dragon could've tightened up some stuff in the animation department, like what if the Shadows actually had different appearances per class you choose for each of the characters? I think that'd be a helpful way to shake things up.
Missed you Clemps.
Thank you for coming back and making content.
You are one of the very few pure joys I have in this world.
I remember playing Blue Dragon when I was a small child. All I could remember was that battle theme where the vocalist sounds like he's having a bit too much fun. Thank you for making this video, nostalgia has once again come to choke slam me into oblivion.
Definitely loving the Clemps Vtuber arc and all the edits. Glad it seems Clemps actually enjoys watching them.
Finally monk clemps returned from his pilgrimage good to have you back dood
The little editing memes are hilarious, especially for nene in this one. I'm cracking up all the time
Always a pleasure Clemps, good show!
A game i hope you cover in this xbox rpg runndown is Phantom Dust
A crimminally underated card based action rpg (although the gameplay is not the simplest so you can see why it underpreformed)
imagine an early 2000 music video but they smack each other around with their decks (that should not work but somehow does)
or Kindomhearts Chain of memmories except not Plutopoop
How exciting 😀 and very timely for me, as I'm finally able to play these exclusives now. I started with Blue Dragon (instantly fell in love 💘) and am soaking up this video. 🤗
Thank you so much!! I'm so excited to cover Lost Odyssey aswell, I'm only 15 hours in but I'm already reminded why I loved it! 😭
@@Clemps I'm absolutely stoked you're doing this. LO is the next one on my list after BD.
I hope you end up loving it! Every monster design is like a work of art and it makes me cry like a baby at multiple parts 😂
Going from Legend of Legaia's Rim Elm's theme straight into ETERNITY then back to Rim Elm is quite the audio whiplash I should've been prepared for
Good review, Clemps. Personally, I couldn't get into Blue Dragon but I really appreciate you going into depth about the story and gameplay .
I am enjoying all the Vtuber shout outs/ jokes in the recent stuff, Clemps. I very much relate to losing brain hard drive space to that world.
In the anime, the shadows have their own personality, intelligence and free will.
I played this recently and it's one of the best jrpgs I've played in a while. This and The Cruxis Sword.
Then you need to play more JRPGs if you honestly consider this one of the best you played in a while because there are much, much better JRPGs out there.
@@okagronoh no they like something, you are probably a blast to be around
I can see you put a lot of effort into your videos, man! They look and feel great to watch. Well done!
Wow coming back to this video after Xenoblade 3 makes the use of the "I love you and all you guys" really funny though not in the intended way
You're gosh darn right we want you to play the sequel Clemps. Do make me get my yellow cleaning gloves.
Jesus Christ. That Jiro introduction of yours. Brilliant.
Been looking forward to this so much, I feel like I'm the only person I know who not only played but finished it. People knew about it but I swear I've never seen anyone else in my general circles own this. I always told people it was like someone found a lost solid B+ Super Nintendo era JRPG and went full on with an HD remake of it, era specific shortcomings included. Can't wait for the rest of the Mistwalker catalog
0:00 This is the beginning
7:09 Here's where it all gets started
I've been waiting to make this joke since you announced the video
Blue dragon is one of those games I think about from my childhood that I still think about to this day
man i love your content clemps. especially with the cozy maplestory background music. a man of great taste!
Finally got around to watching this, fantastic video as always! The Elira part got me big time LOL
Marumarus voice attracted my cat although she was several rooms away 😆
you forgot to mention that the bar for that boost in power also reduces the mp cost of spells and abilities. This is crucial for managing your mp since your mp goes quick
This was well worth the wait. I completely agree, to younger me who had lower standards with storytelling and plots, this game was great. Didn't need a big complicated story, just needed the villain and to be told to go get him. Same with the town plots, like the one with a barrier stopping people leaving and thus, you need to figure out how to bring it down whilst trying to convince the town you're not an agent of evil they need to fear, or the spooky hospital inhabited by ghosts. Just enough to tide me over. Agreed with world building, i loved hearing about the ancients and how they fell but that was also the history/mythology nerd in me geeking out about that kind of story-telling. Very solid review bud! Your edits were fantastic! :D
This was my first game for the 360, and I repurchased it for my Xbox S. Can’t wait to go down memory lane
I love your takes on reviews being much more forgiving and honest about a game than other "reviewers" on RUclips. In addition, I love self-deprecating humor finding myself more interested in what you say and not feeling blind praise or hatred with your take on a game.
another awesome vid!!! Love waiting a while and banking clemps vids then watching them all in 1 go :3
This game came with my 360 along with Halo 3. I spent hours on this. Loved it!
Blue dragon was one of my first games I played and remember playing and to this day still one of my favorites
This game’s NG+ is still by far one of the hardest NG+ ive ever played and overall one of the hardest games ive played (NG+ specifically, i cant stress this enough)
Thanks for making this video! I feel like I haven’t seen anyone talk about blue dragon in years
Blue dragon is a core piece of my childhood. One of the first massive jrpgs I ever had the chance we to play. To this day, I will pull it out and do a playthrough in roughly the span of a week. Looking forward to what you have to say Clemps
One thing that really elevates this game for me, and something I'm really sad to see you didn't cover, is the sheer creativity and variety in monster designs for combat - the actual mechanics, not the visuals (which I also like). Elemental weaknesses aren't just extra damage, some enemies soften in water, water will short out machines but also cool some of them down allowing them to spam stronger attacks. The monster battles are also way more involved that just "monster A kills monster B". The fire and ice ghost wolves in the hospital near the start of the game will attack each other, stripping their elements and turning them into the regular wolf ghosts. I don't think I've ever played a JRPG with better boss design either.
Blue Dragon isn't anything special, but it's an exeptionally well crafted game nontheless.
I think that Lost Odyssey's story is miles ahead of Blue Dragon's for sure, but it lacks a lot of the creativity in mechanics.
This^. If gameplay was all that mattered Blue Dragon would be the best JRPG of all time because the sheer variety of enemy interactions like that is unmatched. Unfortunately for BD Story is king in JRPG land so Lost Odyssey is the real GOAT.
this made me wanna reinstall it and give it another shot, only played for a few mins.enemies softening in water sounds cool lol
@@GodOfOrphans I don’t agree that story is what matters most in an RPG. The handheld Pokémon games (before the Switch) were some of my favorites and the stories in those games were always paper thin.
@@rpgnut5897 True but Pokemon games are kinda their own beast.
@@GodOfOrphans They follow the structure of JRPGs to a tee. Just because they don't put an emphasis on story doesn't mean they aren't JRPGs. They're much closer to traditional JRPGs then something like Live a Live, most modern FF games or the Xenoblade franchise.
It's fine to have an opinion but don't act like some games "don't count" based on some non-existent rules.
Loved BD growing up as it was my first JRPG, randomly thought of it the other day and ripped it x.x
Fantastic video Clemps! Really excited to see your videos on these XBOX exclusive JRPG's as I know little to nothing about them. Whilst I was in the same boat growing up with an XBOX 360 console, the only JRPG's I played on there was the Final Fantasy 13 Trilogy. Hope you are doing well, thanks for always putting a smile on my face with your personality and content 🤗
The supposed lack of JRPGs on the 360 is grossly exaggerated.
Blue Dragon, Infinite Undiscoverery, Zoids Assault,Magna Carta 2,Spectral Force 3,Operation Darkness, and Lost Odyssey were exclusive.
Tales of Vesperia, Star Ocean The Last Hope, Eternal Sonata, and Enchanted Arms were on the 360 orginally.
Nier,Phantasy Star Universe, Resonance of Fate,The Last Remnant, Record of Agarest War, Record of Agarest War Zero,Vandal Hearts Flames of Judgement, Final Fantasy XI,Final Fantasy XIII,Final Fantasy XIII-2, Lightning Returns Final Fantasy XIII,Dark Souls and Dark Souls were multi platform day one.
Not even talking about the games that never left Japan.
People talk about the system as if it had hardly any JRPGs when you actually could make a top 25 list.
Getting some big nostalgia watching this. Was at the tail end of college when this came out and being a JRPG junkie I was pretty hyped. Ended up having a very similar opinion, the exploration and such was fun and addictive but I could barely remember a thing about the plot. Something about JRPGs this gen has always captivated me, like how they were still very much rooted in the past but also striving to move forward without having a clear idea how to do so completely. One of my favorite titles of the era is The Last Remnant (which thankfully is readily available on modern hardware so no need to dig up my old 360 copy) and it had a lot in common with Blue Dragon but felt more fleshed out.
Brethren, you are good at this! I appreciate you.
5:23-5:35
Clemps: "And they'd push *very* hard to make this IP it's own franchise. Spawning multiple sequels, toy lines, and an entire anime series, which for some people is the only way they knew about Blue Dragon."
Me: *Raises hand while slamming his hand on bed repeatedly* "ME!! I'M ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO GOT INTO BLUE DRAGON VIA ANIME!!"
I remember watching this show on Saturday mornings as a kid on Cartoon Network, then I rewatched when I was a little older I binged the entire show during the summer and I *loved* every second of it. Kirk Thorton's Minotaur gives me so much life! Always wanted to play the game, surprised how much the different the story and some of the characters are from both the game and anime.
Another reason I wanted to play this game was from the soundtrack. They even used some tracks in the anime and I have the entire OST on my phone.
Top ten greatest boss themes of all time:
1: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu
2: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu
3: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu
4: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu
5: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu
6: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu
7: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu
8: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu
9: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu
10: Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu
jesus christ the guy from deep purple sang this
That was first thing i meet about this game and lisen to today!
Super Nenechi! Fun videoo as always Clemps, all the vtuber clips are pretty perfectly used.
I unfortunately missed out on both Blue Dragon as well as Lost Odyssey when I was a teenager. However, I recently decided to try playing them on Xenia (I finally finished up tales of Xillia 1 and 2 on RPCS3 and decided to take the plunge). I couldn't decide which to play first, so I essentially asked my kids to pick for me, and of course they landed on Blue Dragon because of anime style animation. So far I've had a blast, I'm so glad that emulation exists or I likely never would have gotten to play these lost treasures!
Actually the first JRPG for Xbox 360 was Enchanted Arms which released a few months prior to Blue Dragon
I love your stuff so much. its apparent how much care you put into them!
7:31 i was only half paying attention when i paused on this timecode, i look back on my other screen and see HIM
This was a fantastic video Clemps and YES I love to see you cover the next game!
Wonderful video that was so well versed and articulated
39:10
You got it, Prince Faris. Lol
The 360 in the early days was crazy!!! It had infinite undiscovery, blue dragon, lost odyssey, Tales of vesperia all as 360 exclusives at the time. Not just that but eternal sonata, star ocean 4, nier. I totally get if your into RPGs Sony is the place to go but the 360 had something for everyone and they had plenty of experiences for rpg folk!
The PS3 was awful for JRPG's. It has the best version of some JRPG's, but I can't even think of a single great exclusive JRPG it has (exclusive to the PS3 at the time of release).
@@thenonexistinghero It's up to the individual I guess on what they are interested in. For me Ni No Kuni, Valkyria Chronicels, Tales of Xillia 1,2 where some of the things that interested me. Plus it had a bunch of not perfect but interesting games like Guided fate paradox, awakened fate Ultimatum, Atelier, the Disgaea games. Allot of fun distractions but certainly not perfect. Ni no kuni, Valkyria chronicles and the tales of games where why I got a PS3 personally. I get it depends on your taste in games though.
@@jayvman1311 Ni No Kuni was never a PS3 exclusive, the original is a DS game (but the PS3 version did add content I guess). Tales of Xillia 1 and 2 are generally seen as some of the wordt Tales games. Tales of Vesperia came on the Xbox 360 first and Graces came on the Wii first, both of which are generally considered to be better Tales games.
All things said, there's not a whole lot of PS3-exclusive JRPG's that really impressed. The era sucked for JRPG's in general, but I'd argue that no PS3-exclusive JRPG (exclusive at the time of release) competes with Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey.
Blessed, I remember playing the ds spinoff/sequel Blue Dragon+, had a great time even though I had no context for the events that happened in the game story. Glad to see my favorite E-goblin take a look at it.
yesss, I needed a clempsy to listen to while I did some levelling for my weapons in drakengard!!
I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE!
This was my dragon quest Persona!
that's who should of been microsoft's rep
these guys, could you imagine them in smash?
XD
Of all of Toriyama's contributions to gaming, I feel Blue Dragon shows off his spectacular mechanical designs the most.
Three seconds is NOT enough to stop the video! You'll be hearing from my lawyer!!!
I have been hoping someone would talk about this game for YEARS. It's a delightfully charming little RPG, nothing too complex, but very much a simple meal we'll made. Plus that boss theme.
Blue dragon was ahead of it's time i remember you could overheat machine enemies with fire attacks that was so cool to me and have never seen anything like it in a jrpg since
This was my first JRPG as a kid, in a household that only had an Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. I remember loving it at probably 10 years old and the first game (besides Pokemon) that I completed
It would be cool to have videos of the sequels too.
The gameplay is adequate in my opinion
The final boss theme is also just super good. I don't care what anyone says, having a slow buildup chorus lead into a fast-paced song in Latin about how fucked you are is always great final boss material.
I remember this game as a kid for a lot of thing. Many things that people have already pointed out in the comments. However, the thing that makes me love this game is the fact that it made me more open to playing JRPGs and end up loving them. I remember trying a few as a kid and just being confused by something or just not understanding how to play. Somehow Blue Dragon kept my attention enough to continue to keep playing. Idk if it had something to do with Toriyama's artstyle or the music or something, but I'll always be fond of this forgotten gem. Too bad I might never be able to play it again as I don't own an Xbox console of any kind. I'd also like to point out that as a kid, I don't think I ever really knew how the mechanics worked. Still love it though.
Edit because I think this might be something some people don't know, but at 19:56 the character you're talking to Toripo is actually Toriyama's self insert who's also referred to as Toribot. I just thought it was cute that they put Toriyama in the game through Toribot.
A great funny review sir! I forgot about the boss music, it rules!
I love how Nene is basically Demon King Piccolo in more ways than just the looks.
Awesome vid and stellar edits as usual, thank you Clemps! ❤
The boss theme for this game lives rent free in my mind to this day
FINALLY. LOST ODYSSEY IS COMING. It's been over a decade since I've played it, never beat it, but I remember plenty of it. Immortals, the mage dude being voiced by a semi-famous stand up comedian, and the dreams. THE DREAMS. Think that's the first time I legit became a sobbing mess over a video game and it wasn't even the main plot.
Good luck Clemps, and can't wait!
When I first got to the part where the world split into cubes I thought I'd have to explore a bunch of them, only to get the one. Guess that's the sequel hook.
On another note, until earlier this year I had always assumed the different VAs between the game and anime was just a dub thing, but turns out the JP cast is different between the two too. Except Zola, who has the same English VA for both.
And for a final tidbit, in addition to the anime, there was also a manga in WSJ with art by Obata Takeshi of Death Note fame. The manga has basically no relation aside from the core concept of using shadows. Showed a bit of potential but towards the end the axe rush hits, yet still an interesting read.
Was it axed? I thought it was just a short spinoff to promote the game
As much as I like that boss theme on it's own, it made me drop the game on the SECOND boss fight cause I couldn't stand how extremely high energy it was in comparison to the sleep inducing combat
Just found your channel thanks to this video and tbe positive talk around Lost Odyssey meant I immediately subscribed. Cannot wait for the video on that, LO is tied as my favourite game of all time with FFX.
The story is fantastic.
The music is beautiful.
The Thousand Years of Dreams, specifically Hanna's Departure is masterfully done, always chokes me up and my god THAT ONE SCENE with a certain character, was heartbreaking. I haven't played it since I was 15, I turn 30 this year and I STILL get emotional even just remembering the scene. Unashamedly, that moment made me cry. It was just flawlessly executed and I did not see it coming. God I fvcking love that game. Nobuo Uematsu KILLED IT with tbe soundtrack, the first two notes of Parting Forever immediately brings it all flooding back, I can't even. How can something I played a decade and a half ago STILL affect me this much? I could gush for hours about LO. I would love to try my hand at a retrospective for the game one say.
Great video, gonna binge your other content whilst eagerly awaiting the LO one!
This was one of the first RPGs I ever played I totally forgot about it until I saw your video It really makes me wanna revisit it and give it another try
When I hit the first boss and that music started I busted out laughing, but it does grow on you
I'm excited at the possibility of you doing a deep dive into the Wii's The Last Story. It's by no means the best JRPG ever, but it's such an interesting little game that really doesn't get talked about much.
It’s better then Xenoblade Chronicles which isn’t really saying much. I never really liked XC 1.
I actually remember loving Final Fantasy the Spirits Within. As a child, but all the same I very much liked it and what I took as the message
I'm late and didn't watch the video yet, but this new Clemps intro is so insanely cute!! Just snappy and wacky and such a mood.
I remember playing this game, hearing the boss music, and thinking "So this is the future of JRPG battle music!"... and not quite getting the same feeling since.
So many editing sight gags. I love it.
The final boss designs scream Toriyama. I appreciate the video I didn't have an Xbox so its cool to see JRPGs that aren't super common
This was probably my favourite game on the 360. I still enjoy it to this day
Enchanted Arms though (stares at the title menacingly)