SupermanSam6:
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Ezilylost13 says:
"Why don't I like Fallout 3? I just am not getting into it. I'm about 4 hours in and I'm supposed to be looking for a radio station. I am taking my time, doing some exploring and really trying to enjoy it. While I'm playing though, all I can think about is wanting to play something else."
Posted on: Sep 03, 2008
Infinite Undiscovery
WORDS BY: Francesca Reyes
Pop in Infinite Undiscovery, and for its first hour or so, there’d be absolutely no hard feelings if you simply told the game to politely “talk to the hand.” After all, it has no one to blame but itself. You’re dumped into an ogre-chase tutorial right at the start — complete with misbehaving camera, wonky sheathe/unsheathe resting/battle mechanics, dodgy voice-acting that never sounds natural, and a follow-up darkened-forest dungeon that may drive lesser RPG fans mad. Really, there’s no excuse for this type of RPG-lover abuse.
But if you’re determined to see how deep the rabbit hole goes in tri-Ace’s real-time battlin’, doppelganger-themed, risk-taking roleplaying shindig, be assured that all that digging coughs up some mighty juicy rewards. Just know, that spade is going to get a helluva workout.
First off, remember all that talk about being able to juke enemies in the dark by throwing them off your scent with dropped fruit? Or those exploding barrels that you can target to break down barriers or damage enemies? Both were loudly trumpeted in preview coverage, then exploited in Inf nite Undiscovery’s first hour. But beyond the game’s first few hours, neither plays a crucial role in the game.
And thank god — both are aggravating exercises that slap big bull’s-eyes on two of Infinite’s more cumbersome weaknesses: a finicky, not-safe-for-close-quarters camera and the game’s insistence that you need to manually sheathe your weapon to explore, then unsheathe it for battle. Swapping between the two in hairy situations often leads to shouting matches with your TV — “Why won’t you DO what I WANT?!” — until the process becomes ingrained later on.
In fact, the laundry list of missteps and obstacles doesn’t end after the first initial hours. Quality-wise, the voice acting remains scattershot; some dungeons need more save points; there’s way too much backtracking through only a handful of hub-like environments with little direction from the game; and one of the JRPG genre’s most stubbornly stock elements, the warp-filled dungeon, makes a guest appearance in the jungle-fied Cobasna Timberlands — a time-sink Sisyphean nightmare that forces you to repeatedly wander its maddening maze of deflectors and warps. Argh.
But whether or not it’s an acute case of Stockholm Syndrome, Infinite kept us absolutely enthralled through all its tough-love antics. The bulk of the credit goes to its wholeheartedly sincere and driving tale — the journey of a young nobody named Capell who stumbles into the doppelganger role of the people’s hero, Lord Sigmund. They look exactly alike, and both possess a wholly unique skill for breaking chains linking the Earth to the moon (placed by the nefarious Order of Chains). Thing is, they’ve never met before and their personalities couldn’t be more different. Who is Capell? Why does he have these talents? And what is his greater purpose?
This whole setup would fall apart completely if the red-headed Capell weren’t so freakin’ likeable. It helps that despite the fumbling voice-acting, each character’s lines — as well as the story itself — are well-written. Every new discovery pulls you deeper into the mysteries and personalities that keep Infinite Undiscovery so involving. It’s Capell’s rocky development and unfailing charm, plus the inventiveness of the game’s story-telling mechanics — characters constantly earn quirky new titles; occasional multiple-choice conversations; plenty of surprising twists, turns, and side-quests — that ultimately rewards serious JRPG-aholics willing to tough out Infinite’s rough patches for the sake of an incredibly well-told tale and tri-Ace’s brave step in a challenging new take on the genre. Only the very, very serious in need of a good challenge should apply — but the payoff is tremendous.
On Xbox 360
- Capell is such a likeable hero.
- "Situation Bonus" and other sweet surprises.
- Backtracking-tastic; Cobasna Timberlands is ninth ring of hell; so-so voice-acting.
- Is this game even possible on Infinity difficulty? Yeesh!
Mon, 09/08/2008 - 19:35
Posted by Francesca OXM
Hey DGA:
I can totally understand your hesitance on IU. I can't wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who isn't hooked on JRPGs to begin with -- I don't know if that came through in the text of the review. It's really just for people who: A) have the $60 and are looking for a JRPG after getting through the much, much superior Tales of Vesperia; B) are willing to tough out some of the really rough barriers of IU to get at the meat, which to me was the storyline.
I know I probably shouldn't point to another publication's review of this game -- but I think that 1up.com did a fantastic job laying out the pros and cons of the game if you need a second opinion. I can see someone really HATING this game -- it certainly does itself no favors. But I found myself completely suckered by the storyline and by Capell's gradual development. I've read some other reviews that called the storyline amateur and the dialog idiotic -- and maybe it can be taken that way, sure. I didn't.
I would say rent this one though. Get through the first 5-7 hours and see if you hate it. I hated the first few hours, then slowly got drawn in. If it doesn't click with you, then I'd say skip it. It really is a love it or "meh" it game.
But don't skip Vesperia, if you like JRPGs -- that one's a crowd pleaser for sure.
Thu, 09/04/2008 - 17:43
Posted by dgabbott
Hi Casey - I agree with you that TH "wasn't that great." I liked it, but it had some pretty glaring flaws, namely - the camera is broken. I wasn't posting my previous message to sound off about how it's so amazing, or to demand that it be re-scored. Overall, it was an OK game and got OK scores.
I had been simply intending to state that the same types of flaws seemed to have counted for more there, than here.
With that said, I do love JRPGs myself and will be checking this game out soon. I hope that, as Fran said, the story is enough to make dealing with the flaws worthwhile.
Thu, 09/04/2008 - 16:30
Posted by Casey OXM
I haven't played Infinite yet (obviously) but I can vouch for the Too Human score, it just wasn't that great. There were some very decent things about it, but for the first three worlds/levels/missions whatever you call them, it was essentially the same game. The enemies were the same, Cyberspace was retarded and the story was meh. I will say I really liked the fourth world/level, at least compared to the grind of those first three. Even the end of the story was a yawn, albiet a more satisfying yawn than the first three worlds induced. That and I felt no connection, empathy or care for Baldur after spending 12 hours+ in his shoes. He was an emotional void and was about as engaging as a pile of busted Conflict Denied Ops game discs. Perhaps Infinite's story and characters make up for its weaknesses. I get the impression Fran thought so.
Thu, 09/04/2008 - 15:05
Posted by dgabbott
I feel that I have to call shenanigans on this score. Some of the main issues that Francesca had with the game were more or less the same complaints that the reviewer had for "Too Human" - wonky/broken camera, and frustrating mechanics. Yet the scores are so widely different. 6.5 for Too Human - 8.0 for Infinite. Metacritic scores are 6.6 and 7.2 respectively. I am using Metacritic because that is what Dan used to back up the TH score/review.
It seems that the general populace agrees on TH, but not so much here.
The most redeming factor listed is that 'it gets better', and that it has a good story...
I know that scores are reviewed by committee at OXM, but I also know that Fran loves JRPGs. Do you think that that love weighed a little heavily here?
Thu, 09/04/2008 - 08:52
Posted by Casey OXM
God, I want to give this a whirl, but I just started Tales of Vesperia.
What's your recommendation Fran? If you had to pick one of these fine JRPG's to play through during the pre-holiday march towards the impending wallet-apocolypse, would you go Tales or Infinite?
Thu, 09/04/2008 - 05:25
Posted by Mitch OXM
Each of those cons makes me die inside a little.
Thu, 09/04/2008 - 00:02
Posted by bahama mama
Sorry but my game list wallet is full for September.Star Wars TFU, Spore, and (game only) Rock Band 2. Not to mention all the games in Oct. and Nov. 2007 best year of gaming? Puhleeze!