Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

Definitely looks interesting. I'm downloading the demo to give it a try.

 

This game is great!

 

This game reminds me a lot of Kingdom Hearts for some reason.

 

Edit

 

I've heard it is amazing, I will have to pick it up soon.

 

Everywhere's been sold out since it released on Friday

But that gave me time to finish Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance and Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner

 

http://wolvieboy.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch-review/

Here's my review of the game.

 

Fantastic game. Easily the best jrpg this gen IMO.

 

I'm playing the game here and there. I think I'm like 15 hours in. Some thoughts

+ Great cel-shaded 720p graphics.
+ Good soundtrack. Nothing I'd want to listen to outside the game though.
+ The world map is a good. Your characters are really tiny on it though.
+ I like most of the concept of the battle system. With one big exception...
- ...Oh my is the friendly AI terrible. No matter what option I set it to. I've seen (too many times) my poor partner not even throw out one of their familiars in battle and just run around like a complete idiot and battling poorly until I go in and manually take over. Or if the option not to use abilities is set, they just burn through all their MP after one or two battles. Does the partner AI play defensively when a big attack is signaled to be coming up? Nope, I haven't seen it happen. Ugh. I think I'm going to have to get the mindset of grinding EXP from easier battles just to compensate for the bad AI.
- My familiar got stuck underneath one of the bosses and despite it being set to attack, it just sat there and did nothing and couldn't get out.
o Story is rolled out really slowly, but it's decent. Not enough for a final verdict.
o I wish I could praise how challenging it is, but a lot of it I've experienced thus far is for all the wrong reasons.
o I wish Dragon Quest IX was on a console and was like the way this game is presented. The DS game was a step down from VIII and was really bland. Level 5 also developed those games.

 

I got the game because it is Studio Ghibli. Ended up adoring it completely. It definitely has the endearing charm you need to stick with such a game. Spent more hours with it then GTA V so far.

 

I think I'm extra harsh (though it deserved it) just coming off of playing through Tales of Xillia, Namco's other big RPG release of 2013. The difference in the quality of companion AI is enormous, and the player can tailor the AI in ToX if the player feels the need with far more options.

But the graphics and soundtrack and map are better in NNK:WOTWW (ToX was a 2011 PS3 Japanese release) Though I would've liked more voice acted dialogue than what I've seen so far. It does have an endearing quality about the overall presentation.

 

All right I beat Ni No Kuni and all the optional post-game quests.

Eventually I adjusted to the less than stellar AI, and you're given two very basic options to play offensive and defensive AI later than I was before (should have been introduced sooner).

It was a good experience. The pacing at the beginning was a little rough in hindsight though. It satisfied my need for a Dragon Quest type console game for the time being.

 

My girlfriend lent me her copy and while I've only played about an hour or so, I really have to say that I'm enjoying this and look forward to getting to play some more.

 

Picked this game up the other day. It's an absolute blast. I also love that (like your typical JRPG) while it is rather lengthy. But, unlike most, it manages to almost never feel padded.