Hey guys. Today I will be going over the worst game I have. This is quite a challenge for me since most of my stuff is triple A or decent.In the end, I though I'd disect Square Enix's
Yup.
Alright, for starters, we have this teenager who gets thrust into yet another war. The story revolves around items called Remnants. Items coming in many forms with various powers and adverse effects as accessories, weapons and, well, the last one is a spoiler.
The plotline is generic but is enough for those who have plenty of free time to see through to.
The characters, well, we have a bit to talk about here.
Lets start with the main shall we?
Rush Sykes is a filial teenager who's priority is family, hence his strong conviction to look after his sister. He (through the player) can learn skill in the game. That is basically all there is to him, along with the stereotypical idiot hero trope (definition found at
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IdiotHero)
The rest or the Characters don't really have that much to talk about. Generic, typical and for the most part uninteresting. Lord David has some good points though, but that's till you play the game. However, the more interesting backstories are from the hire-able generals. Speaking of which, comes the combat system.
This is where things start to fall apart.
Combat is described as a cross between a tactical JRPG and turn based strategy where your allowed a number of troops with a limited number of total generals (lifted in the PC version) and hirelings with various statistics. How you build your army is key to winning. However, due to-
long load times
limited interactivity during combat
lag (even on a 360)
technical issues
low frame rate
graphical hiccups
Long winded boss fights
Lack of appropriate save options before big fights.
If it lags on a console,then something is very, very wrong. Last Remnant is the only game I know that will lag no matter what system you play it on. To the extent that high res graphics will only load seconds after the area loads. This game in a lot of areas falls short of being a triple A. This would definitely (to me) earn the penguin award for a combat system that almost worked.
Another point where this game didn't sit well with the majority is the need to grind. Grinding is basically doing the same redo-able quest or hunting the most experience carrying monster / profitable area again and again for the sole purpose of leveling up. This game is meant for only calloused hardcore JRPG fans who are no stranger to grinding for hours.
Weapon and character designs are redeeming factors though. Graphical quality as a whole meets the bar for a Square Enix game.
The soundtrack is decent, but not exactly memorable. The track during battle is dependent on the encounter type. Run of the mill monsters or bosses have different tracks to fight to, only difference is that the boss track switches to a separate track when the boss is on low health. Still, the sounds mesh well with what is going on but doesn't really hook you.
However, concerning free roaming through towns, why build a large landscape when we are only allowed to travel a straight path way?
I digress.
Overall, here's what I have to say.
Graphics 7.0
Plotline 5.0
Gameplay 6.0
Music 6.0
Overall 6.0
Last Remnant had potential as a franchise, however, some things could have been more thought through. The PC release was better received but it failed to make the mark. Given more time to refine the combat system and technical glitches and freezes, this game would have been a gem in my collection instead of collecting dust on the side.
Well, there we go, my worst game ever played.
Till next time.
Stryke
