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Octopath Traveler Review Thread

Bosh

Bosh

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,226
DMVfan123 said:
What the hell is wrong with y'all? 84 Meta is a great score! I swear, exclusives make people on this site insane
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Seriously, this thread is commical the way people are going at it from either angle. Not every game is going to be "best game of all time". The reviews say the game is either good/decent. I am not getting it right away , my rpg backlog is far to large, but I would be happy to see mid 80 scores if I was a dev.

Playing the demo for 3 hours should easily give a user good feelings if they will enjoy the game or not. Reviewers are just stating how they felt after playing the game.

Tfritz said:
Maybe reviewers should add "IMO" to the beginning and end of each sentence.
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If the reader didn't know that already I think they might have a bigger problem haha
 
Nights

Nights

Member
Oct 27, 2017
866
This is making me glad I preordered. So glad that apparently it's supposed to be coming today rather than tomorrow, along with Capitan Todd and the Splatoon 2 Pack Amiibos.


............. Unfortunately around the time my post delivers packages I have a doctors appointment so I won't be home. So I might not be able to get them a day early anyway. :c
 
Hecht

Hecht

Blue light comes around
Administrator
Oct 24, 2017
9,736
Can't wait to finally get this downloaded

I also wish Metacritic would get nuked from orbit
 
jschreier

jschreier

Press Sneak Fuck
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
1,099
Nihilistic Monk said:
Hmm, gamespot review says boss battles can take 30 minutes. Kotaku review says if you make one mistake on a turn in a boss battle you will probably loose? That sounds extremely difficult. Like... more than I was expecting to at least clear the main story. I'll have to think about this.

I don't mind a challenge, but I don't want to loose nearly an hours worth of time if I fuck up...
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I've never had a boss battle take that long. Maybe if you're not taking advantage of weaknesses?
 
Lump

Lump

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,047
I'm glad there was a 3 hour demo of this game for me to know it's a must-play by my tastes. I might've passed or waited until I forgot about it if I just went by reviews.
 
Owl

Owl

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,155
California
So reddit is saying the post game is likely gated behind sidequests. That would make sense since it seems no reviewer has heard that final battle theme yet even though there are some big hints that there is a final area to go to. Looks like something we'll probably not know until we get our hands on it ourselves. I remember the rush of getting a review out has hampered some other jrpg's scores as well since the genre often offers a lot outside the main story. It's just not a genre you should be rushing.
 
Totakeke

Totakeke

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,676
Owl said:
So reddit is saying the post game is likely gated behind sidequests. That would make sense since it seems no reviewer has heard that final battle theme yet even though there are some big hints that there is a final area to go to. Looks like something we'll probably not know until we get our hands on it ourselves. I remember the rush of getting a review out has hampered some other jrpg's scores as well since world building is often helped outside of the main story, though it takes time. It's just not a genre you should be rushing.
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Are we sure most of those tracks are not just the tracks of the bosses at the shrines? The guy posting videos from gamefaqs already has all four jobs without beating the main game.
 
Seth_M

Seth_M

Editor Man
Verified
Oct 30, 2017
10
There is an area with a level 58 danger rating. I was not able to so much as survive a battle with my party, with only one character over level 50 and the others in the mid to upper 40s. It's just there. I found it on my own exploring. You can see on the map where places are, and when you find them they get an icon over them.
 
Owl

Owl

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,155
California
Totakeke said:
Are we sure most of those tracks are not just the tracks of the bosses at the shrines? The guy posting videos from gamefaqs already has all four jobs without beating the main game.
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It's hard to keep track but I'm pretty sure someone has battled them (but wasn't able to beat them yet) said that the final battle track didn't play during it. Maybe as a 2nd phase of one of those boss battles, but it just seems very odd to me that you have those high level shrines that unlock what they unlock, and not have a final dungeon to really make use of it.
 
BorkBork

BorkBork

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,725
Totakeke said:
That's still a fairly big disconnect that can be described by nothing less than "weird", which is also what it can be described by now.
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If the game acknowledged the character self-insertions into another's story that might be fine and even fun, but yeah, it would require a deft touch and a lot of connective dialogue. Maybe they wanted to do that and realized how much work it would be and just abandoned the pretense after the initial bit? No idea.
 
Ex-Psych

Ex-Psych

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,321
Cant wait to get this game in my hands.

Reviewed better than FFXV and Xenoblade 2 and I adored those games.
 
Menx64

Menx64

Member
Oct 30, 2017
5,774
I dont understand why people look for an aggregate number as a way to measure how much they will like a game. Try the demo guys. Read the reviewers you trust the most, dont just look at the numbers.
 
Balfour

Balfour

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,550
arbitrary number ratings are for people who do not actually want to read the reviews

read. watch videos. play demos if available. Form your own opinion

quit arguing of reviews
 
Maxina

Maxina

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
3,308
It's always funny how toxic people can be when it comes to game reviews. I look back at another game in a similar genre, Persona 5, that was met with universal acclaim. Nowadays, whenever a Persona 5 thread pops up, a good chunk of the comments claim Persona 3 or 4 were better games than 5, or that 5 dragged on too long and killed the enjoyment for many fans/newcomers alike.

I wonder when all is said and done, where the discussion for this game will go.
 
Nothing

Nothing

Member
Oct 30, 2017
2,095
Winterreise said:
Withholding final judgement until I can play through it, but between this and his XC2 review I really have to question why Jason Schreier is reviewing JRPGs for Kotaku? I can appreciate an against-the-grain review, but he seems extremely down on both games when most others are not, and for reasons that seem to be summed up mostly by "it's a JRPG."
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That is an interesting question. I think a lot of the issue surrounds the idea that Jason has become the de facto "jrpg guy reviewer". He proudly proclaims Final Fantasy 6 and Suikoden II to be two of his favorite game of all time, so lots of people have chosen to identify with him. They are then taken aback when he trashes new games like XC2 and OT. That, and just reading through these threads, it is obvious that people have become too invested in him, his feelings, and his opinions, for better or worse. Thankfully, I can separate the two and take his negative reviews for what they are, and that is a critical cross-examination of the shortcomings of these games. Which I also find to be very helpful.
 

Deleted member 4090

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
9,053
Call me YHWH said:
I haven't been following since embargo came up. What are they?
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The names of the songs that were ???? at the end of the OST correspond to some super major plot elements that were speculated about during the demo, a plot point raised in multiple characters stories, and a some other things that are slightly spoilerific. And Nintendo said before launch, and in review notes, that there is something postgame that requires beating the 8 arcs and some of the side quests.

I'm willing to go all in with a ban bet, at this point (they aren't really allowed anymore, but whatever).
 

Deleted member 5535

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
13,656
I bought the game weeks ago so it's not like the reviews matter to me but nice to see either way.

And Jason's review proves me yet again that our taste on JRPG are completely different since I loved Xenoblade 2, hated Ni no Kuni 2 and loved Octopath Traveler entire demo.
 
Call me YHWH

Call me YHWH

Member
Oct 26, 2017
724
Maxina said:
It's always funny how toxic people can be when it comes to game reviews. I look back at another game in a similar genre, Persona 5, that was met with universal acclaim. Nowadays, whenever a Persona 5 thread pops up, a good chunk of the comments claim Persona 3 or 4 were better games than 5, or that 5 dragged on too long and killed the enjoyment for many fans/newcomers alike.

I wonder when all is said and done, where the discussion for this game will go.
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A lot of that has to do with the prerelease hype, and people investing entirely too much significance in personalities on the internet that they admire/consume the content of. It becomes a personal thing and it's either ride or die. Then when the hype has died down and people are a little more clear-headed, they start to actually consider the flaws and talk about the game a little more critically.

Neoweee said:
The names of the songs that were ???? at the end of the OST correspond to some super major plot elements that were speculated about during the demo, a plot point raised in multiple characters stories, and a some other things that are slightly spoilerific. And Nintendo said before launch, and in review notes, that there is something postgame that requires beating the 8 arcs and some of the side quests.

I'm willing to go all in with a ban bet, at this point (they aren't really allowed anymore, but whatever).
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I hope against all hope that you're right. I don't really mind if there is or isn't but I love the idea that there's something significant buried in the game. MGS V and XVI burned me too badly to believe.
 
Serious Sam

Serious Sam

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,354
Metascore looks good, exactly what I was expecting based on two demos. This is just another case of ERA getting swept up in unreasonable hype and all of that hype blew up in the face on review day.
 
Nothing

Nothing

Member
Oct 30, 2017
2,095
adam prime said:
Yeah... his complaints do seem mostly like "its a JPRG". I mean do FFV or VI or VII dungeons really get complex? Don't they follow the same structure: Explore Town > Dunegon > Boss > Story Event > Repeat ?

That's pretty much how "old school" JRPGs worked. Can someone provide a counter example? I mean even the beloved Chrono Trigger can be summed up the same way.


I think being disappointed that the game doesnt have an overall BAD GUY, BAND TOGETHE, SAVE EVERYONE plot is a valid criticism of this game. If I played this without knowing that and thinking there would be one, I would be disappointed too.
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"complex" isn't the right word. But FF6 and FF7 have an incredible amount of varied gameplay. The silliness and unique nature of which has rarely been replicated, re-imagined, or recreated in many of the new jprgs of today. They also had a great deal of hidden powerful loot to discover and hidden sidequests. Those games come from a day where there were always more hidden and wonderful secrets to discover when exploring the world. That was their magic glue.
 
Phonzo

Phonzo

Member
Oct 26, 2017
4,817
Nothing said:
"complex" isn't the right word. But FF6 and FF7 have an incredible amount of varied gameplay. The silliness and unique nature of which has rarely been replicated, re-imagined, or recreated in many of the new jprgs of today. They also had a great deal of hidden powerful loot to discover and hidden sidequests. Those games come from a day where there were always more hidden and wonderful secrets to discover when exploring the world. That was their magic glue.
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The fact that a modern game is trying to replicate a 20year old games structure is a testament to FF6.
 

Deleted member 42484

Banned
Apr 21, 2018
6,969
Maxina said:
It's always funny how toxic people can be when it comes to game reviews. I look back at another game in a similar genre, Persona 5, that was met with universal acclaim. Nowadays, whenever a Persona 5 thread pops up, a good chunk of the comments claim Persona 3 or 4 were better games than 5, or that 5 dragged on too long and killed the enjoyment for many fans/newcomers alike.

I wonder when all is said and done, where the discussion for this game will go.
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Review score bantering is almost a part of gaming culture. We've been doing it for decades, since before IGN gave Double Dash a 7.9.

I think people blow it all out of proportion. I don't think anyone here is claiming the Meta score is low and thus they aren't buying it. I think in this thread, the people disappointed are actually disappointed by what they've read and aspects of the game that doesn't jive with their tastes. I don't think they deserve to be lamented because the game still has a high-score. The only hyperbole is the mocking of the people not buying now, as if they are disappointed by a sub-95 score. Nobody is saying that. They are passing based off the text of the review (not the score), which is a good thing. This game clearly isn't for everyone - I'm not buying it because it's simply not in a genre I appreciate.

I don't think the developers are unhappy with an 85. It's higher than I personally expected and I think the game is still going to sell upwards of a million copies.
 

Deleted member 4090

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
9,053
Call me YHWH said:
A lot of that has to do with the prerelease hype, and people investing entirely too much significance in personalities on the internet that they admire/consume the content of. It becomes a personal thing and it's either ride or die. Then when the hype has died down and people are a little more clear-headed, they start to actually consider the flaws and talk about the game a little more critically.



I hope against all hope that you're right. I don't really mind if there is or isn't but I love the idea that there's something significant buried in the game. MGS V and XVI burned me too badly to believe.
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I'll post a fuller explanation later, but there's something there, I will bet on it. There will be a difficult to unlock dungeon with the initials TGoF, and there is a final boss that plays the operatic last boss theme. Period. It as a grand secret is why Square hid the names as ????? and why Nintendo gave the answers and hints in the way that they did.
 
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