When I first heard of the game, I was very unsure whether to get it or not. After watching the game trailer, it didn't even helped in my decision at all. So eventually, I forgot about the game. Recently, the International Edition was launched and alot of reviews and stuff game out.
What I can say is that, it is an advant garde or you can say Next-gen MORPG for the PS3. White Knight Chronicles has heavy emphasis on a battle system which is very similar to that of Final Fantasy. In addition, it works like a standard mmorpg where you grind, level trade and stuff. A very common conception that people tend to have is thinking that it is a story-filled RPG (Like Final Fantasy, Star Ocean, everything else). But the true fact is, it isn't. So what is it actually?
White Knight Chronicles plays very much like an MMO, even in the offline portion of the game, from the method of selecting targets to the lack of a true “pause” setting. These things may feel out of place and unnecessary if you aren't going to play the game online. The battle system is also very MMO-ish, and will feel nostalgic to people who have played Final Fantasy XI or XII. You can combine different attacks to unleash fancy looking combos, but they are expensive and there are few attacks that look any more exciting than a regular swing or two of your weapon, so players looking forward to over-the-top animations with amazing special effects will be disappointed. Monsters can walk through doors and hit you from very far distances, even though playable characters have specific ranges that they can attack from. These things are present in older MMORPGs, but in this game they are nuisances that could easily have been taken out.
The Online aspect of this game is going to be a love/hate. Starting from Guild Rank 7, you are almost required to go online since monsters become tremendously tougher than the final boss. Not only that, you may not bring any party members besides your created character into the offline quests. For those without internet connection to their PS3, you might consider a different RPG because this game will definitely not be worth your money.
That being said, there is little doubt that this game continues on MANY hours after you actually finish the story quest. In fact, it is more than likely that your story time is probably less than 1/10 of the game's life.
On the bright side, to play online is painless and seemless from the offline. When you buy quests from the guild, they appear on the world map. Selecting a quest gives 2 options, play by yourself, or play with someone else. Choosing the second option will automatically put you into network mode, and will search for a suitable game. If no games are found, the game will prompt you to create one where you can wait for others. Playing online allows you to party up with up to 4 other players to tackle a quest together.
The other way to play online, and the way to play with your buddies is via the games' GeoNet system. GeoNet is accessable at "Logic stones" (save points) or on the world map. On the initial log in, you'll be prompted to link your PSN account to the GeoNet service. There is NO CHARGE for GeoNet, which is a BIG plus. Once you are done with initial setup, you'll be brought to your profile page. The most important tabs are the "MyTown" tab and "Adventurer Diary" Tab.
"MyTown" Tab is basically the space where you can create rooms (lobby area like the hunting house before mission in MH, or lobbies in PSU) to meet with your buddy. From these lobby areas, there is a equipment shop with equipment that you won't find offline, as well as a general item shop. You can also create games/quest by talking to the guard at the billboard. Once you create a game, others can specifically join your game from talking to the same NPC in the same room.
If you don't have enough for 4 people in the lobby area, you can make your quest available for people that are playing online via auto-matching.
"Adventurer Diary" is basically a portal in which you can jump to other's profile page and other's "MyTown." This page is usually filled up with other's headline with what they are looking for, or what they are planning to do. One interesting note is that at the top of these headlines, there are always the official WKC staff's profile page, where it's usually filled up with people.
Sadly, there is no trading of equipment and synthesis material. Only things that can be traded are consumable items like potions and medicines (So much for trading).
So are you convinced to get it or not? A simple break down is this,
Buy it only if you have:
-Internet Connection for your ps3
-Love to play with others Online
-Do not mind short storyline
-Enjoy Many hours of after-game play
-Looking for high replayability
If any one of the above does not suit you, I highly suggest you reconsider buying it.
new game play footage! It look's like a really slow game though...
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