[PS3] Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

[msduncan]

Mother of God.   The collector's edition is going on ebay for almost $300.

Multiple auctions of them.   Hell, the Steel book case is going for $40.   I walked into my gamestop the other day to pick up my preorder that I made only a week before.   The girl asked me if I had ordered in time to get the steel case, and I told her I didn't have any idea.   She gave me one anyway.....

[Ridah]

What the heck does Ni No Kuni stand for, anyways?

[wonderpug]

I have mixed impressions thus far.  I often don't have large blocks of gaming time, so I was going a bit crazy waiting for the "game" to start.  No doubt the music and animation is wonderful and magical, but it's just so much exposition.  The only gameplay I've experienced so far is moving from one spot to another.  I realize gaming is coming eventually but I'm not sure I like the intro/prelude to be this extended.  The other minor nit I have is that the dialog is not 100% spoken.  Given how good the quality is in general, the game feels like it should all be spoken.  I got sad every time the voice went out.  Anyway, hoping to get some bigger time blocks to play this weekend.

I really don't see how it would be possible to make this game 100% voiced. There is so much dialogue that the expense for actors and the memory allotment on the disc would be HUGE.

The beginning doesn't have a lot of action at all, it sets things up and gets the story moving, just enjoy it like you would a movie, but once you get to the alternate world the action will kick in and from there on out it's mostly gameplay, with movies and story  sprinkled in, but not overdone like Metal Gear.

This is one of the few games I have played where I actually look forward to the movie sequences because they are so good and the animation is top notch.

I get the same way with the animated sequences.

But I also notice when we're suddenly in text-only mode, and it does feel like a letdown.  I can see that it's a practical necessity, but it's still a bit of a bummer.

Anyone playing with the audio in Japanese?  I'm curious if the amount of voicing is the same for both languages, or if there's possibly more complete voicework on the JP version.

What the heck does Ni No Kuni stand for, anyways?

Ni = 2
no = possessive, sorta
Kuni = country, region, province, home

So something like 'second region,' in reference to the alternate world.

[skystride]

I've barely played it, just up to the first boss but I'm loving it so far.  That Wizard's Guide is so good, I really wish I had a physical copy.  How do missing pages work if you have the physical copy?  Is it worthwhile translating the code?  That seems annoying to do.

They do seem to be skimping on voice acting but my imagination is doing a pretty good job of reading the text in the accent particularly since the text is written in a way where the intonations are pretty obvious (well for that one character anyway).

[msduncan]

God how I wish I had a hard cover copy of the Wizard's Guide.   Either that or an iPad copy.   It's a bit small on my screen to be able to enjoy.

[Autistic Angel]

Try calling Digital River and telling them the Wizard's Edition you ordered and paid for, but can't provide any tracking information for, arrived without the hardcover book inside.

Chances are pretty good they'll e-mail you an order cancellation, an order confirmation, an abuse warning, a $20 coupon for a Naruto game, then you'll get two new Wizard Editions in the mail about six days apart, your Namco store password will be reset, and finally you'll receive a refund for 4d20 dollars with a heartfelt apology that there's simply nothing they can do.

-Autistic Angel

[wonderpug]

God how I wish I had a hard cover copy of the Wizard's Guide.   Either that or an iPad copy.   It's a bit small on my screen to be able to enjoy.

Just in case you missed it, you can zoom in on the pages on the in-game version.  Not that a hard cover or iPad version wouldn't be even better, mind you.

[farley2k]

An iPad version would be sweet.

[skystride]

Argh I keep clicking on the iPad links thinking it's a link to download the manual for iPad! 

[Autistic Angel]

My copy is currently sitting at home on top of my PS3 (Mrs. Gratch sent a picture just to rub it in)...while I spend the next 3 days out of town.  

God, this anticipation is *killing* me!

Remember what it was like back when the first season of ABC's Revenge was wrapping up?  That feeling going into the big finale that the stilted performances, absurdly static characters, dead-end story twists and impossible plot holes were all building to a climax of such thundering stupidity that you thought, surely, it couldn't possibly be as bad as you were expecting...and then they had the scene where Emily VanCamp pretends she's a blackbelt and has a stumbling axe-fight with James Morrison?

This is like the exact opposite of that!  

In fact, if Gratch ever does do that videocast, I think that should be the tagline.  "Better Off Gratch: Nothing Like Revenge In Any Way!"

-Autistic Angel

[Gratch]

I was hoping to get home tonight and actually play for a couple hours, but am currently sitting on a 2+ hour delay trying to get out of DC.   

Curse you weather!!

[Isgrimnur]

I was hoping to get home tonight and actually play for a couple hours, but am currently sitting on a 2+ hour delay trying to get out of DC.   

Curse you weather!!

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

[Autistic Angel]

IGN has an official statement from Namco Bandai about the Wizard Edition debacle:

We understand the $20 clubNamco voucher that has been offered to our affected fans may give little solace in place of an actual Wizard’s Edition package. It is unfortunate that we are unable to produce additional Wizard’s Edition units to fulfill all the extra orders; with that in mind, NAMCO BANDAI Games America will be giving the affected fans a 400 page hard bound copy of the Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch strategy guide which includes an exclusive code to unlock a Gold Hurly Familiar in the game in addition to the original $20 clubNamco voucher. Our E-commerce provider will be contacting the affected customers in the coming days with instructions on how to obtain their copy of the Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch strategy guide.

I would not make use of a Ni No Kuni strategy guide even if I owned the game, which I don't, because Namco's E-commerce provider operates with a level of professionalism seldom found outside of a preschool Christmas pageant.  There's no reason to believe Digital River has the foggiest idea who the affected fans are, much less how to contact them.

Seriously, if anyone here wants a free strategy guide, ring up the Digital River support line.  Their internal tracking system is little more than a series of Lite-Brights handed from one station to the next -- odds are better than not they won't even attempt to track your eligibility.

-Autistic Angel

[wonderpug]

This may be a stretch, but I had a crazy idea.  What if they.... produce more copies?

[davidrobots]

This may be a stretch, but I had a crazy idea.  What if they.... produce more copies?

*cue Inception horns*

[MonkeyFinger]

IGN has an official statement from Namco Bandai about the Wizard Edition debacle:

We understand the $20 clubNamco voucher that has been offered to our affected fans may give little solace in place of an actual Wizard’s Edition package. It is unfortunate that we are unable to produce additional Wizard’s Edition units to fulfill all the extra orders; with that in mind, NAMCO BANDAI Games America will be giving the affected fans a 400 page hard bound copy of the Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch strategy guide which includes an exclusive code to unlock a Gold Hurly Familiar in the game in addition to the original $20 clubNamco voucher. Our E-commerce provider will be contacting the affected customers in the coming days with instructions on how to obtain their copy of the Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch strategy guide.

I would not make use of a Ni No Kuni strategy guide even if I owned the game, which I don't, because Namco's E-commerce provider operates with a level of professionalism seldom found outside of a preschool Christmas pageant.  There's no reason to believe Digital River has the foggiest idea who the affected fans are, much less how to contact them.

Seriously, if anyone here wants a free strategy guide, ring up the Digital River support line.  Their internal tracking system is little more than a series of Lite-Brights handed from one station to the next -- odds are better than not they won't even attempt to track your eligibility.

-Autistic Angel

I wrote an email complaint to them about my Wizard's Edition and the fact that a $20 voucher did squat for me and all I got back was a reply with the same text as before, letting me know I'm the proud recipient of a $20 voucher. Lovely. And I already bought the dang strategy guide. 

[EddieA]

I hope Namco Bandai already has copies of the guide to give out, as it seems to be in short supply as well.  Amazon, Gamestop, and Best Buy are all sold out.

[Autistic Angel]

This may be a stretch, but I had a crazy idea.  What if they.... produce more copies?

Producing more Wizard Editions would mean entering into new contracts with whoever manufactured the stuffed doll, the coin, and probably the wizard book as well.  The promise of free strategy guides not only gives the appearance of contrition at a reduced cost; it incentivizes people shafted by Digital River to forget about all the other pre-order bonuses they lost out on and go buy standard editions of the game.  It's a textbook loss leader.

I think Namco is seriously underestimating the level of incompetence at Digital River, the level of antipathy people have to being repeatedly lied to for days on end, and the number of ways there are to enjoy Ni No Kuni without either company ever seeing a dime.  Buying used, renting, borrowing from a friend, unfurling a bedroll on Gratch's living room floor where you can eat his food and offer frank advice on how to be a better player, bread-winner, and son-in-law -- the possibilities are as endless as they are appealing.

Obviously, I will not be trying to drag any of the consolation prizes out of the corporate swamp at Digital River.  Free or not, I won't ever be mistaken for a customer of theirs again.  As for anyone here who wants to give it a go, I'll just repeat something I wrote back when this whole thing was just kicking off:

I have Ni no Kuni ordered from the Namco store, but standard shipping through Digital River means I might as well have bought a scratch ticket.

-Autistic Angel

[Canuck]

Isn't Digital River the same service that Matrix Games uses? I could have told you (or Namco) to stay the hell away from them!

[Qantaga]

That's a shame about the Wizard's Edition and Customer Service blunders.
   
As for the game itself, I am enthralled. I just hit level 15 and the game keeps getting better and better. I'm very pleased. This is the first game since Demons' Souls and Dragon Quest VIII that has pulled me in so quickly and completely.
     

[wonderpug]

This may be a stretch, but I had a crazy idea.  What if they.... produce more copies?

Producing more Wizard Editions would mean entering into new contracts with whoever manufactured the stuffed doll, the coin, and probably the wizard book as well. 

Yup. Still the right thing to do.

[USMC Kato]

Wow, soundtrack is incredible. Now I wish I bought the Wizard edition, from a third party of course

[MonkeyFinger]

You can enter on Facebook to win a Ni No Kuni Swag Bag. Plushies, a cape and a copy of the Wizard's Companion book can be yours. In Japanese. 

[davidrobots]

Wow, soundtrack is incredible. Now I wish I bought the Wizard edition, from a third party of course

Wizard Edition's soundtrack "sampler" is two friggin' tracks. You're not missing much there if that's what you were looking for.

[msduncan]

Found something I don't like about the game.   The taming mechanics.

I have spent HOURS today trying to tame a Shrimpaler.   I can't get the damned thing to show hearts.    I saw hearts over one when I didn't have room in my party, and since then it's been HOURS since one has offered to let me tame it.   I've been running back and forth continuously fighting them trying to get one.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Damnit, I bought the stupid jump ability.  I thought I might be able to jump down to that treasure chest, but it's just useless.

[davidrobots]

Found something I don't like about the game.   The taming mechanics.

I have spent HOURS today trying to tame a Shrimpaler.   I can't get the damned thing to show hearts.    I saw hearts over one when I didn't have room in my party, and since then it's been HOURS since one has offered to let me tame it.   I've been running back and forth continuously fighting them trying to get one.

 

If you tame one when you don't have enough room it just gets sent to the Monster Retreat, you don't miss out on it.

[Harpua3]

This game is giving me a hard on. Yes, I said it. I haven't played it yet. I might download it of of psn tomorrow. You know, hide it from the wife...but everything I've read and watched about it looks awesome. This is coming from a gamer who usually prefers the j out of my rpg.

[Crusis]

Stoopid forum effect. I picked this up today at a local Target. I tried to get a copy at Gamestop because their website said it was available and even gave me the option to Pickup @ Store. I only live a few minutes away so I drive over and they say they only have copies for pre-orders. I asked: "What if I'd filled out the pickup at store" form? They said sorry, they only have pre-orders in stock. Weird.

[MonkeyFinger]

Lots of nice little touches in the game, stuff they didn't really have to do but are appreciated. A couple off the top of my head, early in the morning: the current goal as part of the description of the saved game and the fact that the hud disappears when moving.

A quick question about his mother...

Spoiler for Mom:

Was saddened when she died but understand the significance of it. However, was surprised and sad all over again when she showed up to encourage him in a dream... or was it? Mostly just wondering if she continues to make appearances like that.

[davidrobots]

Stoopid forum effect. I picked this up today at a local Target. I tried to get a copy at Gamestop because their website said it was available and even gave me the option to Pickup @ Store. I only live a few minutes away so I drive over and they say they only have copies for pre-orders. I asked: "What if I'd filled out the pickup at store" form? They said sorry, they only have pre-orders in stock. Weird.

That's crap. Pre-orders are only supposed to be held for 48 hours.

[Gratch]

Stoopid forum effect. I picked this up today at a local Target. I tried to get a copy at Gamestop because their website said it was available and even gave me the option to Pickup @ Store. I only live a few minutes away so I drive over and they say they only have copies for pre-orders. I asked: "What if I'd filled out the pickup at store" form? They said sorry, they only have pre-orders in stock. Weird.

That's crap. Pre-orders are only supposed to be held for 48 hours.

Yep.  In fact, I was told I had to have Mrs. Gratch pick up my copy while I was out of town (Wed-Fri this week) because it would be given away if I didn't pick it up after 48 hours.

I put in about 4 hours last night, and should be able to do a couple more today.  Impressions forthcoming.

Side note:  I'm highly annoyed with Prima Games right now.  Picked up the strategy guide yesterday, which comes with a downloadable familiar.  Accessing it requires you to register on Prima's site, then they send you the code.  I registered last night, but the link in their "Confirm your registration" e-mail takes me to an internal 404 page.  So I can't confirm my registration, which means I can't log into the site, which means I can't get the code to download my familiar.   

[rich729]

Man I have not posted in these forums since shortly after the GG days. However this game has brought me out of the woodwork. I only have about 4 hours in but I am totally enthralled. THIS is FUN

[Autistic Angel]

I decided to pass the time waiting for Gratch by watching the Season 2 premiere of ABC's Revenge.  Now I'm holding my breath with anticipation *and* the promise of short-term memory loss.

-Autistic Angel

[Gratch]

Some thoughts after 6 hours (just got to Al Mamoon):

The good
-  I have to admit, my cynical, jaded gamer self was prepared to be seriously let down by Ni no Kuni.  To my surprise and sincere pleasure, this game has so far lived up to all the positive hype it's received, and then some.  It brings back a sense of wonder, a sense of joy, a sense of just plain old fun that has been missing in JRPG's for a long, long time.  I'm pretty sure it's impossible to not have a smile on your face as you play this game...it's just so damn charming.  Seriously, if Ni no Kuni doesn't make you feel at least a little bit like a kid inside, please go see a doctor because something is wrong with your heart.
-  We've seen that playing as a child can be a risky proposition (Tales of Graces F tried this and lost me in the early game because it was so damn dull), but Oliver is written with such sincerity that you can't help but connect with him.  Kudos to the team for talking a somewhat silly premise on the surface and making the whole thing incredibly engaging.
-  Mr. Drippy is the best sidekick since Grimoire Weiss.
-  I purposefully avoided demos and many videos because I wanted to be blown away by how beautiful this game was.  I'm glad I did, because I'm still absolutely floored by how incredible this game looks.  You can tell it was a sincere labor of love for the artists, and I'm not sure I've ever seen a game quite as graphically stunning.
-  The wonderful soundtrack is a perfect fit and adds so much to the overall atmosphere of the game.  And this is coming from someone who isn't much of a Hisashi fan.
-  So far, combat feels fun and unique.  I do have a bit of a concern about it becoming overbearing (more on that in a sec), but so far, so good.

The wait-and-see
-  I'm a little itchy to start actually recruiting and developing familiars.  I know I'm still in the hand-holding stage, but I'm eager for the game to take off the training wheels and let me dive in.
-  That said, one of my big concerns is how complex the combat system when I start getting a huge number of pets and their associated abilities/tricks.  (When do you start recruiting more familiars anyways?  Or are they just doled out through the course of the story?)
-  Not crazy about the treasure hunting system of randomly punching X on the overworld map and getting something if you happen to be in the right place.  With no discernable way to tell where items are hidden, it isn't much fun.  Hell, if I didn't have the guide, I wouldn't even have known it existed.  
-  Some of the side quest errands are a bit too fedex-ish for my tastes, but that's a pretty minor quibble at this point.

The bad
-  Probably the only RPG this generation that I honestly cannot think of a negative thing to say about it.  Been racking my brain...nothing comes to mind.  That's a good thing.

tl;dr - Ni no Kuni is absolutely wonderful.  You may think that all the gushing about it is hyperbole, but it's not...this game is the real deal.  For me, it hearkens back to the SNES/PS1 days of JRPG's when games felt new, fresh, and innovative.  You are excited to fire it up again, and can't wait to see what lay around the next corner.  Keeping my fingers crossed that it can keep up momentum, but so far, so good.

Side note:  I'd be a couple more hours in, but playing this really made me want to go watch Spirited Away again.  So I did.  

[davidrobots]

Shortly after reaching Al Mamoon you'll be able to take a set of trials that will allow you to start training familiar. You're almost there.

[Harpua3]

I caved and downloaded it. Well, it's almost done... 21. Something gbs! After its done, provided I don't get sleepy or drink too many beers, I'm gonna go balls deep in this tonight!

...

[Scraper]

Shortly after reaching Al Mamoon you'll be able to take a set of trials that will allow you to start training familiar. You're almost there.

Yep and the game eventually opens up so you have three party members, each with three pets. It's not overwhelming though.

I'm now well over 20 hours in and the game continues to stay charming and completely interesting.

I dare you to make it to Fairy Isle and not be completely in love with everything that happens there. (I'm being vague so I don't spoil it, but trust me you will know what I'm talking about when you get there).

[msduncan]

Is there a good guide as to which pets the community think are the best ones?

[USMC Kato]

Is there a good guide as to which pets the community think are the best ones?

This may help

http://m.ign.com/wikis/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch/Handy_Starter_Familiars