Blue Dragon finds the perfect balance between linearity and excessive freedom - it doesn't embarrass you by holding your hand, and yet it doesn't just leave you alone crying in the supermarket. Hironobu Sakaguchi (the FF creator and Blue Dragon mastermind

Where so many RPGs deliver dry experiences that adhere too closely to traditional type, Mistwalker delivers an RPG that pushes the genre in all the right directions. With supreme technical qualities and gameplay to match, it’s little wonder that Bl

If the market allows giant-budget RPGs in the "Final Fantasy VII" mold to continue to be made(and there is some doubt as to that), they're going to look and feel a lot like this game...and for that reason alone, Blue Dragon is an absolute must-play. [JPN

It does as much as "Final Fantasy XII" to inspire hope that RPG developers are now beginning to look forward. In this instance, looking ahead results in a slightly more linear experience than some hardened role-playing game fans may appreciate. [Feb 2007,

There you have it - the 360's first legit RPG. It’s long, it’s been very solidly put together, and it can get some serious hooks into you once you’ve settled into its role-playing rhythm, something that won’t be for everyone, b

Enormous, intelligent, wily - a true dragon. [Sept 2007, p.98]

Mistwalker and Artoon have developed something special with Blue Dragon and the end result should appeal to both Hardcore RPG fans and fresh faced adventurers.

Blue Dragon's light-hearted charm and role-playing goodness fills a lacking aspect of the Xbox 360's lineup. [JPN Import]

A mostly old-school adventuring format, swanked up in a manner worthy of Xbox 360. [Sept 2007, p.74]

You've seen many games like this one...but you have rarely, we suspect, seen one executed with this amount of dedication and care--and that's what makes it so special. [Feb. 2007, p.70]

A solid battle system is flanked hour after hour by attention-grabbing cutscenes and cinematics. Fun to watch, fun to play.

Blue Dragon definitely has the pedigree and quality to appeal to RPG gamers, however long they've been putting the hours in over the years, with enough peculiar touches to keep the old hands engrossed, even if it won't be the best they've ever had.

The pacing through the first half of the game is far too slow to stay engaging for all but the hardcore JRPG fan and the story is not nearly as epic as the multiple disc, 50+ hour game implies.

The game sabotages things right from the start by sticking you with four of the most vapid, unlikable protagonists I've seen in my 20 years as an RPG fan. [Sept 2007, p.94]

Without characters to care for or a story compelling enough, only the most dedicated genre faithful will make it through Blue Dragon’s three discs. [Sept 2007, p.88]

With games like "Final Fantasy XII" pushing the genre forward, it’s disappointing to see a game with so much talent behind it not attempt to try anything new. [JPN Import]