Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PS3)

I still feel unclear about whether this is the same storyline as the DS game only with better graphics or if it's a totally new one or what...  Do we know for sure what this IS?

Ni no Kuni announced to be coming over Stateside in early 2012!

So does this mean a new soundtrack I wonder?

James O wrote:

So Namco will be putting out a limited ed version complete with plush and that big ass 300 page spell book, but only via Club Namco and no where else, and they don't ship to Canada?  WTF  How can a big company like Namco not ship outside the US?  It doesn't make any sense whatsoever.  Looks like I'll have to find this via eBay or something next Jan.  argg

LINK? I'll buy one for you if I can order 2.

It looks like it will let me order 2, just send me an email and we can work something out.  Ramza sort of kind of did this with me, except it was me accidentally buying a second dq box set and him not having the money at the time for one. 

That's a fine looking LE. I don't even know if I want the game, but this set is really nice. Only way it could be better is if they threw in the OST.

Played the demo. Demo/mini-review:

Its characters, as expected, are gorgeous, but they're easy to get used to. Contrastingly, the summons, as well as the enemies, are rather dull. It's a real time JRPG, with an element of evasion and actually-useful defense here and there, but ultimately it feels a bit too much like FF12.

All attacks simply do damage; choosing the right one feels like a matter of luck. I'm assuming that if I played the actual game, my opinion would change on that. Anyway, against normal enemies, this means attacking as much as possible when effective and simply exploiting weaknesses when possible. Against bosses, this means using any attacks requiring MP at any given chance, and using the best counter summon against them as well. Then you can refill on MP (or HP) that your Navi-like creature randomly throws on the field. So normal enemies feel like a chore, bosses feel like a huge chore, and exploring is slightly rewarding, but also feels like a chore.

The defense system doesn't really work. Against normal enemies, it's anyone's guess when they're gonna attack (and when they do, you take much less damage if you're defending/evading). But against bosses, it basically warns you when their big moves are coming, and if you're unaware enough to not notice the visual warning(s), then you get huge punishment. Meh.

I hope it's better than what the demo displayed––the only things that can save it are intelligent battle choices, not simply the dull spectrum of Attack 1 Attack 2 Attack 3 Attack 4 Heal Move etc, as well as faster summons/creatures and faster enemies. It's somewhat hard, but it lacks challenge. So basically, FF12 + aesthetics of DQ8.

It's probably better than XII. Depends on what you liked in XII. I loved the customization and the license board, but the combat could've been more interesting. The only thing this game has going for it is its combat. It might best be compared to Pokémon crossed with Final Fantasy XII. I suppose that I'd recommend you add this to your PS3 wishlist then.

I tried the demo and thought it was okay. Very pretty but all too familiar, otherwise. I'm pretty much burnt out on the genre, though.

can't wait to play this game. i pre-ordered the wiz edition on amazon.uk months ago. hopefully they'll deliver.

That sucks...

http://www.vg247.com/2013/01/26/ni-no-k … -by-namco/

and furthermore, and not surprisingly, some people purchased a bunch of the limited editions and are now scalping them on ebay.

Last edited by avatar! (Jan 26, 2013)