The Last Story Limited Edition (Wii)

If one wants an illustration of what a good collector's / limited / special edition of a video game should be then The Last Story on the Wii provides a magnificent example! For £10 more than the standard edition asking price (though I ordered my copy when it was even less at £8) you get a considerable amount of added value. What's more, it's a beautiful antidote to many other so-called 'limited editions' of video games where they think that 'exclusive downloadable content' like weapons, armour, map packs e.t.c. somehow constitutes towards a good release, often being used as justification for an average £20-30 price spike on top of the original £40 RRP.

Those of you who are reading this are probably already aware of what the extra items are that are included in this release, but just to be boring I will reiterate the information because it's so much fun to do so!

* The standard white Wii game case that contains the game disc and an english
language instruction booklet (amongst other bits & bobs of paraphernalia)
* A hardback art / illustration book that is roughly the same size as a CD case
* A soundtrack CD that contains selected highlights from the game's superb
soundtrack (the disc is contained in a CD case with its own artwork)
* A superbly designed steelbook case that can house both the OST CD and the game
DVD (the artwork on this case is wonderful incidentally)
* A beefy instruction manual (sure, much of it are the same instructions expressed
through different European languages, but when it's as substantial in size and
weight as it is, you can't help but admire (and remember) what traditional game
manuals use to be like! It smells good as well!)

ADDITIONAL: It's also worth mentioning that the art / illustration book and soundtrack CD are both contained in a seperate and nicely presented box together titled 'The Elements of The Last Story'.

This limited editon is a very, very good one, be there no doubt about that. What enhances it further is the more-than-reasonable extra charge that goes with it. It also reminds me how good physical products can be, and this release raises further questions as to how the dreaded dystopian nightmare of a 'download-only' future will compensate for products of this nature and quality.

As for the game itself it's pretty good in my opinion. For traditional gamers (especially for those of us who gain great pleasure from the JRPG genre) this is (probably) like opium. It mixes traditional sensibilities with more modern gameplay design mechanics. Surprisingly the voice acting is very, very good; Japanese animè / manga character designs and British voice acting shouldn't work, but here it manages to do so. Very peculiar (in a good way as far as I'm concerned). The combat system is excellent in my opinion, as is the soundtrack. Relatively decent graphics as well. I personally prefer Xenoblade Chronicles, but having said that I'd certainly choose The Last Story ahead of Final Fantasy XIII-2.

So, do I recommend the purchase of this game? Absolutely.

Last Story is from the creator / father of the Final Fantasy series, and it really shines through - this is a classic style JRPG set in a beautiful world (even with Wii graphics!) and I enjoy playing it a lot.

I've been playing the asian version for a while now, and decided to base my review from that since it's excellent.

SOUND / MUSIC :
The sound design / score is done by the japanese composer who worked on the final fantasy series, so expect beautiful piano style scores and a wonderful mix of emotive music while playing. The character themes are great, and the main theme song of the game is fantastic. I would recommend getting this limited edition for the soundtrack CD alone!

STORY :
Very typical (some may say cliche) to the JRPG's of old, classic setting up of a troubled, orphaned mercenary who dreams of a better life, his gang of upbeat friends and of course, the lovely princess who has a lot of secrets. All mixed together in an overarching plot that features twists and turns and evil oppressors. It all feels very familiar but in a 'coming home after a long trip' kind of way. Very nostalgic to the earlier JRPG's such as the FF7-FF9.

The only down side to the story, is the main quest only lasting about 18-20 hours. If you add in all the side quests though there is easily 40+ hours here, and I havent even tried the multiplayer. The story is somewhat lacking in the usual 'fluff' and long dialogue scenes that are typical to this genre, favoring a faster paced and more action orientated story. There is never a dull moment and honestly, the story is fantastic. It will not disappoint, even though it's only 20 hours.

GAMEPLAY:
The combat system is awesome, the best I've seen on the Wii and probably in any RPG for some time. It's new, fresh and revolves around a real time system of covering, blocking, dodging and attacking much like an action RPG such as demon's souls. It's a welcome addition in a somewhat stagnated genre. If you enjoyed fighting mechanics in games such as Xenoblade on the Wii, be prepared for something a little more challenging and fun here. The other elements are your typical JRPG goodness, exploration is nice and the areas are vast filled with sidequests and some great little mini plots. You can customize all of your stats and the combat system goes way deeper than I care to display here, alongside customizing the look of your characters equipment which is great too.

WORLD / GRAPHICS:
For a Wii game, dont expect mind blowing HD visuals... but do expect a competent, VERY nice art style and a believable world. Most of the game takes place in the hub world city, with varying landscapes surrounding such as volcanic regions, forrests, castles and tombs. There are also some sections that take place on the open sea which was nice.

OVERALL:

This will hit home for classic JRPG fans, more likely ones who enjoyed games around the PS1 era, A must by for final fantasy fans, as the series creator definitely left his mark here. The game feels so authentic and confident in it's execution, the sound of the world is probably my favorite part. Couple this with great combat and a great story - it's a winner.

I purchased this game for my teenage son which he received this morning and he's been playing it non stop for 13 hours and is addicted to it. The graphics are excellent, controls and sound are also superb. The limited edition is pretty cool, comes with a soundtrack cd, a really nice steel case for the game disc and soundtrack cd, an art book and a full instructions booklet.
In my opionion i think the limited edition is well worth the extra ten quid and would make a really cool gift for any teenagers and adult gamers!