Games Xbox 360 Infinite Undiscovery

Infinite Undiscovery

Written by Toma-kun January 17, 2009 Hits: 1299 Favorites

Game Info:

Platform:

Xbox 360

Developer:

tri-Ace

Publisher:

Square-Enix

Players:

Format:

2 DVDs

Gallery:

Xbox 360 » Infinite Undiscovery (9)

Editor review

tri-Ace's attempt at next-generation RPG goodness

When the next-generation consoles started to hit the streets, I was giddy with excitement over the possibilities that all of this new hardware could present to the RPG genre. When Infinite Undiscovery was first announced for the Xbox360, those same emotions were brought back and I could only imagine what tri-Ace could do. Granted, IU would come after notable X360 JRPGs such as Lost Oddysey and Blue Dragon, but I wanted to break my next-gen cherry on a game from one of my favorite developers.

You play the role of Capell, a young indecisive musician who finds himself in jail for his uncanny resemblance to a resistance leader. Apparently, the bad guys aren't the only ones confusing him for someone else as he is soon sprung from jail by Aya, a rather attractive-looking member of the rebellion. The two steal away to the rebel encampment, where Capell finally meets his more commanding and charismatic doppelganger, Sigmund.

Sigmund is the leader of a group known as the Liberation Force or simply the 'Force' and is engaged in a violent conflict with The Order of Chains, a powerful military junta bent on restraining the moon to the planet with massive chains. The mere presence of the chains warp the land, turning animals into bloodthirsty beasts and causing a variety of natural disasters. The Force's quest is to sever the chains and ultimately free the moon. Capell is not compelled to join such a perilous mission, but Aya manages to goad Capell into tagging along.

From the very outset of the game, the focus is on the relationship between Capell and Aya. I know everyone is well aware of my snide comments about how love stories have no earthly business in a RPG, but thankfully it's more of a symbiotic relationship that slowly develops into something more over time and serves the story rather than distracting you from it. Capell is an unmotivated and indecisive ball-and-chain who benefits from being bullied to overcome his shortcomings and Aya gets a guy she can push around and control! Unfortunately, tri-Ace forgot to give the same kind of attention to the rest of the characters. Some of the initial Force members receive some back story treatment, but others that join up later in the game get no more than a simple introduction. It's a shame because you amass a colorful cast of characters and they're just dying to get a little bit of screen time. It's too similar to what happened in Star Ocean: The Second Story; such shortcomings may have been overlooked back in the late 1990s, but it's time tri-Ace put in a little more effort in the narrative.

It's no secret that tri-Ace has always lacked in the story department regardless of the game, but they must spend that extra time polishing up the gameplay because that's where this game shines. Real time is the buzz word when it comes to the gameplay. There is no over world map, separate battle mode or even inventory mode; everything is done on screen in real time. This allows for some truly chaotic battles, especially since nothing stops even if you decide to use an item. Monsters simply roam around the game world and you can choose to engage them or avoid them altogether. Once battle begins, it's a frenzied fight to the finish, as the monsters get tougher and your attacks get more powerful the screen can pretty packed with action. Boss battles can be especially titillating as members not in your active party often join the fray for that real "fight to survive" feel. For those who never though it possible to make battles in JRPGs seem like less of a grind, you have just been proven wrong.

When not engaged in battle, micromanagement is done through the camp menu, which you may have already figured, also doesn't stop game time which means you CAN get attacked if you decide to camp near hostiles. From here you can change your equipment, switch party members, set spell usage, assign special moves, and create items or enchantments. Item creation has long been a staple of the tri-Ace school of RPG design and this game takes it very seriously. Raw materials have to be gathered and combined with equipment to create higher end items. MMORPG players may be familiar with the term 'farming' which is a practice that you will need to get familiarized with quickly in order to be successful in item creation. Common raw materials are sold by shops all over the game world while the rarer variety are dropped by monsters or found in treasure chests. As expected, the best equipment in the game can only be gained through painstaking item creation. Not everyone will be doomed to endlessly farming for precious materials, however, since Item Vouchers have been recently released on Xbox Live which will allow you to buy almost every raw material in the game at any item store; a big boon to those not into MMO-like grinding.

The good news is, the visuals may be good enough to keep you distracted while performing such menial tasks. The character models is where the engine excels as they almost border on CG quality with their detailed facial expressions and motion captured animations. Much like in Final Fantasy X, the engine does switch between high and low quality models during certain situations like cutscenes or the amount of characters on screen, but the difference in quality is very slight and only a keen eye will even pick up on it. The game world is beautifully rendered as well and offers wide open areas for the player to explore. Unfortunately, there's very little to see in these wide open areas; you get a smattering of monsters, maybe a treasure chest or two, and some geographical features, that's about it. In many ways, the only purpose they serve other than typical RPG busy-work, is to make the small game world feel larger than it really is. The engine also suffers from frequent slowdowns during frantic battles and especially when special moves are being spammed Star Ocean style.

I'm happy to report that the voice acting is above average, so you won't cringe every time you spam that special move. Most of the voice over work is wonderful, but there are a few that stand out in a bad way. Komachi in particular just sounded very strange to me; the actress' voice fit the character well, but where was the expression? It was painfully obvious she was reading from the script and couldn't quite get in character. Needless to say, it's more than a little jarring when you hear her speak among some of the better voice over work. The music isn't really noteworthy and is mostly forgettable with the exception of the remixed version of the Motoi Sakuraba trademark tune, Mission to the Deep Space.

Aside from the obvious issues with the graphics and sound, there are other bothersome things that will manifest themselves as you get deeper in the game. One you'll notice very quickly is the linearity of the game; going from point A to point B with very little to do in between just about sums up the pace. The entire game can be completed in less than 25 hours on Normal difficulty, but tri-Ace was gracious enough to include the Seraphic Gate, a post-game secret dungeon for those few intrepid individuals looking for a real challenge and an extra 10 hours to tack on to their clock. Item shortcuts would have been appreciated as well; for a game that's this fast-paced it's almost criminal to force the player to have to go digging through their extensive inventory to use a potion. The need for this will become painfully apparent once you jump into the Seraphic Gate. Sure, you can press the Y button to call for aid from your allies, but what if they're dead?!

Infinite Undiscovery is no doubt an ambitious game; I still remember how tri-Ace said it would be their best game yet and how it would change the RPG genre. It's not a bad game by any means, but there's no doubt it didn't quite reach those lofty goals. Not all is lost, however, as it's still one of the better RPGs for any of the next-gen platforms. It's a blast to play, looks great, and easy to get into. With Star Ocean 4 looming over the horizon, tri-Ace still has a chance to clinch that blockbuster they were hoping for on the Xbox 360.

Highs:	Incredible character models, battles are actually enjoyable, above average voice acting
Lows:	Short and linear, lifeless game world, some glaring gameplay omissions
Bottom Line:	Far from tri-Ace's best, but still near the top of a very short list of Xbox 360 JRPGs.