A must buy for any RPG fan. Simply amazing.

I remember hearing about this game when it was released in Japan back in 2010 and thinking it looked pretty good, and how disappointed I was when it wasn't going to be released in North America. To my surprise, Nintendo of America actually took a risk and released the game. So was it worth the wait? One look at my ranking should make it obvious. For fans of the publisher, Monolith Software, this game does not have any relation to Xenogears or Xenosaga, but does have some minor similarities. For example, magic is called ether and the game has a somewhat sci-fi premise. The story follows Shulk, a researcher studying the mysterious Monado blade, and his journey to stop the evil race of machines called the Mechon. This might seem boring, but the story does have some major plot twists even early on. I was shocked by an event that happened just three hours into the game, but of course I won't spoil it. Joining Shulk is a cast of likable characters, each having their own abilities in combat and interesting backstories. There's plenty of cutscenes in the game, but it's all well written and voiced rather well with the original British cast. What makes this game really fun is the battle system. Enemies wonder freely around the huge maps you'll explore, and all have their own patrol methods. Most will just leave you alone, but some will attack when they see you, hear your footsteps, or when you cast ether. Battles take place right on the map in a real time system but with a few twists. You control one character while your other party members (up to two on the field at once) are controlled by the AI. Your character performs basic melee attacks on his own and all you do is select special attacks and move him around. While this may seem boring and easy, it's anything but. Battles can become hectic quickly and oftentimes can become very challenging especially during boss battles. Fortunately if you die you respawn at your last checkpoint with all your experience and items, so you're encouraged to experiment and go over your head. There's also an extensive relationship system in the game. This game has a lot of depth, there is a skill tree system, gem crafting, collectopedia for you collection addicts, relationships to build, and battle skills to level up, and the game does a good job of introducing you to all its mechanics at a good pace. Also the music is great. Just wanted to point that out. No game is perfect, though, and I do have some complaints. The camera can be a nuisance. I wish it automatically was placed behind your character, but it doesn't. You have to position it manually. Also during battles in narrow hallways the camera would get in terrible positions that made it hard to see. I also thought the lines the characters said in dialogue got really annoying really fast (please Reyn stop saying "What a bunch of Jokahs.") And while the game looks nice, the pop up of things like trees and grass only shows how dated the Wii hardware is. The game is still very good though, and I can only give it my highest recommendation. The game can take easily up to eighty hours to beat on a first playthrough, and a huge amount of sidequests (I believe around 500 in total) can extend that to over 200 hours. Like RPGs? Pick this one up. You won't regret it. Now to wait for the Last Story.Read full review