Review: Combat hinders 'White Knight Chronicles'

Visually, the game’s environments are gorgeous and lush, and are fully traversable and expansive. Unfortunately, the actual gameplay and combat system falls far short of this high mark.

All your combat is controlled by a “command circle”: an on-screen timer that indicates when you can begin your next move/attack/action. There are no differences between various attacks and actions so there is no incentive to vary your actions. Simply using the same attack over and over again will produce the same result as using multiple attacks.

You can create your own combination of attacks, but, again, you are limited by the command circle. If you do not execute the attacks at precisely the right moment as indicated by the flashing circle, your attack will fail. It’s like having a quicktime event in every battle. But one you only use one button for.

The story could be interesting. Heck, the story sure SEEMED interesting, based on the teaser and full trailers that were released last year. It’s too bad that the game’s true plotline is a meandering one with only a few truly interesting twists and new ideas thrown in.

One thing that does strike me as having potential is the inclusion of an MMO-like aspect for the multiplayer portion of the game. I like the idea of using online messageboards and a virtual town to communicate with other players. The ability to gather together, match up players, and then go off and cooperatively complete quests is a nice touch.

With all that’s wrong with the game, there are some good things about it. But not enough to recommend a purchase. I’d rent this one, folks.