Blue Dragon: Xbox's Failed Attempt to Win Japan | Lost in Time

[@ShinyGaara65]

One thing everyone should know about Blue Dragon is its boss theme. You have not lived until you have Ian Gillan (AKA from the rock band Deep Purple) screaming in your face about staring through Eternity. For every boss. And it never gets old.

[@tinfoilhat4417]

Can't believe he didn't mention that. It hits you heard when that dinosaur appears and Eternity starts playing out of nowhere.

[@matthewwilliams3579]

One of the best boss tracks for a game period. Sad how easy and fast most bosses are to beat though.

[@Dingboxfiesta]

@@matthewwilliams3579they’ve got ultra hard mode now

[@gqphoenixclops3056]

Not only was this game underrated, but the anime adaptation was AMAZING and most often superior with the world building and new characters

[@HN-fb6md]

RIP TORIYAMA

[@desertgsrider1]

Lol. I got in trouble at work because of this game! My girlfriend hated me playing games, so as soon as she left for work I only had 1 hour to play the game and it led to a few late starts for me at work. Great throwback for me.

[@andriyyuriyovuch3891]

You got in trouble because of your girlfriend, not the game

[@jaesh9306]

You did the right thing desert

[@Gamundi08]

Seriously? My girlfriend doesn't hate me to play video games at all. 😳 She can understand that everyone wants entertainment. 🎮

[@27danjel]

She doesn't sound like a very good fit for you if you have to hide your hobbies like she's some over-protective parent

[@MagiTycho]

This is 2023, theres girlfriends that will play video games WITH you now!😂

[@Flazeke]

I'm so glad to see someone covering Blue Dragon. I'm especially glad about how recent this video is. Blue Dragon is my favorite JRPG of all time, due to me playing it so much as a kid. I never got around to beating it when I was younger, but I did manage to beat it about a year ago. The ending made me so happy. Seeing anyone cover Blue Dragon makes me so happy. I want to see more people cover the game and bring some attention to this hidden gem and it's 2 sequels on the DS and it's anime adaptation. And maybe, just maybe, if it gets popular enough, we might see a remaster of some sort. Anyway, amazing video!

[@droozlex]

It's the first jrpg I ever beat! And none the less it was on my like 10-12th birthday I forgot which one exactly

[@doslover]

I remember this game fondly. The dragon mechanic was pretty cool, and that boss music still pops in my head out of nowhere to this day. Of course, I also love Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, so no surprise there. Would love to see Blue Dragon on Steam at some point, though I'm not holding my breath.

[@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819]

It's cheap money for Microsoft at this point to put it and Lost Odyssey on Steam and the Nintendo Switch. I just think that there's some copyright issues holding things back, or they just have forgotten about it.

[@Zeph101theoriginal]

I found the weirdest part of Blue Dragon wasn't that it was an X-box exclusive, it was the 2 sequels that came out on the DS, and the other merch and anime series. Like, where were all these fans buying and warranting sequels?

[@Arcananine77]

I still remember when this and Lost Odyssey made people - myself included - think that Mistwalker would be the new sheriff in town with regards to JRPGs. Shame they never managed to fulfill that potential.

[@Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhyyy]

Yes dude the answer is yes. If the game came out today. The entire world would love it. After 2020 the amount of anime fans and gamers have tripled. This game would of sold a million without a doubt.

[@CinnamonBunBacon]

This the first time I have ever heard Eternal Sonata mentioned in a youtube video. It's a shame it isn't brought up more in videos about rpgs. Good video!

[@DeafCope]

i was shocked to hear it namedropped

[@alandupree3532]

If you ever want to just have that throwback feeling, absolutely pick this game up. Blue Dragon is an absolute diamond in the rough, and 100% worth the playthrough. Hell, I'm on my second NG+ run!

[@TheJadedJames]

The 2000s were when traditional RPGs had oversaturated the market and games in that genre started making various pivots to stand out, bringing us to the 2020s where a throwback to old school JRPGs given an actual budget would actually stand out against modern day Final Fantasy/Persona etc because of how trends have changed.

[@thaneros]

I tried the demo around the time of the original release and hated it. Then I tried to give it a chance during the Xbox One generation and still couldn’t get into it. But it wasn’t until recently, when I started playing more classic 16-bit JRPGs that I missed out on, that I began to appreciate Blue Dragon. It’s like an old-school 16-bit JRPG with a slightly modern feel. Basically, my whole mindset of what a JRPG should be had to change to get the most out of it.

[@AriaLaurel]

I think this review slightly undersells the battle system of this game. Yes, other games have done timeline driven turn based games like Grandia, but it’s sadly way too uncommon. The way the game lets you fine tune the risk/reward of your attacks on the timeline is super fun. It also lets you kite multiple enemies on the overworld to risk chained combat encounters for more experience. The amount of customization available in the job system is also enormous. I sadly find the characters pretty much universally annoying and unbearable, but I adore the gameplay of Blue Dragon.

[@megasoniczxx]

I kinda liked how certain enemies actually fought with each other too. Don't think i've seen that in a turn based JRPG since then.

[@michaelb2westgaedu]

I beat this one for the first time earlier this year. I had a lot more fun with it than I anticipated. I do appreciate the system that lets you battle multiple groups at once, wish that had been adopted more widely. It would certainly help my current DQ XI playthrough.

[@USMC49er]

Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey were two games developed by Mistwalker, a studio created by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. Both were pushed in Japan and both were decent to good JRPGs. But didn't really move the needle. Hope both get ported to Steam one day in HD.

[@ThatFanBoyGuy]

Fun fact: Shu is voiced by the same voice actress who voiced Izzy in Digimon, adding to that "Saturday Morning Cartoon" feel

[@bluedragon2048]

And that's Mona Marshall.

[@RileyRobertson-oi4fo]

Knew i recognized that voice lol

[@salamanda550]

It is an absolute crime that Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey never got ported to PC, they're genuinely some of my favourite JRPG's of all time and the fact they're stuck on Xbox Hardware which is getting harder and harder to come by as the years go by is honestly heartbreaking. The setting and presentation of both games were phenomenal, and the battle/class systems in each are still brilliant to this day.

[@PlaidSuitPinstripeWorld]

Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon are both available digitally on Xbox just incase you didn't know.

[@salamanda550]

@@PlaidSuitPinstripeWorld I was aware yeah! Sadly I've not owned an Xbox for some years XD

[@Wendy.DriveThru]

I literally beat this game for the first time last night. Ive had it for a while, but i decided to pick it up again a few weeks ago

[@Rianoria]

Me and a friend were at the last stretch of the game 6 am or so handing of controller each battle untill we beated it. One of the best moments i hold near and dear

[@MyLivingLegacy]

Blue dragon was incredible, some amazing memories with it and will definitely revisit it again one day

[@EfrainMan]

I remember they also had a tie in manga for Blue Dragon, Ral Grad. They hired some big names, including the artist of Death Note, but had a really different tone. It was pretty alright.

[@bidoofismyking8962]

Yeah I'm pretty sure I remember an anime on toonami called this?

[@peesafpayper9688]

​@@bidoofismyking8962yeah 2 seasons . The final episode of S1 was my first ever proper introduction to "anime". But i left the show during S2 , turns out having watched only the final episode of S1 is not a good way to start an anime

[@reborn9641]

@@bidoofismyking8962 I didn't even know there was a game grew up with the show

[@wererat42]

You guys are killing it with these new shows! I'm sure Terranigma has to be something you cover in the future... released in Europe but lost to America because the studio closed its offices here and pretty sure even now only available to the US through less than legitimate methods.

[@supercyc10]

You bring up a good point about what if the game came out 10 years later.

[@reizophoenix8275]

I feel like Blue Dragon needs a remake to make it memorable. There is great potential for this game.

[@sucboy2147]

Now more than ever… R.I.P Akira

[@irishijo1]

Oh man, I remember me and a few friends playing through this game together, it was super fun and highly underrated

[@AlwaysSomeone]

This game was a big part of my childhood It must have been one of the first 10 games that I managed to finish

[@techieg33k]

I remember getting this and enjoying it. I think of this game quite often when looking for re-makes

[@wfmstigers]

I fucking LOVE this game. I've recently gotten close to finishing another playthrough, but this is my favourite game to date. Literally the most fun turn-based game I've ever played!

[@graymatter9431]

I remember back when this game came out, I got it and loved it, let a buddy of mine borrow it and never seen it again, but just bought the game back recently because of the passing of Akira Toriyama. Love his art in games like dragon quest and croon trigger, I think this game is a great addition.

[@RyanBeardy]

I played Lost Odyssey a couple years ago and would love to give this game a try too!

[@danielborg6411]

It's nice to see a 1 mil youtuber talk about old Rpgs!

[@YeCrustModifier]

You failed to mention Blue Dragon’s boss music, THAT shiz came out of nowhere. The rest of the soundtrack is competent video game music, but then I encountered my first boss and had my hair blown back. If you’re curious then search for Blue Dragon Eternity, trust me you will thank me :D

[@SailorSSayan]

I love this game, just like Skyrim I restarted this game so many times, so underrated and sad that sequels were developed for the ds

[@ben6993]

I was aware of this game when it came out in the early days of the 360 but I never played it. Recently I bought this game for less than £4 and I’m gonna get stuck in this weekend 😂👍🏻

[@graefx]

I'd love to see a retrospective on Lost Odyssey now

[@theescapist]

Will be the next entry in the series!

[@orangeslash1667]

@@theescapist You said in your Valkyria Chronicles review that you are willing to give Strategy games a chance. I recommend Unicorn Overlord, its strategy RPG made by Vanillaware.

[@JustJulyo]

I honestly thought it was a Dragon Quest Spinoff

[@VitaminThing]

I loved Blue Dragon, although never quite finished it. The hidden gem I'd love to know more about (and play again) is Tomba/Tombi from the PS1. It even featured on a demo disk with the OG PS1, but seems entirely lost to time. I'd totally play a Tombi 3 if anyone were to ever make it.

[@kricku]

Lost Odyssey is the freaking best RPG

[@lolrus5555]

"jesus christ the guy from deep purple sang this."

[@Why_Contain_It]

Yep, the only thing I knew about Blue Dragon before going into this video and the one thing I'll never forget.

[@DeathMetalViking]

I loved this game but their next game Lost Odyssey blew it out of the water.

[@DreamDaddie]

My first Xbox 360 game. Loved it. A little bland in the gameplay here or there but where it really got was the ridiculous 80’s rock style boss theme.

[@Calloflunacy]

I had a lot of fun with that game when it came out. the XBOX desperately needed more RPGs and that delivered.

[@CanonWelding]

I definitely agree with the assessment as to why it didnt stay within the public consciousness. It was a perfectly fine RPG that didnt do anything particularly special. The strongest part of the game is Toriyamas style and really the only thing I remember about it. That and I think there was a super weapon you could only get by collecting enough "nothing" from empty treasure spots. I got both this and Lost Odyssey on the same day and there was no contest. I had seen everything BD had done before but Lost Odyssey's story really moved me and the gameplay engaged me in a way JRPGs hadn't in a long while. Cant wait to see more of this series, its a great concept 👍

[@waz207]

This game is exactly why I got an Xbox one a month ago. I had played it on the 360 but never beat it, and had wanted to play it again for a while…so I went and rectified that

[@zerodreaming]

Wish they would release this and the incredible Lost Odyssey for PC.

[@Cooleepable]

Looks like this'll be a fun new series.

[@justinbuergi9867]

I actually got an Xbox just to play this game after loving in the anime The progression system was pretty interesting, letting you switch between classes and keeping all the unlocked abilities when you did. That was a first for me The game was pretty good. The 2nd one was different but interesting and I never got more than an hour into the 3rd despite multiple attempts

[@murasakibebeby3127]

I would love for blue dragon to come back. But... i just don't see it happening. Sadly.

[@VloggingwithDemetrius]

Currently playing. One of my favorite RPGs of all time

[@cfehunter]

and blue dragon has aged better than FF XIII.

[@Lucarioguild7]

I didn't realize there was an Xbox game for Blue Dragon but I loved it on the DS

[@skybolt6515]

I remember trying the game as a kid and not really getting it. But I did like the anime adaptation.

[@huhhuhhuh4069]

Time for a sequel!

[@billida]

Nothing … nothing … nothing… gold… nothing.

[@Melancolombia]

My most vivid memory is the weird girl in the game who's looking for a boyfriend, calling: "Where are you? My naked prince!".

[@TurboHossBoss]

This game is so amazing, and it was Supposed to get a sequel (Blue Dragon 2) but it was canceled in the planning stages... if there was any game series i would want to come back it would be this.

[@ElickFlash]

Man this The Escapist Renaissance is insane!

[@theescapist]

Glad you're enjoying!

[@malicekerendu3574]

My friends and I loved the anime. We didn't even know it came from a game

[@VegetableOnWheels]

I still play this game it's that good

[@coldReactive]

"Sand Land" Am I right?

[@WeebJail]

4:00 holy shit that's the voice of izzy from digimon id recognize that anywhere lol

[@Torencresent]

I think what is often forgotten about this game is that it had a lot of technical issues, not to mention I think it was the only game I owned that was more than one disk, at a time when it was practically unheard of anymore.

[@rubz1390]

PS2 was discontinued in 2013- feels like console were kept on the market for much longer in the past.

[@becomingsentient1208]

That was the discontinue date for Japan

[@UNSTABLE111]

Blue Dragon is a greatjrpg and also probably one of the more accessible rpgs, that I would recommend it to a person who wants to get into jrpgs..

[@StarRightStarTight]

I always wondered what happened with this game. I remember seeing it and thinking it was cool … then never heard about it again

[@RichardBatchelorComposer]

Hell yeah!! Blue Dragon is a great game, would love to see more games like this come out in the future that weren’t so fixated on 10/10 perfect visuals that I feel pushed publishers to crunching and exhausting themselves

[@The_Gallowglass]

I don't remember even hearing about it in the US. I could just be old and my memory is shit.

[@Jamesssssssssssssss]

I bought a 360 recently just to play this, always wanted to as a kid but never found a copy.

[@blinxman4956]

There is another JPPG exclusive to the Xbox 360 which is also developed by Mistwalker and in partnership Feelplus is Lost Odyssey, an underappreciated masterpiece that's tragically become forgotten over the years. I do hope that Microsoft continue to partner or acquire Japanese developers to gain an foothold in the market. I like to see this covered in "Lost in Time".

[@theescapist]

Next episode!

[@perlichtman1562]

@@theescapistYay!

[@Leny1777]

I never knew this game existed if I knew I woukd of gotten it.

[@Kio_Kurashi]

I liked Blue Dragon. Also played the version that ended up on the wii too.

[@Direwoof]

blue dragon is VERY expensive in my country D: 50 dollars!

[@wepeanutthree5553]

Lost Odyssey represent.

[@urakirby5]

I love blue dragon and beat it a few times actually

[@Bull_Jussech]

The game’s sequel’s both went with different gameplay and kinda just didn’t work.

[@TommyDeonauthsArchives]

Ah yes, the rpg that combined Final Fantasy with Dragon Quest... what was it again?

[@bastardtaro]

Am i tripping or did he say “Libary”

[@theauditor3224]

"ILL NEVER FORGIVE THE JAPANESE"

[@INSEIKYU01]

Loving it now if they could just re-release MS Saga

[@DBTGAMER]

Blue Dragon Awakening Shadow on the DS also great. It feels an action RPG. It's even has a character creator. Similar to Dragon Quest,9 I played it last year it was expensive. But I was surprised and impressed. The game even has English acting. I would recommend it if you have the spare cash. I also gave Blue Dragon plus a go. This is a strategy game I was not a fan I found it a bit slow boring.

[@EastyyBlogspot]

I always felt Microsoft should have either bought a Japanese company or set up a Japanese centric company and release the Xbox under that brand and avoid all mention of Microsoft

[@krypotico]

Give that blue dragon a sigar and it's evil shenron from dragonball gt.

[@mohammed-pl8zt]

With blue dragon xbox 360 managed to outsell ps3 in japan that week. It was working if Microsoft keept pushing.

[@AE_Sub]

Why, lady Zola, why???

[@Deathstorm501]

Is the dragon in the thumbnail actually from Blue Dragon, because it looks a lot to me like a Yu-Gi-Oh card, though I'm not sure which one.

[@becomingsentient1208]

It's a very anime representation of Shu's shadow, possibly from the strategy guide.

[@brettrigby2226]

blue dragon was awesome.

[@CenturianEagle]

I’ve never even heeeeard of this game!

[@custos3249]

Always was disappointed by this game and not just for what it and related events meant for FF or because it was bad. It was such a ridiculously, obviously bad move going xbox exclusive. I mean really. It's like they didn't do any market research on the average xbox owner. And to no surprise, Lost Odyssey met with the same fate. Both would have done extremely well had they released for the correct system.

[@natsume-hime2473]

Someone didn't pay attention to the video. Blue Dragon was not XBOX exclusive for the sake of the west. It was XBOX exclusive to be a system seller in Japan. Which it did quite well. Japanese gaming tastes were very different and a lot more narrow than the tastes in the west. They still are to a large extent too. The original XBOX really didn't have anything exclusive to offer the Japanese market. They really tried to fix that with the XBOX 360. Because games Halo and Gears of War were just not going to move systems in the Japanese market.

[@custos3249]

@@natsume-hime2473 That's was a lot of effort just to show you failed to grasp my point. Good luck in life.

[@1moblin2]

why would Japanese or any asian people would even want xbox when there's nintendo & Sony PlayStation "made in Japan" that are far waaaaay better? thats the real question.......its time for that game to come to both nintendo & Playstation because thats the only way that game will do good at all with being on an actual Japanese console

[@dompne33]

Great game ! Should be on switch haha

[@TheCreepypro]

a shame really

[@petg1909]

Its the most played xbox 360 games in japan wdym 😭

[@jstar2235]

Dunno man, playing FFXIII has the effect of making almost everything else seem better to me.

[@kirbyinhalesjotaro4471]

Lol why does Ian Gillian sing the boss theme of this?

[@cronorockwell]

Love This Game woo😊

[@wald0_052]

Bruh i just found my old ds with blue dragon plus, this game was not good on ds at all cinematics were fine tho

[@happyjonn9242]

Between Final Fantasy 13's boring corridor simulator and this game with it's childish design and annoying characters started the beginning of the end for me for JRPGs. One of the first games i actually felt embarrassed to have viewable in my games library.

[@Kumimono]

Was this the game with, weird amounts of turd enemies?

[@becomingsentient1208]

Yep, the Poo Snakes

[@manavsridharan3811]

Nice video, but I feel narrator's voice isn't holding my attention.

[@theescapist]

Colin's first video with us, he'll improve!

[@huhhuhhuh4069]

@@theescapist Everything is a learning process. He did fine and will be even better in due time. Looking forward to more, Colin!

[@manavsridharan3811]

@@theescapist Yup, looking forward to seeing more!