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Eternal Sonata




  • 144   This game is eye candy ! I really look forward to turning on this game because the graphics and world design is very beautiful . I wish our world looked as pretty and colorful as in this game . Ill have to wait for the Kingdom of Heaven to experience even better in actual reality . The battle system starts you off simple then gradually changes to make the battle scenes more challenging . I gotta say again the game is very beautifully designed . Eye candy ! I hope they make a Eternal Sonata 2 !
    • 051   I was very pleased with my purchase . The game is fun , far from being gore or violent and it is great for just kicking back after an end of term exam ! I have yet to finish the game , but the monsters are a little repetitive and the dungeons are slightly dull , but the movie sequences compensate for the two . Not to mention that the graphics and the music are absolutely mesmerizing , all in all I give the game a four out of five .
    • 102   Such a graceful game and love every second of it . It is just Beautiful . The music of the game is just lovely because I myself love orchestral music .
    • 108   I actually ended up buying Eternal Sonata from the GameStop near my house and it was just as adorable and fun as I thought it was . The game has a great story and I think anyone who likes RPGs or anime inspired games will find it's graphics and gameplay entertaining . .
    • 140   This game is amazing and very beautiful , but compared to other rpgs it can be a little tough . I love the game but have found it very challenging .

  • Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Everyone knows there has been a big lack of Japanese RPGs for the PS3 since it's launch . Well , Namco Bandai has re-released its first Xbox 360 JRPG For the PS3 with additional content , but is it worth it if you owned the 360 version ? The Graphics The graphics are very good for the genre . The color palette is wide and it really seems as though the world is LIVING , the exact opposite of a lot of games this generation ( sadly ) . The character models are great and the same goes for the details in the environment . Two letdowns : You can't rotate the camera , which would have permitted the players to see the beautiful environments in all their glory , and there is a particular extra dungeon which constantly uses the same room over and over with the same color and it eventually gets annoying . Aside from these 2 things it is really a nice looking game . The Story This is where the game lacks substance , especially the ending which is really weird . Basically , it's the story of Frederic Francois Chopin , famed Polish composer and pianist , who is about to die . The story takes place within his dream . An evil count is putting high taxes on everything except mineral powder ( a very strong medicine that supposedly cures all illness ) , which he produces . However , the heroes of this story learn about something that people who consume mineral powder don't know about . A rather unpleasing side effect ( not to spoil anything ) . So , they set out to ask , kindly , for Count Waltz to drop the taxes on other things as well , thinking he doesn't know about the side effects . And it simply goes downhill from there . There are no real plot twists and all that is happening is really predictable , except for the final boss which makes absolutely no sense at all . The Gameplay That aspect of the game really shines . The battles are handled in a similar way than ' ' Tales of ' ' games . Similar but turn-based . basically , when you touch a monster on the field ( no random encounters ) , a battle starts . The arena is most of the time circular and every character and enemies take turns . When it is one of your 3 characters ' turn , you perform actions in real-time such as attacking , using special attacks and using items . When it is the enemies ' turn , you can block their attack . However , you cannot simply mash the guard button , you have to get the timing correctly when the Chance Icon appears . Blocking is mandatory and really keeps you on your toes during the enemies ' turn . Also , as the game progresses , the party levels raises , hindering some aspect and improving other aspects , such as giving the opportunity to build the echo meter ( thus making the special attacks stronger ) or using Harmony chains ( Chains of special attacks between different characters ) . one thing I didn't like about the battle system is that all items you can use in battle are kept in an item set , which you need to reload as your reserves deplete and it can get annoying , especially if you forget to resupply just before a boss battle and you go in with only but a few items . Also , the difficulty is higher in the PS3 version than the 360 version which makes it more exciting . The Sound Not much to say about the music except that it's absolutely brilliant . There are brief pauses during chapters in which you can hear Chopin's music playing ( which you can skip anyways if you're not a fan ) and most of the music is composed by Motoi Sakuraba . The battle and boss musics are some of the best I've ever heard in a game and the same can be said about the Field music . Overall It is a truly great experience that should not be missed by JRPG fans who have been longing for one of those games on PS3 . The game can be done in 25 hours if you rush your way through but after that you can play a New Game which is more difficult and in which you can change the party levels at will . The extra content for the PS3 version is : 2 new characters , additional endings , 2 new dungeons and bonus costumes for 3 of the characters . Those who really need a good story might want to pass on this because the story is average at best . Also , the people who played the 360 version really aren't missing out on much but those who have yet to play should not hesitate at all and give this game a chance .
    • 006   After having played the 360 version , I found this version not that different , even with the additional features exclusive to this one . After playing through it , I found myself just repeating almost everything in the 360 version . Of course , that's to be expected , but I guess the additional features didn't really do much . As expected from some JRPGs , the game isn't THAT challenging , but maybe that's because I've played the other version before . To be honest I was confused at first , but now , I pretty much finished this version way under leveled compared to when I finished it before . I am however , happy that it's not much of a challenge . I find it annoying when I have to grind just to continue on with the storyline . In terms of controls and interface however , I find ES ' to be one of the easiest to navigate , most beautiful to look at , as well as the most interesting to toy around with . I like how , in battle , most moves can be executed at the touch of a single button . That however makes it a bit easy for players , but I don't mind . Like I said , less grinding , more on the story please . The story , I think , is one of the best I've actually seen in most JRPGs . While the main story of Polka and her magic powers may seem cliche , it's Chopin's story that I focus on . I admire how the developers made a story based on the life of a famous composer in real life . Not only do I find it as a form of appreciation for the said composer , but it actually made me appreciate Chopin , as well as classical music , more . The prospect of leaving this world upon your death and venturing to a new one is , for me , a dream come true . And this IS a role-playing game , so I might as well play that role , for my own entertainment . To be honest , I don't understand why a considerable number of people didn't like this game's story . There are actually some weak elements in the story , and I find the lack of humor to be one of the down sides . . . Not that I require every JRPG I play to be funny , mind you . And , as much as I hate mentioning it , I rarely see a person dying , and still be able to give a 30 minute - 1 hour death speech to nobody in particular . And up until now , I'm sad that I managed to finish this game fast . Real fast . It seriously needs more game play time . As much as the game doesn't push the PS3 ' s graphical limits much , I found this game's graphics to be quite enchanting . It's as if , you're being invited into a world painted on canvas with vibrant , fresh paints . The characters move realistically for me : no awkward movements , and all moves are executed smoothly . I was most excited about the addition of Prince Crescendo and Princess Serenade as playable characters , and to be honest , that was the part I enjoyed most . These little additions are exactly what made me get the PS3 version . And like before , the music is nice , but not exactly ground breaking . I mean , all right , I hear Chopin's pieces , as well as some by Sakuraba , and they fit the scenes they're incorporated into . But only very few of these pieces got stuck in my head . It does , however , put good emphasis on classical music , and I like that . Overall , Eternal Sonata still is one of the greatest JRPGs I've seen in a while ( or for the next-gen consoles at least ) . If you're looking for a nice RPG with lush anime-like graphics and an interesting storyline , I really suggest you get this game . Now . Note : Although this amazon account is by sukotsuto , this review written by a745 using sukotsuto's account as proxy to write the review .
    • 010   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) When I first heard that a game like Eternal Sonata was going to be made , I did think it was weird . I love the composer Chopin and I love the company making the game , but the idea behind it was weird to me . Different and completely new . When it was close to the game coming out , I started to read more and more about it , saw the graphics , trailers and joined an affinative site to share my love for this game . But when I got the game and place it in my 360 for the first time , I fell instantly in love with it . The gameplay , the battle system , the music , characters , everything about it was just amazing . I was excited to see they included little information about Chopin himself , as a man and as a composer throughout the game to learn more about him . The voice acting was amazing for me . I got excited when a new character spoke , because I recoginized them from something else they did . Then when I heard about this version coming out I knew I had to have it . The extra graphics , storylines , playable characters , plus 5 new Chopin pieces just blew my mind . The graphics in this version are just breath taking beautiful , so bright colorful and lush . The music is of course just amazing . To be honest , this game reminds me alot of a Tales game by Namco Bandai , but just a little different . Any Tales RPG fan and RPG fan should try this game out . ^ ^
    • 011   When I first heard that a game like Eternal Sonata was going to be made , I did think it was weird . I love the composer Chopin and I love the company making the game , but the idea behind it was weird to me . Different and completely new . When it was close to the game coming out , I started to read more and more about it , saw the graphics , trailers and joined an affinative site to share my love for this game . But when I got the game and place it in my 360 for the first time , I fell instantly in love with it . The gameplay , the battle system , the music , characters , everything about it was just amazing . I was excited to see they included little information about Chopin himself , as a man and as a composer throughout the game to learn more about him . The voice acting was amazing for me . I got excited when a new character spoke , because I recoginized them from something else they did . Then when I heard about this version coming out I knew I had to have it . The extra graphics , storylines , playable characters , plus 5 new Chopin pieces just blew my mind . The graphics in this version are just breath taking beautiful , so bright colorful and lush . The music is of course just amazing . To be honest , this game reminds me alot of a Tales game by Namco Bandai , but just a little different . Any Tales RPG fan and RPG fan should try this game out . ^ ^
    • 013   I usually dont write reviews but for this one I had to step up . Normally I do all my gaming on PC but decided to take a break and check out an rpg for ps3 , and this one totally took me off guard . Right from the start , gameplay and combat was smooth and easy to get into , but somewhere around chapter 3 something started to happen . . . I finally started watching all the cutscenes then got all interested in the plot and the characters . . . Anyway after restarting and really paying attention from the getgo , I found the concept of making a game based around the condition of Chopin in his final hours was really weird ( in a good way ) and educational . . . and the graphics are really nice . Since this my first rpg for the ps3 , and since I'm going for the second playthrough , I would highly recommend this game
    • 015   I bought this game for two reasons : 1 . It is one of only a handful of RPGs available on the PS3 , and 2 . The visual style is appealing . Visual Style . While the character models are impressive , the remainder of the game's visual elements are relatively lackluster . Environments are fairly boring and feel VERY closed-in . Creature designs are simplistic . Battle animations and particle effects are standard fare . Gameplay . Roaming around the world is not very exciting . The environments are nothing great to look at , and you are incredibly limited in where you can go and what you can do . Enemies are visible in the environment - - the sort of ' touch-an-enemy-to-enter-combat ' style of gameplay . Battle is mildly interesting , but quickly becomes extremely repetitive . With a limited number of creatures and creature combinations , you begin to feel like every battle is the same ( and it gets to be that way ) . On the play balancing side , it appears the game did not undergo sufficient testing : some areas I can sail through , easily winning every battle , only to get completely and utterly trounced by the boss at the end of the area . ( This then requires me to spend quite a bit of time in that area , fighting countless low-experience-earning battles in order to level up to a point at which I can defeat the boss . ) On the other hand , some areas are incredibly difficult to begin with , but the boss is extremely easy to beat . There are a few interesting concepts included in the battle system , but they don't come close to offering the flexibility in battle tactics that many other RPGs do . . . like I said , every battle in this game is the same . One of my biggest beefs is that in regular battles , while typically easy and formulaic , you do balance on the edge of being defeated . As such , just a bit of bad luck can wipe you out quickly ( even though you would have normally been able to win ) . That may not make much sense . . . but I found that if I did not use a healer to heal my guys EVERY turn , I could die very quickly . ( Maybe I just needed to spend 10 hours leveling up . . . I don't know . ) Story and Characters . Two words : over-dramatized and inconsistent . Themes are revisited multiple times ( with characters appearing to come to the same epiphanies more than once throughout the game ) . The story moves very slowly ( you are often diverted to what would normally be a side-quest , but what is mandatory in this game - - the diversions bear no relevance to the story and can take many hours to complete ) and there are few surprises along the way . Cut-scene dialogue is slow and painful . Overall , it's a mildly entertaining game . The character models and shaders impressed me enough to keep playing .
    • 018   I'm both a fan of Frederic Chopin because I'm a pianist and a gamer for life . But it took me over a couple of years before I decided to purchase this game . I've heard and read many good feedback about this game but now here's my feedback on the overall experience even if I haven't finished it yet . Honestly , from the onset , I was slightly bored with the long cut scenes and the pacing of the story . It's very thorough , though and my expectations were in the area of delving into the real life of Frederic Chopin . Nevertheless , the presentation of the game was top notch ( graphics , music , character design , etc . ) BATTLE SYSTEM Initially , I found the fight dynamics and control to be awkward because it seemed like the designers couldn't decide between a real-time and turn-based setup . There were a lot of instances when it's the turn of the certain character and I would mistakenly start firing away out of instinct ( maybe my subconscious was interpreting the game to be a real-time action game rather than a turn-based one ) But don't worry , once I got that worked out , and my mind trained to the system , there was no longer any confusion on how to control the battles . A big plus though is the depth of the tutorials that are provided in-game . I wouldn't have been able to learn it otherwise . The moment I learned the nuances of the battle system , I immediately got engaged to applying the strengths of the system , and I immediately overcame the initial hurdles . As a result , the fights / battles became so much fun and addicting . One thing I don't like though , is the intro to every fight scene which have the characters giving out their spiels . A second gripe I have with the battle system , is the configuration of the location of the enemies , a lot of times , no matter how big the battle area is , half of the time , you still have to figure out where they are in the battle area because they're so far off from the characters , and this is not a good thing because the moment you start moving , you timer starts ticking away before you're able to execute your attacks . I was able to work these things out , since the battle were beautiful anyway , so I forgave the shortcomings of this particular design flaw . GRAPHICS The graphics are just gorgeous . This is cell-shaded but it looks so well polished and detailed that sometimes you simply have to stop and pause to appreciate the beauty of the scenery . The frame rate is absolutely perfect . LOADING / SAVING SAVE FILES This is probably the only bad part of the game . I don't know why the saving and loading of the save files seem to be really slow and time consuming . They could have improved on this by leaps and bounds . MUSICAL SCORE I'm a music person and I found the soundtrack of this game to be completely luscious . Although , I would have wished that used a more Chopin-esque style in the music since the music style is still very ' video-gamey ' and I was expecting it to be otherwise . But other than that , the music is brilliant , original . CHARACTER CONFIGURATIONS / ITEMS / LEVEL UPS AND UPGRADES This is very simplistic but I'm happy with it because the system doesn't distract the gamer from the story . This is not the strength of the game but it surely compliments with it overall . I have another gripe regarding the leveling up pace of the game . At a certain point , right after you reach the Agogo village , the enemies at that area become so difficult to battle with . The growth requirement of your characters is very steep , and you'd be using a lot of healing items to get through a lot of levels of battles . So there you have it . I'm still not finished with the game but I'm already dying to finish it because the game is just so gorgeous . ( UPDATE 2 ) I've been playing this game for almost a month now and the game surprises me even more . I'm actually enjoying this more than Final Fantasy XIII . Yes it has its faults like when assigning newer weapons and such . It's kind of tedious to try to trace and determine if the upgrades you're doing is the right choice or not , but other than that , the story is just gorgeous . Oh , and the battles are simple , yet quite challenging . I've died many times over different parts and I like that somehow .
    • 023   I just completed this game a few days ago , and I must say that Eternal Sonata is an amazing game for the Playstation 3 ! One of the best actually ! The story is very compelling and will get you hooked the moment you fire up the game ! The graphics and animation in every part of the game are INSANE ! ! ! Very colorful , extremely sharp details , its practically an RPG gamer's eye candy ! The characters , voice acting , dialogue , and setting are all spot-on perfect ! You cannot look away from any of it ! But the best part about this game is the soundtrack ! I was blown away by the intence music ! The music is one of the reasons why this game is so amazing ! ! Overall , this game is a perfectly crafted RPG for the Playstation 3 . Well worth the money ! !
    • 025   Wonderfull game full of color , this bluray breath art for everywhere . Great battle system , good story , maybe the only flaw was the characters , dont like the design neither the personalities . The music its great too . U like RPGs ? U like original games ? U like art in videogames ? If your answer is yes , please buy this gorgeous piece of art .
    • 028   The game is really well done . Its super colorful so beware if you have emo eyes . The story is really good but it takes a little to get going . The characters are very realistice and distinct and you can watch them grow and change which is always a plus . The one problem with this game is the leveling . It seems to me that the bosses are easier later in the game but early on i had to go level up for two hours before i even had a chance . This means there are a LOT of battles you will be fighting . And i mean A LOT ! And for some of the game the average monsters would die in one hit but when i got to the boss i would be the one dying in one hit . The battle system is pretty cool and it changes as the game progresses to keep it interesting . Not my favorite but i've always been a bigger fan of KH style fighting and leveling . I would highly recomend this game for RPG buffs . Overall its a good game . Just be prepared to level . You probably wouldn't have to go back back and level if you just grinded up at the begining but i've never been a fan of that . I just want to progress with the story . This isn't a game to rent in my opinion but its worth the money to buy .
    • 032   Eternal Sonata is about Frederic Chopin , a very famous composer , getting very ill . He falls into what the doctor says is a long deep sleep that you have just before you're about to die . He meets Polka , Allegretto , Beat , and all the other characters eventually in the story line . Chopin is not sure if this is just a dream , or A Reality That is Far Too Real . This game was one of the 1st RPG's for the Xbox360 , and can definatley be easy to fall in love with . The music is absolutley amazing , ( I'd give that a 5 / 5 . ) Graphics , 4.5 / 5 . And Storyline , 4.5 / 5 . Overall : 4.5 Even though its a video game , it also has a little bit of historical information on Chopin and some others related to him and even uses some of Chopin's music . The battle system was very creative because it doesn't have the same attacks everytime . If you are in light places , you have certain specials and if you're in dark places , you have other ones . Some enemies change their appearence depending on which type of lighting they are in . Also , during battles , it is taken by turns . Though sometimes the game can seem challanging at times , it can also seem too easy . So this is a very imaginative RPG and I think is the best RPG I've ever played . Characters were creative , but the voice acting wasn't too great . If they were to make a 2nd one , I would definatley give it a chance and get it . Overall : 4.5
    • 034   This game is very well put together with so much Amazement on both character designs and Level Creations throughout . The game takes place where a famous musical composer Named Chopin , who is sets off on a journey to a dreamworld before his death . He will encounter some characters that will resembles with his Family and friends he encountered on the real world . At some point he will have to realized who he is and why he is in the real world The controls has set to some rules from the begining of the game , and then completely changes along the way . So when you start , it will give you a basic rules of how to play the game , as soon as you accomlpished a certain task , the rules change and either add something new or to replace a feature to a more suitable liking . The Soundtrack is greatly amazing . One moment you listen to a nice aria when visiting a town , to a grand orchestra effect when challenged on a dungeon puzzle or Battle sequence . Aside from this , I love this game alot because of the Vibrant colors , and its Great Sceneries . plus , Almost every theme in this game is associated with music compositions , symbols and signs .
    • 036   This game is very entertaining game and the graphic and sound are good . I like RPG games and this game play is fun . Also this game movie trailer was great . It's new from PS3 . The story was good . You'll enjoy the game . This game is my favorite one of RPG game .
    • 043   Eternal Sonata for the PS3 is a traditional style JRPG with a few kicks to keep it interesting . There are no trophies for this game as of 3 / 2 / 11 , but don't let that discourage you from trying this game out . The story is fantastic with a great twist at the end ( M . Night Shyamalan really should take some hints as to how it's correctly done ) The characters all keep your interest and do not bore you to wits end with stupid dialog . There are some great lessons to be learned in the message being portrayed in this game . The battle system starts out easy enough , but grows to become something I havn't seen in a while . An evolving battle system that doesn't frustrate you . In fact , if you learn to master it , the game seems to play itself . I know more than one person can play at once in the battles , however I didn't try that out ( i had too much fun controlling everything ) The game brings back memories of final fantasy vii in the emotions received from the story . Definitely pick this up and play it , it's worth every penny .
    • 054   I thoroughly enjoyed Eternal Sonata . The graphics , sound , gameplay , and story are all top notch , and I had a lot of fun playing it . It was sufficiently long , and had about the right level of difficulty . To give you an idea of my tastes - I grew up playing the Final Fantasy games , and enjoyed them as well . I very much liked the turn-based-plus-action / time-based battle system - a refreshing twist for RPGs . I'd love to see more games use a system like Eternal Sonata's . A few small annoyances : 1 ) There are a couple story moments where it's just kind of silly and / or it's obvious the game designers ran out of time / budget . They're not a big deal and it doesn't detract from the game much , but in the interests of full disclosure , it's worth mentioning . 2 ) The game locked up on me once and forced me to power off the system . I have the PS3 version . It was during a particularly intensive graphical battle moment . I lost about a half hour of progress . It only happened that one time . 3 ) I felt a little compelled to level up characters a couple times to get some new moves or to beat a tough spot . Not a big deal , but a little time consuming . Those small issues aside , Eternal Sonata is a very well done game and a worthy addition to any RPGer's library . Don't hesitate to pick it up .
    • 058   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I enjoyed this game quite a bit on the first play through . The game encourages you to play through the game again a second time afterward to complete new quest and get access to new items . During this more difficult ( and a little frustrating ) second playthrough , I ended up in an area that was impossible to leave . This area constituted several different locations and since after completing a quest in the area I had updated my saved game , I was completely unable to leave . This effectively ended my game . I was frustrated to have the game ended like this after 70 + hours of play , but I did enjoy the game up until that point . As someone who always has to do EVERYTHING in a game , this was a fun game , but a little frustrating trying to complete all the side quests .
    • 059   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I enjoyed this game quite a bit on the first play through . The game encourages you to play through the game again a second time afterward to complete new quest and get access to new items . During this more difficult ( and a little frustrating ) second playthrough , I ended up in an area that was impossible to leave . This area constituted several different locations and since after completing a quest in the area I had updated my saved game , I was completely unable to leave . This effectively ended my game . I was frustrated to have the game ended like this after 70 + hours of play , but I did enjoy the game up until that point . As someone who always has to do EVERYTHING in a game , this was a fun game , but a little frustrating trying to complete all the side quests .
    • 060   I enjoyed this game quite a bit on the first play through . The game encourages you to play through the game again a second time afterward to complete new quest and get access to new items . During this more difficult ( and a little frustrating ) second playthrough , I ended up in an area that was impossible to leave . This area constituted several different locations and since after completing a quest in the area I had updated my saved game , I was completely unable to leave . This effectively ended my game . I was frustrated to have the game ended like this after 70 + hours of play , but I did enjoy the game up until that point . As someone who always has to do EVERYTHING in a game , this was a fun game , but a little frustrating trying to complete all the side quests .
    • 063   As much as people may claim that the combat system is awfully repetitive , I believe that this game isn't meant for such a thing . The true beauty of this game is it's backgrounds , character designs , and inventive storyline , that was , for a change , tied to an event in real life involving a person undergoing a hopeless situation . Additionally , the cast of unique characters , the philosophical concepts of life that connect the game world to our world , and the ever consistent nature of humanity is impressive . Finally , the game boasts having a bestiary of no relation to anything else ever created in the past . Ultimately , I would recommend this game to people who are looking for a game story to read and a beautifully captivating world . On the other hand , I politely ask those who live for intense game play to respectfully turn away and search for something more . . . shall we say , stimulating ?
    • 069   This is a great game for first time RPG players . Since the battle system in this game is unique in that while remaining turn based , it has real time action , so it would appeal to players who like action games like Devil May Cry . Also , it's not an extremely challenging game there's a cool addition in which as you continue through the game , you party it awarded levels which raise the difficulty of the game by decreasing you turn time and such which I thought was pretty cool to make it not too easy . Overall I think this is a great game for beginners to RPG's or people that like action games but too easy for RPG veterans .
    • 072   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Like the top says , I find it very interesting that the developers decided to make this game about Chopin having a dream , Instead of the copy and paste stories were so used to seeing . Let me start with the pros and cons of the PS3 version Pros : + Better Box art ( personal opinion ) + Extra Cut-scenes + Extra Stages / bosses + Extra Character Costumes + Great way to mix up the old good vs . evil RPG's ( it may not be much , but its a start ) + Party levels turn up the heat of the game ( very innovative , have not seen this in an RPG before ) Cons : - One or two bosses taken out - Can be a little too challenging at times - Not enough extras to justify a second purchase if you have the 360 verson - Game has been out for over a year on 360 , but still have to pay FULL price for the PS3 version - Party level get annoying at lv .6 That about covers the basics about this game , the graphics are very nice and the framerate seems constant with no hiccups , Like some people have said the game is very liner , but I don't mind that , it's what I look for in an RPG . Overall a great RPG to get if you haven't already got the 360 version . The thing that urks me is the high price this game gets , the 360 version can be had on the cheap now ( $20 - $30 ) EDIT : I have been recently informed by a friend that the 360 version is actually somewhat harder than the PS3 version ( he has played both ) But I should mention that what makes it hard is that you have to be quick to guard , it blockes about 60 - 70% of the damage . Once you get used to the blocking the game is a cakewalk from there . EDIT #2 : I see the price has come down quite a bit , at the time of the writing the game was $59.99 , It's now $39 , now that's a good price and the price it should have been when it first came to PS3 .
    • 073   Like the top says , I find it very interesting that the developers decided to make this game about Chopin having a dream , Instead of the copy and paste stories were so used to seeing . Let me start with the pros and cons of the PS3 version Pros : + Better Box art ( personal opinion ) + Extra Cut-scenes + Extra Stages / bosses + Extra Character Costumes + Great way to mix up the old good vs . evil RPG's ( it may not be much , but its a start ) + Party levels turn up the heat of the game ( very innovative , have not seen this in an RPG before ) Cons : - One or two bosses taken out - Can be a little too challenging at times - Not enough extras to justify a second purchase if you have the 360 verson - Game has been out for over a year on 360 , but still have to pay FULL price for the PS3 version - Party level get annoying at lv .6 That about covers the basics about this game , the graphics are very nice and the framerate seems constant with no hiccups , Like some people have said the game is very liner , but I don't mind that , it's what I look for in an RPG . Overall a great RPG to get if you haven't already got the 360 version . The thing that urks me is the high price this game gets , the 360 version can be had on the cheap now ( $20 - $30 ) EDIT : I have been recently informed by a friend that the 360 version is actually somewhat harder than the PS3 version ( he has played both ) But I should mention that what makes it hard is that you have to be quick to guard , it blockes about 60 - 70% of the damage . Once you get used to the blocking the game is a cakewalk from there . EDIT #2 : I see the price has come down quite a bit , at the time of the writing the game was $59.99 , It's now $39 , now that's a good price and the price it should have been when it first came to PS3 .
    • 074   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I must say that I was excited for Eternal Sonata the moment I saw that it was announced at the Tokyo Game Show for the Xbox 360 . A fantastical game about a real life composer seemed like it would make for an incredibly interesting game . Even with my enormously high expectations for the game , I was still blown away when I finally embarked on this adventure . I'll start with the story . Frederick Chopin is laying on his death bed , dreaming peacefully . The game plunges you into his dream where you meet several musical-themed characters like Polka , Allegretto , and Beat . You travel with your new found friends through a gorgeous world that is , unfortunately , plagued by a selfish and greedy ruler named Count Waltz . The story , admittedly , isn't for everyone . It certainly incorporates more morals than I've ever seen before in an RPG , but if you open up to the ideas the game is trying to present , it's actually very relevant to Chopin's era and our own . Small segments between chapters of the game also give a small biography on Chopin's real life which was a very nice touch and helped highlight parallels between the game's story and his own life . The music , of course , is fantastic . Chopin's elegant piano compositions are blended beautifully with Motoi Sakuraba's work . There was no situation that had an ill-fitting piece of music and I found myself looking for the soundtrack to the game after I'd gotten only an hour into it . Without spoiling anything , I will say that the final battle music really surprised me , and instantly shot to one of my favorites of the soundtrack . The battle system is real time , and incredibly fun . Each character gets a turn , and during that turn you have Tactical Time and Real Time . Tactical time is how much time you are allowed to think , which means standing still and planning out your best course of action . Real Time is when you actually begun to move towards your enemy and attack . As you level up , your party levels up as well , which changes the battle system . The changes include lowering tactical time ( to taking it away altogether ) and lowering the amount of real time you have to beat your opponent to oblivion . It's a very interesting system that kept battles entertaining for me through the entire game . Unfortunately , though the battles are interesting , the monsters are not . The monsters tended to vary only slightly from region to region and usually only changed color . Since so much detail was put into the rest of the game , the lack of variety in the monsters was unfortunate . Overall this game shines above other RPGs as an innovative way to showcase a historical figure's life while still providing a highly entertaining escape from reality . It takes about 40 - 60 hours to beat without the sidequests and was well-worth every hour spent .
    • 075   I must say that I was excited for Eternal Sonata the moment I saw that it was announced at the Tokyo Game Show for the Xbox 360 . A fantastical game about a real life composer seemed like it would make for an incredibly interesting game . Even with my enormously high expectations for the game , I was still blown away when I finally embarked on this adventure . I'll start with the story . Frederick Chopin is laying on his death bed , dreaming peacefully . The game plunges you into his dream where you meet several musical-themed characters like Polka , Allegretto , and Beat . You travel with your new found friends through a gorgeous world that is , unfortunately , plagued by a selfish and greedy ruler named Count Waltz . The story , admittedly , isn't for everyone . It certainly incorporates more morals than I've ever seen before in an RPG , but if you open up to the ideas the game is trying to present , it's actually very relevant to Chopin's era and our own . Small segments between chapters of the game also give a small biography on Chopin's real life which was a very nice touch and helped highlight parallels between the game's story and his own life . The music , of course , is fantastic . Chopin's elegant piano compositions are blended beautifully with Motoi Sakuraba's work . There was no situation that had an ill-fitting piece of music and I found myself looking for the soundtrack to the game after I'd gotten only an hour into it . Without spoiling anything , I will say that the final battle music really surprised me , and instantly shot to one of my favorites of the soundtrack . The battle system is real time , and incredibly fun . Each character gets a turn , and during that turn you have Tactical Time and Real Time . Tactical time is how much time you are allowed to think , which means standing still and planning out your best course of action . Real Time is when you actually begun to move towards your enemy and attack . As you level up , your party levels up as well , which changes the battle system . The changes include lowering tactical time ( to taking it away altogether ) and lowering the amount of real time you have to beat your opponent to oblivion . It's a very interesting system that kept battles entertaining for me through the entire game . Unfortunately , though the battles are interesting , the monsters are not . The monsters tended to vary only slightly from region to region and usually only changed color . Since so much detail was put into the rest of the game , the lack of variety in the monsters was unfortunate . Overall this game shines above other RPGs as an innovative way to showcase a historical figure's life while still providing a highly entertaining escape from reality . It takes about 40 - 60 hours to beat without the sidequests and was well-worth every hour spent .
    • 077   I'll separate this review into 3 separate categories for easy reading . First will be my ' Likes ' which will be all the things I liked about the game , and the positives of it . Next will be the ' Dislikes ' which will be the downsides to the game . The final paragraph will by my ' Recommend ? ' paragraph , in which I'll reveal if I would recommend this game to anyone . Likes : Great graphics , amazing story , the music is top notch of course . The character design and voice acting is definitely great for a Japanese RPG . The battle system is also pretty unique . Easy button mapping and menu interface is always a plus as well . Dislikes : The camera , and the ' on rails ' feel the whole game has . It also occurred to me that , although there are a lot of useful objects in the game , there is rarely a sign telling you to get the object . Recommendation : Yes , definitely . One of the best RPGs available right now . Even if you're not a fan of JRPGs , you owe it to yourself to check this game out .
    • 079   Eternal Sonata arrives onto the Playstation 3 with updated content including new dungeons , music , cut scenes , and two new playable characters . The story begins with Composer Fredrick Chopin lying in his death bed ; meanwhile a new journey unfolds within his dream . Along his journey he meets a young girl name Polka , but unfortunately she is struck with a chronic illness . Other friendly companions soon join your party and unite to fight against the Evil Count Waltz . The Gameplay consists of familiar role playing elements . Random encounters are gone , and are replaced with visible enemies on the field . The battle system is a mixture of turn-based and real-time elements . The player has a set amount of time to perform battle actions , and move across the field . Battle Actions are divided into two categories ; light and darkness . Certain skills are only available when a character stands in the light or shadows . As the story progress , battles become more complex and difficult . Overall the story's pace is a bit slow , but is still able to maintain interesting . The world may seem linear at times , but the vivid environment well makes up for it . Eternal Sonata contains one of the best musical scores found in the RPG genre . The general presentation of the game is blatantly out of this world . If you are a fan of RPG's and are looking to play one on the Playstation 3 , I highly recommend you go out and buy Eternal Sonata .
    • 083   Ok I'm the usual huge Final Fantasy Fan and not easily amazed by other RPGs and so far have not found one that makes me enjoy it and completely forget about Final Fantasy . But this game does . Graphics are amazing , feels like you're living in a cartoon movie . Battle control is great , love the the special attacks . Soundtracks are great , all in all I have to say RIGHT ON THE MONEY a MUST for all RPG Fans ; ) On top of everything else you learn about Chopin's history . Great gift for kids , they play and learn about history .
    • 092   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I've been waiting awhile for a RPG I could play on PS3 . ( I bought the PS3 with the knowledge that PS2 was such a great RPG system ) . Now that I have eternal sontata , I am happy with my purchase . I have not got far in the game , but the visuals are stunning , very bright . I recomend using the Japanses voices w / english subs , it makes the cuts better to watch IMO . The battle system is great . Is a mix between a normal turn based RPG and a kingdom hearts style of play . If you want a good RPG for PS3 , this is the one to get .
    • 093   I've been waiting awhile for a RPG I could play on PS3 . ( I bought the PS3 with the knowledge that PS2 was such a great RPG system ) . Now that I have eternal sontata , I am happy with my purchase . I have not got far in the game , but the visuals are stunning , very bright . I recomend using the Japanses voices w / english subs , it makes the cuts better to watch IMO . The battle system is great . Is a mix between a normal turn based RPG and a kingdom hearts style of play . If you want a good RPG for PS3 , this is the one to get .
    • 126   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This game was the first next gen RPG that I played . I originally played it on the Xbox 360 , lost it , and decided to get it for the PS3 because I heard it has extra content . Just the fact that I bought it a second times says a lot . It's just a fun game . The battle system is really fun . You'll learn something about music too . Really visually pleasing . Not much free roaming , exploration . Everything is pretty linear . The story seams a little rushed at the end . There should be more fun games like this one .
    • 127   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This game was the first next gen RPG that I played . I originally played it on the Xbox 360 , lost it , and decided to get it for the PS3 because I heard it has extra content . Just the fact that I bought it a second times says a lot . It's just a fun game . The battle system is really fun . You'll learn something about music too . Really visually pleasing . Not much free roaming , exploration . Everything is pretty linear . The story seams a little rushed at the end . There should be more fun games like this one .
    • 130   Lively battle system , lovable characters , and a storyline which slowly but surely teaches you more about the gorgeous world and awe-inspiring environments created for this experience . If you enjoy RPGs at all , definitely give this one a try .
    • 137   Graphics - At first not too appealing , but I gradually grew accustomed to its anime-like style . The different areas are undeniably beautiful . Fighting System - Unremarkable at first , but it becomes more complex and interesting later . As your party levels up , so does the fighting system . For example , at the very beginning of the game you have unlimited tactical time , later on you merely have 3 seconds . Moreover , light and dark areas impact the moves your characters can use , and also the types of monsters you fight ( some monsters are weak in the light and evolve into a far more powerful monster in dark areas ) As characters level up , they learn new exciting moves . The fact that the system is constantly evolving makes the game very interesting . It would be nice if the battle didn't take place in different scene . Character customization : It's unfortunate that whenever you change your character's armor it is not shown in any aspect of the game . However , later on in the game you'll be able to find new character costumes , which only changes the character's picture I.D . Still , it's a rather nice touch . Scenes : They can be extremely lengthy and dull as they discuss the intricacies of death and life , dream and reality and so on . There are also breaks before a new chapter detailing aspects of Chopin's life . It's nice to learn about his history , but the historical details aren't presented in an exciting manner . It's text against an unmoving background . Still , I appreciated the discussions and historical aspect of the game , because I enjoy that sort of stuff . It's not for everyone , however . Monsters : Some monsters are recycled ( they may come back in different colors and more powerful ) . Battles can be challenging , which is great . Music : Amazing Plot : Nothing extraordinary or new , but still great . Overall , I love this game . It's extremely fun . Check it out !
    • 153   I'm a big RPG person so I will probably try most RPGs that go on sale , as well as ones that have had semi-good reviews . I tried the downloadable demo for Eternal Sonata and decided I liked what I saw and the fighting system , so I went ahead and got the game . While the game itself is very beautiful and bright , with a satisfying and interesting real-time / turn based battle system that I won't go into detail about , the story is a little off putting to me . It has some ' dark ' themes and the typical save-the-world type elements involved in a RPG , but the rest of it just seems like it was geared for a younger audience . I have not finished the game at this point , so I won't comment on the actual plot , but the voice acting and some of the character's personalities irritate me for some reason . I might even add , this is the same reason why I probably never finished Final Fantasy 13 . The characters just seemed too cliche , the things they say and do are kind of redundant sometimes , and I can't get into a game where the acting makes me roll my eyes half the time . I don't think this is a bad game , its just that I had hoped for a darker and more mature RPG , and not one where almost every character is a little kid running away from home or some complaining brat who just seems to tag along . I mean seriously . . . you're out on a serious adventure to save the world , and you're babysitting some 8 year old kids ! ! They are battling with you , and adding their cutesy little quips and comments every now and then . . . just seems ridiculous to me . Who knows , maybe I am just getting too old , I bet I would have LOVED this game 10 years ago . If you can get over the ' youthfulness ' of the game and the voice acting ( heard putting on Japanese voices helps ) , then you probably would really enjoy this game . Like I said , I think this is a good game , great graphics , typical but interesting story , and fun battle system . The cliche-ness of the characters leaves less to be desired but maybe I am just being nit-picky . RPGs are suppose to have cliche characters right ? Since they almost all do . Or maybe I am just getting older . Probably both . With that said , I will still try to finish it , although I find other games demanding more attention from me .
    • 160   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Gameplay is top notch Graphics are pretty Story is slow , but i believe worth it in the end . You learn a lot about Chopin , the composer . And history . I beat it in 30 hours , which i find much too short for a role playing game . There is replayability if you want to find all dungeons and weapons .
    • 161   Gameplay is top notch Graphics are pretty Story is slow , but i believe worth it in the end . You learn a lot about Chopin , the composer . And history . I beat it in 30 hours , which i find much too short for a role playing game . There is replayability if you want to find all dungeons and weapons .
    • 169   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Eternal Sonata was essentially an Xbox 360 exclusive that was ported to the PS3 a year and a half later . The PS3 version features two additional characters , additional cutscenes that help explain the story better , and a bonus end game dungeon . Essentially with these additions it is the superior version to get . It is an innovative Japanese RPG type game with a modified turn-based battle system . Essentially during a players turn they can button mash to do whatever attacks they have mapped to their four PS3 buttons and also roam freely across the screen . The player is only restricted by a timer that depletes once the turn starts . As the player advances in the game additional changes are made to the battle system . The biggest selling point of the game is the evolving battle system for it really has not been seen in any other RPG . Another major point is the beautiful story and narrative about the late renessaince composer Frederic Chopin who died of sickness in real life . The game follows his tale through real events and musical compositions , and the player basically plays through a story that takes place in his mind while he lays unconscious . The in game story follows the tale of several characters as they try to overthrow the government intent on making its citizens slave soldiers to take over other kingdoms . Most events are carried out through voice cutscenes rendered with the in game engine ( that means no fancy FMV cutscenes , however , because the games graphics already look amazing , the cutscenes do too ) . There is also TONS of voicework , though it gets repetitive in battle when the player does Sacred Signature to heal their characters up to three times each turn during each lenghty boss fight . Where the game falls apart are the bossfights . It is pretty much guaranteed that when a player stumbles upon the boss for the first time that they will lose in the first two or three turns . Only the most gifted person will probably manage to beat this game . The boss fights are lenghty and excessively difficult . Oftentimes one will find that they need to level grind ( attack numerous weaker enemies until they believe they themselves are strong enough to face the boss ) to overcome the boss , and then the boss fight is dependent on if you can manage to heal and defend all on time . In the end this is a pretty solid game though a bit too difficult .
    • 170   Eternal Sonata was essentially an Xbox 360 exclusive that was ported to the PS3 a year and a half later . The PS3 version features two additional characters , additional cutscenes that help explain the story better , and a bonus end game dungeon . Essentially with these additions it is the superior version to get . It is an innovative Japanese RPG type game with a modified turn-based battle system . Essentially during a players turn they can button mash to do whatever attacks they have mapped to their four PS3 buttons and also roam freely across the screen . The player is only restricted by a timer that depletes once the turn starts . As the player advances in the game additional changes are made to the battle system . The biggest selling point of the game is the evolving battle system for it really has not been seen in any other RPG . Another major point is the beautiful story and narrative about the late renessaince composer Frederic Chopin who died of sickness in real life . The game follows his tale through real events and musical compositions , and the player basically plays through a story that takes place in his mind while he lays unconscious . The in game story follows the tale of several characters as they try to overthrow the government intent on making its citizens slave soldiers to take over other kingdoms . Most events are carried out through voice cutscenes rendered with the in game engine ( that means no fancy FMV cutscenes , however , because the games graphics already look amazing , the cutscenes do too ) . There is also TONS of voicework , though it gets repetitive in battle when the player does Sacred Signature to heal their characters up to three times each turn during each lenghty boss fight . Where the game falls apart are the bossfights . It is pretty much guaranteed that when a player stumbles upon the boss for the first time that they will lose in the first two or three turns . Only the most gifted person will probably manage to beat this game . The boss fights are lenghty and excessively difficult . Oftentimes one will find that they need to level grind ( attack numerous weaker enemies until they believe they themselves are strong enough to face the boss ) to overcome the boss , and then the boss fight is dependent on if you can manage to heal and defend all on time . In the end this is a pretty solid game though a bit too difficult .
    • 171   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I do not feel like writing a review , but this game is excellent . I have only played it with 2 or more players , so if you have a committed friend who likes RPG's , play through this game together . It has sucked in everyone who has come to fill in the 3rd player's spot as well . Great RPG to play solo as well . This is one of the best ps3 RPG's out , and is a great improvement over the x360 version . It fills in some story gaps , and makes the game more enjoyable overall . I was skeptical of whether this game would be any good at first , but now I am very pleased after having played it . Beautiful game , buy this RPG fans .
    • 190   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Eternal Sonata tells the tale of Chopin's dreams as he lies on his deathbed . Overall , the game is overly refreshing in both its graphical style and musical score . The journeys that Chopin goes on are both entertaining and rewarding . Simply put , Eternal Sonata is a great game that you should definitely check out , but allow me explain my views further . The graphical style alone sets Eternal Sonata apart from its brethren of other RPG's . In itself , watching the unique graphical style unfold on the screen is worth the $30 price tag . The character models and designs are so well constructed that it's hard not fall in love with every characters style . The colors of the world in Eternal Sonata are bright , vivid , and look crisp on an HDTV . But graphics are not the only thing that make this game great . The musical score is pretty much the icing on the cake , as it lends itself perfectly to the story . The pieces composed by Motoi Sakuraba are uplifting and bring the world to life . The battle system continually changes throughout the game , keeping things interesting . However , the story does become linear or sluggish at certain points , but this is a minor gripe . If you are a fan of RPG's or fresh experiences , give Eternal Sonata a shot and keep dreaming !
    • 191   Eternal Sonata tells the tale of Chopin's dreams as he lies on his deathbed . Overall , the game is overly refreshing in both its graphical style and musical score . The journeys that Chopin goes on are both entertaining and rewarding . Simply put , Eternal Sonata is a great game that you should definitely check out , but allow me explain my views further . The graphical style alone sets Eternal Sonata apart from its brethren of other RPG's . In itself , watching the unique graphical style unfold on the screen is worth the $30 price tag . The character models and designs are so well constructed that it's hard not fall in love with every characters style . The colors of the world in Eternal Sonata are bright , vivid , and look crisp on an HDTV . But graphics are not the only thing that make this game great . The musical score is pretty much the icing on the cake , as it lends itself perfectly to the story . The pieces composed by Motoi Sakuraba are uplifting and bring the world to life . The battle system continually changes throughout the game , keeping things interesting . However , the story does become linear or sluggish at certain points , but this is a minor gripe . If you are a fan of RPG's or fresh experiences , give Eternal Sonata a shot and keep dreaming !
    • 192   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Everyone knows there has been a big lack of Japanese RPGs for the PS3 since it's launch . Well , Namco Bandai has re-released its first Xbox 360 JRPG For the PS3 with additional content , but is it worth it if you owned the 360 version ? The Graphics The graphics are very good for the genre . The color palette is wide and it really seems as though the world is LIVING , the exact opposite of a lot of games this generation ( sadly ) . The character models are great and the same goes for the details in the environment . Two letdowns : You can't rotate the camera , which would have permitted the players to see the beautiful environments in all their glory , and there is a particular extra dungeon which constantly uses the same room over and over with the same color and it eventually gets annoying . Aside from these 2 things it is really a nice looking game . The Story This is where the game lacks substance , especially the ending which is really weird . Basically , it's the story of Frederic Francois Chopin , famed Polish composer and pianist , who is about to die . The story takes place within his dream . An evil count is putting high taxes on everything except mineral powder ( a very strong medicine that supposedly cures all illness ) , which he produces . However , the heroes of this story learn about something that people who consume mineral powder don't know about . A rather unpleasing side effect ( not to spoil anything ) . So , they set out to ask , kindly , for Count Waltz to drop the taxes on other things as well , thinking he doesn't know about the side effects . And it simply goes downhill from there . There are no real plot twists and all that is happening is really predictable , except for the final boss which makes absolutely no sense at all . The Gameplay That aspect of the game really shines . The battles are handled in a similar way than ' ' Tales of ' ' games . Similar but turn-based . basically , when you touch a monster on the field ( no random encounters ) , a battle starts . The arena is most of the time circular and every character and enemies take turns . When it is one of your 3 characters ' turn , you perform actions in real-time such as attacking , using special attacks and using items . When it is the enemies ' turn , you can block their attack . However , you cannot simply mash the guard button , you have to get the timing correctly when the Chance Icon appears . Blocking is mandatory and really keeps you on your toes during the enemies ' turn . Also , as the game progresses , the party levels raises , hindering some aspect and improving other aspects , such as giving the opportunity to build the echo meter ( thus making the special attacks stronger ) or using Harmony chains ( Chains of special attacks between different characters ) . one thing I didn't like about the battle system is that all items you can use in battle are kept in an item set , which you need to reload as your reserves deplete and it can get annoying , especially if you forget to resupply just before a boss battle and you go in with only but a few items . Also , the difficulty is higher in the PS3 version than the 360 version which makes it more exciting . The Sound Not much to say about the music except that it's absolutely brilliant . There are brief pauses during chapters in which you can hear Chopin's music playing ( which you can skip anyways if you're not a fan ) and most of the music is composed by Motoi Sakuraba . The battle and boss musics are some of the best I've ever heard in a game and the same can be said about the Field music . Overall It is a truly great experience that should not be missed by JRPG fans who have been longing for one of those games on PS3 . The game can be done in 25 hours if you rush your way through but after that you can play a New Game which is more difficult and in which you can change the party levels at will . The extra content for the PS3 version is : 2 new characters , additional endings , 2 new dungeons and bonus costumes for 3 of the characters . Those who really need a good story might want to pass on this because the story is average at best . Also , the people who played the 360 version really aren't missing out on much but those who have yet to play should not hesitate at all and give this game a chance .
    • 193   Everyone knows there has been a big lack of Japanese RPGs for the PS3 since it's launch . Well , Namco Bandai has re-released its first Xbox 360 JRPG For the PS3 with additional content , but is it worth it if you owned the 360 version ? The Graphics The graphics are very good for the genre . The color palette is wide and it really seems as though the world is LIVING , the exact opposite of a lot of games this generation ( sadly ) . The character models are great and the same goes for the details in the environment . Two letdowns : You can't rotate the camera , which would have permitted the players to see the beautiful environments in all their glory , and there is a particular extra dungeon which constantly uses the same room over and over with the same color and it eventually gets annoying . Aside from these 2 things it is really a nice looking game . The Story This is where the game lacks substance , especially the ending which is really weird . Basically , it's the story of Frederic Francois Chopin , famed Polish composer and pianist , who is about to die . The story takes place within his dream . An evil count is putting high taxes on everything except mineral powder ( a very strong medicine that supposedly cures all illness ) , which he produces . However , the heroes of this story learn about something that people who consume mineral powder don't know about . A rather unpleasing side effect ( not to spoil anything ) . So , they set out to ask , kindly , for Count Waltz to drop the taxes on other things as well , thinking he doesn't know about the side effects . And it simply goes downhill from there . There are no real plot twists and all that is happening is really predictable , except for the final boss which makes absolutely no sense at all . The Gameplay That aspect of the game really shines . The battles are handled in a similar way than ' ' Tales of ' ' games . Similar but turn-based . basically , when you touch a monster on the field ( no random encounters ) , a battle starts . The arena is most of the time circular and every character and enemies take turns . When it is one of your 3 characters ' turn , you perform actions in real-time such as attacking , using special attacks and using items . When it is the enemies ' turn , you can block their attack . However , you cannot simply mash the guard button , you have to get the timing correctly when the Chance Icon appears . Blocking is mandatory and really keeps you on your toes during the enemies ' turn . Also , as the game progresses , the party levels raises , hindering some aspect and improving other aspects , such as giving the opportunity to build the echo meter ( thus making the special attacks stronger ) or using Harmony chains ( Chains of special attacks between different characters ) . one thing I didn't like about the battle system is that all items you can use in battle are kept in an item set , which you need to reload as your reserves deplete and it can get annoying , especially if you forget to resupply just before a boss battle and you go in with only but a few items . Also , the difficulty is higher in the PS3 version than the 360 version which makes it more exciting . The Sound Not much to say about the music except that it's absolutely brilliant . There are brief pauses during chapters in which you can hear Chopin's music playing ( which you can skip anyways if you're not a fan ) and most of the music is composed by Motoi Sakuraba . The battle and boss musics are some of the best I've ever heard in a game and the same can be said about the Field music . Overall It is a truly great experience that should not be missed by JRPG fans who have been longing for one of those games on PS3 . The game can be done in 25 hours if you rush your way through but after that you can play a New Game which is more difficult and in which you can change the party levels at will . The extra content for the PS3 version is : 2 new characters , additional endings , 2 new dungeons and bonus costumes for 3 of the characters . Those who really need a good story might want to pass on this because the story is average at best . Also , the people who played the 360 version really aren't missing out on much but those who have yet to play should not hesitate at all and give this game a chance .
    • 194   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Eternal Sonata is a wonderfully beautiful and amazing work of art . The graphics , while not the realistic looking type that we go for today , are gorgeous . They are so vivid and so detailed , all the way from the hair and clothes of the characters , to the surroundings . Not an inch is missed ! The music is truly unique and adds to the game , featuring many of Chopins arrangements as well as the introduction of some others . It can , however , get repetitive at times . This RPG introduces an new type of battle system involving light and dark characteristics for characters / monsters moves and even the form monsters can take . The battle system also combines both elements of active time battles and turn based play , bringing an entirely new type of play that you must develop a strategy for ! And it only gets more exciting as you continue your quest ! If you already own the XBox 360 version , don't think that this one is just a port as it offers additional dungeons and playable characters so that you can have a different gameplay experience ! It's a wonderful game and I would most definitely recommend it to anyone interested in a good RPG for the PS3 .
    • 195   Eternal Sonata is a wonderfully beautiful and amazing work of art . The graphics , while not the realistic looking type that we go for today , are gorgeous . They are so vivid and so detailed , all the way from the hair and clothes of the characters , to the surroundings . Not an inch is missed ! The music is truly unique and adds to the game , featuring many of Chopins arrangements as well as the introduction of some others . It can , however , get repetitive at times . This RPG introduces an new type of battle system involving light and dark characteristics for characters / monsters moves and even the form monsters can take . The battle system also combines both elements of active time battles and turn based play , bringing an entirely new type of play that you must develop a strategy for ! And it only gets more exciting as you continue your quest ! If you already own the XBox 360 version , don't think that this one is just a port as it offers additional dungeons and playable characters so that you can have a different gameplay experience ! It's a wonderful game and I would most definitely recommend it to anyone interested in a good RPG for the PS3 .
    • 197   When I first heard about Eternal Sonata , I could not then have guessed how much I would come to adore this game . From a wonderfully entertaining storyline to compelling characters , Eternal Sonata is a treat for all those who appreciate video games beyond just their battle systems . Speaking of battle systems , the system in this game may seem a bit slow and easy at first , but as the game progresses and the battles become more and more challenging , the real strategy of the battle system begin to come to the forefront . Even for experienced gamers such as myself , there were times when I actually lost battles ( typically these were the boss battles which can prove somewhat challenging ) , or had to really think out who to use in the fight and what to do in it in advanced as opposed to merely winging it . It's difficult enough to provide a challenge for an experienced gamer , but not too hard as to be impossible for a casual gamer . The only downside to the battle system is that it can get a little repetitive and monotonous at times , but nothing too intolerable . In addition , one of the first and most noticeable aspects of the game is its graphics . It's quite likely that you've never seen a game as beautiful as this one with all its vibrant colors . As you play , it is easy to tell that each environment was lovingly crafted by the game designers and makes for an even more entrancing and magical game . Last , but certainly not least , is the immersing storyline . Without giving too much away , the game takes place within the famous composer Frederic Chopin's dream as he lays on his deathbed , and alternates between reality and the dream , but often poses the question throughout ( often in dialogues between characters ) whether the dream is really a dream at all . As an added bonus , the game also includes several songs by Chopin himself that are absolutely amazing and which any music-lover will enjoy . I'd definitely recommend this game to anyone who enjoys a good storyline , beautiful graphics , a fun battle system , and superb characters . You won't be disappointed !
    • 198   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) When this game came out on the Xbox 360 last year , it was a fantastic new approach that incorporated a famous historical figure with a vibrant and compelling fantasy world , typical of a JRPG . The overall game experience was absolutely compelling , but it seemed like the story left a lot of unanswered questions in the end . The Playstation 3 version of the game corrects that . The first thing one notices about the game is its colorful and poetic world , everything has brilliant colors , which is much better than most next-gen games that seem to make everything brown . This was definitely a breath of fresh air . The character models too are an excellent combination of a cel-shaded 2D look , but still holding onto the 3D look of the environment around them . There is one thing that may annoy some people , and that is the lack of polygons in the background . It seems like they skimped sometimes when designing the landscapes ( i.e . ropes being square , rocks looking razor sharp , perfectly squared off edges on buildings ) . Sometimes it looks like a very high resolution last generation game in terms of environment , but that does not detract from the feel of the game that much . The next thing that one would notice is the music . This game has a superb soundtrack and there are no tracks that I do not like . Plus , the Chopin pieces thrown in make for an interesting juxtaposition between Chopin and Fantasy RPG-Classical hybrid of the rest of the music . The story and characters can be fantastically compelling to some , and to others , quite flat . Personally , I felt the story , although extremely linear , was beautifully executed and well panned out , and the minor tweaks to the PS3 version really fixed any problems I had with the Xbox 360 version's story holes . The game itself is relatively short compared to other JRPGs , but its story is told effectively and extra length seems unnecessary . Also , there are things you can do in the second playthrough that you cannot in the first , so once you beat it , you're not necessarily done . The gameplay is quite unique , in that the battles are hybrid turn-based and real-time , and that it evolves to be harder , but give you more freedom and power as you progress through the game . It can be a little repetitive , but so are most JRPG battles , and in Eternal Sonata , you can avoid enemies if you so wish , as there are no random encounters . Overall , the game is a wonderful jewel that should not be overlooked .
    • 199   When this game came out on the Xbox 360 last year , it was a fantastic new approach that incorporated a famous historical figure with a vibrant and compelling fantasy world , typical of a JRPG . The overall game experience was absolutely compelling , but it seemed like the story left a lot of unanswered questions in the end . The Playstation 3 version of the game corrects that . The first thing one notices about the game is its colorful and poetic world , everything has brilliant colors , which is much better than most next-gen games that seem to make everything brown . This was definitely a breath of fresh air . The character models too are an excellent combination of a cel-shaded 2D look , but still holding onto the 3D look of the environment around them . There is one thing that may annoy some people , and that is the lack of polygons in the background . It seems like they skimped sometimes when designing the landscapes ( i.e . ropes being square , rocks looking razor sharp , perfectly squared off edges on buildings ) . Sometimes it looks like a very high resolution last generation game in terms of environment , but that does not detract from the feel of the game that much . The next thing that one would notice is the music . This game has a superb soundtrack and there are no tracks that I do not like . Plus , the Chopin pieces thrown in make for an interesting juxtaposition between Chopin and Fantasy RPG-Classical hybrid of the rest of the music . The story and characters can be fantastically compelling to some , and to others , quite flat . Personally , I felt the story , although extremely linear , was beautifully executed and well panned out , and the minor tweaks to the PS3 version really fixed any problems I had with the Xbox 360 version's story holes . The game itself is relatively short compared to other JRPGs , but its story is told effectively and extra length seems unnecessary . Also , there are things you can do in the second playthrough that you cannot in the first , so once you beat it , you're not necessarily done . The gameplay is quite unique , in that the battles are hybrid turn-based and real-time , and that it evolves to be harder , but give you more freedom and power as you progress through the game . It can be a little repetitive , but so are most JRPG battles , and in Eternal Sonata , you can avoid enemies if you so wish , as there are no random encounters . Overall , the game is a wonderful jewel that should not be overlooked .
    • 202   I wanted to like this game , but it was such a disappointment . If you really have nothing better to play , this will kill some time ; otherwise , I'd skip it . Pros : - Unique , interesting premise for a game . - Cool character designs , especially the clothing . - Art style / graphics / scenery are all fairly pretty . - Ending is ( unintentionally ) hilarious . Cons : - Battle system is more annoying than fun . The learning curve is steep , and even after I got the hang of it almost every boss would kick my ass , as well as your average monster if I got unlucky . I was forced to waste many hours just leveling up or backtracking to get more items . Another thing that bothered me was the angle of the battle camera , which I could either set too close to see the monsters off-screen or too far to block properly . Not my idea of good game mechanics . - Story had the potential to be interesting , but they focused very little on Chopin and instead turned it into a generic fantasy RPG . The plot was muddled and ultimately meaningless . - Characters range from incredibly obnoxious to bland at best . I was constantly thinking ' I want to smack that person ' rather than sympathizing with anyone . Relationships are barely developed and / or appear out of nowhere . - I was expecting the music to be amazing because it's based on the works of a famous composer , but only one song in the game really stood out to me . - Facial expressions weren't very emotive , so it seemed like the characters didn't care about anything that was going on . - Not much to do aside from walking from one location to another and fighting monsters . There were very few puzzles or mini-games , with the exception of the score pieces game , which offered little challenge or reward and forced me to reload the screen constantly .
    • 207   Quick glance to the game : Controls are good . No complaint there . Music is too sweet for my taste . Nothing memorable and some of Chopin's melodies . As for the graphics , they are awesome . I wish I could have seen the scenery from different angles though . While you're not fighting , you travel through the world searching for whatever it is that you're searching . You talk to people , open crates , boxes or pottery and perform music with other people . This allows you to get some more difficult to obtain items and more musical pieces . The story seems interesting at first . It focuses on Frederic Chopin while laying on his deathbed . As the game progresses , the focus switches to the other characters . It is only at the end when Chopin kind of gets attention again . Now that I think of it , the game would remain almost unchanged if the musician were removed from the game . Combat changes during the game . At the beginning , you can perform Light Dark attacks , depending if the character is in an area with or without light . You also get a limited amount of time to move , attack and use items . As the game advances , you get to perform more attacks , block , counterattack and the amount of time to execute whatever actions you fancy is reduced . Learning to block is essential to the game . If you can't block the attack of a boss , you'll surely die . I found very difficult to counterattack . During combat , if a blocking sign appeared , you could block the enemy's attack by pressing a button . If a counterattack sign appeared , you could counterattack by pressing another button . If by any chance the counterattack sign appeared and you pushed the blocking button , you'd only block the attack . However , if the blocking sign appeared and you pushed the counterattack button , you could only pray for the merciful death of the character that received the attack . I've heard that you can ( and should ) play the game again once it's finished in order to get the real ending or something like that . I rather wait until I play it again .
    • 208   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Eternal Sonata was a fun game overall . It took me about 30 hours to complete . It gets really fun when you battle together with friends , which is a unique battle system for an RPG . I think the graphics are pretty good , the fighting pretty interesting , and the story a little crazy . A recommended buy though dont expect anything too amazing from it .
    • 209   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Eternal Sonata was a fun game overall . It took me about 30 hours to complete . It gets really fun when you battle together with friends , which is a unique battle system for an RPG . I think the graphics are pretty good , the fighting pretty interesting , and the story a little crazy . A recommended buy though dont expect anything too amazing from it .
    • 221   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I had no real expectations about this game , I got it as a gift . I had seen that it got really good reviews so I figured it must be decent , and the fact that you could play with a friend was very appealing . So a friend and I decided to play it , and after like an hour I was throughly ready to quit , but for the sake of giving it a chance we went on for the evening . First impressions the visuals were very appealing , the cartoony style worked , and looked nice , from there it all went downhill . The characters are boring , and the dialogged is painful and seems like bad or lazy localization or something cause it was flat out inane . I had a hard time caring at all about what was going on , the dialog scenes dragged on and on and on with nothing important being said , with a 20 second pause after like every other sentence so the camera could pan around randomly so you could look at all the prettiness . Really annoying . Really boring . And the concept of living in Chopin's dreams seemed neat and original , and maybe somewhere down the road it became more entertaining , but I somehow doubt it . As for combat , again , at first I thought to myself that it seemed pretty fun , but quickly I realized it was just run up , push your button as fast as you can then when theres no time left on your characters action meter do your special move ( which you have one of for each light and dark so two total ) , repeat with next character , then have one guy ready for healing . As for the special attacks they really all just do extra damage or heal and with a few exceptions ( one character has a bow that work differently ) all characters are pretty similar in terms of what they do , which would be either do damage or heal . The only real variation is that some attacks are ranged , but the damage is pretty similar so ranged attacks just end up being way better . Anyway for each characters attack you press the x button like 20 times , which depending on the fight happens at least 3 times , so you will be mashing x literally thousands of times in short order . Monster wise they look ( as with everything else ) cool over all but theres not a whole lot of variety . They even started rehuing after you had seen only like 8 monsters . After a combat area or three , it all gets really old . The whole light dark thing was not that interesting , and the combat areas in general were kinda dull . As you level up you get penalized as well , which I guess in theory thats fine , but in practice it just made me have to focus harder on the repetitive combat . On the plus side , it made combat faster . I'll admit , I only played this game for like 5 - 6 hours , because I couldn't stand any more because I was tired of the combat , and the dialog cut scenes were so boring and drawn out I just started skipping them , so I figured , why am I going on with this ? Maybe it got like 300x better but It seems unlikely to me . For a game with such a high rating I am quite surprised at how much I disliked this game . Generally if a game gets a decent rating around the webs I can find it somewhat enjoyable at least , but nope . Really don't like this title , which is sad because there are not enough rpgs on the ps3 .
    • 222   I had no real expectations about this game , I got it as a gift . I had seen that it got really good reviews so I figured it must be decent , and the fact that you could play with a friend was very appealing . So a friend and I decided to play it , and after like an hour I was throughly ready to quit , but for the sake of giving it a chance we went on for the evening . First impressions the visuals were very appealing , the cartoony style worked , and looked nice , from there it all went downhill . The characters are boring , and the dialogged is painful and seems like bad or lazy localization or something cause it was flat out inane . I had a hard time caring at all about what was going on , the dialog scenes dragged on and on and on with nothing important being said , with a 20 second pause after like every other sentence so the camera could pan around randomly so you could look at all the prettiness . Really annoying . Really boring . And the concept of living in Chopin's dreams seemed neat and original , and maybe somewhere down the road it became more entertaining , but I somehow doubt it . As for combat , again , at first I thought to myself that it seemed pretty fun , but quickly I realized it was just run up , push your button as fast as you can then when theres no time left on your characters action meter do your special move ( which you have one of for each light and dark so two total ) , repeat with next character , then have one guy ready for healing . As for the special attacks they really all just do extra damage or heal and with a few exceptions ( one character has a bow that work differently ) all characters are pretty similar in terms of what they do , which would be either do damage or heal . The only real variation is that some attacks are ranged , but the damage is pretty similar so ranged attacks just end up being way better . Anyway for each characters attack you press the x button like 20 times , which depending on the fight happens at least 3 times , so you will be mashing x literally thousands of times in short order . Monster wise they look ( as with everything else ) cool over all but theres not a whole lot of variety . They even started rehuing after you had seen only like 8 monsters . After a combat area or three , it all gets really old . The whole light dark thing was not that interesting , and the combat areas in general were kinda dull . As you level up you get penalized as well , which I guess in theory thats fine , but in practice it just made me have to focus harder on the repetitive combat . On the plus side , it made combat faster . I'll admit , I only played this game for like 5 - 6 hours , because I couldn't stand any more because I was tired of the combat , and the dialog cut scenes were so boring and drawn out I just started skipping them , so I figured , why am I going on with this ? Maybe it got like 300x better but It seems unlikely to me . For a game with such a high rating I am quite surprised at how much I disliked this game . Generally if a game gets a decent rating around the webs I can find it somewhat enjoyable at least , but nope . Really don't like this title , which is sad because there are not enough rpgs on the ps3 .
    • 224   I stumbled upon this game while looking for role playing games for my ps3 . It came highly reviewed , and after trying the demo I ordered a copy . I played this game off and on for less than a week and although I was able to tolerate it at first , I quickly grew tired of it . Pros The game world and everything in it are visually stunning . The colors and animations are quite nice as well . The sound and music is equally impressive . The game allows you to completely skip cut scenes should you choose to do so . I wish more games had this feature . Cons The story and characters are lame . During cut scenes the characters often repeat one another ad nauseam , even when the point is obvious and has already been clearly made . I also found the cut scenes to be painfully slow . There is no mini map , or in game map at all . At the start of the game this isn't a big deal but as you continue the areas become more complicated , and one can easily become confused as to which way to go and where you have been . You are left with finding your way by trial and error , a poor design made worse by the fact that you continually have to fight respawning enemies while you backtrack . Button mashing . Combat takes place in real time , and in order to attack you must repeatedly mash buttons into infinity . Although I played the demo , I did not fully realize how tedious and repetitive the combat actually was . A few hours into the game however and it became tiresome . This Con and the one above it go hand in hand . At times the game will throw you into combat or into certain levels with different party members than you have chosen . As you can imagine , having an unfamiliar or undergeared character tossed into your party at the spur of the moment is not fun . In my own personal experience , the game seemed to take particular delight in replacing the character I used for healing . Words fail to express the joy one feels at being thrown into a boss fight directly from a cut scene and finding you no longer have a healer in your party . There is also a party level system which drastically affects combat as it levels up . While some might enjoy this change , I did not . There are two types of special moves , and they can only be used in their respective environments ; light and dark . Combat takes place in an area separate from the game world , and these areas have varying amounts of light and shadow . The amount and location of each can also change during the course of battle either due to enemies producing one or the other , or the environment itself . Several of these abilities are quite similar , differing mostly in name and light / dark requirements . For example , if you have a light heal or AoE , you will eventually get a dark one . While this concept sounds interesting , I found it to be more of an annoyance , and it quickly lost its appeal .

  • Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I have always loved RPG games since Sega Genesis's Phantasy star to Final fantasy VII : Crisis core you name it . This game is one of the best games I have ever seen . It's like watching an Anime movie and instead of watching you can participate and PLAY ! The graphics are stunning and the music is superb especially having Chopin's history all along . The Gameplay is simply an RPG and the characters are lovable . You must own this if you are an Old-New school RPG gamer .
    • 121   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) So , I thought this game would be something to kill some time with , but , man , are the cut scenes loooong ! I like the gameplay though . Also , the narrator's voice is super relaxing . Overall , it's a fun cutesy game . 4 stars for unnecessarily long cut scenes . . . like the beginning . HOLY CRAP .
    • 122   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) So , I thought this game would be something to kill some time with , but , man , are the cut scenes loooong ! I like the gameplay though . Also , the narrator's voice is super relaxing . Overall , it's a fun cutesy game . 4 stars for unnecessarily long cut scenes . . . like the beginning . HOLY CRAP .
    • 123   So , I thought this game would be something to kill some time with , but , man , are the cut scenes loooong ! I like the gameplay though . Also , the narrator's voice is super relaxing . Overall , it's a fun cutesy game . 4 stars for unnecessarily long cut scenes . . . like the beginning . HOLY CRAP .
    • 168   I have always loved RPG games since Sega Genesis's Phantasy star to Final fantasy VII : Crisis core you name it . This game is one of the best games I have ever seen . It's like watching an Anime movie and instead of watching you can participate and PLAY ! The graphics are stunning and the music is superb especially having Chopin's history all along . The Gameplay is simply an RPG and the characters are lovable . You must own this if you are an Old-New school RPG gamer .

  • Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I just completed this game a few days ago , and I must say that Eternal Sonata is an amazing game for the Playstation 3 ! One of the best actually ! The story is very compelling and will get you hooked the moment you fire up the game ! The graphics and animation in every part of the game are INSANE ! ! ! Very colorful , extremely sharp details , its practically an RPG gamer's eye candy ! The characters , voice acting , dialogue , and setting are all spot-on perfect ! You cannot look away from any of it ! But the best part about this game is the soundtrack ! I was blown away by the intence music ! The music is one of the reasons why this game is so amazing ! ! Overall , this game is a perfectly crafted RPG for the Playstation 3 . Well worth the money ! !
    • 021   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I just completed this game a few days ago , and I must say that Eternal Sonata is an amazing game for the Playstation 3 ! One of the best actually ! The story is very compelling and will get you hooked the moment you fire up the game ! The graphics and animation in every part of the game are INSANE ! ! ! Very colorful , extremely sharp details , its practically an RPG gamer's eye candy ! The characters , voice acting , dialogue , and setting are all spot-on perfect ! You cannot look away from any of it ! But the best part about this game is the soundtrack ! I was blown away by the intence music ! The music is one of the reasons why this game is so amazing ! ! Overall , this game is a perfectly crafted RPG for the Playstation 3 . Well worth the money ! !
    • 118   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Love it , its definiatly worth playing at least once . Its not to expensive and arrived very quick . Great game a must for playstation 3 rpg fans
    • 211   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) What can i say , I was hooked when i first played the game and could not put it down . The music , sound , and visuals are well worth the price alone . Those who are on the fence about this one should download the demo off of the PSN and give it a try !

  • Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I wanted to like this game , but it was such a disappointment . If you really have nothing better to play , this will kill some time ; otherwise , I'd skip it . Pros : - Unique , interesting premise for a game . - Cool character designs , especially the clothing . - Art style / graphics / scenery are all fairly pretty . - Ending is ( unintentionally ) hilarious . Cons : - Battle system is more annoying than fun . The learning curve is steep , and even after I got the hang of it almost every boss would kick my ass , as well as your average monster if I got unlucky . I was forced to waste many hours just leveling up or backtracking to get more items . Another thing that bothered me was the angle of the battle camera , which I could either set too close to see the monsters off-screen or too far to block properly . Not my idea of good game mechanics . - Story had the potential to be interesting , but they focused very little on Chopin and instead turned it into a generic fantasy RPG . The plot was muddled and ultimately meaningless . - Characters range from incredibly obnoxious to bland at best . I was constantly thinking ' I want to smack that person ' rather than sympathizing with anyone . Relationships are barely developed and / or appear out of nowhere . - I was expecting the music to be amazing because it's based on the works of a famous composer , but only one song in the game really stood out to me . - Facial expressions weren't very emotive , so it seemed like the characters didn't care about anything that was going on . - Not much to do aside from walking from one location to another and fighting monsters . There were very few puzzles or mini-games , with the exception of the score pieces game , which offered little challenge or reward and forced me to reload the screen constantly .
    • 042   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Eternal Sonata for the PS3 is a traditional style JRPG with a few kicks to keep it interesting . There are no trophies for this game as of 3 / 2 / 11 , but don't let that discourage you from trying this game out . The story is fantastic with a great twist at the end ( M . Night Shyamalan really should take some hints as to how it's correctly done ) The characters all keep your interest and do not bore you to wits end with stupid dialog . There are some great lessons to be learned in the message being portrayed in this game . The battle system starts out easy enough , but grows to become something I havn't seen in a while . An evolving battle system that doesn't frustrate you . In fact , if you learn to master it , the game seems to play itself . I know more than one person can play at once in the battles , however I didn't try that out ( i had too much fun controlling everything ) The game brings back memories of final fantasy vii in the emotions received from the story . Definitely pick this up and play it , it's worth every penny .
    • 105   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This game has two interesting point for me . - The first one ( the one that stand out from other games ) , this game is about Chopin's story . I really like Chopin music and always wanted to know more about his composition . I think this is simple and good way to go . - For the second point , I am also a big fan of Japanese RPG . I like the art style , the battle system and the overall realization of this game . I give only 4 stars because the game has few bad points ( in my unique point of view ) . There are a lots of Donjon ( you have to fight a lot ) , enemies are almost always the same and some parts are too linear . . . ( I was more interested in the story part than the battle / leveling up part ) . I can't spend lots of hours any more on video games that's why I wish we could skip some parts and get to know more about the story quickly . However for those who really likes Japanese RPG you should definitely check out this game .
    • 106   This game has two interesting point for me . - The first one ( the one that stand out from other games ) , this game is about Chopin's story . I really like Chopin music and always wanted to know more about his composition . I think this is simple and good way to go . - For the second point , I am also a big fan of Japanese RPG . I like the art style , the battle system and the overall realization of this game . I give only 4 stars because the game has few bad points ( in my unique point of view ) . There are a lots of Donjon ( you have to fight a lot ) , enemies are almost always the same and some parts are too linear . . . ( I was more interested in the story part than the battle / leveling up part ) . I can't spend lots of hours any more on video games that's why I wish we could skip some parts and get to know more about the story quickly . However for those who really likes Japanese RPG you should definitely check out this game .
    • 134   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Living through a crazy composers dreams . Good stuff . Anyways , based on Chopin's imaginary world . Basically , its a pretty standard RPG with a Parasite Eve twist . You need to go through the story multiple times to complete everything . Some of the days take me an hour to complete now and an entire run through the game is 10 - 15ish hours . Its a really great deal for the new super low price . I got this when it was $60 .
    • 141   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I enjoyed this game a lot . The colors are mesmerizing and the battle system is unique . I sell 90% of my games after completion but this game is worthy of staying in my collection for the long haul . I have no complaints and I recommend this to every RPG gamer out there .
    • 200   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I wanted to like this game , but it was such a disappointment . If you really have nothing better to play , this will kill some time ; otherwise , I'd skip it . Pros : - Unique , interesting premise for a game . - Cool character designs , especially the clothing . - Art style / graphics / scenery are all fairly pretty . - Ending is ( unintentionally ) hilarious . Cons : - Battle system is more annoying than fun . The learning curve is steep , and even after I got the hang of it almost every boss would kick my ass , as well as your average monster if I got unlucky . I was forced to waste many hours just leveling up or backtracking to get more items . Another thing that bothered me was the angle of the battle camera , which I could either set too close to see the monsters off-screen or too far to block properly . Not my idea of good game mechanics . - Story had the potential to be interesting , but they focused very little on Chopin and instead turned it into a generic fantasy RPG . The plot was muddled and ultimately meaningless . - Characters range from incredibly obnoxious to bland at best . I was constantly thinking ' I want to smack that person ' rather than sympathizing with anyone . Relationships are barely developed and / or appear out of nowhere . - I was expecting the music to be amazing because it's based on the works of a famous composer , but only one song in the game really stood out to me . - Facial expressions weren't very emotive , so it seemed like the characters didn't care about anything that was going on . - Not much to do aside from walking from one location to another and fighting monsters . There were very few puzzles or mini-games , with the exception of the score pieces game , which offered little challenge or reward and forced me to reload the screen constantly .
    • 201   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I wanted to like this game , but it was such a disappointment . If you really have nothing better to play , this will kill some time ; otherwise , I'd skip it . Pros : - Unique , interesting premise for a game . - Cool character designs , especially the clothing . - Art style / graphics / scenery are all fairly pretty . - Ending is ( unintentionally ) hilarious . Cons : - Battle system is more annoying than fun . The learning curve is steep , and even after I got the hang of it almost every boss would kick my ass , as well as your average monster if I got unlucky . I was forced to waste many hours just leveling up or backtracking to get more items . Another thing that bothered me was the angle of the battle camera , which I could either set too close to see the monsters off-screen or too far to block properly . Not my idea of good game mechanics . - Story had the potential to be interesting , but they focused very little on Chopin and instead turned it into a generic fantasy RPG . The plot was muddled and ultimately meaningless . - Characters range from incredibly obnoxious to bland at best . I was constantly thinking ' I want to smack that person ' rather than sympathizing with anyone . Relationships are barely developed and / or appear out of nowhere . - I was expecting the music to be amazing because it's based on the works of a famous composer , but only one song in the game really stood out to me . - Facial expressions weren't very emotive , so it seemed like the characters didn't care about anything that was going on . - Not much to do aside from walking from one location to another and fighting monsters . There were very few puzzles or mini-games , with the exception of the score pieces game , which offered little challenge or reward and forced me to reload the screen constantly .
    • 233   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) One of the Worst Games ever for such an advance console . Beautiful colors , great animation and superb music but it lacks on too many important aspects such as : game view . Can you imagine traveling around very beautiful scenes but be unable to look around , not even 180 degrees ? . Another detail , I'm used to talk to everyone ( second & third characters ) in a RPG game but this game is full of unimportant dialogs . The battle system is horrible . You can buy new weapons and accessories but your character will not look any different , they will always stay the same weird looking and be aware of the following detail : when your about to fight some boss monster , you will fight with the characters choose for that scene , not with the characters you spent time & money developing . Do not fall for the trailers , rent the game before thinking about buying it . I'm really disappointed with Bandai Namco as a game developer .

  • Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) One of the best features about Eternal Sonata is that it isn't nearly as long winded as most rpgs get . A lot of them can easily last between 60 to 100 hours or more and who has time for that these days ? Luckily Eternal Sonata is a compact 20 hour experience . Not too short to feel like a waste of cash and not too long to get board of it either . As you can probally tell by the name of the game it's centered around music and because of this the sound of the game is absolutely phenomenal , sadly the story doesn't quite live up to the same levels and in fact is full of strange hard to comprehend nonsense . Chopin a famous real life piano player is dying and this causes him to be transported to an alternate dimension where dying people are super strong or something , apparently people are starving so it's your job to find a way to feed them . I won't spoil anything but in any case don't come into this game expecting Shakespeare and you won't be too disappointed . One of the game's biggest features is how light or the lack of it effects the monsters you are fighting . Knock one into the shadows and suddenly it'll become an entirely different creature with different strengths and weaknesses . This really helps to keep the battle system fresh and fun . The best part of the ps3 version is that it has 2 new characters to control , new cut sceens and new costumes . It turely is the definitive version of the game . Overall I'd say the game is 8.5 out of 10 or 4 out of 5 stars . It might not last forever but while it does it sure is fun
    • 012   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I usually dont write reviews but for this one I had to step up . Normally I do all my gaming on PC but decided to take a break and check out an rpg for ps3 , and this one totally took me off guard . Right from the start , gameplay and combat was smooth and easy to get into , but somewhere around chapter 3 something started to happen . . . I finally started watching all the cutscenes then got all interested in the plot and the characters . . . Anyway after restarting and really paying attention from the getgo , I found the concept of making a game based around the condition of Chopin in his final hours was really weird ( in a good way ) and educational . . . and the graphics are really nice . Since this my first rpg for the ps3 , and since I'm going for the second playthrough , I would highly recommend this game
    • 080   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) One of the best features about Eternal Sonata is that it isn't nearly as long winded as most rpgs get . A lot of them can easily last between 60 to 100 hours or more and who has time for that these days ? Luckily Eternal Sonata is a compact 20 hour experience . Not too short to feel like a waste of cash and not too long to get board of it either . As you can probally tell by the name of the game it's centered around music and because of this the sound of the game is absolutely phenomenal , sadly the story doesn't quite live up to the same levels and in fact is full of strange hard to comprehend nonsense . Chopin a famous real life piano player is dying and this causes him to be transported to an alternate dimension where dying people are super strong or something , apparently people are starving so it's your job to find a way to feed them . I won't spoil anything but in any case don't come into this game expecting Shakespeare and you won't be too disappointed . One of the game's biggest features is how light or the lack of it effects the monsters you are fighting . Knock one into the shadows and suddenly it'll become an entirely different creature with different strengths and weaknesses . This really helps to keep the battle system fresh and fun . The best part of the ps3 version is that it has 2 new characters to control , new cut sceens and new costumes . It turely is the definitive version of the game . Overall I'd say the game is 8.5 out of 10 or 4 out of 5 stars . It might not last forever but while it does it sure is fun
    • 143   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This game is eye candy ! I really look forward to turning on this game because the graphics and world design is very beautiful . I wish our world looked as pretty and colorful as in this game . Ill have to wait for the Kingdom of Heaven to experience even better in actual reality . The battle system starts you off simple then gradually changes to make the battle scenes more challenging . I gotta say again the game is very beautifully designed . Eye candy ! I hope they make a Eternal Sonata 2 !
    • 184   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Bought this game around Christmas when it was on sale . I have played for about 40 hours so far and it's very enjoyable . The graphics is very good and the story is also very interesting . Ignore the C + review from 1UP . It's totally off .
    • 185   Bought this game around Christmas when it was on sale . I have played for about 40 hours so far and it's very enjoyable . The graphics is very good and the story is also very interesting . Ignore the C + review from 1UP . It's totally off .

  • Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Pros : + Fairly good story + Very inventive battle system + Very good game ; even better looking on the PS3 + A Great soundtrack Cons : - Very linear - Slow story - Lackluster voice acting - There are moments when the game is just all out preachy Eternal Sonata was released on the XBOX360 in 2007 and was largely overlooked by gamers . The game is now being given a second chance to appeal to most gamers . For the most part you're getting the same game you got a year ago with a few extras . It's a little hard to say whether or not it's worth getting a second time if you already played it before . Eternal Sonata is largely focused on Fredric Chopin . He lies on his deathbed , unconscious and dreams of a world . In this world , those who can use magic are terribly sick and dying of illness . The citizens of this world are also in a bit of despair as Count Waltz continues an unpopular rule and stands against the people . The story is actually not a bad one . Unfortunately it isn't always presented as well . In the first place , the voice acting just isn't the best out there . Some of it is rather dry and emotionless . The voices themselves aren't bad , but the emotion is almost non-existent in most of them . The story also moves somewhat slowly , and that's strange given that Eternal Sonata is not a very long game . Also , some will probably not appreciate that the game eventually becomes incredibly preachy throughout its final moments . While it may not present its story as strongly as it could , it's gameplay is still as strong as ever . The battle system for Eternal Sonata is one of the most inventive in the genre . It's a turn based game but adds an active element . When a character's turn comes up in battle , they all have what's called an action gauge . When their turn starts the action gauge counts down . During this time you can do whatever you like until it runs out . Mostly you'll be mashing on the attack button to get out as many hits as you can . You can also execute special attacks . It's a very easy battle system to grasp , but it's hard to master . This is because the battle system never stays entirely the same . You also have a party level that increases as the game goes on and it changes how the battle system works . For example , at Party level 1 the action gauge decreases only when you move , and stops decreasing when you stop . When you hit party level 2 , however , the action gauge never stops . It adds a lot of variety to the game but also makes sure that battling is always interesting . The battle system also has special moves that characters can use , but they change based on whether or not you're in the light or the shade . Some enemies will also change form depending on if they're in the light or the shade . It adds some strategy to the game , but in the end Eternal Sonata still feels like a button mashing affair . Along those lines , the game is not that hard . When you really grasp the battle system and learn it , accumulating large amounts of damage becomes consistent . There isn't a whole lot that's been added to the PS3 version , but some of it is rewarding . Characters can change their costumes , there are now two new playable characters who were unplayable in the 360 version and a couple of new dungeons . On the other hand , Eternal Sonata is still short and largely linear game . It's nice that there are a few more extras than the average port but they still don't make a huge difference in the gaming experience as a whole if you have the 360 version . In short , if you haven't played Eternal Sonata and you want to , the PS3 version is the better choice . If you've already played through the 360 version , however , there's not much here to entice you to play through it again . One huge noticeable difference between the PS3 and 360 versions , however , is by far the visuals . The animations are smoother and more vibrant on the Playstation 3 . Eternal Sonata was already an incredible looking game to begin with , but the Playstation 3 brings out a lot more in the visuals . Musically , Eternal Sonata still has some of the best in the industry . You'll even hear some of Chopin's own music at certain moments and get a little bit of a historical background on him . Eternal Sonata's biggest strength is easily its soundtrack . In the end , Eternal Sonata is still a good game . If you have it on the 360 it's not really that different , nor does it include enough new content worth making it worth a second buy , but for those who haven't played it , it's another chance to play a pretty good game .
    • 003   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Pros : + Fairly good story + Very inventive battle system + Very good game ; even better looking on the PS3 + A Great soundtrack Cons : - Very linear - Slow story - Lackluster voice acting - There are moments when the game is just all out preachy Eternal Sonata was released on the XBOX360 in 2007 and was largely overlooked by gamers . The game is now being given a second chance to appeal to most gamers . For the most part you're getting the same game you got a year ago with a few extras . It's a little hard to say whether or not it's worth getting a second time if you already played it before . Eternal Sonata is largely focused on Fredric Chopin . He lies on his deathbed , unconscious and dreams of a world . In this world , those who can use magic are terribly sick and dying of illness . The citizens of this world are also in a bit of despair as Count Waltz continues an unpopular rule and stands against the people . The story is actually not a bad one . Unfortunately it isn't always presented as well . In the first place , the voice acting just isn't the best out there . Some of it is rather dry and emotionless . The voices themselves aren't bad , but the emotion is almost non-existent in most of them . The story also moves somewhat slowly , and that's strange given that Eternal Sonata is not a very long game . Also , some will probably not appreciate that the game eventually becomes incredibly preachy throughout its final moments . While it may not present its story as strongly as it could , it's gameplay is still as strong as ever . The battle system for Eternal Sonata is one of the most inventive in the genre . It's a turn based game but adds an active element . When a character's turn comes up in battle , they all have what's called an action gauge . When their turn starts the action gauge counts down . During this time you can do whatever you like until it runs out . Mostly you'll be mashing on the attack button to get out as many hits as you can . You can also execute special attacks . It's a very easy battle system to grasp , but it's hard to master . This is because the battle system never stays entirely the same . You also have a party level that increases as the game goes on and it changes how the battle system works . For example , at Party level 1 the action gauge decreases only when you move , and stops decreasing when you stop . When you hit party level 2 , however , the action gauge never stops . It adds a lot of variety to the game but also makes sure that battling is always interesting . The battle system also has special moves that characters can use , but they change based on whether or not you're in the light or the shade . Some enemies will also change form depending on if they're in the light or the shade . It adds some strategy to the game , but in the end Eternal Sonata still feels like a button mashing affair . Along those lines , the game is not that hard . When you really grasp the battle system and learn it , accumulating large amounts of damage becomes consistent . There isn't a whole lot that's been added to the PS3 version , but some of it is rewarding . Characters can change their costumes , there are now two new playable characters who were unplayable in the 360 version and a couple of new dungeons . On the other hand , Eternal Sonata is still short and largely linear game . It's nice that there are a few more extras than the average port but they still don't make a huge difference in the gaming experience as a whole if you have the 360 version . In short , if you haven't played Eternal Sonata and you want to , the PS3 version is the better choice . If you've already played through the 360 version , however , there's not much here to entice you to play through it again . One huge noticeable difference between the PS3 and 360 versions , however , is by far the visuals . The animations are smoother and more vibrant on the Playstation 3 . Eternal Sonata was already an incredible looking game to begin with , but the Playstation 3 brings out a lot more in the visuals . Musically , Eternal Sonata still has some of the best in the industry . You'll even hear some of Chopin's own music at certain moments and get a little bit of a historical background on him . Eternal Sonata's biggest strength is easily its soundtrack . In the end , Eternal Sonata is still a good game . If you have it on the 360 it's not really that different , nor does it include enough new content worth making it worth a second buy , but for those who haven't played it , it's another chance to play a pretty good game .
    • 004   Pros : + Fairly good story + Very inventive battle system + Very good game ; even better looking on the PS3 + A Great soundtrack Cons : - Very linear - Slow story - Lackluster voice acting - There are moments when the game is just all out preachy Eternal Sonata was released on the XBOX360 in 2007 and was largely overlooked by gamers . The game is now being given a second chance to appeal to most gamers . For the most part you're getting the same game you got a year ago with a few extras . It's a little hard to say whether or not it's worth getting a second time if you already played it before . Eternal Sonata is largely focused on Fredric Chopin . He lies on his deathbed , unconscious and dreams of a world . In this world , those who can use magic are terribly sick and dying of illness . The citizens of this world are also in a bit of despair as Count Waltz continues an unpopular rule and stands against the people . The story is actually not a bad one . Unfortunately it isn't always presented as well . In the first place , the voice acting just isn't the best out there . Some of it is rather dry and emotionless . The voices themselves aren't bad , but the emotion is almost non-existent in most of them . The story also moves somewhat slowly , and that's strange given that Eternal Sonata is not a very long game . Also , some will probably not appreciate that the game eventually becomes incredibly preachy throughout its final moments . While it may not present its story as strongly as it could , it's gameplay is still as strong as ever . The battle system for Eternal Sonata is one of the most inventive in the genre . It's a turn based game but adds an active element . When a character's turn comes up in battle , they all have what's called an action gauge . When their turn starts the action gauge counts down . During this time you can do whatever you like until it runs out . Mostly you'll be mashing on the attack button to get out as many hits as you can . You can also execute special attacks . It's a very easy battle system to grasp , but it's hard to master . This is because the battle system never stays entirely the same . You also have a party level that increases as the game goes on and it changes how the battle system works . For example , at Party level 1 the action gauge decreases only when you move , and stops decreasing when you stop . When you hit party level 2 , however , the action gauge never stops . It adds a lot of variety to the game but also makes sure that battling is always interesting . The battle system also has special moves that characters can use , but they change based on whether or not you're in the light or the shade . Some enemies will also change form depending on if they're in the light or the shade . It adds some strategy to the game , but in the end Eternal Sonata still feels like a button mashing affair . Along those lines , the game is not that hard . When you really grasp the battle system and learn it , accumulating large amounts of damage becomes consistent . There isn't a whole lot that's been added to the PS3 version , but some of it is rewarding . Characters can change their costumes , there are now two new playable characters who were unplayable in the 360 version and a couple of new dungeons . On the other hand , Eternal Sonata is still short and largely linear game . It's nice that there are a few more extras than the average port but they still don't make a huge difference in the gaming experience as a whole if you have the 360 version . In short , if you haven't played Eternal Sonata and you want to , the PS3 version is the better choice . If you've already played through the 360 version , however , there's not much here to entice you to play through it again . One huge noticeable difference between the PS3 and 360 versions , however , is by far the visuals . The animations are smoother and more vibrant on the Playstation 3 . Eternal Sonata was already an incredible looking game to begin with , but the Playstation 3 brings out a lot more in the visuals . Musically , Eternal Sonata still has some of the best in the industry . You'll even hear some of Chopin's own music at certain moments and get a little bit of a historical background on him . Eternal Sonata's biggest strength is easily its soundtrack . In the end , Eternal Sonata is still a good game . If you have it on the 360 it's not really that different , nor does it include enough new content worth making it worth a second buy , but for those who haven't played it , it's another chance to play a pretty good game .
    • 038   First off , Eternal Sonata is not for everyone . On a personal not , I have enjoyed this game very much . It's a standard RPG where you have a party , you travel through a mystical world in non-random encounters and boss battles will test your ability . That being said , the way it is put together might not be very attractive for everyone . The animation style makes the cutscenes seem a little bit slow . Some of them can drag on for quite a while , I remember one of them went on for longer than 10 minutes . If you play games because of the story , this is ok , but if you like to be moving at 1000mph while playing , these scenes are a bummer . Where the game really shines is the battle system . Instead of just leveling up your characters , you level up your party as well . As your party levels up , the dynamics of battle changes as you have more attacks and techniques at your disposal but less time to plan . This makes sure that the battles stay fresh throughout the game . I personally liked the fact that every character was linked to a certain musical style or item . I know some music snobs were offended by this , but I personally feel like it makes for a great atmosphere . In closing , if you're an RPG fan , it's worth your time .
    • 136   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Graphics - At first not too appealing , but I gradually grew accustomed to its anime-like style . The different areas are undeniably beautiful . Fighting System - Unremarkable at first , but it becomes more complex and interesting later . As your party levels up , so does the fighting system . For example , at the very beginning of the game you have unlimited tactical time , later on you merely have 3 seconds . Moreover , light and dark areas impact the moves your characters can use , and also the types of monsters you fight ( some monsters are weak in the light and evolve into a far more powerful monster in dark areas ) As characters level up , they learn new exciting moves . The fact that the system is constantly evolving makes the game very interesting . It would be nice if the battle didn't take place in different scene . Character customization : It's unfortunate that whenever you change your character's armor it is not shown in any aspect of the game . However , later on in the game you'll be able to find new character costumes , which only changes the character's picture I.D . Still , it's a rather nice touch . Scenes : They can be extremely lengthy and dull as they discuss the intricacies of death and life , dream and reality and so on . There are also breaks before a new chapter detailing aspects of Chopin's life . It's nice to learn about his history , but the historical details aren't presented in an exciting manner . It's text against an unmoving background . Still , I appreciated the discussions and historical aspect of the game , because I enjoy that sort of stuff . It's not for everyone , however . Monsters : Some monsters are recycled ( they may come back in different colors and more powerful ) . Battles can be challenging , which is great . Music : Amazing Plot : Nothing extraordinary or new , but still great . Overall , I love this game . It's extremely fun . Check it out !
    • 196   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) When I first heard about Eternal Sonata , I could not then have guessed how much I would come to adore this game . From a wonderfully entertaining storyline to compelling characters , Eternal Sonata is a treat for all those who appreciate video games beyond just their battle systems . Speaking of battle systems , the system in this game may seem a bit slow and easy at first , but as the game progresses and the battles become more and more challenging , the real strategy of the battle system begin to come to the forefront . Even for experienced gamers such as myself , there were times when I actually lost battles ( typically these were the boss battles which can prove somewhat challenging ) , or had to really think out who to use in the fight and what to do in it in advanced as opposed to merely winging it . It's difficult enough to provide a challenge for an experienced gamer , but not too hard as to be impossible for a casual gamer . The only downside to the battle system is that it can get a little repetitive and monotonous at times , but nothing too intolerable . In addition , one of the first and most noticeable aspects of the game is its graphics . It's quite likely that you've never seen a game as beautiful as this one with all its vibrant colors . As you play , it is easy to tell that each environment was lovingly crafted by the game designers and makes for an even more entrancing and magical game . Last , but certainly not least , is the immersing storyline . Without giving too much away , the game takes place within the famous composer Frederic Chopin's dream as he lays on his deathbed , and alternates between reality and the dream , but often poses the question throughout ( often in dialogues between characters ) whether the dream is really a dream at all . As an added bonus , the game also includes several songs by Chopin himself that are absolutely amazing and which any music-lover will enjoy . I'd definitely recommend this game to anyone who enjoys a good storyline , beautiful graphics , a fun battle system , and superb characters . You won't be disappointed !
    • 205   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Quick glance to the game : Controls are good . No complaint there . Music is too sweet for my taste . Nothing memorable and some of Chopin's melodies . As for the graphics , they are awesome . I wish I could have seen the scenery from different angles though . While you're not fighting , you travel through the world searching for whatever it is that you're searching . You talk to people , open crates , boxes or pottery and perform music with other people . This allows you to get some more difficult to obtain items and more musical pieces . The story seems interesting at first . It focuses on Frederic Chopin while laying on his deathbed . As the game progresses , the focus switches to the other characters . It is only at the end when Chopin kind of gets attention again . Now that I think of it , the game would remain almost unchanged if the musician were removed from the game . Combat changes during the game . At the beginning , you can perform Light Dark attacks , depending if the character is in an area with or without light . You also get a limited amount of time to move , attack and use items . As the game advances , you get to perform more attacks , block , counterattack and the amount of time to execute whatever actions you fancy is reduced . Learning to block is essential to the game . If you can't block the attack of a boss , you'll surely die . I found very difficult to counterattack . During combat , if a blocking sign appeared , you could block the enemy's attack by pressing a button . If a counterattack sign appeared , you could counterattack by pressing another button . If by any chance the counterattack sign appeared and you pushed the blocking button , you'd only block the attack . However , if the blocking sign appeared and you pushed the counterattack button , you could only pray for the merciful death of the character that received the attack . I've heard that you can ( and should ) play the game again once it's finished in order to get the real ending or something like that . I rather wait until I play it again .
    • 206   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Quick glance to the game : Controls are good . No complaint there . Music is too sweet for my taste . Nothing memorable and some of Chopin's melodies . As for the graphics , they are awesome . I wish I could have seen the scenery from different angles though . While you're not fighting , you travel through the world searching for whatever it is that you're searching . You talk to people , open crates , boxes or pottery and perform music with other people . This allows you to get some more difficult to obtain items and more musical pieces . The story seems interesting at first . It focuses on Frederic Chopin while laying on his deathbed . As the game progresses , the focus switches to the other characters . It is only at the end when Chopin kind of gets attention again . Now that I think of it , the game would remain almost unchanged if the musician were removed from the game . Combat changes during the game . At the beginning , you can perform Light Dark attacks , depending if the character is in an area with or without light . You also get a limited amount of time to move , attack and use items . As the game advances , you get to perform more attacks , block , counterattack and the amount of time to execute whatever actions you fancy is reduced . Learning to block is essential to the game . If you can't block the attack of a boss , you'll surely die . I found very difficult to counterattack . During combat , if a blocking sign appeared , you could block the enemy's attack by pressing a button . If a counterattack sign appeared , you could counterattack by pressing another button . If by any chance the counterattack sign appeared and you pushed the blocking button , you'd only block the attack . However , if the blocking sign appeared and you pushed the counterattack button , you could only pray for the merciful death of the character that received the attack . I've heard that you can ( and should ) play the game again once it's finished in order to get the real ending or something like that . I rather wait until I play it again .

  • Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) The cry of the role-playing fan during the early stages of a new generation is always the same : where are my RPGs ? ! Unfortunately for PlayStation 3 owners , this cry oppressively hung suspended in the air for quite a long time , especially for fans of the old-school JRPG format that has sadly disappeared . Perhaps it's even more upsetting that the first quality JRPG we receive is a year-old port of a Xbox 360 title , but hey , we've got good news . Eternal Sonata really is a top-notch role-playing experience . The PS3 version is certainly the best , and although we also got Valkyria Chronicles a week ago , that's more of a strategy / RPG hybrid and a very different animal . Sonata is one of many recent Eastern RPGs to blend real-time and turn-based combat , so it's not exactly 100% traditional , but it's about as close as you're going to get these days . Many gamers will gravitate towards this charming and entertaining title , which not surprisingly features wonderful sound , beautiful visuals , and a competent and original storyline . It has a few irritating flaws , but it's still a great choice . For those of you complaining that too many of the next-gen titles seem bland and washed-out with tons of grays and browns ( despite the obvious detail and technical achievement ) , Eternal Sonata is a very welcome breath of fresh air . It's vibrant and warm , with a color palette bursting with a wide array of shades and hues that some of us thought we'd never see again in current games . This is the ol ' Japanese flair for RPGs that we haven't seen in quite some time , and while it's not exactly drop-dead gorgeous ( there are a few glitches here and there ) , it's one of the prettier titles you will ever put on a high-definition TV . The character design is good , and although we're not the biggest fan of the enemy creativity , the locales and many serene environments remain appealing throughout . Sometimes , we wanted more diversity in the actual battlefields and zooming in close to the graphics revealed a few shortcomings that detracted from the overall presentation , but that doesn't change the bottom line . This really is quite refreshing , and RPG fans will appreciate this style . With a title like Eternal Sonata , one would have to assume that the music is a highlight of the adventure . Thankfully , it's exactly that , as the soundtrack is exquisite from front to back , with beautifully arranged orchestral pieces and even a few of Frederic Chopin's more recognizable compositions , performed by Stanislav Bunin . The original stuff by Motoi Sakuraba easily passes muster , and we really couldn't ask for a more professional-sounding arrangement . We had hoped for better combat tracks , though , as they got a little repetitive and the boss music really didn't captivate us . The sound effects are great , though , and that's the true focal point of enemy encounters , anyway , despite a bit of a balance issue . You may want to fiddle with the effects and music sliders in the Options menu when you first start , but beyond that , there's little to complain about . The voice acting is surprisingly good , and you'll be hard pressed to find a game out there that features a better soundtrack . Everyone , regardless of whether or not they're role-playing fans , will appreciate the music , plain and simple . Eternal Sonata tells the intriguing story of legendary composer Frederic Francois Chopin , the French piano genius that turned out his amazing pieces in the 19th century . We're actually a little surprised that Namco Bandai got the license to not only include the name of the real-life Chopin in the story , but to base the entire plot around him . At the start , Chopin lies on his deathbed while concerned onlookers hope for his ultimate revival . But even though he's unconscious , that brilliant mind has constructed a vivid world ; an alternate reality of sorts , which is where the player will spend all his time . To fit the mind of the musician , the towns , characters , and items all carry a musical meaning of sorts : you begin in the small village of Tenuto , the characters ( aside from Chopin himself ) are Polka , Allegretto and Beat , items include things like Angel Trumpets , you will find various pieces of sheet music , and your first major adventure has you headed to Castle Forte . To add to the originality , Chopin is actually in his own dream , and he's aware that it's a dream . Doesn't this beg the question - if he knows it's a dream . . . how can it be a dream ? Well , as you learn early on , it will be up to Chopin to decide what is really real , and until then , you will follow along in what we'll simply refer to as the dream . The characters can be a little whiny - that's standard fare for a JRPG - and they're a little clich d , but you can't deny that they fit the atmosphere perfectly . And while we typically dislike children in games , we have to admit that Polka is downright adorable ; we just wanted to wrap her up in a big bear hug and tell her everything would be okay . Thing is , if you can use magic in this colorful and naturally luscious world , it means you won't live very long , and the public believes that this disease ( whatever it is ) is contagious . Polka is one of these unfortunate souls , but strangely enough , so is Chopin . We won't reveal any more than this , but let's just say the storyline is good enough to keep you playing for a very long time . Like the graphics , the pacing is refreshing as well ; the cut-scenes fit together nicely with the adventuring aspects , and things move along agreeably . The traditional aspects of the game are obvious . You will explore towns , dungeons , and a variety of intimidating environments , and you will equip your characters with different kinds of equipment . You can find items laying around the towns and in treasure chests out in the field , and talking to townspeople is as simple as pressing the X button . Progressing through the dungeon areas ( ranging from sewers to forests to caves and everything in between ) isn't anything new ; you simply need to follow the one path that leads to your destination - usually guarded by a boss - and there are chests , save points , and a few secrets to be found . But of course , the gameplay centers squarely on the combat , which is an interesting real-time / turn-based hybrid style that gradually begins to focus more on real-time aspects as the game goes on . There are six Party Levels , and how you fight changes slightly with each Level gained . The alterations can affect the Action Gauge , Tactical Time , Special Attacks , and more , so you have to pay attention when you see the update , Party Level Up on the screen after a big battle . We wanted to tell you this ahead of time because our description of the fighting mechanic may not be completely accurate depending on your Party Level . But we'll hit the basics . You will encounter enemies in your travels ; they're wandering about in real-time but once you touch one , you will be brought to a separate battlefield that is larger than one might expect . You will run at enemies and attack them with the X button or use the Triangle button for Special Attacks , all the while paying attention to several different factors . First up is the fact that it makes far more sense to run around behind an enemy to attack , because although it will take more time to move , you will always land all your blows and do more damage . The Action Gauge , which decreases differently ( again , depending on Party Level ) goes down when you're in the process of performing an action , and you can gain back a few tenths of seconds by scoring successful attacks . The regular attack is almost always faster than a Special , so a good plan would be to attack like mad at first , then unleash one or two Specials at the end of the chain . The other factor you have to consider it the light and dark areas of the battlefield . Not only will your Special Attack change between the two areas , but enemies can change , too . They're usually far more dangerous when in shadow , so they should be your first targets at all times , especially if you didn't manage to surprise them from behind . Thing is , going toe-to-toe with multiple foes can be difficult , so it's always advisable to run into the enemy on the regular adventuring map from behind , thereby giving you a huge advantage . Not only will you move first , but you can sometimes even move more than once before the enemy gets a turn , and when things get iffy , this is a great way to save valuable healing items . As for the light and dark , you really have to pay close attention to that , because a Special Attack in the light occasionally isn't even an attack ; it changes to a healing spell of some kind in the case of Polka and Chopin . When the enemies launch their assault , you will be given the chance to Guard , but only if you're facing your attacker . Press the Circle button fast enough when Chance ! pops up over the character's head , and you will defend the attack and suffer much less damage . Now , all this works very well , but there are a few problems . We really could've used a fully functioning 3D camera because it was often frustrating not knowing where all the enemies were , and we weren't fans of the light / dark system . It's a good idea , but it ended up being more of an annoyance than an appreciated feature . Thing is , we often paused before rushing into battle to get an idea of how we wanted to proceed ( this is when the Action Gauge wouldn't start moving until you actually moved ) , and everything got all screwed up if the character was moving back and forth between light and dark . It just seems like an unnecessary addition to the battles . We also found it somewhat cumbersome to target other members of our party with a healing item or spell , and pressing the Guard button at just the right time could get infuriating . Different enemies have different attack speeds , and many times , we'd just jam on the Circle button as fast as we could . Other times , it felt more like we had to press and hold the Circle button to defend the attack , and in general , this was a real-time aspect of this JRPG we could've done without . It's clear that tri-Crescendo was leaning towards the real-time end of the spectrum , and that wasn't the best decision in our humble opinion . But even so , the overall combat mechanic works quite well . Things are smooth and fast , and it does encourage you to think strategically . The characters have very different abilities and skills , which become more fleshed-out over time , and ganging up on a tough enemy is often quite satisfying . And because we could usually get behind an enemy before the battle started , it was relatively easy to really beat the snot out of meddlesome foes without running through a lot of healing items . Wandering around and fighting is usually fun and almost never boring , and simply exploring the world is a pleasing endeavor . The storyline really is very good , the locales are nicely designed and often a joy to behold , most of the characters are interesting , and a few of the boss fights are both unique and even borderline epic . It's not exactly traditional , as we said in the intro , but it's pretty darn close , and this is one of the best RPGs currently available on the PS3 . JRPG fans may think they have no other recourse at this point in time , but that's not necessarily a bad thing ; Eternal Sonata is a pretty , engaging experience that is bound to make you smile .
    • 078   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Eternal Sonata arrives onto the Playstation 3 with updated content including new dungeons , music , cut scenes , and two new playable characters . The story begins with Composer Fredrick Chopin lying in his death bed ; meanwhile a new journey unfolds within his dream . Along his journey he meets a young girl name Polka , but unfortunately she is struck with a chronic illness . Other friendly companions soon join your party and unite to fight against the Evil Count Waltz . The Gameplay consists of familiar role playing elements . Random encounters are gone , and are replaced with visible enemies on the field . The battle system is a mixture of turn-based and real-time elements . The player has a set amount of time to perform battle actions , and move across the field . Battle Actions are divided into two categories ; light and darkness . Certain skills are only available when a character stands in the light or shadows . As the story progress , battles become more complex and difficult . Overall the story's pace is a bit slow , but is still able to maintain interesting . The world may seem linear at times , but the vivid environment well makes up for it . Eternal Sonata contains one of the best musical scores found in the RPG genre . The general presentation of the game is blatantly out of this world . If you are a fan of RPG's and are looking to play one on the Playstation 3 , I highly recommend you go out and buy Eternal Sonata .
    • 112   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) The cry of the role-playing fan during the early stages of a new generation is always the same : where are my RPGs ? ! Unfortunately for PlayStation 3 owners , this cry oppressively hung suspended in the air for quite a long time , especially for fans of the old-school JRPG format that has sadly disappeared . Perhaps it's even more upsetting that the first quality JRPG we receive is a year-old port of a Xbox 360 title , but hey , we've got good news . Eternal Sonata really is a top-notch role-playing experience . The PS3 version is certainly the best , and although we also got Valkyria Chronicles a week ago , that's more of a strategy / RPG hybrid and a very different animal . Sonata is one of many recent Eastern RPGs to blend real-time and turn-based combat , so it's not exactly 100% traditional , but it's about as close as you're going to get these days . Many gamers will gravitate towards this charming and entertaining title , which not surprisingly features wonderful sound , beautiful visuals , and a competent and original storyline . It has a few irritating flaws , but it's still a great choice . For those of you complaining that too many of the next-gen titles seem bland and washed-out with tons of grays and browns ( despite the obvious detail and technical achievement ) , Eternal Sonata is a very welcome breath of fresh air . It's vibrant and warm , with a color palette bursting with a wide array of shades and hues that some of us thought we'd never see again in current games . This is the ol ' Japanese flair for RPGs that we haven't seen in quite some time , and while it's not exactly drop-dead gorgeous ( there are a few glitches here and there ) , it's one of the prettier titles you will ever put on a high-definition TV . The character design is good , and although we're not the biggest fan of the enemy creativity , the locales and many serene environments remain appealing throughout . Sometimes , we wanted more diversity in the actual battlefields and zooming in close to the graphics revealed a few shortcomings that detracted from the overall presentation , but that doesn't change the bottom line . This really is quite refreshing , and RPG fans will appreciate this style . With a title like Eternal Sonata , one would have to assume that the music is a highlight of the adventure . Thankfully , it's exactly that , as the soundtrack is exquisite from front to back , with beautifully arranged orchestral pieces and even a few of Frederic Chopin's more recognizable compositions , performed by Stanislav Bunin . The original stuff by Motoi Sakuraba easily passes muster , and we really couldn't ask for a more professional-sounding arrangement . We had hoped for better combat tracks , though , as they got a little repetitive and the boss music really didn't captivate us . The sound effects are great , though , and that's the true focal point of enemy encounters , anyway , despite a bit of a balance issue . You may want to fiddle with the effects and music sliders in the Options menu when you first start , but beyond that , there's little to complain about . The voice acting is surprisingly good , and you'll be hard pressed to find a game out there that features a better soundtrack . Everyone , regardless of whether or not they're role-playing fans , will appreciate the music , plain and simple . Eternal Sonata tells the intriguing story of legendary composer Frederic Francois Chopin , the French piano genius that turned out his amazing pieces in the 19th century . We're actually a little surprised that Namco Bandai got the license to not only include the name of the real-life Chopin in the story , but to base the entire plot around him . At the start , Chopin lies on his deathbed while concerned onlookers hope for his ultimate revival . But even though he's unconscious , that brilliant mind has constructed a vivid world ; an alternate reality of sorts , which is where the player will spend all his time . To fit the mind of the musician , the towns , characters , and items all carry a musical meaning of sorts : you begin in the small village of Tenuto , the characters ( aside from Chopin himself ) are Polka , Allegretto and Beat , items include things like Angel Trumpets , you will find various pieces of sheet music , and your first major adventure has you headed to Castle Forte . To add to the originality , Chopin is actually in his own dream , and he's aware that it's a dream . Doesn't this beg the question - if he knows it's a dream . . . how can it be a dream ? Well , as you learn early on , it will be up to Chopin to decide what is really real , and until then , you will follow along in what we'll simply refer to as the dream . The characters can be a little whiny - that's standard fare for a JRPG - and they're a little clich d , but you can't deny that they fit the atmosphere perfectly . And while we typically dislike children in games , we have to admit that Polka is downright adorable ; we just wanted to wrap her up in a big bear hug and tell her everything would be okay . Thing is , if you can use magic in this colorful and naturally luscious world , it means you won't live very long , and the public believes that this disease ( whatever it is ) is contagious . Polka is one of these unfortunate souls , but strangely enough , so is Chopin . We won't reveal any more than this , but let's just say the storyline is good enough to keep you playing for a very long time . Like the graphics , the pacing is refreshing as well ; the cut-scenes fit together nicely with the adventuring aspects , and things move along agreeably . The traditional aspects of the game are obvious . You will explore towns , dungeons , and a variety of intimidating environments , and you will equip your characters with different kinds of equipment . You can find items laying around the towns and in treasure chests out in the field , and talking to townspeople is as simple as pressing the X button . Progressing through the dungeon areas ( ranging from sewers to forests to caves and everything in between ) isn't anything new ; you simply need to follow the one path that leads to your destination - usually guarded by a boss - and there are chests , save points , and a few secrets to be found . But of course , the gameplay centers squarely on the combat , which is an interesting real-time / turn-based hybrid style that gradually begins to focus more on real-time aspects as the game goes on . There are six Party Levels , and how you fight changes slightly with each Level gained . The alterations can affect the Action Gauge , Tactical Time , Special Attacks , and more , so you have to pay attention when you see the update , Party Level Up on the screen after a big battle . We wanted to tell you this ahead of time because our description of the fighting mechanic may not be completely accurate depending on your Party Level . But we'll hit the basics . You will encounter enemies in your travels ; they're wandering about in real-time but once you touch one , you will be brought to a separate battlefield that is larger than one might expect . You will run at enemies and attack them with the X button or use the Triangle button for Special Attacks , all the while paying attention to several different factors . First up is the fact that it makes far more sense to run around behind an enemy to attack , because although it will take more time to move , you will always land all your blows and do more damage . The Action Gauge , which decreases differently ( again , depending on Party Level ) goes down when you're in the process of performing an action , and you can gain back a few tenths of seconds by scoring successful attacks . The regular attack is almost always faster than a Special , so a good plan would be to attack like mad at first , then unleash one or two Specials at the end of the chain . The other factor you have to consider it the light and dark areas of the battlefield . Not only will your Special Attack change between the two areas , but enemies can change , too . They're usually far more dangerous when in shadow , so they should be your first targets at all times , especially if you didn't manage to surprise them from behind . Thing is , going toe-to-toe with multiple foes can be difficult , so it's always advisable to run into the enemy on the regular adventuring map from behind , thereby giving you a huge advantage . Not only will you move first , but you can sometimes even move more than once before the enemy gets a turn , and when things get iffy , this is a great way to save valuable healing items . As for the light and dark , you really have to pay close attention to that , because a Special Attack in the light occasionally isn't even an attack ; it changes to a healing spell of some kind in the case of Polka and Chopin . When the enemies launch their assault , you will be given the chance to Guard , but only if you're facing your attacker . Press the Circle button fast enough when Chance ! pops up over the character's head , and you will defend the attack and suffer much less damage . Now , all this works very well , but there are a few problems . We really could've used a fully functioning 3D camera because it was often frustrating not knowing where all the enemies were , and we weren't fans of the light / dark system . It's a good idea , but it ended up being more of an annoyance than an appreciated feature . Thing is , we often paused before rushing into battle to get an idea of how we wanted to proceed ( this is when the Action Gauge wouldn't start moving until you actually moved ) , and everything got all screwed up if the character was moving back and forth between light and dark . It just seems like an unnecessary addition to the battles . We also found it somewhat cumbersome to target other members of our party with a healing item or spell , and pressing the Guard button at just the right time could get infuriating . Different enemies have different attack speeds , and many times , we'd just jam on the Circle button as fast as we could . Other times , it felt more like we had to press and hold the Circle button to defend the attack , and in general , this was a real-time aspect of this JRPG we could've done without . It's clear that tri-Crescendo was leaning towards the real-time end of the spectrum , and that wasn't the best decision in our humble opinion . But even so , the overall combat mechanic works quite well . Things are smooth and fast , and it does encourage you to think strategically . The characters have very different abilities and skills , which become more fleshed-out over time , and ganging up on a tough enemy is often quite satisfying . And because we could usually get behind an enemy before the battle started , it was relatively easy to really beat the snot out of meddlesome foes without running through a lot of healing items . Wandering around and fighting is usually fun and almost never boring , and simply exploring the world is a pleasing endeavor . The storyline really is very good , the locales are nicely designed and often a joy to behold , most of the characters are interesting , and a few of the boss fights are both unique and even borderline epic . It's not exactly traditional , as we said in the intro , but it's pretty darn close , and this is one of the best RPGs currently available on the PS3 . JRPG fans may think they have no other recourse at this point in time , but that's not necessarily a bad thing ; Eternal Sonata is a pretty , engaging experience that is bound to make you smile .
    • 114   The cry of the role-playing fan during the early stages of a new generation is always the same : where are my RPGs ? ! Unfortunately for PlayStation 3 owners , this cry oppressively hung suspended in the air for quite a long time , especially for fans of the old-school JRPG format that has sadly disappeared . Perhaps it's even more upsetting that the first quality JRPG we receive is a year-old port of a Xbox 360 title , but hey , we've got good news . Eternal Sonata really is a top-notch role-playing experience . The PS3 version is certainly the best , and although we also got Valkyria Chronicles a week ago , that's more of a strategy / RPG hybrid and a very different animal . Sonata is one of many recent Eastern RPGs to blend real-time and turn-based combat , so it's not exactly 100% traditional , but it's about as close as you're going to get these days . Many gamers will gravitate towards this charming and entertaining title , which not surprisingly features wonderful sound , beautiful visuals , and a competent and original storyline . It has a few irritating flaws , but it's still a great choice . For those of you complaining that too many of the next-gen titles seem bland and washed-out with tons of grays and browns ( despite the obvious detail and technical achievement ) , Eternal Sonata is a very welcome breath of fresh air . It's vibrant and warm , with a color palette bursting with a wide array of shades and hues that some of us thought we'd never see again in current games . This is the ol ' Japanese flair for RPGs that we haven't seen in quite some time , and while it's not exactly drop-dead gorgeous ( there are a few glitches here and there ) , it's one of the prettier titles you will ever put on a high-definition TV . The character design is good , and although we're not the biggest fan of the enemy creativity , the locales and many serene environments remain appealing throughout . Sometimes , we wanted more diversity in the actual battlefields and zooming in close to the graphics revealed a few shortcomings that detracted from the overall presentation , but that doesn't change the bottom line . This really is quite refreshing , and RPG fans will appreciate this style . With a title like Eternal Sonata , one would have to assume that the music is a highlight of the adventure . Thankfully , it's exactly that , as the soundtrack is exquisite from front to back , with beautifully arranged orchestral pieces and even a few of Frederic Chopin's more recognizable compositions , performed by Stanislav Bunin . The original stuff by Motoi Sakuraba easily passes muster , and we really couldn't ask for a more professional-sounding arrangement . We had hoped for better combat tracks , though , as they got a little repetitive and the boss music really didn't captivate us . The sound effects are great , though , and that's the true focal point of enemy encounters , anyway , despite a bit of a balance issue . You may want to fiddle with the effects and music sliders in the Options menu when you first start , but beyond that , there's little to complain about . The voice acting is surprisingly good , and you'll be hard pressed to find a game out there that features a better soundtrack . Everyone , regardless of whether or not they're role-playing fans , will appreciate the music , plain and simple . Eternal Sonata tells the intriguing story of legendary composer Frederic Francois Chopin , the French piano genius that turned out his amazing pieces in the 19th century . We're actually a little surprised that Namco Bandai got the license to not only include the name of the real-life Chopin in the story , but to base the entire plot around him . At the start , Chopin lies on his deathbed while concerned onlookers hope for his ultimate revival . But even though he's unconscious , that brilliant mind has constructed a vivid world ; an alternate reality of sorts , which is where the player will spend all his time . To fit the mind of the musician , the towns , characters , and items all carry a musical meaning of sorts : you begin in the small village of Tenuto , the characters ( aside from Chopin himself ) are Polka , Allegretto and Beat , items include things like Angel Trumpets , you will find various pieces of sheet music , and your first major adventure has you headed to Castle Forte . To add to the originality , Chopin is actually in his own dream , and he's aware that it's a dream . Doesn't this beg the question - if he knows it's a dream . . . how can it be a dream ? Well , as you learn early on , it will be up to Chopin to decide what is really real , and until then , you will follow along in what we'll simply refer to as the dream . The characters can be a little whiny - that's standard fare for a JRPG - and they're a little clich d , but you can't deny that they fit the atmosphere perfectly . And while we typically dislike children in games , we have to admit that Polka is downright adorable ; we just wanted to wrap her up in a big bear hug and tell her everything would be okay . Thing is , if you can use magic in this colorful and naturally luscious world , it means you won't live very long , and the public believes that this disease ( whatever it is ) is contagious . Polka is one of these unfortunate souls , but strangely enough , so is Chopin . We won't reveal any more than this , but let's just say the storyline is good enough to keep you playing for a very long time . Like the graphics , the pacing is refreshing as well ; the cut-scenes fit together nicely with the adventuring aspects , and things move along agreeably . The traditional aspects of the game are obvious . You will explore towns , dungeons , and a variety of intimidating environments , and you will equip your characters with different kinds of equipment . You can find items laying around the towns and in treasure chests out in the field , and talking to townspeople is as simple as pressing the X button . Progressing through the dungeon areas ( ranging from sewers to forests to caves and everything in between ) isn't anything new ; you simply need to follow the one path that leads to your destination - usually guarded by a boss - and there are chests , save points , and a few secrets to be found . But of course , the gameplay centers squarely on the combat , which is an interesting real-time / turn-based hybrid style that gradually begins to focus more on real-time aspects as the game goes on . There are six Party Levels , and how you fight changes slightly with each Level gained . The alterations can affect the Action Gauge , Tactical Time , Special Attacks , and more , so you have to pay attention when you see the update , Party Level Up on the screen after a big battle . We wanted to tell you this ahead of time because our description of the fighting mechanic may not be completely accurate depending on your Party Level . But we'll hit the basics . You will encounter enemies in your travels ; they're wandering about in real-time but once you touch one , you will be brought to a separate battlefield that is larger than one might expect . You will run at enemies and attack them with the X button or use the Triangle button for Special Attacks , all the while paying attention to several different factors . First up is the fact that it makes far more sense to run around behind an enemy to attack , because although it will take more time to move , you will always land all your blows and do more damage . The Action Gauge , which decreases differently ( again , depending on Party Level ) goes down when you're in the process of performing an action , and you can gain back a few tenths of seconds by scoring successful attacks . The regular attack is almost always faster than a Special , so a good plan would be to attack like mad at first , then unleash one or two Specials at the end of the chain . The other factor you have to consider it the light and dark areas of the battlefield . Not only will your Special Attack change between the two areas , but enemies can change , too . They're usually far more dangerous when in shadow , so they should be your first targets at all times , especially if you didn't manage to surprise them from behind . Thing is , going toe-to-toe with multiple foes can be difficult , so it's always advisable to run into the enemy on the regular adventuring map from behind , thereby giving you a huge advantage . Not only will you move first , but you can sometimes even move more than once before the enemy gets a turn , and when things get iffy , this is a great way to save valuable healing items . As for the light and dark , you really have to pay close attention to that , because a Special Attack in the light occasionally isn't even an attack ; it changes to a healing spell of some kind in the case of Polka and Chopin . When the enemies launch their assault , you will be given the chance to Guard , but only if you're facing your attacker . Press the Circle button fast enough when Chance ! pops up over the character's head , and you will defend the attack and suffer much less damage . Now , all this works very well , but there are a few problems . We really could've used a fully functioning 3D camera because it was often frustrating not knowing where all the enemies were , and we weren't fans of the light / dark system . It's a good idea , but it ended up being more of an annoyance than an appreciated feature . Thing is , we often paused before rushing into battle to get an idea of how we wanted to proceed ( this is when the Action Gauge wouldn't start moving until you actually moved ) , and everything got all screwed up if the character was moving back and forth between light and dark . It just seems like an unnecessary addition to the battles . We also found it somewhat cumbersome to target other members of our party with a healing item or spell , and pressing the Guard button at just the right time could get infuriating . Different enemies have different attack speeds , and many times , we'd just jam on the Circle button as fast as we could . Other times , it felt more like we had to press and hold the Circle button to defend the attack , and in general , this was a real-time aspect of this JRPG we could've done without . It's clear that tri-Crescendo was leaning towards the real-time end of the spectrum , and that wasn't the best decision in our humble opinion . But even so , the overall combat mechanic works quite well . Things are smooth and fast , and it does encourage you to think strategically . The characters have very different abilities and skills , which become more fleshed-out over time , and ganging up on a tough enemy is often quite satisfying . And because we could usually get behind an enemy before the battle started , it was relatively easy to really beat the snot out of meddlesome foes without running through a lot of healing items . Wandering around and fighting is usually fun and almost never boring , and simply exploring the world is a pleasing endeavor . The storyline really is very good , the locales are nicely designed and often a joy to behold , most of the characters are interesting , and a few of the boss fights are both unique and even borderline epic . It's not exactly traditional , as we said in the intro , but it's pretty darn close , and this is one of the best RPGs currently available on the PS3 . JRPG fans may think they have no other recourse at this point in time , but that's not necessarily a bad thing ; Eternal Sonata is a pretty , engaging experience that is bound to make you smile .
    • 162   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) The battle system in this rpg makes it much more of a tactical rpg then a more traditional rpg . It is innovative and interesting . The story line is terrible . Boring in the extreme and soppy . The essentially random history lessons don't help . In short , It's interesting only for it's battle system . Otherwise , it's incredibly boring . Given a second chance I'd pass on this one .
    • 163   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) The battle system in this rpg makes it much more of a tactical rpg then a more traditional rpg . It is innovative and interesting . The story line is terrible . Boring in the extreme and soppy . The essentially random history lessons don't help . In short , It's interesting only for it's battle system . Otherwise , it's incredibly boring . Given a second chance I'd pass on this one .
    • 164   The battle system in this rpg makes it much more of a tactical rpg then a more traditional rpg . It is innovative and interesting . The story line is terrible . Boring in the extreme and soppy . The essentially random history lessons don't help . In short , It's interesting only for it's battle system . Otherwise , it's incredibly boring . Given a second chance I'd pass on this one .

  • Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) The game is really well done . Its super colorful so beware if you have emo eyes . The story is really good but it takes a little to get going . The characters are very realistice and distinct and you can watch them grow and change which is always a plus . The one problem with this game is the leveling . It seems to me that the bosses are easier later in the game but early on i had to go level up for two hours before i even had a chance . This means there are a LOT of battles you will be fighting . And i mean A LOT ! And for some of the game the average monsters would die in one hit but when i got to the boss i would be the one dying in one hit . The battle system is pretty cool and it changes as the game progresses to keep it interesting . Not my favorite but i've always been a bigger fan of KH style fighting and leveling . I would highly recomend this game for RPG buffs . Overall its a good game . Just be prepared to level . You probably wouldn't have to go back back and level if you just grinded up at the begining but i've never been a fan of that . I just want to progress with the story . This isn't a game to rent in my opinion but its worth the money to buy .
    • 026   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) The game is really well done . Its super colorful so beware if you have emo eyes . The story is really good but it takes a little to get going . The characters are very realistice and distinct and you can watch them grow and change which is always a plus . The one problem with this game is the leveling . It seems to me that the bosses are easier later in the game but early on i had to go level up for two hours before i even had a chance . This means there are a LOT of battles you will be fighting . And i mean A LOT ! And for some of the game the average monsters would die in one hit but when i got to the boss i would be the one dying in one hit . The battle system is pretty cool and it changes as the game progresses to keep it interesting . Not my favorite but i've always been a bigger fan of KH style fighting and leveling . I would highly recomend this game for RPG buffs . Overall its a good game . Just be prepared to level . You probably wouldn't have to go back back and level if you just grinded up at the begining but i've never been a fan of that . I just want to progress with the story . This isn't a game to rent in my opinion but its worth the money to buy .
    • 027   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) The game is really well done . Its super colorful so beware if you have emo eyes . The story is really good but it takes a little to get going . The characters are very realistice and distinct and you can watch them grow and change which is always a plus . The one problem with this game is the leveling . It seems to me that the bosses are easier later in the game but early on i had to go level up for two hours before i even had a chance . This means there are a LOT of battles you will be fighting . And i mean A LOT ! And for some of the game the average monsters would die in one hit but when i got to the boss i would be the one dying in one hit . The battle system is pretty cool and it changes as the game progresses to keep it interesting . Not my favorite but i've always been a bigger fan of KH style fighting and leveling . I would highly recomend this game for RPG buffs . Overall its a good game . Just be prepared to level . You probably wouldn't have to go back back and level if you just grinded up at the begining but i've never been a fan of that . I just want to progress with the story . This isn't a game to rent in my opinion but its worth the money to buy .
    • 049   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I was very pleased with my purchase . The game is fun , far from being gore or violent and it is great for just kicking back after an end of term exam ! I have yet to finish the game , but the monsters are a little repetitive and the dungeons are slightly dull , but the movie sequences compensate for the two . Not to mention that the graphics and the music are absolutely mesmerizing , all in all I give the game a four out of five .
    • 050   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I was very pleased with my purchase . The game is fun , far from being gore or violent and it is great for just kicking back after an end of term exam ! I have yet to finish the game , but the monsters are a little repetitive and the dungeons are slightly dull , but the movie sequences compensate for the two . Not to mention that the graphics and the music are absolutely mesmerizing , all in all I give the game a four out of five .
    • 094   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Loved being able to play a game with my hubby . It's very rare to find a game we can play with each other & we had a blast !
    • 095   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Loved being able to play a game with my hubby . It's very rare to find a game we can play with each other & we had a blast !
    • 100   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Such a graceful game and love every second of it . It is just Beautiful . The music of the game is just lovely because I myself love orchestral music .
    • 107   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I actually ended up buying Eternal Sonata from the GameStop near my house and it was just as adorable and fun as I thought it was . The game has a great story and I think anyone who likes RPGs or anime inspired games will find it's graphics and gameplay entertaining . .
    • 145   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) In the current state of games , RPG's have become a rare genre . When I picked this game up I was so torn with the few RPG's out on the market . This game was a breath of fresh air . The story is good , the fighting mechanics are unique . The graphic's are beautiful . It is a great game . I recommend any RPG fan to give this a try .
    • 146   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) In the current state of games , RPG's have become a rare genre . When I picked this game up I was so torn with the few RPG's out on the market . This game was a breath of fresh air . The story is good , the fighting mechanics are unique . The graphic's are beautiful . It is a great game . I recommend any RPG fan to give this a try .
    • 230   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Not sure how this game got such a high rating . The only decent thing is the combat . The story is boring , and the ending is horrible .

  • Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This game has beautiful visuals . It is very fun to wander around and just see the colors . It also has a fairly interesting story , but I will probably not every finish . After 25 hrs in I am throwing in the towel . There are boss fights throughout the game as any good rpg should have and there should be some hard ones . But the ones in this game are ridiculous . I have managed to get past several , but at this point after a several days of no progress this game isn't fun . That's too back , I think the making the game about a composer was a very good idea . I can look past the over dramatic dialog , but the game has stopped being fun and is just frustrating . I am sure many players have gotten past the bosses with not issue , but it has gotten too wearing for me . I don't recommend this for the casual gamer .
    • 111   Take a mind bending , quest-filled trip through the wandering mind of the dying Chopin in Eternal Sonata for the PS3 . The Pros Visual design and color palette Sophisticated real-time tactical combat Lovely musical score The Cons Tritely told story Oppressive didacticism Structureless minigames A few too many JRPG clich s
    • 135   Living through a crazy composers dreams . Good stuff . Anyways , based on Chopin's imaginary world . Basically , its a pretty standard RPG with a Parasite Eve twist . You need to go through the story multiple times to complete everything . Some of the days take me an hour to complete now and an entire run through the game is 10 - 15ish hours . Its a really great deal for the new super low price . I got this when it was $60 .
    • 174   An excellent game . I loved all the music , and whoever played all of Chopin's music did wonderfully . The graphics are just fine , quite bright and happy and fantastical . The gameplay worked very well , although I found going in and out of battles a little long and tedious . The story was your generic RPG fare , but still a good story . I don't regret buying this game .
    • 210   Eternal Sonata was a fun game overall . It took me about 30 hours to complete . It gets really fun when you battle together with friends , which is a unique battle system for an RPG . I think the graphics are pretty good , the fighting pretty interesting , and the story a little crazy . A recommended buy though dont expect anything too amazing from it .
    • 219   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This game has beautiful visuals . It is very fun to wander around and just see the colors . It also has a fairly interesting story , but I will probably not every finish . After 25 hrs in I am throwing in the towel . There are boss fights throughout the game as any good rpg should have and there should be some hard ones . But the ones in this game are ridiculous . I have managed to get past several , but at this point after a several days of no progress this game isn't fun . That's too back , I think the making the game about a composer was a very good idea . I can look past the over dramatic dialog , but the game has stopped being fun and is just frustrating . I am sure many players have gotten past the bosses with not issue , but it has gotten too wearing for me . I don't recommend this for the casual gamer .

  • Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This game really is something special . Now , I'm not exactly a JRPG expert , but I've played my fair share and thoroughly enjoy them in general . This game truly was a pleasure to play . The beautiful graphics and art style , the engaging combat , the FANTASTIC music . . . I bought this game on an absolute whim , but I am oh so glad I did so . Now , let's go into the individual facets of this game . Graphics - This game has one of the most beautiful art styles that I have ever seen . Honestly , this thing is a magnificent dessert for the eyes . The colors pop , the movements are flowy and graceful , and the technical problems . . . let's just say there are none . No screen tearing , framerate drops , clipping , zip . I just can't ever get over some of the scenes in this game based on the visual aesthetics alone . You will drink the graphics in , and anyone who can say anything overtly bad about how this game looks needs their eyes checked . Or removed . Their preference . Story - JRPG's are almost ALWAYS the same stuff . . . you know , a rag-tag group of people who are different in countless ways band together to defeat an ominous evil that is sweeping the land . Gripping stuff I'm sure . This game , while subject to some of the more prominent JRPG clich s and tropes , has a story that I fell in love with . Basically , the game is a dream experienced by Frederic Chopin while he lies on his deathbed in the final hours of his life . The characters are ( mostly ) very charming , and they develop relationships and grow as people in ways I truly cared about . The game can be a little too holier than thou however . Occassionally the game wallops you over the head with its moral values , and this can always be a little bit annoying . Still , I followed this game not because I wanted my money's worth , but because I truly wanted to see this story end . Gameplay - This game is rather linear , but I don't really consider that to be a negative thing at all . You walk around , exploring the environment , and see enemies wandering the map along with you , so no random encounters ( check ! ) . The combat is great . There is a really interesting turn-based and real-time hyrbid type feel to this game , and the combat evolves at a fantastic pace . The only downside to the combat is the lack of enemy variety . You will fight the same guys again and again and again . . . and again . Also , the spells and attacks look fantastic ! This makes fighting countless battles over the course of the game a real pleasure . Playing the game with a friend or two is also great fun . In general this game is great . The voice acting however , leaves quite a fair amount to be desired . Some characters in particular have voiceovers that boggle the mind ( I'm looking at you , Salsa ! ) . In addition , I didn't really like the fact that the camera is fixed . Total bummer , as the environments are so gorgeous . Still , this game is great . I really liked it , and I hope you will too . At something like sixteen dollars on Amazon , it's a real steal !
    • 035   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This game is very entertaining game and the graphic and sound are good . I like RPG games and this game play is fun . Also this game movie trailer was great . It's new from PS3 . The story was good . You'll enjoy the game . This game is my favorite one of RPG game .
    • 064   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) My daughter is the user of this game . Her comments : - Graphics are awesome : it is like playing an interactive cartoon - Storyline is elborated - If you like RPG , this is definitely the game
    • 103   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This game really is something special . Now , I'm not exactly a JRPG expert , but I've played my fair share and thoroughly enjoy them in general . This game truly was a pleasure to play . The beautiful graphics and art style , the engaging combat , the FANTASTIC music . . . I bought this game on an absolute whim , but I am oh so glad I did so . Now , let's go into the individual facets of this game . Graphics - This game has one of the most beautiful art styles that I have ever seen . Honestly , this thing is a magnificent dessert for the eyes . The colors pop , the movements are flowy and graceful , and the technical problems . . . let's just say there are none . No screen tearing , framerate drops , clipping , zip . I just can't ever get over some of the scenes in this game based on the visual aesthetics alone . You will drink the graphics in , and anyone who can say anything overtly bad about how this game looks needs their eyes checked . Or removed . Their preference . Story - JRPG's are almost ALWAYS the same stuff . . . you know , a rag-tag group of people who are different in countless ways band together to defeat an ominous evil that is sweeping the land . Gripping stuff I'm sure . This game , while subject to some of the more prominent JRPG clich s and tropes , has a story that I fell in love with . Basically , the game is a dream experienced by Frederic Chopin while he lies on his deathbed in the final hours of his life . The characters are ( mostly ) very charming , and they develop relationships and grow as people in ways I truly cared about . The game can be a little too holier than thou however . Occassionally the game wallops you over the head with its moral values , and this can always be a little bit annoying . Still , I followed this game not because I wanted my money's worth , but because I truly wanted to see this story end . Gameplay - This game is rather linear , but I don't really consider that to be a negative thing at all . You walk around , exploring the environment , and see enemies wandering the map along with you , so no random encounters ( check ! ) . The combat is great . There is a really interesting turn-based and real-time hyrbid type feel to this game , and the combat evolves at a fantastic pace . The only downside to the combat is the lack of enemy variety . You will fight the same guys again and again and again . . . and again . Also , the spells and attacks look fantastic ! This makes fighting countless battles over the course of the game a real pleasure . Playing the game with a friend or two is also great fun . In general this game is great . The voice acting however , leaves quite a fair amount to be desired . Some characters in particular have voiceovers that boggle the mind ( I'm looking at you , Salsa ! ) . In addition , I didn't really like the fact that the camera is fixed . Total bummer , as the environments are so gorgeous . Still , this game is great . I really liked it , and I hope you will too . At something like sixteen dollars on Amazon , it's a real steal !
    • 109   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Take a mind bending , quest-filled trip through the wandering mind of the dying Chopin in Eternal Sonata for the PS3 . The Pros Visual design and color palette Sophisticated real-time tactical combat Lovely musical score The Cons Tritely told story Oppressive didacticism Structureless minigames A few too many JRPG clich s
    • 110   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Take a mind bending , quest-filled trip through the wandering mind of the dying Chopin in Eternal Sonata for the PS3 . The Pros Visual design and color palette Sophisticated real-time tactical combat Lovely musical score The Cons Tritely told story Oppressive didacticism Structureless minigames A few too many JRPG clich s
    • 115   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) One of the first RPG to come to the PS3 . I really enjoyed a this game a lot . The battle system is fantastic . It plays like Star Ocean . I also liked the Day / Night special ability where you got different special depending on where you are on the battlefield . There are also a lot of characters and with their own unique abilities . Always fun to mix them up . Also be noted that this does not have random encounter which is great ( at least for me ) . You will find enemies roaming in the map and you would need to approach them for battle . Story-wise is a bit lacking but it really does make up for great gameplay . The graphics are also great . Overall a good purchase and a great game and definitely fixed my RPG cravings .
    • 116   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) One of the first RPG to come to the PS3 . I really enjoyed a this game a lot . The battle system is fantastic . It plays like Star Ocean . I also liked the Day / Night special ability where you got different special depending on where you are on the battlefield . There are also a lot of characters and with their own unique abilities . Always fun to mix them up . Also be noted that this does not have random encounter which is great ( at least for me ) . You will find enemies roaming in the map and you would need to approach them for battle . Story-wise is a bit lacking but it really does make up for great gameplay . The graphics are also great . Overall a good purchase and a great game and definitely fixed my RPG cravings .
    • 117   One of the first RPG to come to the PS3 . I really enjoyed a this game a lot . The battle system is fantastic . It plays like Star Ocean . I also liked the Day / Night special ability where you got different special depending on where you are on the battlefield . There are also a lot of characters and with their own unique abilities . Always fun to mix them up . Also be noted that this does not have random encounter which is great ( at least for me ) . You will find enemies roaming in the map and you would need to approach them for battle . Story-wise is a bit lacking but it really does make up for great gameplay . The graphics are also great . Overall a good purchase and a great game and definitely fixed my RPG cravings .
    • 216   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This is an awesome game that will make you not regret buying it . It has beautiful visuals , awesome music , good real-time based combat and every element every good JRPG should have . This one being the PS3 version has a lot more content like two extra playable characters and a longer storyline that really answers all the questions . I would recommend it for all JRPG lovers and for all those who are getting into this genre as well .
    • 217   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This is an awesome game that will make you not regret buying it . It has beautiful visuals , awesome music , good real-time based combat and every element every good JRPG should have . This one being the PS3 version has a lot more content like two extra playable characters and a longer storyline that really answers all the questions . I would recommend it for all JRPG lovers and for all those who are getting into this genre as well .

  • Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This is a great game for first time RPG players . Since the battle system in this game is unique in that while remaining turn based , it has real time action , so it would appeal to players who like action games like Devil May Cry . Also , it's not an extremely challenging game there's a cool addition in which as you continue through the game , you party it awarded levels which raise the difficulty of the game by decreasing you turn time and such which I thought was pretty cool to make it not too easy . Overall I think this is a great game for beginners to RPG's or people that like action games but too easy for RPG veterans .
    • 068   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This is a great game for first time RPG players . Since the battle system in this game is unique in that while remaining turn based , it has real time action , so it would appeal to players who like action games like Devil May Cry . Also , it's not an extremely challenging game there's a cool addition in which as you continue through the game , you party it awarded levels which raise the difficulty of the game by decreasing you turn time and such which I thought was pretty cool to make it not too easy . Overall I think this is a great game for beginners to RPG's or people that like action games but too easy for RPG veterans .
    • 124   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Before purchasing the game I read all the negative comments first . I like to know what I'm getting myself into before wasting my time . The complaints for the game seemed minor in my opinion so I invested . After attempting to play the first time I found that the beginning was rather slow . The cut scenes seemed endless . At first I had given up hope but then I continued playing and wow am I glad I did . This game is well done . The writing is intellectual and the game itself is beautiful . I'm glad I kept playing because I would've missed out on a great RPG experience .
    • 173   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) An excellent game . I loved all the music , and whoever played all of Chopin's music did wonderfully . The graphics are just fine , quite bright and happy and fantastical . The gameplay worked very well , although I found going in and out of battles a little long and tedious . The story was your generic RPG fare , but still a good story . I don't regret buying this game .
    • 176   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) takes a little while to get used to , but so far , i'm liking it . it seems like there isn't that many hidden stuff . addicting like any other role playing games , but like it .

  • Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This is my second review of this game . My first review was written when Eternal Sonata first came out for the XB360 , roughly three years ago . I was browsing my local game store and came across this version for the PS3 . I decided to buy it and play on my PS3 . Well , after six weeks , and approximately 77 hours of play-time , I have finished the game . I do not recall the XB360 version being this challenging ! Browsing through various game forums confirmed my belief that the PS3 version is indeed more challenging . I have been playing Japanese Role Playing Games ever since the first Playstation console came out . I've had my share of fighting tough Boss battles . And the battle with Tuba at the bridge in this game has to rank as one of the more challenging ones . Along with Mikumari in Xenosaga II . Tuba is not quite as tough as Mikumari , but he certainly will make you feel accomplished once you do beat him . The main character in the game is the composer , Frederic Chopin . On his deathbed , he starts to dream . And the story takes place within his dream . He joins Allegretto , Beat , Polka , Viola , and others in trying to stop the villain , Count Waltz . Yes , the characters are named based on music . We also get some flashbacks and glimpses into the real life of Chopin . The battle system is basically turn-based , but you are under pressure because your turn is limited by time . The countdown starts as soon as its your turn . Just as you can interrupt the enemy's attack by counterattacking , they can do the same to you . Strategy is important because your enemy can block , or guard against your attack . If you can , try to get behind them before attacking . Speed is very important . The faster you can press the attack button , the X button , the more damage you can do . Needless to day , after almost 80 hours of playing this game , the X button on my controller is showing some wear . The battles are definitely frenetic and fast-paced compared to most role-playing games . There are numerous sidequests in the game . One has you collecting Score pieces , basically pieces of music . You can then play what you have together with various NPCs throughout the game for rewards . There are a few bonus dungeons in the PS3 version to keep you playing longer . The main sidequests is called Mysterious Unison . This is a very long and challenging quests that takes place later in the game . The story itself is involving . While not as good as the likes of Xenogears , Xenosaga , Final Fantasy , etc . , it is more than good enough . And hey , it's great to play along as Frederic Chopin ! Playing the role of a real-life character is satisfying on its own . Although it is highly doubtful that the real Frederic Chopin was ever any good at fighting dragons , wizards , zombies , and such . I am sure if Chopin could see this game , he would be amused and entertained . In the game , his main weapon is a French baston ( cane ) . The graphics are great . No surprise there . The soundtrack is outstanding , featuring some of Chopin's compositions . The renowned pianists Stanislav Bunin played the pieces for the game's soundtrack . The game is also educational , in that we are introduced to one of the greatest composers to have lived . Through various flashbacks , we are told the story of Chopin's short life . He died at a young age of 39 after fighting with tuberculosis . I highly recommend this game . This is a true , classic Japanese Role-Playing Game . You will not regret it . Just be forewarned that there are three very difficult , very challenging battles in the game . One with Tuba at the bridge , and two with the arch villain , Count Waltz . It will take more than a few tries to get through these battles . But please do not give up . The ending scenes are a treat .
    • 001   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I bought this game with a little trepidation . I'm always afraid that I'm going to spend $60 on a game , get it home and have it suck . I was especially nervous about this game because I was looking for a co-op game to play with my fiance . I didn't want to have to worry about wandering around looking for fights to get into so the other person could play , I wanted it to be fun for both of us . With that being said , let me tell you why I give this game 5 stars : I am absolutely in love with Eternal Sonata . It's everything I could have ever wanted in an RPG . Some people may say it's a little short or that the game is very linear , but in my opinion these are pluses . I played FFVII and I never finished it . I really really wanted to finish it and be one of * those * people , but I got stuck and couldn't figure out where to go next . I'm not one for looking up walk-throughs online to find out where I should go next , I really just want to play the game not figure out what I need to do next . If I wanted a puzzle , I would play a puzzle game . The battle scenes in this game are great and there are plenty to keep both you and a friend interested . The graphics are just amazing and I was really surprised to see that the game actually looked like the trailers . I love the animations on the special attacks , my fiance said to me This game probably makes us look pretty impressive because of all of these flashy moves . The best part of battles is that you are actually cooperating . It's not just you and your friend controlling different characters . When your party levels you can start earning echos for each hit you make that isn't blocked . These echos can be stored up and any player can use them to make their special actions more powerful . It's great for building up the last hit on a boss or saving a character whose near death . I'm also really impressed with the story for this game . It's historical and philosophical and fantastic all at the same time . You get to learn about Chopin's life and meditate about the reality of dreams . Not to mention having a game based on a musician makes for excellent score . Each chapter is based on a different composition of Chopin's . I love playing just so I can listen to the music . . . it's not repetitive or boring . I would definitely recommend this game to people who enjoy rpg's and want to play with a friend or significant other . I think it's a great game for all ages and it doesn't have a gigantic learning curve , but it's got just enough mystery to make it fun to figure out .
    • 002   I bought this game with a little trepidation . I'm always afraid that I'm going to spend $60 on a game , get it home and have it suck . I was especially nervous about this game because I was looking for a co-op game to play with my fiance . I didn't want to have to worry about wandering around looking for fights to get into so the other person could play , I wanted it to be fun for both of us . With that being said , let me tell you why I give this game 5 stars : I am absolutely in love with Eternal Sonata . It's everything I could have ever wanted in an RPG . Some people may say it's a little short or that the game is very linear , but in my opinion these are pluses . I played FFVII and I never finished it . I really really wanted to finish it and be one of * those * people , but I got stuck and couldn't figure out where to go next . I'm not one for looking up walk-throughs online to find out where I should go next , I really just want to play the game not figure out what I need to do next . If I wanted a puzzle , I would play a puzzle game . The battle scenes in this game are great and there are plenty to keep both you and a friend interested . The graphics are just amazing and I was really surprised to see that the game actually looked like the trailers . I love the animations on the special attacks , my fiance said to me This game probably makes us look pretty impressive because of all of these flashy moves . The best part of battles is that you are actually cooperating . It's not just you and your friend controlling different characters . When your party levels you can start earning echos for each hit you make that isn't blocked . These echos can be stored up and any player can use them to make their special actions more powerful . It's great for building up the last hit on a boss or saving a character whose near death . I'm also really impressed with the story for this game . It's historical and philosophical and fantastic all at the same time . You get to learn about Chopin's life and meditate about the reality of dreams . Not to mention having a game based on a musician makes for excellent score . Each chapter is based on a different composition of Chopin's . I love playing just so I can listen to the music . . . it's not repetitive or boring . I would definitely recommend this game to people who enjoy rpg's and want to play with a friend or significant other . I think it's a great game for all ages and it doesn't have a gigantic learning curve , but it's got just enough mystery to make it fun to figure out .
    • 009   To begin with , I'm been playing RPGs for many years now ; it's the only genre that I play . The battle system is great ; it gets increasingly difficult , so you are always learning . You have regular attacks and special attacks . Both use an action gauge to predict how many attacks you will have . Special attacks are measured by how much time they take to complete . So lets say the action gauge is 10 seconds and a special attack takes 2.7 seconds ; therefore , you have a rough idea how many times you can use that attack . Movement also used the action gauge , as well as using items . As the game progresses , character levels are not the only levels which increases . You also have party level which will increase to a max of six . I'm on level 4 right now , indicating where I am in the game at the moment . As you increase in party level the action gauge will decrease faster and faster and continue to decrease even while you stop . If I remember correctly , the first two party levels stops the action gauge when you are just standing still . So as the party level increases the battle system becomes more difficult . I don't like this personally , but it keeps things interesting I guess . The last party level is annoying I've heard . The attack button will disappear and reappear on the screen and you will have to press them in order to attack . So you won't just be sitting there mindlessly pressing buttons . You'll have to pay attention . To defend you will have to press the circle button when you are prompted by the defend icon which shows up during battle . If you press it at the correct time , you will defend . Don't worry , it's much easier that it sounds . Each monster will have a certain rhythm which isn't that hard to figure out at all . You will also be able to defend against boss attacks as well . Defending drastically reduces the amount of damage you receive . Later , at party level 4 , you will be able to counterattack only regular attack . The counterattack icon will also appear just like the defend icon . Lastly , there are echos . Using regular attacks will build up echos , which drastically increases the power of special attacks . So you have two characters , or one , use regular attacks to build up echos and the third character will use their special attack and unleash massive damage . Later , at party level 4 , you will also be able to use harmony chains which you will get when you build up at least 24 echos . The monsters can be repetitive . For a PS3 game , I expected better graphics , but in all fairness , its a relatively old game . I think the player should get an option of both a battle camera and field camera . When in battle you get a general overview of the battle field and you sort of have to remember where the monsters are , because if you do too much running around , your action gauge will run out and your turn will just end . No attacks . No items . A camera would have helped . But I guess this ALSO adds to the difficulty of the battle system . In the field , the camera is way too high up . I've missed chests because of this . You will notice as you play , that the game is very linear . You are in a dungeon , you solve the little puzzles , then you have long cut scenes . You are in a dungeon , then long cut scenes . After being in the dungeons , you long for the cut scenes . . . lol . Leveling up can take a while , but if you fight everything you come across , you don't have to spend hours leveling up . When you leave a room and reenter while solving puzzles ( and the puzzles are mainly around how to get chests ) , the monsters will reset , if you fight all of them again , instead of avoiding them , you won't have to spend hours leveling up , which is why , when you're finished with the dungeons , you long for the cut scenes . . . lol . For me its a much needed break . Now for the plot . The plot isn't unheard of . But there are some good twists . It doesn't live up to the twists and turns of a Final Fantasy game , but good nonetheless . A general gist : two nations might be going to war ; there is an underground group fighting against what is considered the evil nation ; the good nation doesn't want to go to war ; and the evil nation is raising an evil army . . . lol . . . to fight the good nation . There is a twist about how this army is being raised . You get a choice of Japanese or English voice acting . I chose the Japanese voices because it sounds more authentic . You also get to choose between English and French text . I have Japanese voice and English text / subs . If you are an RPG player , the characters are not ones you haven't come across before . The dumb blond girl , who is the main female , and wants world peace and speaks with a whisper . The cocky male main character , who like the dumb blond girl ; his little brother ; the kind of stern and cold female characters ; and the joker , who is a girl . I must say though that in all my years of playing RPGs , I've never come across such stupid characters in my life . The characters are built to be so innocent it seems , even for the brothers who are like Robin Hood characters . They're a bit preachy , especially the dumb blond . They don't understand , or it takes them a long time , to come to the correct answer , even though the answer is staring them in the face . This can be SO ANNOYING . And it seems like when they come to the correct answer , they don't believe it and have to meet the evil people to double check and make sure . The game is set up where the two nations are distinct . The good nation is in snow , the prince and princess where white , and everything seems to be about life and green stuff . The evil nation is darker . The duke ( if I remember correctly ) wears black . All his minions are evil . Yet , the main characters , still look for good in all people , even though the game is set up in such a way where you , the player , knows that there are good people and evil people in the game world . Very simplistic . It seems as if the script writers us the characters to create doubt about the clear distinction between good and evil in the game , which I think they fail at . Chopin life is sort of the compass for the game . You get bits of how his life progresses . There is an interesting inquiry into what denotes reality . I love learning more about Chopin . During the game you can find score pieces , which come in pairs . You will meet NPCs in the game with whom you can play music with . If the pieces matches up , you will get items . Should you buy this game ? Yes . But it's by no means an emphatic yes . Overall , it's a good game so far . I don't regret buying it . In fact , I'm glad I did . I've wanted it for a while . Maybe , my expectations were too high . I've wanted it since it came out on the XBox 360 . So BUY it .
    • 019   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This is my second review of this game . My first review was written when Eternal Sonata first came out for the XB360 , roughly three years ago . I was browsing my local game store and came across this version for the PS3 . I decided to buy it and play on my PS3 . Well , after six weeks , and approximately 77 hours of play-time , I have finished the game . I do not recall the XB360 version being this challenging ! Browsing through various game forums confirmed my belief that the PS3 version is indeed more challenging . I have been playing Japanese Role Playing Games ever since the first Playstation console came out . I've had my share of fighting tough Boss battles . And the battle with Tuba at the bridge in this game has to rank as one of the more challenging ones . Along with Mikumari in Xenosaga II . Tuba is not quite as tough as Mikumari , but he certainly will make you feel accomplished once you do beat him . The main character in the game is the composer , Frederic Chopin . On his deathbed , he starts to dream . And the story takes place within his dream . He joins Allegretto , Beat , Polka , Viola , and others in trying to stop the villain , Count Waltz . Yes , the characters are named based on music . We also get some flashbacks and glimpses into the real life of Chopin . The battle system is basically turn-based , but you are under pressure because your turn is limited by time . The countdown starts as soon as its your turn . Just as you can interrupt the enemy's attack by counterattacking , they can do the same to you . Strategy is important because your enemy can block , or guard against your attack . If you can , try to get behind them before attacking . Speed is very important . The faster you can press the attack button , the X button , the more damage you can do . Needless to day , after almost 80 hours of playing this game , the X button on my controller is showing some wear . The battles are definitely frenetic and fast-paced compared to most role-playing games . There are numerous sidequests in the game . One has you collecting Score pieces , basically pieces of music . You can then play what you have together with various NPCs throughout the game for rewards . There are a few bonus dungeons in the PS3 version to keep you playing longer . The main sidequests is called Mysterious Unison . This is a very long and challenging quests that takes place later in the game . The story itself is involving . While not as good as the likes of Xenogears , Xenosaga , Final Fantasy , etc . , it is more than good enough . And hey , it's great to play along as Frederic Chopin ! Playing the role of a real-life character is satisfying on its own . Although it is highly doubtful that the real Frederic Chopin was ever any good at fighting dragons , wizards , zombies , and such . I am sure if Chopin could see this game , he would be amused and entertained . In the game , his main weapon is a French baston ( cane ) . The graphics are great . No surprise there . The soundtrack is outstanding , featuring some of Chopin's compositions . The renowned pianists Stanislav Bunin played the pieces for the game's soundtrack . The game is also educational , in that we are introduced to one of the greatest composers to have lived . Through various flashbacks , we are told the story of Chopin's short life . He died at a young age of 39 after fighting with tuberculosis . I highly recommend this game . This is a true , classic Japanese Role-Playing Game . You will not regret it . Just be forewarned that there are three very difficult , very challenging battles in the game . One with Tuba at the bridge , and two with the arch villain , Count Waltz . It will take more than a few tries to get through these battles . But please do not give up . The ending scenes are a treat .
    • 020   This is my second review of this game . My first review was written when Eternal Sonata first came out for the XB360 , roughly three years ago . I was browsing my local game store and came across this version for the PS3 . I decided to buy it and play on my PS3 . Well , after six weeks , and approximately 77 hours of play-time , I have finished the game . I do not recall the XB360 version being this challenging ! Browsing through various game forums confirmed my belief that the PS3 version is indeed more challenging . I have been playing Japanese Role Playing Games ever since the first Playstation console came out . I've had my share of fighting tough Boss battles . And the battle with Tuba at the bridge in this game has to rank as one of the more challenging ones . Along with Mikumari in Xenosaga II . Tuba is not quite as tough as Mikumari , but he certainly will make you feel accomplished once you do beat him . The main character in the game is the composer , Frederic Chopin . On his deathbed , he starts to dream . And the story takes place within his dream . He joins Allegretto , Beat , Polka , Viola , and others in trying to stop the villain , Count Waltz . Yes , the characters are named based on music . We also get some flashbacks and glimpses into the real life of Chopin . The battle system is basically turn-based , but you are under pressure because your turn is limited by time . The countdown starts as soon as its your turn . Just as you can interrupt the enemy's attack by counterattacking , they can do the same to you . Strategy is important because your enemy can block , or guard against your attack . If you can , try to get behind them before attacking . Speed is very important . The faster you can press the attack button , the X button , the more damage you can do . Needless to day , after almost 80 hours of playing this game , the X button on my controller is showing some wear . The battles are definitely frenetic and fast-paced compared to most role-playing games . There are numerous sidequests in the game . One has you collecting Score pieces , basically pieces of music . You can then play what you have together with various NPCs throughout the game for rewards . There are a few bonus dungeons in the PS3 version to keep you playing longer . The main sidequests is called Mysterious Unison . This is a very long and challenging quests that takes place later in the game . The story itself is involving . While not as good as the likes of Xenogears , Xenosaga , Final Fantasy , etc . , it is more than good enough . And hey , it's great to play along as Frederic Chopin ! Playing the role of a real-life character is satisfying on its own . Although it is highly doubtful that the real Frederic Chopin was ever any good at fighting dragons , wizards , zombies , and such . I am sure if Chopin could see this game , he would be amused and entertained . In the game , his main weapon is a French baston ( cane ) . The graphics are great . No surprise there . The soundtrack is outstanding , featuring some of Chopin's compositions . The renowned pianists Stanislav Bunin played the pieces for the game's soundtrack . The game is also educational , in that we are introduced to one of the greatest composers to have lived . Through various flashbacks , we are told the story of Chopin's short life . He died at a young age of 39 after fighting with tuberculosis . I highly recommend this game . This is a true , classic Japanese Role-Playing Game . You will not regret it . Just be forewarned that there are three very difficult , very challenging battles in the game . One with Tuba at the bridge , and two with the arch villain , Count Waltz . It will take more than a few tries to get through these battles . But please do not give up . The ending scenes are a treat .
    • 055   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) i'm only about 5 hours into the game - but so far , i think it's a very decent RPG for the yet RPG-lacking PS3 community . the characters and the scenes are very well done . u get to pick the language of the voice-acting ! which is awesome . i wish FF would do the same ! ! ! it's interesting that they put in some cut scenes about , literally , Chopin's life with Chopin's lovely music playing in the background . i thought i'd be hearing Chopin's pieces in the regular game modes . . . i'm not sure about having to learn about Chopin's life while playing a video-game . . . maybe it's coz i'm already too familiar with Chopin . anyway , so far so good !
    • 056   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) i'm only about 5 hours into the game - but so far , i think it's a very decent RPG for the yet RPG-lacking PS3 community . the characters and the scenes are very well done . u get to pick the language of the voice-acting ! which is awesome . i wish FF would do the same ! ! ! it's interesting that they put in some cut scenes about , literally , Chopin's life with Chopin's lovely music playing in the background . i thought i'd be hearing Chopin's pieces in the regular game modes . . . i'm not sure about having to learn about Chopin's life while playing a video-game . . . maybe it's coz i'm already too familiar with Chopin . anyway , so far so good !
    • 057   i'm only about 5 hours into the game - but so far , i think it's a very decent RPG for the yet RPG-lacking PS3 community . the characters and the scenes are very well done . u get to pick the language of the voice-acting ! which is awesome . i wish FF would do the same ! ! ! it's interesting that they put in some cut scenes about , literally , Chopin's life with Chopin's lovely music playing in the background . i thought i'd be hearing Chopin's pieces in the regular game modes . . . i'm not sure about having to learn about Chopin's life while playing a video-game . . . maybe it's coz i'm already too familiar with Chopin . anyway , so far so good !
    • 065   My daughter is the user of this game . Her comments : - Graphics are awesome : it is like playing an interactive cartoon - Storyline is elborated - If you like RPG , this is definitely the game
    • 086   The battle system is the high point for this game . I was pleasantly surprised with the difficulty level of this game at points . . . however it seems only earlier in the game the enemies were harder and you really had to be on top of your game blocking their attacks and level grinding a little bit to be able to handle some tough bosses . By the end of the game , the challenge was significantly lower , however after beating the game once you can play Encore mode which ramps up the difficulty quite a bit . The battle system is pretty enjoyable overall , similar to the layout of Star Ocean , and only at the very end of the game when trying to tackle the secret dungeons can the battles become repetitive . Having 10 different playable characters with unique weapons and combos is a nice mixup if battles become stale . My major gripe with this game is the voice acting drives me insane ! Expect constant eye-rolling with some extremely clunky dialogue scenes which can carry on for far too long . In my honest opinion , the dialogue seems geared towards five year olds . Sadly , I only noticed after beating the game that you can switch to the Japanese voices with English subs which I suggest you do as soon as you can access the options menu at the beginning . Some may complain from the piano scenes but I rather enjoyed the classic Chopin pieces accompanied by some informative bits on Chopin himself . The plot overall is a bit silly and not very deep at all but the battles and unique cel graphics pretty much kept me entertained enough to counterbalance the lamer plot elements and childish voice acting . If you're looking for a traditional RPG experience , of which the ps3 does not have many , then give this game a try ( I would suggest renting unless you're confident you will love it ) . This is a somewhat effective distraction while waiting tirelessly for FFXIII . . .
    • 131   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I'm not too far in , but it's hard . . . sometimes REALLY hard . . . to watch these cutscenes . The voices are pretty bad ( most of these types of games have bad dubbing , though , I guess ) , but what really kills it is the lack of music and the slow pacing . The scenes take forever and there are large swaths of time where it's just silent . Way to keep things exciting ! What were they thinking , considering that this game is based on Chopin ! Where's all the music ? ? The world seems pretty typical for an early - 2000 sort of RPG . Run around , grab stuff , meet uninteresting NPCs . So why play it ? The combat is really fun ! I enjoy the real-time / turn-based mixup ( a bit like Valkyria Chronicles ) and the light / dark dichotomy that changes your powers is a neat addition as well . But is it worth it considering the rest of the game is a drag ? I'm not sure . I've put it down for now , and I'm not sure I'll pick it up again . If you're on the fence ( because this is selling for pretty cheap now ) , download the demo on the Playstation Network . That will give you a pretty good idea of what the game's like .
    • 132   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I'm not too far in , but it's hard . . . sometimes REALLY hard . . . to watch these cutscenes . The voices are pretty bad ( most of these types of games have bad dubbing , though , I guess ) , but what really kills it is the lack of music and the slow pacing . The scenes take forever and there are large swaths of time where it's just silent . Way to keep things exciting ! What were they thinking , considering that this game is based on Chopin ! Where's all the music ? ? The world seems pretty typical for an early - 2000 sort of RPG . Run around , grab stuff , meet uninteresting NPCs . So why play it ? The combat is really fun ! I enjoy the real-time / turn-based mixup ( a bit like Valkyria Chronicles ) and the light / dark dichotomy that changes your powers is a neat addition as well . But is it worth it considering the rest of the game is a drag ? I'm not sure . I've put it down for now , and I'm not sure I'll pick it up again . If you're on the fence ( because this is selling for pretty cheap now ) , download the demo on the Playstation Network . That will give you a pretty good idea of what the game's like .
    • 133   I'm not too far in , but it's hard . . . sometimes REALLY hard . . . to watch these cutscenes . The voices are pretty bad ( most of these types of games have bad dubbing , though , I guess ) , but what really kills it is the lack of music and the slow pacing . The scenes take forever and there are large swaths of time where it's just silent . Way to keep things exciting ! What were they thinking , considering that this game is based on Chopin ! Where's all the music ? ? The world seems pretty typical for an early - 2000 sort of RPG . Run around , grab stuff , meet uninteresting NPCs . So why play it ? The combat is really fun ! I enjoy the real-time / turn-based mixup ( a bit like Valkyria Chronicles ) and the light / dark dichotomy that changes your powers is a neat addition as well . But is it worth it considering the rest of the game is a drag ? I'm not sure . I've put it down for now , and I'm not sure I'll pick it up again . If you're on the fence ( because this is selling for pretty cheap now ) , download the demo on the Playstation Network . That will give you a pretty good idea of what the game's like .
    • 148   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This is one of the best JRPGs I have played recently ! I love the Multiplayer Feature and the Battle system is incredible . I would Highly Recommend this game ! I bought the game for 30 $ and the price has dropped since . Buy it while its cheap ! My overall score for this game would be 9.4 Pros + Amazing Battle System + Great Story + Multiplayer ( Up to 3 players ) + Very addictive Cons - Camera angles ( Out of combat )
    • 149   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This is one of the best JRPGs I have played recently ! I love the Multiplayer Feature and the Battle system is incredible . I would Highly Recommend this game ! I bought the game for 30 $ and the price has dropped since . Buy it while its cheap ! My overall score for this game would be 9.4 Pros + Amazing Battle System + Great Story + Multiplayer ( Up to 3 players ) + Very addictive Cons - Camera angles ( Out of combat )
    • 150   This is one of the best JRPGs I have played recently ! I love the Multiplayer Feature and the Battle system is incredible . I would Highly Recommend this game ! I bought the game for 30 $ and the price has dropped since . Buy it while its cheap ! My overall score for this game would be 9.4 Pros + Amazing Battle System + Great Story + Multiplayer ( Up to 3 players ) + Very addictive Cons - Camera angles ( Out of combat )
    • 165   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This is by far the most beautiful game I ever played . There are tons of areas to expore and each area is large enough to make you get lost . Compare with FF games , this one is a little easier , I finished it in less than 50 hours of play time .
    • 178   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) This is a really fun jRPG for the PS3 . It looks fantastic with beautiful cell shaded graphics . The soundtrack is amazing since the game does focus on music . The battle system is fresh and unique and tons of fun . The system continues to increase in difficulty as the game goes on . My only complaint is that the game's story starts incredibly slow but does pick up and continues to build . The game has a good mix of difficulty and puzzles . Currently I'm 25 - 30 hours in and somewhat nearing completion ( I think ) . The extra stuff added to the PS3 version ( costumes , characters , dungeons , story elements , items , etc . ) makes this the definite version to get .
    • 189   If that makes sense then you've already played this game . Personally I think the English voices are ok , but I shut them off as I prefer the Japanese voices with subtitles . This game looks very cool and it seems very story intensive . I have not played the X Box version so I can't compare but I do like the way this game plays . It's a strange game tho , very japanese in nature and Chopin looks very young ( 15 - 17 years old ) for someone who is supposed to be in his late 30 ' s . Anyway it's a weird game but the gameplay mechanics seem good so far . I'm not far enough into it comment on longevity , but overall it looks great and plays great . My suggestion is turn on the Japanese language and turn on the subtitles and enjoy the game that way . Yes , you will actually have to pay attention to the story but the Japanese VA's are just so much better . ( For me I prefer Sub over Dub ) My wife and I are both major anime fans . We like to read our anime . She likes watching this game as it's like playing an anime movie , no blood , so far . Graphics are great , but I think the PS3 can do much better . This is also one of the closest games you can get on the PS3 to a true RPG . Amazon had a sale so we got it for like 32 bucks . It's well worth getting at that price .
    • 215   Have you ever wondered what dying of tuberculosis is really like ? I'm sure we all have . Now , thanks to the geniuses at Bandai , the truth behind this magical disease is finally revealed . Eternal Sonata tells the story of Polish composer Frederic Chopin and his journey to a whimsical land via the power of the consumption . He is joined by a cast of fairly typical RPG characters , each whose parents thought it would be hilarious to name their kids ridiculously sounding musical names like Polka . Together they embark on an adventure to stop the child Prince Waltz and his evil scheme of selling non-organic medicine . My friend and I picked up the PS3 version eager to try out this multiplayer RPG . From the moment we hit the start button , our eyes were pampered with gorgeous landscapes and dazzling architecture as the narrator began telling the story . The eye pampering didn't stop ; it kept going and going , and the narrator kept talking and talking , while we were waiting and waiting for the game to actually start . A foreboding of what the rest of the game was going to be like . Most games are made up of two separate parts : storytelling and gameplay . While some games attempt to merge these two into a cohesive flow , Eternal Sonata keeps them on opposite sides of the playground . We were bombarded with cut scene after cut scene after cut scene , sometimes lasting 30 minutes , then we would head straight into hour-long dungeons populated by the same monsters over and over . It's not that the voice acting was terrible , it just wasn't that great . Plus most of the dialog was plagued with pointless drivel that did little for the overall story or character development . Thankfully there is an option to switch to Japanese to add some cultural distance , or you can just skip scenes entirely . When we actually got the chance to battle though , the game sets itself apart from standard JRPGs . Battles are triggered by encountering enemies on the field , and it's somewhere between turn-based and real-time action . During your character's turn you are free to move around and attack for a short period of time . There is no MP bar , so special moves can be performed as long as time remains . There is a learning curve , which is why the game incorporates a clever system where as you progress through the game , battles become more intense by introducing new elements such as blocking , counterattacks , reduced tactical time , party combo chains , and much much more . Boss battles can seem unforgiving , forcing you to find just the right tactic . There is also a multi-player feature that enables a friend to control some of the characters , which sometimes helps by dividing up the responsibility , yet at other times causes screaming when you're both trying different strategies . Overall , the game is decent . Its fantastic visuals and great battle system earns a 5 out of 10 average score , or a two and a half stars here with the five star rating system , but The Longest Death Scene Ever ( look it up on YouTube if you're curious and don't mind mild spoiler action ) earns a bonus hit up for its unintentional hilarity . Buy this game if you're into Japanese RPGs ; otherwise save your money for something else .
    • 227   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) After seeing such great reviews for the game , I thought I'd go ahead and pick this interesting looking game up . And the fact that its only $20 really doesn't hurt either ! I believe the gameplay was initially cool and seemed very creative . The gameplay was fun for starters and the world is vivid and colorful . After that everything else just goes downhill VERY quickly . My first warning being the absolutely pointless opening scene where the narrator goes on describing the village for a painfully long time . Then the characters actually opened their mouth and that whiny , pouty , stereotypical crap they call voices began coming out . I really felt like it was a joke . But it wasn't and I sold this game so fast the wrapper didn't even have time to hit the floor .
    • 228   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) After seeing such great reviews for the game , I thought I'd go ahead and pick this interesting looking game up . And the fact that its only $20 really doesn't hurt either ! I believe the gameplay was initially cool and seemed very creative . The gameplay was fun for starters and the world is vivid and colorful . After that everything else just goes downhill VERY quickly . My first warning being the absolutely pointless opening scene where the narrator goes on describing the village for a painfully long time . Then the characters actually opened their mouth and that whiny , pouty , stereotypical crap they call voices began coming out . I really felt like it was a joke . But it wasn't and I sold this game so fast the wrapper didn't even have time to hit the floor .

  • Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) What ever inspired someone to make a cutesy RPG based on the life , music and death of Frederic Chopin I will never know , but someone did , and here it is . Eternal Sonata is based on a colourful world that has seemingly been entirely invented in a fever dream by the composer Chopin as he lies on his deathbed , fading away from tuberculosis . Chopin seems to have invented an imaginary world inhabited by twirly castles , rolling green fields , ice caves , volcanos , villages and cliffs . The characters living here include a sombre young girl called Polka ( everything here has a musical name ) , who is suffering froma terminal illness . This condition has given her magical abilities , but sadly , the people here knows that using magic signifies that you are on the verge of death so she is shunned by everybody , which makes for some touchingly sad scenes as the game gets underway . This game spends a lot of time ruminating on death , but more of that later . Anyway , Polka soon meets up with two rascals called Allegretto and Beat , and together they set off on an adventure . On the way they meet Frederic Chopin , who realises he is dreaming and comments about it all the time ( although none of the other characters believe him ) . The plot involves the gradual mass poisoning of the whole population by the sale of an addictive and initially curative drug , which eventually turns users into souless zombies . You soon come to realise that although a lot of this game is candy coloured and bouncy , some of it's themes are pretty serious ! Anyway , our heros meet up with some other characters and work their way through several predicaments in their way to stop the peddling of the evil powder . So first off , let's talk about the fighting . As with some other RPGs , enemies are visible on the screen , and can be avoided , but when deciding to fight it is highly advantageous to run into them from behind because as as soon as you touch one , the screen switches to battle mode and fighting commences . The first turn is taken by whoever had the best tactical position when battle was initiated , so if you are the one caught from behind , this can seriously damage your chances of winning , which I enjoyed a lot . Fighting is turn based , with movement on the field taking up as much importance as the action you take . Attacks can be long-ranged or close up , and starting postions seem to be randomized , so each ( timed ) turn can mean you spend precious time running across the ground to reach enemies and get a hit in before the timer runs out . And yes you can miss - if you are not quite close enough , your character can launch a load of swipes and punches and just hit thin air , which can get really annoying , especially if you can't see clearly enough to work out where everyone is ( the battle screen does not have a user-controlled camera view , but a set of three fixed viewpoints , all of which might leave something obscured from view ) . There are super attack moves as well as the standard ones , and each character has their own , and they are all quite fun to try out . The key unique feature of the game is that battle skills can depend on whether you are standing in sunlight or shade , and this did add a bit of extra tactics , but not a lot . Some monsters change shape when standing in sun or shade , which added some fun - as did the fact that standing in another characters SHADOW also changed the shade , which could be very unexpected as you run up close to enemies ready to do your strongest light attack only to find that it's suddenly been replaced by your dark attack when you launch it ! Anyway , the battles are great fun . The monsters are all pretty cute looking , which does not lead to much sense of purpose , although it is very satisfying to pound them into oblivion . But the game is not easy , despite looking so bright and chirpy . Some boss battles had me floored several times before I could beat them . Luckily you can grind , and there are lots of types of equipment and items to change your parameters in lots of fun ways . On that note though , the names of the items is awful . . . an early health item is called a Peach Cookie . . . blurgh , please can we leave such names to My Little Pony games ? Between fighting there is a fair amount of running around to do , some very well hidden bonus treasures and side quests that I actually missed , and a lot of items to buy and try out . What I really didn't enjoy , though , was the score pieces mini game , in which random NPC's can be found who ask to play a duet with you , and the better you do , the better the reward they give you . The reason I didn't like this was because of the ( for me at least ) random selection of musical accompaniment you have to make each time , hoping to pick something that harmoizes with that person's style - which meant reloading the mini game countless time trying to pick which score piece the person is going to like the sound of . For me that was just boring . Something else that took me aback rather , was the sheer number of playable team members , I think at it's maximum , I had TWELVE team mates to choose from , and the battle team only holds three . But trying them all out was entertaining . I mentioned the odd framing structure of the game at the beginning ( that the game is all Chopin's dream ) , and it does make for a rather bewildering plot . The fact that Polka - who is probably the true central character - is suffering from a terminal illness at the age of just 14 makes for quite a serious theme , which does seem at odds with the very bright coloured graphics . Chopin himself is also one of your team members , and he too is depicted as a whimsical Disney-esque character . Having said that though , the graphics in general are superb , rich and detailed . But to my annoyance there is NO manual camera movement whatsoever , which I found very frustrating . The game returns to the theme of death repeatedly , and at some points it becomes far too ponderous . One important scene involves a central character being uncovered as a spy and killed soon afterwards , and this death scene sees the character deliver an impassioned , dying breath soliloquy , which is so long and drawn out it becomes almost ludicrous . At other times , the game pauses while a genuine piece of Chopin music is played on the soundtrack , and a text-only lecture about the life of the real Frederic Chopin is displayed over a montage of pastoral images . These interludes were actually fairly interesting , but again I come back to my original question : why make an RPG about the life and death of Chopin ? I can only assume somebody at Bandai games had an intense interest in the composer and was determined to share it . To be honest , the whole game could have been set in the fantasy world , without any reference made to it being a dream whatsoever , and the experience for the player would not have been diminished . But things progress along nicely until the game ends very abruptly - seriously abruptly - and there is a very long end movie that deals with the topic of death to another exceedingly drawn-out degree . All in all , a cute looking game , the RPG and battle elements are solid . Worth a try .
    • 005   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) After having played the 360 version , I found this version not that different , even with the additional features exclusive to this one . After playing through it , I found myself just repeating almost everything in the 360 version . Of course , that's to be expected , but I guess the additional features didn't really do much . As expected from some JRPGs , the game isn't THAT challenging , but maybe that's because I've played the other version before . To be honest I was confused at first , but now , I pretty much finished this version way under leveled compared to when I finished it before . I am however , happy that it's not much of a challenge . I find it annoying when I have to grind just to continue on with the storyline . In terms of controls and interface however , I find ES ' to be one of the easiest to navigate , most beautiful to look at , as well as the most interesting to toy around with . I like how , in battle , most moves can be executed at the touch of a single button . That however makes it a bit easy for players , but I don't mind . Like I said , less grinding , more on the story please . The story , I think , is one of the best I've actually seen in most JRPGs . While the main story of Polka and her magic powers may seem cliche , it's Chopin's story that I focus on . I admire how the developers made a story based on the life of a famous composer in real life . Not only do I find it as a form of appreciation for the said composer , but it actually made me appreciate Chopin , as well as classical music , more . The prospect of leaving this world upon your death and venturing to a new one is , for me , a dream come true . And this IS a role-playing game , so I might as well play that role , for my own entertainment . To be honest , I don't understand why a considerable number of people didn't like this game's story . There are actually some weak elements in the story , and I find the lack of humor to be one of the down sides . . . Not that I require every JRPG I play to be funny , mind you . And , as much as I hate mentioning it , I rarely see a person dying , and still be able to give a 30 minute - 1 hour death speech to nobody in particular . And up until now , I'm sad that I managed to finish this game fast . Real fast . It seriously needs more game play time . As much as the game doesn't push the PS3 ' s graphical limits much , I found this game's graphics to be quite enchanting . It's as if , you're being invited into a world painted on canvas with vibrant , fresh paints . The characters move realistically for me : no awkward movements , and all moves are executed smoothly . I was most excited about the addition of Prince Crescendo and Princess Serenade as playable characters , and to be honest , that was the part I enjoyed most . These little additions are exactly what made me get the PS3 version . And like before , the music is nice , but not exactly ground breaking . I mean , all right , I hear Chopin's pieces , as well as some by Sakuraba , and they fit the scenes they're incorporated into . But only very few of these pieces got stuck in my head . It does , however , put good emphasis on classical music , and I like that . Overall , Eternal Sonata still is one of the greatest JRPGs I've seen in a while ( or for the next-gen consoles at least ) . If you're looking for a nice RPG with lush anime-like graphics and an interesting storyline , I really suggest you get this game . Now . Note : Although this amazon account is by sukotsuto , this review written by a745 using sukotsuto's account as proxy to write the review .
    • 007   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) To begin with , I'm been playing RPGs for many years now ; it's the only genre that I play . The battle system is great ; it gets increasingly difficult , so you are always learning . You have regular attacks and special attacks . Both use an action gauge to predict how many attacks you will have . Special attacks are measured by how much time they take to complete . So lets say the action gauge is 10 seconds and a special attack takes 2.7 seconds ; therefore , you have a rough idea how many times you can use that attack . Movement also used the action gauge , as well as using items . As the game progresses , character levels are not the only levels which increases . You also have party level which will increase to a max of six . I'm on level 4 right now , indicating where I am in the game at the moment . As you increase in party level the action gauge will decrease faster and faster and continue to decrease even while you stop . If I remember correctly , the first two party levels stops the action gauge when you are just standing still . So as the party level increases the battle system becomes more difficult . I don't like this personally , but it keeps things interesting I guess . The last party level is annoying I've heard . The attack button will disappear and reappear on the screen and you will have to press them in order to attack . So you won't just be sitting there mindlessly pressing buttons . You'll have to pay attention . To defend you will have to press the circle button when you are prompted by the defend icon which shows up during battle . If you press it at the correct time , you will defend . Don't worry , it's much easier that it sounds . Each monster will have a certain rhythm which isn't that hard to figure out at all . You will also be able to defend against boss attacks as well . Defending drastically reduces the amount of damage you receive . Later , at party level 4 , you will be able to counterattack only regular attack . The counterattack icon will also appear just like the defend icon . Lastly , there are echos . Using regular attacks will build up echos , which drastically increases the power of special attacks . So you have two characters , or one , use regular attacks to build up echos and the third character will use their special attack and unleash massive damage . Later , at party level 4 , you will also be able to use harmony chains which you will get when you build up at least 24 echos . The monsters can be repetitive . For a PS3 game , I expected better graphics , but in all fairness , its a relatively old game . I think the player should get an option of both a battle camera and field camera . When in battle you get a general overview of the battle field and you sort of have to remember where the monsters are , because if you do too much running around , your action gauge will run out and your turn will just end . No attacks . No items . A camera would have helped . But I guess this ALSO adds to the difficulty of the battle system . In the field , the camera is way too high up . I've missed chests because of this . You will notice as you play , that the game is very linear . You are in a dungeon , you solve the little puzzles , then you have long cut scenes . You are in a dungeon , then long cut scenes . After being in the dungeons , you long for the cut scenes . . . lol . Leveling up can take a while , but if you fight everything you come across , you don't have to spend hours leveling up . When you leave a room and reenter while solving puzzles ( and the puzzles are mainly around how to get chests ) , the monsters will reset , if you fight all of them again , instead of avoiding them , you won't have to spend hours leveling up , which is why , when you're finished with the dungeons , you long for the cut scenes . . . lol . For me its a much needed break . Now for the plot . The plot isn't unheard of . But there are some good twists . It doesn't live up to the twists and turns of a Final Fantasy game , but good nonetheless . A general gist : two nations might be going to war ; there is an underground group fighting against what is considered the evil nation ; the good nation doesn't want to go to war ; and the evil nation is raising an evil army . . . lol . . . to fight the good nation . There is a twist about how this army is being raised . You get a choice of Japanese or English voice acting . I chose the Japanese voices because it sounds more authentic . You also get to choose between English and French text . I have Japanese voice and English text / subs . If you are an RPG player , the characters are not ones you haven't come across before . The dumb blond girl , who is the main female , and wants world peace and speaks with a whisper . The cocky male main character , who like the dumb blond girl ; his little brother ; the kind of stern and cold female characters ; and the joker , who is a girl . I must say though that in all my years of playing RPGs , I've never come across such stupid characters in my life . The characters are built to be so innocent it seems , even for the brothers who are like Robin Hood characters . They're a bit preachy , especially the dumb blond . They don't understand , or it takes them a long time , to come to the correct answer , even though the answer is staring them in the face . This can be SO ANNOYING . And it seems like when they come to the correct answer , they don't believe it and have to meet the evil people to double check and make sure . The game is set up where the two nations are distinct . The good nation is in snow , the prince and princess where white , and everything seems to be about life and green stuff . The evil nation is darker . The duke ( if I remember correctly ) wears black . All his minions are evil . Yet , the main characters , still look for good in all people , even though the game is set up in such a way where you , the player , knows that there are good people and evil people in the game world . Very simplistic . It seems as if the script writers us the characters to create doubt about the clear distinction between good and evil in the game , which I think they fail at . Chopin life is sort of the compass for the game . You get bits of how his life progresses . There is an interesting inquiry into what denotes reality . I love learning more about Chopin . During the game you can find score pieces , which come in pairs . You will meet NPCs in the game with whom you can play music with . If the pieces matches up , you will get items . Should you buy this game ? Yes . But it's by no means an emphatic yes . Overall , it's a good game so far . I don't regret buying it . In fact , I'm glad I did . I've wanted it for a while . Maybe , my expectations were too high . I've wanted it since it came out on the XBox 360 . So BUY it .
    • 008   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) To begin with , I'm been playing RPGs for many years now ; it's the only genre that I play . The battle system is great ; it gets increasingly difficult , so you are always learning . You have regular attacks and special attacks . Both use an action gauge to predict how many attacks you will have . Special attacks are measured by how much time they take to complete . So lets say the action gauge is 10 seconds and a special attack takes 2.7 seconds ; therefore , you have a rough idea how many times you can use that attack . Movement also used the action gauge , as well as using items . As the game progresses , character levels are not the only levels which increases . You also have party level which will increase to a max of six . I'm on level 4 right now , indicating where I am in the game at the moment . As you increase in party level the action gauge will decrease faster and faster and continue to decrease even while you stop . If I remember correctly , the first two party levels stops the action gauge when you are just standing still . So as the party level increases the battle system becomes more difficult . I don't like this personally , but it keeps things interesting I guess . The last party level is annoying I've heard . The attack button will disappear and reappear on the screen and you will have to press them in order to attack . So you won't just be sitting there mindlessly pressing buttons . You'll have to pay attention . To defend you will have to press the circle button when you are prompted by the defend icon which shows up during battle . If you press it at the correct time , you will defend . Don't worry , it's much easier that it sounds . Each monster will have a certain rhythm which isn't that hard to figure out at all . You will also be able to defend against boss attacks as well . Defending drastically reduces the amount of damage you receive . Later , at party level 4 , you will be able to counterattack only regular attack . The counterattack icon will also appear just like the defend icon . Lastly , there are echos . Using regular attacks will build up echos , which drastically increases the power of special attacks . So you have two characters , or one , use regular attacks to build up echos and the third character will use their special attack and unleash massive damage . Later , at party level 4 , you will also be able to use harmony chains which you will get when you build up at least 24 echos . The monsters can be repetitive . For a PS3 game , I expected better graphics , but in all fairness , its a relatively old game . I think the player should get an option of both a battle camera and field camera . When in battle you get a general overview of the battle field and you sort of have to remember where the monsters are , because if you do too much running around , your action gauge will run out and your turn will just end . No attacks . No items . A camera would have helped . But I guess this ALSO adds to the difficulty of the battle system . In the field , the camera is way too high up . I've missed chests because of this . You will notice as you play , that the game is very linear . You are in a dungeon , you solve the little puzzles , then you have long cut scenes . You are in a dungeon , then long cut scenes . After being in the dungeons , you long for the cut scenes . . . lol . Leveling up can take a while , but if you fight everything you come across , you don't have to spend hours leveling up . When you leave a room and reenter while solving puzzles ( and the puzzles are mainly around how to get chests ) , the monsters will reset , if you fight all of them again , instead of avoiding them , you won't have to spend hours leveling up , which is why , when you're finished with the dungeons , you long for the cut scenes . . . lol . For me its a much needed break . Now for the plot . The plot isn't unheard of . But there are some good twists . It doesn't live up to the twists and turns of a Final Fantasy game , but good nonetheless . A general gist : two nations might be going to war ; there is an underground group fighting against what is considered the evil nation ; the good nation doesn't want to go to war ; and the evil nation is raising an evil army . . . lol . . . to fight the good nation . There is a twist about how this army is being raised . You get a choice of Japanese or English voice acting . I chose the Japanese voices because it sounds more authentic . You also get to choose between English and French text . I have Japanese voice and English text / subs . If you are an RPG player , the characters are not ones you haven't come across before . The dumb blond girl , who is the main female , and wants world peace and speaks with a whisper . The cocky male main character , who like the dumb blond girl ; his little brother ; the kind of stern and cold female characters ; and the joker , who is a girl . I must say though that in all my years of playing RPGs , I've never come across such stupid characters in my life . The characters are built to be so innocent it seems , even for the brothers who are like Robin Hood characters . They're a bit preachy , especially the dumb blond . They don't understand , or it takes them a long time , to come to the correct answer , even though the answer is staring them in the face . This can be SO ANNOYING . And it seems like when they come to the correct answer , they don't believe it and have to meet the evil people to double check and make sure . The game is set up where the two nations are distinct . The good nation is in snow , the prince and princess where white , and everything seems to be about life and green stuff . The evil nation is darker . The duke ( if I remember correctly ) wears black . All his minions are evil . Yet , the main characters , still look for good in all people , even though the game is set up in such a way where you , the player , knows that there are good people and evil people in the game world . Very simplistic . It seems as if the script writers us the characters to create doubt about the clear distinction between good and evil in the game , which I think they fail at . Chopin life is sort of the compass for the game . You get bits of how his life progresses . There is an interesting inquiry into what denotes reality . I love learning more about Chopin . During the game you can find score pieces , which come in pairs . You will meet NPCs in the game with whom you can play music with . If the pieces matches up , you will get items . Should you buy this game ? Yes . But it's by no means an emphatic yes . Overall , it's a good game so far . I don't regret buying it . In fact , I'm glad I did . I've wanted it for a while . Maybe , my expectations were too high . I've wanted it since it came out on the XBox 360 . So BUY it .
    • 031   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Eternal Sonata is about Frederic Chopin , a very famous composer , getting very ill . He falls into what the doctor says is a long deep sleep that you have just before you're about to die . He meets Polka , Allegretto , Beat , and all the other characters eventually in the story line . Chopin is not sure if this is just a dream , or A Reality That is Far Too Real . This game was one of the 1st RPG's for the Xbox360 , and can definatley be easy to fall in love with . The music is absolutley amazing , ( I'd give that a 5 / 5 . ) Graphics , 4.5 / 5 . And Storyline , 4.5 / 5 . Overall : 4.5 Even though its a video game , it also has a little bit of historical information on Chopin and some others related to him and even uses some of Chopin's music . The battle system was very creative because it doesn't have the same attacks everytime . If you are in light places , you have certain specials and if you're in dark places , you have other ones . Some enemies change their appearence depending on which type of lighting they are in . Also , during battles , it is taken by turns . Though sometimes the game can seem challanging at times , it can also seem too easy . So this is a very imaginative RPG and I think is the best RPG I've ever played . Characters were creative , but the voice acting wasn't too great . If they were to make a 2nd one , I would definatley give it a chance and get it . Overall : 4.5
    • 037   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) First off , Eternal Sonata is not for everyone . On a personal not , I have enjoyed this game very much . It's a standard RPG where you have a party , you travel through a mystical world in non-random encounters and boss battles will test your ability . That being said , the way it is put together might not be very attractive for everyone . The animation style makes the cutscenes seem a little bit slow . Some of them can drag on for quite a while , I remember one of them went on for longer than 10 minutes . If you play games because of the story , this is ok , but if you like to be moving at 1000mph while playing , these scenes are a bummer . Where the game really shines is the battle system . Instead of just leveling up your characters , you level up your party as well . As your party levels up , the dynamics of battle changes as you have more attacks and techniques at your disposal but less time to plan . This makes sure that the battles stay fresh throughout the game . I personally liked the fact that every character was linked to a certain musical style or item . I know some music snobs were offended by this , but I personally feel like it makes for a great atmosphere . In closing , if you're an RPG fan , it's worth your time .
    • 076   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I'll separate this review into 3 separate categories for easy reading . First will be my ' Likes ' which will be all the things I liked about the game , and the positives of it . Next will be the ' Dislikes ' which will be the downsides to the game . The final paragraph will by my ' Recommend ? ' paragraph , in which I'll reveal if I would recommend this game to anyone . Likes : Great graphics , amazing story , the music is top notch of course . The character design and voice acting is definitely great for a Japanese RPG . The battle system is also pretty unique . Easy button mapping and menu interface is always a plus as well . Dislikes : The camera , and the ' on rails ' feel the whole game has . It also occurred to me that , although there are a lot of useful objects in the game , there is rarely a sign telling you to get the object . Recommendation : Yes , definitely . One of the best RPGs available right now . Even if you're not a fan of JRPGs , you owe it to yourself to check this game out .
    • 088   What ever inspired someone to make a cutesy RPG based on the life , music and death of Frederic Chopin I will never know , but someone did , and here it is . Eternal Sonata is based on a colourful world that has seemingly been entirely invented in a fever dream by the composer Chopin as he lies on his deathbed , fading away from tuberculosis . Chopin seems to have invented an imaginary world inhabited by twirly castles , rolling green fields , ice caves , volcanos , villages and cliffs . The characters living here include a sombre young girl called Polka ( everything here has a musical name ) , who is suffering froma terminal illness . This condition has given her magical abilities , but sadly , the people here knows that using magic signifies that you are on the verge of death so she is shunned by everybody , which makes for some touchingly sad scenes as the game gets underway . This game spends a lot of time ruminating on death , but more of that later . Anyway , Polka soon meets up with two rascals called Allegretto and Beat , and together they set off on an adventure . On the way they meet Frederic Chopin , who realises he is dreaming and comments about it all the time ( although none of the other characters believe him ) . The plot involves the gradual mass poisoning of the whole population by the sale of an addictive and initially curative drug , which eventually turns users into souless zombies . You soon come to realise that although a lot of this game is candy coloured and bouncy , some of it's themes are pretty serious ! Anyway , our heros meet up with some other characters and work their way through several predicaments in their way to stop the peddling of the evil powder . So first off , let's talk about the fighting . As with some other RPGs , enemies are visible on the screen , and can be avoided , but when deciding to fight it is highly advantageous to run into them from behind because as as soon as you touch one , the screen switches to battle mode and fighting commences . The first turn is taken by whoever had the best tactical position when battle was initiated , so if you are the one caught from behind , this can seriously damage your chances of winning , which I enjoyed a lot . Fighting is turn based , with movement on the field taking up as much importance as the action you take . Attacks can be long-ranged or close up , and starting postions seem to be randomized , so each ( timed ) turn can mean you spend precious time running across the ground to reach enemies and get a hit in before the timer runs out . And yes you can miss - if you are not quite close enough , your character can launch a load of swipes and punches and just hit thin air , which can get really annoying , especially if you can't see clearly enough to work out where everyone is ( the battle screen does not have a user-controlled camera view , but a set of three fixed viewpoints , all of which might leave something obscured from view ) . There are super attack moves as well as the standard ones , and each character has their own , and they are all quite fun to try out . The key unique feature of the game is that battle skills can depend on whether you are standing in sunlight or shade , and this did add a bit of extra tactics , but not a lot . Some monsters change shape when standing in sun or shade , which added some fun - as did the fact that standing in another characters SHADOW also changed the shade , which could be very unexpected as you run up close to enemies ready to do your strongest light attack only to find that it's suddenly been replaced by your dark attack when you launch it ! Anyway , the battles are great fun . The monsters are all pretty cute looking , which does not lead to much sense of purpose , although it is very satisfying to pound them into oblivion . But the game is not easy , despite looking so bright and chirpy . Some boss battles had me floored several times before I could beat them . Luckily you can grind , and there are lots of types of equipment and items to change your parameters in lots of fun ways . On that note though , the names of the items is awful . . . an early health item is called a Peach Cookie . . . blurgh , please can we leave such names to My Little Pony games ? Between fighting there is a fair amount of running around to do , some very well hidden bonus treasures and side quests that I actually missed , and a lot of items to buy and try out . What I really didn't enjoy , though , was the score pieces mini game , in which random NPC's can be found who ask to play a duet with you , and the better you do , the better the reward they give you . The reason I didn't like this was because of the ( for me at least ) random selection of musical accompaniment you have to make each time , hoping to pick something that harmoizes with that person's style - which meant reloading the mini game countless time trying to pick which score piece the person is going to like the sound of . For me that was just boring . Something else that took me aback rather , was the sheer number of playable team members , I think at it's maximum , I had TWELVE team mates to choose from , and the battle team only holds three . But trying them all out was entertaining . I mentioned the odd framing structure of the game at the beginning ( that the game is all Chopin's dream ) , and it does make for a rather bewildering plot . The fact that Polka - who is probably the true central character - is suffering from a terminal illness at the age of just 14 makes for quite a serious theme , which does seem at odds with the very bright coloured graphics . Chopin himself is also one of your team members , and he too is depicted as a whimsical Disney-esque character . Having said that though , the graphics in general are superb , rich and detailed . But to my annoyance there is NO manual camera movement whatsoever , which I found very frustrating . The game returns to the theme of death repeatedly , and at some points it becomes far too ponderous . One important scene involves a central character being uncovered as a spy and killed soon afterwards , and this death scene sees the character deliver an impassioned , dying breath soliloquy , which is so long and drawn out it becomes almost ludicrous . At other times , the game pauses while a genuine piece of Chopin music is played on the soundtrack , and a text-only lecture about the life of the real Frederic Chopin is displayed over a montage of pastoral images . These interludes were actually fairly interesting , but again I come back to my original question : why make an RPG about the life and death of Chopin ? I can only assume somebody at Bandai games had an intense interest in the composer and was determined to share it . To be honest , the whole game could have been set in the fantasy world , without any reference made to it being a dream whatsoever , and the experience for the player would not have been diminished . But things progress along nicely until the game ends very abruptly - seriously abruptly - and there is a very long end movie that deals with the topic of death to another exceedingly drawn-out degree . All in all , a cute looking game , the RPG and battle elements are solid . Worth a try .
    • 151   Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I'm a big RPG person so I will probably try most RPGs that go on sale , as well as ones that have had semi-good reviews . I tried the downloadable demo for Eternal Sonata and decided I liked what I saw and the fighting system , so I went ahead and got the game . While the game itself is very beautiful and bright , with a satisfying and interesting real-time / turn based battle system that I won't go into detail about , the story is a little off putting to me . It has some ' dark ' themes and the typical save-the-world type elements involved in a RPG , but the rest of it just seems like it was geared for a younger audience . I have not finished the game at this point , so I won't comment on the actual plot , but the voice acting and some of the character's personalities irritate me for some reason . I might even add , this is the same reason why I probably never finished Final Fantasy 13 . The characters just seemed too cliche , the things they say and do are kind of redundant sometimes , and I can't get into a game where the acting makes me roll my eyes half the time . I don't think this is a bad game , its just that I had hoped for a darker and more mature RPG , and not one where almost every character is a little kid running away from home or some complaining brat who just seems to tag along . I mean seriously . . . you're out on a serious adventure to save the world , and you're babysitting some 8 year old kids ! ! They are battling with you , and adding their cutesy little quips and comments every now and then . . . just seems ridiculous to me . Who knows , maybe I am just getting too old , I bet I would have LOVED this game 10 years ago . If you can get over the ' youthfulness ' of the game and the voice acting ( heard putting on Japanese voices helps ) , then you probably would really enjoy this game . Like I said , I think this is a good game , great graphics , typical but interesting story , and fun battle system . The cliche-ness of the characters leaves less to be desired but maybe I am just being nit-picky . RPGs are suppose to have cliche characters right ? Since they almost all do . Or maybe I am just getting older . Probably both . With that said , I will still try to finish it , although I find other games demanding more attention from me .
    • 152   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) I'm a big RPG person so I will probably try most RPGs that go on sale , as well as ones that have had semi-good reviews . I tried the downloadable demo for Eternal Sonata and decided I liked what I saw and the fighting system , so I went ahead and got the game . While the game itself is very beautiful and bright , with a satisfying and interesting real-time / turn based battle system that I won't go into detail about , the story is a little off putting to me . It has some ' dark ' themes and the typical save-the-world type elements involved in a RPG , but the rest of it just seems like it was geared for a younger audience . I have not finished the game at this point , so I won't comment on the actual plot , but the voice acting and some of the character's personalities irritate me for some reason . I might even add , this is the same reason why I probably never finished Final Fantasy 13 . The characters just seemed too cliche , the things they say and do are kind of redundant sometimes , and I can't get into a game where the acting makes me roll my eyes half the time . I don't think this is a bad game , its just that I had hoped for a darker and more mature RPG , and not one where almost every character is a little kid running away from home or some complaining brat who just seems to tag along . I mean seriously . . . you're out on a serious adventure to save the world , and you're babysitting some 8 year old kids ! ! They are battling with you , and adding their cutesy little quips and comments every now and then . . . just seems ridiculous to me . Who knows , maybe I am just getting too old , I bet I would have LOVED this game 10 years ago . If you can get over the ' youthfulness ' of the game and the voice acting ( heard putting on Japanese voices helps ) , then you probably would really enjoy this game . Like I said , I think this is a good game , great graphics , typical but interesting story , and fun battle system . The cliche-ness of the characters leaves less to be desired but maybe I am just being nit-picky . RPGs are suppose to have cliche characters right ? Since they almost all do . Or maybe I am just getting older . Probably both . With that said , I will still try to finish it , although I find other games demanding more attention from me .
    • 214   This review is from : Eternal Sonata ( Video Game ) Have you ever wondered what dying of tuberculosis is really like ? I'm sure we all have . Now , thanks to the geniuses at Bandai , the truth behind this magical disease is finally revealed . Eternal Sonata tells the story of Polish composer Frederic Chopin and his journey to a whimsical land via the power of the consumption . He is joined by a cast of fairly typical RPG characters , each whose parents thought it would be hilarious to name their kids ridiculously sounding musical names like Polka . Together they embark on an adventure to stop the child Prince Waltz and his evil scheme of selling non-organic medicine . My friend and I picked up the PS3 version eager to try out this multiplayer RPG . From the moment we hit the start button , our eyes were pampered with gorgeous landscapes and dazzling architecture as the narrator began telling the story . The eye pampering didn't stop ; it kept going and going , and the narrator kept talking and talking , while we were waiting and waiting for the game to actually start . A foreboding of what the rest of the game was going to be like . Most games are made up of two separate parts : storytelling and gameplay . While some games attempt to merge these two into a cohesive flow , Eternal Sonata keeps them on opposite sides of the playground . We were bombarded with cut scene after cut scene after cut scene , sometimes lasting 30 minutes , then we would head straight into hour-long dungeons populated by the same monsters over and over . It's not that the voice acting was terrible , it just wasn't that great . Plus most of the dialog was plagued with pointless drivel that did little for the overall story or character development . Thankfully there is an option to switch to Japanese to add some cultural distance , or you can just skip scenes entirely . When we actually got the chance to battle though , the game sets itself apart from standard JRPGs . Battles are triggered by encountering enemies on the field , and it's somewhere between turn-based and real-time action . During your character's turn you are free to move around and attack for a short period of time . There is no MP bar , so special moves can be performed as long as time remains . There is a learning curve , which is why the game incorporates a clever system where as you progress through the game , battles become more intense by introducing new elements such as blocking , counterattacks , reduced tactical time , party combo chains , and much much more . Boss battles can seem unforgiving , forcing you to find just the right tactic . There is also a multi-player feature that enables a friend to control some of the characters , which sometimes helps by dividing up the responsibility , yet at other times causes screaming when you're both trying different strategies . Overall , the game is decent . Its fantastic visuals and great battle system earns a 5 out of 10 average score , or a two and a half stars here with the five star rating system , but The Longest Death Scene Ever ( look it up on YouTube if you're curious and don't mind mild spoiler action ) earns a bonus hit up for its unintentional hilarity . Buy this game if you're into Japanese RPGs ; otherwise save your money for something else .

  • game view . Can you imagine traveling around very beautiful scenes but be unable to look around , not even 180 degrees ? . Another detail , I'm used to talk to everyone ( second & third characters ) in a RPG game but this game is full of unimportant dialogs . The battle system is horrible . You can buy new weapons and accessories but your character will not look any different , they will always stay the same weird looking and be aware of the following detail : when your about to fight some boss monster , you will fight with the characters choose for that scene , not with the characters you spent time & money developing . Do not fall for the trailers , rent the game before thinking about buying it . I'm really disappointed with Bandai Namco as a game developer .
    • 125   Before purchasing the game I read all the negative comments first . I like to know what I'm getting myself into before wasting my time . The complaints for the game seemed minor in my opinion so I invested . After attempting to play the first time I found that the beginning was rather slow . The cut scenes seemed endless . At first I had given up hope but then I continued playing and wow am I glad I did . This game is well done . The writing is intellectual and the game itself is beautiful . I'm glad I kept playing because I would've missed out on a great RPG experience .
    • 142   I enjoyed this game a lot . The colors are mesmerizing and the battle system is unique . I sell 90% of my games after completion but this game is worthy of staying in my collection for the long haul . I have no complaints and I recommend this to every RPG gamer out there .
    • 172   I do not feel like writing a review , but this game is excellent . I have only played it with 2 or more players , so if you have a committed friend who likes RPG's , play through this game together . It has sucked in everyone who has come to fill in the 3rd player's spot as well . Great RPG to play solo as well . This is one of the best ps3 RPG's out , and is a great improvement over the x360 version . It fills in some story gaps , and makes the game more enjoyable overall . I was skeptical of whether this game would be any good at first , but now I am very pleased after having played it . Beautiful game , buy this RPG fans .
    • 218   This is an awesome game that will make you not regret buying it . It has beautiful visuals , awesome music , good real-time based combat and every element every good JRPG should have . This one being the PS3 version has a lot more content like two extra playable characters and a longer storyline that really answers all the questions . I would recommend it for all JRPG lovers and for all those who are getting into this genre as well .
    • 234   One of the Worst Games ever for such an advance console . Beautiful colors , great animation and superb music but it lacks on too many important aspects such as : game view . Can you imagine traveling around very beautiful scenes but be unable to look around , not even 180 degrees ? . Another detail , I'm used to talk to everyone ( second & third characters ) in a RPG game but this game is full of unimportant dialogs . The battle system is horrible . You can buy new weapons and accessories but your character will not look any different , they will always stay the same weird looking and be aware of the following detail : when your about to fight some boss monster , you will fight with the characters choose for that scene , not with the characters you spent time & money developing . Do not fall for the trailers , rent the game before thinking about buying it . I'm really disappointed with Bandai Namco as a game developer .

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