Single player JRPG recommendations- Wii titles

I really like playing consoles a year or two after they are released, so there's plenty of cheap games out for them. Usually consoles don't get the best games until they have been out for a couple of years. Half a year ago I went out and bought a dozen cheap games for the Nintendo Wii.

To be honest with you folks, I've always hated the Wii. The nunchucks and aiming at the screen seem like cheap gimmick to me. Novelties aside, I love a good RPG. Especially a Japanese one. If you are looking for a JRPG to play on the Wii, check out this list.

1- The Last Story

Yeah, I don't know why there's so much yellow and pink. Magic, obviously.

It wasn't that hard for me to decide on my favorite game on the Wii. The Last Story has an innovative combat system, loads of character customization and a lovely JRPG story. Not only that, the music score was composed by Nobuo Uematsu, the same person who created the Final Fantasy scores. If you can find it, you should buy it. It should be quite cheap by now, so you have no excuses!

2- Xenoblade Chronicles

I was really excited to play Xenoblade when I bought it.

Xenoblade Chronicles is a strange one. It feels like an offline MMORPG. There isn't much story, but it's a solid game. The side quests are very simplistic and can get a little annoying, but they are optional. This game has a hell of a lot of content to get through, which is a huge plus. The graphics are a little less than expected, but Xenoblade is definitely a fun game that you can sink hours into.

3- Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

Radiant Dawn starts out pretty basic, but it gets complicated later on.

For those of you know about the Fire Emblem franchise, this one needs no explanation. It has a great blend of RPG and strategy mechanics, brought to you with a very addictive campaign. With lots of options between choosing weapons and magic, you can create your own unique army to complete the story. The graphics are horrible though, it's not very pretty. But the gameplay more than makes up for that.

4- Tales Of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World

Tales of Symphonia was amazing on the gamecube, it's still good on the Wii.

The Tales series has always been very hit or miss. In my personal opinion, Dawn of the New World is a miss. It's a good game, it has all the usual mechanics you would expect as a sequel to Tales of Symphonia. The story carries on from the predecessor, and the battle system combines ideas from both Abyss and Destiny. Despite that, I just can't get behind it because it's lacking something special that I just can't put my finger on. Despite this, it still deserves the number 4 spot.

5- Monster Hunter 3 Tri

Monster Hunter has surprisingly good graphics.

Monster Hunter on the Wii received phenomenal reviews and critical acclaim. Many people might even rate it at the top of list. With countless scary and gigantic monsters to hunt and so many weapons and builds to choose from, this game is really something. It's pretty difficult to get started, with the complicated controls and overwhelming mechanics. However, it's worth the money if you can make it past the first few hours.

I hope you find a game you enjoy from this list. If you have any suggestions or ideas for games I should add, leave a comment and let us know!

The Last Story

So I recently grabbed a copy of The Last Story for the Wii at my local Gamestation. I was there to pick up a new copy of Smash Brothers Melee, but that's beside the point. It caught my eye since the music was created by Nobuo Uematsu, my favorite video composer. Nobuo has worked on many of the good Final Fantasy games, and intelligently avoided many of the bad titles in the franchise. When I hunt for games around town, I always search incessantly for Japanese Roleplaying games, it's been my favorite genre whilst growing up.

Your party members. They all have a traumatic past. What a surprise.

I adore all of the music by Nobuo Uematsu, and it was the only reason I bought the game. It was not an expectation of mine for this seemingly generic JRPG to actually be something worth playing. Upon first inspection, The Last Story is actually a brilliant game, albeit short. I shall be putting up a full review in the future.

For those of you that like a little JRPG action (or lack of it, by definition)- The Last Story is a step in the right direction for Wii RPGs. I really have no idea what is going on in the plot thus far; which is slightly ironic considering the title. However, the combat is excellent and engaging. I was genuinely surprised and addicted by fighting in this game.

Your party members can be pretty useless, unless you're fighting weaker enemies.

The system works in a way that feels interactive, you'll find yourself rolling around the battlefield resurrecting your party members and blocking dangerous attacks. When broken down it's pretty hack and slash, but that doesn't change the fact it's fun to play.

The reason I'm publishing this quick article is in the case somebody is contemplating whether this game is worth buying. It's short; around 20 hours of play- but The Last Story is definitely a title you can add to your collection without regret. So consider it if you're an avid fan of this type of game.

Bosses often have some kind of trick to defeat them.

Nobuo Uematsu didn't create that many tracks in the end, there are only 6. Although that's a very small amount, his first submission of compositions were denied by his partner Hironobu Sakaguchi. They tried very hard to create music that would keep the player in the fray and more enticed than the traditional set of fanfares and melodies that accompanies the stereotypical definition of a Japanese Roleplaying game.

Anyway, spend a little time researching this game if you feel it might be something you're interested in. As for me, I'm going to go play it now- writing about it has refreshed my desire to press on with the game.