Launch Station: The Last Story

Much like with Xenoblade Chronicles that released earlier this year, gamers have had to patiently wait for The Last Story.  Originally set to release in the middle of June for Wii, The Last Story's release date has been up in the air for a little over a month until Xseed Games came out and announced the official release date, August 14th.  After months of pleading Nintendo to localize this game along with Xenoblade and Pandora's Tower, The Last Story will finally be available in North America this Tuesday.  Even though there seems to be no plans for Nintendo or any other company to localize Pandora's Tower, but two out of the three games featured in Operation Rainfall making it to our shores is a victory nonetheless.  For having to wait so long for The Last Story, Xseed Games has spoiled us.  The first edition of The Last Story to hit stores this Tuesday will be a special limited edition that comes with a Steelbook case for the game, an exclusive art book and a short CD for those who pre-ordered the game from certain retailers.  For the 50 dollars The Last Story will be at launch, this package should be a must-buy for RPG enthusiasts and hardcore Wii owners.  Much like with the release of Xenoblade Chronicles, it is time for hardcore Wii gamers to put their money where their mouth is and support this game that you have been pleading Nintendo to bring to North America for about a year.  I have done my part.  I will be buying The Last Story on launch day.  It is time to do your part.

Lazulis Island, governed by Count Arganan, has become a small wonder of power for it's nearly impenetrable defence and mysterious attributes.  Lazulis Island's reputation brings in many people looking to make a fortune.  Among those people is Zael and his fellow band of mercenaries.  Even though on Lazulis Island mercenaries are perceived to be upon the lower classes of society, Zael and his friends catch the eye of none other than Count Arganan.  Waving the caveat of knighthood in front of their eyes, Count Arganan employs Zael and his friends to complete missions for him personally.  On one of Count Arganan's missions, Zael is bestowed with a mysterious power known as the Gathering that sends him and his friends on a journey they will never forget.  With The Last Story, Hironobu Sakaguchi and his team at Mistwalker looked to evolve the rather stagnant JRPG genre in new and creative ways.  With this directive in mind, The Last Story employs an innovative real-time battle system that has not been seen in any other JRPG.  Battles happen all in real-time with the player controlling Zael while the computers control the other party members.  To help set up big chain attacks and other strategic plans, you are able issue commands such as directing allies or telling a magic user to destroy a bridge to your party members in real-time.  The Last Story has a full-on cover and stealth system that works in tandem with the battle system that allows players to hide behind cover in order to avoid enemy fire, get the advantage on certain enemies and pick off dangerous ranged enemies from a distance.  The Gathering power that Zael gains can be used in battle to help your party as it draws all enemy attention to Zael, which buys party members enough time to cast spells, heal or take a much needed rest from the onslaught.  Lazulis Island is a rich setting that players can explore at anytime during the game.  There are over 30 side quests to complete, tons of items to collect, new powers such as Focus and Seek to acquire and an incredible amount of additional backstory and information about the world of The Last Story for players to discover.  If players tire of the huge single-player story, The Last Story also includes both competitive and co-operative online multi-player modes.  Players can either team up against monsters or battle one another in order to collect some rare items for use in the single-player.

Coming off of the heels of Xenoblade Chronicles, which turned out to be a success for Nintendo, The Last Story looks to be the last great game to release for Nintendo's aging Wii console.  It will easily tide hardcore Wii gamers until the release of the Wii U.  Hironobu Sakaguchi's newest creation looks to be one of his finest.  It is a game that every hardcore Wii gamer and JRPG aficionado should pick up this coming Tuesday.