I just beat White Knight Chronicles yesterday. For a game that was hated so much by the critics (especially IGN and GameSpot), I was pleased to see that the game is quite enjoyable. For a Japanese-developed RPG, it is a breath of fresh air. While Japanese-developed MMO-style RPGs are not anything new (Phantasy Star Online, FFXI, Monster Hunter), it's still a welcome break from the tired, played out typical formula used for jrpgs. And yes I know that some of those above games, including WKC, are not really MMOs since you don't have enough players online at once for it to be considered massive but they have a MMO kind of style with regards to skill progression, questing format, combat, etc.
I was skeptical of the game before playing it given the poor reviews but since I have a rental subscription and it seemed to be "different" from what's typical out there, I figured I might as well rent it.
The story wasn't anything interesting but most jrpg stories by today's standards aren't that great to begin with anyway so I wasn't coming in expecting a great storyline.
I probably won't buy WKC1 because while the online offers great replay value, I don't generally stay with a game too long before moving on to another one. I have a huge "to play" list. But if you really want a RPG that you can sink many hours into and offer you great value, WKC will do that. The single-player campaign is only like 20-25 hours but the online and trophy hunting will take your $60 or however much it costs now a long way.
