Unboxing [US]: Drakengard 3 - Standard Edition (PS3)

Many months ago I wanted to acquire this game when I first started my path to acquire as many PS3 games as I could. Then suddenly it went out of print and the prices spiked. Now I finally got it, thanks to a restock for both this title and also NieR.

Drakengard 3 is an action role playing game developed by Access Games (who also worked on Deadly Premonition), directed by Yoko Taro (of NieR fame) and published by Square Enix. Drakengard 3 is the latest instalment in the Drakengard franchise and a prequel to the first title. The story itself can be played without any prior knowledge of the first two games but it does add to the experience if you had played them (like how NieR Automata can be played without prior knowledge of NieR). Released in Japan at the end of 2013 and in the west on May 2014, Drakengard 3 was released with mixed reception among the community. While the story and music was praised, the gameplay and technical side suffered hugely by critics and fans. It's said that this title was also given a low budget.

This release is the standard edition North American physical copy of the game. Europe never received a retail release, and were insulted even further when Square Enix's response was providing a collector's edition with a digital download code when fans demanded a disc release. It is also worth noting that the disc version (and digital download of the base game) contains the English dub for the voice acting but you can acquire the original Japanese voiced version via downloadable paid content which is unfortunate unless you bought the collector's edition. There is also story downloadable content that expands on the backstory of each sister you encounter along the way. There is no physical instruction manual which is basically the norm for a number of current releases.

Like the other games in the franchise and also NieR, the story is explored through multiple playthroughs that change each time. So it's recommended that you give the game a couple playthroughs to understand the full story and lore. Drakengard 3 is exclusive to PlayStation 3 unlike NieR. This is also one of the few titles given a re-branding by Sony for their PS3 covers, where it has a blue border instead of black.

Format: PlayStation 3

Version: USA

Exclusive: Yes

Local Players: 1

Resolution: NTSC 480p, 720p [This is based on the video output, resolution in-game may be different]

HDD Space: 5.2 GB [Install Data]

Trophies: Yes

Drakengard 3 was given a reprint so grab a copy if you can! The only English version available is the North American edition (there was also an Asian English release but it's probably OOP by now). The game is also available digitally on the PlayStation store unlike NieR.