I dont believe in Edge scores anymore .They consistently bash the hyped games for pure fun with some pseudo-intelectual babbling issued from a 60 years old movie critic that doesnt even mention the actual game (graphics ,gameplay etc ) .Plus they are too tough with games ....giving some games as Ratchet and Clank Size Matters a 7 or F1 a 4 or Resistence a 6 is just too much.They only seem to be somewhat benevolous with the DS .I suppose the same happens with BD .Bad thing is that BD right now is collecting too much bad press for such a good game ,with both Edge and EGM bitchslapping it with mediocre awards .

 I love the art in Odin Sphere, the story and voice acting were alright, and the basic gameplay wasn't bad, but that game really did deserve a 6.  As much as I liked the art (best I've seen in a very long time), the game did break a major rule: it was hard just for being hard sake.

 There really was no reason for that game to be as hard as it was.  I know you'll say "well you just have to know how to play it", but that's not good gameplay.  Even on the easiest setting (the setting where the game says just sit back and enjoy the game) the game is still too hard.  when you spend a good deal of time and just about all of your limited supply getting to a boss that's bad enough, but when you spend 30-45 minutes on a boss only to have it kill you and make you start all over again...The game really was just bad.

the only real reason to pick it up was just to look at the very pretty sprites. 

I had high hopes for Blue Dragon ...
I will take this magazine with a fistfull of salt. Come on, 6 for Odim Sphere? The game would get a 10 from me with they did not use the same bosses and scenarios all over again. It should get a 8 at least. These guys do not know what a good RPG is.

Twesterm, I do not want to brag about it but I found OS challenge average. I started the game at the hard setting and died just when I entered a battle with 40 HP and no itens. It is really easy when you know what to do. In bosses you just use overload + Painkiller and the battles will be over in 2 minutes. Healing potions are easy to make and should last several chapters. Leveling is so easy, just use phozon release over and over (5 lvls make a lot of difference in damage).
The only way to screw up is to stand still and attack enemies. This game really punish those that go and attack head on. You need to time your jumps, attack big bosses from behind, use items (napalm, blizzard), and build up your combos (attack multiplier is greater when you make a big combo).
Sorry for the long post, but OS do not deserve this. I wish we could get more original content like this and less FF rip offs.

What do you know, no lair review....

And it seems to me as though this mag needs to space out their reviews a little more, or atleast not be afraid of giving bad games a sub-5 score.

I would give Odin Sphere a 7. Gorgeous artwork, but lots of slowdown and a mediocre combat and item system.

Conversely I am sick and tired of reviewers that constantly give games an 8-10 when they don’t deserve half of it. I would prefer someone be overly tough and make a good "intellectual" (ya you miss-spelled it...) argument than give it a high score based on hype and peer pressure. The reviews that give high scores are almost always worthless in every way because the reality is I have yet to play anything worthy of a 10 and there are only maybe 3 games in history that deserve a 9 or above objectively speaking.