Why oh why am I writing a review to this game now? Well to be honest I dont know. :)
But I am sick of all the major review companies reviewing games all completely wrong. A game should be reviewed on how enjoyable it is. Thats it. If a game has some bugs or issues should it be marked down if it does nothing to hamper it's enjoyment? I am not going to be giving different points for different categories such as graphics, gameplay etc. I will give ONE overall score out of 10, but of course I will say what I think about the graphics etc during the review. The score will be ALWAYS purely based on how enjoyable the experience is. Also unlike companies I promise I will never review a game from any genre I already dont like, and a score of 10 or even 9 will be given to only those games truly worthy. Please note when I review games the method is as follows:
0 - 2 very poor
2 - 4 poor
4 - 6 average
6 - 8 good
8 - 10 excellent
Lost Odyssey
Japanese Role Playing games ( Jrpg's from here on out ) are a genre of games thats been around since the very first batch of consoles hit our shelves. So it's not as though we haven't played our fair share of epic adventures. It's hard for anyone not to draw comparisons of any new Jrpg that comes along to older gems that we love. But with Lost Odyssey it's that much harder, as plastered across the front of the box is the words 'from the creator of Final Fantasy'.
Lost Odyssey comes on 4 epic discs of around 40 hours of gameplay without sidequests and obtaining all items. The game begins with what can only be described as the best intro to a Jrpg ever concieved. It's not that the game has the best CGI in the business, ( it doesn't, but it is good ) it's the cinematography that is so well done. Anyone who has seen the film 300 where the lone spartan charges forward and takes enemies out single handedly will have an idea of what to expect. Even the slow motion segments make it into Lost Odyssey. It's the sheer brilliance of camera work going on that really makes Lost Odyssey such a winner in telling it's story.
The story itself is of no big surprise. It doesn't set any new ground that any other Jrpg hasn't covered in the past. Sure it has it's own quirks but essentially it still has that evil sorceror that wants all power. The biggest draw for Lost Odyssey though is how it tells it's story. Again this is the best of any Jrpg to date. Character progression plays a big part in making the story feel emotional, and worth playing. Kaim Argonar is the main hero who is an immortal. You begin the game with Kaim having no recollection of any memory. Amidst the tale of deciept and war, the underlying tone is all about Kaim regaining his memory. He isnt alone though. Immortals play a role in the game which also carries through to the battle and level system.
We have all got pretty used to Jrpg's featuring 16-17 year old kids as the heros, going against all odds to save the world. Well Lost Odyssey follows a different path here. As Kaim is already 1000 years old at the start of the game you can imagine he's not exactly your typical Squall Lionheart or Cloud Strife. In fact the game has a sense of maturity about it because of this, it also helps that the games dialogue is much tighter than previous Jrpg's as well. The emotional side of the game is also brought about by some very impressive voice acting. Truly the voice acting for a Jrpg is a brilliant touch, it makes those emotional scenes come to life much more than before. As you progress through the game the cinematography coupled together with the voice acting drills home to you very well the pain that Kaim has felt over his 1000 year life. Seeing loved ones pass away, times change and cities destroyed. The developers have done extremely well in pulling on the players heartstrings, something which is what we play Jrpg's for.
The battle system itself is nothing new. It has it's own features such as the Ring system and Skill Link. The battles are turn based, albeit in order of who has the higher speed points. It's possible for instance to use a spell with one character and with another enhance his casting time. This brings his turn to cast that spell forward, which can vitally put his turn before that of an enemy. The Skill Link system is where the Immortals and mortals come in. Immortal characters such as Kaim Argonar or Seth Balmore can learn skills they dont have off mortal characters. Once learned they can then be equiped as a skill to use in battle. The ring system again adds benefits in battle. Enemies can have different base elements and status. For example: it might be Element Flare and Status mechanical. So here you can where a ring which will enhance your attack with either water or mechanical damage bonus. When your character goes to make the attack holding down the R trigger will bring a Ring into another ring. Time the release of the R trigger right and you will deal maximum damage with the elemental or damage + ability.
The game is based on the Unreal Engine 3. Remarkably the game does exceptionally well with this considering how other Jrpg's of late have struggled to make good use of the engine. There are no major problems running the game either, you will see some slow down occasionally and sometimes the loading can be longer than you would expect. But the loading is not an issue going in and out of fights. Sound is well done, we have already touched on the voice acting earlier but it really is the best in a Jrpg yet seen. Especially considering normality shows that english dubbing in Jrpg's is never usually any good. All in all there is nothing wrong with it's presentation, again as said previously the cinematography is exceptional here.
Roundup
Although Lost Odyssey doesn't do anything drastically new for the genre ( it does stay to the trusted formula ) this is by no means a bad thing. Anyone who has played and loved Final Fantsy will feel right at home here and will notice that same love shown in the Lost Odyssey as in the FF series. After all this is from Sakaguchi. It has the best Voice acting to date, along with the most emotional scene Ive witnessed in a Jrpg. Couple together with amazing cinematic work and a tried and tested yet sound battle system it really is a definate game to add to any Jrpg collection. Personally it's the best and most importantly enjoyable Jrpg Ive played since Final Fantasy IX.
9/10
