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Lost Odyssey

EMAILPRINTxbox360

Lost Odyssey
78
8.3 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 68 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 205 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Developer: Mistwalker

Genre(s): Role-Playing Game

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: February 12, 2008

Summary

Lost Odyssey is the story of Kaim, an immortal character who has lived more than 1,000 years. He doesn't remember his past, and he doesn't know where his future lies. Throughout Kaim's journey, a handful of characters join him on an odyssey to discover their intricate past and destiny, leading players through a dramatic story of massive scale. Massively multiplayer online role-playing game elements are blended into the game's traditional role-playing game system, enabling players to make strategic decisions for a more immersive and deep gameplay experience. With story sequences penned by award-winning Japanese novelist Kiyoshi Shigematsu in cooperation with producer Hironobu Sakaguchi, Lost Odyssey sets a new benchmark for the RPG genre with a combination of true-to-life cinematics and an intriguing story of an immortal man. Players will witness Kaim's life as he lives through many generations, becomes part of numerous families, falls in and out of love, and confronts all of the conflicts that arise. Kaim’s struggles are set in a world that is on the verge of a "mystical industrial revolution," where mankind has attained dark powers. The massively scoped worlds, memorable characters and epic storyline play as an intense and unsettling blockbuster action film. Heading up the artistic demands of the title is famed Japanese comic artist Takehiko Inoue. Renowned composer Nobuo Uematsu has been recruited to create a contemporary soundtrack. [Microsoft]

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

96

Extreme Gamer

If you’re a fan of traditional role-playing games, or love games with an endearing story then you will likely fall in love with the dynamic intimacy Lost Odyssey provides.

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94

Xbox360Achievements

The story is simply awesome and very detailed. The world is actually quite small compared to some RPGs, mostly because you can't explore the world map that much. For most of the game, you simply select a town and go.

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93

Console Monster

Is Lost Odyssey the best RPG experience on the market? If it isn’t it’s making a strong push towards being one, at least being the best on the Xbox 360. It is however near the top as far as an intimate storyline and a true JRPG.

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90

PTGamers

Lost Odyssey is essential for fans, not due to the shortage of RPGs on Xbox 360, but based on its own qualities.

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90

Play Magazine

If you're expecting a revolution, you may come away disappointed. But if you're a fan of the genre, you'll appreciate Lost Odyssey's exceptional craftmanship from start to finish. [Mar 2008, p.48]

90

DailyGame

A must-have RPG for all those who complain that the Xbox 360 doesn't have any, and proof that Mistwalker can deliver great games.

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90

Destructoid

The game oozes quality from every pore and provides a stern answer to people who think writing in videogames can't be mature or deep.

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88

GameTrailers

While its gameplay may not even come close to the depth or complexity of a title like Mass Effect, Lost Odyssey’s story and visuals stand toe to toe with some of the best the genre has seen. If it’s an epic voyage into the realm of fantasy you’re after, you’ve found it.

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88

MEGamers

With great turn-based strategy elements, wonderful story, great presentation and memorable music, more than 40 hours of gameplay and its exclusivity for the Xbox machines, it would further develop Microsoft's plans in the Japan's market and also would make the pavement for hundreds of new players attracted to this style of gaming.

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87

Play.tm

This is a beautiful, involving, epic example of its type but those for whom the genre holds no interest aren't going to be converted by a game that rarely offers the innovation you may have been expecting and conforms to more of the old frustrations than it probably should.

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86

Gamer 2.0

At no point will this be a boring game for any fan of the genre, and it’s a game that really could push Xbox 360 sales overseas. It really is an absolute delight and a real surprise.

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85

GameZone

There is a lot to love in Lost Odyssey, thanks to the top-rate production values and story.

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85

Talk Xbox

Lost Odyssey may not rewrite the rules of the genre, but it performs a wonderful job improvising with what’s on the table.

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85

ZTGameDomain

I liked the new attack moves that they have added, and I really enjoyed the story. It is very immersive and really tugs at your heartstrings at times.

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85

Game Informer

As thankful as I am that there are role-playing titles that strive to innovate, I am also glad that games like Lost Odyssey are still being made. It is a testament to the philosophy that time-tested concepts, when implemented well, can be just as gratifying as they were at the genre’s inception.

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85

Pelit (Finland)

Lost Odyssey is the definitive jrpg-title that the Xbox 360 has been waiting for. This traditional title delivers a deep tactical combat system, awesome visuals and one of the most compelling stories we've ever seen in this genre. [Mar 2008]

85

Maxi Consolas (Portugal)

An old fashion RPG with turn-based combats and random encounters that might put your patience to the test. And the same can be said for the amount o loading screens. But watching these characters grow within the story is well worth it. [March 2008]

83

TeamXbox

Story and presentation are arguably two of the most important parts of a role playing game besides the combat system, and Lost Odyssey, most of the time, handles both with grace.

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83

GamingExcellence

Playing Lost Odyssey is like running into an old friend that you haven’t seen in ages. They may be a little more rotund around the edges, a little balder up high, and a little more wrinkled around the eyes, but they still have that spirit and life to them that shows you that the good old days are never that far away.

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82

IGN

It may not be in the same class as "Mass Effect," but for a system in desperate need for more quality RPGs, Lost Odyssey fits nicely into the 360 library.

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82

Jolt Online Gaming UK

Lost Odyssey is a great JRPG that, while not without flaws, does a fantastic job of overcoming them and providing a superb adventure and storytelling experience.

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80

Gamervision

JRPG haters will just find more things to complain about here, but for fans of the genre, this is the 360 game you’ve been waiting for.

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80

MS Xbox World

Lost Odyssey brings back a traditional JRPG game style with some little additions, but nothing astounding.

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80

Total Video Games

Much more of a 'grown up' experience after the stylised antics in Blue Dragon, the morality tale of a thousand-year life is packed with an ever-increasing sense of emotion, and will no doubt be of interest for J-RPG gamers.

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80

Gamer.nl

Lost Odyssey might not have the same quality or finishing touch as the Final Fantasy-games, and also don't play the game for renewal of the genre. This doesn't take away the fact that the game is extremely enjoyable with a beautiful result of the somewhat unoriginal story. It has its limits, but Lost Odyssey is absolutely worth the trouble. A nice start for a beautiful series with potential.

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80

Official Xbox Magazine UK

Lost Odyssey's heritage is enough to make it great. [Apr 2008, p.92]

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80

games(TM)

It may not be the most perfect RPG you’ll ever play, but some will doubtless find Lost Odyssey among the most emotionally affecting videogame experiences of their lives. [Apr 2008, p.112]

80

Gamestyle

If you’re a fan of the genre and are tired with the lack of decent RPG’s on the Xbox 360 then you can’t go wrong with Lost Odyssey.

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80

AceGamez

Lost Odyssey isn't an RPG classic. It doesn't break new ground and it has its problems, but that doesn't keep it from being great.

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80

Boomtown

With one of the most engaging and mature stories that I have played in quite some time, great visuals and well designed and acted characters (not to mention Nobuo Uematsu’s expectedly brilliant soundtrack), Lost Odyssey did not let me down, despite great expectations.

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80

Planet Xbox 360

Despite its flaws, Lost Odyssey is hands-down the best turn-based RPG on Xbox 360.

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80

NTSC-uk

Lost Odyssey is a long arduous journey, but it is one that’s filled with a story that continues to flesh out its characters right to the very end.

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80

Gameplanet

An old school JRPG in funky, next-gen clothing. Jaded fans of the genre will love the new features.

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80

Gameplayer

A major improvement over Blue Dragon.

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80

IGN AU

It's staggeringly gorgeous, and looks and plays like a Final Fantasy title. It rarely steps away from the origins of the genre – instead playing with the 'me too!' mentality of a company that desperately wants to show the world that Square Enix can be bested.

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80

1UP

If Sakaguchi intends to turn Lost Odyssey into a franchise -- and all indications are that he does -- I'd like to see these refreshingly adult themes expanded on further in future titles.

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80

Cheat Code Central

There are hours upon hours of interesting content for gamers to explore and uncover in Lost Odyssey. Sadly, the pace of the game is rather slow and will deter the vast majority of 360 fans from purchasing and/or completing the game.

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80

Eurogamer

if you've got the patience to sit through its slow build up, and if you're open-minded enough to allow it to transport you, then it will take you to places that other JRPGs haven't even dreamed of visiting.

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80

Da Gameboyz

The game offers an intriguing story which spices things up very well, but it does so without doing anything revolutionary.

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80

Kombo

Lost Odyssey is not the game that will bring the genre back from the brink, but fans of Japanese RPGs will love it. The best JRPG on the Xbox 360 to date.

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80

PALGN

For fans of the JRPG and those who are in it for the story will find Lost Odyssey to be one of the most moving and compelling experiences to be found in a video game.

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80

Armchair Empire

But for long time role-playing fans, the game is familiar enough to feel comfortable with; and there’s enough depth to the combat and twists to the story (especially with the relationships that develop over the course of the game) to keep them interested.

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80

360 Gamer Magazine UK

While a touch reluctant to get going, Lost Odyssey soon builds pace and lavishes the player with its wonderful blend of familiar elements, unique concepts and genuine emotion. With solid mechanics and some top-notch presentation, this one comes heartily recommended for those with plenty of time on their hands.

80

X360 Magazine UK

The traditional approach will put off as many as it pleases, but Lost Odyssey is a cracking RPG which looks great, plays better, and is genuinely affecting. [Apr 2008, p.80]

78

XboxAddict

Check it out if you are interested in the RPG genre at all.

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76

ActionTrip

The immersion is there, the gameplay can be fun, but overall, Lost Odyssey fails to "go the distance" as a modern-day RPG. Whilst it offers a unique twist to the genre, it definitely lacks more content and depth to be regarded as a truly great RPG. Hardcore RPG gamers won't find it rewarding enough.

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75

Xbox World 360 Magazine UK

Looks like the future, plays like the past. Imperfect - but you get your money's worth.

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75

Game Almighty

The combat is a tad clunky, and the story is just shy of copyright infringement, but dammit you’re not going to care. This is a nice trip down memory lane, albeit a long one.

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75

Worth Playing

The gameplay is fun enough, but so agonizingly slow that the enjoyment of combat is seriously marred. For the most part, the story line is average and clichéd, and the dramatic moments don't entirely make up for that.

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75

GameSpot

Lost Odyssey doesn't rewrite the rules for turn-based role-playing games, but its great story and minor formula tweaks will keep you entertained.

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75

NZGamer

Lost Odyssey’s turn-based combat is a bit of a mixed bag, with both its good and bad points. While the five mortals learn skills as they level up, the four immortals can only learn skills and magic spells by equipping an accessory or ‘linking’ with a mortal.

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75

Official Xbox Magazine

But though the grandiose soundtrack may fool you at first into mistaking this for an epic Square-esque RPG, it’s not. It’s slightly smaller-scale, and the somewhat odd (and kinda bland) character designs never really reach the iconic eye-candy levels of more accomplished J-RPGs like Final Fantasy.

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75

Electronic Gaming Monthly

A pleasant surprise. [Apr 2008, p.76]

75

Xbox World Australia

If you are an Xbox 360 owner and a fan of Japanese role-playing games, chances are you are already playing Lost Odyssey.

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75

RPG Fan

To say that Lost Odyssey is a bad game is to do it an injustice. It's not a fun game, though, and maybe that's the same thing.

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75

Game Revolution

Though Lost Odyssey won't change your mind about turn-based JRPGs, it fills the void of the genre with a well-paced and pleasing aesthetic, and a healthy dose of nostalgia.

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75

Gaming Age

Despite all of this positive criticism, Lost Odyssey's biggest strength lies in the game's ability to keep you engaged while lasting over 40 hours (admittedly, I tried giving up a number of times, but was pulled right back in).

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75

Game Over Online

When you get right down to it, Lost Odyssey plays like a mediocre Final Fantasy game, which isn’t so bad really. Hell, some Final Fantasy games have played like mediocre Final Fantasy games, and if you’re a 360 owner who loves classic RPGs you’re going to want to play it.

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74

Gaming Nexus

Lost Odyssey doesn't break the JRPG mold, but it does fill it out quite nicely with a strong story and great characters.

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73

Games Master UK

It's beautiful and offers an emotive story but it could be too old-fashioned for some. [Apr 2008, p.64]

70

Edge Magazine

Lost Odyssey contains some of the most tender writing ever committed to a videogame. [Apr 2008, p.86]

70

GameTap

Lost Odyssey is a pretty solid Japanese RPG, and distinctly fulfills the niche it aims for. It's not a true Final Fantasy clone, but at the moment, it's the best-looking late-90s FF knock-off on the market. But whatever "decent" vibe it has ends up being cut down by technical glitches to the point that it makes the epic adventure feel more like a dinky puppet show.

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65

GamePro

Ultimately, whether or not Lost Odyssey is worth your time and money comes down to how absorbed in the broad strokes of this world you'll let your own imagination become, and whether you're willing to make the emotional investment asked of you. Ordinary suspension of disbelief simply won't cut it in the face of such overt melodrama and strained gameplay.

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60

Games Radar (in-house)

If you’re patient with plot, love your amnesiac protagonists and get aroused at the thought of having to keep two saves so you can reroll a character if need be, Lost Odyssey has your name written all over it.

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60

G4 TV

If you enjoy "Final Fantasy" and its ilk, Lost Odyssey will appeal. It’s not innovative and doesn’t take any chances, but there’s a lot of classic turn-based adventure just waiting for you in four long disks.

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60

GameDaily

Once you discover the game's deeply flawed combat system and bland storyline, you'll question if it's a journey worth taking.

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58

GameShark

Loving Lost Odyssey means being able to stand its technical instability, loading times, and traditional gameplay. Latching onto the unique ring system and its tightly-wound narrative can get you through the pain of these flaws--only to a certain extent.

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50

GameSpy

We have immense respect for what Lost Odyssey tries to do: be a back-to-basics JRPG with modern technological trimmings on the 360. Unfortunately, it's less a celebration of what made older RPGs great and more a crude relic of their past.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 205 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Philip F. gave it a10:
Lost Odyssey is a certainly a classic within it's genre, i can honestly say that this is the best turn-based RPG made within the last 10 years. yeah, it's sort of the same JRPG molding as Fantasy VII, VIII, or IX; but it makes up for it with it's fantastic characters, scenery, and storyline. As for those who insist that this game is too hard, i really feel sorry for them that they didn't give it a better chance. yeah, the first couple of bosses in this game are insanely hard, but this is just a relapse from RPG gamers being hand fed battle wins over the last 10 years; usually just spamming their A or X buttons on every single fight. if you enjoy going through some very small thought processes for your kills, this game is for you.

Kieron B gave it a9:
Bought this game for £15 and its very much worth it. The game is a traditional JRPG, so if you like games like FF7/FF8/FF9.. it plays out very much like these, especially in its simplistic yet engaging combat/magic systems. The music score is pretty good and the graphics arent too bad.. not great though. The plot is good and draws you in quite nicely, the game will take around 30-40 hours to complete at least and theres about another 20 hours worth of side quests/levelling/collecting all spells/items to go afterwards too. I had no problems with any technical hitches with the game so not sure what the other reviewers were talking about.. however the loading times are slightly annoying.. they are not really long but longer than what they should be. I havent played Blue Dragon yet but ive played Infinite Undiscovery, Eternal Sonata, The Last Remnant and Star Ocean 4 but this is by far the best RPG on the 360.

Kieran D gave it a2:
This game is a total con, in movie terms, this would be a like a sequal with none of the original cast. A quick buck. Girlfriend and I are 10 hours in to this game (and very much enjoy RPG's normall) and we still completely hate every char, the bad guy, the plot, the limitations of roaming around, we are still on our 2nd weapon and using same spells as start of the game. Bosses are all either hard or impossible, as random attacks that nearly kill everyone might happen twice in a row or not at all. Only fun we are having with this game is constant mocking, such as "oh look, a badly drawn Poster that looks nothing like the ones around it, wonder if you can peel it backwards and find 100g or a new pair of earings. Cos thats where i stash my money and jewlery, begind a poster!". The game has no organic way of rewarding you with new spells or abilities, so instead you find them. For example, cast poison, guess where we found that? in a badly drawn urn in a forest, or maybe my memory fails me, maybe it was by ramming a tree with our shoulder which made it fall out of the tree. Not that a wise magician taught us it, no no, valuable items like Paralize immune headbands trypically are found in ramable trees. Our fave part of the game is the fact that Kaim is not just immortal, but a serial thief. He will happily go in to his Grandchildrens house and rip posters off walls or steal money from badly drawn gold chests (cos kids have those ofc). Maybe the people who designed the levels hired the guys from Acme (see road runner) to add the lootable items to the game, but certainly isn't hard to spot when a item has something you can steal or kick to find a lootable item. anyway, my life is too short to tell you all the reasons this game sucks, but take it from a RPG guy and his open minded GF, this game is all sorts of terrible. You will hate the plot, which you figure out about 2 hours before you are told about it, you will be given a powerpoint presentation complete with crazy animated text when you remember something (which btw, you remember in such great detail it will take 10 mins to account), fights are a pain in the ass. oh sod it, i can't go on, please for the love of god borrow it off some sap of a friend who has it and give it no more than 5 hours, as the following 5 hours will suck just as much and not improve at all.

Andrew B gave it a10:
Lost Odyssey is an incredible experience with a gripping story, epic adventures, and memorable characters. Sakaguchi has created a masterpiece that should be the template of what a JRPG should be (as he had done with his Final Fantasy series).

Troels J gave it a7:
As a fan of the turn-based RPG's it thrills me to find a game on xbox360 that is not Real-time RPG - pretty fun genre, but fans of the old generation-rpg-styles need a turn-based RPG fix at some point, and I've reached that point now. Lost Odyssey delivers this better than I'd expected if you choose to focus on the gameplay and ring-system only. However, there are quite a few flaws. For instance the story is very familiar, just with heavy weight on the feel-bad-and-sad-cry-cry story, it's simply too much. Not to mention the incredibly long movie sequences. You lose a lot of your patience watching these dull, overtly long sequences, where the graphics doesn't impress in any way either (only the opening sequence really impressed me). The dialogues are so "this-is-so-touching-and-sad-it-makes-me-cry-even-though-it's-only-a-game"-like that it's only laughable. But as a fan of the genre I'm willing to let this go most of the time. This is the only reason why it get's such a high rating from me, but anyone who focuses on stories and graphics will not find what they need in Lost Odyssey.

Jenna S. gave it a2:
I love RPGs and have played (and liked) the majority of Final Fantasy games. However, Lost Odyssey is one of the worst RPGs I have ever played. I would hesitate to even call it an RPG; my idea of an RPG is being able to roam freely and do things in your own time. This is not a feature of Lost Odyssey. Firstly, you very rarely actually have control of any of the characters! I spent most of my time watching pointless, over-long cutscenes. If I'd wanted to watch a film, I would have watched a DVD, not played a game. When I did finally get control of a character I found the combat and general gameplay to be ok but the ridiculous cutscenes just frustrated me beyond belief. Secondly, the save points are VERY few and far-between. For example, you'll be given a save point before fighting a boss but not afterwards. So you kill a boss and then complete another half an hour of gameplay before coming across an opportunity to save which means if you die in that time (which is highly likely in this game due to the lack of refresh points/shops) you have to go through the whole boss-killing, boring cutscenes and half hour of gameplay again. Thirdly, the leveling of enemies is plain ridiculous. One minute you'll be fighting hoards of enemies who deal you tiny amounts of damage and then suddenly you'll come across a boss who wipes out your entire party in about two attacks. You then either have to spend a stupid amount of time leveling up because the other enemies are not powerful enough to allow you to level up reasonably quickly or attempt repeatedly to fight a ridiculously strong boss who wipes your party out time and time again. Its just frustrating; not fun. In my opinion Lost Odyssey wipes the fun out of RPGs. If you want a proper RPG rather than one long cutscene masquerading as one, play Oblivion, it's a true RPG which allows you to roam freely, truly interact with your environment and provides hours and hours of solid gameplay without corny, mind-numbing cutscenes inbetween.

Mike A. gave it a9:
Great writing and gameplay. High production values. I've been playing Final Fantasy since III and while this game won't win any awards for innovation, the gameplay, story and characters are a lot closer to the spirit of those early FFs than the sterile and corporate FFXII.

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