I feel horrible. It’s almost a stomach ulcer kind of feeling, you know? I have no idea where I have been all my life. My brother-in-law recently let me borrow Lost Odyssey, one of the Xbox 360’s first leaps into the world of JRPGs. Playstation has ruled that genre for the last decade or so. The moment I watched as countless men got melted to bits by a meter spilling lava everywhere, I stole my heart. It’s the best turn-based RPG I have ever played. Hell, it probably wins for the best RPG ever in my book. It pwns every Final Fantasy game I have ever played, as well as many other RPGs.
What stole my heart?
In this current generation of consoles, it seems that the turn-based RPG is pretty much dead. There isn’t much to offer in that genre, or that are at least any good. Lost Odyssey wasn’t isn’t even that good in terms of gameplay. It’s just your standard turn-based game. You get a party, each with different roles, and you chose your orders. The results are either you pushing the commands, and going downstairs to get yourself a drink, or cussing at the screen so much that you feeling like throwing the controller through the TV. The unique thing about the game was the ring system and the immorality of the main character, along with a few others. There are numerous rings that your character can wear, ones that can gain special attributes during physical combat. Do it right, and you could deal double the damage you could have done normally.
What really stole my heart was it’s story. It’s bloody brilliant! The main reason I buy JRPGs is for it’s cut scenes. Anyone remember FFXIII? It was basically a complete failure, besides the fact that the cut scenes were some of the best ever made. Lost Odyssey, despite it being somewhat dated, is amazing on both sides of the table. The guy is battling fools like none other, then all of a sudden, it rains lava on the field. It kills everyone but him! That’s awesome right from the start. As more characters show up and more memories are unlocked, you find yourself being unable to put down the controller. I literally cried for a good ten minutes when I finished reading his first memory. It was one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read, and made me love the main character even more. The cut scenes help put it all together, taking up four discs!
I feel so left out. I always heard about this game, always read about it on the Internet. Never would I have thought that it was one of the most beautiful acts of story telling anywhere. I just started the second disc and I find myself craving more. A sequel must be made of this game. I demand it. Fans demand it. The world demands it.
What do you think of this game? The greatest ever or a complete flop?
