Lost Odyssey Review ( 8.5 out of 10 ) ...
May 15, 2008 ... Review by Derek
Lost Odyssey, though often antiquated in its gameplay mechanics, is one of those rare games that tugs at your heart, and by the end of the 60+ hours you spend with Kaim and his friends, you find yourself wishing for more, and you will probably have shed a tear or two.
There is nothing in this game that will convert people that hate the jrpg formula, but for those who at least have a passing interest, you will find a gem that belongs in the same ballpark as any of the best Square Enix games.
There are some very frustrating barriers that keep this game from being an all time classic, however. For one, the cut scenes are good, but often go on for as long as 30 minutes. Its called editing people, lets be a little more concise. Secondly, the save points are few and far between, with sometimes 2 hour + stretches in between when you can save. Early in disc two, I had decided just to play a few more minutes before calling it a day, and hit the right combination of long cut scenes and a gap between save points where it was well over an hour before I could stop.
The game is also filled with far too many lame side quests and mini games. There is one particular moment shortly after you gain two kids, Macke and Cooke, where you literally do the same fetch quest twice in a row, followed by some very stupid and kind 
of disturbing funeral mini games. (You better light these torches right Macke, or you will dishonor your loved one's memory….damn.)
Surprisingly, the short stories you unlock are not one of these barriers and, unlike my co-hosts, I never even skipped them, and found them all to be beautifully written and often moving.
The combat and looting is also continually satisfying, and I never tired of it, and was even taking on optional bosses long after I could have pushed through the main story.
But even more than that, the characters are the heart of this game, you are invested in all of them, even the annoying little kids. One in particular, Jansen, was briefly atop my favorite game characters of all time list, only to be quickly dethroned by one Nico Bellic.
Lost Odyssey At A Glance |
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8.5 |
The Good |
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The Bad |
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Great |
The Verdict |
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