2008 Woodie Awards
'Lost Odyssey' lacks originality
Game is good, but could have been more
by Leah Christensen
Issue date: 3/20/08
Section: Gaming
"Lost Odyssey" is an adequate addition to the collection of any RPG connoisseur, but for those with a finer taste in the genre, it leaves much to be desired.
"Lost Odyssey" is the story of Kaim, an immortal man who's lived for more than 1,000 years, though he can't remember any of it. Throughout his journey, Kaim comes across characters who carry their own past to discover. The story is interesting, but can't seem to break away from convention.
The storyline comes from producer Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the "Final Fantasy" games, a series whose influence over "Lost Odyssey" is apparent from the beginning cinematic scenes to the ending credits.
"Lost Odyssey" is like a smorgasbord of elements from previous "Final Fantasy" installments. In theory, having Sakaguchi back making fantasy games with an adult story and next-generation graphics should be great, with potential for classic status, but in the end, "Lost Odyssey" has to settle with being average.
The reason for this is there's very little meat to the game. If it were a novel it'd be all dialogue and barely any exposition.
The graphics are utterly amazing. The tiniest details thrive and breathe. Characters and environments spring a player into the game's rich world. These qualities, however, are available only to gamers who have high definition, widescreen televisions at their disposal - otherwise the text is unreadable and the graphics smeared.
The fighting system is not deep, either; the mixed bag of characters uses the same physical attacks or casts magic repeatedly.
In the battles, each character takes turns with enemies in a scale that indicates who attacks next. While powerful magic takes longer to perform, item usage jumps to the front of the bar.
When done correctly, turn-based game play can add great intensity to a battle system as it did in "Final Fantasy X." In "Lost Odyssey," however, the game doesn't have the same consequences of order and management that "Final Fantasy X" does. The player can wait several turns without having to worry about the opponent. The feeling of dire, desperate need doesn't build sweat between the player's fingers and controller like the latter.
Adding to the lack of depth, battlefields never last long, but become just pit stops to the next town where the story can pick up again. The problem is the story never truly picks up. The game is a collaboration of RPG clichés strung together. The main character having a case of amnesia, a group of strangers forming together to fight a battle greater than themselves - neither of these ideas is exactly groundbreaking.
There are strong elements where the narrative shines, such as character development and how Kaim retrieves his memories through triggers during his current life, but there's far too much of the slow, dry arc and absurd occurrences that never give the good material a chance to reach its full potential.
RPG's can be a hard thing to judge, since there are classic fantasy factors to be considered, but in a game with so much going for it, it'd been nice to see "Lost Odyssey" stretch for something special.
THE GRADE: B+
An adequate addition to the collection of any RPG fan.
Leah Christensen is a Reporter staff writer
"Lost Odyssey" is the story of Kaim, an immortal man who's lived for more than 1,000 years, though he can't remember any of it. Throughout his journey, Kaim comes across characters who carry their own past to discover. The story is interesting, but can't seem to break away from convention.
The storyline comes from producer Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the "Final Fantasy" games, a series whose influence over "Lost Odyssey" is apparent from the beginning cinematic scenes to the ending credits.
"Lost Odyssey" is like a smorgasbord of elements from previous "Final Fantasy" installments. In theory, having Sakaguchi back making fantasy games with an adult story and next-generation graphics should be great, with potential for classic status, but in the end, "Lost Odyssey" has to settle with being average.
The reason for this is there's very little meat to the game. If it were a novel it'd be all dialogue and barely any exposition.
The graphics are utterly amazing. The tiniest details thrive and breathe. Characters and environments spring a player into the game's rich world. These qualities, however, are available only to gamers who have high definition, widescreen televisions at their disposal - otherwise the text is unreadable and the graphics smeared.
The fighting system is not deep, either; the mixed bag of characters uses the same physical attacks or casts magic repeatedly.
In the battles, each character takes turns with enemies in a scale that indicates who attacks next. While powerful magic takes longer to perform, item usage jumps to the front of the bar.
When done correctly, turn-based game play can add great intensity to a battle system as it did in "Final Fantasy X." In "Lost Odyssey," however, the game doesn't have the same consequences of order and management that "Final Fantasy X" does. The player can wait several turns without having to worry about the opponent. The feeling of dire, desperate need doesn't build sweat between the player's fingers and controller like the latter.
Adding to the lack of depth, battlefields never last long, but become just pit stops to the next town where the story can pick up again. The problem is the story never truly picks up. The game is a collaboration of RPG clichés strung together. The main character having a case of amnesia, a group of strangers forming together to fight a battle greater than themselves - neither of these ideas is exactly groundbreaking.
There are strong elements where the narrative shines, such as character development and how Kaim retrieves his memories through triggers during his current life, but there's far too much of the slow, dry arc and absurd occurrences that never give the good material a chance to reach its full potential.
RPG's can be a hard thing to judge, since there are classic fantasy factors to be considered, but in a game with so much going for it, it'd been nice to see "Lost Odyssey" stretch for something special.
THE GRADE: B+
An adequate addition to the collection of any RPG fan.
Leah Christensen is a Reporter staff writer
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