Lost Odyssey: the JRPG we've been waiting for

I see many mentions in reviews of how Lost Odyssey doesn't offer anything new to RPG gameplay. For the most part, this is true, but I wasn't ware that JRPG fans were desperate for change anytime soon.

I will say that so far, the battle system on FFXII was far more interesting. But the stories involved in LO put the sleep-inducing FFXII storyline to shame. While the dream sequences may turn players off due to being text-only, I find it the most appropriate fit for what they are trying to convey. For the impatient, none of these sequences are required. But the short stories are well put together for the most part, and had me reacting the same as I would do a beautiful cut-scene.

The opening scene is worth watching a few times. Mistwalker did a stupendous job with it.

I'm strolling through the game right now, and I'm quite happy with it. It easily makes up for the drudgery that was Enchanted Arms and Blue Dragon. Hopefully LO will get a decent fanbase enabling Mistwalker to polish up their next adventure and expand into unfamiliar territory. In the meantime, I'll happily plug along at this latest offering.

I will do an official review once I complete the game.

Lost Odyssey isn't traditional for Xbox gamers

Joystiq's metareviews are great for peeking into multiple opinions within a short blogpost. One thing I've seen be to the distaste of reviewers is that Lost Odyssey seems "traditional" or fashioned amongst "old-school". While I don't agree with the SNES-era mechanics (try more PS1), it's easy to see how LO came about through prior Final Fantasy creators.

One thing these reviewers forget is that not all Xbox gamers are seasoned RPG gamers. In that sense, traditional means nothing. Xbox gamers had Fable, Phantasy Star Online, and Knights of the Old Republic. None of those are hardly standard. LO is a welcome addition to the Xbox line, and it is a starting point of better RPGs to come.

Year for 360 gaming

We just returned from our local Gamestop with lists of upcoming console titles through October.

The Xbox 360 list takes 1.4 pages, the PS3 list about 0.75 pages, and the Wii list about 0.4 pages. Perusing the list, I'm finding over a dozen games that catch my interest, although some are multiplatform (but I'm finding the 360 is the way to go, so it doesn't matter). Three games for each the Wii and PS3 catch my attention.

Continue reading...


Wii:

• 02/20/2007: Sonic and the Secret Rings
  
• 03/13/2007: Prince of Persia
• 04/23/2007: Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (I don't want to purchase this for PS2 or Xbox)
  

PS3:

• 06/01/2007: Heavenly Sword
• 06/26/2007: Ninja Gaiden Sigma
• 09/03/2007: Unreal Tournament 3

Xbox 360:

• 02/27/2007: Bullet Witch
• 03/13/2007: Call of Duty 3 Gold*
• 03/27/2007: Guitar Hero 2 w/ Guitar (more songs than PS2 version)
  
• 04/02/2007: Army of Two*
• 04/02/2007: Assassin's Creed*
• 05/01/2007: The Darkness*
• 05/01/2007: Burnout 5*
• 05/01/2007: Tenchu Z
• 05/22/2007: Mass Effect
• 06/01/2007: Bioshock
• 06/01/2007: Half-Life 2*
• 06/01/2007: Too Human
• 06/19/2007: Kane & Lynch: Dead Men*
• 09/03/2007: Lost Odyssey
• 09/04/2007: Dark Sector*
• 10/01/2007: Timeshift 360*
• 11/01/2007: Halo 3

*These titles will also be available for the PS3

While Wii Sports alone is enough to support the console for months, it will be at least 6 months before anything worth buying appears (exclusively) for the PS3. I can only give doubt toward Sony and Nintendo's game sales performance this year; there just isn't enough exciting games coming out. Where the hell is my Metroid Prime 3 or Super Mario Galaxy? What about a Final Fantasy to save the PS3's lackluster lineup? Then again, the Wii's hypetrain has obtained a behemoth size that Sony could only dream of.

I love the Wii, but there just isn't any games for it. The PS3 sections seem empty as well. At the end of the year, the 360 selection will dwarf the others. This implies that the Xbox 360 may as well replace the PS2 in game selection for this generation. Wii can only hope that 3rd party developers/publishers kick in and provide continued fun to rival and surpass that of Wii Sports.

It's becoming increasingly difficult to see the PS3 in a positive light. Developers aren't happy, customers aren't happy, and Sony's profits aren't happy. With no games to justify the 2 ton price tag, we can only wonder how Sony will manage to climb out of the hole they continue to make deeper.