Lost Odyssey Reviews
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Although the Xbox 360 has little to offer in the RPG area, it is difficult to recommend Lost Odyssey over RPG offerings on other consoles. 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. The best part is the Kaim's "Thousand Years of Dreams" short stories, but the lackluster graphics and average soundtrack do little to make this game feel next-gen, and the few times it does shine are not enough to make up for the many times that it doesn't. If you're a die-hard RPG fan with a 360, Lost Odyssey is worth buying simply due to the lack of other choices. However, beyond that, it has little lasting appeal, and once you've finished it once, you probably won't pick it up again.
The second is at TeamXbox with an overall score of 8.3/10:
We were really hoping that Lost Odyssey shipped to us with a bit more polish, as it has all of the elements and mass of a truly epic role playing adventure. First time turn-based RPG players can learn a lot about the genre from Lost Odyssey, and should definitely give each of the four discs a go-around in the tray. Turn-based stalwarts will surely see what Mistwalker's intention was with Lost Odyssey, and that they came up only a step or two short of Sakaguchi's benchmark Final Fantasy games of the 1990's.
The third is at 1UP with an overall score of 8.0/10:
While Lost Odyssey's overarching tale is effective enough as a generic RPG plot filled with political intrigue, it really only serves to get the player from Point A to Point B. The storytelling is most compelling when dealing with the interaction between characters, whether it's Kaim and Sarah's intriguing relationship, Seth's pirate past, or the sexual tension (?) between Jansen and Queen Ming. Kids who grew up on Final Fantasy are in their 20s and 30s now, and I think we crave more of those elements now that we've got the patience to tolerate them and the life experiences to understand them. 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.
And the fourth is at GameTap with an overall score of 7/10:
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.
