Lost Odyssey, featuring breathtaking visuals and an epic adventure, is the story of Kaim, an immortal character who has lived more than 1,000 years and doesn't remember his past and doesn't know where his future lies. Throughout Kaim's journey, a handful of characters will join him on an odyssey to discover their intricate past and destiny, leading players through a dramatic story of massive scale.

Features:

*Innovative RPG gameplay features. Lost Odyssey blends massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) elements into the game's traditional RPG system, enabling players to make strategic decisions for a more immersive and deep gameplay experience.

*Engaging and unparalleled emotional story. With story sequences penned by award-winning Japanese novelist Kiyoshi Shigematsu in cooperation with producer Hironobu Sakaguchi, Lost Odyssey sets a new benchmark for the RPG genre with a combination of true-to-life cinematics and the story of an immortal man who has been suffering in many ways for 1,000 years. Players will witness Kaim's life as he lives through many generations, becomes part of numerous families, falls in and out of love, and confronts all of the conflicts that arise. Kaim's struggles are set in a world that is on the verge of a "mystical industrial revolution," where mankind has attained dark powers.

*Massive scope and engrossing environments. The massively scoped worlds, memorable characters and epic story line of Lost Odyssey play out like an intense and unsettling blockbuster action film.

*Heading up the artistic demands of the title is famed Japanese comic artist Takehiko Inoue; renowned composer Nobuo Uematsu has been recruited to create a contemporary soundtrack.

*Realistic graphics in next-generation gaming. Powered by Unreal Engine 3 technology, Lost Odyssey boasts stunning visual fidelity and rendering quality. The Unreal Engine 3 technology pushes high-definition visual designs to a higher level and brings out the smallest details in the largest battles. Gamers will experience a rich dynamic world with an unprecedented level of detail. Users can experience the true-to-life gameplay and facial expressions of emotionally distressed characters in the world of Lost Odyssey.





My Thoughts:
I am thinking of trading in my Playstation 3 for this game, just finished watching the Game Trailers review, looks absolutely incredible, lets hope the rumor of it going multi-platform is true.

I've heard that it's a good old school game, but that people looking for originality or anything should just skip it. They've said they were more worried about making an emotional experience than redefining the genre.

I found it troubling that some critics and gamers have complained about things like turn-based combat being "old-school" and "unoriginal", rather than viewing it just as a game archetype.  Japanese RPG turn-based battles are a major framework for game design the same way that having a crosshair in the center of the screen and a button to shoot a gun.  It seems like the reviews for this game are particularly of this persuasion -- IGN Australia's review blasted this game, listing the core mechanics of Japanese RPGs such as turn-based combat and long cutscenes as major strikes against the game.  Considering that you make games with RPGMaker I'm really surprised that you have the same attitude.  I'm not about to complain about review scores or anything like that, but it really is akin to giving game negative marks just because it has a crosshair on the screen or maybe because it requires that I am able to read.

I am personally really looking forward to this game.  It's one of the first games that I've preordered for a long time (I do not anticipate retailers ordering a massive quanitity of copies).  I couldn't really care less about the "emotional experience" that this game might might to provide or any sort of story it might try to tell because I am completely convinced that videogames will never really tell competent stories.  I'm looking forward to the sorts of strategic gameplay, number-crunching, character customization, and exploration of exotic environments that Japanese RPGs and especially Final Fantasy games (let's not kid ourselves here) are always reliable for.

I think the problem isn't that it does these things, its that it doesn't do them particularly well. 

The same review said that it was actually an excellent Japanese RPG.  If that particular critic had discussed actual problems with the design (which he did by the way) then I wouldn't have a problem; he and other critics have acted like the game style itself is inherently broken rather than discussing its core merits inside of a given framework.  I really like IGN overall and can forgive themselves for the silly crap like assigning editors to review every comic book published every day instead of covering videogames and the disgusting bullshit like babe of the day, but their and other major sites' coverage of Japanese RPGs really is unfair.  I don't disagree with average scores because a score like a 7 or 8 is explicity described as something genre loyalists will love, which is probably true of Lost Odyssey.  However, review text like this bothers me:

For all the immaculate presentation, there's a thick layer of dust over the gameplay and story . . .  Lost Odyssey really is a paint-by-numbers RPG in a lot of ways, and that's a heartbreaking truth . . . the game is a checklist of things you've seen and done before . . . such traditional development is a problem for two reasons. One, it keeps happening and players keep buying into it, which means that it'll continue . . .  it just colours in the squares, dots the lines, lets you travel in vehicles, play as your effeminate male leads, busty female vixens with swords and staves, see some outstanding sights and takes you on an epic journey across seas, continents and underground.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/849/849907p1.html

I mean it was an excellent review by a professional journalist and everything, but the overall tone of this and other reviews just seems like the critic was struggling not to hate this game.  Critics are not complaining that too many games have had first-person aiming since Wolfenstein or that there have been too many space marines since Doom, so I don't see why effeminate male leads and travelling in vehicles is somehow a problem.

Like I said, I'm looking forward to it. I'm just reporting what I've heard about it before people come in here yelling about how unoriginal it is.

I was playing devil's advocate, not trying to tell people not to play/buy it. Dude, I play and love Nippon Ichi games. Like every one that comes out. I am far from a person who insists on reinventing the wheel with every game. I just wanted to head off the inevitable "lol unoriginal japfag RPG" crap that I'm sure is on its way.

You should stand up for what you believe in :emo:

I'll probably pick this game up, but only after I purchase Eternal Sonata. I've yet to play that one.
This game looks incredible though, especially for a next gen RPG. I heard the game uses 4 discs, which is pretty insane. I'm not too fond of the gameplay after watching the reviews, but I've been going through Dragon Quest 8 and that hardly has any revolutionary gameplay. So this game looks like something I would be interested in.

I believe this is the first RPG to use the Unreal 3 engine?

but only after I purchase Eternal Sonata. I've yet to play that one.

edit: eternal sonata is really bad.

as for this game, i think it looks probably just as bad as eternal sonata was if the stuff i just read on ign and this topic is true. they just take a game that has already been made thousands of times, add a few amazing features like combining magic rings or whatever that bland shit i read was about, and make it shiny. this is the first time i've ever really looked at a game like this and just immediately thought it was going to be a load of shit because i have spent a lot of money and time playing these things and i'm 18 years old now i have learned that it is a cheat because they are putting in no new ideas and selling every single time.

I just wanted to head off the inevitable "lol unoriginal japfag RPG" crap that I'm sure is on its way.

what is the problem with people saying this stuff if it's true? i don't see why anyone continues to defend unoriginal boring shit especially when you are all the ones who are getting the piss taken out of them by the people who make these games.

The same review said that it was actually an excellent Japanese RPG.  If that particular critic had discussed actual problems with the design (which he did by the way) then I wouldn't have a problem; he and other critics have acted like the game style itself is inherently broken rather than discussing its core merits inside of a given framework.  I really like IGN overall and can forgive themselves for the silly crap like assigning editors to review every comic book published every day instead of covering videogames and the disgusting bullshit like babe of the day, but their and other major sites' coverage of Japanese RPGs really is unfair.  I don't disagree with average scores because a score like a 7 or 8 is explicity described as something genre loyalists will love, which is probably true of Lost Odyssey.  However, review text like this bothers me:

For all the immaculate presentation, there's a thick layer of dust over the gameplay and story . . .  Lost Odyssey really is a paint-by-numbers RPG in a lot of ways, and that's a heartbreaking truth . . . the game is a checklist of things you've seen and done before . . . such traditional development is a problem for two reasons. One, it keeps happening and players keep buying into it, which means that it'll continue . . .  it just colours in the squares, dots the lines, lets you travel in vehicles, play as your effeminate male leads, busty female vixens with swords and staves, see some outstanding sights and takes you on an epic journey across seas, continents and underground.

That review says that this game takes all the things japanese RPGs have been doing for years and years and does them as well as they can be done. it doesn't do anything else apart from be a jrpg. If you don't think this is enough of a reason to think a game is stupid, then you must think that it is okay for companies to continue producing glossed up versions of things you have already paid for. i don't think this is okay because there are other things to spend money on - there are other videogames to be spending money on.

I mean it was an excellent review by a professional journalist and everything, but the overall tone of this and other reviews just seems like the critic was struggling not to hate this game.  Critics are not complaining that too many games have had first-person aiming since Wolfenstein or that there have been too many space marines since Doom, so I don't see why effeminate male leads and travelling in vehicles is somehow a problem.

so if a critic is not complaing about one tired cliche, they should not have a problem with any other tired cliches. and if critics aren't complaining about tired cliches, then why are cliches even a bad thing? cliches are a bad thing because it means ideas begin to stagnate and retread over themselves. things get boring, and usually this means people stop paying attention but this hasn't happened with this kind of game yet because people continue to buy them and it keeps the company in profit. the company thinks they've got this rpg game down and keep throwing out the same old shit. how long does it have to take until you have to say fuck that shit.

I do agree with what you said about jrpgs, real_jamicus. Really though, the same thing could be said about First Person Shooters, Gran Turismo games, etc. Bioshock takes all the things FPS games have been doing for years and years and it does them as well as they can be done. I consider that a pretty good game. Personally, I think there's nothing wrong with a game that does nothing really innovative, but does everything else pretty damn well. And personally I don't care what a reviewer says about a game. I think I know my own taste in video games. I'll take what they say with a grain of salt.
I don't buy a lot of jrpgs. I don't even buy games that much period. If I have the extra money to spend on a game like Eternal Sonata, which my friends have been saying is really good, then I'll go pick it up.

bazookatooth: The release date for the U.S is today. So it won't be in the stores until tomorrow. If you're in Europe, then it's February 29th.

It is pretty crazy, I have like 10 games to get through on my 360 still, but I'm probably still going to go buy this tomorrow (it's been out for weeks here) anyway. I'm surprised it's by Mistwalker, the style is completely different! Plus the development time is crazy, unless they developed it alongside Blue Dragon, which is highly likely.

Still, this looks like mad sweet fun, so I'mma definitely pick it up. :3 Now to finish Blue Dragon, Eternal Sonata and... Enchanted Arms... (dunno if I'll bother with that)

Speaking of the style, this is the first RPG from Japan made entirely with a "western" audience in mind.  By that I mean you play as this disillusioned 1,000 year old god dude and slice your way through armies in an attempt to find meaning in your life because all your friends die before your or something.  The generic love and friendship weeaboo story is also included and you can switch between storylines... or something like that.  I haven't been keeping track of the game.

The only thing I can't stand right now is the name of the main character Kaim.  It sounds way too much like Caim, the emo faggot from Drakkengard.  God, that game was a pimple on Square's already pockmarked ass.  I don't want to relive any memories from playing that piece of generic, repetitive trash.

I would say a game using unreal 3 engine has a better than average chance of being ported to PC.

And i believe that complaints like this might not happen with PS3. I am serious.
Like it has been marketted for some time that OH WELL PS3 MIGHT COME LATE BUT HEY AT LEAST IT'S GONNA HAVE A LOT OF JAPANESE GAMES (JRPGS!!! GOD BLESS SONY).
And now when Xbox tries to please the japanese audience with Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon (medicore reviews i know) it's sudendly a bad thing.

Now, i know that's just two games and that Blue Dragon got medicore reviews but really, from what i have read about this game the chances are it's gonna be as good as the recent Final Fantasy games. The game's even going to have similiar auto-battle system like in the recent Final Fantasy and that one got good reviews (the battle system (so IGN dissing the system? what??).

hghagrgha I'm trying my best to not to sound pro-360 but this is starting to irritate me. I'm going to wait until PS3's gonna have more JRPG's: fuck if they are not giving them a critical eye as well. (after all these years of bulk-jrpg's...(they'd better bash every rpg game ever coming out of ps3(fuck gamejournalism(*kaboom)))))

jRPG's. THAT'S WHAT EVERYBODY HAS BEEN PLEADING FOR SINCE THE DAWN OF THE XBOXKIND. This is what fans WANT. Final Fantasies sell because people LOVE jRPG's!
this ridicilous trend of bashing of old systems 'spite of IT'S NOT INNOVATIVE is bullshit! QED!

*bashes the desk, ragged cheers from the crowd, fists raised up. 

it's not the gamplay which annoys me most about these games. it is pretty frustrating starting up a new videogame only to be reminded vividly of time you've already whittled away on another one, but i can generally get over that if it is still at least easy to play. what really jones me up is the total lack of thought that goes into everything else about the game.

and maybe this is just personal opinion but i think that like pretty much everything else ever, videogames have got some power to explore new ideas if they use it and even if you are using an old gameplay model because ARGH INNOVATIVEE GAMEPlAYS TOOO HAARDDD!!!! then you should please at least put something new into the premise of your game. not characters seen over and over again (stereotypes which if aren't destructive at least don't push us any further along the line), not stories told over and over again and not narrative structures, themes and entire vocabularies of a game world filled with stupid mindless crap which no-one is even able to pay real attention to because it is so utterly cliche is might as well not exist.

it annoys me to see a chance to explore new ideas wasted, and it's doubly annoying to see people encourage that kind of game making by buying the games.

I do agree with what you said about jrpgs, real_jamicus. Really though, the same thing could be said about First Person Shooters, Gran Turismo games, etc. Bioshock takes all the things FPS games have been doing for years and years and it does them as well as they can be done.

i don't think bioshock is really that great. the gameplay is functionable, but really yeah it is just a game i've played before so i'm not gonna compliment it on it's gameplay for being up to scratch. what was at least admirable about bioshock was that is attempted to incorporate some new stuff into it's premise. i don't think it really done it very well, but it took a whack at it and that is at least worthwhile because it might lay some groundwork for better stuff to come.

if a game, or anything which is creative, does at least one little thing new, then i'd say it is worth a little bit of time. lost odyssey doesn't seem like it does anything new at all - and adding frivolous menu mechanics is not new - and that's why i think it at least looks like a load of shit. i suppose i'm basing my opinion on speculation but it's not that wild considering how many of these games i've been totally disappointed in and annoyed by before.