Giantmushroom
2015
The writing isn't that good, people.
2007
I played for about an hour. I wasn't impressed with anything outside of the music.
I've felt that JRPGs have been mostly stagnant from a gameplay and technology perspective since the fifth generation, and Lost Odyssey is no exception. This is a 2007 video game with random encounters, severely restricted camera control, and puny environments separated by loading screens. At least God of War's limited camera allowed for them to push the visuals really far. That's definitely not the case here. The combat didn't have much going on outside of basic real-time elements. Maybe it gets better later on?
The story/world wasn't anything special, either. Why is amnesia so overused by Japanese game developers? The character designs also leave a lot to be desired. It's hard to take anything seriously when trained mercenaries are going around with armor that leaves key areas exposed (midriff, arms/legs, and apparently cleavage later on).
The writing in the first flashback was good, but why is none of this interactive (or even shown to the player, for that matter)? Isn't that the whole point of playing a video game? It reminded me of Xenogears disc 2, and that's not a flattering comparison. It makes the rest of the dialogue seem jarringly weak in comparison.
I understand that most JRPGs have a tight budget compared to games in other genres, but it's clear that this wasn't planned out well. I would much rather play a 20-hour JRPG that can actually deliver on what it promises to achieve over a half-baked, 50-hour slog.
I've felt that JRPGs have been mostly stagnant from a gameplay and technology perspective since the fifth generation, and Lost Odyssey is no exception. This is a 2007 video game with random encounters, severely restricted camera control, and puny environments separated by loading screens. At least God of War's limited camera allowed for them to push the visuals really far. That's definitely not the case here. The combat didn't have much going on outside of basic real-time elements. Maybe it gets better later on?
The story/world wasn't anything special, either. Why is amnesia so overused by Japanese game developers? The character designs also leave a lot to be desired. It's hard to take anything seriously when trained mercenaries are going around with armor that leaves key areas exposed (midriff, arms/legs, and apparently cleavage later on).
The writing in the first flashback was good, but why is none of this interactive (or even shown to the player, for that matter)? Isn't that the whole point of playing a video game? It reminded me of Xenogears disc 2, and that's not a flattering comparison. It makes the rest of the dialogue seem jarringly weak in comparison.
I understand that most JRPGs have a tight budget compared to games in other genres, but it's clear that this wasn't planned out well. I would much rather play a 20-hour JRPG that can actually deliver on what it promises to achieve over a half-baked, 50-hour slog.
The campaign is just as mediocre as other entries in the series. U.S. military propaganda, braindead AI, testosterone, and extreme linearity. You know, the usual. Zombies mode is actually novel and fun to a degree.
The PC port feels heavily consolized. The graphics options are limited, the optimization is lacking, and you have to modify a text file to get an acceptable FOV.
The PC port feels heavily consolized. The graphics options are limited, the optimization is lacking, and you have to modify a text file to get an acceptable FOV.
1997
The writing and atmosphere are strong. I wish I could say the same about the gameplay. This is one of the clunkiest UIs I've seen in a game. It's unintuitive and confusing. Combat feels unsatisfying. The tabletop elements don't translate well here. Why am I constantly missing a giant scorpion that's two feet away from me? Why level up anything not combat-focused if you can save scum to get past skill checks? It's all way too RNG-heavy. NPCs regularly obstruct doorways; there isn't much you can do besides wait it out. It's a major oversight.
2019
This is literally every video game according to old people. The proverbial antichrist.
It feels like there's a "gotcha" moment every two seconds with the enemy placement. It got tiresome in Doom 2 and it's even worse here. I'm constantly out of bullets despite rarely missing. Skill issue, I guess.
It feels like there's a "gotcha" moment every two seconds with the enemy placement. It got tiresome in Doom 2 and it's even worse here. I'm constantly out of bullets despite rarely missing. Skill issue, I guess.
2008
I like the strange and cursed feel of the world, but the gameplay is lackluster. Both the combat and puzzles are incredibly basic. I have no motivation to continue. Random encounters aren't fun, either.
2015
The level design and enemy types seemed decent enough based on the short while I played. The emphasis on platforming and collecting items makes it stand out. Not having a crosshair in an FPS feels wrong.
1999
I wasn't impressed during the short while I played. The shooting felt janky and there was a lot of cheesy 90's dialogue/asethetics (and not in a good way).
2014
I wanted to enjoy this, but the survival aspects are tedious, repetitive and time-consuming. You constantly need to backtrack, which hurts the exploration. I think it would be a lot more enjoyable in multiplayer (since you could divvy up the labor), but that's sadly not an option without modding. I wish there was a map/cartography mechanic as well.
The performance leaves a lot to be desired. My PC was running loudly despite being well above the system requirements.
The performance leaves a lot to be desired. My PC was running loudly despite being well above the system requirements.
It's probably a lot more fun in multiplayer.
2020
Boring and repetitive gameplay. It doesn't respect the player's time. This doesn't need to take 20+ hours to beat. There isn't enough gameplay here to warrant that much time.
Life is suffering
2016
The first few levels I played were solid.
The DRM is intrusive and unnecessary. I got interrupted while playing because of a server issue—quite the immersion breaker.
The DRM is intrusive and unnecessary. I got interrupted while playing because of a server issue—quite the immersion breaker.
1994
I wasn't too impressed. The level design seemed pretty meh based on the three I played. All of the stage themes were very short and repetitive.
The stingy continue system is unfortunate. The rest of the game is fine. I still prefer SOTN and later entries. Maybe Rondo of Blood will change that.