[360] Lost Odyssey

[MonkeyFinger]

Also, I found a bug. Choosing "Load Last Save" from the Continue screen does not actually load your last save; just whatever save is in Slot 1. So in other words it's pretty much worthless. Just choose Load and hand-pick the appropriate save game.

Interesting... not having that problem here.

[RMC]

Also, I found a bug. Choosing "Load Last Save" from the Continue screen does not actually load your last save; just whatever save is in Slot 1. So in other words it's pretty much worthless. Just choose Load and hand-pick the appropriate save game.

I use this all the time and have not had this issue. <shrug> Not sure what would cause this.

I am enjoying the game, and even spent yesterday on the couch playing the game, while 'waiting' for the phone person to come and install my new business line instead of working.

[YellowKing]

A few notes about the challenge level:

I was pleased to note it's much more difficult than Blue Dragon/Eternal Sonata, at least in the early going. Most of the boss encounters have taken multiple tries.

Part of the reason is that the AI is pretty ruthless. It has no qualms about picking on weaker characters, going after spellcasters, etc. When it has big attacks ready, it uses them. It's definitely not a game where, on average, you can just Next, Next, Next your way through an encounter.

Typical RPGs if I have full health, I figure no problem, I can make it to the next checkpoint. This one, I make sure I have full health AND a well-stocked supply of health and resurrect potions before any trek into the wilderness.

It's not frustratingly hard, but most of the encounters do force you to really think about what you're doing and in what order you're doing it in.

[YellowKing]

I use this all the time and have not had this issue. <shrug> Not sure what would cause this.

Hmmm, strange. I'm using 5 save slots which I rotate through at every save. At first I thought it was a glitch from reloading in the middle of my current game, but it does it now every single time, even when launching the game for the first time.

[Austin]

Picked this up yesterday. I really enjoyed the opening cut-scene and transition into battle. I gave it a little under 2 hours and it's pretty fun, even though I'm not liking the 10 second swirlys into the battles. I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing with the rings but I did get it to work twice. (Typically just hit the right trigger and see it say, "Bad") I'll play it through the weekend and if it holds me, I'll probably go all the way through. How long is it anyway? If it's not going to hold me, back to Game Stop within 7 days.

[Chaz]

If I remember right, you start holding RT when the character starts charging the enemy, and then release it when the meter hits the target area. Just hitting it will always get you a bad, it's the timing of the release that matters. Unless I'm totally mis-remembering things.

[Austin]

If I remember right, you start holding RT when the character starts charging the enemy, and then release it when the meter hits the target area. Just hitting it will always get you a bad, it's the timing of the release that matters. Unless I'm totally mis-remembering things.

Sounds about right. A few times I held it and it just said bad before the rings matched onto the target. Maybe I hit it too late or early though, but it never made it far enough for the release to matter. I haven't fought much yet though either.

[msteelers]

If I remember right, you start holding RT when the character starts charging the enemy, and then release it when the meter hits the target area. Just hitting it will always get you a bad, it's the timing of the release that matters. Unless I'm totally mis-remembering things.

Sounds about right. A few times I held it and it just said bad before the rings matched onto the target. Maybe I hit it too late or early though, but it never made it far enough for the release to matter. I haven't fought much yet though either.

It took me a long time to figure those out. You start holding the trigger just as the character starts running, release it when the meter gets to the target area. If your timing is off you get a bad. I think there is an OK level which does extra damage and a Perfect level which does even more.

As you get better rings, the target area can increase, but the perfect zone stays the same.

It took me several hours to figure it out, but once you get it, it becomes second nature.

[Gumps]

I finally picked up this game and am looking forward to working my way through it. I think this will be my first experience with a JRPG (as I am new to the console world). Based on reviews and what everyone here has said, it will at least be worth a try.

[Hipolito]

Spells -> White Magic -> Resurrect -> Lost Odyssey thread

I once had no interest in the Xbox 360. But then I heard comparisons of Lost Odyssey to my GOAT, Planescape: Torment. So I bought a used 360 just to play the game. (I also bought a couple of other 360 games to get more mileage from the console.) After seven years of on-and-mostly-off play, I've finally finished the game.

Like P:T, LO is about an immortal man who's lost his memories. (He even looks and sounds like a lithe version of The Nameless One.) But I don't think there's much similarity between the games beyond that.

As others have said, this is a pretty typical JRPG. I do like that you don't really have to grind, so I ran away from a lot of battles. But some grinding is beneficial so that your characters can learn really powerful skills. I also like that mortal and immortal characters learn skills differently: mortal characters learn by leveling up, and immortal characters learn by using equipment and linking with mortal characters.

Though the story is OK overall, it's occasionally amazing. First, you've got the 31 short stories ("A Thousand Years of Dreams") you unlock when you regain a lost memory. These were written by a novelist rather than by the game's main story writer, and they are sublime observations of human nature. The switch from tropey and dull JRPG to these skillfully written and atmospheric dream sequences is jarring.

Second, despite its mediocrity, the game's main story has moments of greatness. For example, early in a story, a minor character dies, and I've never seen any other game handle a death with such respect. The other characters ugly cry and prepare for the funeral. You even play a mini-game for the funeral rites. The visual and voice acting were very well done, and I cried a lot too watching it all.

It's unfortunate that most of the game didn't have similar gravitas. Overall, Lost Odyssey doesn't have the philosophical, character, and emotional depth of Planescape: Torment. But I'll leave you with a couple of quotes from it that feel especially meaningful these days.

"Those who cannot conquer their desires shall never be fit to lead."

(From the story about two warring sides reuniting): "White birds cut across the blue sky, from the other side to this side, from this side to the other, the white birds sail through the sky almost joyfully, as if to tell the people, In the beginning, there were no borders!"