An amazing rpg for those of us who have been waiting for a true sequel to final fantasy X.
Lost Odyssey tells the story of a 1000 year old immortal named Kaim that has lost his memory and recovers pieces of it as the game progresses. Its an interesting premise that provides for the most compelling and in depth exploration of the concept of immortality that i have experienced in any medium. The story unfolds through gameplay, beautiful cutscenes and the surprisingly common written stories of Kaim's memories. These stories are often quite lengthy and frequent which would really be a turn off for the player if they weren't so damn well written. Some players will certainly grow bored of them and they are skippable but for those like me they bring an unparalleled understanding and background to an already quite interesting and likable character.
Graphically Lost Odyssey is gorgeous and shows off countless amazing locales. Though the framerate does admittedly slow from time to time, i found it to be so minor that it took nothing away from my experience. in fact one of the main reasons i am writing this review is because i have read several reviews, including gamespots, that speak of inexcusable load times and framerate issues that i simply never encountered. Perhaps i am just more patient than these reviewers but i found the average load time to be no more than five or ten seconds and to me far more favorable than mass effect's endless elevator rides.
The gameplay is tried and true turned based combat with a unique skill system that is something a little different and perfectly functional. Nothing revolutionary but it works. When attacking, a well timed release of the right trigger can provide a bonus to your attack, the bonus being determined by whatever type of ring you've equipped before the battle. Again nothing to new, but it adds a little skill to the strategically based battles and keeps you on your toes. However, i would rather have seen a timed defense bonus than attack bonus because to me that seems like more of a timing dependent action but the system is still more than acceptable to me. What really makes the battle portions of the game excellent is the difficulty. For final fantasy fans it will be refreshing to face challenging battles that require a strong strategic approach and not simply a pocketful of potions.
Overall this is great classic style rpg that successfully makes the transition to the next generation by making the proper technical advancements and staying true to the elements that make the genre great. It will not be loved by all, but its worth looking into if you've any interest in the genre. Who knows you may find its what you have been waiting for.