Xbox 360
Lost Odyssey-Goddamn if this isn't the flat out saddest storyline for any RPG I've ever experienced. There are some very emotional and heartwrenching dream sequences in this game, and I wonder how a guy like Hironobu Sakaguchi can even bear existence if this is the kind of depressing shit he thinks about while brainstorming.
I really like the combat system, especially how the immortals learn skills and the way in which the characters seem tailor made for assisting one another in combat.
The character designs are beautiful, but their implementation to a 3D world did not go as smoothly as I would have hoped. Takehiko Inoue has made some pretty vibrant and unique looks that I've never seen in a video game before, but their rendering in 3D doesn't quite get it right. Their animations during cutscenes are oftentimes unnatural, removing me from the drama playing out before me, and they appear more like marionettttes on strings rather than real people. The facial expressions could use some more variety and the costume designs are overly elaborate and exotic.
As for their personalities, they are an engaging group of people that could be described as JRPG staples. The most important thing is that none of them are initially unlikeable, as was the case with Squall in Final Fantasy VIII. With every character, you immediately get the sense that there is a story behind the initial impression, and that means Mistwalker handled the characters right.
I also can't help but notice how Asian everyone looks but this is probably because Mistwalker wants Japanese audiences to play this game and one easy way to make Japanese RPG audiences take notice is by making the characters easier to embrace. It's not a bad thing...just very obvious.
The soundtrack is Nobuo Uematsu's best work ever. Sorry to the FF lovers out there, but this is better than anything he's ever done before.
The dream sequences read like passages from a novel rather than playing out as CGI sequences. At first I found myself dreading reading them as doing so can be quite time consuming and takes me away from the actual playing of the game, but they were so engaging and interesting that I got to the point where I was making sure that, whatever else I might have missed in my search for items, I didn't miss any of the dreams no matter what. I know that the dream sequences are not going to be for everyone, but as I play JRPGs mostly for the story I have no problem comitting to reading these long text pieces provided they are satisfying. The ones in Lost Odyssey are VERY satisfying, if more than a bit melancholy.
The other really great thing about this game are the boss fights. These are not the same as other JRPGs. Tactics, effective use of magic, items and skills is required and strategy are all important factors in winning the battles. These aren't just 'longer fights against foes with more hit points.'
Definitely a step up from Blue Dragon for Mistwalker, if you ask me.
Bayonetta-to take the edge off the depression I was feeling playing through Lost Odyssey's sad events, I popped in some crazy gun bitch action and gave Bayonetta's first two chapters a try.
Not that great.
Bayonetta is too small on the screen, her color scheme has her blending in with the backgrounds and the chaos all around her way too often, you can't enjoy the subtlety of her animations because of the insanity taking place around her, the battle system is muddy with an imprecise combo system and the game's 'story' and dialogue are BAD.
There's no denying that the game is trying to pass off its style as substance, from the exuberant combat to the jazzy soundtrack to the over the top characters to Bayonetta's every single animation being the epitome of sexuality. But the game's meat and potatoes is the combat, and this aspect of the game is sloppy and unrefined. You push buttons, there are a bunch of red effects on the screen and every once in a while a giant foot comes out of the sky and crushes a monster. The 'Y+B' kills are fun, but they are off the screen before you can really appreciate them.
Devil May Cry did a much better job showing you what was 'cool' about Dante without having him get lost in the world or within the enemies he was facing.
But of course, I'll keep playing it. Maybe I'm just too caught up in Lost Odyssey right now and I need to actually focus ON Bayonetta rather than simply playing it as a distraction to enjoy it more. But right now, it's definitely not impressing me any more than the demo did.
Upcoming:
Demon's Souls
Bayonetta
Darksiders
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (PS2 version)