Final Fantasy XIII is not coming to the Xbox 360. No matter how well the 360 has been selling this generation, if you love the role-playing genre you are going to have to look elsewhere for your kicks. Lets not have you jumping ship to the Sony camp too soon though; Lost Odyssey is here to fill the void!

The new brainchild of Hironobu Sakaguchi, the original mastermind behind Final Fantasy, Lost Odyssey is his second release on the 360 since leaving Square Enix, following on from 2007's Blue Dragon. Blue Dragon mightn't have set thee world on fire quite as much as Microsoft has hoped, but now the more 'childlike' Dragonball Z-inspired character design of Blue Dragon has been dropped in favour of a more mature direction.

Like with Blue Dragon, Sakaguchi has made it clear that he is not trying to reinvent the genre in terms of gameplay with Lost Odyssey. The game feels familiar right from the get-go. What Lost Odyssey is simply trying to do, is deliver Xbox 360 gamers a solid and enjoyable RPG to quench the long running drought. Battles are turn based. You chose to attack, run or flee, with victory accompanied by a stereotypical midi-style victory tune. We are treading on very familiar territory here.

Now I could sit here and point out the flaws that inherently exist in the traditional RPG format, but that would be going against what the game represents. That's like complaining that Gran Turismo doesn't allow you enough customisation to pimp your ride. This is not to say the game is outdated and bad as a result, far from it. By delivering players a familiar game structure it allows for character development and story to take the limelight.

Lost Odyssey places you in the boots of Kaim, an immortal who has been cursed to walk the Earth for over a thousand years. Following a mysterious meteor shower in the middle of an epic battle between the Magic Republic of Uhra and the Kingdom of Gohtza, the Uhran council fears a leak of magic energy from the secret structure of Grand Staff may be to blame, sending you forth to investigate. You become partnered with fellow immortal Seth, both having survived the battle without a scratch but stricken with a case of amnesia, unable to remember the past and more importantly unable to distinguish enemies from allies. Your quest soon becomes as much about remembering your own existence as it does about preventing the looming danger ahead.

To put it bluntly, you are presented with a lead character that could easily have became another forgettable protagonist. Another feminine looking male, out to save the world, backed by personal conflict in a quest for the truth. Instead, it is here that Mistwalker has lifted itself from the pack, delivering a story that captures your heart, creating a deep emotional connection with Kaim not dissimilar to the same impact gamers felt within Final Fantasy 7, in 'that' fateful moment between Aeris and Sepiroth.

The dream sequences, which Tony covered in his preview, do a lot to strengthen the character of Kaim and the overall story. Traversing through the world, you encounter moments and situations that remind you of your past, unlocking memories deep inside your heart. Apart from a reoccurring dream that plagues each night, the majority of these dream sequences are displayed as text, accompanied by simple backgrounds and music. Theses text based dreams are quite lengthy and to some having to read these, rather than simply view an FMV sequence, can be frustrating and a disruption to the flow of the gameplay. It all feels like an intentional move on Sakaguchi's behalf though. The effect in actually bringing the game to a standstill, really causes you to focus on the text and digest it properly

Exploring all of those who Kaim has loved and lost, you truly begin to understand the curse that his immortality has brought to his life. You really do begin to empathise with the character, further motivating your progress through the game. You feel as if you become stronger as the game progresses, remembering who you are and where you've come from, but at the same time these memories only serve to tear you down. It captivates you, motivating you to find the good in your curse of immortality, almost making you pray for death.

The gameplay and battle mechanics are all pretty stock standard from what you've grown to expect through the Final Fantasy series. There's your usual attack, defend and flee options. Enemies are divided into separate elemental groups, with traditional Pokémon style 'Rock Paper Scissors' gameplay. The main addition to these mechanics is the ring system. Collecting components throughout your quest, you build rings and upgrade them over time. Each ring has its own unique perks and abilities, accessible by aligning rings perfectly in a semi-mini game on your attack. It's a minor distraction, but becomes a bit tedious over time,

Boss battles on the other hand are each memorable in their own unique way, requiring true strategy to be defeated. Spamming your most powerful attack just won't do. You have to observe the boss and exploit the weakness in their attack pattern. There are also unique differences brought about with the skill link system, where mortals may learn new skills and the immortals will need to learn these from their fellow party members. It's an interesting element that ensures mortals and immortals become equally as valued in your party.

Inherently it is still the tried and true standard formula for the RPG genre at its basis, so if you have any experience in the area, you'll settle in fast.

In a nice touch, English, Japanese or Korean audio is selectable when you begin your quest. For those who can't stand English dubs, this is no doubt a blessing, although by and large the English voice acting is done well, and fortunately plentiful throughout the game. As an English interpretation though, there are still moments where the casting and acting just doesn't gel, but still the major players seem to capture the mood to Sakaguchi's true vision.

With the game spread over 4 DVDs you know there is a lot of gameplay to be had, clocking in at over 40 hours to just get the story out of the way, without hunting down every last seed, Pipot and hidden item. If you're done with the game after only a week, go out and get a job! There's also a hell of a lot of cinematic sequences to flesh out the story, each spectacularly directed with a bit of anime flavour. The opening cinematic particular is simply stunning. You almost feel like letting out a groan when control is transferred into your hands.

The game's cinematic sequences are truly visually beautiful, make no mistake. The game itself and overall presentation is largely very pretty, but it still won't blow you away like Bioshock or Gears of War. Character models feel just feel that little bit lacklustre up close. Hair is particularly stiff. Its any wonder how much hairspray Kaim uses behind the scenes to perfect his single perfect strand of hair that graces his face. It mightn't be an intentional move on Mistwalker's behalf, but think of it as simply a welcome upgrade from last-gen rather than a mind-blowing tech demo.

American reviews have criticised the game for sporting painfully long load times that constantly plague the game, but for Australian gamers at least, these problems have been optimised for the local release. They are certainly not the ordeal that reviews have publicised them as and are entirely bearable, I personally never once found them a nuisance.

It is understandable as to why Mistwalker tried to keep the mechanics of the game traditionally old-fashioned, but even as a modern take on an old fashioned style of gameplay, there exists some areas for improvement. Camera angles can at times become a bit disorientating, especially on a CRT with so much detail on screen and often distant viewing angles. It's aided by a manual zoom control, but it can feel a little more complicated than necessary for general navigation. The stealth-based moments in the game, though few and minor, are a bit undercooked and all the more annoying as the result. The ring-based mini game in itself feels fun the first few times, but by the hundredth, nigh thousandth, time you'll be long over it.


What you have here is a game that is unashamedly unoriginal at its core. What it lacks in innovative gameplay it makes up for through its brilliant story telling and refined take on the genre. To be completely honest, I'm not what you would call an avid RPG player, but Lost Odyssey captivated me. Whilst it mightn't go down in history with the same acclaim and innovation as Final Fantasy 7 or more recently Bioware's Mass Effect, it's a solid addition to the 360 catalogue and a worthy purchase for any gamer craving some turn-based action

Lost Odyssey doesn't reinvent the genre, but that doesn't mean it's not still a joy to play.