NUTS4U: LOST ODYSSEY

NUTS4U: LOST ODYSSEY

This is the most human game, period. But that is not enough to make it an excellent, must-buy game, right? Well, luckily for you, there's more to Lost Odyssey than I imagined before playing it. This is absolutely the best next-/current-gen classic JRPG in the market so far, and it got more than "classic" in it. It has innovation and twists in both the battle and upgrade systems.

The dungeon design is a love it or hate it affair. Each dungeon has its own unique twist that will affect the way you explore it. From the high mountains with snow slides and air-blowing cracks to the metallic bases with different elevators and shafts to the dark caves with scattered holes and poisonous gas. These levels will present a challenge with their design that will slow your progress, especially if you want to explore and find the hidden treasure chests.

Balance is key in the game and is the heart of the matter. Even at level 50, your characters may not be walking gods. Later in the game, your team will consist of four customizable immortals and five unique mortals (though you can only battle with five members at a time). You will need to level-up both types to advance in the game since the immortals, being the stronger part of the equation, need the mortals to learn new skills. Whenever a mortal learns a skill, he/she possesses it all the time, unlike the immortals who have limited but expandable number of slots to hold the skills they learn from the mortals or equipped accessories. Going back to balance, being immortal doesn't mean that you cannot die (at least not in Lost Odyssey), it means that you will auto-revive once fallen after a few turns. In other words, you will hit the infamous "Game Over" screen even with a party of immortals only.

There are some design decisions that I found to be strange but not bad by any means. Things like having to wait for two turns to execute an advanced skill or magic skill may seems unusual at first, but they all tie very well into balance issues taken at heart throughout all design aspects of the game. There's also something else that is very unusual and kick ass at the same time and I'll mention it despite the fact that I consider it a major spoiler. Jump to the next paragraph if you don't want to know it. You have been warned.[SPOILER] In this game, you will take control of the bad guy - Gongora that is.[END OF SPOLIER]

I must say that I love the wall system and I think that every classic JRPG should rip it off. In battle, the front row, whose HP represents the wall's strength, protects the back row. The condition of this wall affects the outcome of most if not all battles. You will want to keep an eye on the health of both your wall and the enemy's wall.

The music in this game is gentle and resonates well with the mood of the scenery and the situation. When the lyrics reach your ears near the end of the third disk, you will be watching and listening to one of games greatest romantic achievements. Throughout the game, I always thought that I was playing a Final Fantasy game while holding the wrong controller. Yes, Lost Odyssey is that good. In my book, Lost Odyssey is the queen of all XBOX 360 exclusives (that is including Gears of War and Halo 3). I honestly believe that the marketing for this game should have been more than that of Gears or Halo. This should be marketed on each and every XBOX 360 ad. Sakaguchi has proven himself to be the true father of the Final Fantasy series and have redeemed himself after Blue Dragon. Simply put, this game rocked my world and deserves taking off my hat for it. Mistwalker, I expect great things from you.

p.s. I didn't post any pictures here so please check this website for some.