As a preface I'd like to say that RPGs are my favorite genre, been playing them since the SNES. There haven't really been that many RPGs this gen, especially around the time Lost Odyssey came out so, since the reviews were good, I picked up a copy. I breezed through the first disc probably bc I was so RPG deprived but part way into disc 2 I just stopped playing. To me the game seems ok, but nothing to write home about. Do people like it because it really is that good or because there's not really much to compare it to?

I really like this game due to the fact that it gives me that old-time feeling of turn based combat.
Like it used to be in FF IX -->

I also enjoyed the story and voice acting (japanese, not english).

I loved everything about it. The Story, the characters, the graphics, the old school game play, the voice acting. And as destruktive said, it was nostalgic.

My favorite rpg from the SNES days was FF 6. That game had such a great story, great cast, Memorable music and one sick motherfucker for a villain­.

Now Lost Odyssey is basically done by 2 of the most important FF6 people : Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu.

And it really shows. The story is well written, the characters are great, and even the comic relief is actually funny. The music is varied and adds a nice touch to the game. Gameplay wise its pretty classic but there are some nice touches here and there.

I have to say, so far, Lost Odyssey is the best classic rpg on the 360 for sure.

I liked everything up to the last disc. I hadn't played a Jrpg in such a long time I was actually really enjoying the change of pace and dug the focus on the linear story, the open world stuff at the end was actually what i hated (and i love open worlds and player choice in my games) because i felt like the game lost all urgency, suddenly the end of the world didn't really matter because I could just fly around and do anything. I guess it just shows that having an open world is only fun when you actual polish that aspect of the game.

" I liked everything up to the last disc. I hadn't played a Jrpg in such a long time I was actually really enjoying the change of pace and dug the focus on the linear story, the open world stuff at the end was actually what i hated (and i love open worlds and player choice in my games) because i felt like the game lost all urgency, suddenly the end of the world didn't really matter because I could just fly around and do anything. I guess it just shows that having an open world is only fun when you actual polish that aspect of the game. "

The premise of lost odyssey sounds cool when you hear it.   Not many games have dealt with the issues immortality would present.   But then you play it and it's just your average JRPG storyline with tacked on bits of reading that are more compelling than anything in the actual game. 

I enjoyed the old school turn based gameplay, also enjoyed the story throughout the game because of the character developments. I also really loved the music, especially since it was Nobuo Uematsu doing the composing.

Pros:
- Old school turn based gameplay

" Pros:
- Old school turn based gameplay

- Ring system engages you in the battles

- You can have up to 5 characters in battle

- Skill link system is fun and useful

- Lots of sidequests

- Great voice acting

Cons:

- Game is too long and repetetive

- The game has alot of framerate drops during cool cutscenes and battles

- Plot is pretty boring for the most part, nothing jaw dropping and every plot twist can be seen from a mile away

- Although the first two discs of the game rely on skill to defeat enemies, the last two discs rely more on brute force, you have to level up your characters by spending hours upon hours doing tedious random encounters in order to beat the last few bosses until you're strong enough to take them on.

- Some of the sidequests are harder than the mainquests which defeats the purpose of a sidequest for leveling up purposes. 

Overall it's a good RPG for the 360 but doesn't really go up there in the list of all time greatest RPGs. 

"

" Pros:
- Old school turn based gameplay

- Ring system engages you in the battles

- You can have up to 5 characters in battle

- Skill link system is fun and useful

- Lots of sidequests

- Great voice acting

Cons:

- Game is too long and repetetive

- The game has alot of framerate drops during cool cutscenes and battles

- Plot is pretty boring for the most part, nothing jaw dropping and every plot twist can be seen from a mile away

- Although the first two discs of the game rely on skill to defeat enemies, the last two discs rely more on brute force, you have to level up your characters by spending hours upon hours doing tedious random encounters in order to beat the last few bosses until you're strong enough to take them on.

- Some of the sidequests are harder than the mainquests which defeats the purpose of a sidequest for leveling up purposes. 

Overall it's a good RPG for the 360 but doesn't really go up there in the list of all time greatest RPGs. 

"

It was great for the first two discs, mediocre for the third, and outright bad for the fourth.

Like every J-RPG there are fun parts and slow parts. Keep playing and you'll get back into something good. Lost Odyssey reminds me a little of FF4 and FF6, its not as good as those, simply because those are the best RPGs ever along with Chrono Trigger.
The game does have a lot of recycled ideas that you might have fond in other games from Sakaguchi but not in a bad way. (2 kids remind me of Palom & Porom)

A couple of time I did leave the game alone for a month because I was in one of the slower parts but every time I came back I found that I was just about 30 minutes away from returning to a really great part of it.

Nothing like Blue Dragon where, according to some, you have to wait about 5 hours before it "starts" to become moderately interestinIn my Opinion, Lost Odyssey is the best traditional J-RPG of 2008. If you dont like it , it may mean you switched to western RPGs or that you sufer from RPG fatigue...

" I liked everything up to the last disc. I hadn't played a Jrpg in such a long time I was actually really enjoying the change of pace and dug the focus on the linear story, the open world stuff at the end was actually what i hated (and i love open worlds and player choice in my games) because i felt like the game lost all urgency, suddenly the end of the world didn't really matter because I could just fly around and do anything. I guess it just shows that having an open world is only fun when you actual polish that aspect of the game. "

I got to the end of disc three and could take no more. I liked the world, I liked the characters, and for a while I liked the gameplay. But it just so boring and monotonous, even by JRPG standards, and I just physically couldn't bring myself to play anymore.

The last two JRPG's I played couldn't be any more different. Eternal Sonata was joyous to play; gorgeous visuals, fun characters, and really good gameplay. Lost Odyssey had the potential to be as good as Eternal Sonata, but it had too many glaring faults.

So, OP, I'm in complete agreement about the things you don't like.

" As a preface I'd like to say that RPGs are my favorite genre, been playing them since the SNES. There haven't really been that many RPGs this gen, especially around the time Lost Odyssey came out so, since the reviews were good, I picked up a copy. I breezed through the first disc probably bc I was so RPG deprived but part way into disc 2 I just stopped playing. To me the game seems ok, but nothing to write home about. Do people like it because it really is that good or because there's not really much to compare it to?

So my question is, and I'm not trying to be a troll here, for those of you who really like this game could you share your reasons why? I just want to hear your thoughts on it.  

"

" @Atlas: I've been meaning to play Eternal Sonata for some time now. Here's hoping I like it better than Lost Odyssey ;) btw, did you read my blog update? It sounds like you are responding to some things I said there here. "

" @Maxszy: I find it interesting that enjoyed the game but aren't a fan of JRPGs. Do this mean you prefer WRPGs or are you just not a fan of the genre? If I were going to recommend an RPG to someone who doesn't generally play them, it wouldn't be this game, yet you were able to enjoy it. Have you tried to play some of the "great" RPGs of the past? If so, what is it that you didn't like about those games and how was LO different? "

This is not only one of the best RPGs I've ever played but one of the best games I've ever played. The only weak point is the plot which gets progressively weaker despite starting out with an excellent premise. It has some of the most expressive characters I think I've ever seen in an RPG, there is a lot of attention to detail in terms of subtle facial animations. In my opinion there is no better English language voice over of a Japanese game. The soundtrack is ridiculously amazing, perhaps the most memorable I've ever heard. The 1000 Years of Dreams stories are excellent, well written and well translated - they are extremely emotional and add an extra layer of depth to the idea of immortality. The art is fantastic - choosing Takehiko Inoue as the character designer was a great decision because of how well his more serious manga style translated into 3d, resulting in a subtly distinctive style. The gameplay is solid, it isn't revolutionary, but it does manage to keep you engaged with the ring system.

I think the game is more than the sum of its parts. It really came together for me as an extremely memorable experience in a way that so few games do.

" This is not only one of the best RPGs I've ever played but one of the best games I've ever played. The only weak point is the plot which gets progressively weaker despite starting out with an excellent premise. It has some of the most expressive characters I think I've ever seen in an RPG, there is a lot of attention to detail in terms of subtle facial animations. In my opinion there is no better English language voice over of a Japanese game. The soundtrack is ridiculously amazing, perhaps the most memorable I've ever heard. The 1000 Years of Dreams stories are excellent, well written and well translated - they are extremely emotional and add an extra layer of depth to the idea of immortality. The art is fantastic - choosing Takehiko Inoue as the character designer was a great decision because of how well his more serious manga style translated into 3d, resulting in a subtly distinctive style. The gameplay is solid, it isn't revolutionary, but it does manage to keep you engaged with the ring system.I think the game is more than the sum of its parts. It really came together for me as an extremely memorable experience in a way that so few games do. "

Seems like a bunch of us bailed out around the same time.  End of 3 / start of 4.

I didn't really like the 'reveal' or where the story was heading and I couldn't face fighting the same battles over and over again just to see the ending.

I would buy a ton more JRPGs if they scaled right back on the non-boss combat (or at least gave you an option to play like that).  If a battle isn't directly linked to the storyline then I don't want to fight it.  I always love the stories and settings, but I just don't have the time or patience to play 20 hours of real content padded out over 50 hours anymore.

Edit:  I loved the 'dreams' in LO.  It says a lot that I can remember more about the stories from the 'dreams' than I can remember from the main storyline.  They nailed the presentation and I don't think they suffered from being uninteractive. 

Yes it does go into quite a lot of detail about the characters pasts in discs 3 & 4.

@lucas_kelly: I wish there will be a PC port or a playable version on Xcloud.