Odin Sphere

[Guest Basquiat]

I picked this game up this past week, and I'm having a great time with it. It's sort of an RPG/side-scroller hybrid that places a premium on items. It's got a lot of odd quirks to it. Fighting enemies doesn't level you up, for example; you can level up your weapon by absorbing the orbs enemies drop, or you can use those orbs to grow seeds that sprout fruit (or, for some reason... sheep) that level up your hit points. The action's generally pretty fast-paced and relies on a lot of strategy depending on the number and type of enemies you face and in deciding when and how to use items (You don't start with a lot of space for items, and though you can buy more, your space is always at a premium). There are lots of strange quirks about the game, like the way the battlefields are circular--think a running scene in The Flintstones and you've got the idea. And on top of it all, it's got a pretty sweet storyline that has you see key scenes from multiple perspectives, since you play as multiple characters with overlapping storylines at various points.

It's only forty big boys American and worth picking up. The only problem I can find is that there's a ridiculous amount of slowdown during some of the more hectic battles. Boss battles in particular can be insane this way, but my desire to see more of the story and just play more of the damn game got me through it.

Anyone else pick this one up? It's getting generally good reviews.

[Riceman 4K]

I've had the game since the release date and love every minute of it. Extremely challenging but also real fun. The slowdown does become and issue but I've learned to live with it. It's a classic old school type 2-D game.

(Y)