dogbert Posted May 4, 2007 Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 This just popped up on my radar out of nowhere. Out in the US in a few weeks, it's coming to the PS2 thanks to Atlus. 2D sidescrolling action-RPG, that looks to be a mix of Tales of Symphonia, Valkyrie Profile and even a dash of Guardian Heroes in that it sports multiple layers. 5 stories woven together, gorgeous 2D sprite artwork with characters towering over the screen, and some really nice character design. IGN compared it to the lovely Princess Crown from the Saturn. Penny Arcade loved it. Some videos: [ATTACH]3011[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]3012[/ATTACH] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whooter Posted May 4, 2007 Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 Orgy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted May 4, 2007 Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 I'm so into this game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelley Posted May 4, 2007 Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 The music in those trailers is fantastic and the game looks beautiful. Count me as interested. Whats the US release date? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covak Posted May 4, 2007 Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 May 22nd. I'm really looking forward to it. For some reason I've been itching for some simple 2-D fun lately (Puzzle Quest is currently scratching that itch pretty nicely). Have there been other games like Odin Sphere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbert Posted May 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 Hands-on preview from 1-Up... Atlus is definitely catering to their hardcore fanbase with Odin Sphere -- the game features both English and Japanese language tracks. But its unique style, sheer visual virtuosity and lush score by Hitoshi Sakimoto (Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy XII) lend it an appeal that transcends genre boundaries. It seems almost destined to become one of those highly-prized collectibles along the lines of Panzer Dragoon Saga or Suikoden II -- a niche game released in its system's latter days that slowly gains attention through word-of-mouth and sheer fan adulation. With gameplay as daring as its audacious visuals, Odin Sphere arrives in just a few weeks. We'll have a full review then, but even now we can confidently say that this is one game that RPG fanatics won't want to let slip past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Union Carbine Posted May 4, 2007 Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 It looks very cool. It's nice to see that sprites have some life left in them yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magness Posted May 4, 2007 Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 Definitely interested in this one based on the early word and those screens... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orpheus Posted May 5, 2007 Report Share Posted May 5, 2007 It's the cover story on the current Play magazine. Looks freaking sweet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenMonkey Posted May 7, 2007 Report Share Posted May 7, 2007 This looks kinda cool. I liked Guardian Heroes. I'll have to see more about it. I'm not a big fan of action RPGs but I loved games like D&D Tower of Doom. Is this really a side-scroller style RPG, or more like Tales of Destiny (side scrolling battles only, regular RPG otherwise)? Any multiplayer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covak Posted May 7, 2007 Report Share Posted May 7, 2007 It looks like it's really a side-scroller. After the Penny Arcade guys first mentioned it I thought it was just a brawler in which you could grow potions and stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covak Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 Anyone pick this up? I'm hoping to find a copy today, but it sounds like initial shipments were pretty limited. I might find myself wishing I had pre-ordered... The guy at GameZone *really* loves it... This game is the embodiment of greatness. While all other 2D adventures copy a long lost soul' date=' Odin Sphere takes its own, unforgettable route... ...[/font']these developers, through undetectable mind tricks or merely a higher level of game development than most studios will ever achieve, have created a masterpiece that makes every action ? every repeated action ? an unparalleled joy to execute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 Anyone pick this up? I'm hoping to find a copy today, but it sounds like initial shipments were pretty limited. I might find myself wishing I had pre-ordered... The guy at GameZone *really* loves it... I'm gonna check at GS this morning for the upcoming weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covak Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 Picked it up and tried it briefly during lunch. Beautiful The detailed animation is a treat. Just jumping around and button mashing to attack is surprisingly fun. The game looks so damn nice in motion and I like the way you (and the camera) move and jump around. I was running it with upscaling and smoothing on, but the TV I was trying it on is pretty crap so I can't really comment on whether that helps (especially since I haven't tried with those disabled yet). But it sure as hell looked wonderfully smooth and crisp! At one point someone even got up nice and close and said "Woah, for a PS2 game this looks really crisp. Almost like HD." He didn't know about those new options But again, could look just as great without them. I'm not sold on the English voice acting. It's not terrible, but it's not especially convincing. I'll probably try the Japanese voices when I get home and never look back. Really can't wait to dive in! Just FYI, there's no 16:9 support, and it appears to underscan a little, so the picture can sure feel small on a widescreen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covak Posted May 25, 2007 Report Share Posted May 25, 2007 I didn't play much last night (lack of sleep caught up with me), but wow. I'm loving what I've played so far. It doesn't really come through in the trailers, but the brawling is actually pretty involved. At least on hard, you can't just button mash or you'll be dead in no time. You've got to move around smartly to evade and get into good positions for spells, and you've even got to pace yourself (too many attacks in a row and you'll run out of energy and stun yourself). And when you're trying to grow fruit on the battlefield it can get frantic, in a good way The game is so rich with great art and animation and sound that something as simple as shopping can be entertaining. Heck, I even just love the way your first character jabs her weapon into the ground and goes into a stance when you bring up your inventory. Or how when you press up your character looks up. Pressing up on its own doesn't actually do anything, but the game is stuffed full of little details like that. Great music and sound effects compliment the visuals perfectly. I couldn't buy the English voice acting, but the Japanese sounds great. The cutscenes so far have been beautiful, and I'm excited to see where the story goes and how it plays out from the 5 different perspectives (of the 5 characters you play). You don't swap between characters or anything like that: you play through each character's story seperately, which takes you through roughly the same period of time (a time of war) from different perspectives (different heroes for different factions). Should be interesting. When you go to rewatch cutscenes you can see how many scenes there are for each character (and they're all nicely lined up along a timeline), and damn, there sure are lots! Dangit, I can't wait to get home and play more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenMonkey Posted May 25, 2007 Report Share Posted May 25, 2007 I just ordered this using the google checkout thing for the 3rd or 4th time (bad monkey!) at buy.com for $28.99. I wish it was 2-player but you can't have everything. From the looks of it it'll be another one of those hard-to-find Atlus titles. Worst case scenario I simply flip it on ebay some months from now and come out even or make a profit on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimness Posted May 29, 2007 Report Share Posted May 29, 2007 Looks interesting to say the least. Looks at second screenshot Ooh, sexy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbert Posted June 15, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2007 Finally got to see this in person, thanks to GameFly. Fantastically gorgeous. The animations on the little girl in the 'level select' is absolutely top notch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimness Posted June 15, 2007 Report Share Posted June 15, 2007 This game is gathering dust as I'm learning the ins and outs of Rainbow Six Vegas. But I'll give a spin tonight. I'm at my folks place right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covak Posted June 16, 2007 Report Share Posted June 16, 2007 I'm a little over 12 hours in and still going strong. I'm always anxious to get to the next cutscene (of which there are many ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimness Posted June 16, 2007 Report Share Posted June 16, 2007 Wow, this game is fun. Not really sure about planting fruit though..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbert Posted June 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 Not really sure about planting fruit though..... Grown sheep for lamb chops yet? I'm loving it. Played a good chunk of the first story arc over the weekend, died lots of times, and had a lot of fun doing so. The mechanics of combat are interesting - the game encourages you to dive in headfirst, but doing so spells certain death against the tougher opponents. Makes much more sense to attack slowly, carefully & aim for one on one encounters. Cash seems hard to come by, inventory space is precious even after buying bags, and the game encourages me to mess about with planting & mixing. The game is simply gorgeous in motion, even my wife is impressed with the animation on the main character - she detests most of the JRPGs I play, but so far she's happily watching me play this one because of the quality of the characters/backgrounds and the detail of the animation. I love the circular battlefields & connection system - nice, interesting twist. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but it's hitting the right spots for me so far - bought it from GameFly thanks to their "keep it!" option. Eurogamer's got their review up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covak Posted December 25, 2007 Report Share Posted December 25, 2007 Just got this game's soundtrack in the mail today and I felt compelled to mention how gorgeous it looks. It comes in a beautiful cardboard sleeve (with a really nice feel to it) and the art on each disc (and everywhere else) is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.