Baten Kaitos (Gamecube)

[Doonzmore]

Been meaning to post this topic for some time. I purchased this game with a 30 percent off coupon back in the summer and put off playing due to knowing it would take a dedication of time. I started playing it back in Febuary and it is beyond a shadow of a doubt on of the best storylines i have ever embraced in a video game. So many twists and turns that actually work. Such a beautiful looking game as well and the combat system keeps you on feet and thinking stategically.

I've only ever completed 2 RPG's, Lunar and Thousand Arms for Playstation. I haven't finished this one yet. I've been leveling my characters up the wazoo to withstand the final boss. So, is there a fanbase for this game here? How's Baten Kaitos Origins in comparison?

[roushimsx]

I thought the storyline was pretty generic until about halfway through when it went from zero to awesome in the blink of an eye. The second half dragged a bit, but by the time I finished that game, I had long since fallen in love with it.

The graphics are gorgeous, the music is pretty solid and the combat system is ridiculously addictive. It's one of the few RPGs where I not only did I fight to grind, but I actively tried to find fights for the fun of it. It's a shame that the voice acting was so fucking atrocious, but at least you could disable it.

Baten Kaitos Origins is better in almost every possible way. The writing is leaps and bounds better, the voice acting is fantastic, the combat system has been streamlined, etc. The one area where it falters (and this is a big one) is that it's too damn difficult for its own good. Remember the fight in Baten Kaitos not quite midway through that took like a half hour? Encounters like that are far more frequent in BKO, which is a damn shame. You're still given the ability to level up / grind beforehand, but I'm absolutely not a fan of that sort of RPG battle design (as anyone that's either got a limited amount of game time or anyone that's had the power go out on them while playing an RPG will probably agree to).

I did like how you just had a static party, so you never really had to worry about how to balance your party out. Seeing various characters from BK in their younger form was neat, as was seeing how the relationships between some of the characters formed into their state in the first game was pretty rad. If you like the first then you owe it to yourself to at least check out the prequel when you finish it.

[aclbandit]

My girlfriend absolutely LOVES this game. She'll readily claim it's her favorite RPG. I have yet to check it out, but for those on the fence, you at least have a SOLID recommendation from a seasoned female gamer.

[RASK1904]

I found this game about 2-3 weeks ago. So I picked it up with a few others. Pikmin 2, Zelda 4 swords, Skies of Arcadia (weak) ect. So I played the others for a week or so. Then Tried Baten Kaitos out. WOW! I can't stop palying it. The battle system is amazingly fun! The graphics are amazing. Character design amazing. Music awesome. The voice acting is kinda weak. The boat guys voice is the voice of the monk guy from Princess Mononoke. No? (I love that movie). But yes this is a very good game. The gin rummy battle system is fun. Collecting the cards is fun. It's fun. I only found out about Origins this week but will definitely be picking this up. My issue is that most RPG's are not original. Sure the stories, graphic and music are different but sometimes I just feel I'm pressing the one button for 50 hours. Not this game. I even started combining the weird cards and trying to figure these out. Also doing the family tree. Fun. All and all a very fun original good looking game. Very highly recommended. I also heard this game was designed by the people who did Chrono Cross and Trigger. The color palete is definitly there. I'm gonna go play it now.........