Developer – Monolith Studios Publisher - Nintendo / Namco Features 1 player Memory card - 6 blocks Progressive scan My poor Nintendo Gamecube sits so lonely looking as I find myself somewhat busy with next generation consoles. It is not like there are no games for it, it just seems that the Cube never gets some of killer titles like the other big market consoles out there. Yes there were the wicked Resident Evil games, and one of my personal faves Super Strikers, but it just didn’t seem to garner any or enough interest from developers. The machine is powerful; in fact it can out perform the PS2 by a wide margin, but being third in a three way race can be tough. This why the first party Nintendo games are usually the finest and dominate not only sales for Nintendo's own console, but overall sales for all consoles as well. Nintendo's entry into the next-gen war may be just around the corner but the Gamecube still has a bit of life left in it yet. Baten Katios Origins is a new role-playing title on the Cube and I had a chance to play the game. After some extended playtime with it I found that I didn't mind it at all. Graphics The graphics in Baten Katios Origins are quite well done for what they are. Sure, I found some of the environments a bit drab at times but they really tended to match the games atmosphere. Mix these environments with pre-rendered sprite characters on top and everything together really suited the games premise. Most of the CG looks great and is a nice improvement over the original. That being said they are other times that it may looks washed out giving a few of the scenes a somewhat less fine look then the original. In addition, because the game is a prequel, there's a fair amount of locations that are identical looking to the previous game. Story wise I suppose this makes sense but it would have been nice to see an entirely new graphic scheme and all together. Battle graphics do look better this time around as there as some cool new backgrounds that are spread throughout the whole game. There are also some new animations, especially noticeable during the battle sequences, which make this prequel a somewhat more enjoyable experience. But along with this good is some bad. Unfortunately some of the character models are fairly low on the polygon count, giving the characters a slightly pale look in comparison of the background visuals. Overall the game runs quite cleanly and looks great but I was disappointed to find some signs of clipping and a little bit of slowdown, mostly evident during battle mode sequences; but I don’t think fans of the series will mind this little detraction at all. The game does run in progressive scan so gamers with 480p capable displays can enjoy some of great effects in the game. Sound As for sound there is a motley mix of musical flavourings here. They range from some really beautiful orchestrated music to some really bizarre rock during boss battles. It gets really cheesy at times, but overall it’s not a bad selection and worth a listen. The voice acting in the game is not as good though. While the recording and settings are fine, the script makes the acting contrived and stiff. It reminded me of some of the off the wall television cartoons that want to sound serious, but really fall flat on their face. The attempt was made and I give the developers kudos, but I think a little more work could have gone into this area. You have the option to have the voice acting on or off, although when I did turn it off there were still parts in the game that they were still audible. The rest of the game's various sound effects are by far the best quality. The different sounds of battle are loud and clear, as are the special attacks. Gamers will most certainly enjoy these. Gameplay Baten Kaitos Origins is a huge RPG. Most gamers will be at this one for about 60 hours plus. This is great plus for an unappreciated system nearing the end of its life. For the most part the developers have done a good job fixing up the problems that plagued the original. The story, along with its characters, is quite interesting and should hook most rpg’ers for its entire story. Combine this with a somewhat different and streamlined battle system, and side quests that are more robust and longer, and you get a feeling that this game has more in quantity to sink one's teeth into then the previous game. Battles in the game have been changed. By eliminating the offensive/defensive turn based system Baten Katios Origins has instead opted for a new battle system focused mainly on attacking with defence mixed in with battle or equip cards. Equip cards are weapons and or armour that can be equipped during battles. Unfortunately they are restricted to a card that can only hold one equip item at a time. Gamers will have to quickly jump between having a strong defence and a powerful offence. This is combined with a new magic system where strong attacks cost MP points that build up during any battle round. One stumbling block I had is that the battles take quite a bit of time because enemies tend to have high health points, and thus the battles do get boring. More often than not a typical battle can end up lasting 4-6 minutes, getting more and more tedious as you go further into the game. In a dungeon with plenty of enemies this can add up to lots of time just battling in one single section of an area. I would tend to think that the hardcore gamer that loved the original game will still love this one. They should be able to adjust to the new system and may prefer it over the original. I found button placements almost perfect and I was able to learn them quickly and efficiently over sometime. Conclusion Unfortunately Baten Katitos Origins comes very late in the Nintendo Gamecubes life. I worry that some gamers may have already given up on the Cube and that they may not have a chance to play this game. With a somewhat compelling story and a huge playtime this title is a card role-playing gamers dream. I think that hardcore gamers will love the challenge and will most undoubtedly revel in the thought of out powering enemies with great strength. Fans of the series will most certainly love the game too as it does not stray too far from the first title. One can only hope that Nintendo continues to fund the series, as a Baten Kaitos III would certainly be welcome on the new Wii as the Wiimote offers such huge possibilities for a game like this. Graphics: 7.5 out of 10 Sound: 8.0 out of 10 Gameplay 7.5 out of 10 Reviewer’s Tilt: 7.0 out of 10