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Reviews

This game has really good graphics and was a good purchase. My son is playing it and he loves it.

After over One (1) year of not having this game, I loved playing it so much, I bought it again; so much I made sure I got it new; mostly on account I never had the opportunity to finish it. If you are looking for a great way to spend some free time, love tantalizing your mind with a good story line, several different characters that you just wish for one second could all be invited into one fight to keep your mortals learning new skills to link them to your immortals and kick some serious tale, and hundreds of different ways to queue up a winning strategy, plus being in total control freak, then this game is for you. The game is absolutely in-dept, and the cut scenes come at just the right time for a short rest. It's definitely worth the money, especially for the price I paid. Pick one up today, watch the official movie at [...]

"In days of old, when knights were bold, and journeyed from their castle.." Okay, so it's an almost but not quite by the books Japanese RPG. I say that because you'll find all the staples of your typical Japanese RPG. Hero out to save the world? Check. Turn based battles? Check. Random battle sequences? Check. The good news? It adds a lot of refinements to the system, allowing for a great balance of nostalgic JRPG with a breath of fresh air. The fresh air mostly comes from the heavy refinement of the battle and skill system. While it's not revolutionary (you'll still select battle commands, with usual attack, defend, item, magic, etc.), it definitely adds enough improvement in enough areas to keep you always improving and intrigued, and improvising strategies against the pretty clever enemy. To start, you have two different types of characters: Immortals and Humans. In any given battle, you can have a combination of up to five. You can put the five characters in to a formation. The formation allows you to have a Guard wall, which can drastically reduce the damage received by the party members in the back. The more characters you have up front, the stronger the wall, but the more damage the front takes, the weaker your wall becomes and more easily damaged your back row will be. Balancing the formation becomes key in protecting the weaker members of your party (health wise) so they can provide support and magics. One of the main differences between the two is that Immortals will actually revive themselves after so many turns, no matter how many times they die, while a mortal must be revived by an item or magic. Another is how the learn their skills- A mortal learns skills by leveling up, while an Immortal learns skills by earning SP points from battles, that allow them to learn skills and magics from either equipment or from "linking" to skills known by mortals, which encourages using all of your characters on a regular basis. Last but not least with the battle system, there are "rings". These provide different boosts (including extra damage, elemental damage, damage against certain enemy types, stealing items, absorbing health, etc) when the activated during the battle. When a character performs a regular attack, a circle appears on the screen, with another circle rapidly decreasing in size until they overlap. The idea is to try and pull the trigger when they exactly overlap to pull off either a "good" or "perfect" attack, increasing the effectiveness of the ring. In regards to the story, the story itself is pretty good, with the typical plot twists and personal challenges and saving the world you'll find in most well regarded JRPG's. This game goes an extra mile in two ways, one with character development, and the other with presentation. The characters are developed by using in game actions, cutscenes and dreams. And I must stress this, there are a LOT of all of them (especially dreams, although these can be skipped- however I recommend reading the dreams that appear in key events of the plot). This is very much a story centric game, with incredible detail and effort put in to the characters design, stories, backgrounds, and motivations. And the payload is incredible. By the end of the story, you will know come to really understand each and every character, and what lead them to where they are now, and why they are even involved at all. Every single one has a reason, and the player is pulled in to caring about every character. There are very few games that pay such attention to detail to breathing life and sustainability to their characters. So after having spent so much time praising the game, there is one drawback, that while is annoyance, just barely stops the game from getting a perfect score. While the game is absolutely gorgeous (and I mean gorgeous, from the environments, to the enemies, to the cutscenes), the game suffers from constant struggles with the framerate. Once in a while is okay, but unfortunately it occurs just a little too frequently. Much of this can be alleviated by installing each disc to the 360's hard drive, but that shouldn't be needed on a console that sells arcade (units without hard drives) versions of the console. While none of them are showstoppers, they can have the ability to jar yourself back to reality after having been being pulled so deep in to the game. All in all, the game is beautiful, fun, refined, and easily one of the best RPG's (and probably THE best JRPG) on the system, and is a must pickup for any fan of the genre. Despite the graphical slowdowns occuring just a tad bit too often, the occasional annoyance can be overlooked in favor the epic. This is a must play!

I have had this game for a while, but only recently got around to playing it. Wish I had done so sooner. The story is amazing, though if you are prone to tearing up, I would recommend keeping tissues near you as you play. The characters are entertaining, and they have varying personalities. However, I highly recommend using some kind of walkthrough, either a player-written one or the official Prima book. While you CAN get through without it, using something helps you find all the little things that you might otherwise miss. One warning though... This is a JRPG, which means lots of random encounters and no save-anywhere. (Save points are frequent, but it can be tiresome getting to them.)

DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS For a video game that seems to hark on time and how important it is, I found myself utterly astounded that I dedicated so much time to the game itself. Now, don't get me wrong, I found the game to be, at the very least, entertaining. However, there are several things that I found about this creation that is in serious need of a face lift. Kaim Argonar, our angst-ridden protagonist is about as likable as an emo kid bewailing his musical escapades with a dull razor. Thankfully, however, there is reason to believe that Kaim has a meaningful explanation to be the way he is. He's 'immortal' and has seen the full scope of far too many lives, the pains of war, and how capitalism drives societies to their ends. Not too far off from our world, which is a plus. Kaim, however, becomes rather likable after a while, simply by his dedication to continue to fight for something that will inevitably pass on in his lifetime. The other immortals, however, seem strangely above this condition and continue to be rather chipper throughout the story. Seth, being a prime example. Even though she has her quirks towards Kaim-emoness, she is rather likable and just does what she needs to and calls it a day. The most expression we get from her is in regards to her son, Sed, who resembles a 70 year old man in comparison to the 20 year old looking Seth. The end, however, is hardly capable of swallowing. Seth becomes a sacrificial hero which doesn't seem to sit well in my hands. I just never built up enough for her to care since Kaim, despite his bewailing, is the main pusher and puller of the story. The White Boa...needs to be at the bottom of the ocean. It's as useless as the Nautilus' ability to fly. True, it can smash through ice and, therefore, progress some of the story and complete some of the missions, but it is the slowest thing around. I used it as little as possible. Whoever said this would be a great idea ought to have a talk with me. Just equip the jack-of-all-trades Nautilus with a blow dryer on the front and all will be well. The story itself isn't bad. We'll talk more about that later. However, it seemed rather slapdash. It certainly had the potential for greatness but fell short and hit a few steps on the way down. I think the best part of the story that I enjoyed was Cooke and Mack's mother, Kaim and Sarah's daughter, who seems to piece the entire story together with her infinite love and compassion. It is, unfortunately, not the focus of the story. A sound mind will realize that Gongora is the antithesis to Lirum's passionate zest for life, as short as it might have been, but the story also tries to slide towards the world domination category with Gongora. Compassion seems to be the side thought to a much greater evil, when it should have been emphasized more in both regards. Of course, who wants a sappy story about a dead woman? As hinted out before, the character development is strangely lacking. Sure, I laughed at some of Jansen's jokes and got a twinge in my eye from Cooke and Mack or some of the 'memory' stories that are unlocked throughout the game, but I certainly was not particularly moved by life-or-death scenarios. Sarah and Sed were probably the least interesting even though I felt like they could have been if they had a little bit more stage time. While on the subject of characters. The way they level up is bothersome. It is strangely effective in new areas where your leveling up becomes a kind of steroid power without ever having much difficulty behind battling anything you encounter. Because of this, each area will level you up to a certain number where it feels comfortable that you can continue and then it becomes a terribly slow ordeal that refuses to give you even so much as a point, if that. No wonder Kaim is whining. Regardless, it is somewhat effective, but then you never have that exciting pleasure of whether you think you are strong enough to battle the next boss. Bosses, therefore, become rather easy, even if some were positively infuriating. The most difficult battle in the entire game is the last battle of the Backyard, a kind of battle arena. All others should be a cake walk if you find yourselves slow on the leveling up category. Okay, okay, so not everything is bad. A lot is good! The music, for one, is fantastic. Why? Because it's composed by the notorious Nobuo Uematsu. I would spend a good deal of time 'leveling up' just so I could listen to some of his music. Unfortunately, the leveling up part was hardly enjoyable from other RPGs. Being clearly sarcastic myself, Jansen really kept the story rolling for me. He started the story going, flitted along sarcastically along the way, and wound up helping a great deal in the end. The writers should be complimented with some of his comments, even if the other characters lacked much vocabulary. Speaking of writers, the little memory stories were sometimes corny and other times strangely linked up with the reality us humans live in. It certainly helps for us to care about what is being said. I recommend reading them, even if they aren't required. Despite the leveling up fiasco that occurs in each area, the fight sequence is stable and often times fun. There is also a variety of interesting critters to fight, even if some are painfully repeated in other areas. I did not find myself frustrated with any of the game play, and the ability to hit perfects being in your control is a wonderful concept. Not to be long winded, but I chewed up the game enough to begin with. The story, as mentioned, was almost there. The potential was great but somehow slacked off and became negligible. Regardless, there is a deal to like, such as Lirum, mentioned earlier. She is truly, regardless of never actually feeling like she was important, presents the antithesis to Gongora who cannot love even though he feels he is giving into the virus of emotions. Nobody ever explained that one. There are also Lirum's kids, who, despite being irritating at first, are just as beneficial to the party as Kaim is. I expected them to be more like Tolten, in other words, useless, but they came through in the end. There are also a decent amount of side missions that can be completed for loads of goodies, and they aren't particularly maddening. I don't think I could have dealt with another maddening boss, such as the last fight in the Backyard. The dedication to the game just isn't there, so I was happy with mediocre difficulty being faced in the dark places of the planet. So, all in all, it's not bad. Sure, there are problems, but it wasn't as miserable as I expected it to be. I feel like if the producers just spent a bit more time fiddling they would have had a fantastic game. Unfortunately, they didn't. So I won't be returning to Kaim's world anytime soon. I wouldn't swear it completely off, but I certainly don't recommend spending as much time on it as I did. 80 hours.

Reviews

The item was received on time, and it was in great condition as stated in the description.

My only real complaint on this disc are the tracks that have mainstream band tie-ins. With exception of track 2 "Blow me Away" I could do without all the other 'non-score' tracks. Other than that I like the disc and listen to it often. Good stuff!

I recently bought this CD and listen to it with my Halo obsessed boys. Upon the beginning of each song, I'm given a lesson -from my boys- about where the song is in the video game and what is happening at the time- Master Chief's continuing struggle to save the world. Listening to the songs apart from the video game has given me a whole new listening experience...one that I very much enjoy. I feel the struggle and determination. Wonderful!

Halo 2 sounds a lot different from the first one, but still keeps some of its signature tunes. The "Halo" song from the first game gets a makeover with rock. Also included are recorded songs from Breaking Benjamin "Blow me Away" which is good but I wish it was the instrumental from the game. Incubus brings all 4 "Movement of the Odyssey" with the best one (in my opinion) being the first one "Follow." Hoobastank's "Connected" was good in the game but it's not my favorite from the album. Great music overall! "Ghosts Of Reach" begins beautifully and gets into the drums towards the end, "Heretic, Hero" "Flawed Legacy" and "Remembrance" have some of the original sounds from the previous album all which have been remade and they're quite good ("Remembrance" is "The Maw" with more female dominant vocals). "Never Surrender" is your fix of dance, a remix of the Halo them with "never surrender" and Cortana's voice used throughout. There is also the beautiful "Heavy Price Paid" which is used during the game's loading sequence, the battle-ready "Earth City" Flood-ridden-creepy "Ancient Machine" dreamy-like "Orbit of Glass" simply amazing "The Last Spartan" a fix of classical of rock and the most beautiful song "High Charity" is completely atmosphereic. Truly, it sounds like a dream! Best: Halo, Blow me Away, Ghost of Reach, all 4 Odysseys, Heretic, Hero, The Last Spartan, Heavy Price Paid, Orbit Of Glass, Earth City, High Charity, and Remembrance. Another Halo soundtrack that doesn't disappoint! If you liked the first one or you enjoy movie/video game soundtracks, get this! One quick note, not all the music from Halo 2 is on this CD. If you want more of the score or to complete the collection, "Halo 2 Volume 2" has what you're looking for. The "Mad Mind" has spoken.

The Cd is Great. It arrived very fast, and faster than I what I expected

Reviews

If you're looking for a difficult dungeon crawler that will hold your attention for 40+ hours this is the title for you. The leveling up system was pretty well done, and its simple to customize your characters. Graphics are pretty good and the character portraits fit the classes well also. An interesting feature of the game is that it has you draw your own map with the stylus on the bottom, while it can be tedious at times drawing in walls it isn't really necessary to complete them on each floor. The game features random battles which often has moderately difficult creatures. The main feature that makes it difficult however are the FOE's in the game. These are significantly stronger creatures that often roam around, chase you, or sometimes even spawn nearby when you walk over certain spots. I felt this system made it very challenging and made me wonder what they would throw at me next. If your looking for a casual game this likely isnt your cup of tea, but if you want a RPG with plenty of challenges in it this is your game.

This game is the sequel to Etrian Odyssey, one of the most difficult games I have played in years. Here's the rundown: you create a team of adventurers, and explore the labyrinth found within the giant tree your town is built around. The plot is stays simple, but it's more of a plot than the first game had, and it's enough to give you a reason to keep going. Basically, you map out the many levels of the labyrinth. fight monsters, gather treasure, create new weapons, level up, etc. Just beware: this game gets very hard, very fast. Within a single battle, your heroes can quickly be brought from "top fighting form, we can take on anything!" to "low on health, low on tech points, and oh god I forgot to buy warp wire and there's a FOE between me and the way back!" But if you played the original, you knew that already. In fact, I'm going to assume you've played the original and finish this up with some pros and cons between the two games: PRO: -The new auto button. In the last game, trudging through the lower levels was a chore, because you had to keep mashing on the A button to get through battles with weak enemies that can't possibly pose a threat anymore. Now you just hit L, and watch as you party makes short work of the enemy. -Improved mapping. More icons and the ability to stick more of them on the map really improves the experience. -More characters. This gives you much more flexibility in forming a party, because you no longer absolutely NEED to use certain characters. CON: -FOEs no longer give experience. This means that not only are you out a valuable source of experience, but also that the developers could stick more of them on each level! And there's nothing quite like defeating the boss of the previous stratum, only to have your entire party wiped out in one hit by a FOE on the next level. -The auto button. Yes, I also listed that as a pro, but you'll be tempted to abuse it, and it WILL kill you. Either you'll take too long and a FOE will stumble across your battle, you'll take too long and discover that one enemy can summon a stronger monster, or (most frequently) the enemies will use a status-affecting ability and by the time you've canceled the auto-battle your healer and primary damage-dealer will be out of action, and all you can do is desperately try to revive your healer or escape as one by one the rest of your party is KO'd. It's a hard game, no question. But it's also fun, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a challenge.

Make no mistake, this game is HARD, you will die and lose minutes, NAY HOURS, of game time! But that's something you have to accept playing this wonderfully hardcore dungeon romp.

A classic dungeon crawler with lots of equipment and items. Extremely difficult, several hours into the game I was forced to level up to continue, then again just a couple floors later. If you want a challenge, this will be worth it. Overall a great game, just a little steep of a learning curve.

I am mainly a brain game person but I like to relax and just play also like Luxor or Clubhouse Games. I read the reviews on how difficult this game is and fun also. It will be a great brain challenge. Just getting your team formed is difficult and I have to admit my first run in the forrest we all got killed. So if you need a great game for a gamer or someone who just wants a challenge this is it. The rating is E 10+ I have seen nothing offensive yet. I am quite conservitive and so far it is alright. I think any adult who like fantasy stories/games will enjoy this challenge. To me it's on the level of MYST which I also have not mastered.

Reviews

My kids (9 and 11) loved this game and didn't want to play anything else until they solved the "puzzle." I appreciate having games that I don't have to worry about, and I know I can trust Adventures in Odyssey for that. There is nothing questionable - no violence, etc; instead, there are great moral lessons. There is enough action in it for the kids, and I like that they have to actually use their brains to figure it out. We liked it enough to purchase another of the Adventures in Odyssey games, Sword of the Spirit.

I cannot get my 8-year old grandchildren to stay with this game. The story moves along v-e-r-y slowly, the animation is not particularly good, the acting is terrible -- it sounds like adults (trying to sound like kids) simply reading a script. Also the player has to play the game as different characters requiring much too frequent switching, which the girls find annoying. I'm sure there is a beautiful moral message in this game somewhere; it is too bad more effort wasn't put into the game itself.

Reviews

My son enjoyed playing this game, but my wife and I were disappointed by how little there was to it. It claims to be educational and teach "life lessons," etc., but the claims are pretty bogus. If you want a game that's moderately entertaining and innocent for your kids, go for it. If you really are looking for something that will teach, don't try this one.

It's a fun game that is for sure! My son is enjoying it but I think it is better for a younger child, at least in our case. There is only one game to really play and the story line is the stame all the way through. So after the third time my son was kind of bored with it. But it is really neat how it is set up. I wish there were more like this with a bit more of a challenge!

We were looking for a game for the PC for my brainy 8 year old. Most games for his age cause boredom, but so many "older" games have violence we dont want for him. This was the perfect balance! He has been on the computer with this game from the first day he received it (almost a week ago) and has enjoyed hours of play. As, parents, we are pleased to have found something we highly approve and something he likes...cannot wait to purchase the other Odyssey games!

Reviews

Product came through in good time and in excellent shape, containing everything I had anticipated.

This is a pretty good sounding remaster, except that on track 11(Lux Aeterna), there is some pretty nasty distortion in the vocal choir. I have seen this movie many times and this seems to be on the original print of the movie (I have heard these nasties every time). I was hoping that when they re-mastered this recording that they would fix this problem. I know this is a really old recording; is it possible that this distortion is on the original master tape - that the technology at the time was so limited that the choir just overloaded the tape? I don't know. Otherwise, this is a very nice sounding recording. The next-to-last song on this disk is very weird. I think I read that they had intended to include it in the movie; I'm glad they didn't! Overall this sounds noticeable better than I remember the original CD being.

A flawed collection, partially because of the editing as other reviewers have pointed out. However, in its own way, it was somewhat daring at the time in its inclusion of more avant-garde works (mainly the Ligeti pieces) alongside more traditional classical favorites (Blue Danube etc.). Ligeti is a modern master and the use of his works in this film probably gave his works the most exposure to a wider audience than he had received to date or may ever receive. His pieces are stunning on their own, and their effectiveness in the film is devastating. My parents had this on LP soon after the film came out and I, curious about the images of space ships etc. on the cover, plopped it on. The Ligeti pieces scared the living crap out of me and convinced me in no uncertain terms at an early age of the effectiveness and power of great, if avant garde, music. Powerful stuff. Do not attempt to operate heavy machinery while listening. In some ways, I haven't been the same since....

This soundtrack recalls an all time classic film. With its well thought out musical portfolio it helped to portray the magnificence and beauty of space travel in such a manner that, when combined with the stunning space shots and lunar landscape, it created pure visual poetry. My order was fulfilled promptly.

2001 is by far my favorite sci-fi film, and this soundtrack is by far one of my favorite soundtracks. The opening notes to R. Strauss's "Thus Spake Zarathustra" is the ultimate intro to a sci-fi motion picture. J Strauss's "The Blue Danube", while never a favorite of mine, works well with the beauty of outer space. Khachaturian's "Adagio" from his Gayane Ballet is also a treat (and it's nice to hear it SLOW AND STEADY, unlike other interpretations on other CD's). Ligeti's "Atmospheres," "Adventures," "Requiem" and "Lux Aeterna" are the highlights on this soundtrack. They're dark, haunting, ravishing, and beautiful in every way. The supplemental material on this disc isn't very special: just some dialogue from HAL 9000 and different interpretations of "Zarathustra" and "Lux Aeterna". But it's nice to listen to the complete and unaltered "Adventures". Despite some cuts in the music, this is still a great soundtrack to own. Grade: A

Reviews

Released several years ago for the 25th Anniversary of Varese Sarabande, the entreprising label devoted almost exclusively to film scores, this inexpensive compilation is good way to sample many compelling scores from the last few decades of movies. I will run down through some highlights. The first disc contains much of the best music on this collection. Angelo Badalamenti's theme from David Lynch's "Blue Velvet". Also a selection from Maurice Jarre's score to "Witness". John Carpenter's simplistic yet creepy theme from his classic "Halloween". Charles Bernstein's sinister opening credits music to "A Nightmare on Elm Street". Howard Shore's beautiful and dramatic end theme to the Cronenberg film, "The Fly". One of my absolute favorites on this disc is undoubtedly the "Robocop" theme by the late, great Basil Poledouris which is one of the most inspiring action themes from the 1980s. Then we get the familiar march from "The Empire Strikes Back" by John Williams. I also love the all American score by Bill Conti composed for the film "The Right Stuff". Alan Silvestri contributes a selection from his score to James Cameron's "The Abyss", mixing orchestra with a grand choral contribution. It's strange that most of the best music at least to my ears is contained here on the first disc. The other three CDs have much less interesting material but how can one forget Poledouris again in the big march from "Starship Troopers" as well as a selection from Don Davis' score to the sci-fi blockbuster "The Matrix". It's clear that Varese Sarabande intended for this compilation to be more of a sampler to whet your appetite for the full scores instead of giving you much in the way of musical substance. Most tracks don't run much longer than four minutes but it's plenty enough to hold all the famous themes and melodies from these movies. Varese Sarabande has also released a 30th Anniversary Celebration recently with no overlap with this set whatsoever. I get a bang of having these themes in my library as most of the full scores aren't exactly great classics, so it's a great idea to have a compilation of all the winning and recognizable numbers together in one place. The very low asking price also helps greatly indeed.

I am enjoying Varese Sarabande right now as I write this review. It is a true stress reliever. Totally love it. I also play this CD and the 30th anniversary edition to my third graders. They recognize some of the music from movies that they have seen. What a wonderful learning atmosphere it helps to create in my classroom.

This collection is bound to capture your heart and evoke a tin ear on successive tracks. I found much to like and some duds - easy to skip over. Very good value.

Good mix of films! I'm a big fan of this soundtrack music and will be looking for more CD's like this.

For the price, this CD is a great bargain. The musical selections, as you might expect, are mixed in quality ranging from extraordinary to so so, the balance being worthwhile and interesting. Sonically the CD is excellent.

Reviews

We love Adventures in Odyssey! Like all of the other stories, I love that this one has real world application for my children!

It is a great teaching tool for children and adults who can relate to the performing arts as a means of teaching with audio.

My kids can't get enough of Adventures in Odyssey, no matter how old they get(teenagers). We only bought one of this set and they sneak into one another's rooms to swipe them. The stories are fun and entertaining and always have a good moral, life lesson to help children with choices and situations they will face. It is so good for kids to listen to long stories. They have to imagine what is happening and kids don't get a lot of opportunities to practice using their imaginations now days. Believe it or not, listening to stories does a lot of improve reading skills in kids of all ages.

Another great product from Focus on the Family and Adventures in Odyssey. Some of the characters are regular AIO characters, others are new, especially for this series. The episodes are fun to listen too, but also thought-provoking. The set included a discussion guide which would be great for parents and kids to go through together. Definitely worth buying!

After going through the Truth Project this summer, I found this amazing collection from Adventures i Odyssey. My kids LOVE the Kidsboro story the best, but we've listened to each of the stories in the car and in the kitchen several times over. My son knows most of the scripts by heart, yet continues to put them on when given the opportunity to listen.

Reviews

I have six grandchildren and play this when they are in the car with me. They listen intently and keeps them interested the whole time we are commuting. It is great way to teach them christian values and Bible stories at the same time.

These are excellent CDs. I ignored the age recommedation though (7-9yrs) and ordered this set for my 4 year old. He has loved other Odyssey CDs but these require a bit more Bible knowledge to follow along, so I think they'll be better in a couple years. I'd recommend paying attention to the age recommendations (can be found on Focus on the Family's website).

This is a great Odyssey!!! It teaches but holds the kids attention. You'll love it!!