Get lost in stunning 'Odyssey'

Fantasy role-playing game (RPG) fans in search of an intricate story, massive world and stunning cinematic sequences should pick up the epic Lost Odyssey from Microsoft Game Studios.

But while this Microsoft Xbox 360 exclusive excels in its combat mechanics, gripping narrative and artistic presentation, it suffers from a few technical shortcomings, which prevent it from becoming an interactive masterpiece.

Created by renowned Japanese designer Hironobu Sakaguchi of Final Fantasy fame, and penned by award-winning Japanese novelist Kiyoshi Shigematsu, this lengthy single-player adventure follows an immortal warrior, Kaim Argonar, who has lived for more than 1,000 years but doesn't remember his past.

Might and magic are being used in a war between dueling nations that is about to reach a climax.

The story is decent, as this longhaired lieutenant struggles to unlock his memories and shape his future, but it's the character development, dialogue and movie-like sequences that will keep you intrigued throughout the tale. Kaim will be joined by many other colorful characters - including royalty, pirates and spies - and players will likely grow emotionally attached to these sidekicks.

This game world is so big it ships on four DVDs, and involves three huge areas: the republic of Uhra now governed by a great sorcerer, the once-peaceful island of Numara and the heavily industrialized but magical kingdom of Gohtza to the north.

The cliched locations found in most RPGs exist in Lost Odyssey, ranging from towns and forests to caves and seaside ports, but the high-definition characters and environments are so detailed you probably won't mind the derivative locales.

The turn-based combat will also be familiar to seasoned RPG fans, but it's handled very well. When it's your turn, you select an opponent to fight against, which battle command to use (such as Attack, Spell, Item, Defend or Flee) and you watch the action unfold. When Kaim is joined by allies, each character takes turn slashing or spell-casting until victorious.

An "Aim Ring" system adds extra power to those who wear special rings, causing more damage to human or non-human enemies. Some timing is involved as you hold down the controller's right trigger button to shrink a ring around an enemy so that it overlaps an inner ring.

Non-combat missions, such as some puzzle solving, exploration and mini-game exercises, aren't as exciting as the fighting sequences.

As gorgeous as this game is, down to the unique costumes worn by its characters, it is nevertheless hampered by its frame rate - referring to how smooth the on-screen motion is - which stutters quite a bit during busy scenes. You also have to sit through many load screens and swap discs to continue the adventure. These issues remind you you're playing a game and detract from the overall experience, but not enough to give the game two thumbs down.

Derivative elements and technical shortcomings aside, Lost Odyssey is a good fantasy role-playing game that should satisfy demanding fans of the genre. E-mail to a friend