This was a review that I submited on the Nintendo Forums. It ended up making it into the Nintendo Power Magazine, issue #208:



Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean

Baten Kaitos has all the characteristics of a great game. It combines unbelievably realistic graphics with an awesome storyline as well as original gameplay. The characters and their different personalities, emotions, and attitudes start and solve different situations on their journey. The characters use cards to attack, defend, and heal themselves and each other as they travel from city to city. Using cards in a RPG is hardly ever seen which makes the game more interesting.

Throughout the game, there are many twists in the plot and the characters are constantly changing between the good and bad sides. This keeps you on your toes. Nothing is to be expected because there is always a feeling of suspense and unknowing of what will happen next.

The game is very long and uses up the entire two disks. With over 1000 different cards and 140 combos, much is to be done. There are many sidequests throughout Baten Kaitos that are not required in completing the game, but they can easily be missed. This adds a lot to the replay value.

Though the game is great, there are a few small downsides. The cutscenes that are throughout the story take up a lot of time and aren't as graphic as they could be. Many of the cards look similar and are close in attack power. Overall Baten Kaitos is a unbeleivable game that is very original in all of its aspects.