Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings & the Lost Ocean has been flying under the radar for awhile,
but it's finally here, proving to be a worthwhile exclusive for the RPG-starved GameCube. Although it features a cliche
storyline—reluctant hero combats reawakened evil—its innovative combat/inventory system more than makes up for any
shortcomings. The game revolves around a card (or "Magnus") system that has players capturing essence (over
1000 variations) onto a limited supply of blank cards; everything from food, armor, to magic has an essence. What's
more, the essence changes over time, so for example, fruit will rot into poison. Plus, different combinations (mostly
random) will yield devastating combos (over 140 to discover) during combat. All of this packaged into a game that
features beautiful visuals and a tremendous score (just mute the terrible voice-acting), and you're looking at a
minimum of 45 hours of solid RPG goodness. Don't sleep on this one.
Engadget
TUAW