Baten Kaitos II

This is now "Baten Kaitos Origins" and will be released in US Sep. 25 2006...a bit later than was given earlier, but at least it's coming!

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Contracts

Baten Kaitos is one of the few modern day Japanese RPG titles I have enjoyed, Call me crazy but I really like this title over the newer releases of Final Fantasy. I still have not yet beat Baten Kaitos but I plan to in the near future, So the announcement of the second installment is pretty cool seeing as the game has a pretty good story line and all. I'm suprised though that they don't wait until the Wii comes out and release it then, That way it'd be more noticed on the Wii then the dieing life span of the Gamecube.

I agree, Baten Kaitos is one of the few RPG's I've truly enjoyed since circa 2002, when I got Suikoden III. Couldn't get into more recent series like DDS, Atelier Iris, or Shadow Hearts, and I quit Xenosaga after ep 1. I also like it a lot more than FFX. It's the first time I've encountered a card-based battle system, but it ended up getting me addicted to the game rather than putting me off. That and the game is incredibly beautiful and well-written. VA wasn't a problem, since I hate VA in general and turned it off I was trying to collect every magnus before the addiction wore off, but I'm sure I'll get back to it one day. It seems to be a cult hit though, as it seems to be disliked/despised in the mainstream. I feel lucky to get a 2nd game at all.

Unfortunately I must also express concern about the BK2 release date...late September, when the Wii will probably be here no more than 2 months later. Compare with FFIX, which was released similarly closely to the PS2's launch, and it got glossed over for the most part, and it was Final Fantasy. Seems they're just asking not to sell many copies. Which probably means we won't see another game (BK2 already bombed huge in Japan, like its predecessor before it). So if they end up coming out with a 3rd BK title on Wii (or even DS) I'll be quite surprised and happy.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

This arrived at my doorstep Friday and I've been playing all day ever since. I got to disk 2 tonight. This is probably shaping up to be in my top 3 games of all time. The battle system is a bit more narrow than the original (only 1 spirit number per card, no numbers above 6, only ascending combos), but the result is a more streamlined one, and perhaps my favorite one in ANY RPG. What they took away from the original they added back in with EX Skills, equipment system and relay combos. Never have I had so much fun just fighting battles.

The graphics are the same as the first (read: really gorgeous), the music is at least on par (read: still really good), the story so far isn't anything too spectacular but I am sure it's going to pick up. They've added tons more sidequests, LOTS more quest magnus and a new mixing system.

Sadly this will be one of, if not the, least noticed RPGs of the year, overshadowed by Suikoden V (blech ), Xenosaga III, Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy III DS, Final Fantasy V GBA, Okami, etc. But I doubt any of those can ever come close to the enjoyment I'm getting out of BKO. Long live the series no one cares about I hope we get a 3rd on Wii or DS.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.