Product ReviewsBaten Kaitos Origins (Nintendo GameCube, 2006)

A Very Underrated Game!

I had never heard of this game until I ran into the "Legendary Violin Boss Theme" on YouTube and was exposed to the game's soundtrack. I looked into the game and saw that it got great reviews, and actually looked really compelling. The price tag is steep as it is a on the rare side, like Lost Kingdoms it never gained mainstream appeal but is kept alive by a small but loyal fanbase. Whether or not the cost is worth it is up to you, however I found it to be so. The combat is unique, and reminds me of Chain of Memories, but actually satisfying and done well. The story is interesting, and the odd almost 2 person viewpoint it's told through somehow works despite being a bit awkward at some points. All in all I'd rate the game a 7 or 8 of 10, and definitely a must have for gamecube owners.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: pressstart78

EXCELLENT NINTENDO GAMECUBE GAME!

ONE OF THE BEST RPG'S ever! ONLY IF YOU LIKE RPG'S!

Alittle goofy, alittle silly, BUT with that kid slash ADULT friendly atmosphere, AND it lives up to the OPEN WORLD, free roaming RPG lifestyle....regardless! You should play the first game "BATEN KAITOS eternal wings and the lost oceans, to really understand the second game. However, you will enjoy BATEN KAITOS ORIGINS...either way.
ONCE you get through just a small bit of the beginning of the game, you will get use to the fighting system and start training hard, and than if u have that championship spirit, you will enjoy trying to conquer this game but just give it some time, cause it takes some time to get use to, when you first play this game.Read full review...

Great RPG, though maybe not for everyone.

Baten Kaitos: Origins is the prequel to the original game, and manages to greatly improve on almost every aspect. Story-wise, it's your basic Japanese RPG, with colorful characters and an involving, complex plot. The Baten Kaitos games stand out, however, in their battle system, which is entirely executed using cards (so-called Magnus) collected throughout the game. Origins has managed to streamline the card battle system a great deal, and battles now proceed much faster and more smoothly than previously. Basically, a character's attack in one battle round will progress from weaker attack to stronger by playing the corresponding cards, possibly ending in increasingly powerful and impressive special attacks. There are also various equipment magnus with various effects, as well as healing and other effect cards. Furthermore, if cards are available, several characters can chain onto each others' attacks for one huge combo. All in all, the system becomes intuitive and fun after some getting used to, and many of the battles provide a great challenge. Still, the constant card-collecting and deck-optimizing may be a turn-off to many.

Other aspects that have been improved on include the voice-acting. The original BK game was plagued by voice actors that were, in a word, dreadful, and many opted to turn off the voice-overs entirely. In this game, however, the voices are for the most part solid, and work well together with a well-written and well-translated dialogue filled with quips and humorous quotes. The three main characters all have distinct personalities that really engage. The music soundtrack is also well-done, though is arguably slightly shy of its predecessor.

Graphic-wise, this game presents some stunning visuals, especially backgrounds. Many of the venues were re-used from the previous game, which might be seen as a tad cheap by some. There are still plenty of new areas to explore, however, all beautifully rendered. The characters and monsters are nothing spectacular, but look good enough. The battle animations and special attacks are impressive, though one often doesn't have time to look up from the hand of cards to watch them.

The storyline is, as has been mentioned, complex and involving. The main plot covers the events of two entirely different time periods, and the game goes on for a long time leaving the player wondering exactly what's going on. There are also a fair share of side-quests to entertain yourself with. Doing everything there is to do, it's easy to spend 80 hours or more on this game.

To summarize, this is a great RPG for some. If you played the previous Baten Kaitos and liked it, this is a no-brainer. If you enjoy Japanese PRG's in general, you're likely to enjoy this.Read full review...

Bateb Kaitos 2- "Origins"

Baten Kaitos 2 is a card-based RPG about a young boy named Sagi. Sagi is a newcomer to the Dark Elite Force. When you start the game, you'll find out that each member of the force has a machanical partner called a "paramachina." Paramachina are machines that fight obediantly with their masters. Guillo, Sagi's paramachina, is the only one that can talk. What is Guillo hiding....? As a member of the force, your first mission is to kill Emperor Olgan. You must lead a band of soldiers, including Guillo. Will the mission be succesful, with you as the leader....?

The battle system uses a unique card-based battle system. Your characters HP and "action gauge" will be displayed at the top of the screen. Everyone's action gauge will begin to go down, and the first character's action gauge that is comepletly empty, it will be there turn. you will be able to choose from a set amount of cards in your hand. You'll notice that each card has a number on it. If you press A on a card, that card will be used when they begin their actions. Cards range from certain numbers. Attack cards are 1-3. You can only select cards in ascending order, and you can't press the same number twice. As you gain more party members, they will be part of your equipped deck, with some of their personal attacks added to the deck for you. There are also certain save points where you can go to a church and rise your "deck class," or your abilaty to use a particular deck. as this number rises, you'll be able to equip more cards in that deck.

I highly recommend this game to every RPG lover. The battles are always active, so you can't stand there and strategize when your character's turn comes, enemies will still attack you. The story is amazing, and the characters are great.Read full review...

Excellent just as described !

Awesome man. Love this game series takes me waay waay back ! Awesome original rpg rts style gameplay turn based , card based game. The mechanics are straight forward and the story is excellent! Game came very well shipped ! Wrapped and is yes. Brand new and sealed ! This was the last copy I needed to complete my collection (: thank you.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: dmariel123

My Last Gamecube purchase and no regrets!!!

Compared to the first one the battling system in this one is awesome. You can chain each character's individual combo together now...It might seem easy in the beginning but it gets more complex later on. Making decisions about what special to choose gets a bit more complex. The story is awesome(c'mon it's Baten Kaitos) ofcourse and so is the battling. Only annoying part is wandering through towns talking to people and checking up on inanimate objects(resident evil style) looking for extra/secret magnus. It's a hassle in huge towns but it's well balanced with the fighting they have and the nicely timed progression of the story/plot. 5/5 Definitely...I lent to my cousin and he even played through it. Oh and it truly is about 45-60 hours depending on if you're the type to perfect a game or not so if you're worrying about a super short RPG don't worry this will take some time...It's TWO DISCS!!!Read full review...

A great beginning to a great storyline.

Baten Kaitos Origins takes place 20 years before the first Baten Kaitos. Your main charecter, Sagi, begins the game as a elite imperial soldier sent to assassinate the emperor. With the help of his unknown friend Guillo, they undertake the mission. But on the way to accomplishing the mission something goes terribly wrong and a quest for truth begins.
In this game you find out about all the missing parts of the story that were missing from Baten Kaitos. The developers and storywriters for the game did an excellent job of filling in all the holes and giving me a grand experience in playing this game. This game is much harder than the first, the enemies that is, and the quests are never ending in a good way. You WILL get frustrated on certain boss enemies though, be warned! For example, the HoloHolo bird int he HoloHolo Jungle is the hardest end guy in gaming history. You'll know what I mean when you get to that point.
Anyways, the game will enthrall you and you will easily feel the charecters emotions. I would rate it PG-13, since there are a few times where Sagi does say a curse word. Nothing major like the F-bomb, but still a curse nonetheless. Other than that it is a great fantasy tale that will leave you wanting more!Read full review...

Good Prequel Game

Baten Kaitos Origins is a decent prequel. It gives a nice back story to the original Baten Kaitos. Game play is similar with a few improvements and a few drawbacks. In Origins I love the "free run" option, you can move faster by holding B. I also love that you get to carry more blank magnus and that quests are kept in the menu in order to complete them later. The one thing I didn't like is the new battle system. Instead of playing it out card by card and move by move you equip a weapon or defense magnus and then use light, med, or hard attacks, followed up by a special and after your first card your moves are timed. You can only use one healing item a turn and everyone's items are lumped together in one deck. It certainly took some getting used to. Other than that this games plays as well as the first and I'm very glad I purchased it.Read full review...

A Hidden Gem, A Wonderful RPG experience

The game is as addicting as the first game. The battle system takes awhile to get used to, since they changed the battle system from the first so it causes you to use strategy to figure out what the best cards to have in your deck. The characters are interesting; there is one character that can be a bit annoying but the character might grow on you as the story progresses. The story seems to have hidden mystery surrounding the characters and you might find yourself constantly playing to see how the story plays out. If your rpg lover and there doesn't seem to enough rpgs on the wii or game-cube console, I would recommend you try this hidden gem. It's a game that I played once before when I was younger and I never gave it a chance but now I find myself appreciating the in depth characterization and story that seems to be lacking in new generation games.Read full review...

Greatest GameCube RPG played for a long time !

Baten Kaito Origins is a cool story that takes place before the first game of Baten Kaitos Eternal Wings and has many similarities only different main characters and you only play with 3 and not 5 or 6 people this time around. You do get to meet some of the people from the first game when they are younger and have some interaction with them. The playing system is a little different in that all the characters share a deck and there are no individual ones but it seems to move faster this way too and you gey to make some way cool card combos that are attacks and not mix foods this time.
Its just an all around fun game that can be enjoyed as much as the first Baten Kaitos and it nicely ties up all the loose ends and questions that may have been left unanswered from the before. So enjoy and have fun playing !!!Read full review...