I’m not known to be the biggest RPG lover out there, but if one game has ever captured my heart as much as FF9 did and more it was Lost Odyssey. I found this game a few years back in a bargain bin, I picked up expecting a half cooked title, but to my surprise I fell in love with it and I consider it my favorite JRPG of all time. Don’t get me wrong, the game is far from perfect. It’s haunted by nasty frame rate drops and many have lashed at it for using ‘last-gen’ mechanics and not innovating enough. But, here are my Top 5 reasons why you should drop a copy of the game in your cart Today.

1- It has a simple and interesting story, with stellar writing

Without any spoilers, I love how the story progresses and concludes. A word of warning though, if you are an avid writer and a nit picker *cough* Figment *cough*, the story will simply not compel you. The great news for your writers and story lovers is that even if you don’t appreciate the main story, you may find that the short stories from  ‘A Thousand Years of Dreams’ quite creative.

2- It uses and improves on the classic JRPG elements

This is no JRPG revolution nor is it Mass Effect, this is plain and simple a last-gen rpg with this-gen (just made that up) graphics and influences. I for one, was quite happy to see that my characters are not jumping all around the screen doing cartwheels even before entering the battle menu. This boils down to your personal preference, think of the gameplay aspect as  FF9 vs FF13.

3- The graphics are quite a wonder in some ways

The game uses the Unreal Engine and it shines through with great enemy models and amazing spell effects with flashy particles. It’s coupled with amusing CGI that seemingly transition to gameplay segments without a single stutter (check the vid below). Although, as I have mentioned earlier the game play sequences suffer from frequent frame drops.

4- It has awesome music tracks

From epic to depressing, the sound tracks seem to capture it all. And you will grow to hum these tunes as you play the game. With each tune I listen to again, it brings a string of images that remind me of the game in a pleasant way.

5- The price tag is only $10 for a used copy

It’s only $9.99 for a pre-owned copy of the game on GameStop. That’s the price of  5 packets of gum, 20 pencils and a hot-dog (not really). You can also find copies of the game on Ebay for around $20.

Well, there ya have it, the Top 5 reasons why you should get the game. Still not convinced? check the full intro for the game, it’s worth your time if your an RPG player, trust me.