When Microsoft realized that only about three people in Japan had bought Xbox 360 consoles, they knew they needed something spectacular to pull this one out of the fire. So they shoved great big handfuls of cash into Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi's pockets, and he set off with his company Mistwalker to create Lost Odyssey. The console was short on traditional Japanese-style RPGs, and this highly regarded release was purpose-built to fill that gap. It did so, to some extent, but there was a serious disconnect between critical response and cash being handed over at retail - the press loved it, gamers who tried it loved it, but it just didn't find traction. The Xbox One finds itself in a similar situation, with a game library loaded with shooters and sports games but very little to satisfy the millions of gamers who live for traditional RPGs. A super-hyped Lost Odyssey sequel with a massive budget, and put together by some of the best creative minds in RPG development, could be a motivator for undecided gamers looking for an alternative to Final Fantasy's tired narrative. It's hardly going to save the console on its own, but would go some way to offering a more diverse line-up, and could provide a vital in-road for sales in the hard-to-crack Japanese market.
Game-obsessed since the moment I could twiddle both thumbs independently. Equally enthralled by all the genres of music that your parents warned you about.
