Eternal Sonata Xbox 360

Eternal Sonata makes a cause for why it should be considered a role-playing epic, but it also shows that the human brain can only endure so many long winded "meaning of life" sermons before it will melt and drain through the ears. While offering brilliant moments of intrigue, the game's story is mostly peachy, pretentious, and in some cases, so jarring that you'll wonder if someone accidentally replaced part of the plot with a history professor's slideshow lecture. This story can be irritating, but thankfully, this RPG finds other ways to dazzle you. The inventive battle system strikes the perfect balance between button mashing fun and do-or-die strategizing. With enjoyable combat paving the way, field encounters rarely get old, the boss battles leave you gasping and saying "that was incredible," and you always look forward to a battle's conclusion to see if a new power is unlocked. Eternal Sonata also delivers a level of visual grandeur that will make you applaud technological advances that games have made over the years. It may be lacking in one key area, but this is one quest that you won't want to miss.