First, give credit where it's due: This article by Sean Halliday inspired this piece, and reminded me of one irrefutable fact:
Lost Odyssey was not only one of the greatest JRPGs ever made, it also stands tall as an example of how an updated yet still turn-based mechanic can survive and even shine in a new era.
It proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that such combat mechanics were absolutely viable, and not merely constructs of a time when technology was found lacking. The game should've been a beacon to all JRPG developers, as far as I'm concerned, and I honestly thought Square Enix would follow a similar path with Final Fantasy . Had they done so, I've no doubt in my mind that the iconic series would not have taken a steep dive last generation, and would in fact remain atop the RPG world.
Now, granted, I never got a chance to finish Lost Odyssey because the fourth disc turned out to be defective, and I never got around to having it replaced. It was always a bitter disappointment because I put a ton of time into that game, and it was by far and away my favorite Xbox 360 game. A remaster would give me good reason to play it again and to finally complete it, and I guarantee it would rekindle my love of the JRPG genre. I think it would do that for lots of people.
What's important to remember about this game is that it wasn't just about the combat. It was also about the structure, the style, the story, the beautiful dream writing, etc. It was the logical evolution of the JRPG genre back in 2007. No, it wasn't revolutionary but it was simultaneously an homage to a type of gameplay and RPG structure everyone once loved, and a positive step forward. It was published by Microsoft and they don't really do remasters, though, so we'll probably never see it again. And if they did a sequel, it's essentially a guarantee that it would become a standard action-based RPG, the only kind they know how to make these days. Too bad, too.
I just wish a remaster would happen, that's all. It would remind us of a little something that we probably shouldn't forget.
Related Game(s): Lost Odyssey