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Rating: 
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I'm an avid player of video games. It's not uncommon for me to play close to thirty hours per week. Sometimes more, depending on other things. Generally, I prefer RPGs and fighting games. These two types of games are my favorite.
I had high expectations for Baten Kaitos. After all, it was co-developed by Monolith Soft. This is the same company that developed the Xenosaga series for the PS2. Monolith and Tri-Crescendo developed Baten Kaitos for the Gamecube. Namco published the game.
This game is nothing at all like the Xenosaga series. Baten Kaitos does not have an epic story. There are very, very few cinematics in the entire game. The soundtrack works rather nicely with the mood of the game though. And if you have played Xenosaga, you may recognize some of the same voice actors and actresses. However, the dialogue (the lines) in Baten Kaitos is not nearly as good. And yes, even if the voice actors are the same, the acting is not as good.
All of that aside, what really bothered me about this game is the battle system. Please, don't get me wrong. I enjoy variety. Sometimes, the most unusual things are also the most interesting. Evidently, enough people liked this battle system to give it a good review. It is a very unique and unusual system, to be sure. Basically, what you have is a stack of cards, called Magnus. These cards contain weapons, defensive shields, healing items, stat boosters, and magic. Depending on your level, you may have a total of fifty cards on hand. During battle, the AI will "randomly" deal five cards to you. They can be any five cards from your stack. The cards will then be shown to you. The only actions you can take during battle are the ones depicted on the cards that you select. You can pick one or more cards from the five.
There are many types of Magnus. Battle Magnus are used during battles. There are also Blank Magnus, which you can use to carry items around. There are also Camp Magnus, which are items that you can use and consume whenever you are not in battle.
During battle, you are either attacking or defending. You have to pick from the cards that have been dealt to you. The object of the battle is to "play the hand that you were dealt". This is similar to a card game. Basically, luck is a very huge factor. Whatever fortune, or misfortune, you get, you have to make the best of it and play it well. There will be times when it is your turn to attack, but you don't have an attack card on hand. Each card has a number, or numbers. Playing the cards in numeric sequence (straight) will earn you a bonus. This system is not as cumbersome as you might think. You will learn how to use the system rather quickly. However, this makes even normal battles long and tedious. Thankfully, there are no random battles here. However, due to this unique system, battles end up being a chore. Yes, there is a lot of gameplay here, but it is not necessarily entertaining. The normal battles are actually very easy. There is little danger of your entire battle party getting killed. Most normal enemies do very little damage. Even so, some of these normal battle can easily last ten minutes. You're basically waiting for a good "hand" of cards that will allow you to damage the enemy. But, if you do not have a good hand, you cannot hurt the enemy. Elementals (Fire, Wind, etc.) play a part here. If the enemy is resistant to Fire, and all your cards are Fire attacks, well, you get the point. So you see how this can make a simple battle drag on forever. There is one battle that lasts almost an hour and a half! Yes, that's correct. There will be a long conversation at the end of the battle, and then the bad guys get back up and you have to start all over again. Now, I like gameplay, but this is just busy work. It's not at all fun or entertaining. The enemies attack with one combo after another, sometimes eash attack lasting close to thirty seconds. Now, after watching the same attack over and over again it gets tiresome.
A good portion of the game is devoted to sidequests. Basically, most of them involve a lot of backtracking. You will revisit many of the previous areas over and over. Basically, you will be going around in circles. You will be scavenging for numerous items. Unfortunately, you can only carry a few at a time. The idea here is to trap the item's "essence" into a Magnus card.
This game reminds me of Sony's PS2 classic rpg, The Legend of Dragoon. It has the same atmosphere. And the story is almost the same. And yes, you will also hunt down star fragments (stardust) in this game. Baten Kaitos plays almost like a classic Playstation game. It does not have the grand cinematics of the typical modern rpg.
Play this game if you like those classic Playstation RPGs, like The Legend of Dragoon. However, I recommend that you use some sort of Walkthrough or Strategy Guide. Not only will the battle system try your patience, but the numerous quests will also.
By the way, KOS-MOS appears in the game. In the form of an unplayable Magnus card titled "Rare Action Figure".
Rating: 
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The game isn't as great as one would like it to be (talking about myself of course). With so few RPG games for the CGN, this was a disappointment, but that's not to say the game wasn't good. The turn-based card battle system was pretty awesome though. With your menu options, attacks, spells and combos all mixed into one card system. Great. The sound track was nice too. And some of the places in the game were gorgeous. Graphics were really beautiful as well. But the voice acting was horrendous. And the story and plot stunk. All-in-all, the game is just average. As an RPG, I don't know if someone would like to invest in this much time into it. But get over the hurdles the game throws in your face and you'll be fine, lol. Like I said, I enjoyed it overall.
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The story is great!! Very original, and it has it's surprises!! You will be surprised! The system battle, original! It's a card system battle, which you use cards to fight for example you choose an axe as a card you see your character fight with the axe. ALthough It doesn't have like full motion videos, just one, and it's the intro... but it's kinda fun you should buy it!
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Baten Kaitos Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean is an epic game that stretches over 60 hours of role playing gameplay. Besides having an original universe, story, and characters it is most well known for the unique gameplay with the very innovative and fun Real-Time Card-Based battle system. Also the graphics and soundtrack on this game is among the best found on the Gamecube or any platform really.
The kind of things that make the real-time card based battle system really fun are:
1. Each card has one or more number and you can select the cards using the numbers to create pairs, strings, etc to create combo attacks that do extra damage
2. Each card can evolve and change over time using the real-time clock so that something like a meat card which is a health item will become rotten meat card over time and then can be used as an offensive card that causes poisoning
3. Different cards when combined logically can yield new cards. A simple example is using a wood card followed by fire card will yield burnt wood card. Plenty of combinations to discover.
4. You the player are a spirit that resides in the main character. Throughout the game you are prompted with choices. The more your choice is in sync with the game character the more likely you will be to get defensive cards during the defence and also you will be more likely to get cards during your attack to continue building your combo.
5. Cards can have attributes like water or fire which can cause additional damage (especially if used against enemies weak to certain element). However if you use a water and fire card in the same attack then you will cancel out the elemental effect/damage.
6. Even though there are large variety of cards they add to variety instead of becoming cumbersome deck management like other card based games. This one is more about the combos then it is about the card statistics and this keeps the game more action oriented.
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Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean is the first installment of a new series developed by Namco.
The game begins with Kalas, a sapphire-haired young man who ends up in Cebalrai, a rural village in the nation of Sadal Suud. He finds that he was knocked unconscious by Rock Cats in the Moonguile Forest, and was rescued. While exploring the small village, he comes across a young woman named Xelha, who is interested in the ruins of Moonguile Forest. Kalas, being slightly nosey, decides to check out these ruins for himself, thus beginning the epic saga known as Baten Kaitos.
As the game progresses, Kalas and Xelha will form a party, intent on defeating the emperor of Alfard, Geldoblame, who wishes to summon an evil god named Malpercio via the End Magnus, strange cards that possess godly powers. On their quest, Kalas and Xelha meet up with Gibari, a fisherman of Diadem; Lyude, an ex-soldier of the empire of Alfard; Savyna, a huntress of unknown origins living in Anuenue; and Mizuti, an enigmatic sorcerer with no known destination.
Baten Kaitos, although visually stunning, is faulted in several ways. The voice acting of the game is lacking, so the characters seem dull and boring. In some of the more crucial, plot-twisting areas of the story, the characters may sound uninterested or tired instead of excited, scared, or angry. During one of the more angst-y, memorable scenes of the game, Lyude's voice sounds crackled and distorted, although he's supposed to sound angry and sad. The voice actors also read their scripts slowly, as the text window will appear in the game, although it seems like hours before the VA finally finishes reading a few sentences.
Another lacking area of the game is the soundtrack. Although the available tracks are beautiful, breezy tunes, some are repeated multiple times thorough the game and lack variety. You may hear the same track in multiple areas of the game.
The battle system is an innovative system and is a breath of fresh air for many RPG fans. Baten Kaitos employs the infamous "card system" in which players will use cards - known as Magnus in the game - to attack, defend, and heal. Don't be confused with Yu-Gi-Oh! or Pokemon TCG - this card system is something totally new and completely different, and a lot better to use. Although the new system is fun to use, it is also difficult to master. The game offers no immediate tutorial, save an NPC wandering in Moonguile Forest at the beginning of the game. Personally, I spent half an hour trying to figure out the difference between a Battle Magnus and a Healing Magnus and often spent more time accidentally healing my foe instead of hurting it. The lack of information may prove confusing to some gamers. But once you understand the Magnus system, it can be one of the best parts of the game.
The overall storyline of Baten Kaitos is emotionally charged and filled with suspense. The game offers one of the biggest plot twists of RPG history, causing the player to want to move forth in the game. But even though the storyline is exciting and suspenseful, it can also be confusing, and at times longwinded while characters explain different things, such as history or how something works in the game. But at times, the story is so deep that the player will feel immersed in the game. In some aspects, this is literal. The player becomes one of the main characters: Kalas' Guardian Spirit, a being who offers adivce and helps with moral choices. Throughout the game, Kalas will turn to the screen and ask for help from you, the Guardian Spirit. You will then be faced with choices that will affect both the game (not the ending, but smaller aspects of the game) and Kalas' performance in battle. The better you do as a Spirit, the more Spirit Points Kalas will gain. The amount of Spirit Points Kalas has will affect how many Spirit Cards he is offered in battle. Spirit Cards are high-level, powerful Battle Magnus that will help greatly in battle. Basically, the more Kalas trusts his Spirit, the more Spirit Cards you are offered in battle.
Overall, Baten Kaitos can be a wonderful game or a horrible game, depending on what type of gamer you are. Seasoned RPG fans may find it lacking, but will enjoy its storyline and gameplay. Newer RPG fans may not enjoy it as much, finding it confusing at times. Still, Baten Kaitos is a must-have for RPG gamers looking for a fresh new challenge.
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