Baten Kaitos? Not bad, but simply not my speed. That's the judgment I passed upon it last year when I stumbled across the game on a blind run to EB Games. I played it for awhile, and did find some intriguing elements about it that drew me in a little bit. But in the long run, I think I was just thrown off by the game's reliance on a card-battle system. Nothing against the battle system itself, but it's almost like the only way I'd even consider touching anything card-related in a game is if the word "poker" got involved. But to Kaitos's credit, it is a unique game for the GameCube, and I'm sure it attracted quite the legion of fans upon its release. And it's probably those fans who will find something to like in the game's prequel, Baten Kaitos Origins, which has just arrived on store shelves.

Nintendo, strangely enough, didn't trumpet this release out loud like they do most of their releases. I can understand that the company is already knee-deep in their Wii hyping and probably didn't have any time to talk up GameCube releases in its twilight days. But still, you think we would have gotten at least one commercial or something along the lines of a campaign that the first game got- especially considering its sales. I think that may put this game into a "sleeper" status as a result, with less unit sales than the original. Too bad, because there's some improvements that are worth discovering here.

One of Kaitos' big problems is with its character development. As I played through the game, I just didn't find any likable character to connect with. Sure, they all had different traits and their own battle tactics, but you never really felt that personal connection. I didn't anyway. With Origins, the storyline seems to be better balanced, and characters seem to be worth caring about more. Their customization seems to mean more here, and setting up your card battles feels a bit more personal as a result. I don't know what Monolith has done to awaken such a change, but it's rather welcome. I just wish the voice acting was paid more attention to- they sound like saps. It's like finding the girl of your dreams and finding out she talks like Telly Savalas. "Who loves you, baby!"

The game still leans heavily on its card-based play. If you couldn't stand it before, you probably won't stand it now, despite the shift in speed and having better party members to care about. Players can take advantage of this strategic system and set up some great battles as the cards lay down. But this system also leans heavily on luck through these cards, and it's frustrating to have to lose a battle that you geared up so greatly for just because one card doesn't go your way. Fortunately, the story is engaging enough to have newcomers try again and again to get the hang of it. And discovering the ability to "replay" for big-time combos helps swing these battles back in your favor.

The game also leans on the occasional puzzles, especially in dungeons. That's not to say that they're not welcome, as they are, but they can also be a bit grating in attempting to resolve them. Fortunately, you have the ability to fuse certain cards to help you get through them, a welcome addition to the series. They take some time to get just right, but the effort's worth it once the puzzles are resolved. Just make sure to set some time aside- the game requires plenty of patience.

The presentation doesn't tread too much ground, but it gets the job done. The visuals look spectacular at times, with some fantastic settings and great battle set-ups that ooze card-dealing drama (if such a thing exists). However, a lot of the settings appear to be borrowed from the first game. A prequel is likely to do that, to introduce you to locations you're likely to be running across again. So I'll forgive their inclusion. However, the animation can be stiff at times- something that should've been cleaned up in the final run-through. Ah, well, the game's still a looker overall.

As for sound, there's an odd mix of tunes here, ranging from orchestrated music to some strange rock riffs that play out during some boss battles. It can be a bit cheesy at times (it's like Beethoven switching off between a piano and a Gibson), but many of the tunes are worth a listen. Can't say the same for voice acting, though. I think I'd rather listen to my garbage disposal make short work of cheap silverware.

Baten Kaitos Origins runs on a "you'll like it or despise it" level. Those who like it (mainly fans and those who love their card-battling games) will discover many treasures here, a game that runs several hours and packs an incredible amount of strategy. But again, a great deal of tolerance is required at times, especially during some frustrating battles and putting up the lifeless character squawking. This is not the strongest prequel out there, but Monolith has made some improvements that make Origins worth unearthing. Besides, what other new games are you going to play on your GameCube? Not many...until Twilight Princess marks its farewell from the market. Enjoy whatever you can get.