[DS] Etrian Odyssey (2007)

How:
Somebody mentioned the game on Hardcoregaming101's forums (was looking for good DS RPG's). Got convinced by the music for the first level.

Pros:
- Amazing music by Yuzo Koshiro
- A lot of side-quests, some of which are actually nice
- Cool enemies, graphics and setting in general
- Fights can be hard and rewarding
- Well balanced for the most part
- A lot of weapons, items, magic and character classes make for many different gameplay strategies
- The mapping functionality can be fun
Cons:
- The main game is way too lengthy. Could and should have been one or two strata (5-10 levels out of 30) shorter
- Very shallow story with no side characters and rare events (and dubious ethics as well)
- Very few dialogues, cut-scenes and anything story-related
- The mapping system lacks some necessary tools, e.g. something to paint damage tiles and something to keep track of source/destination warps (quicksands, lily flowers)
- Random encounters are so very frequent