So, Aidyn Chronicles got terrible reviews and is one of the critically worst games on the N64, but I like it.

It is amazingly ahead of it's time. No random battles, no "world map screen" with town icons, one of the most interesting worlds in any [RPG] game I've played for a long time, and a skill system that was, at the time, very innovative. You also have a very customizable party, and when members die, they stay dead. (yeah, most people don't like it, but there are so many party members to choose from, it doesn't really matter)

For anybody who's played morrowind, it is astonishing how similar they really are. Apart from the battles, (which are interactive, but a little jumbled and messy, unfortunately) they look and feel really alike. Aidyn Chronicles came first (but after Daggerfall), so it's like the lost relative of The Elder Scrolls.

The only real problem is the graphics, they're terrible, but hey, it is an ambitious game, and it's only the N64

The rest is nitpicks, things like health and stamina are poorly connected (you use stamina for actions, spells, lockpicking, alchemy, ect, but your health goes down too for some reason), experience gain is small, some people wouldn't call it a problem but I don't like random treasure, you can accidently stray off the path and run into strong enemies very early (though the freedom of the game is cool), there is no decent map, the story doesn't make a whole lot of sense (but I never got very far into it), and Alaron is kind of a tool, but just small things like that.

It's no Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy, but I'd call it a great first attempt by a company who doesn't often stray from licensed game security. (THQ, who also made the excellent Spongebob: Battle for Bikini Bottom, which is one of my favorite games of all time. Yes, I'm serious, it's awesome)

I think the problem was too much innovation and experimentation in a still very traditional genre, and had to compete and compare with Final Fantasy VII, Paper Mario, and Ogre Battle 64.