Star Ocean IV - The Last Hope - Gen. Discussion & Info

[chubbyninja1319]

This game is coming out on March 3, 2009 in the States. It looks like an unbelievabley good JRPG with beautiful graphics and a pretty fun battle system. Yet, no hype at all. Nadda. Here's some link and info on the game:

Gamestop (http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=72886) and Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Star-Ocean-Last-Hope-Xbox-360/dp/B001LGFPSY/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1230349558&sr=8-1) listings

Trailers via Gametrailers.com (http://www.gametrailers.com/game/5934.html)

Here's the latest trailer off of youtube:

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So far, this is my most anticipated title of 2009. Anyone else excited?

Updated 12/28/08 w/ new screens:

Famitsu (http://www.famitsu.com/game/coming/1221004_1407.html) and Scrawlfx.com (http://scrawlfx.com/gallery/star-ocean-the-last-hope/december-24-2008/page/1/), whatever that is. Never heard of that site before.

[62t]

I am guessing there would be more hype if Infinite Undiscovery isnt such a horrible game.

[chubbyninja1319]

I guess I could agree with that statement. Even though I enjoyed IU. I just think that the JRPG is dead, which pains me to no end.

[SynGamer]

I guess I could agree with that statement. Even though I enjoyed IU. I just think that the JRPG is dead, which pains me to no end.
Everythings rush rush rush these days, which is understandable. I'd love some games like LO and IU for the PSP, something i can sit on the couch/bed with and play. I remember the PS1 and PS2 days where i would put 50+ hours into my RPGs...now-a-days, i'm lucky if i get more than 20 before losing interest or wanting to play something else.

[MSUHitman]

Because SE's last two RPG's on the system have been either mediocre (IU) or a technical mess (TLR.) Those two games have set SE's 360 quality bar at a very low level.

[rodeojones903]

Because SE's last two RPG's on the system have been either mediocre (IU) or a technical mess (TLR.) Those two games have set SE's 360 quality bar at a very low level.

This. I'll be renting this one where I bought The Last Remnant and Infinite Undiscovery.

[floormat]

i think the main problem is it was originally announced as a Ps3 exclusive or a dual release and now its a 360 exclusive.

j/k sorta...

the only 2 games I want to play on the 360 are this and maybe halo 3 just to finish the story from the first 2.

sadly if it doesn't do fairly well they wont take the time to port it over neither.

though I really want to play this game i already have quite a backlog on PS3, PS2 and WII so 300 some dollar for 2 games and somehow finding the time...

alas...

[nnthomas]

IU is Star Ocean made by Koreans

This should certainly be better.

[blitz6speed]

Because SE's last two RPG's on the system have been either mediocre (IU) or a technical mess (TLR.) Those two games have set SE's 360 quality bar at a very low level.

This.

JRPGs on the 360 are known for their quantity, not quality. I think everyone is expecting SO4 to suck as much as the last batch of JRPGs on the 360. My 60 bucks is going to WKC and i may borrow SO4 or get it on clearance 2 weeks after it hits and sells 2k copies in the US like most JRPGs on the 360.

[chubbyninja1319]

Because SE's last two RPG's on the system have been either mediocre (IU) or a technical mess (TLR.) Those two games have set SE's 360 quality bar at a very low level.

I see what you're saying, but shouldn't each game be judged on it's own? It's kind of a shame if a good game doesn't get noticed because the game that came before it blew. Plus, wasn't IU recognized as Tri Ace getting used to the Unreal engine? I could be totally wrong on that.

[chubbyninja1319]

My 60 bucks is going to WKC and i may borrow SO4 or get it on clearance 2 weeks after it hits and sells 2k copies in the US like most JRPGs on the 360.

Good point. I actually paid $60 for IU. :wall:

[ninja dog]

because the characters look like possessed puppets that would eat me in my sleep. also, there hasn't been one undeniably good jrpg out yet this gen. I know, everyone has their opinions about TLR, LO, and ToV, but each game is pretty flawed in its own way.

[Rerujnoc]

The story of Star Ocean Till the End of Time on the Ps2 was terrible and kind of ruined the series for me.

[pete5883]

So far, this is my most anticipated title of 2009. Anyone else excited?
Haven't played SO3, have you?

[Thongsy]

The story of Star Ocean Till the End of Time on the Ps2 was terrible and kind of ruined the series for me.

This. I loved SO2, but 3 was horrible. Combined with the low quality SE rpgs already released so far on the 360 and switching from being a PS3 exclusive to a 360 exclusive probably killed any hype the game had. Hopefully it'll be decent, but it seems the Tales series is where the good jrpgs are now.

[blehman]

Yeah, SE has sorta been missing a lot lately. I couldn't even finish FF12 and that was the best non-portable release they have had and that was several years ago. Seems like the bulk of the good games are just old games being updated and pushed on handhelds. Hopefully Star Ocean delivers, but I think everyone is correct in not getting their hopes up.

Maybe they should get Level 5 to do some more stuff for them. They actually took one of their franchises and turned it in the right direction (DQ8); I think they could do a killer Mana game, and that series could definitely use a good game.

[ninja dog]

This. I loved SO2, but 3 was horrible. Combined with the low quality SE rpgs already released so far on the 360 and switching from being a PS3 exclusive to a 360 exclusive probably killed any hype the game had. Hopefully it'll be decent, but it seems the Tales series is where the good jrpgs are now.

why would changing systems kill the hype? there aren't any jrpgs on the PS3....

[Allnatural]

Faults aside, I like SO3 and IU, so I'm looking forward to SO4.

[floormat]

The story of Star Ocean Till the End of Time on the Ps2 was terrible and kind of ruined the series for me.

never got to play the first 2 games so i guess i didn't have that perspective. me and my wife played through 3 together and absolutely loved it.

thats why we were so disappointed when we heard it was a xbox360 exclusive...

[62t]

Most people would agree that Tri Ace work was amazing on PSOne, but pretty average on PS2.

[dropbearGSH]

Edge Maverick? Seriously?

[MSUHitman]

I see what you're saying, but shouldn't each game be judged on it's own? It's kind of a shame if a good game doesn't get noticed because the game that came before it blew. Plus, wasn't IU recognized as Tri Ace getting used to the Unreal engine? I could be totally wrong on that.

I thought TLR was the one on the Unreal engine. Wasn't IU just under an internal engine at SE?

Thing is for me the last really good RPG SE did was Kingdom Hearts 2 (and that's more an action-RPG.) I didn't like FF12's battle system. IU I got the week of release for $38 with a Gamestop gift card and I never played it (sold it on Gamefly since it was still worth 1000 points there.) Figure I will play it when it drops to $20. The Last Remnant is a broken game that will only work if you install it to the hard drive.

While some say quantity rules over quality on the 360 JRPG selection, I will put Tales of Vesperia, Lost Odyssey, and Eternal Sonata against any other 3 JRPG's on any system. It's sad that SE can only equal the quality of Blue Dragon (a decent, but flawed game.)

So many people are getting burned by SE's RPG lineup they're scared to put out full price on one of their games in fear they pull an Ubisoft and drop the price less than a month later, especially since SO3 got such poor reviews. SO4 also comes out a week before Resident Evil 5, and just 2 weeks after Street Fighter IV.

I know where my game money is going in Feb./March and it's to SFIV and RE 5.

[MSUHitman]

why would changing systems kill the hype? there aren't any jrpgs on the PS3....

Valkyria Chronicles waves hi as the port of Eternal Sonata looks on.

[ninja dog]

Valkyria Chronicles waves hi as the port of Eternal Sonata looks on.

and don't forget Enchanted Arms. The point was that the PS3 isn't the Jrpg system this gen, though many awkwardly and stubbornly hold out hope.


While some say quantity rules over quality on the 360 JRPG selection, I will put Tales of Vesperia, Lost Odyssey, and Eternal Sonata against any other 3 JRPG's on any system. It's sad that SE can only equal the quality of Blue Dragon (a decent, but flawed game.)


1. SMT Nocturne
2. FFX
3. SMT DDS 1
4. SMT DDS 2
5. Persona 3
6. Persona 4
7. FFX-2
8. FFXII
9.

oh wait, you said 3.

also:

1. FF 3 (VI)
2. Chrono Trigger
3. FF 2 (IV)

1. FFVII
2. Suikoden II
3. Persona 2

1. Golden Sun
2. FFT Advance
3. Riviera

1. FF Crisis Core
2. Star Ocean
3. Jeanne D'Arc

and all those systems have even more Jrpgs.

[Spartan V07]

This.

JRPGs on the 360 are known for their quantity, not quality. I think everyone is expecting SO4 to suck as much as the last batch of JRPGs on the 360. My 60 bucks is going to WKC and i may borrow SO4 or get it on clearance 2 weeks after it hits and sells 2k copies in the US like most JRPGs on the 360.

wkc sucks,it got low scores ins famitsu. SO 4 will be good since it's a good series,also Lost Odyssey is a good jrpg and also it sold well,over 200k in the first month in the u.s. yea,i'm sure that's bad....:roll:

[dastly75]

I have a sliver of hope for it. SO2 was awesome, SO3 was awful.

[KingBroly]

wkc sucks,it got low scores ins famitsu. SO 4 will be good since it's a good series,also Lost Odyssey is a good jrpg and also it sold well,over 200k in the first month in the u.s. yea,i'm sure that's bad....:roll:

So you're saying that Infinite Undiscovery is the best thing ever then, right? Trusting Famitsu is like believing Molyneux saying Fable II was bug free at launch, a mistake.

[Blackout]

I'm actually looking forward to this. I'm gonna pick it up first week. I really enjoyed Star Ocean 3, and I'm dying to play a console RPG. I've barely played any since I got my PS3/360. There's barely anything to play.

[Suraph]

I'm looking forward to this title, but won't be dropping $60 for it. $35-40 seems like a good range, though that may change if they release a demo.

[emg28]

never got to play the first 2 games so i guess i didn't have that perspective. me and my wife played through 3 together and absolutely loved it.

thats why we were so disappointed when we heard it was a xbox360 exclusive...

If you are able to, I would recommend playing SO: 2nd Story. I love that game. BTW, It's being released for the PSP in January.

I'm actually looking forward to this. I'm gonna pick it up first week. I really enjoyed Star Ocean 3, and I'm dying to play a console RPG. I've barely played any since I got my PS3/360. There's barely anything to play.

I really enjoyed the 2nd game but was kind of disappointed by the 3rd. I actually got pretty deep into that game until I got to a point where, all of a sudden, I was doing minimal damage to regular enemies and they were demolishing my team. I figured it was a glitch and just gave up on the game. I felt so unsatisfied after putting that many hours into the 3rd SO and never finishing the game.

I am looking forward to this new game and will definitely pick it up. It's just that I'm not sure if it will be on release day or if I will wait for a sale from Amazon 2 or 3 weeks later.

[chubbyninja1319]

I haven't played any of the other Star Ocean's. But, with this being a prequel, I'm thinking that I don't need to worry about that too much.

March is going to be a big media month....this, SFIV, RE5 (even though I'm not buying it, not interested, seems like more of the same ole), and The Watchmen movie.

[hohez]

I still can't believe so many people hate IU so much. Have you all played past the 2-3 hour mark? It's a completely different game after that.

I detested star ocean 3, still one of the worst games I have ever completed, but i'm looking forward to SO4 even with Edge Maverick....sigh

[Darkchaos91]

Comes out February 24th. Gets released a week earlier.

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/09/star-ocean-the-last-hope-gets-earlier-release-date/

Awesome. Still can't wait. Hope its not like 3 with its dumb "twist" half way though..

[homeland]

I'm curious to find out the length of time this game will take to beat (just main quests, no side quests). I'm just about done with Chrono Trigger and 20 hours seems to be my max for a JRPG.

[chubbyninja1319]

Very excited that this got moved up! Only a week after SFIV. This is a good spring for gaming.

I just wish there was more of a push. No preorder goodies. No collectors/special/limited edition. No hype at all.

[eddieismail]

I'm looking forward for this game. I have never played SO3.

According to TriAce it will take 40 hours to finish, and it is built using the same internal engine used on UI, which was a competent engine, except for lip syncing.

[Perfect*Ending]

Very excited that this got moved up! Only a week after SFIV. This is a good spring for gaming.

I just wish there was more of a push. No preorder goodies. No collectors/special/limited edition. No hype at all.
If this game is out a week after SFIV, I think Star Ocean will fall under the radar. I'm guessing it will be quickly overshadowed, and prices will drop soon.

I really want Star Ocean, but will hold out for $40.

[danked]

Because SE's last two RPG's on the system have been either mediocre (IU) or a technical mess (TLR.) Those two games have set SE's 360 quality bar at a very low level.
I agree that both IU and TLR were disappointing, but I still think SO4 will be a great game, well lets hope :D

[madara]

I love bright iconic animation but another typical animu girl aimed at 13 year olds just dont fly. I seen that character get alot flack on other boards as this game became more revealed. Especially on 360 where you need to make a challenging game with mature character/storyline with primary colors if your ever going to get the "kiddie" image dispelled and not have these titles sell so terrible compared to bleak gun toting muted gray games.

[nnthomas]

I'm looking forward for this game. I have never played SO3.

According to TriAce it will take 40 hours to finish, and it is built using the same internal engine used on UI, which was a competent engine, except for lip syncing.

IU was designed by like third-tier Tri-Ace... SO4 has the big guns. It should be a much better product.

[blitz6speed]

IU was designed by like third-tier Tri-Ace... SO4 has the big guns. It should be a much better product.

That remains to be scene. Sales wise, this thing has disaster written all over it. Released in the same time frame as killzone 2, street fighter 4, resident evil 5, etc. Expect it on clearance at target within weeks of release.

[Spoon_si]

waiting for this... Wishes there was above average 2-4 person online co-op RPG coming out that you can adventure together with friends.. that would be insane.. and i do not mean two-worlds.. or a mmo.. lol

[Monsta Mack]

Isn't this supposed to be the last Star Ocean game?
I never played any of the previous Star Oceans, but most of my friends say SO3 was "meh".

I throughly enjoyed Oblivion, Fallout 3, Fable 2 and the only JRPG's I got on the 360 was Eternal Sonata, Enchanted Arms (which I actually enjoyed, so stfu) and Blue Dragon.
I just picked up Lost Odyssey for $20 at the shack but probably won't beat it anytime soon (Still playing the hell out of left 4 dead, have Gears 2 to play a lot of and my wife is finishing Persona 4)

Maybe I'll put this on my wishlist if it gets insanely favorable personal reviews or 9's left and right on Gamespot and IGN.

[MasterSprtn117]

Do you guys think someone who hasn't played any of the Star Oceans would be able to jump into this one? It looks interesting..

[FrankySox]

Do you guys think someone who hasn't played any of the Star Oceans would be able to jump into this one? It looks interesting..

According to the interview over at IGN it says you should be fine.
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/943/943546p1.html

[Spades22]

I've also never played any of the Star Ocean games, but this one has me kinda interested....infinite undiscovery was pretty weak in terms of other RPGs I've played on the 360 though...so I won't be surprised if the game isn't too great.

[willardhaven]

I've said it before but I have to say it here, this might be the game that makes me pick up a 360.

I happen to like SO 2 and 3.

[Hydro2Oxide]

Recently played through "Till the end of time" Which ever one that was and the combat just blew my mind of how fun it was. The ending was totally 'Meh' so I hope they improve on it. From the trailer it looks like the voice acting is going to be bad, but that never bothers me all too much in JRPGs. Anyone know if it has local co-op?

[chubbyninja1319]

I believe I read somewhere that this game does not have local co-op, but i'm not 100% sure.

[ninjaspeedrazor]

I'm looking forward to it, even though the story was on the bad side for SO3 I had a blast with the combat, the item creation was fun too after I figured it out. Now I have to decide between this and RE5.

[Spades22]

In an IGN interview the person said something like "co-op doesn't work well with this form of game" ...so I'm guessing there won't be XD

[rpgamer92]

lost odyssey was one of my favorite Jrpgs. i put about 50+ hours into it and it was great. After that all the rest sucked, IU was somewhat good but got boring really fast, anyways I loved SO till the end of time so i'm having high hopes for this game

[Spades22]

Lost Odyssey was alright, but you must not have played tales of vesperia. IU and last remnant probably did suck though I've never really played more than an hour or two of either game. Tales though is great...and lasted basically twice as long as Lost Odyssey for me. (Probably spent 60 or so hours on lost odyssey and around 100 on tales so far.)

[chubbyninja1319]

Even with the modest praise Lost Odyssey gets from fans, I think that game is greatly underrated. I loved it. IU is okay, but I still haven't played through all of it.

What really annoys me is that, for some reason, my 360 won't play Tales of Vesperia. It wouldn't play the demo or the retail game. The system would freeze up. Ticks me off to no end. This is the only game to every do this and, of course, microsoft had no answer. I could've sent it in for repair, but I just didn't feel like it. I still want to play ToV, though.

If I have similar problems with Star Ocean, I'm gonna jump out of the window then run to Target for a new 360.

[Urashima]

There's a lot that's been implemented in Star Ocean: The Last Hope that I think is going to make it one of the best JRPGs for the 360. Granted, that's not saying much given it's competition, or lack thereof, but after looking around the Japanese SO4 site at [Eternal Sphere] (http://www.eternalsphere.com) and generally keeping track of various articles and such, there looks to be a lot to this game.

A lot has been added into the battle system, like the "Sight In/Sight Out" ability, the BEAT system, and the RUSH attacks/combos. Your ship, the Calnus is fully explorable which allows for Private Actions within the ship, a station for Item Creation complete with a new Welch Vineyard, and even the ability to determine who shares living spaces together, which most likely ties in with Relationship building. You can also fly to and from planets, one of which includes... Planet Roak! (The planet from the First Star Ocean game.)

Not to mention the fact that there is always the requisite Bonus Dungeon, which are always fun to plow through! They usually have some funny/interesting stuff in there, like... IU's bonus dungeon having Capell's fangirl Faina, who was killed in the main story, be the Ethereal Queen. Best twist in the game, imo. ...and such.

I'm trying my best not to get too excited about SO4 like I was with SO3. My overinflated expectations sort of put a damper on the game for me. I still enjoyed it though. Also, the official English SO4 website is here (http://na.square-enix.com/starocean), for those interested. Not much there, but hey, there's always the JP site I linked above.

Ura-

[willardhaven]

As a die-hard PS2 fan I'll be making the jump to 360 specifically for this game.

[gunm]

Some battle scene gameplay.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/44951.html

Textures seem a little soft to me, but looks interesting. Like the last two SE-published RPGs, I'll be waiting for this to hit $40 or less before picking up, though.

[danked]

Isn't this supposed to be the last Star Ocean game?
I never played any of the previous Star Oceans, but most of my friends say SO3 was "meh".

Yes the last one was meh, but fortunately this one has nothing to do with that one and looks much better from the video.

[humidore]

Woo, tig ol bitties. I'm sold!

[Perfect*Ending]

Woo, tig ol bitties. I'm sold!
Look at all those damage they were "racking" up.:D

[dastly75]

Don't know if it's been mentioned but it got a 34/40 from Famitsu.

[will52]

I defiantly want to try it out. Not going to lie, I'm a little apprehensive. 360 needs a few more great JRPG's.

[willardhaven]

It's funny/sad that the 360 is the best current home console for JRPGs.

[depascal22]

It's funny/sad that the 360 is the best current home console for JRPGs.

If you had said that three years ago, Sony fanboys would've tracked you down and had you "silenced".

[sleepy180]

just saw some gameplay movies.

Looks pretty good but something i hate already

fucking doll faced anime shit. All of the character designs make me want to kill things. For some reason i just absouletly hate this style.

[freshzen]

Don't know if it's been mentioned but it got a 34/40 from Famitsu.

That is probably a good sign, I'm still going to wait til this goes budget, and maybe even wait to I can get the guide for a penny =P

[greyzieoriental]

can't wait til this hits the $20-$30 mark
This game does look great though.

[homeland]

can't wait til this hits the $20-$30 mark
This game does look great though.

How long do you think that will take? Tales of Vesperia is still $52 used on amazon. I can't imagine SO going down in price for a long time.

[Spades22]

Ya I'll probably wait till I can get it for 30. Tales probably didn't drop cause its the best RPG on the system by a long shot. And, probably the best RPG I've played in like 2-3 years.

[silent h3ro]

How long do you think that will take? Tales of Vesperia is still $52 used on amazon. I can't imagine SO going down in price for a long time.clearance

[silent h3ro]

Don't know if it's been mentioned but it got a 34/40 from Famitsu.Famitsu has no credibility IMO.

[greyzieoriental]

I'm sure there will be deals on this couple months after release. I'm not a big RPG head as some people, so it wouldn't matter if I had to wait til FFXIII came out to pick this up for that price. And Star Ocean isn't as big in the West as it is in the East. Low sales will bring low prices. I do hope the best for RPG's on the 360 though.

[farfus]

For a game to be released in three weeks it certainly isnt being promoted. It may well be bargin bin stuff fairly quickly just due to lack of promo's...

[Jmac825]

I loved SO3 (played that game into the ground)... and I need a good JRPG for 360, so I might check this one out.

[exileinoblivion]

For a game to be released in three weeks it certainly isnt being promoted. It may well be bargin bin stuff fairly quickly just due to lack of promo's...

I doubt that, I don't really remember TOV being promoted and thats still going at full price. This is a Square Enix RPG and probably going to be one of the best on the system. I don't see you getting a deal any less than $50 on this for quite some time.

I really do hope I'm wrong though, luckily I haven't even started Tales of Vesperia yet so I have plenty of time before I need to pick this up.

[chubbyninja1319]

The lack of marketing is bothering me. I see ad's on 1up and IGN, but that's it. No hype at all at Gamestop. I was hoping for some type of preorder goodie.

Oh well, I can see where SE is probably feeling a little burned by the U.S. response to their recent RPG's, so why would they invest more than they feel they have to? I guess it's up to use to speak out mind using our wallets. I'll get this one the day it comes out. Hell, I paid $60 for Infinite Undiscovery and I don't really regret it.

[Poor2More]

The lack of marketing is bothering me. I see ad's on 1up and IGN, but that's it. No hype at all at Gamestop. I was hoping for some type of preorder goodie.

Oh well, I can see where SE is probably feeling a little burned by the U.S. response to their recent RPG's, so why would they invest more than they feel they have to? I guess it's up to use to speak out mind using our wallets. I'll get this one the day it comes out. Hell, I paid $60 for Infinite Undiscovery and I don't really regret it.

You get a Soundtrack for SO4 when preordering, contains 12 songs I believe

[farfus]

I doubt that, I don't really remember TOV being promoted and thats still going at full price. This is a Square Enix RPG and probably going to be one of the best on the system. I don't see you getting a deal any less than $50 on this for quite some time.

I really do hope I'm wrong though, luckily I haven't even started Tales of Vesperia yet so I have plenty of time before I need to pick this up.

Yeah i just started Fallout 3, being a newbie 360 owner there is lotsa goodness to be had. Ive got my sealed copy of Last Remnant on ebay feel free to pm if interested!

[farfus]

I loved SO3 (played that game into the ground)... and I need a good JRPG for 360, so I might check this one out.

Totally loved SO3 also, really kicks ass!

[Ice2Dragon]

Sigh. No pre order bonus anywhere? Disappointing..

[heavyd853]

The lack of marketing is bothering me. I see ad's on 1up and IGN, but that's it. No hype at all at Gamestop. I was hoping for some type of preorder goodie.

Oh well, I can see where SE is probably feeling a little burned by the U.S. response to their recent RPG's, so why would they invest more than they feel they have to? I guess it's up to use to speak out mind using our wallets. I'll get this one the day it comes out. Hell, I paid $60 for Infinite Undiscovery and I don't really regret it.


I think it has to do more with US sales of RPG's in general.

Aside's from final fantasy titles, recent rpgs really haven't sold comparatively well to just about any genre out there.

It's totally understandable why there would be little hype and less money put in advertising.

[chubbyninja1319]

You get a Soundtrack for SO4 when preordering, contains 12 songs I believe

Where?? I've checked all over and haven't seen anything about a preorder bonus in the U.S. I know Japan has some cool stuff, but...hell...they always do! We're lucky to get the game at all at this point.

[willardhaven]

Japan only for the OST I believe.

I am definitely waiting for a price drop, even though I am dying to play this.

[ninjaspeedrazor]

I'm actually getting very excited for this, every time I play Infinite Undiscovery I just feel like I'm playing a poor man's Star Ocean.

[62t]

looks like SE made some changes to the US version, for the worst

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/02/06/different-region-different-star-ocean-the-last-hope-interface/

[humidore]

looks like SE made some changes to the US version, for the worst

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/02/06/different-region-different-star-ocean-the-last-hope-interface/

Yea, I don't get who they are targeting with these changes. I would think the majority of people buying this are well versed in JRPG's, prefer original artwork/voices and the overall "import" aesthetic. And anyone just picking it up for shits and giggles is not going to know one way or another anyway. Oh well, keep on doin what you do localizers.

[dastly75]

looks like SE made some changes to the US version, for the worst

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/02/06/different-region-different-star-ocean-the-last-hope-interface/

Interesting. I think I might still like the change if it makes it feel more sci fi-ish. That said I'm enjoying Eternal Sonata right now and it has anime style all over.

[danked]

looks like SE made some changes to the US version, for the worst

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/02/06/different-region-different-star-ocean-the-last-hope-interface/

I wouldn't say it for the worst, I think I prefer the English menus, and the character portraits don't look to bad.

[Raconteur]

I prefer the English style over the Japanese.

[greyzieoriental]

As much as I enjoy anime, the english version doesn't seem too bad. They should've included an option for it though.

[elwood731]

It doesn't seem like a bad change except for the last one, which says that they removed character portraits during dialogue. Not a big deal, but the only one I can imagine possibly bothering someone.

[Spades22]

Hmmm the Japanese version kind of reminded me of Tales for a second...but ultimately, I don't actually care XD. Its just the menus and junk so w/e

[MasterSprtn117]

Aw, I like the anime portraits...I hope there's an option to choose between the two.

[Draekon]

It doesn't seem like a bad change except for the last one, which says that they removed character portraits during dialogue.

I concur. The english changes aren't bad, but not having a portrait will bug me when I know there is suppose to be one there.

All I can do is pray that there's an option (which there's likely not at this point) or that it can be patched in if S-E left it on the english disk. Although I doubt they'd actually put in a patch for it.

[ninjaspeedrazor]

I'm not too bothered by the changes, I almost prefer the US version changes that they've made. I'm just excited that the game is coming out, I'm not too picky about the character portraits and what not as long as the core game play is the same, that's what really counts.

[silent h3ro]

It doesn't seem like a bad change except for the last one, which says that they removed character portraits during dialogue. Not a big deal, but the only one I can imagine possibly bothering someone.That would bother me but as long as they show the character's name above the dialog then it's fine imo. And I also think the anime portraits look better, but it's not a big enough difference to be upset.

[Raconteur]

I'm getting excited for this game. It doesn't look epic or anything, but it looks a lot more fun and memorable then the other RPG's we have this gen.

[chubbyninja1319]

I think it has potential to be epic. Hell, I'm probably just wishful thinking.

[Raconteur]

It's up to the story, really. It's too vague at this point to tell if it has any potential. Here's to hoping!

[danked]

I'm really hoping this one is good, the last few SE RPG's were pretty disappointing

[bh7812]

@ Dastly, I'm glad you're enjoying Eternal Sonata! I enjoyed it a LOT. I think it's gotten a lot of unfair bashing and criticism :( I bought it for both 360 and PS3. I liked how they told a type of story that isn't usally told and they did a good job. I hope maybe they will do a "sequel" if you will, focusing on a different composer. To those who haven't played it and have no clue about the game you'll understand why I phrased it like that when you do.

On the topic of Star Ocean 4, I have it pre-ordered and very much looking forward to it. This is the last 360 game I can think of that my 360 needs to hold up through to the end of for me.

Can I ask a question? if no one knows, or can't answer due to NDAs it's ok and the answer certainly isn't a deal breaker but would be very nice if the answer was "Yes".

Is there a song in Star Ocean 4 like the MISIA song in SO3? I think it's a beautiful song and yes it did make me cry. I was hoping ever since I first heard it in SO3 that they would do another song like it in the next SO game.

[Urashima]

I'm not aware of any announcements of a "theme song" like the MISIA one from SO3. The Japanese Site makes no mention of it, anyway. There's three days untill the game's release, so I'm sure if there is, they'll announce it soon.

Ura-

[OatmealMu]

http://www.justin.tv/esegk

Live stream.

[Khalid]

Here is the achievement list if anyone is looking for it.

http://www.xbox360achievements.org/forum/showthread.php?t=126022

[Darkchaos91]

...
achievements for the battle trophies...
Haha...

I wonder how many people will get the full 1000.

[dastly75]

Here is the achievement list if anyone is looking for it.

http://www.xbox360achievements.org/forum/showthread.php?t=126022


FUCK that.

[Draekon]

If I actually end up really enjoying the game, I'll more than likely get 900 gamerscore. Beyond that will be iffy though considering battle trophies are a bitch if they're anything like Star Ocean 3.

[Galego23]

what are "Battle trophies"? I've never played any Star Ocean.

[Monsta Mack]

Saw a bunch of the Live feed, cutscene fever and towns seem huge. Combat seems pretty decent.

Oh and you ride a giant pink bunny sometimes. WTF? lol

[Magus8472]

what are "Battle trophies"? I've never played any Star Ocean.

Combat achievements, basically. SO3 had about 300 of them which ranged from relatively simple (reach level 10) to absurd (50,000 battles, beat optional bosses using only the main character with his starting weapon, etc.). None are strictly impossible but the time commitment involved in doing all of them is staggering.

There's also my personal favorite: 1 million controller inputs.

[Draekon]

Saw a bunch of the Live feed, cutscene fever and towns seem huge. Combat seems pretty decent.

Oh and you ride a giant pink bunny sometimes. WTF? lol

Yep, it's an awesome skill. They had bunny races in Star Ocean 2 and you could call on the bunny to ride around then too. Don't recall in Star Ocean 3, but I'm sure they were there and I don't remember calling any bunnies in the Star Ocean PSP remake, but I think only one person could call them in that game?

I think the voice in Star Ocean 2 said "Come're bunny!" when you called him. Which was awesome.

[Galego23]

Combat achievements, basically. SO3 had about 300 of them which ranged from relatively simple (reach level 10) to absurd (50,000 battles, beat optional bosses using only the main character with his starting weapon, etc.). None are strictly impossible but the time commitment involved in doing all of them is staggering.

There's also my personal favorite: 1 million controller inputs.


Christ almighty and I thought some of the Tales achievements were crazy hahha

[Ice2Dragon]

Those achievements are horrid.

Im still gonna 1k it.

But damn.

[daschrier]

With so many good games to play these days, I don't see how anyone could justify spending hundreds of hours on one game.

[blitz6speed]

HD RPGs have the worst achievments possible, its like they write them at the very last second.

BTW, some fun stats!!!

This game runs at:

1248x702 with no AA on the normal map (running around)

and

882x496 with no AA during battles.

Awesome. So awesome.

[Chacrana]

Dunno if it was posted, but IGN's review is up: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/955/955258p1.html

Gave it an 8.0

I'll wait for the other reviews, since a lot of complaints were levelled at JRPGs in general rather than SO3.

[blitz6speed]

Awesome, if later in the game you want to go back to older planets to do side quests, get new weapons/items, explore, you will be forced to swap discs to whichever disc the planet you want is on. Classy.

[Galego23]

Dunno if it was posted, but IGN's review is up: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/955/955258p1.html

Gave it an 8.0

I'll wait for the other reviews, since a lot of complaints were levelled at JRPGs in general rather than SO3.

Game Informer gave it a 70 out of 100


70
Game Informer
The Last Hope is plagued by a number of problems, but if you can invest the time needed for this game to blossom (that's a big if), the combat system and mysterious plot reward you well for your time. [Mar 2009, p.90]

[silent h3ro]

IGN gave it an 80? That's pretty low by their standards. Either way I'll wait until this game is sub $30, maybe $40 before buying it.

[dastly75]

Sad that there's no japanese voice option, I wish I could import it...

[WormFOODx]

Ahh yes.... the speculation of ratings etc. I for one am going to rent it via Gamefly and if I like it I'll just keep it.

[KingBroly]

One of the major problems with the game is that to revisit some planets, you have to swap discs.

[62t]

wow they took one of the worst feature from legend of dragoon.

[Sarang01]

I'm sure the game itself is most likely good but all this shit I hear coming out about it like Beyond3D saying it's 510p in actual res. Also this switch discs shit is irritating as well. This only makes me happier I've decided to wait for it to release on the PS3.
Obviously the disc problem won't exist there with BR and I'm hoping the extra time EnixSquare has with it will get the res. bumped up to 720p. If the exclusivity agreement with Bioshock is close at all to the one with SO4 which I doubt at the least for here. It may not be the same case for Japan. Regardless I think the devs. will really have time to bump it up for the PS3 version. Hopefully part of the game's audio will be made uncompressed as well. Given I didn't like SO3's dub terribly and don't in general, I'll be importing this unless the PS3 version includes both tracks.
edit: I'm curious about the switch discs bit. Can the whole game area not fit on one DVD9 or are the FMV's making it an issue?

[WormFOODx]

Has IO or TLR hit the PS3 yet? I'm sure if SO4 gets released on the PS3 it will follow those.

Remember, Bioshock going wide was due to the amount of money they made which provided the funding they needed to convert it. If this one doesn't sell well I doubt for a conversion.

[62t]

IU in Xbox 360 exclusive. TLR will be getting a PC and PS3 port.

[Sarang01]

Has IO or TLR hit the PS3 yet? I'm sure if SO4 gets released on the PS3 it will follow those.

Remember, Bioshock going wide was due to the amount of money they made which provided the funding they needed to convert it. If this one doesn't sell well I doubt for a conversion.

Given the pitiful amount of 360's in Japan it WILL come to the PS3, just not to the U.S. necessarily. I will be importing after impressions of it on the PS3. If they haven't fixed the res. problem I might wait a bit unless a shitload of content has been added.

[will52]

Pre-Ordered at EB. Can't wait!

[bjstucker]

I still have my sealed copy of TLR in case this one blows it out of the water (which it prob won't). Is it just me or has Square Enix been slacking this gen? Mistwalker is the new Square.

[willardhaven]

Screw Mistwalker, Namco is the best on 360 w/ ES and ToV.

[Poor2More]

Its Star Ocean nuff said...I got it reserved and cant wait

[DarkRider23]

Its Star Ocean nuff said...I got it reserved and cant wait

No, not nuff said. You still have to switch discs to go revisit some planets. That's god damn ridiculous. Lost Odyssey never did that and it was 4 discs long...

[will52]

IGN gave it an 80? That's pretty low by their standards. Either way I'll wait until this game is sub $30, maybe $40 before buying it.

8.0 they gave it. They gave Tales of Vesperia 8.2 and Lost Odyssey 8.2 also... both great games. For me IGN is usually on the right track.

[silent h3ro]

No, not nuff said. You still have to switch discs to go revisit some planets. That's god damn ridiculous. Lost Odyssey never did that and it was 4 discs long...God forbid you should get off your ass and change discs. It's not that bad. Can't you install the game to the hdd anyways?

[Poor2More]

God forbid you should get off your ass and change discs. It's not that bad. Can't you install the game to the hdd anyways?

Ding Ding....you are correct, I dont understand why folks are complaining about this

[Magus8472]

From what I recall of Lost Odyssey you can only install one at a time.

Or, that is to say, you have to install every disc independently. And still have to change discs regardless.

[Monsta Mack]

From what I recall of Lost Odyssey you can only install one at a time.

Or, that is to say, you have to install every disc independently. And still have to change discs regardless.

Correct, however when you are near "end game" Disc 4 has everything on it so you can visit every place and grind/do whatever quest you want and not have to switch the Disc.

I think that Disc switching is ridiculous to.

After watching the Videos I'm either gonna wait for the price drop or just put my money on ToV. IU and Last Remanant all had sales for $40 within a month if I'm still willing to get this game.

[WormFOODx]

We can go on and on about the disk switching but it doesn't change the fact that people are still interested. SE used to be a stellar company when it came to utilizing the technology but that was because they had dev kits and worked to push the system they were developing on before the system came out (PS1, PS2). This just isn't the case with the Xbox. Forgetting Final Fantasy Online (was a PC title too so it must have been easy to port) they were late jumping on the Xbox bandwagon. It is most likely an Xbox limitation, but since IU hasn't been ported to the PS3 I'm not holding my breath on this one either.

I will wait and see how often I will be switching disks. Now that I know about it I will plan for it in my playing. It doesn't have to be a big deal if I can plan for it. I for one will rent it but the videos look fantastic, regardless of people complaining about the resolution. What is with that anyway? When have us JRPGers been so concerned with resolutions and so on? I play Disgaea 3 and really don't mind that it looks like a PS2 game.

I always thought us JRPG fans were more interested in the story and leveling/character mechanics than graphics, technical limitations and technology in general. Isn't that why we still buy games on the PS2? (Persona 4)

I'm renting first. Most likely buying.

[Zenjiro]

I always thought us JRPG fans were more interested in the story and leveling/character mechanics than graphics, technical limitations and technology in general. Isn't that why we still buy games on the PS2? (Persona 4)





Look at where you are. Who on this site does not whine about such things?

[Sarang01]

I always thought us JRPG fans were more interested in the story and leveling/character mechanics than graphics, technical limitations and technology in general. Isn't that why we still buy games on the PS2? (Persona 4)

I'm renting first. Most likely buying.

Ummm depending on the series graphics can be a staple of said RPG. "Final Fantasy" is one of the BIGGEST examples of this.
While I enjoy Atlus's 3D itinerations of SMT I'd love them even more in HD. The art style begs to be seen in HD as opposed to an UGLY pitbull artwise like Halo or other dully designed FPS's in terms of art. I would pay $60 for a domestic copy of SMT in 3D NATIVE HD.
As for the disc switching issue it really depends on the reference point. If this is not FMV's mainly taking up the disc space and is EnixSquare utilizing HD textures and such for the environments and characters then I'd argue it is definitely a problem and shows DVD limitation. This is especially considered significant since we're talking about J-RPG's, a genre unlike the sandbox. I'm saying this if it's the situation above and NOT FMV's. If it IS the situation(game areas) then it's a problem if one of the least demanding genre's for multi-discs is having to find a workaround like this.

[DarkRider23]

God forbid you should get off your ass and change discs. It's not that bad. Can't you install the game to the hdd anyways?

You can, but you'll still have to switch the disc to play that certain disc.

Correct, however when you are near "end game" Disc 4 has everything on it so you can visit every place and grind/do whatever quest you want and not have to switch the Disc.

I think that Disc switching is ridiculous to.

After watching the Videos I'm either gonna wait for the price drop or just put my money on ToV. IU and Last Remanant all had sales for $40 within a month if I'm still willing to get this game.

Lost Odyssey could pull off using one disc to visit everywhere, so why can't Star Ocean? I didn't really mind switching the discs 3 times to finish up Lost Odyssey, but if I had to switch discs to go back and visit some earlier towns, then that would be stupid. I would have spent about thirty minutes each sitting just switching discs.

[silent h3ro]

You can, but you'll still have to switch the disc to play that certain disc. I did not know that. That would defeat the whole purpose imo. I wouldn't even care about a couple of seconds saved off loads.

[DarkRider23]

I did not know that. That would defeat the whole purpose imo. I wouldn't even care about a couple of seconds saved off loads.

Hey, I hope it's not like that. I'm not even 100% sure if it's like that, but that's what a lot of people have been telling me. If it's like Lost Odyssey where you can go back and visit every place when you are on the last disc, it'll be cool. If not, then it is going to be a major pain in the ass.

[Raconteur]

It's not a big deal really, but it is kind of annoying they didn't tweak that out so you didn't have to switch.

[Draekon]

Lost Odyssey could pull off using one disc to visit everywhere, so why can't Star Ocean? I didn't really mind switching the discs 3 times to finish up Lost Odyssey, but if I had to switch discs to go back and visit some earlier towns, then that would be stupid. I would have spent about thirty minutes each sitting just switching discs.

Lets just hope it means that there's enough diverse content in the game that it wasn't able to fit on a single disk. Though I'm sure that it isn't true, but one can wish. :P

This won't be a big deal to me personally unless I'm forced to change disks every 15 minutes because of side quests or getting materials and such to create items and what not.

[will52]

This won't be a big deal to me personally unless I'm forced to change disks every 15 minutes because of side quests or getting materials and such to create items and what not.


Exactly. Though I can't see this being an issue or IGN would've really spanked them for this in the review.

[Spades22]

Actually in the IGN review, it seemed like the person reviewing never really backtracked in the game. I think he said there was minimal backtracking required in the 40 hours or so that he actually played. So he probably didn't bother going back to get materials/weps or whatever. I'll probably pick this up when it's a lot cheaper. Right now it's too long for me...especially since the save system is so crappy in that you can apparently only save at specific points in the game. On another note, the achievements are some of the most boring ones around...there's no way I'd go for them if I had to constantly backtrack and insert a cd in every town...

[OmniscientlyMe]

You get a Soundtrack for SO4 when preordering, contains 12 songs I believe

I believe I saw that too, for the Japanese version.

IU was designed by like third-tier Tri-Ace... SO4 has the big guns. It should be a much better product.
Despite being a raving tri-Ace fan, I can't stand the tri-Ace dev team that worked on IU. The Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile teams do fantastic work IMO. I don't like that Squeenix's recent flops will hurt them more than anything they're actually responsible for.

As for the disc switching issue it really depends on the reference point. If this is not FMV's mainly taking up the disc space and is EnixSquare utilizing HD textures and such for the environments and characters then I'd argue it is definitely a problem and shows DVD limitation. This is especially considered significant since we're talking about J-RPG's, a genre unlike the sandbox. I'm saying this if it's the situation above and NOT FMV's. If it IS the situation(game areas) then it's a problem if one of the least demanding genre's for multi-discs is having to find a workaround like this.
I still don't understand why MS made it so you have to switch discs for multi-disc games once you install it to the HDD. They should have done what so many PC games do and use disc 1 as a gameplay disc.

[Monsta Mack]

141k first day sales in Japan for this game.
Tops the 105k TLR did in It's first WEEK.
WKC did 207k in It's first week for the PS3, which this probably won't surpass but It's pretty damn big.

[silent h3ro]

It's definitely going to be successful, there's no doubt about it.

[whoknows]

I wish I still had a 360 so badly because of this game.

Oh well...

[chubbyninja1319]

For a little while last week I was getting discouraged. Some things are bumming me out like the scarcity of save points. But, this game just looks so good. I'll get it, maybe not right on the first day.

[Draekon]

I'm thinking of putting together a database of stuff to catalogue everything like quests, items, and stuff seeing as I have a fair amount of free time coming up. If anyone wants to help, they're more than welcome to and will be given credit on a submission basis. However I haven't really decided on the format I'm going to use... so suggestions?

Webpage - Table based webpage (Example (http://www.draekon.com/?pageid=exa); Won't look exactly like that though)
Excel or Document File - Google Docs/Office Live public viewable file or a .doc/.xls downloadable document/excel sheet
Forum Reply - Would be at my forum since it would likely encompass a large amount of data and this would allow it to stay compiled in one area in a clean format.
Other - I dunno?


And no, I don't plan to submit it to GameFAQs or put it into a notepad guide format. Though someone else could do it if they wished after a fair amount is compiled so long as credit is given where credit is due.

[KingBroly]

It's definitely going to be successful, there's no doubt about it.

In Japan maybe....outside of Japan if you're an RPG that doesn't have "Final Fantasy" in the title, you're not selling jack.

[ninjaspeedrazor]

Does anyone know what stores are going to actually have this come Tuesday? I know that Best Buy isn't getting it until Wednesday.

[will52]

I'm hoping this will be in stores Tuesday or Wednesday.

Also, I'm not familiar with all of the tech limitations, but it would be nice if you could install all the discs onto the hard drive and then always have disc 1 in the drive (to verify you have a legit copy, similar to "Play" discs from many PC games). This would completely eliminate the need for disc changing. The only arguement that I could see against this would be people with smaller hard drives. But I guess if you dont want to splurge on a bigger drive, then you are going to be getting off your ass to change discs.


woot 100th post!

[seanr1221]

Think I'll pick this up when it hits 40.

It looks cool, but I have too much to play to sink 50 hours into a game.

[62t]

In Japan maybe....outside of Japan if you're an RPG that doesn't have "Final Fantasy" in the title, you're not selling jack.

Well Star Ocean is one of the few RPG to reach GH that is not Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, or Dragon Quest.

[depascal22]

Don't forget that Xenosaga also hit Greatest Hits.

The game sounds fun but I'm with the majority that this is a <$40 game.

[Reimu]

Did anyone pick this up today? My Gamestop won't be getting their shipment until tomorrow.

[danked]

Heard stores on the east coast had some today.

[The Mana Knight]

I know I rarely post in the 360 forum and such, but I'm beyond hyped about this game. I just love Star Ocean a lot. I'm definitely buying the game this week and absolutely can't wait to play it. I'm really itching for a sci-fi JRPG, and this fits really nicely. :D

[OmniscientlyMe]

I'm hoping this will be in stores Tuesday or Wednesday.

As always, the release day is when it ships, the next day is when it becomes available at retail. So I wouldn't bother looking until Wed, the 25th. Heck, if you're like me you'll want to save your school/work life and wait until Friday night before starting your addiction.

I'm still hoping for the official NA SO4 site to have gameplay info before I buy it.

[AshesofWake]

excited!

[RyuNinja1988]

Hello everyone! I'm picking up my preorder of Star Ocean: The Last Hope tomorrow. This will be the first Star Ocean game I've ever played. If Anyone has any advice or know if what past Star Ocean games I should play or not play or anything that I would help out a Star Ocean newbie like me, just reply to me. Thanks!

[Monsta Mack]

Heard stores on the east coast had some today.

Yeah it was Bizarre. Saw it in Meriden, CT Meriden Mall they had 10 copies. I didn't ask about reserves only or whatever *shrugs*. Still very odd to see a game like this in the stores on a Monday.

[Scorch]

Just a heads up, SE sent my store a bunch of copies that were all missing the first disc. Check your copies before you leave the store!

[Razzuel]

Just a heads up, SE sent my store a bunch of copies that were all missing the first disc. Check your copies before you leave the store!

Wow, that is pretty insane that some copies are missing a first disc. Hopefully that is not a widespread problem.

[Scorch]

Hopefully it's not a widespread problem. A friend picked his up from a Wal-Mart about an hour away and his was fine. Maybe it was just a factory slipup on a few copies.

[will52]

As always, the release day is when it ships, the next day is when it becomes available at retail. So I wouldn't bother looking until Wed, the 25th. Heck, if you're like me you'll want to save your school/work life and wait until Friday night before starting your addiction.

I'm still hoping for the official NA SO4 site to have gameplay info before I buy it.

Yea, I guess realistically it will be in stores on Wednesday. I'm on my college reading week right now, so I was hoping for Tuesday. :lol: Ah well.

[farfus]

Gonna favorite it on Amazon and watch for price drops. Looking forward to see how people like it without a doubt, being a big fan of the series...

[Galego23]

Hello everyone! I'm picking up my preorder of Star Ocean: The Last Hope tomorrow. This will be the first Star Ocean game I've ever played. If Anyone has any advice or know if what past Star Ocean games I should play or not play or anything that I would help out a Star Ocean newbie like me, just reply to me. Thanks!

Like you, I've never played any previous Star Ocean's.. I have a PSP so I've picked up Star Ocean: First Departure(which is a re-make of the first Star Ocean) and then I'll pick up Star Ocean: Second Evolution for the PSP as well, both have gotten pretty good reviews and I'm liking it so far.

I'll probably pick up Star Ocean IV after I finish the enormous backlog of game I have.

[will52]

Anyone picked it up today yet? I'm going to call my EB soon and see if they are getting it early.

[Ice2Dragon]

BB says tomrorow. The release date WAS switched to monday so it was supposed to ship monday and get in tuesday..

Gonna head to the mall EB and see if they have it :(

[Draekon]

Just a heads up, SE sent my store a bunch of copies that were all missing the first disc. Check your copies before you leave the store!

Thankfully mine had it in the case.


Anyone picked it up today yet? I'm going to call my EB soon and see if they are getting it early.

I have it and will give some early impressions tonight before I go to sleep if someone wants.

[YodaEXE]

I have it and will give some early impressions tonight before I go to sleep if someone wants.
Would be nice to hear what you think. I've been keeping an eye on the game and am a bit unsure. I own Star Ocean: Til the End of Time on my PS2, and thought it was a decent enough game, but I'm not sure if I'd want to play another Star Ocean after it.

[drbutchevil]

Started Gamefly last night in hopes of them sending me this cause my local blockbuster rarely stocks JRPGS, worked, its on the way =D yay.

[Urashima]

Would be nice to hear what you think. I've been keeping an eye on the game and am a bit unsure. I own Star Ocean: Til the End of Time on my PS2, and thought it was a decent enough game, but I'm not sure if I'd want to play another Star Ocean after it.

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time wishes it was Star Ocean: The Last Hope.

I bought my copy at a local Game Crazy yesterday and I'm only about 8 hours in, but so far it's been wonderful. The VA is pretty bad, but then again, it's a JRPG, if you've played one, you should not be surprised by it, nor should it prevent you from playing it.

The battles require like a minimum of 5 min in the battle simulator to get a hang of. Blindsiding is a wonderful mechanic, and the RUSH mode attacks are a nice addition too.

I haven't been able to get into the Item Creation very much, but Welch is pretty entertaining anyway. :P

If you thought SO 3 was decent, you'll think SO 4 is at least "good," or worth your time at the very least.

Ura-

[Rodimus]

Started Gamefly last night in hopes of them sending me this cause my local blockbuster rarely stocks JRPGS, worked, its on the way =D yay.

Just checked my account and it's on the way too. Gamefly actually works out good from time to time.

[danked]

Only one problem so far, Why is that earth girl, so annoying, and why would you intentionally make a character that annoying, thoughts of Jar-jar are coming back......

[will52]

I have it and will give some early impressions tonight before I go to sleep if someone wants.


Yea I also wouldn't mind to hear.

Called my Ebgames today (just outside Toronto, Ontario), and they claimed that they got none in their shipment, but will have them in tomorrow for sure. They have lied in the past though...

[Draekon]

Only one problem so far, Why is that earth girl, so annoying, and why would you intentionally make a character that annoying, thoughts of Jar-jar are coming back......

Personally I don't find her to be that annoying. So far it's rather minor on the voice acting and at least you can turn each character off individually in battle from using their voices.

Also it sucks that you can't pause cutscenes. Although when you skip them, it gives a brief text summary of what transpired during the cutscene right after skipping it.

[gunm]

I happened to stop by at my local GS during lunch and they had copies.

I'm gonna wait until a good price drop/sale before picking this up though.

[Magus8472]

Lord, 900 Battle Trophies?

Shoot me.

[danked]

Personally I don't find her to be that annoying. So far it's rather minor on the voice acting and at least you can turn each character off individually in battle from using their voices.

Also it sucks that you can't pause cutscenes. Although when you skip them, it gives a brief text summary of what transpired during the cutscene right after skipping it.

Press the xbox guide button to pause in the middle of a cutscreen, but you know you can skip though some screen by pausing.

Lord, 900 Battle Trophies?

Shoot me.
O That must be why I didn't get the 10% achievement only thought there was 100

[Spartan V07]

Press the xbox guide button to pause in the middle of a cutscreen, but you know you can skip though some screen by pausing.


O That must be why I didn't get the 10% achievement only thought there was 100

How in the world did you get ninja blade?

[Magus8472]

O That must be why I didn't get the 10% achievement only thought there was 100

100 per character.

[Draekon]

100 per character.

And to top it off, you must be controlling that character in battle to be able to obtain their battle trophies.

[danked]

100 per character.

yeah went back and saw that.

How in the world did you get ninja blade?

http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-dw-49-en-70-37ex.html

And some info on board bonues

Blue tiles provide a 10% EXP boost at the end of each fight. You earn them from killing foes with critical hits, which is easiest to do by using Blindsides agains low-HP foes.

Yellow tiles provide a 10% increase in the amount of Fol you earn at the end of each fight. You can earn them by killing multiple enemies with a single attack.

Red tiles restore 1% of each character's Max HP and Max MP at the end of each fight. You earn them by killing a monster exclusively with Special Arts and Symbols.

Green tiles provide 1 additional Party SP at the end of each fight. You can earn one each time you're ambushed

[Suraph]

Having played it for a few hours (and never having played any previous SO) I'd have to say I'm very satisfied with the purchase. Quick question for anyone else who has played a little bit.

(Don't think it's a spoiler at all, but I'll put a tag up anyway to be safe)

Where the heck is the item creation station at Exploration Base (when you first get to it). Can't find it anywhere... (I'm sure it's bloody obvious and I'm overthinking it)

[Spartan V07]

Having played it for a few hours (and never having played any previous SO) I'd have to say I'm very satisfied with the purchase. Quick question for anyone else who has played a little bit.

(Don't think it's a spoiler at all, but I'll put a tag up anyway to be safe)

Where the heck is the item creation station at Exploration Base (when you first get to it). Can't find it anywhere...

you play pdz online? Add me,i play it too!

[Raconteur]

Been watching it a little on Justin TV. Pretty neat, will be getting tomorrow.

[Rodimus]

So, what does everyone think so far? Haven't read too many reactions yet.

[Draekon]

So far my impressions of the game are pretty positive. I just hope it stays that way as I continue through the game. So here's a rundown of the game thus far with my Edge being level 13.



Story is fairly basic and run of the mill so far. Although it's got me wondering on what I will exactly see next, but not to the point of an excited kid in a candy store. Of course general events are predictable all the same as any other RPG, but it shouldn't really be discouraging. Although so far it's always turned out slightly different than what I initially would predict so far.

Character depth seems to be there for the most part. Although some characters pasts seem to only be accessible through certain options you take while on a private action speaking with another character. However I'm only four party members in so far of the eight and since this is an RPG, I could easily see some temporarily leaving. More so since there are nine characters total in this game which only allows you to have eight.

Graphics thus far have been great. Reviews state some rather bland areas later on, but I don't honestly see that as an issue. However when exploring areas, you may experience a very slightly lag while turning the camera. Not really a big deal, but it may get on some peoples nerves as it happens somewhat frequently. Of course it could just be my console having the problem too.

Character animations are kinda stiff, but nowhere near as bad as games like Infinite Undiscovery if you had the enjoyment *cough* of playing. It doesn't really detract from the scenes much, so I'll let it slide. Spell animations have been great so far from the few I've seen.

The battle system is where it really gets interesting. If you've played Grandia or any of the later Tales games, going into battle is as simple as running into an enemy you visually see on the map. Back attacks happen when you get hit by the monster from behind and surprise attacks happen when you do the same to an enemy. There are a few inconsistancies though where you shouldn't get surprised but do and being able to perform a quick dash helps with surprise attacks against enemies.

Beyond that, it's all action based on an open environment once you've established a battle. You have the basic A button to attack and perform your basic combo. Then you have your trigger buttons which you can assign a characters skill to and when you switch to another character, it will switch to their skills to use. Also you have an ability you can perform in battle called blindside, which you have to charge and then tap a direction when an enemy is targeting you and it's graphically shown around your character. If you tap in a direction that's too far away from the enemy, he'll just lose you as a target and you'll not perform the blindside. Finally you have rush which can only be obtained during battle and will reset after every battle. It's an ability that you activate which will allow your character to become immune to knockdown and stun for a short duration. It also has a secondary use which will allow you to obtain large combos with ease, but I've yet to pull it off on anything outside of the battle simulator.

Battling at first seemed easy, but I took it as too easy and toyed around with my first couple battles and ended up getting raped because of it. Since then I've learned to properly fight in battles and haven't really had a problem what so ever. Which ultimately led me to having 140% exp bonus per battle and overleveling by the time I hit the first boss. So I breezed through him only losing half of the controlling characters health through the long battle.

You also have board bonuses which danked mentioned before. They're gained through defeating enemies in certain ways in battle and will carry over to the next battle with the exception of green tiles which are obtained through ambushes from an enemy. Which is basically having multiple enemies on the map next to each other an engaging one, which the second enemy should join in after you defeat the first. You have up to 14 total bonus board tiles at any one time and lose them if you're not careful. I'm not entirely sure how you lose them, but when you do it tends to cause half of the board to fall out at random. Unless you only have a couple, then they're all gone.

The skill system so far is a little different than Star Ocean 1 & 2. Unfortunately I don't remember the specifics of 3, so I can't really compare it to that. Though in the first two you would go to shops and learn stuff like <Whatever> 1-3 and get a group of skills. So far I've found and bought skill books from shopkeepers. Also not every skill is usable on every character, which makes them rather unique. For example, Reimi is the only one who can harvest and Edge is the only one who can smith. Oh and I almost forgot, passive skills must be equipped to gain the effects of them and you're limited on the slots you can use. Each skill can be leveled up using the characters SP they gain from leveling or the party SP which I think is gained from battle and opening chests, completing quests, etc.

Another thing is the BEAT (Battle Enhancement Attribute Type) system. There are three settings you can choose from on each character. Those are strike, neutral, and burst. Of those three you can only level strike and burst, which will level from experience gained in battle. They give characters stat bonuses based on the level of the BEAT you have equipped. However neutral is a little different as it doesn't have a level like the other two. Instead it takes the stats of the other two as bonuses. So you're gaining stats of a Level X Burst and Strike. The only downside to this is that it doesn't level and you don't gain specific bonuses that burst and strike get such as "Increase blindside damage" and "Rush gauge increase up."

Oh and character AI seems to be fairly competant so far. However I am sad that I still don't have a character with a healing symbology (spell) yet. How dare they make me use items. (EDIT: Speak of the devil, the very next battle I learn Healing...)

EDIT: Forgot another neat thing. They have these things called Monster Jewels that you first obtain after you leave the first planet. When you fight enemies, you get a set % of knowledge about them. Once it reaches 100%, you can use a Monster Jewel on that monster and turn it into an accessory which will gain stats based on the monster you put into the gem. Kindof neat.


So in short...
Story: Ok so far
Battle system: Great so far (Although I think I saw an enemy blindside me when I blindsided him once...)
Everything else TBD. (Ain't far enough yet.)

[Reimu]

I'm enjoying the game so far, just beat the first boss.

[chubbyninja1319]

So far it's sounding good.......dammit....I have too many games to play right now!! :)

[Poor2More]

I just beat the first boss, The battle system is deep yet very fun, bonus board is a great idea and seamless in the game, solid 8/10 so far....

[danked]

I'm really enjoying the little things in the battle system, like the bonus board, battle trophies, blindside, Monster Jewels, etc. story seems fairly good so far. just a very fun RPG.

So far it's sounding good.......dammit....I have too many games to play right now!! :)
I know my girl friend just reminded my the RE5 will be out soon, probably just have to beat it quick and jump back to Star Ocean.

[danked]

(Rant) WTF why do all the latest RGP have to have a 5 year old kid as a character, its was retard in Lost Odyssey and Infinite undiscovery, Why god why, It just plain dumb please never again.(/Rant)

[OmniscientlyMe]

Even though I know I'm going to buy it and it will become one of my favorite games, like the others in the series, I refuse to buy it until I get solid info on the Skill and Item Creation systems. And on principle, they should finish the official website already.

Either way, I started Eternal Sonata about 2 weeks ago and want to finish it before starting a new game. Hopefully, I'll have the info I want and maybe a price drop by then.

[zewone]

I beat the first boss thus far.

I'm not really digging the game.

The art direction and the characters are beyond hideous and the voice acting doesn't match the characters at all. It also has very corny dialog. The battle system is decent, but the camera is pretty bad.

The UI is a eye sore and I wish we would have got the Japanese style menus and character portraits. I think I'd like this game a lore more if it was cel shaded. The doll looking characters are seriously making it hard for me to enjoy this game.

I'm hoping it gets better, SO2 is one of my favorite games and I had high hopes for this one. I play it for a couple of more hours tomorrow and see if it catches me, but so far, I'm not sure if I'll make it past disc one.

[Draekon]

I'll tell you now, but you're going to hate the next party member that you come across.

Anyways, have you tried using a fixed battle camera?

Also I actually like the menu over the japanese version. The colors were overly bright in theirs and that tends to get to my eyes. Whether you could change it or not like other SO games, I have no idea.



Game isn't quite as polished as Vesperia, that's for sure. However I'm still finding it better than most of the other crap we've gotten on the console. It's not really any worse than the comedic joke of Lost Odyssey which I know other will disagree with me on.

[Spades22]

Ya, when I saw some of the trailers of this game of some catlike character reacting to a monster, watching the reactions and hearing the voice acting, right then I decided I would not be buying this game right away. It was just soooo bad and annoying. Really, the only 2 RPGs I've really liked so far are Tales and ME. Lost Odyssey was ok, but I also think it was really dull in some areas and disc 2 was plain crap. I don't know how people can even compare that game to Tales...

[Reimu]

I agree that the emotionless, doll characters creep me out.

Also, the auto-targeting system is pretty bad. I can't tell you how many times I get hit because I can't change targets myself.

The camera can be a bit frustrating, but I think I'll adjust to it.

I like the UI, it's pretty and easy on the eyes.

So far, I feel Tales is better. We'll see if that changes later.

[Draekon]

Finally wandered into the creation room, which has probably been available since after I left the first planet (I'm now leaving the second; Second boss was much more difficult than the first).

How it works is, you start up and have two options. The first is "Invent New Recipes" and the second is "Create Items". In the invent new recipes screen, you can put your aquired characters in up to four groups of three. Each have their own pluses and minuses on various types of creation (Smith, Cook, Alchemy, Artistry, Engineering, Crafting, Compounding, and Sense). Then once you've put together the desired group, you click 'start' which will have groups think up new recipes until they can't think of any more. Each rotation of the clock takes 1 Party SP. Recipes that are discovered are completely random and I don't know if it's possible to discover recipes you've already learned. However I do know that you can't discover recipes that are higher than the character's create skill. Since each character is unique, you don't have to worry about leveling up every single character in every type of item creation.

As for the second option, create it's split into the same categories as mentioned above with one exception. Instead of sense, there's synthesis and it doesn't say "Recipes #" next to it like the other seven do. Beyond that it's just about selecting the recipe you want to craft (Greyed out items you don't have the materials for) and it will be crafted. It doesn't look like there's a chance of failure either. As for the stats, rarity, and materials required for the items you crate, they are all listed in the toggle windows.

[will52]

Ebgames are failures. Everyday this week they have said "tomorrow for sure". Today they claim it has been bumped back and they will (read: won't) call when it comes in. I'd go somewhere else but I've already put my money down on the pre-order. Never Again!

[Dijital]

Ebgames are failures. Everyday this week they have said "tomorrow for sure". Today they claim it has been bumped back and they will (read: won't) call when it comes in. I'd go somewhere else but I've already put my money down on the pre-order. Never Again!
Just get your money back then, its your money - they can't say no?

[will52]

Just get your money back then, its your money - they can't say no?

Yea, I'm going tomorrow to either get my game or my money.

[Spades22]

Or, just get your money back when it actually comes, then when you go and pick it up, say you'd like to return it when they give it to you :D

[Draekon]

The fourth destination in game... is... awesome. Well it's an awesome concept that's got me quite excited. Here's to hoping they pulled it off.

But why green hair..?!

[assasin4hire]

The third character you get might be the most annoying party member i've ever seen. As well as having the creepist voice overs i've ever seen.

[Robobandit]

The third character you get might be the most annoying party member i've ever seen. As well as having the creepist voice overs i've ever seen.

I've read that her appearance and way of speaking is explained later.. I'm kind of curious as to what they come up with. I've already muted her battle voice, though :twoguns:

[MSUHitman]

Does anyone have the guide? Is it good or is it subpar like the Tales one was?

[Spades22]

Creepy? In what way? Like...annoying, or no lip synching just volume coming from the character...or what? XD

[Robobandit]

Creepy? In what way? Like...annoying, or no lip synching just volume coming from the character...or what? XD

Completely emotionless.. and the way she talks is somewhat annoying.

[fatbeer]

Does anyone have the guide? Is it good or is it subpar like the Tales one was?

The guide for this game is really good. Walkthrough have detailed maps, good tips/tricks, list all available sidequests/customization during story missions, good private action coverage, and detail monster drop list(good for item customization). I'm not sure how they handle the big sidequests near the end of game. I'm no where close to that area. It seems like you can get all the endings with one shot when I was browsing the last boss section.

[Draekon]

For the most part it seems like the guide isn't really needed. The only difficult part of the game seems to be figuring out where quests start at. Oh and I guess knowing battle trophies beforehand would be nice too.


EDIT: AUUUUUUUUGH ANGEL CHICK VOICE IS THE DEVIL!

[will52]

Finally got the game. It's pretty good so far. I'm 3 hours in and have downed the first boss.

My only complaint so far is the cameras. I think they may have wanted to sit down and play Tales of Vesperia when they were designing the cameras. But I'll get used to it I guess.

Some heals would be nice, but from what I've read that's coming.

[chubbyninja1319]

Just got the game today. Looking forward to digging into it. I wanted to get the guide, but they were sold out. It sounds like this game is selling relatively well. That's good!

[n00bie]

I am just past the first boss as well. Edge is level 9. The camera is about the biggest complaint I have as well, but otherwise the game is great.

[bvharris]

I think I'm probably going to wait for the first good deal I see on this and then jump on it. Not a game I would mind paying full price for per say, but my backlog is so big it will probably be on sale for cheaper by the time I get to it.

Quick question: How familiar will I have to be with the first 3 in order to enjoy this? I own all of them, though it's been years since I played them (making my way - slowly - through the PSP remakes now). Is it a good idea to replay all of them again to refresh my memory, or does IV pretty much stand on its own?

[Draekon]

Quick question: How familiar will I have to be with the first 3 in order to enjoy this? I own all of them, though it's been years since I played them (making my way - slowly - through the PSP remakes now). Is it a good idea to replay all of them again to refresh my memory, or does IV pretty much stand on its own?

Star Ocean: The Last Hope is a prequel to all of them that starts shortly after Earth gains the ability of Warp. Although none of the games need to be played in any specific order anyways. So there really isn't anything specific to worry about.



EDIT: Synthesis is pretty useful, wow. And damn, I'm so close to obtaining all recipes on pretty much all the creation skills but a few I can't learn. I guess they must be found in the game as a recipe memo? (Example: I'm a level 10 alchemist and have 27 or the 28 possible recipes. I've also used all possible character combinations and still can't discover a new recipe for it)

[danked]

I'm really enjoying this game, but damn there are some real retarded parts in the story

[Ice2Dragon]

I really like this game, but damn the trophies are just getting insane... some of them are damn near impossible.

:(

[gobz]

About 3 hours in. The game is lots of fun. I doubt i'll get many achievements but regardless i'm having a blast

[Gamehead]

Is it just me or does anyone else hate the dungeons in the game? They all feel so boring and uninspired. I like other aspects of the game though.

[Rodimus]

I'm about 10 hours in and I'm a little unsure about this game. I like it but I don't love it. So far I don't like any of the characters and the story is just okay. The fighting isn't as addictive as I thought it would be. Plus there's too much shit going on in battles, it's like the game tries to be complex for the sake of being complex. I'll continue to play but if things don't pick up it's going back to Gamefly. Then maybe in a year or two I buy it cheap when I have nothing else to play.

[Draekon]

Figured I'd throw out there that I wrote a post-game review for the game for those interested: http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5576201



Is it just me or does anyone else hate the dungeons in the game? They all feel so boring and uninspired. I like other aspects of the game though.

I don't think they're that bad.

[Gamehead]

Figured I'd throw out there that I wrote a post-game review for the game for those interested: http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5576201





I don't think they're that bad.

The Cardonian Mothership is terrible. It is needlessly long and not interesting at all.

[danked]

I'm about 10 hours in and I'm a little unsure about this game. I like it but I don't love it. So far I don't like any of the characters and the story is just okay. The fighting isn't as addictive as I thought it would be. Plus there's too much shit going on in battles, it's like the game tries to be complex for the sake of being complex. I'll continue to play but if things don't pick up it's going back to Gamefly. Then maybe in a year or two I buy it cheap when I have nothing else to play.

I'm almost at 30hours, the Story is OK, but your right, some of the worst/retarded character I have ever seen, just really annoying and pointless dialogue, I really wish the little girl to shut up or die, is that wrong ?

[assasin4hire]

One major issue i'm having with the game is that the boss fights aren't spaced apart far enough. Story wise they are, but battle wise they're not. I'm finding myself level grinding before almost every single boss because the dungeons are three, or maybe four floors long. At my current point in the game I just finished off Roak and decided instead of doing any side-quests i'll just advance the story a bit. About ten minutes later i'm in a boss fight again.

[Draekon]

One major issue i'm having with the game is that the boss fights aren't spaced apart far enough. Story wise they are, but battle wise they're not. I'm finding myself level grinding before almost every single boss because the dungeons are three, or maybe four floors long. At my current point in the game I just finished off Roak and decided instead of doing any side-quests i'll just advance the story a bit. About ten minutes later i'm in a boss fight again.

The only grind I did was at the very beginning of the game by attacking everything along the way and was level 13 at the first boss. After that I've only fought to get an enemy into the Monster Book or because they managed to attack me while I was going through the place for chests and what not. I didn't have any major problem with any bosses, but there aren't really that many bosses.

All the bosses have ??????? HP and give achievements for them. The rest are just suped up enemies that are more powerful due to different ability sets and their AI set to be more aggressive. I'd probably term them sub-bosses at best as they're nowhere near the same level as a boss except one fight in particular on disk 2. So if anything, I felt bosses were quite far apart and it's nice that each one required a different strategy to defeat without taking forever and a day. Since sub-bosses weren't very plentiful either, I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about either with fighting them so often.

Do you just run through the dungeons without attacking any normal enemies or something then? I'm just curious how you've come to that conclusion as I felt the opposite.



I'm almost at 30hours, the Story is OK, but your right, some of the worst/retarded character I have ever seen, just really annoying and pointless dialogue, I really wish the little girl to shut up or die, is that wrong ?

Well I guess you haven't met the featherfolk party member yet? I found her to be twice as annoying as the little girl. Granted I wanted to choke both just the same.

[danked]

no I just got her, yeah her the cat and the kid, all really retarded, o yeah cant forget Welch, I just glad you don't have to listen to her all the time, but the last few time I try to create there is a dumb cut scene with her.

[will52]

Love the gameplay, wish there was a "No Story" mode. :lol:

I love JRPGs but i can never understand what the characters have to be so lame. To use a bad example, this game would be amazing with the cast of Mass Effect. Hell I'd even settle for Castle crashers characters. Even Tales of Vesperia has annoying characters, but they are great compared to SO4.

Ah well, If it had story, characters and gameplay (which is amazing, cant get enough) that were all perfect, the game would be selling with Halo type numbers.

Still a great game either way.

[Ice2Dragon]

One major issue i'm having with the game is that the boss fights aren't spaced apart far enough. Story wise they are, but battle wise they're not. I'm finding myself level grinding before almost every single boss because the dungeons are three, or maybe four floors long. At my current point in the game I just finished off Roak and decided instead of doing any side-quests i'll just advance the story a bit. About ten minutes later i'm in a boss fight again.

Ive never had to grind, and I've plowed through every boss so far :(

[gunm]

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/46170.html

Sounds pretty good, but I'll wait until it hits that magic $20 or less mark. :p

[Spades22]

I don't even plan on buying this anymore. Initally I was looking forward to it, but after watching some of the characters on some vids, and reading players' reactions towards them, I have no interest anymore. I just know I'll hate the game cause of the characters as for me the characters are really what makes an RPG enjoyable (Well...the story also can't be retarded like in symphonia and the battle system has to be decent). Tales was by far my favorite RPG. The characters were great and all decently developed, and none of them were annoying reallym and if they started leaning on the side of annoying, it turned into more of a funny, cheesy scene or something...

[reicaden]

That review made me think the same.... Target clearance pickup, if nothing else.

[danked]

as much as I hate the Characters its still a really good game, you mite still want to check it out.

[Rodimus]

I don't even plan on buying this anymore. Initally I was looking forward to it, but after watching some of the characters on some vids, and reading players' reactions towards them, I have no interest anymore. I just know I'll hate the game cause of the characters as for me the characters are really what makes an RPG enjoyable (Well...the story also can't be retarded like in symphonia and the battle system has to be decent). Tales was by far my favorite RPG. The characters were great and all decently developed, and none of them were annoying reallym and if they started leaning on the side of annoying, it turned into more of a funny, cheesy scene or something...

I'm the same way. I can't play a 50 hour RPG while not caring for any of the characters. I just don't understand the constant need to pack a game full of teenagers trying to act like adults. I guess since I'm getting older I just can't relate to these characters anymore.

[Raconteur]

I can't even get past the first disc of the game. I'm trying to like it, but can't get into it at all. The characters are boring and I don't feel attached. The story has potential, but they don't make it interesting. The graphics are good but not great, battle system is the only thing I can say is really good, the camera is crappy, and the dialog and sound is crappy.
I don't know if I'll even continue with it. I might play some of the other rpgs first. Not happy with this one..

[The Mana Knight]

I've played this game for a bit. All I have to say is that I'm truly loving it and definitely the best RPG on 360. The storyline is pretty good, characters rock, and the battle system is the most enjoyable in the series. I definitely recommend the game at $60. My only complaint is that the soundtrack just isn't as memorable as Star Ocean 3, but the battles are a lot better.

I feel anyone who likes RPGs should buy the game now.

[Raconteur]

I'd say rent it. With these mixed reviews, you won't know if you love it or hate it until you play through it a bit. No, it's not an awful game by any means, but it may or may not be an enjoyable experience for you.

[Gamehead]

I'd say rent it. With these mixed reviews, you won't know if you love it or hate it until you play through it a bit. No, it's not an awful game by any means, but it may or may not be an enjoyable experience for you.

I think this is how many people felt about SO 3. I know a friend of mine hated that game, but I really enjoyed it. I am liking SO4 now, but I think that I will hate the majority of the characters. A lot of their designs are just bad.

[Raconteur]

I don't hate it, I think I will like it if I put more into it. It's one of those RPGs you have to give or take.

[Setzer]

There are certain aspects about this game that I enjoy but I wish I would have waited to pick it up for $30 or so because its not worth $60, imo.

[Layd Dly]

Is the guide worth picking up for this game, typically i like to collect jrpg guides, but lately they have been crappy, so i wonder if i should bother.

[rodeojones903]

I have only played the game for about 3 hours so far, but am really enjoying it. I just got the third party member and if I didnt have to work tomorrow I would still be playing it now.

I wish that SE would give us the option to have the Japanese audio track with subtitles. The VO is pretty decent for the english version except for Edge. His voice just does not fit.

[daschrier]

Does anyone know if your quest completetion status carries over to a new game?
Surprised that there's no way to see what quests you have completed in the game.

[will52]

Does anyone know if your quest completetion status carries over to a new game?
Surprised that there's no way to see what quests you have completed in the game.

I think once you complete the game you get New game + (of course), and from there your battle trophies carry over.

Correct me if I'm wrong.