Even though the Star Ocean franchise
is not well known in the United States, in comparison to Final Fantasy, it is
one series that is not to be dismissed. The Star Ocean games play by a different
set of rules and that was made apparent with the release of the first game in
1996. Unlike most RPG’s out at the time, all battles were handled in real time
instead of being turned based. The series stood out even more with the release
of the second game by adding a bundle of new features such as item creation. It
was these features that made these games stand out from the crowd.
The story for Star Ocean: The Last
Hope is actually a prequel to the previous three games in the series. This was a
very wise choice on the developer’s part since most people that own a Xbox 360
might not be familiar with the previously games in the series. This game takes
place twenty years after the conclusion of World War III which has left the
planet in a nearly inhospitable condition. Mankind is now looking towards the
stars to find new planets to colonize and hopefully redeem mankind from the sin
of nearly destroying Earth.
Players take on the role of Edge
Maverick who has been assigned to a ship to help find a new home for what is
left of Earth’s inhabitants. Like all games, things do not go as planned from
the minute the mission launches. During the warp flight all of the ships on the
mission are attacked and they crash land on a mysterious planet. It is up to
Edge and his childhood friend Reimi to find out what happened and solve a bigger
mystery that they get involved in.
Even in the future they still watch TV
Players will really hate the pacing
in this game, and this is caused by a couple of issues. The first issue is the
lack of save points found in the game. Certain times in the game, players will
be forced to explore a never ending dungeon for several hours without the safety
of a save point in site. This can be very distressing to people who are "completionists,"
as they run the risk of dying in battle and having to search every aspect of the
location they are in.
The next issue is the way the story
is presented. At times players will be exploring and come upon an enemy, defeat
it, and are stuck watching an unpauseable cut scene that might last more than 30
minutes. If players were given the option to save anywhere (like the majority of
the games released) this would be avoided because players are always scared they
might lose their place in the game and have to start all over again.
While the story is not overly
original, what keeps players coming back to play this game is the combat engine.
Like previous games in the series all battles are handled in real time. Not only
that but players can pause the action and bring up a menu where they can issue
specific commands such as using items and using specific spells such as heal.
What makes all this even better is that there are no random battles. Players
will be able to avoid any enemy they do not want to fight by staying away from
them. Gamers will be able to have four characters on the battlefield with them,
and can control any one of them at any given time. The AI in this game is really
good and helpful in the fights instead of draining away their precious mental
points they will usually save them for emergency situations.
Players will love the new additions
to the Star Ocean gameplay: Rush mode, jumping, blindside system, and bonus
board. Each player can unleash a special attack by building their rush gauge.
Players can build this gauge up by doing normal attacks, blocking, or getting
hit by an enemy. As soon as the gauge reaches 100% players will be able to
activate Rush mode and inflict more pain. For the first time players will be
able to jump during a battle, this one move can prove to be very strategic.
Players can now dodge an enemy attach by jumping around it, or even try to get
behind the enemy to dish out even more damage.
Gotta love the variety of locations found
in this game
The blindside system is one of the
best features in the game, and makes the battle engine even more fun. A
blindside is here players can avoid an enemy attack and get behind. Once there
players can unleash devastating attacks that cannot be counterattacked and
usually cause critical damage. It is always fun to see how many blindsides can
be performed during a fight.
What truly makes the battle engine
fly is the new bonus board. On the right hand side of the battle screen players
will see a board that can accumulate different colors jewels. The jewel colors
correspond to accomplishing various skills during the battle and give a specific
award. For instance the blue color jewels are award for killing an enemy with a
critical attack and gives players 10% boost in experience points. On the other
hand the pink is given when players defeat an enemy using nothing but special
attacks and gives 1% healing points to the entire party when the battle ends.
Players can fill the entire board with these jewels and gain many rewards. As
players can imagine, this really helps players power level their characters
throughout the game.
The graphics for this game are
pretty good. Even though the character designs contain many of the JRG cliques,
it still looks good on the screen and while it is in action. What is truly great
about this game is the variety of locations players will go through during the
course of the game. Players will transverse through caves, jungles, blizzards,
beaches, towns, and more. Each location looks completely different then previous
one. It is always nice playing in a variety of locations as it keeps the game
fresh. The animated cut scenes for this game are really well done, and have a
high production value.
The special effects of this game stand out
To the disappointment of many fans,
this game does not have a Japanese audio track. Players are stuck with the
sub-par English only audio. Thankfully the developers included the option to
include subtitles so if the voices get overly annoying, gamers can mute the TV
and read what is going on. The soundtrack to this game is really good and fits
with the overall theme of the game. The sound effects are decent as well, but
are nothing players have not heard before.
If players are completionists they
will love this game. It has tons of things that will keep them busy for months
on end. First off there are numerous side missions and bonus bosses that they
can attempt to defeat. Then there is the item creation system that will allow
players to mix any ingredients and depending on their level come up with some
interesting items. Also there are various endings players can get, and it will
take multiple play thoughts to see them all. In other words players will be able
to get as much from this game for as much time as they put into it, and that is
a good thing no matter what type of game players have.
One of the biggest annoyances in
this game is the disk switching. When players get to the last disk, they will
notice that it is jammed packed full of cut scenes. This is especially true
since there are multiple endings available in this game. Players will soon find
out if they want to go to a planet that is featured earlier in the game they
will have to physically remove the disk and put in another disk. This is not
that big of a deal unless players plan on doing a lot of backtracking, but
nevertheless it is still agitating.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope is rated
Teen. It contains alcohol references, fantasy violence, mild language, and
suggestive themes.
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Gameplay: 8.6
The combat engine in this game is really good.
Even after fighting scores of enemies, players will still want to engage in
battles just to pull off some of the really fun combo’s they have available to
them. Players will love the way that they can level up characters quickly.
Graphics: 8.0
The graphics are not as stunning as players would expect them to be. The game
does look nice but it does not "pop" as much as other games currently on the
market. On the positive side, the framerate is always top notch, and players
will get to see a wide variety of locations to explore and do battle in.
Sound: 8.0
It is a shame that the original Japanese voices are not included in
this game. All players are left with is sub-par English voice acting, but at
least there are subtitles included. The soundtrack is good and has a nice
lasting effect while playing the game.
Difficulty: Medium
The game is only as hard as player make it. When players launch the
game they have up to four (two are unlockable) different difficulty levels. They
range from easy, which hand-holds the players throughout the entire game, to
extremely challenging.
Concept: 7.5
The combat engine and the ability to craft new items is one of the best
things about this series and players will love exploring all of the
possibilities.
Overall: 8.3
Star Ocean: The Last Hope is a fun game that will keep players occupied
for days on end. There are so many things to do with the various endings and
side missions players can embark upon. Even though there are a few issues, they
can be overlooked by the sheer fun players will have with this game.
