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Product Description
From the Manufacturer
Star Ocean overflows with action, exploration, fast-paced combat and an intricate plot, which results in an immensely deep gaming adventure. Character development is versatile and open-ended, allowing for true freedom in character growth through battle. The fully 3D battlefields allow players to move freely and control a party of three simultaneously, utilizing the advanced real-time battle system. Players can execute synchronized attacks and collaborate to unleash a deadly blow to the enemy. While moving from one section of the game to the next, fully polygonal graphics create a magnificent environment for one to explore. The multifaceted story is presented in gorgeous CG movies and event sequences. The entire experience in Star Ocean is also enhanced with Dolby Pro Logic II sound.
Set in SD 772, four hundred years since the climactic battle with the ÒTen Wise Men,Ó humans and aliens now co-exist together in both advanced and less-developed societies, as the Galaxy Federation continues to research the cosmos to gain more influence in Space. The story begins as Star OceanÕs protagonist, Fayt Leingod, brings his family and childhood friend, Sophia Esteed, to the Federation-managed resort planet Hyda for a vacation, but the dreamy holiday is abruptly ended when Hyda is attacked by an unknown space military. In the heat of the attack, Fayt is separated from his family and Sophia, and he begins an emotional quest into the unknown to find his loved ones. Along his journey, he gets caught up in the war of an uncharted planet, but in the end, he learns the terrible untold secret about the world and himself.
Product Description
This action-packed, role playing game is set in the galaxy of the year 772 SD, about 400 years following the events of part 2. In this 3rd installment you play as Fate Linegod, a 19-year-old human who's come to a resort planet for some fun. But as Earthlings and varied aliens seek to coexist you'll delve deeper into a story told through elaborate CG sequences and engage in timing-based battles with countless monsters.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
183 of 190 people found the following review helpful
Fun:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Star Ocean is finally here, the game that we've been waiting for and an RPG that sparks a lot of interest in ways unimaginable. Surprisingly enough, the game is fairly addictive with the themes of a good RPG right off the bat, a good story, loveable characters and a grand battle system.
Star Ocean is a more science fiction like RPG. To put it simple, if you like RPGs and Star Trek, I don't need to tell you to get this game, chances are you'll already have it.
Star Ocean begins with Fayt, a boy staying at a hotel resort with his parents and childhood friend Sophia. Everything is going nice and well until the resort is suddenly attacked by starships. Fayt and company end up having to evacuate the resort but ultimately Fayt is separated from those he loves. Now he is stranded on an unknown planet to fend for himself and find his friends. It starts off nice and simple but as the game goes on the story developes more and becomes a bit more complex than it sounds.
Star Ocean is a little different from the traditional RPG. It eliminates random battles and instead you can see all the enemies running around on the field. Each time you touch an enemy you initiate combat and this is where Star Ocean is the most interesting. The other interesting tid-bit is that its all real time battle, and free roaming. When in battle you can run around as one of three characters freely either dodging attacks or blocking them. This makes the game more fun than it actually sounds.
In battle, each character has a "Fury" gauge. When at 100% the character can attack swiftly without fail, and block certain attacks. The more "fury" you have the more success you'll have in combat. If your characters fury guage reaches 0 then they can't attack. Luckily, the fury gauge fills up very fast when you stand still. You're also not limited to just one character. You can switch from one character to another any time you wish.
Each character also gets "Symbology" which is Star Ocean's form of magic. The magic is diverse in terms of how much there is and what they do (stun enemies, deal wide areas of damage etc.). Some skills cost more than others but its an RPG I'm sure you knew this.
Battles are fun but the game is a challenge. Especially bosses which can be unforgiving at times. It's easy to pick up the battle system, but it could take a moment to master. Dungeons are also overly populated with enemies. This wouldn't be so bad if the dungeons weren't so big, and if the number of items you could carry weren't so limited.
Star Ocean also has an "inventors" system. Each character, playable and non-playable, create inventions based on what they're best at. Some characters are best at cooking and make several different foods. Others are good at smithing and create useful weapons. When an item is "invented" it becomes available to buy. Some characters will create some pretty useless things but it makes the game bigger.
Star Ocean also features a system in which the characters have a hidden attribute as to how much they like you. Depending on the decisions you make will alter what the characters think of you and will also give you a different ending.
The game looks beautiful. Not quite as good looking as previous PS2 games before it, but those who liked the look and feel of Xenosaga will feel right at home. The games graphics look a little anime style with the big eyes and the multitudes of hair. The game is simply gorgeous.
The game also sounds really good. The voice acting is top-notch for a video game and the character voices go along quite well at times. The overall music isn't bad but takes a while to get used to. Not quite as deep as other games but it suits the situation just fine.
The game has A LOT of dialogue and the cutscenes are long but luckily you can skim though most of it without having to listen to each character word for word. If you read faster than the characters actually speak you might want to just turn off the talking all together. You can also skip cutscenes, but at least the game isn't as drowned out in dialogue as several other games out there (Xenosaga anyone?).
Star Ocean is a pretty good game overall. It has a few small problems but as far as games go, it stand above many out there. If you're an avid RPGer you might want to get this game and try it out.
The Good
+Beautiful Graphics
+Voices are pretty well done
+Battling is more interactive and fun
+Good music
+Good storyline
+The game will keep you busy for a while
The Bad
-Dungeons are ridiculously huge
-A lot of talking, making the story pace a little slow
-Most of the gameplay is spent leveling up your characters as opposed to actually advancing the storyline
Star Ocean is a more science fiction like RPG. To put it simple, if you like RPGs and Star Trek, I don't need to tell you to get this game, chances are you'll already have it.
Star Ocean begins with Fayt, a boy staying at a hotel resort with his parents and childhood friend Sophia. Everything is going nice and well until the resort is suddenly attacked by starships. Fayt and company end up having to evacuate the resort but ultimately Fayt is separated from those he loves. Now he is stranded on an unknown planet to fend for himself and find his friends. It starts off nice and simple but as the game goes on the story developes more and becomes a bit more complex than it sounds.
Star Ocean is a little different from the traditional RPG. It eliminates random battles and instead you can see all the enemies running around on the field. Each time you touch an enemy you initiate combat and this is where Star Ocean is the most interesting. The other interesting tid-bit is that its all real time battle, and free roaming. When in battle you can run around as one of three characters freely either dodging attacks or blocking them. This makes the game more fun than it actually sounds.
In battle, each character has a "Fury" gauge. When at 100% the character can attack swiftly without fail, and block certain attacks. The more "fury" you have the more success you'll have in combat. If your characters fury guage reaches 0 then they can't attack. Luckily, the fury gauge fills up very fast when you stand still. You're also not limited to just one character. You can switch from one character to another any time you wish.
Each character also gets "Symbology" which is Star Ocean's form of magic. The magic is diverse in terms of how much there is and what they do (stun enemies, deal wide areas of damage etc.). Some skills cost more than others but its an RPG I'm sure you knew this.
Battles are fun but the game is a challenge. Especially bosses which can be unforgiving at times. It's easy to pick up the battle system, but it could take a moment to master. Dungeons are also overly populated with enemies. This wouldn't be so bad if the dungeons weren't so big, and if the number of items you could carry weren't so limited.
Star Ocean also has an "inventors" system. Each character, playable and non-playable, create inventions based on what they're best at. Some characters are best at cooking and make several different foods. Others are good at smithing and create useful weapons. When an item is "invented" it becomes available to buy. Some characters will create some pretty useless things but it makes the game bigger.
Star Ocean also features a system in which the characters have a hidden attribute as to how much they like you. Depending on the decisions you make will alter what the characters think of you and will also give you a different ending.
The game looks beautiful. Not quite as good looking as previous PS2 games before it, but those who liked the look and feel of Xenosaga will feel right at home. The games graphics look a little anime style with the big eyes and the multitudes of hair. The game is simply gorgeous.
The game also sounds really good. The voice acting is top-notch for a video game and the character voices go along quite well at times. The overall music isn't bad but takes a while to get used to. Not quite as deep as other games but it suits the situation just fine.
The game has A LOT of dialogue and the cutscenes are long but luckily you can skim though most of it without having to listen to each character word for word. If you read faster than the characters actually speak you might want to just turn off the talking all together. You can also skip cutscenes, but at least the game isn't as drowned out in dialogue as several other games out there (Xenosaga anyone?).
Star Ocean is a pretty good game overall. It has a few small problems but as far as games go, it stand above many out there. If you're an avid RPGer you might want to get this game and try it out.
The Good
+Beautiful Graphics
+Voices are pretty well done
+Battling is more interactive and fun
+Good music
+Good storyline
+The game will keep you busy for a while
The Bad
-Dungeons are ridiculously huge
-A lot of talking, making the story pace a little slow
-Most of the gameplay is spent leveling up your characters as opposed to actually advancing the storyline
38 of 41 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
I, being lucky enough to live a scant 45 minutes by public transport from Den-den Town in Osaka, did go to the Star Ocean III exhibition in front of the Sofmap. The demos had a selection screen at the start - skip cut scenes, mono/stereo sound, the infamous difficulty levels (Earth, Galaxy, and Universe), and about three other selections - curiously enough ALL listed in English with Japanese explanations down in the lower right. Good to see that the folks at Tri-Ace were thinking ahead for the English release.
The demo starts out with the main character, Fate, talking with his friend Sophia inside a seaside resort hotel. When they're done talking, you get to go out into the main lobby and explore the main hotel area. I, not knowing where specifically I was supposed to go, went downstairs to the beach, ran into Fate's parents at the beach, then went back inside. Souffle, the cutesy gypsy child, had an equally cute voice, yet blessedly not too terribly annoying. Shades of an early Private Action ensued. After she cheerfully signed the bottom of Fate's shirt with her name and picture (to which Fate freaked about, since Souffle signed on the BACK of his shirt) and was convinced that Fate and Souffle weren't thieves or stalkers, she gave them free tickets to her troupe's show.
After that, you go into the game rooms for battle simulation practice. The tutorial is beautifully done, and my only regret was that I had to skip through it in order to cram in as much playtime as possible. It was just as well - anyone who's played Star Ocean II will pick up on the commands supremely quickly. Circle does a regular attack - X seems to do a bonus attack of some sort, R allows you to switch between Fate and Sophia. Sophia's physical attack power, incidentally, is totally non-existent (she's the stereotypical obligatory healing magikul girl), so I stuck with Fate while fighting.
The upper right corner of the screen had an incredibly handy map - blue spots were your controlled characters, red spots were the enemies (or vice versa - can't remember which right off hand), so even if you can't see one of your allies, you know if they are getting swarmed. The Heat-up bar did SOMETHING, but heaven knows I couldn't read what fast enough. It broke during one of my tutorial fights, sooo...For the battle system, the familiar ring menus, activated by the Triangle button, have been replaced by a cycling list of options - Escape, Heraldry, Item, Tactics, and two others which I can't recall at the moment because they weren't actually available.
So, in summation:
- I'm still clueless about the Heat Up and Guts gauges. Fate's Guts meter always seemed to be stuck below 10% when I was whacking stuff with him.
- Sophia. 120 HP (250 MP, as an aside) Fate, in contrast, had 350 HP, 90 MP. Yeah.
- The graphics rock, especially with the 3D environments and the cut-scenes. The game will also suppot progressive-scan (480p)for a super shap display.
- The voice acting and music also rock and supports Pro-LogicII sound.
- The story looks like it will rock (I'm not sure, because I couldn't read it since I was 1) under time constraints, 2) the guys ahead of me in line just blipped through the dialogue, and 3) I read really slowly in Japanese.)
- The battle system REALLY rocks.
- Seems pretty importer-friendly for English-speakers with the placement of what English is there in the game. Woohoo, I can't wait!
The demo starts out with the main character, Fate, talking with his friend Sophia inside a seaside resort hotel. When they're done talking, you get to go out into the main lobby and explore the main hotel area. I, not knowing where specifically I was supposed to go, went downstairs to the beach, ran into Fate's parents at the beach, then went back inside. Souffle, the cutesy gypsy child, had an equally cute voice, yet blessedly not too terribly annoying. Shades of an early Private Action ensued. After she cheerfully signed the bottom of Fate's shirt with her name and picture (to which Fate freaked about, since Souffle signed on the BACK of his shirt) and was convinced that Fate and Souffle weren't thieves or stalkers, she gave them free tickets to her troupe's show.
After that, you go into the game rooms for battle simulation practice. The tutorial is beautifully done, and my only regret was that I had to skip through it in order to cram in as much playtime as possible. It was just as well - anyone who's played Star Ocean II will pick up on the commands supremely quickly. Circle does a regular attack - X seems to do a bonus attack of some sort, R allows you to switch between Fate and Sophia. Sophia's physical attack power, incidentally, is totally non-existent (she's the stereotypical obligatory healing magikul girl), so I stuck with Fate while fighting.
The upper right corner of the screen had an incredibly handy map - blue spots were your controlled characters, red spots were the enemies (or vice versa - can't remember which right off hand), so even if you can't see one of your allies, you know if they are getting swarmed. The Heat-up bar did SOMETHING, but heaven knows I couldn't read what fast enough. It broke during one of my tutorial fights, sooo...For the battle system, the familiar ring menus, activated by the Triangle button, have been replaced by a cycling list of options - Escape, Heraldry, Item, Tactics, and two others which I can't recall at the moment because they weren't actually available.
So, in summation:
- I'm still clueless about the Heat Up and Guts gauges. Fate's Guts meter always seemed to be stuck below 10% when I was whacking stuff with him.
- Sophia. 120 HP (250 MP, as an aside) Fate, in contrast, had 350 HP, 90 MP. Yeah.
- The graphics rock, especially with the 3D environments and the cut-scenes. The game will also suppot progressive-scan (480p)for a super shap display.
- The voice acting and music also rock and supports Pro-LogicII sound.
- The story looks like it will rock (I'm not sure, because I couldn't read it since I was 1) under time constraints, 2) the guys ahead of me in line just blipped through the dialogue, and 3) I read really slowly in Japanese.)
- The battle system REALLY rocks.
- Seems pretty importer-friendly for English-speakers with the placement of what English is there in the game. Woohoo, I can't wait!
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By John. N
Fun:
4.0 out of 5 stars
First of all, I am so tired of how people think Square-Enix made this game - NO! Square-Enix did not make this game, they only presented it and slapped their logo on it (which isn't a bad thing, as Square is awesome), but give credit where it's due people! Okay, my rant is over, I'll begin the review.
Being a fan of Star Ocean: The Second Story that I am, the debut of Star Ocean 3 is the one of the reasons I finally broke down and brought a PSX2, even if the hardware is the weakest of all the systems, both in in power and durabilty.
On the positive side, Star Ocean 3 improves on its predecessor in many ways. Unlike Star Ocean 2, everything is now 3D (could you imagine if Star Ocean 2 was fully 3D on the PSX, the PSX would probably burst into flames trying to play it!) While the graphics are good, they never quite reach the level of other RPG's such as Xenosaga or Final Fantasy (there are some obviously cut corners). This, however, is understandable as combat is much more chaotic, being there is much more going on on-screen at any given time in Star Ocean than either of the afformentioned titles. The fact their is no slowdown during battles is also a testiment to the game overall (the same can't be said for the rest of the game however).
Combat has always been Star Ocean's claim to fame, and this installment delivers in spades. While combat was extremely fun in Star Ocean 2, it was rather simplistic in nature as it mainly consisted of pushing buttons to preform special attacks to maul your opponent. Star Ocean 3 adds an entirely new layer the combat system with the addition of a fury meter (which is a fancy word for a characters' or enemy's stamina). No longer can you attack rerentlessly without pausing for a short break for your character to catch their breath. Fury also acts a blocking and counterattack measure as well, forcing players to use their heads instead of mashing buttons.
Item creation, Star Ocean's other claim to fame, has also recieved another impressive upgrade, now allowing you to customize your weapons and armor with various effects and factors. You can also hire people to create items for you while your exploring dungeons and the like.
Unfortunately, as far as Star Ocean 3 climbs, their are a few things that hold it back. The fact you can only use three characters in battle (compared to four in Star Ocean 2) is a bit of a letdown. Overall the game itself it pretty easy (the story portion of the game that is - say your prayers for some of the optional areas within the game).
Star Ocean 3's story is probably the game's biggest stumbling block. It's not the story is not good (although it is slow to develop, just like in Star Ocean 2), but it's this element of the game that will ultimately end up being the deciding factor if players will enjoy Star Ocean 3 or not (I know it was for me - I liked the story and it's various twists, but then at the same time I didn't ~ talk about an enigma!).
I definately would recommend Star Ocean 3 to any RPG fan, especially since there wasn't a new Final Fantasy title in 2004, but again, this game is not for everyone.
Being a fan of Star Ocean: The Second Story that I am, the debut of Star Ocean 3 is the one of the reasons I finally broke down and brought a PSX2, even if the hardware is the weakest of all the systems, both in in power and durabilty.
On the positive side, Star Ocean 3 improves on its predecessor in many ways. Unlike Star Ocean 2, everything is now 3D (could you imagine if Star Ocean 2 was fully 3D on the PSX, the PSX would probably burst into flames trying to play it!) While the graphics are good, they never quite reach the level of other RPG's such as Xenosaga or Final Fantasy (there are some obviously cut corners). This, however, is understandable as combat is much more chaotic, being there is much more going on on-screen at any given time in Star Ocean than either of the afformentioned titles. The fact their is no slowdown during battles is also a testiment to the game overall (the same can't be said for the rest of the game however).
Combat has always been Star Ocean's claim to fame, and this installment delivers in spades. While combat was extremely fun in Star Ocean 2, it was rather simplistic in nature as it mainly consisted of pushing buttons to preform special attacks to maul your opponent. Star Ocean 3 adds an entirely new layer the combat system with the addition of a fury meter (which is a fancy word for a characters' or enemy's stamina). No longer can you attack rerentlessly without pausing for a short break for your character to catch their breath. Fury also acts a blocking and counterattack measure as well, forcing players to use their heads instead of mashing buttons.
Item creation, Star Ocean's other claim to fame, has also recieved another impressive upgrade, now allowing you to customize your weapons and armor with various effects and factors. You can also hire people to create items for you while your exploring dungeons and the like.
Unfortunately, as far as Star Ocean 3 climbs, their are a few things that hold it back. The fact you can only use three characters in battle (compared to four in Star Ocean 2) is a bit of a letdown. Overall the game itself it pretty easy (the story portion of the game that is - say your prayers for some of the optional areas within the game).
Star Ocean 3's story is probably the game's biggest stumbling block. It's not the story is not good (although it is slow to develop, just like in Star Ocean 2), but it's this element of the game that will ultimately end up being the deciding factor if players will enjoy Star Ocean 3 or not (I know it was for me - I liked the story and it's various twists, but then at the same time I didn't ~ talk about an enigma!).
I definately would recommend Star Ocean 3 to any RPG fan, especially since there wasn't a new Final Fantasy title in 2004, but again, this game is not for everyone.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
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Perfect!
Came in pretty early. Thanks for the fast shipping! Five star for sure. I'll be possibly ordering from you in the future.
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Huge, memorable, great JRPG
Wow, this was a HUGE game. I finished Star Ocean Till The End of Time in 228 hours, over a few months. Read more
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