Star Ocean: The Last Hope Review

By Simon Parkin Published 9 June, 2009

Adrift.

Version tested: Xbox 360

There are 95 active-duty astronauts currently at NASA, but with only one or two shuttle missions a year, most of them will never leave the earth's atmosphere. Whereas the space race once rocket-propelled scores of men, women, dogs and monkeys up through the stratosphere, space-exploration is too unprofitable and its benefits too indefinable to justify the enormous expense these days. And yet humanity still enjoys a common sense that beyond the confines of our planet there lies a universe of opportunity and bright discovery. This yearning for the stars broadens the boundaries of our stories and even the horizons of our games: once we've flown across Super Mario World where else can one go but the Super Mario Galaxy?

But those hoping that the JRPG's escape from the confines of terra firma might loosen its tight, divisive conventions will be disappointed. Star Ocean has always been aptly titled. Here, the great expanse of space assumes the exact role of a Final Fantasy ocean - a transitional area to be traversed en route to the business proper of exploring, fetching and grinding on new lands. Sure, the SRF-003 Calnus blinks and hums with Kubrick-esque flair, the saturated purples and whites of its sheen plastic interior a far cry from the creaking timber of a Dragon Quest galleon, but peel back the metaphor and you'll find familiar, antiquated systems churning underneath.

Even so, this is one of the best-looking science-fiction RPGs yet seen, trumping even Mass Effect for imagination and realisation of its worlds. The planets you visit are gigantic and vivid. A white granite castle pokes its parapets out from a duvet of snow, a half-mile of frozen lake a bedspread before its drawbridge in a scene of arresting composition. On another planet, a brilliant sun warms the thick foliage of a jungle that shimmers in the wings of its insects and, much later in the game, a return to a post-World War III planet Earth is a glorious highpoint. This most recent title in Enix's sci-fi series, a prequel to Till the End of Time, offers the most diverse clutch of planets yet, even if it struggles to fill them with people or stories of much variety or interest.

Much of the game will have you traipsing across these grand vistas for small errands: rescuing a young girl's missing cat, tracking down a remote mage who may know a recipe to cure a village fallen to illness. On both the micro and macro scale the drama fails to inspire, doubly so as it's elaborated by cut-scenes that long outstay their welcome, full of protracted dialogue that does little to provide depth to its characters and much to irritate or bore the audience. By far the best way to ingest the story is by skipping every cut-scene, a choice that summons a two-paragraph summary of the scene to screen. These give a succinct, well-written overview of where the game's headed, illuminating the plot where sometimes the overblown cut-scenes obscure it.

'Star Ocean: The Last Hope' Screenshot 1

Every shop you visit optionally issues inventory requests, requiring you to find, buy or mine specific resources to create items they want to put on sale.

The game follows the long-established JRPG flow, presenting a huge environment to explore, tailed by a dungeon that mixes combat with gentle puzzling (find the crystals to move the blocks to create the platforms to meet the boss). However, each section in the sequence is magnified and elongated so that some of the core missions take literally hours to complete. There's nothing wrong with this per se, but sparse save-points combined with a high battle rate and copious backtracking make the sheer scale of proceedings a negative. Who, having defeated a dungeon's final boss, expending most of their valuable resources in the process, then cherishes a 20-minute trek across hostile terrain back to their spaceship?

Fortunately, the battle system is not only the best yet seen in a Star Ocean game but also one of the best seen in any JRPG to date, and its competence does much to temper wider frustrations with the game. As with the recent Tales of Vesperia, you enjoy direct control of a single character in a 3D space, free to flank and gang up on enemies as in any fast-paced action game. While your party consists of four characters, you take direct control of just one, the other party members behaving competently as per AI instructions you've preset.

Holding down the B button at any point will ready your character for a 'blindside' manoeuvre, which, combined with a tap of the directional button at the moment of an enemy attack, enters a slow-motion mode as your character nips behind the enemy to land a critical blow. Combined with selectable chain combos on the trigger buttons, as well as a range of different skills that can be called up and executed via an in-battle menu, you have a pleasing amount of freedom during combat, which equally tests strategy, precision and timing.

A bonus board, consisting of 14 tiles, sits on the right-hand side of the screen, This fills up with tiles of different colour when you meet certain conditions during battle (e.g. finishing an enemy with a critical blow) and offer modifiers on your experience or money earned during fights. The board clears of tiles when you take a critical hit, so, as well as all of the other considerations in battle, you must attempt to make your bonus board as well-connected as possible while avoiding hard hits from enemies.

Character-customisation throughout the game is another strength. Skill points can be spent purchasing and upgrading a huge variety of active and passive skills on a per-character basis. Opening treasure chests and completing side-quests earns skill points which can either be spent on levelling up these abilities or in the game's inaccessible but ultimately rewarding item-crafting mini-game. As such every action feeds cohesively into building a personalised team. 15 hours in, the range of attacks and possible chains is vast and, far more so than in many RPGs, each character in your squad feels like the sum total of your decisions.

Characters earn trophies for performing certain feats in battle, landing 10 consecutive hits unassisted, dealing exactly 55 points of damage and so on. Each character has 100 of these trophies to collect, which contribute to real Xbox Achievements for collecting the set. This sense of achievements within achievements characterises the detail of the game, which is awash with collectable items and quests. You're encouraged to collect monster data on all 154 enemies in the game, find the schematics of every spaceship in the universe (by hacking into computer consoles wherever you find them), and craft and investigate all 147 weapons in the game. The result is a gigantic raft of concurrent micro-missions that the conscientious player must juggle in their mind if they're to fully complete the game and earn all of its hard-won Achievements.

'Star Ocean: The Last Hope' Screenshot 2

tri-Ace has perfectly placed the game camera just low enough to the ground and far enough away from your team to heighten the grand sense of scale of the environments.

But there's a sense that in spending so much time on the detail, Square Enix may have lost sight of the bigger picture. At least half of the game's quests are optional, as are all of the collectables, crafting recipes and customisable skills for characters. Sidestep these attractions and you're left with a gargantuan shell of a game, one whose story is too drawn out to gain momentum and whose characters are little more than personal mannequins to be clothed with your chosen items and abilities.

The best science-fiction pays equal attention to the direction of its fiction as to its detail but Star Ocean: The Last Hope succeeds only in the latter area, and even there, only in part. There are good lessons to be drawn: the battle system is magnificent and the experience as a whole offers a compelling journey for the collect 'em up completist. But if this truly represents Square Enix's last hope for the science-fiction RPG, then it's highly unlikely it can endure as well as their final fantasy for the Tolkein epic. Like NASA's astronauts, we may simply be destined to spend our future not being in space.

6 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Simon.

About Simon Parkin

Simon Parkin is an author and journalist on video games. A regular contributor to Eurogamer since 2005, his work has also appeared in Edge, The Telegraph, Gamasutra and Boing Boing.

Read more articles from Simon by visiting the Simon Parkin archive page.

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Comments (105) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • Wastelander #1 3 years ago

    Quite a positive review for the score it got.
    Dunno though, I'd need to try it to see if I got on with the battle system.

  • caligari #2 3 years ago

    What is this emo sh*t?

  • penhalion #3 3 years ago

    Totally agree with this review. I bought this last friday and it's pretty weak as RPGs go. When the epic battles get started, you are left feeling that you just plain don't stand a chance. There could have been so much more to this game. I would have loved to have seen ship to ship battles and actual side quests that made a frak of difference to the story. You never feel like you are making headway and you never feel like you can make a difference. Always following in Crowe's much bigger and flashier footsteps!

    Epic fail sadly....

  • Hunam #4 3 years ago

    "tri-Ace has perfectly placed the game camera just low enough to the ground and far enough away from your team to heighten the grand sense of scale of the environments."

    Urm, it's the worse camera in modern gaming bar none.

  • systems #5 3 years ago

    Doesn't read like a 6. So it's massive and has the best ever JRPG combat system, but it's no good because everything is optional?

  • rotmm #6 3 years ago

    Yet another negative 360 review from the PlaySlaves at Eurogamer.

  • Darren #7 3 years ago

    So another passable J-RPG arrives on the Xbox 360 to join the technically broken and dull The Last Remant and the promising but I'm-sorry-I-just-didn't-like-it-at-all Lost Odyssey. Star Ocean doesn't sound particularly good from the EG review, bar the combat system, and I've never played the previous games so I may as well give this a miss.

    I'll wait for Tales of Vesperia instead I think, that looks like it could be as good as Eternal Sonata... and Final Fantasy XIII is coming to the 360. Seems like I'll eventually see some really good J-RPGs on the 360, I just have to be patient...

  • NotSoSlim #8 3 years ago

    Game is poor, simples. Bought it Friday and it went back Saturday

    Totally hate the battle system but thats just me

  • muscleblade #9 3 years ago

    Tales of Vesperia seems like a better choice. Even Sacred:Fallen Angel might be better.

  • anomagnus #10 3 years ago

    bought the game without the review.

    so far, seems fun, better than infinite undiscovery, not as good as lost oydessy

    if you think you'll enjoy jrpgs, i'd give it a go

    i enjoy the battle system

    like any rpg, i'm wary of snap judgments. this review, and some of the comments here, reek of them

    I'm curious about what he means by high battle rate. You can avoid any battle you want. It isnt final fantasy 7, there are no random battles. You can run around any battle you want
    Edited by 1 at 09/06/09 @ 11:19

  • creepylizard #11 3 years ago

    I think the impossible has happened and I've fallen out of love with jrpgs....I don't know whether thats because they don't make good ones anymore or if its just because I only have a 360 though...
    I didn't like lost odyssey or blue dragon either..
    Edited by 1 at 09/06/09 @ 11:18

  • alimokrane #12 3 years ago

    I wouldnt go as far as labelling the combat as the best ever, absolutely not, in fact it's far from it. The game has a serious issue with difficulty & balance. Voice acting is hedious and with the near total abscence of facial animations, the cut scenes are a pain to watch. I am not sure this is better looking than Mass Effect either. it's an OK RPG to be honest, far far from Tri-Ace's best.

  • andywilkie35 #13 3 years ago

    I'm about 17 hours in and - voice acting aside - I think its a worthy followup to Star Ocean 3. The battle system is one of the best I've played. Definitely a good game for me to sink my teeth into before Tales of Vesperia arrives.

  • andywilkie35 #14 3 years ago

    @anomagus

    I agree, when I don't fancy a fight I just press X to peg it past any enemies nearby. Totally optional. Maybe later on it becomes harder to avoid but I haven't had any problems so far.

  • Vistrix #15 3 years ago

    SE and Tri Ace need to get back to their roots. Focus on 1 console, go back to Playstation or Nintendo.

    The 360 isnt a suitable platform for JRPGs.

    Star Ocean fans are all waiting with their PS3s/PSPs/PS2s.
    Edited by 1 at 09/06/09 @ 11:24

  • menage #16 3 years ago

    "we may simply be destined to spend our future not being in space."

    Aren't we overly dramatic here, there' s tons of decent space games.

  • NotSoSlim #17 3 years ago

    @ Vistrix

    You may have a point but they should of just released it on all platforms, still i dont really like the game but each to their own

  • Postumo #18 3 years ago

    Japanese RPG Bullshat again... i can't understand why people buy this kind of games anymore.

    They all look similar, they all look emo, plots are simplistic and annoying. You travel to a lot of places, you fight a lot of bizarre enemies just to get a childish ending after a few stupid plot twists.

    Occidental RPG all the way

  • TheJuriel #19 3 years ago

    Whiny main character, scifi game that has you walking in forests and deserts waving swords and spells at insects... super.

    From what I hear, Tales of Vesperia isn't any better. I love the JRPG genre, but damn, they need to get a grip.

  • midnight_walker #20 3 years ago

    I got this for £17.95 from Zavvi. Only managed an hour of it over the weekend and about 90% of that was cutscenes. Got Sacred 2 through as a rental, which I tried out first and couldn't stand. I'm hopeful about Star Ocean, but if it's not all that I reckon I could at least profit from a trade in.

  • Darren #21 3 years ago

    @creepylizard - I know exactly what you mean.

    I enjoyed Blue Dragon but although I reached the last boss fight I never actually finished the game. Dunno why really. I even enjoyed Enchanted Arms and completed it albeit only with the "bad" ending and in spite of my hatred for random battles too. Quite an achievement to tell the truth! Eternal Sonata was genuinely terrific though, the first truly great RPG on the 360 IMO, I found it emotionally involving, it had an interesting story, the characters were charming and the combat system rocked. It didn't have random battles either. 10/10! :)

    Since then though I've seen one average J-RPG after another, I bought Lost Odyssey and didn't like it as it took far too long to get going and I hated the main character. Didn't bother with Infinite Undiscovery because of the poor reviews, bought The Last Remnant, instantly regretted it because it was so broken and boring so traded it in a week later. And now we have Star Ocean, a game that sounded very promising but doesn't look to have delivered.

    Does the Xbox 360 just get all the PS3 RPG cast-offs or something?

  • ZuluHero #22 3 years ago

    Seeing as Mass Effect has already been mentioned in the review, I would say that Rogue Galaxy has been 2nd best foray into the space fearing genre for me.

    I was kinda interested in this, but the lack of frequent saves (as does the 6/10) puts me off somewhat. I'm not going to have time to play this anyway, what with Prototype out this weekend.

    Might pick it up when it's a fiver :)

  • Triggerhappytel #23 3 years ago

    What is it with Squeenix this generation? They just can't seem to hit their stride.

    (I appreciate this was developed by tri-Ace, but this is a general comment about Square Enix and their output).

  • penhalion #24 3 years ago

    @anomagnus

    Keep avoiding battles and I guarantee that your game will end when you encounter the red SRF ship near the end of disk 2. It's a multiple chain battle with the enemy firing guns at you and getting stgronger each round. If you are below level 40 when you get there. There is very little chance you'll ever win that battle.

    I think that's what the reviewer meant by high combat rate. The battles may be optional but, you'll need to actively hunt creatures to level up for the later battles. It get's brutal towards the end!

  • Dizzy #25 3 years ago

    "I think the impossible has happened and I've fallen out of love with jrpgs....I don't know whether thats because they don't make good ones anymore or if its just because I only have a 360 though... "

    It is because JRPGs have never been really good.

  • Toothball #26 3 years ago

    I can take a dodgy story if the battle system is at all fun to play about with. Don't suppose they've left the Japanese language track in this? I heard they replaced all the nice 2D artwork with limited 3D renders, so I'm not all that hopeful for them.

  • CroKiller #27 3 years ago

    WTF? This game is great RPG. 6/10? This is insane. What are You Simon? Some PS3 fanboy?

  • Evolution #28 3 years ago

    Sounds like 'Till The End Of Time which was actually painful to drag myself through. That game made me hate RPGs so I have no love for anything with the Star Ocean label. This sounds just as inspired as that PS2 game.

  • CroKiller #29 3 years ago

    No, really, this is just insane. SO 4 is so great game. But, well, Simon is declared PS3 fanboy..so...

  • sneetch #30 3 years ago

    @Hunam
    Urm, it's the worse camera in modern gaming bar none.

    You obviously haven't played Ninja Gaiden 2. ;)

    @Postumo
    Japanese RPG Bullshat again... i can't understand why people buy this kind of games anymore.

    People like different things. I'm not surprised that this may be confusing to you.

    @anomagnus
    bought the game without the review.

    so far, seems fun, better than infinite undiscovery, not as good as lost oydessy

    if you think you'll enjoy jrpgs, i'd give it a go

    i enjoy the battle system

    Now I agree fully with this review especially the comparison to Infinite Undiscovery and Lost Odyssey. :)

    I bought it, I'm enjoying it. This is one of the harsher reviews of the game I've seen (harsher scores that is, it doesn't really read all that harshly).

  • sneetch #31 3 years ago

    @Darren
    And now we have Star Ocean, a game that sounded very promising but doesn't look to have delivered.

    Meh. There are sites other than EG who rated it a whole lot better. Remember: this review is just one guys opinion.

  • miiiguel #32 3 years ago

    So... 360 is not the platform for jrpgs, what's this gen platform for jrpgs then?

    And Vistrix (well, I know your agenda but still...), why do you thing SO4 played on a PS3 would be any diferent? I mean 0's would turn to 1's and vice-versa? I don't understand really...

  • Macross #33 3 years ago

    I like this so far, id give it 7 or8 but im only 8 hours into the game, my only gripe so far being that sometimes battles happen a bit too often and there arent enuf save points.

    i like the setting more than lost odysee and the combat, but the story is a bit silly so far. but it seems pretty solid.

  • neonxaos #34 3 years ago

    I think the problem with JRPGs today is that they all feel they have to deliver an 80-hour quest and forget that modern games take so much more time and effort to develop. So they tend to play it safe and generic, and the graphics turn out quite average.

    The best JRPGs I have played recently have either been for the PS2 (Persona series) or the DS (The World Ends with You, Etrian Odyssey). These games have much smaller teams and budgets, but they have a vision that drive the genre forward. They can afford to go nuts and make mistakes. If you remember FFVII, it was a big-budget game for its time, but it just had so many insane ideas and wonderful little details. It's like the JRPG developers have forgotten that, perhaps in attempt to cater to Western audiences.

    But what they forget is that the Japanese quirkiness is what we love about these games, not emo attitude and spiky hairstyles alone.

    I remember seeing in interview with the developers of FFXIII at E3, where the journo asks if we will get an option to use the Jap soundtrack with subtitles in the localized versions, and the developer was genuinely surprised to hear that some Westen fans prefer Japanese dialogue. I am amazed that this can be surprising for them, and it just goes to show that they may not know what it is we actually want.

    Perhaps this business is getting too big for its own good.

    Edited by 1 at 09/06/09 @ 12:20

  • seasidebaz #35 3 years ago

    You know it's a bad JRPG when JinTypeNoir doesn't like it, so I was actually expecting the score to be LOWER.

  • miiiguel #36 3 years ago

    @ Darren: "Does the Xbox 360 just get all the PS3 RPG cast-offs or something?"
    What fo you mean, I think I'm particulary well informed about every game out there and I haven't heard of any permium rpgs for the PS3. Can you share with us? What are those titles?

  • RexRunti #37 3 years ago

    Lost Oddessey is easily the best JRPG for bloody ages. It would help the genre stop feeling so old if they learnt the lessons and did something different with the plots.

    Typical JRPG plot:

    Excitable high school student (who has lost at least one parent, normally both) home is attacked by huge evil organisation that is after special magic item which has either been in Excitable high school student's (Ehss) possesion all his life or is found during the attack. It turns out this special magic item when used with other special magic items can destroy the world so Ehss sets out to discover the other special magic items before the big evil organisation can get them with his friends supposed to be funny but actually annoying guy and strong willed female childhood friend and possible love interest.

    Whilst visiting dark scary forest, ancient mayan like ruins, honourable beast tribe, artic wastes, giant sci-fi metropolis with cool transport, desert, winding mountain path, castle, prison and underwater research facility Ehss makes friends with stern older warrior man, depressed pretty woman, excitable tomboy girl, intelligent animal that can speak, strage experiment, person who later turns out to be royalty, former bad guy, children who really aren't old enough to leave village but want to fight monsters, priestess and warrior chick.

    Once they have all (or all but one) of the special magic items, big evil organisation will either steal them all or do something else which means all your work was wasted and big evil organisation will shortly destroy the world. Ehss then visits all the places he couldn't before in his latest vehicle (which can fly, before he was stuck with a big boat, smaller boat and land thing) despite time being of the essence. They then enter big bad organisation's power base where they fight big bad evil guy, who becomes more powerful everytime you think you've killed him. However giant monster which is most powerful being in universe (aside from random monster in random place which you can seek out to destroy) comes to destroy everything anyway. In the end it looses.

    Ehss who is now so powerful he can cause metorites to land on foes with a simple thought and summon fallen gods to help him and is going steady with a girl of almost equal power (and possibly royalty) then goes back home and back to school.

  • Cappy #38 3 years ago

    Disgaea 3, Demon's Souls and Valkyria Chronicles enough for you?

    How about the upcoming extended PS3 edition of Tales of Vesperia. Or the PS3 Yakuza games if they're ever released in English.

    All decent games... Unlike some I could mention

  • Vistrix #39 3 years ago

    @miiiguel Its more about the developers experience, not focusing on 5 different platforms, not being forced into developing for a totally different platform. Its a combination of things thats gained the 360s reputation forr generic low grade JRPGs.

    SE & Tri Ace are ruined if they continue like this.
    Edited by 1 at 09/06/09 @ 12:38

  • miiiguel #40 3 years ago

    Are you trying to sell me a PS3 Cappy? How sweet... :)
    Maybe we can still be friends (fear, baby!).

    Anyway, I thought those games weren't jrpgs - and aren't you tired of "what about next year...". I won't tell you about LO, it's a secret, and I'm pretty bad at sharing.

    @ Vistrix, come on man... you're not that simple are you. You're telling me a piece of software esoterecally turns bad because it runs on a platform you don't like for some reason ? Please tell me you don't believe that.
    Edited by 1 at 09/06/09 @ 12:42

  • EvilBob_leeds #41 3 years ago

    Bah humbug. Wanted this to be good.

  • TOOTR #42 3 years ago

    Could Eurogamer please run an article on JRPG's for beginners and maybe suggest the best to try? Or can the JRPG fans help me out here?

    I have never played a final fantasy (i know, I know) but have played AND completed Golden Sun 1 and 2 on the GBA and played *cough* pokemon.

    I mention pokemon because of the random battles..

    Are they really all involving small kids running round with very drawn out conversations about nothing followed by random fights, and some basic adventure problem solving? Does this define the 'JRPG' genre? (or is that like naively saying 'all FPS are like Doom' ?) Or are there JRPG's with fantastic dark adult stories, sweeping (not trite) storylines, and very strategic use of spells, weapons, items ?

    Please note I really really enjoyed both Golden Suns but if all the other JRPGs are going to be pretty much the same thing than pass for me.

    I'd be interested to try but all the reviews for the most recent ones have not sold me into trying them. Anyone care to enlighten me?

    Edited by 1 at 09/06/09 @ 12:52

  • Vistrix #43 3 years ago

    @miiiguel I love the platform (not as a JRPG platform obviously), cant stand the company though! : ) You totally misunderstood me however.

    So you think its a total coincidence that JRPGs have been made very poorly only on the 360?

    The PSOne era was incredible for JRPGs, it was still amazing on the PS2 (less quantity however)...and then this generation?


    Its funny how the majority of JRPGs (or a game with JRPG elements) on the PS3 or PSP thats been released (there are a few!) has received some awesome reviews.
    Edited by 1 at 09/06/09 @ 12:52

  • Cappy #44 3 years ago

    @miiiguel

    God forbid. Stay faithful to your 360.

    Yes all of those games are RPGs, two SRPGs and an ARPG. Most importantly they are what you asked for, premium titles. Available not next year or tomorrow, but now.

    In terms of quality the 360 really doesn't have much to offer when it comes to this type of game.

  • Azazel #45 3 years ago

    6 != negative

  • menage #46 3 years ago

    Always love when people bash JRPG's in threads like this, go back to your generic shooter x thread then. What the fuck are you people doing here anyway.

    Oh and Lost Odyssey kicks every RPG's ass this gen, so there. (although I'm just starting Demon's Souls and that's awesome too)

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #47 3 years ago

    It just me or does EG aim to have the more negitive look at games these days? I own every JRPG on the system that EG have 'meh'ed at yes they aren't WoW or FF with uber pritty flashly summons but I'VE thought them to be quite good, besides ES that was just a despressing story line.

    Yes SO's voice acting is not FF quality, yes the lipsyncing is horrible I've give you that - but critising the game becuase it didn't force you to do anything so you can get to the end? Kinda says 'I'm not a RPG fan', the optional stuff is manitory to do even IF it is optional even the oh so great FFVII's best stuff was side quest based.

    Sorry but anyone these days just goes soley off the one review of a game to deside to buy it or not probly has very little in their collection, even heavly slated games by one reviewer may be a great game to someone else
    Edited by 1 at 09/06/09 @ 13:00

  • Daryoon #48 3 years ago

    Always love when people bash JRPG's in threads like this, go back to your generic shooter x thread then. What the fuck are you people doing here anyway.

    I love it when they make a "generic plot summary" which not only doesn't actually describe most JRPGs as much as they think, but also ends up being a summary of the quest narrative archetype, which the vast majority of games follow.

    I also like how something is now "emo" if it's remotely emotional or introspective, and that this is a BAD THING.

  • sneetch #49 3 years ago

    @Vistrix
    @miiiguel I love the platform, cant stand the company though! : ) You totally misunderstood me however.

    So you think its a total coincidence that JRPGs have been made very poorly only on the 360?

    "JRPGs have been made very poorly only on 360?"

    So other platforms are incapable of having bad JRPGs? Or the same game implemented on a different platform would automatically be better? What are you basing that on?

    Its funny how the majority of JRPGs (or a game with JRPG elements) on the PS3 or PSP thats been released (there are a few!) has received some awesome reviews.

    Hmmm... not sure about that either it's all pretty anecdotal as they've also received some shite reviews, the same as the 360 JRPGs. Perhaps this can be put down to the expectations people (yourself included) have for games on the 360 vs the PS3.

    For example: from IGN because I can't find a convenient way of getting a list of the PS3 RPGs (apologies for the wall of text, I've cut out multiple entries for some reviews, leaving the best score).

    Action RPG:
    Rise of the Argonauts Action RPG 6.2 Dec 17, 2008
    Valkyria Chronicles [AU] Action RPG 9.1 Oct 29, 2008
    Fallout 3 (Survival Edition) Action RPG 9.4 Oct 28, 2008
    Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Action RPG 7.9 Nov 15, 2006
    Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom Action RPG 6.5 Nov 15, 2006

    RPG genre:
    Cross Edge RPG 3.5 May 29, 2009
    Sacred 2: Fallen Angel RPG 6.5 May 13, 2009
    Eternal Sonata RPG 8.7 Oct 24, 2008
    Enchanted Arms RPG 6.5 Apr 3, 2007
    Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, The RPG 9.2 Mar 26, 2007

    Strategy RPG genre:
    Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice Strategy RPG 6.7 Aug 29, 2008

    The multiplatform games (Elder Scrolls, Sacred 2 and Eternal Sonata etc) tend to score much the same on both 360 and PS3. The Disgaea 3 and Cross Edge reviews would suggest that the PS3 seems to be as capable of hosting "bad" JRPGs as the 360. (Or at least games that were poorly received by the reviewer).

  • Irien #50 3 years ago

    If you read the article, it's pretty fair, and reads well - great battle system (which is a major part of any RPG), and varied locations with above average graphics. Detailed item synthesis and plenty of side content. Bad voice acting and mundane plot. Hard to argue with that really.

    The problem is the score - a review like that could easily apply to other JRPGs which get 8s or 9s, so 6 seems harsh. A 7 or 8 would seem a more realistic representation, probably more 7 than 8. However, *THEY ARE JUST ARBITARY NUMBERS*. The sooner games sites drop the numbers and move towards "summaries" (ie. key attributes for/against) the better.

  • menage #51 3 years ago

    @Daryoon

    Completely agree. Calling a whole genre generic based on it's trademarks. How about sports games, shooters, fighters, etc, etc. All the fucking same if you really dissect them. People who slam a whole genre need to go back to the stuff they like and leave us the fuck alone. I''m not going into the FIFA thread to bash socer games in general.

  • Cappy #52 3 years ago

    I see IGN is just as trustworthy as ever. Valkyria Chronicles is not an action RPG, it's a Strat RPG or Simulation RPG.

    *edit*

    :-D

    And that's the best score for Disgaea 3?
    Edited by 2 at 09/06/09 @ 13:20

  • GundamJehutyKai #53 3 years ago

    I kinda want to play the game, having (mostly) enjoyed Star ocean 1 and 3 but I don't want to play it enough to wattant a purchase now. Maybe when the price goes down or they announce a PS3 version which fixes some of the annoyances.

    And please tell me MP death is not present, please?

  • BillyBrush #54 3 years ago

    IGN's more reliable than you buddy Yakuza isn't an RPG at all it's a straight up action game...

    it's the real time kung fu moves that give it away tbh

    If you take you're 3 class games btw, two of them haven't been released in Europe (Yakuza (not RPG) and Demon's souls) and the other Valkyria is a great SRPG (it passes the test either way) that sold naff all. 360 this gen has easily competed with PS for JRPG's, it's a bit of a stale genre imo (12 yr old yappy kid joins my party, or twins, i turn console off), for me the best so far have been Mistwalkers but FF13 should change matters

  • sneetch #55 3 years ago

    @Cappy
    I see IGN is just as trustworthy as ever. Valkyria Chronicles is not an action RPG, it's a Strat RPG or Simulation RPG.

    I suppose their likes-and-dislikes are about as trustworthy as anyone else's.

    They do seem to have misfiled it though as their review starts with:

    "October 29, 2008 - Valkyria Chronicles isn't a perfect game. That being said, this strategy RPG from SEGA is one of the richest, most rewarding titles I've played in a long while. "

    And that's the best score for Disgaea 3?

    The best score IGN gave it, yes. The only one in fact.

    They put in multiple duplicate entries for games that have collectors editions and also occasionally post reviews from the UK or Australian IGN sites, those are the multiple entries I removed, where there was a difference I left the highest scoring review there.

  • RexRunti #56 3 years ago

    @TOOTR

    Lost Oddessey's a good one. It's pretty old school in it's mechanics what with random battles and save points but the plots quite mature and engaging (though it takes a few hours to get going). Eternal Sonata is set Chopin's head but I haven't completed it yet. Going back Grandia II (PC/PS2/DC) although featuring several of the tropes (nowhere near all though) of my earlier post is one of my favourites due to the character dynamics, battle engine and the way it explores religion and the dangers of blind faith (dips in the middle though).

    To be fair Enchanted Arm which is essentially one long JRPG cliche is very enjoyable. I'd personally miss Infinite Undiscovery (again haven't completed it might get better) and Blue Dragon's a little kiddy and dosen't get "really" interesting til the final disc. However if you are new to JRPGs the simular plots shouldn't grate as much (though Golden Sun is very cliched) until you start spotting them yourself.

  • Cappy #57 3 years ago

    :-D

    Yakuza has as many RPG features as most games people list. Leveling and a skill tree for instance plus random thugs hanging around. But the real time battle system makes it not an RPG, I guess Star Ocean: Last Hope and Phantasy Star Online weren't RPGs after all.

    Demon's Souls can be purchased and played by anybody with a PS3 whether it's released in Europe or not. Valkyria Chronicles is just about coming up to the 500,000 copies sold mark and still selling, Sega recently thanked Valkyria fans for the continuing great sales which have come partly from word of mouth, it may already be the second highest selling RPG/SRPG of this generation on the HD consoles.

    Dazzle me with some more of your knowledge.

  • konnsky #58 3 years ago

    i've still got Star Ocean 3 to play which i bought not so long ago ;_;

  • sneetch #59 3 years ago

    @GundamJehutyKai
    I kinda want to play the game, having (mostly) enjoyed Star ocean 1 and 3 but I don't want to play it enough to wattant a purchase now. Maybe when the price goes down or they announce a PS3 version which fixes some of the annoyances.

    And please tell me MP death is not present, please?

    To be honest, I don't see the "annoyances" being fixed in any future PS3 release as they're really just design decisions that the reviewer dislikes (apart of course from the ability to play with Japanese voices, which I would love and would easily fit on a bluray version).

    MP death? Erm... no? It's definitely, maybe, possibly not there? Kinda. (Ok, I don't know what that means :) ).

  • BillyBrush #60 3 years ago

    @Cappy

    500k copies i'm afraid does not a hit make nowadays...Oddysey shifted 800k but still, that's not a particularly big selling game (Lego indiana jones did about 4 million)..

    soo...dazzle wise, have a look at this whizzy chart for some crazy perspective

    [link url=http://vgchartz.com/swlau nch.php?reg1=All&game1=Lost+Odyssey+-+X360®2=All&game2=Va lkyria+Chronicles+-+PS3®3=All&game3=Halo+3+-+X360&weeks=1 00
    ]http://vg chartz.com/swlaunch.php?reg1=Al...[/link]

    Re Yakuza...well, Rainbow Six Vegas has many RPG features such as character customisation and a levelling tree too, it doesn't however make it an RPG....the term is broad sure, but most people when they talk JRPG, aren't really talking about games like Yakuza imo

  • anomagnus #61 3 years ago

    @penhalion

    TO be honest, i've just killed the first dragon newt i found.

    Edge is level 20, remi and the others 19-17

    I'm not sure how long it is until the end of disk 2, but i have been actively seeking out battles to level.

    My point is, why would you play a JRPG if you didn't want to be involved in a lot fights?

    That said, you can avoid fights when you wish.

  • Cappy #62 3 years ago

    @BillyBrush
    Whether you think Yakuza is an RPG or not is irrelevant anyway since Disgaea 3, Demon's Souls and Valkyria Chronicles were the games I specified as RPGs you can play right now.

    The woefully anachronistic Lost Odyssey's sales figures mean what exactly? A game that has been out longer for a console with a bigger user base probably will sell more? The PS3 has more quality games in this genre bracket than the 360 no matter how you slice it or how much Lost Odyssey sells.
    Edited by 2 at 09/06/09 @ 14:16

  • BillyBrush #63 3 years ago

    @Cappy
    A game that has been out longer for a console with a bigger user base probably will sell more?

    Yes.

    Tbh you can spin it around a bunch of ways, however you like...you chose to quote 500k sales as a measure of Valkyria, i pointed out Oddysey has done over 1/2 it's sales on top, and is still not considered a hit by 2009 standards.

    Overall, MS have had either exclusives or timed stuff with Namco Bandai, Tri Ace, Square Enix, Mistwalker....Mistwalker aside as they're new...those are the biggest JRPG companies out there.

    It's not a genre that excites me especially, but I would have thought anyone with basic knowledge of these games could see that MS has been fairly active this gen with things like Vesperia, Blue Dragon, Oddysey, Sonata, Undiscovery, star ocean, final fantsay, ench arms, ffxi online, last remnant...they're hardly short on them to be honest...from Xb1 to 360 they have gone from none to quite a few

  • Beek4257 #64 3 years ago

    @BillyBrush

    Dazzled. True story.
    Not by JRPG's though; haven't touched one since ... FF VIII?

    Might buy XIII, don't care what platform. Still more looking forward to Mass Effect 2.

    Edit: very bad spelling
    Edited by 2 at 09/06/09 @ 14:50

  • Cappy #65 3 years ago

    @BillyBrush

    I wasn't merely quoting sales, I was correcting your assertion that Valkyria Chronicles had sold 'naff all'. Valkyria Chronicles has done extremely well for an SRPG and a game that wasn't hyped for two or three years.

  • XanderFish #66 3 years ago

    It's amazing how many people state opinion as fact, you really need to learn the difference

  • XanderFish #67 3 years ago

    lol

  • riz23 #68 3 years ago

    6 out 10 iisn't the end of the world. I'll play any ol' shite. Oneechanbara I'm looking at you!

  • menage #69 3 years ago

    "Lost Odyssey is certainly the console's strongest RPG offering, but is let down by atrocious technical issues and a relatively forgettable main plot. "

    Apart from the loading times (which would n' be much better on a PS3 I think) I didn't see much technical problems there. And the plot is heaps better than 90% of the JRPG's out there. In fact it has one of the best due to the short stories alone. Beats any FF to date for me (well VI was quite stellar)

  • andywilkie35 #70 3 years ago

    I agree menage, I'm baffled as to what these "technical issues" were that Lost Odyssey apparently suffered from. For me its hands down the best JRPG of this generation, everything about it was wonderful (well apart from the kids voice acting but even they weren't bad) The dreams that told the backstory were compelling, I think the reason why a number of people couldn't get along with them is because they don't have the attention span required.

  • Darren #71 3 years ago

    @miiiguel - You really didn't understand my post, did you? The PS3 doesn't have many J-RPGs because they're all on the Xbox 360! ;)

    The PS3 has Demon Soul and Eternal Sonata at least, two pretty decent RPGs, and there's White Knight Chronicles from Level 5 on the way. Plus Final Fantasy XIII which will likely appear before the 360 version, at least for importers anyway.

    Yes, the 360 has more J-RPGs but most of them have been average in my experience, Lost Odyssey notwithstanding, I just didn't click with that game. That's the point I was making. Microsoft are (were?) desperate to sell the 360 in Japan though so I guess that's why it has more J-RPGs than the PS3 does. Whatever... I remain optimistic that Tales of Vesperia will turn out to be decent...

  • BillyBrush #72 3 years ago

    Crofto:

    'I was concerned by Sony's loss of their usual strong attribute. But it seems with these three games the 360 forever seems destined to not display a semi-competent RPG developed in Japan'


    Final fantasy 13 is likely (going) to be the biggest, and possibly best RPG coming, and it's on 360 too, so it seems it's pretty much destined to display a semi competent RPG developed in Japan.

    ...it already has a bunch that are pretty good, Blue Dragon and LO being my favourites, but Sonata scored well with critics, so did Vesperia...the SDF line is just weak nowadays, pull the wool over your eyes, put your fingers in your ears and yell

  • Xerx3s #73 3 years ago

    "Completely agree. Calling a whole genre generic based on it's trademarks. How about sports games, shooters, fighters, etc, etc. All the fucking same if you really dissect them. People who slam a whole genre need to go back to the stuff they like and leave us the fuck alone. I''m not going into the FIFA thread to bash socer games in general."

    Except that the named genres have been constantly evolving their interaction, setting and gameplay whereas jrpg's pretty much still do the same thing as 20 years ago. Hell, they just copy the 5 or 6 character templates to each game. The guy that makes dragon quest doesn't even hide that he makes the same thing over and over.

    I'm not saying that this is always the case but it often is.

  • Darren #74 3 years ago

    @Xerx3s - Well J-RPGs, to be fair, have evolved somewhat over the past decade although their core battle mechanics remain firmly in place.

    One notable improvement is that most have abandoned those god-awful annoying random battles, something I disliked about Lost Odyssey by the way, in favour of real time battles and visible enemies, something which is far better IMO. I would have abandoned the genre years ago if it wasn't for the diminishing number of games with random battles. I really hated the way they interrupted exploration, sometimes every 10 bloody seconds!!! They belong firmly in the 20th century in my humble opinion. One of my favourite RPGs of all-time isn't Final Fantasy VII, it's Grandia II on the Dreamcast, really adored that game. No random battles either.

    I'm delighted to note that Tales of Vesperia doesn't rely on random battles either so that is a huge plus straight away for me. :)

  • Darren #75 3 years ago

    I didn't say that the Xbox 360 has caused the stagnation of J-RPGs though, BillyBrush, just that it seems to have a lot of very average ones 'tis all. ;)

  • JinTypeNoir #76 3 years ago

    Until you can accurately argue against the significant contributions and innovations that games like Monster Hunter, Persona 3/4, Fragile, Valkyria Chronicles, Demon's Souls, Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, Avalon Code, Rune Factory, Soul Nomad, Knights in the Nightmare, The World Ends With You, Chronicle of Dungeon Maker, Glory of Heracles and Seventh Dragon have made and the upcoming promising new ideas that Infinite Space, Blood of Bahamut, End of Eternity, Crystal Bearers and Hero 30 are looking to bring, then you need to shut yer trap. If you can't identify these games or talk about their design in detail, you don't have one speck of a clue what the hell you're talking about when it comes to the growth or lack thereof of the genre.
    Edited by 3 at 09/06/09 @ 17:29

  • timberwolf #77 3 years ago

    loads of stuff to do... crafting items, skill unlocks, extra difficulties, second play through. this is jrpg gold... so the story line isn't up to much. i remember you saying that about killzone 2 and you gave that a high score. it's ok for a first person shooter to have a pointless vapid story like (halo. call of duty. rainbow six. ghost recon. ect. ect.) but when the recent jrpgs have bad stories but make up for it in almost every other area 6/10. stop whining.

  • Machiavellian #78 3 years ago

    I personally do not understand why people base their buying decision on one person opinion. I can understand if the reviewer has the same taste as you in the particular genre but most times it takes a few different takes on a game to fully understand if it will be something you want to invest in.

    Also some of you should not feed the trolls, you know who they are especially when they make some of the dumbest arguments.

  • PoundHound #79 3 years ago

    If it helps anyone make their minds up about whether to buy or not, I've played this for 17 hours so far and really love it. It is not a 6/10 game. I was stunned by the score, the review was so much more positive.

    Definitely on a par with Lost Odyssey, which I thought was fab.

    My only gripe is the character Lymle, who is the most annoying character I've ever come across. Seriously. But now I can drop her from my party everything is wonderful. :)

  • Lamb #80 3 years ago

    I give this Star Ocean 7 out of 10 loved the last one Till the End of Time though I can't remember the details but I remember it was enjoyable to play.

    This one just has bad script decisions, the voice acting is good, too much Edge worshipping dialog, too much Lymle ,too much self loathing Edge. There are some funny skits with Welch but also a couple of boring ones.

    Plus the game starts out kind of clunky presentation and clunky graphics wise ie learning the battle system and the graphics not so great first planet and third planet Cardianon mothership.

    Planet Roak looks pretty good thats where I'm at at the moment. They could have made the characters a little older say plus five years. The dialog level is for 12-14 year olds. Thats too low to be anything but mildly entertaining with great gobs of why did they say that thrown in.

  • GamesConnoisseur #81 3 years ago

    Demon's Soul a RPG?!

    I ve been playing it, certainly a game that REQUIRES a lot of investment from gamer, and you ll need to take a while taking bashings and dying before you would be satisified at playing through a level. Repeatingly but still the game gives you a pleasure when you get it right.

    But to call it a role playing game in traditional sense, nope ... but action rpg would be more like it but plays like a third person combat game with rpg elements (leveling up and grindings).

    Star Ocean: The Last Hope is jrpg of the extreme japanese sense, its hard to see it translating across as well as Demon's Soul which is actually a very westernised game compared to Last Hope. All the infantile 'kay and teenagers being selected to lead a mission is something that you had to swallow very very hard just to enjoy the game.

    I switched off the idea of playing something like Mass Effect or Demon's Soul real-world like interactions/physics to just accomodate the humour and fun battles, the game becomes more like a 7/10 and certainly better than the broken Last Remant for me.

    Infinite Discovery was reasonably fun once you GET past the horrid first couple of hours and start to grows as a jrpg with reasonable story and combats. Lost Odyssey remains the best jrpg for me this gen on X360 and Blue Dragon never finished, looks good but didnt have the appeal for me to finish the game.

    Currently playing FFVII on PSP and yes compared this, Mass Effect and even Lost Odyssey, Last Hope doesnt merits serious consideration but not a total disaster such as was for Last Remant.

    Enchanted Arm...... finished the game, loved the battle system but hated the idea of having to replay it...never again!!

  • Cider-X #82 3 years ago

    @RexRunti

    Hilarious post about jrpgs, would read again!!

  • FortysixterUK #83 3 years ago

    Once again EG get it wrong..SO-TLH is a good game, but EG reviewers just can't seem to see it.....8/10 ( for the JRPG fans among you )

  • Lamb #84 3 years ago

    I haven't replayed any game in ages not since I was little not enough time or interest. Enchanted Arms is the only game I got all 1000 "achievement points". Too many games with too many achievements like smack Michael Jacksons' chimp Bubbles or something like that. Anyway whatever.

  • Ergates_Antius #85 3 years ago

    @Menage: "Calling a whole genre generic based on it's trademarks"

    I suggest you look up the meaning of the word generic. Here, I'll do it for you: "Relating to or descriptive of an entire group or class"

    Any trait that is common to a genre, (especially any common enough to be called a "trademark";) is, by definition, generic. You can argue that this isn't necessarily a bad thing (and I wouldn't disagree with you), you cannot argue that they are not generic.

    Some of the best games ever made are generic, games that focus on doing their "thing" very well rather than branching out and doing something new.

  • penhalion #86 3 years ago

    Star Ocean the last hope is not a good RPG. At times during the story, you are left feeling totally at odds with the main character! I think I even yelled "Shoot the f&*king thing for christ sake" quite a few times while watching the cut scenes. It's painful in places because the main character is quite frankly a complete moron! He's super emotional like a twelve year old school girl and seems incapable of making even the most basic decisions.

    I hated this and it's going back as soon as prototype comes out on friday. There are better games out there, like Lost Oddessy or Infinte Undiscovery. If you don't have mass effect, then get that instead. Seriously, if you are a fan of JRPGs then give this a miss. It will seriously taint your view of them.

  • carrliadiere #87 3 years ago

    Good game, I like it. I don't think it being too traditional and cliched is a bad thing, because I like traditional RPGs. Character design is good, and the story passes the time adequately. It's no Terranigma, but if you want a decent RPG and some eye-candy then you're sorted with this.

  • Figgernaggot #88 3 years ago

    Whoa, look at the tits on the front of the 360 section!

  • Spryte #89 3 years ago

    This is a very conflicted game. I honestly find the characters, script, costumes and general childish feel all conspire to create cut scenes that are genuinely embarrassing to watch.

    The Star Ocean staple 'private actions', mini easter-egg style interactions between the characters for the uninitiated, manage the occasional nod to the fact that some of the audience may actually be over 12, but for the most part, the story seems aimed squarely at pre-pubescent Japanese kids and immature otaku throughout the world.

    Conversely the overworlds are usually fairly sizeable, dungeons are long with a simple puzzle running throughout each, the characters each play distinctively, optionals such as item creation and quests are rewarding, battles are avoidable ... all good things for those of us who like a good JRPG.

    Overall, for anybody looking at the review score and still undecided, if you think you can get past the really horrendous 'story' and still be drawn in enough by the battle system to invest the significant amount of time required to really get the best of the game, it's a cracker. If not save your time and money, this is just not for you.

    To add some context, in terms of recent JRPGs, I adored Last Remnant, enjoyed Lost Odyssey, detested Eternal Sonata with every fibre of my being and my copy of Infinite Undiscovery remains largely untouched to my immense chagrin. Valkryria Chronicles and Disgaea 3 both fall into the loved to bits category, but are SRPGs in my eyes.

  • DjFlex52 #90 3 years ago

    To add some context, in terms of recent JRPGs, I adored Last Remnant, enjoyed Lost Odyssey, detested Eternal Sonata with every fibre of my being and my copy of Infinite Undiscovery remains largely untouched to my immense chagrin. Valkryria Chronicles and Disgaea 3 both fall into the loved to bits category, but are SRPGs in my eyes.

    @Spryte

    I totally agree with you. I would add Tales Of Vesperia, which I enjoyed to the max. And I'm immersed in Sacred 2 now.
    I think alot of PS3 owners just bitter since they had all the RPGS last generation. In this generation, the 360 has most of the Japanese & Western rpgs, which was MS' plan :)

  • Slipstream #91 3 years ago

    This review definitley read more like an 8 if anything, lol that 6 sorta came out of nowhere.

    Anyway, I've been playing the game and I'm enjoying it much much more than I though I would, sometimes the dialogue is questionable but for the most part it's fairly solid and well acted, sure it's okay to say certain characters are annoying but that's who they are.
    For example people find Lymle very annoying, I can see where they're coming from but I still disagree, I like her lack of tolorance toward faize, if there's anyone who makes me grate my teeth it's welch, her general apperance and voice scream for me to hate them, too bad item creation proves very fruitful in this game. >.<

    The battle system is immence, and I'm loving the Blindside ability I really do it makes the battles far more interesting, as well as the traditional Star Ocean Chain combo system making a comeback, the battle animations are very impressive too!

    The worlds are lush, expansive and generally beautiful I don't mind traversing vast expanses if they prove to be eye candy.

    I really only have 2 main gripes with the game thus far, the feild controls, now this should be an issue for a JRPG as battles are seperate from the field but it actually is...
    Firstly the camera is overly sensitive so positioning it can be a nightmare at times, panning thr camera is alright, and as the review states it's generally set to give the game an epic feel, and it does, but trying to turn it left and right is a bit of a chore.
    Also Actually controlling edge is fiddly too, moving him left and right is overly sensitive, thus trying to position youself infront of a chest takes some unnessasary effort lol, also why is his dash ability so short? Perhaps int he game he'll get an extended version later? Still I suppose it gets you from A to B

    My second gripe is the music, it's all very samey so far and lacks some of the stand out scores of the previous titles, hopefully I will hear something good with more play.

    so far I'm at that planet that actually looks like a Fortress (the name escapes me) but so far it's proven to be an enjoyable experience, one that I have no intentions leaving anytime soon.

  • Lamb #92 3 years ago

    I think I was too cynical. I guess I was expecting too much. I give it 8/10 because its still fun to play as quirky as the dialog maybe.

    @Slipstream Thats the Cardianon Mothership.

  • Charlie_Miso #93 3 years ago

    All the good RPGs are on the DS. Everyone knows that.

  • DjFlex52 #94 3 years ago

    All the good RPGs are on the DS. Everyone knows that.

    @Charlie_Miso

    Yes, though, I need a screen much bigger than the DS to enjoy my rpgs ;)

  • NegativeZero #95 3 years ago

    I like JRPGs a lot, but I abandoned this about five hours in. It has the plot of bad SF anime combined with character models that are right at the very bottom of the uncanny valley in terms of creepiness - it's like watching cutscenes acted out by people with Kigurumi fetishes.

    If anyone is tossing up between this and Tales of Vesperia, please do yourself a favour and go for the latter. Vesperia is also fairly conventional but incredibly well-executed, especially in comparison to SO4.

  • Wildsleven #96 3 years ago

    a game worthy for xbox 360, glad its not out for ps3 lol, got the game 2 days ago and i can only play the game for short periods of time xD (it aint very good unfortunatly) :(

  • TOOTR #97 3 years ago

    @RexRunti

    Thanks - I'll give Lost Odyssey a go on the 360 :) And I think I'll try The World Ends With You on the DS.

  • Brainfog #98 3 years ago

    It's the same as with SO3, either you love it or you return it the same day. I happen to love it.

    Regardless of the space faring theme, it's still a JPRG about fighting big bad monsters with swords and magic. People really shouldn't expect too much of the story going in, and they'll enjoy it more. Especially because it's the gameplay where this game shines.

  • Vasenor #99 3 years ago

    I'm another one who thought the 6 was a bit harsh and that the positives that were mentioned in the review outweighed the negatives. However the flaws mentioned are definitely there, imo character models and voice actors being the biggest ones. Amongst the usual JRPG overblowness there are bits of actually snappy dialogue but you do have to fill in the blanks a bit as far as the acting goes.

    oh, and there is no way I will grind for all the achievements, have you seen some of them...

    But yes, much better than Undiscovery (where even the Squenix representative I was talking to, when he was showing it off, admitted that he didn't really rate the game...) but not as good as Lost Odyssey (the short stories within are miniature works of art).

    Anyways, looking forward to Vesperia as well (and FFXIII and Dragon Age and Mass Effect 2 and Diablo 3; not to mention the various Shin Megami Tensei games finally trickling across here again. Man there are lots of good RPGs on the horizon).

  • davisorle #100 3 years ago

    @ Vistrix
    SE and Tri Ace need to get back to their roots. Focus on 1 console, go back to Playstation or Nintendo.
    The 360 isnt a suitable platform for JRPGs.
    Star Ocean fans are all waiting with their PS3s/PSPs/PS2s.

    You are that stupid or you are that much of an ignorant? So you are telling me that just cause you felt like it or whoever ppl that dont own your console whatever the fuck that is, shouldnt play Star Ocean so you can or something, or that if it was created for Nintendo or Sony it would have scored higher due to the console? WTF are you even trying to point out with your post, seriously WTF!?

    And since when a 360 isnt for RPGs? lol Technical reasons? Cause if you ask me when it comes to audience and 360 owners you should do some research and check if RPGs sell on the 360. Cause i think then maybe all the ppl that will buy a FFXII ( even if it was a disaster we would all buy it cause its a FF from S.E. ) will amaze you by their numbers? Its sad that i never bother with comments to check back other than only post one comment and never look back or go through them cause i nev er have that much time but id LOVE to hear wtf was that you wanted to prove with your post other than that you own a PS3 a PSP and a PS2. lol were you dropped on ur head when you were born?

  • andywilkie35 #101 3 years ago

    This game is quality except for one thing - whoever decided that the little girl's voice was a good idea should be sacked. Absolutely fucking appalling.

  • MAX99 #102 3 years ago

    the characters annoyed me for the first few hours but now i'm 13 or so hours in i'm really enjoying it. the battle and item creation side of the game is very addictive and makes up for the story which is pretty average.

    must say i'm enjoying the snippets of inter group chat on the space ship while you warp...a nice way of developing the characters. i'm slowly starting to like this group of brightly dressed hyperactive space kids!

  • timberwolf #103 3 years ago

    the point is still, surely. if only the story elements (ie. script, characters, general plot.) are generic, and these flaws are staples of the jrpg genre. yet the crafting, customizing and battles are fun. isn't this game filling the role of jrpg perfectly? why do other genres get away with 10/10 scores for incredibly short derivative drivel? plenty of examples in the fps genre of generic crap like killzone2 getting huge scores for being the same as everything else. my argument is that jrpgs are just being picked on because they are jrpgs. people no longer like the genre itself because supposedly it isn't progressing, but i would argue certain 10/10 games recently are steps backwards. discuss.

  • Darth_Flibble #104 3 years ago

    don't take Darren's comment seriously as he can't tell the difference between Action RPG and traditional RPG (at least he has stopped writing "LOLLLLLLL!!!!" in every post now)

    JRPG on the 360 have been mixed for me, BD was ok but hated the characters and took till disc 2 for it to get going, L.O. was excellent, Eternal sonata was good although it took to the end of chapter 2 to get good (and the sewer maze was shit) Infinte discovery was boring and dull, stuck with it and it still hated despite others saying it gets better. Last remnant was terrible, quickly traded (no wonder why it dropped to £17.99 a week or 2 after release)

  • Collymilad #105 3 years ago

    How stupid are some of the ppl in this thread?

    As a guy already said, there's no technical reason these games need to be bad on the 360. So many people are going on about "they should stick to PS3" - do you know how incredibly stupid a statement like that makes you look? It's like saying a bad book would be better if it was written on light grey paper instead of white paper. If you think the recent feed of JRPGs are bad it has nothing whatsoever to do with the 360. If you think BD, LO, SO4 etc are bad on 360 they would be bad on the PS3 as well - just as the "awesome" JRPGS that have released on PS3 would be "awesome" on 360, or are you still buying into Sony's cell/blu-ray hype?

    As for this game, it's a weird one. I've put 18 and a half hours into it so far and overall I'm enjoying it. The worlds are varied and look beautiful, there's plenty of combat which is totally avoidable if you choose to and it has a satisfying combat system. The story isn't great but if you're into space themed stuff or sci-fi the story is enough to keep you interested. The main negative points are that some of the voice acting is absolutely atrocious, as in makes FF look like shakespear (if Lyml says "kay" one more time i'll smash the tv) and some of the dungeons can be a chore.

    I'd give it 8/10 though.
    Edited by 3 at 27/06/09 @ 16:44

  • etherfiend #106 2 years ago

    3rd attempt since my pre-ordered purchase to get into it. Can't do it. I couldn't agree less with the reviewer sadly, the battle system is the worst to ever grace an RPG (not just JRPGs). Horrible, horrible button spamfest. It will go back to the store and swapped for something else.