Digitally Downloaded writes: "When you think of great Square Enix RPG franchises, you’re naturally going to gravitate to Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest. You might remember Kingdom Hearts, and, because it’s so recent, Bravely Default. If you’re the smart type you might even be one of the few to play (and understand) Nier/ Drakengard.
But you’re probably not going to think of Star Ocean, and that’s a pity. Star Ocean has always deserved a greater prominence than it has had, because it has been around for many years now (the first was a SNES title), and the third on the PlayStation 2, in particular, is a title that I would argue is a genuine classic."
Game Rant - "From Star Ocean to Final Fantasy, there have been a number of JRPG's that have been unfairly undervalued by their Metascores. Here are 10 examples."
While I agree that the combat in Star Ocean 5's combat is pretty fun, saying that its story is more enjoyable than its predecessors is highly debatable. Also, it's not just the technical issues the game suffers from.
Completely disagree the games I played from the list all deserve their scores (Star Ocean, Nier, Tales of Zesteria, Type-0). While there are certainly people that love these games, they have flaws in many categories, that justify those scores.
Star Ocean especially bored the hell out of me. Lame story and face roll battle system (I finished the game anyway). These games are really niche and when rated by a broader public, fall short. In my opinion even in their own genre.
Star Ocean is one of those series that did, and still does, things that others don’t. Think of it as a JRPG for fans of series like Star Trek. The casts regularly involve people from more advanced civilizations getting involved with those who are still growing, even though there are various measures in place to allegedly stop that sort of interference. As a result, people get energy weapons, cyborgs, magic and people who can turn into cats. It is a lot to take in.
Let's see here. There was another classic JRPG series that started this SCI Fi. It was Phantasy Star by Sega. Before Star Ocean, there was Phantasy Star 1-4 on Sega consoles
a beginners guide to star ocean....after playing the 3rd game
you've been told that the universe (SO lore) is just a ------------------- and close the book
The first two were so great, among the top RPGs on 16 and 32-bit era. I wonder why it went downhill after that...
Play the PS1 game and then the PS2 game and then the rest probably aren't worth your time unless you're a superfan of the series. I think that's all you need to know.
Phil writes, "It's never a good feeling to be hyped for the next installment of one of your favorite franchises, and then POW! You're blindsided with an extremely disappointing game that hardly lives up to your anticipation and hype. That's the focus of The Most Disappointing Video Game Sequels, and now we're at the fifth installment. This are six more of those games that were either rushed out, released in a broken or incomplete state, or were simply less than stellar experiences overall.
After you browse through and read up on the latest unfortunate games added to this growing series of articles, which game sequels that haven't already been mentioned in a previous article do you think should be added in a future installment?"
Wow, a somewhat positive review that actually sounds fair. I'm impressed. I've been thoroughly enjoying this game since I got it a couple of days ago. Great polish and presentation, I like the characters, the sounds and music are lovely. I did have the odd hiccup with the camera, but not as much as the author apparently had encountered. Don't let these points detract you from what otherwise is a good RPG that seems to harken back to classic style games, almost. Good game, and I encourage anyone remotely interested in RPGs to give it a try. Or just wait until it's been out few a while and pick it up used.