Gaming Nexus writes: "For years I've heard great things about Enix's Star Ocean series. While I've always loved the traditional Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games, I'm always hearing from the small cult of Star Ocean fanatics that tell me that I'm missing out. They may be right, but based on my experience with this updated PSP remake I'm still trying to find what it is that makes everybody so excited. Sure the game has its moments and the combat is intriguing to say the least, however this first installment gets bogged down by too much backtracking and a slow and tedious story that doesn't go anywhere until the end.
For what it's worth, this is the first time the original Star Ocean has been released in North America. Originally released on the Super Famicom, this 1996 role-playing game came out just a little too late to be translated for American audiences. Now known as Star Ocean: First Departure, this PSP remake features updated graphics, a slightly tweaked combat system and some breath taking cinemas. The introduction feels like it's right out of an old Star Trek episode, which gave me great hope for this 12 year old adventure game."
