With the back-to-back launches of Sea of Stars and Starfield, it’s easy to forget that another star-themed RPG is coming this year. To hype the release of Star Ocean The Second Story R, Square Enix has uploaded the ?remake’s new anime intro to YouTube.

Technically speaking, this isn’t the first time Star Ocean: The Second Story has received an anime intro. Star Ocean: Second Evolution for the PSP already added one that probably would have worked just fine here. However, Square Enix seems to be pulling out all the stops for this remake. This one’s decidedly more action-packed, with a song that sounds like it should be featured in a game like Deemo.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxvsS0MV-cY

The third Second Story

The existence of Star Ocean The Second Story R is honestly fascinating to me. As mentioned above, Square Enix probably could have ported Star Ocean: Second Evolution to modern consoles and called it a day. In fact, many consider that version of the game a "remake," making Second Story R a... re-remake?

That said, it makes sense why they’d go so hard on a full remake for this game. While RPG fans will argue over the quality of the Star Ocean series, the second game generally holds a consensus as the high point. Heck, some (like yours truly) consider it one of the best RPGs for the PlayStation. Star Ocean: The Second Story is a surprising behemoth of a game, packing so many secrets into its world(s) that you’ll feel like you only scratched the surface after one playthrough. Combined with the vast roster of unlockable characters and an ??active combat system, it holds up shockingly well.

Obviously, there’s still a lot to modernize with a remake like Star Ocean The Second Story R. The original ga?me came out 25 years ago, after all. But whether this is a transformative or faithful remake, it's one to watch out for this year.

We’l???l see how this star-themed RPG pans out when it launches on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch on November 2.

The post Check out the new anime openin??g for Star Ocean The Second Story R appeared first on Destructoid.

Space-Ships

[Update: And it's been confirmed thanks to a Nintendo Direct! It'll be out on Novembe??r 2, 2023]

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JaYQDytelE&list=PL2JiZAV5BmDXxkBJQgitX9FtwE7tEd3GT&i??ndex=23

A mysterious new logo is being shared online this morning, purportedly an as-yet-unannounced new project in the popular fantasy franchise, Star Ocean. As reported by RPGSite, a banner for a "Star Ocean The Second Story R"? was first discovered on the support site of IP owner Sq??uare Enix.

Originally released for PlayStation in 1998, Star Ocean: The Second Story is, as the name sugge??sts, the second entry in the action-RPG series, which won over fans with its sci-fi/fantasy storytelling,?? myriad paths and conclusions, and very heavy emphasis on dating mechanics between multiple characters, allowing players to essentially dictate both narrative and gameplay through the pairing (or not) of relationships.

The "R" in the new banner suggests that this popular release may be in line for the remake/remaster treatment, though obviously, Square Enix is yet to speak on the discovery. Back in 2019, the publisher released the similarly titled Star Ocean First Departure R on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, which was itself a remaster of the PlayStation Portable (PSP) port of the first game in the series. Thus, a continuation along these lines is very likely, and very good news for Star Ocean fans.

Of course, we will be sure to keep y?ou updated ?should Square Enix be forthcoming with any news.

Square Enix ??support website features a logo for a Star Ocean 2 remake [RPGSite]

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A new ocean of stars awaits

Tri-Ace's next entry in the Star Ocean series has set a date. Star Ocean: The Divine Force will launch on October 27, 2022 for PlayStati??on and Xbox consoles, as well as PC.

A new trailer for Star Ocean: The Divine Force premiered on Square Enix's channels today, highlighting the gameplay, story, and setting ?of this new RPG. Alongside a story blending the worlds of fantasy and sci-fi together, it looks like a colorful cast of characters will be available to recruit in-game. This trailer gives us a few good looks at the new crew working together in battles, as well as some of the 3D? world exploration.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=vexU1oYKSXs

The Divine Force is the newest entry in the Star Ocean series, with its most recent predecessor being 2016's Integrity and Faithlessness. It's been a minute since the last Star Ocean, as tri-Ace has been working on some projects like the 2019 remaster of Star Ocean: First Departure.

A sky full of stars

It's exciting for Star Ocean fans to have a new entry to look forward to in this series. I'm still mildly curious about it, as the action RPG combat and exploration seems like it might be a good time, even if the? character design isn't quite clicking for me yet.

This is another entrant into an increasingly stacked October, though. Just two days prior to Star Ocean's Oct. 27 date, the Bat-Family takes a bite out of crime in Gotham Knights on Oct. 25.

Marvel's Midnight Suns and the Overwatch 2 multiplayer launch add even more heroics earlier in October. And both Modern Warfare 2 and the Resident Evil Village expansion close out the month.

Not that I think Call of Duty fans and Star Ocean fans are ?a perfectly overlapping Venn diagram or anything. But the fall is finally starting to look filled-up with games. Even with some of this year's heavy hitters delayed out to 2023, it's looking like a fairly dense holiday seaso??n.

Star Ocean: The Divine Force ente?rs the fall launch lineup on October 27, 2022 for PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via ??Steam.

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Follow the story of two heroes venturing across the stars

This year is the 25th anniversary of the Star Ocean series. And today, Square Enix and tri-Ace announced the next entry in the franchise. Star Ocean: The Divine Force is set to launch sometime next year.

Shown off during today's State of Play stream, Star Ocean: The Divine Force follows dual protagonists Raymond and Laeticia. The Divine Force will once again use a "Double Hero" setup, following one protagonist from an advanced civilization and another from a more fantasy-??based kingdom. The choices the player makes along the way will determine what events unfold, and which characters you ally yourselves with.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwlduVD_aqc

Alongside a story that's affected by your choices, there's also fully 3D traversal and exploration, and freedom to fly around in the world. It's a??lso got some fast action to go with that free exploration.

The PlayStation blog has more details about the new entry, including a lengthy introduction to our Double Heroes and the lore that's bound them together. For Star Ocean fans who have been waiting some time since the most recent entry, at least ??now there's something new o??n the horizon.

The wait will have to continue though, as Star Ocean: The Divine Force is targeting a 2022 launch for PlayStation 4 and PS5, as well as Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.

The post Star Ocean: The Divine Force is set for next year appeared first on Destructoid.

Winter Voyage

Square Enix has announced that Star Ocean: First Departure R, a remake of a remake announced a few months back, will be heading to the PS4 and Switch on December 5, 2019. Alongside that news is a brand new trailer, giving us our first glimpse of how this new version will look. You can clearly tell this has ro??ots as a PSP game, but I quite like the sprite work.

While light on changes to gameplay, the trailer does at least confirm du?al audio will be present. The dub doesn't sound so bad here, but I'm always a stickler for playing with the original a??udio. Call me a weeaboo all you want, because I am one. I won't deny that fact.

You can find some more info on the official website. First Departure R will be present at this year's ?Tokyo Game Show, so we're bound ??to learn more in the next week or so.

STAR OCEAN [Twitter]

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A remake of a remake

Square Enix is developing a remake of the original Star Ocean for PS4 and Switch. Titled Star Ocean: First Departure R, not much is known about this particular reimagining other than the fact that it's coming to modern platforms. The original Star Ocean released for SNES in 1996 and First Departure came out on PSP in 2007. This is, presumably, yet another remake of that original title. Have we reached remake incep??tion?

Seeing as how First Departure was followed up by a remake of the second Star Ocean titled Second Evolution, it only makes sense that Square Enix will succeed this remake-remake with another remake-remake. While I'd rather see new entries in a long-running series over constant retreading, it's not like the last Star Ocean game was all that well received. Maybe going back to the o??riginal will help refresh the team at tri-Ace so they can figure out what made this series so special to begin with.

Star Ocean [Twitter]

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Success is handed out in spades

Star Ocean Anamnesis didn’t make the biggest splash when it launched stateside on the App Store and Google Play earlier this month. The franchise is relatively niche despite its heritage and mobile phones aren’t exactly short on free-to-play gacha games. Despite having never played a Star Ocean title, I s??igned up for pre-registration because it genuinely looked like it could be a fun time.

Anamnesis means 'memories from a previous existence' which plays right into the gacha mechanic of the game that brings in heroes from previous titles in the Star Ocean series. Heroes are summoned?? by Evelysse, the busty amnesiac character who is aiding me in my quest to return home alongside the go-getter Coro, my robotic bear companion. In addition to characters, Eve can also summon weapons that'll strengthen my team of three.

After spending a week with the game, I have just now reached the point where weapon and character selection matter. Now, ??the game is getting interesting and my hand is no longer being held by a developer so desperate to get people into it that they nerfed the experience by needlessly showering players with free gifts.

Free-to-play, mobile, gacha games inherently lack the appeal of a premium-priced game. These are, after all, designed first and foremost to convince people to spend money on loot boxes. Well, actually, spend money on gems I can use to purchase loot boxes. Anamnesis is actually pretty good out the gate with its free-to-play elements. I regain stamina quite regularly, am overloaded with gems so I'm not enticed to open my pocketbook, and can complete the entire?? first planet without being forced to stop.?? In fact, I was able to beat the first planet without even playing the game. 

Similar to Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia, Star Ocean Anamnesis has its campaign divid??ed up between story segments featuring Eve and Coro, and combats segments where my team of three competes in real-time battles. These fights are pretty stunning on my phone. Even on the highest graphics mode, there isn't a bit of slowdown. Sound effects take a hit, but when my team is attacking, all the effects run smoothly across my screen.

Though there are three people?? in my party, I only control my lead character. I can move them around the battlefield avoiding attacks and positioning them?? for short and long attacks. I can also just press one of my three attack buttons and they'll move for me. It's a pretty interesting setup that could make for compelling gameplay if Square Enix and tri-Ace didn't overload those who pre-registered with free shit.

10 minutes into the game, I have a level 25 five-star character. Two minutes after that, another member of my team, also a five-star pull, is level 27. This wasn't through grinding or gameplay, but rather through the Enhance System that lets me quickly level up my squad so long as I have the right materials. Because I pre-registered, the game gives me multiple Rainbow Platinum Prisms, the item needed to expo??nentially boost character stats.

With two characters wel??l above level 25, I don't have to touch my phone during battles across the first planet of the game. And this isn't some auto-battle mode -- though that is an option -- my A.I. partners are just too strong. On the second p??lanet, there is a sea of recruitable level-70 characters from other players that, again, do all the work for me. I think I actually started engaging in fights just out of sheer boredom.

I understand the reasoning behind having a leveling-up mechanic like this in the game as I use it in Fire Emblem Heroes whenever I unlock a new 5-star hero. I don’t want to spend time level grinding when I can just use the spoils of my victories to speed along the process. It makes sense, but in Star Ocean Anamnesis, it’s available so early to players -- and we’re encouraged to use it -- that it throws off the balance of the game. Only now, after a week of ??playing, am I hitting battles that I don’t automatically win in a couple seconds.

In most other instances, the ease of the game would have caused me to delete it days ago and move onto something else. But I like the battle system, and I wanted to see what it was like to actually play the game and not just let my overpowered A.I. partners do all the work for me. The battle system is not a game changer, but it works well enough to set it apart from many of the other gacha games on the market. I don’t know if Star Ocean fans will be satisfied by Anamnesis because I don’t know any Star Ocean fans, but you can certainly do a lot worse when it comes to free-to-play mobile g?ames.

The post Star Ocean Anamnesis is the perfect mobile g??????????????????????????ame for people who a??re tired of trying appeared first on Destructoid.

Celestial Lake

While Star Ocean: The Second Story was one of my favorite PS1 JRPGs, the rest of the series never grabbed me. It's not that it's bad in any way -- each entry is pretty consistent, actually -- it's just that every time I'd feel inclined to play a tri-Ace game, I'd go back to Valkyrie Profile again.

That same feeling swept over me as I watched the credits roll for Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness.

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness (PS3 [Japan only], PS4 [reviewed])
Developer: tri-Ace
Publisher: Square Enix
Released: March 31, 2016 (Japan), June 28, 2016 (NA), July 1, 2016 (EU)
MSRP: $59.99

Worry not, lapsed fans -- it's easy to jump back into Star Ocean once again even if you haven't kept up with the overarching plot. Taking place after Second Story and before Till the End of Time, this tale is on the planet Faykreed, featuring a p?opulace that must now face an alien invasion from an advanced race. Spooky!

Immediately following the intro you'll be introduced to the plucky protagonist in record time -- a boy named Fidel -- along with his best friend Miki. They're already trained and ready to go, which presents its own unique set of problems, mostly relating to the development side of the cast. You see, Integrity moves at a race pace that is a blessing and a curse, seeing as the main ??story will probably run you less than 30 hours (as for the rest, there's a decent amount of sidequests, post-game dungeons, and extra difficulty settings, but no extra characters or significant content besides that).

When it comes to most RPGs, it can be boring to have to watch a heroes' journey unfold all over again, taking upwards of 15-20 hours just to see them become "the legend they were meant to be." But if the charm is there (see Legend of Dragoon), I can deal with a ragtag gang of misfits, rogues, and ne'er-do-wells for as long as it takes. Here, Fidel? isn't as enigmatic as I'd like, and very quickly, we're even introduced to the amnesiac mystery trope with a character named Relia. It never really hits groan territory, and you can't say that it wastes any time, but that also makes it truncated to a fault. The dub is serviceable, but like several characte?rs isn't worth talking about specifically.

Star Ocean employs a "seamless" approach to actually presenting said story, and again, I'm mixed on it. You see, instead of providing static dialogue boxes or cutscenes, the game integrates chats in the world itself, allowing players to walk around and manipulate the camera. I like it in theory, but a few huge caveats spring up every now and then that expose its shortcomings. Like the fact that you can't skip dialogue, so after failing a major boss fight you have to watch it all over again (exacerbated by the old-school strict "save point" system, when games like the Xenoblade franchise allow "save anywhere"). Then there's the camera itself, which can't quite get in to look at party member's faces in some instances. The subtitles are also bad in that they don't show who's talking, but I ?can ??deal with it given that the game has dual audio.

The good news is that the garbage hour-long intro concept is gone. Players have access to a full menu within minutes, seconds if they skip the opening combat tutorial. 15 minutes later you're out of the town and into the world starting your adventure. And really, that's not bad at all. Featuring a series of wide open environments, it can be a lot of fun to roam around and beat up creatures (sans lengthy load times and annoying random battle transitions), and locate nooks and crannies to gather reso?urces -- which play into the basic crafting system. The scenery is also beautiful, and many times I just stopped to ta??ke it in (the game also runs at 60fps on PS4, which is a plus).

Combat is probably the smoothest part of the game. It's a full-action system with weak ??and strong attacks (both at short and long range), as well as guard and sidestep options. A rock-paper-scissors system is employed where weak interrupts strong and strong breaks guards, with a light amount of telegraphing on the enemy models to assist in the transparency of the system. At first it's easy to pick up, and by the time seven characters are added to the fray it doesn't even feel that chaotic, which is a triumph.

You will want to swap between allies though, because the AI mechanic (featuring gambits) isn't as sound as it could be. Don't get me wrong, it's good in that you can fine-tune everyone down to actions within roles, but it's not sufficient to go on auto-pilot for several major boss battles. That's not necessarily a bad thing if you like micromanaging, it's just something to be aware of. To clarify ?a bit, there's roughly 100 roles available (like "Savior," which inspires AI to heal more) so nearly every option is on the table, but it's clunkier than just fine-tuning everything at will.

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is a weird game in that it's a by-the-books RPG one minute, and a completely new feeling the next. Any future iteratio??ns after this one will be a tough sell, but if this? is where its journey ends, it had a good run.

_{[This re??view is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness appeared first on Destructoid.

At least in North America

[Update: No?w the date has officially been confirmed directly from S?quare Enix.]

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is coming t??o PlayStation 4 i??????????????????????????n North America on June 28.

The good word comes from Square Enix's online store, where a special "D?ay ??One" edition of the game (which includes a smattering of digital bonus content) is now available for pre-order.

Square Enix is releasing the?? PlayStation 4 version of Tri-Ace's new role-playing game in Japan tomorrow. Or today, actually. Because it's already tomorrow over there. Time zones are weird.

A PlayStation 3 port, which isn't coming to western shores, will launch in Japan on April 28. Square Enix has yet to announce release inform?a?tion for the title's European and Australasian debuts.

For more on Star Ocean 5, you can check out our interview with producer Shuichi Kobayashi.

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness [Square Enix Online Store]

The post Star Ocean 5 gets June 28 release date appeared first on Destructoid.

It's not a Star Lake...

In an interview with 4Gamer (translated by NicheGamer), members of the Star Ocean 5 team spoke about Western game critics and sexuality in Japanese games -- specifically, how it relates to Star Ocean character Miki. Even more specifically, how it relates to her underwear.

"Recently, there’s been a lot of flak from overseas countries saying that if you put teens in 'sexual' underwear, it's not good. So we increased the amount of clothing," said Star Ocean 5 producer Shuichi Kobayashi. You can see the original version here and the revised version here. Game director Hiroshi Ogawa jokingly referred to the chang??e as "distressing.??"

"Recently there's been a trend in games where if you put out a character that shows a lot of skin, later on you might have to make a lot of revisions, 'although she's erotic, there's not a lot of skin showing' is the feeling you get. In fact, [Star Ocean 5] got a rating of C [ages 15 and up] by CERO," said character designer Akira Yasuda.

Destructoid chatted with Kobayashi at E3 2015 about Star Ocean 5, where he spoke about his determination to get the game made. "I hope this isn't going to sound arrogant -- I thought if I couldn't produce it, nobody else could," Kobayashi said. "If this hadn't come about, I wouldn't be wo??rking for Square Enix now."

Star Ocean 5 character gets l??ess-sexy underwear 'in Fear of Western Criti?cism' [NeoGAF]

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Hammy, but surprisingly decent

Star Ocean: The Last Hope had a truly dreadful script, but the cringe-worthy voice acting probably didn't do the game any favors, either. Thankfully, it sounds like Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness will be a little better in that d?epartment, at least if its first English trailer ??is any indication. 

The voice over still has an overly theatrical quality about it, but I suppose that comes with the territory. Hopefully this one doesn't have any terrifying children hell-bent on taking "nappy time" with you.

The JRPG is hitting PS3 and P?S4 in Japan on March 31. A western release will follow later in the year.

The post Here’s what Star Ocean 5 sounds like in English appeared first on Destructoid.

...in Japan

As Square Enix promised at Tokyo Game Show in September, Star Ocean: Second Evolution is coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in the near future? -- sometime this month in Japan.

Based on the PSP remake of the PS1 original, this version will include a few enhancements, including a new opening theme, improved visuals and s?ound,? and downloadable content. Hm, that last one isn't much of an enhancement, but it is definitely new and unique to this iteration.

A localize?d release for western audiences h?as not been announced at this time.

Star Ocean: Second Evolution [Square Enix]

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That's not body paint

Back when Square Enix revealed Star Ocean 5, I recall a few Destructoid editors debating whether the green-haired gal's check??ered outfit was?? half skin-toned or, you know, it was just actual skin.

It seems we weren't the only ones wondering about the strange getup. During a special event at Tokyo Game Show, Square Enix was asked about the character (now known as Fiora Burnelli) and whether her ensemble is made of cloth o??r body paint -- a possibility that never crossed our minds.

Nope. ??It's not body paint, Square?? Enix replied; those are clothes. I'm glad we cleared that one up.

[Via Siliconera]

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The market is moving on

There comes a point in every console's life cycle where we all collectiv??ely decide the party is over. Some people start filing out around midnight. Others will disappear later on. Eventually it's just one guy trying to keep the night alive, even though the sun is rising and nobody else is around.

The PlayStation 3 isn't quite there yet, but it's getting close. And? Square Enix is slowly edging toward the door, trying to make its escape as soon as possible without being impolite. 

The publisher announced Star Ocean 5 for a western release last week at E3. However, unlike the Japanese version, which is coming to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 this winter, the localization is skipping out on the older system. You'll need a PS4 if you want to play? it in English (or French). 

Speaking with Star Ocean 5 producer Shuichi Kobayashi following Square Enix's E3 media event, I as??ked him to explain why the publisher is choosing to forgo a PS3 release here in the West.

"It's simple," Kobayashi replied (through an interpreter). "The PS3 still has a fairly large market in Japan, but in the West, particularly the United States, people have just moved on to PS4. The PS3 market has alm??ost diminished to nothing."

Meanwhile, Dragon Quest Heroes, also released for both PS3 and PS4 in Japan?, is only coming to North America ?and Europe on the new hardware.

That isn't to say the publisher is completely finished with the last generation at this point, though. Rise of the Tomb Raider (whic?h Microsoft is distributing) is still scheduled to launch on Xbox 360 this November, for instance. Just maybe don't expect that trend to go on too m?uch longer.

If?? you've yet to acquire one of the new??er machines, the time to do so is likely fast approaching.

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It's not a mobile game factory just yet

Back when word broke regarding Tri-Ace's acquisit??ion at the hands of mobile group Nepro Japan, the early speculation was the stud?io's days making game??s for consoles were over.

Then, just a couple months later, Square Enix announced a new entry in the Star Ocean franchise was in development at Tri-Ace, indicating fears may have been overblown. Perhaps the developer wouldn't be relegated to churn?ing out smartphone games?? for the rest of its days after all.

While catching up with Star Ocean 5 produc??er Shuichi Kobayashi at E3 last week, I inquired about the acquisition and what, if any, impact Tri-Ace's new ??????????????????????????parent has on the title's development.

"We are not expecting any impact," Kobayashi told me through a translator. "When you say Tri-Ace has been bought by another company, you think they must be troubled. But that??'s not the case??.

"They just wanted to reinforce their capital base. When they were negotiating the contract, they made sure that the new company were not going to poke their nose in their creative directio?n or development policy. On the creative side, they have 100 percent control."

So, that's encouraging. If Tri-Ace wants to start m?aking apps, it will ??be of its own volition, at least.

The post Reports of Tri-Ace’s death have been greatly exaggerated appeared first on Destructoid.

SO5 producer on how new game came to be

During an interview with Destructoid today, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness producer Shuichi Kobayashi intimated the series was in a state of upheaval after the launch of Star Ocean 4.

Kobayashi told me "nobody would dare to get involved" with the franchise out of respect for former series producer Yoshinori Yamagishi, who departed the company following Star Ocean 4's release.

"I thought somebody had to do it," ?Kobayashi said ??through an interpreter. "I had to force myself."

"I hope this isn't going to sound arrogant -- I? thought if I couldn't produce it, nobody else could."

Kobayashi remained committed to keeping the franchise alive, though. He worked on a pitch for Star Ocean 5 in secret with his close friend and series creator Yoshiharu Gotanda until they were ready to take a shot at making Kobayashi's dream a reality.

"If my CEO doesn't like my proposal, if he rejected it, that would be the end of the entire fra?nchise," Kobayashi feared. Moreover, "if this hadn't come about, I wouldn't be working for Square Enix now."

Obviously, things worked out. Earlier today at Square Enix's E3 media showcase, the publisher confirmed Star Ocean 5 for a western release. The upcoming role-playing game is slated to d??ebut in Japan this winter before coming to North America and Europe in 2016.

Kobayashi also mentioned he and Gotanda have plans for the franchise moving forward, but wouldn't go into any specifics. For now, he inte?nds to focus on the one already in the pipeline.

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Premier screenshots show off characters, environments, and more

Square Enix recently unveiled Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, the latest entry in the company's intergalactic? role-playing game series, but details on the titl??e have been pretty scarce. 

We know it's in development for PlayStation consoles and Tri-Ace is once again at the helm, despite earlier speculation that the studio's recent acquisition by mobile outfit Nepro Japan would mean the longtime Star Ocean developer's days of ma?king full-fledged console games were over.

It seems like Tri-Ace still has one g??ood bull?et left in the chamber, at the very least.

The story sounds like the standard fare, taking place several centuries after humans first departed Earth for the stars. It will follow the exploits of a young swordsman named Fidel and his childhood friend Miki, a healer who considers Fidel her onii-chan?. Awkward romantic subplot confirmed!

The debut screenshots also give us a look at a blonde warrior, a green-haired witch-like g??al wearing a revealing checker-pattern outfit, some lush environments and even the battle system.

Anything in particular catch your eye?

[via 4Gamer]

The post Take a closer look at the gorgeous Star Ocean 5 appeared first on Destructoid.

It's off to space we go

Star Ocean 5 is a real thing coming to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, Square Enix announced in the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu.

According to Kotaku, who we graciously credit these image scans to, the game is being developed by Tri-Ace who developed the original SNES game?? i?n 1996.

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is the fifth entry in the main series and is set in between Star Ocean 2 and Star Ocean 3.

We will have more on this story as information become??s available.

The post Star Ocean 5 has been officially announced appeared first on Destructoid.

Oh the outrage if it isn't

Whoever handles marketing at Square Enix really has a thing for annoyingly vague and slowly updating teasers, don’t they? After its teaser campaign for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided went fantastically wrong and info about the game got leaked, it has given us another vague teaser. "This time we'll do better, we promise!" a plucky team of Square Enix staff say while lovingly updating a page that tells us sod all.

In typical obnoxious teaser style, the page doesn't give us a lot of anything useful. "STAR", "2015" and "0 1" are all that we can see right now, as well as a Twitter feed of people yelling about what game it could be. Most of those people yelling seem convinced that this is a new Star Ocean game. It does make sense -- the last t??ime a game released in the series was over five years ago now.

Even if it isn't Star Ocean, looking in to the page's source shows "NEXT 2015.??04.14", so if I were a betting man I'd say we'll be hearing a bit more about?? this tomorrow. I hate this kind of teaser...

The post Square Enix teasing what might be Star Ocean 5 appeared first on Destructoid.

Yay?

Square Enix is taking one of its venerable franchises in a new direction with Star Ocean: Material Trader. A social role-??playing game, the forthcoming title will eschew the series' traditional roots in favor of a c?ard-based experience for mobile platforms.

Series producer Yoshinori Yamagishi is on board and is working alongside Circle of Mana team Hippos Lab to bri??ng th??e game to iOS and Android devices later this year.

スターオーシャン シリーズ最新作となるGREEスターオーシャン マテリアルトレーダー の事前登録がスタート [Gamer via Joystiq]

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Star Ocean: The Last Hope

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I thought Star Ocean: The Last Hope was a pretty solid entry in the JRPG genre, and I have to admit I did enjoy playing an RPG in a space setting rather than the usual modern fantasy universe. The game was 360 only though, leaving out PS3 owners who wante?d?? to play it -- at least, up until now.

Gamefly has leaked many a game because of their listings, and this time it's Star Ocean: The Last Hope for the PS3 that they have something up for. There's no info beyond this, and it's far from an actual confirmation, but it does makeme wonder if this is something we could see in the near future. Would you pick it up if this was ind?eed true?

[Via Siliconera]

The post Rumortoid: Star Ocean: The Las?t ??Hope coming to PS3? appeared first on Destructoid.

Ah, another day, another RPG. It's easy to feel that way with all the genre's releases as of late (and it makes me a bit nostalgic for the days in which I would patiently wait through the months between releases), but Star Ocean: The Last Hope stands out from that group for one reason: the setting is not medieval or even in some fa??ntastical invented country, but in space. ?Like Star Trek.

Funny enough, series creators tri-Ace have actually cited Star Trek as one of their main influences, and any fan of that series can surely see the similarities when your crew is about to throw your ship into warp or facing the impeding doom that only a black hole can present. Does The Last Hope actually come?? through and provide more than just memories of the great sci-fi of the past, though? Only hitting ??the jump will tell...

Star Ocean: The Last Hope (Xbox 360)
Developer: tri-Ace
Publisher: Square-Enix
Released: February 24th, 2009
MSRP: $59.99

Take a few moments to watch the opening sequence of The Last Hope before pressing the A button and getting your game started, and you'll surely feel you are in for nothing less than a grand adventure. It all begins a few centuries before the first Star Ocean, placing you in the role of Edge Maverick (a name even Iceman and Goose would have been proud of), your typical ?young spiky-haired kid trying to find his place in the world after World War III effectively destroyed the planet we know as Earth. I know, you can feel the cliche coming a??lready, can't you?

The truth of the matter is, at first (and for the first five or six hours), The Last Hope feels like a solid entry into the RPG genre, but it also feels generic in that way that too many RPGs do these days. The interaction between Edge and his childhood friend, Reimi Saionji, for instance, points in a direction that we've traversed many ti??mes before, and I found myself wondering if the descent into boredom was inevitable regardless of how good the gameplay itself might be. Call me crazy, but I need a good story to keep me hooked. 

If you stick with it though, you'll find there's enough reward there to keep you interested, especially as your party grows and their interactions become more engaging. Speaking of your party, you will meet quite a few people on your travels who will join you, allowing you to make a pretty varied party whenever you want. Also worth mentioning is the fact that you can switch out between these characters in battle and actually play as all of them, and you have something on your? hands that's a little cooler than toting around a cast of characters you can't truly play as.

Speaking of battle, the way you level your characters in Star Ocean games is a little different from the usual grind. To engage in an encounter, you actually have to touch an enemy on the field (and if you choose not to fight something, for example, you can just run away and let the beast chase you until it tires and throws in the towel). Once you engage, you find your party on a circular field in which you can actively move. A click of the shoul?der buttons allows you to jump from character to character in a flowing and seamless fashion. Both these things sit incredibly well with me, since the days?? of forced random battles always take a lot of fun out of RPGs for my personal experience.

The Last Hope differs from previous Star Ocean games in that a new fighting technique has been added called Blindside. By pressing certain buttons at a key moment when an enemy is targeting you, you can perform a Blindside move, which means you leap out of the way of your enemy, effectively stunning it and leaving it wide open for you to unload on its ass. I got quickly addicted to Blindsides and found myself trying to perform them on any and everything. There are times later in the game when this technique will be key ??to winning a battle, so don't skimp on the tutorial when it's teaching you how to use them!

Another feature that helps to break up the grind and present a bit more variety to the battle experience is the Battle Board, which is on thefar right side of the screen below the mini map. By satisfying certain conditions in battle such as finishing with a critical hit or defeating multiple enemies at once, you can earn a tile for the board. It's really fun to stack these, and each one you earn gives you a bonus such as a boost to your experience or Fol (money). Along with the Rush Gauge, yet another feature that allows you to fill it up and then unleash extra-powerful attacks in what's called Rush Mode, battle ??definitely gets an A in my book -- it's just a lot of fun to fight, and it makes grinding feel a lot less like a chore. Hooray for that!

Outside of battle, you have a ??new customization option for your characters called BEAT (Battle Enhancement Attribute Type). This allows you to have certain characters focus on certain things, like becoming an expert at Blindsides or focusing on their speci?al moves instead. This is wholly optional -- if you want to get in there and customize things down to the last degree, you certainly can, but if you want to set character's BEATs and forget about them for the rest of the game, you can do that too.

Item creation is back and and is more a world of its own than ever (and one you can choose to participate in or ignore). There's a room on the ship you can go to when you want to create something, and the way it works is that you will have to choose characters who will first go through. Welch returns from Star Ocean: Till The End of Time to assist you, and your gr??oups will have to put their heads together to invent and then create items. You can make a wide range of things (and some of them are quite useless), but keep? in mind that this process consumes your party SP, so be careful what you're spending!

I found exploring landscapes and dungeons in The Last Hope to be adventurous and engaging, and I even noticed that while in some of the alien ships I actually experienced some feelings of slight discomfort, which I marveled over -- that's how being in an alien surrounding SHOULD feel! I've heard mixed things about the way the game looks, but I thought the landscape especially was beautiful and did an effective job immersing me into ?the story. Edge also has a sprint feature, which you can use to dart across large expanses of land in no time, helping to keep the boredom of endless travel at bay.

For completionists who like to amass large collections of items while playing a game, you're in luck: there is a metric fuck-ton of things to collect in The Last Hope. Battle Trophies return and are always fun to watch pop up onscreen as you complete battles. Spaceship data i?s something you can also collect by r?eading books, examining your surroundings, which is a really fun challenge for completionists to take on, along with Monster Collecting. By far the most titanic challenge is Weapon Collection, which includes weapons you make and find in chests, and if you want to complete it you'll have to be brutally diligent to find everything there is to find.

If you have played Star Ocean games before, you will be familiar with Private Actions, which allow you to build relationships between your characters. On the ship, you'll have the option of assigning 2 people to each room, which can have a direct effect on how these rel??ationships develop (and can also affect the ending of the game). I love this option and feel spoiled on it thanks to the Persona games, so I'm thrilled to see it here, even though it's only a small part of the game. Be warned, however: if you choose the "sleep until arrival" option when traveling to a new planet, you can miss out on many of the opportunities to build the relationships, so stay awake!

Some of the only complaints I have about the game are little things, like the fact that I feel like my emotions are being manipulated because of certain storytelling tactics the game implements, and I wish that developers could reach beyond these things and attempt a bit more creativity. The biggest example of this is Lymle, the young girl you meet on a planet called Triom who will become a part of your party. While she is adorable, her use of the catchphrase "kay?" at the end of her sentences and her overly childlike behavor (she is fifteen, but could be mistaken for nine or ten) make her borderline cliche all on her own. Must there always be a child in your party? Is there another way to make us feel and care for the characters then using this cheap tactic? She isn't an unlikeable character, but rather an example of an element in RPGs I pers?onally don't care for.

As a whole, The Last Hope is well crafted and presents a huge adventure for you to lose yourself in. With everything from solid dungeons to exciting battles and sidequests, the game has a ton to offer for your buck and stands as a worthwhile entry in the genre. If you're looking to have a groundbreaking ?new RPG experience it probably isn't the game for you, but otherwise I think it'd be a great addition to any c?ollection.

Score: 8.5 -- Great (8s are impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.)

The post Destructoid review: Star Ocean: The Last Hope appeared first on Destructoid.

I'm not sure if the news of the change to less "anime" faces in Star Ocean 4 turned any of you off enough to keep you from buying the game when it comes out, but if that type of thing doesn't bother you, you may want to get a gander at the new scans that Gamekyo has posted today. There's more pretty images to ogle, not to mention a g??igantic pink rabbit that looks a bit like Cait Sith in bunny form.

I want to complain about the changing of the anime-styled faces, but then I think about the brilliant Valkyria Chronicles, which featured breathtaking anime-inspired characters and topped "best of" lists, yet sold about as well as the Apple Pippin ??(okay, maybe just a little better than that, but still). Let's face it, a lot of us may like anime stylings in our gam??ing experiences, but it's not where the money's at.

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I know I won't win any fans with this guilty admission, but I have never played a Star Ocean game. Of course, seeing screens of the upcoming Star Ocean IV have made me think I might be playing my first one very soon, and the new trailer posted on Square-Enix's YouTube channel pretty much c?linches it -- I need ??this game. Go watch it!

So, Star O?cean fans, I humbly ask for your guidance. If I play Star Ocean IV and fall in love, can you suggest what other games in the series ?I must get my hands on>

[Thanks, Christian!]

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If you think you're drowning in advertising with the Star Ocean: The Last Hope ads you're seeing al??l over this fine network of Web sites, you ain't? seen nothing yet.

The above picture shows an escalator of Square Enix advertising power. In Hong Kong's popular shopping district Causeway Bay, this Star Ocean 4 escalator drives the point home all the way up (or down): you need to buy this game, too.

Siliconera says that the whole ride is scattered with LCD monitors showing a Star Ocean: The Last Hope ??trailer.  What a huge marketing push. This seriously rival??s some of the big pushes we've seen in Tokyo's Akihabara. 

After all of this, Star Ocean 4 had better be good!

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A guy trying to touch a girl while she sleeps. Super busty elf with laser staff. And a dumb anime bitch leaning in to get her head bit off by a domesticated velociraptor in a spaceship (above)? Wow, the new Star Ocean looks f*cking awesome!

So we totally don't know what's going on here in the screenshots. All we know is that just like the trailer, these screens from Square Enix's upcoming Xbox 360 title Star Ocean: The Last Hope (March 3rd release date) look fantastic. And while it's true that looks aren't everything, that's really all we have to go on, aside from a bit of hints from the official Web page.

So let's look back at these super hig??h-resolution screenshots:

It looks like?? cop-a-feel-kun got caught in the act. What an idiot. Um, there's roommates? Co-ed?

On a more serious note, the battle scenes look great.

And finally, are they playing the next Star Ocean, sometime in the future?

The post Who cares if the last Star Ocean sucked: this new one looks f’n awesome appeared first on Destructoid.