Star Ocean: The Second Story - by Shady
Introduction:
Star Ocean: The Second Story is a two disc role playing game (RPG) made by one of my favorite gaming companies, Enix. It was released in the early summer of 1999, and I bought my copy of the game about a couple weeks or so after it came out. I had just gotten my Playstation earlier that year as a Christmas present, and I had mostly sports games in my game library. I was getting tired of all of my games being of the same genre, so I decided that I needed something to mix it up. I decided to buy an RPG. There was one problem, though. I did not know what RPG to buy. After some magazine reading and searching (I was not a regular visitor to GameFAQs back then), I narrowed it down to two new releases - Lunar Silver Star Story Complete, and Star Ocean: The Second Story. I saved up some money and decided to go to the local department store to buy my first ever RPG. When I made it to the store, I found both games there. I noticed Lunar was about $50 or $60 (I don’t remember for sure), and that Star Ocean 2 was only $39.99. I knew that Lunar had a soundtrack CD and a "making of" CD along with the game itself, but the price was a little too much for me. I looked at the cover of Star Ocean 2, and I figured it wasn’t going to be that great of a game, but I was wanting an RPG so I bought it. It turns out that it was one of my best video game purchases I have ever made. When I got in the car, I opened up the jewel case, to find a thick 57 page manual enclosed. It was the longest game manual I had ever seen, but I know there are bigger ones out there. Remember, this was my first RPG. When I finally came home, I put in the game and played it for about three hours straight. I was addicted already and I was just getting used to the controls! It turns out that I still play Star Ocean 2 to this day, and it is over a year later. Yes, it is that good. Anyways, I am sure you are tired of my rambling, so let’s get on with the rest of the review, shall we?
Graphics (9.3/10)
As soon as I started to play Star Ocean 2, the first thing I noticed were the beautiful graphics. You start out in the village of Arlia, which is just a beautiful town to look at. After gazing at the scenery in Arlia for a while, I realized that there was a game to play. I'll get into the gameplay later, though. Anyways, everything in Arlia (and the rest of the places in the game) is very colored, and is very nice to look at. The houses, the stores, the people, the overall scenery, and just about everything else looks amazing. My favorite place in particular to visit is the Shingo Forest, because of its rich colors and beautiful scenery. It is an amazing piece of art.
One thing that may turn a few potential buyers off is the fact that the backgrounds in SO2 are 3D, while the characters themselves are 2D. I have no problem with that, as I think it is actually the best way to go in an RPG. I'm not a big fan of the all 3D graphics that are showcased in such titles as Legend of Dragoon, and the newer Final Fantasy games. Maybe it's because I like things simple. In any case, the use of the 3D backgrounds and 2D characters is excellent. Enix excelled here.
As a matter of fact, the mix of 3D and 2D is used throughout the entire game. During battle, the scenery around you is 3D, while the characters and monsters are in 2D. Again, the mix is beautifully blended in to make it look top notch. However, I did find one problem with the graphics during battle. Sometimes, the characters or backgrounds will glitch a little. I especially noticed this during boss battles, and at the Tournament of Lacour. It is really no big deal, though, as it doesn't take too much away from the rest of the graphics.
I also found one more little problem with Star Ocean 2's graphics, this time in the form of cinematics. Sadly, there are not many FMV or cinematics to be found in the game. For what there is, though, it is absolutely fantastic. My favorite in game movie is the destruction of a town that I won't reveal (I don't want to spoil any part of the game for you). The use of FMV in it is amazing, and the duel shock effect just adds to it. Needless to say, when you first view it, you will probably want to check it out again.
Overall, the graphics are simply beautiful, as you can tell the developers put a lot of time into it. Bravo.
Sound (8.8/10)
If there is one thing any RPG should excel in besides story and gameplay, it would have to be its music and sound. Well, thankfully, Star Ocean 2 features excellent sound, and a great soundtrack. I don’t know if there has ever been a SO2 soundtrack released, but I would buy a copy! Some of the tracks are just plain great and fit the tune of the place you are in (Fun City), and others are just good enough to be placed in any part of the game. Now as for the sound effects, they are great, too. One thing I remember in the customize skill is that when you are customizing a weapon, the sound effect will be something like two knifes clinging together. It may get a little annoying, but the rest of the sound effects are great, except for the voices during battle. I personally like the voices, but many many people do not. I’ll admit that they get repetitive after a while, and the voice acting is pretty crappy, but when you like the game as much as I do, you will actually start to like them (probably). Overall, the sound is very good.
Story (8.9/10)
If you have read any of my previous reviews, you will notice this new section I made just for RPGs - the story. Star Ocean: The Second Story features a good story that gets much better as it goes along. First of all, you can play in two different stories (kind of). There is Claude’s story, and then there is Rena’s story.
Claude’s story starts off with him being sent on an "Away" Team mission to explore the strange emissions on the planet Milocinia. He is looking to prove that his promotion was out of merit, not because his father, Ronixis, is the captain of the ship. When Claude notices a flashing switch in the northwest, he decides to check it out. The Science Officer (not Claude) triggers the switch, and the party finds an entrance to the dome. Inside the dome, Claude heads up north to a strange glowing rock of sorts. Once he reaches the rock, all of a sudden he gets transported to another planet! Claude tries to contact the party from the ship with his communicator, but it does not work because he is so far away from the rest of the party. Once Claude gets around, he notices a young girl being attacked by a rather large gorilla-like beast. Who is this girl that Claude notices? Can he save her, despite only being equipped with a Phase Gun? You will have to play Claude’s story or read spoilers on the internet to find out.
Rena’s story starts off with her ignoring her mother so she can go to the Shingo Forest, Rena’s favorite place to relax. When she reaches the Shingo Forest, Rena goes further and further into its depths. Without her knowing, a giant gorilla-like beast comes up from behind her. A voice yells out the warning, and the stranger rushes in to help her. Who is the stranger? Will miss Rena be saved? You will have to play Rena’s story or read spoilers on the internet to find out. :)
Now as you can tell, both Rena’s and Claude’s stories relate to each other. It is pretty obvious to tell what happens next after what I wrote, but as you delve deeper and deeper into the game, it will become harder and harder to predict. When going on to disc two, it seems like everything changes. You will have to play the game to find out the rest of Star Ocean: The Second Story’s story.
Gameplay (9.5/10)
I have no idea where to start with Star Ocean 2’s numerous game modes and options. There are so many things to talk about (err.. write about) that this is going to take a while. Sit back and take a deep breath because this is going to be one long section!
When your first boot up the game, it will take you through the credits and such, until you reach the menu. At the menu, you can start a new game, continue a game, or go to the voice collection. The first two options are obvious, but the voice collection is probably something that you are wondering about. The voice collection features the voices of characters in the game that you have heard during battle. While unlocking the voices, a special picture will develop. I have not gotten 100% yet, and it is quite the task.
Now, when you start a new game, it will take you to the hero select screen. At the hero select screen, you can choose to play either Rena’s adventure or Claude’s adventure. Read the "story" section in this review for more information on the stories. Anyways, after you pick your hero, it takes you to the battle mode screen. From there, you can pick how you want to control your characters during battle. There are three modes to choose from - standard, semi-active, and full-active. The standard mode is generally for gamers new to RPGs, the semi-active mode is for gamers that are looking for more action (in the game), and the full-active mode is for gamers that want full use of free movement. I normally use the full-active mode, because it gives you more freedom to do whatever you want during battle. After you have selected your battle mode of choice, it takes you right to the game if I remember right (I have not started a new game for a while). Once you get in the game, the whole epic adventure known as Star Ocean: The Second Story starts.
Now, whether you have selected Rena or Claude’s story, both will have the same options on the "camp" menu. The camp menu is basically where all of the game options and modes are located. When you open up the camp (by pushing triangle), you will see a whole bunch of options. The first option at the very top of the menu is "specialty". In specialty, you can assign your killer moves to your fighters (like Claude, Dias, and Ashton), and you can use a mage’s (like Rena and Noel) spell to heal your party or something like that. The next option from the top is "items". In the items, you can go through your entire list of accessories, weapons, and such. More than likely, by the time you get to the second disc, you will have loads and loads of items. Thankfully, you can categorize them any way you wish. Also in the items section, you can use item creation and super specialty skills. Item creation allows you to put your skills to work and try and make some good items or you can customize them. You will need a high level of that certain skill to make anything useful, but it is a lot of fun! Super specialty skills allow you to team up with other members of your party to work as a team on certain skills. The option below items is equipment, and that is where you can manage your weapons for your party members. If you don’t want to bother with your character’s weapons, then you can have the equipment wizard control the weapons for you. Next up is the skills option. In skills, you can attribute your skill points to whatever skills you would like your characters to learn. One of my favorite skills to learn is pickpocketing. With pickpocketing, you can steal items from anybody in the game, including your own characters! There can be some very rare and awesome stuff to be found using pickpocketing. There are four more options left on the camp menu - status, options, combat, and data. In status, you can get all of the information about your party members. In options, you can set the game’s speed and such to however you would like it. In combat, you can set up what party members you want to fight in battles, and you can select their formation and strategy. Whew, that was quite the paragraph.
Okay, now you are out of the camp menu and are wandering around on the world map. There are many things you can do on the map. For example, one of the greatest parts of Star Ocean 2 (there are many great parts in SO2) is the private actions. In private actions, you can enter a town or city all by your lonesome and do whatever you want. You can meet up with other members of your party and talk to them, heck you can even steal from them if you want! The private actions are a very cool option and they will help decide which of the over 80 endings you will get.
Overall, the gameplay in Star Ocean: The Second Story is top notch. There is just so much stuff to do that it deserves a 9.5!
Controls (9.1/10)
For controls, Star Ocean 2 has some pretty easy ones to learn. You’ve got your basic buttons to move the camera (L1/R1), the basic talk button (X), the menu button (triangle), the private actions button (square), and there is the button to get out of the menus (circle). Of course, the buttons change to fit whatever you are doing (the battle system’s controls are obviously different than the field keys I listed). SO2 features analog control, too, and it is very smooth and easy to use. Great job done here.
Replay Value (HIGH)
With over 80 endings, there most definitely is loads of replay value in Star Ocean 2. I probably wouldn’t care less if there was only one ending, I would still play SO2 more than once thanks to its top notch gameplay. Thanks to private actions, and the fact that you can’t get all of the characters in the game to join your party on one quest, there is plenty of stuff that makes SO2 worth playing through more than once.
Fun Factor (HIGH)
Umm.. Of course Star Ocean 2 is fun! Why would I have gave the other sections eights and nines? One thing that I noticed in other RPGs is that their battle systems were boring and you would dread heading into a battle. Well, that is not the case in SO2. I, for one, actually enjoyed going into battle because I find the battle system very fun and enjoyable. Since you can pick how you want the battle system to play it, it is even more fun. But other than the battle system, everything else is fun. There is even a city called Fun City that is chock full of mini games. In Fun City, you can enter the battle tournament, gamble at the bunny races, take a master chef challenge (kind of like the TV show, Iron Chef), and talk to a psychic. There are also many shops in Fun City. Overall, the fun factor for the entire game is amazing!
Challenge (HIGH)
Going through Star Ocean 2 for the first time, without a FAQ or walkthrough, is *very* challenging. With a walkthrough, it is easier but it still a challenging game. With all of the game modes and options, there is lots of challenge - trying to get 100% in the voice collection, trying to beat the Cave of Trials, beating the final boss, successfully making some of the greatest items in the game, there is so much stuff to do! Overall, there is quite a bit of challenge.
Rent or Buy?
Do I really need to give you my recommendation to buy this game? Go ahead and spend the $39.99 (I recently found one for $19.99) or whatever it costs in your area, and buy Star Ocean 2! I do not understand why some people dislike this game. It is one of my favorite RPGs of all time, and it definitely deserves that honor. Out of the RPGs I have played, though, there have been some great ones, but SO2 out does them all by far. Anyway, I know that some people have given this game a low score, so I would understand if you are not sure if you want to rent or buy SO2. If you must, go ahead and rent it first, but I would recommend buying it immediately (especially with the low price and all).
The Good:
- Beautiful graphics
- Awesome battle system
- Over 80 endings
- Great music and sound
- Good overall story
- Fun and unique characters
The Bad:
- The characters can be too cutesy for some gamers' tastes
- Not very many FMVs or cinematics
- You can't figure out the exact romantic and friendship values of your party members
And the Ugly:
- Winding up with a bad ending (i.e. Dias & Bowman, I've heard it can happen)
Overall (9.2/10)
What more could you ask for in an RPG? Star Ocean 2 has it all - graphics, gameplay, sound, story, replay value, you name it and SO2 has it. My recommendation is to buy the game as soon as you can. You won't regret it, especially now that it is at a low price.
