Star Ocean Returns!
Few gaming franchises are as enduring and popular as Star Ocean. Initially released way back on the Japanese version of the Super Nintendo, over the years and platforms there have been many installments. Square Enix have now developed a next gen entry into the pantheon; Star Ocean: The Last Hope, set to do something all previous installments have failed to do- take the franchise in a new direction!
Similar to other RPGs at the moment, Star Ocean The Last Hope is taking the combat system in a real time direction. The increased character roster allows for a varied combat experience by allowing use of up to four characters at a time instead of three. As well as combat, each character has certain skills which can be used whilst in the field, such as collecting plants for item synthesis or mining for certain items.
Another new aspect to the game is BEAT, a function utilized to affect the general posture of your character. This can be manipulated to give your character a more passive or agressive stance for example. Other characters can use this method to enable sneak attacks etc. As the game progresses, these skills and attributes can be leveled up and linked to create devastating combos.
Visually this game is beautiful, as you would expect from a Square Enix title.The special cutscenes have been handled by Visual Works, the studio that helped the create the notoriously detailed and gorgeous cutscenes from the Final Fantasy series. In The Last Hope, vibrant worlds and gorgeous characters form to create a typically engrossing RPG. Gameplay is polished and works well, keeping the flow just right whilst retaining many of the traditional RPG elements you wouldn't want to lose.
Set some considerable time before the first Star Ocean game, The Last Hope is a perfect point for the casual fan to join the franchise. After Square Enix's The Last Remnant left a lot of RPG fans nonplussed, Star Ocean has been much more successful, a promising sign ahead of it's release over here in June.
