Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

"A truly epic RPG"

The first two Star Ocean games, published by Enix went under the radar of many gamers, mainly due to the SNES original never seeing a stateside release, and the PS1's The Second Story being overshadowed by its more flashy counterparts being produced by Squaresoft under the heralded name “Final Fantasy”. Announced early in the PS2's lifespan was a third game in Tri-Aces' critically acclaimed series. While Star Ocean 3: Til the End of Time didn't see release in Japan until early 2003, North American gamers were forced to wait even longer. After the much talked about merger between the two RPG giants, Square-Enix prepared the special treatment for the game with a new edition of the game that fixed many of the bugs found in the original Japanese release and added some new characters to the mix as well. From there the hype machine started rolling, and gamers everywhere eagerly anticipated Star Ocean 3 for the first time in North America. It released in August 2004 to critical and financial success, although among the gaming community there was a divide. So how does Star Ocean: Til the End of Time hold up today? Very well actually.

While the Star Ocean series has garnered a love it or hate it reputation when it comes to its futuristic, sci-fi storylines, the plot found in SO3 is actually very strong. It tells the story of the aptly named Fayt Leingod, who with a name like that pretty much has his future set out for him, after his vacation is interrupted by an attack from hostile forces. After a successful escape, Fayt is stranded on a remote, “underdeveloped” planet, similar to medieval period earth. Separated from his parents and friend Sophia, Fayt is eventually joined by an ally early on, and the two are caught up in the underdeveloped planets politics, all the while doing their best to escape the remote planet. Of course, the plot is very much deeper then that, but to say any more would give away some of the early twists and turns, of which there are many. In true Star Ocean fashion, the plot interweaves science fiction with fantasy, and for great results.

To tell a story however, you need characters. Preferably memorable ones, and SO3 delivers here. None of the characters come off clichéd in the least bit, as all have a decent amount of depth to them. From Fayt, who has more secrets then he knows, to Fayt's mysterious rescuer Cliff, and to the citizens of Elicoor II who are locked in a brutal civil war, every character has some reason for joining the party, and all of them contribute to the plot in one way or another. If I have one complaint, it's that SO3 lacks any sort of memorable villain. Oh sure, there are characters who serves as antagonists the party, but none of them really fit that memorable villain role, and the true villain of the game doesn't reveal himself until very late in the story, a RPG cliché I could stand to see go.

Of course, the much talked about plot twist should also be mentioned here. While obviously I won't spoil it, I'll just say this; you'll either absolutely love it, or you'll absolutely loath it. Of which camp you fall into also will probably decide your overall feelings for the game. Tri-Ace definitely took a chance with it, and it paid off well. The story evolves from what appears to be a simple sci-fi tale in the games early hours, into something much more deep and complex. Like I said earlier, you'll either hate SO3's story, or you'll love it. I highly doubt there is going to be any middle ground in that regard.

I've always been conflicted when it comes to the SO formula. On one hand, the concept of being a science fiction character stranded in a fantast world is cool, and definitely unique, but at times I really don't want to be on the cookie cutter fantasy world. The world of Elicoor is pretty average in terms of RPG locales, and doesn't really offer up anything new. Countless times I was left staring at sky, wondering when I would get to see the sci-fi setting which we were given a taste of early on. It's not that the part of the game that takes pace on Elicoor is bad, it's just very forgettable, and offers little in the way engaging story. Roughly halfway through the game, the story explodes, and never looks back though, and this is where the ho hum beginnings pay off. Overall, SO3 features a slow out of the gates, but eventually rewarding and engaging story, chalk full of colorful and memorable characters.

As the story drags early on, perhaps the reason why you won't quit playing altogether is the games gameplay. The Star Ocean series has garnered a gameplay first reputation, and you can see why. There's a lot to do in SO3, as it's a mammoth of a game. Interaction with the world is presented in your typical Japanese RPG style. If you've played a JRPG before, you know how this works. Wandering around the over world, exploring towns, interacting with NPC's, fighting monsters and scaling dungeons. SO3 doesn't offer much in the way of innovation, but what's here is done well. On your journey through Elicoor II, you'll come across numerous challenges. Exploration plays a big part here, and towns are a joy to wander aimlessly through. Eventually, a handful of extras make themselves available to you. These range from fun little mini games to a battle royale type event, and they provide some more depth to an already deep game.

If I have one complaint, the pacing of the game seems very sketchy at times. The entire first half of the game is essentially one long fetch quest, and it gets tiresome at times. Too many times the game comes up with some lame excuse to send you to anther dungeon. I'm fine with dungeons, this is an RPG after all, but I wish there was more purpose to what you were doing, and you ultimately just feel like an errand boy for the people you're helping. Such is the case for most RPG heroes though, so it's not surprising it shows up here.

The battle system has always been a big draw of the Star Ocean series. Featuring a fun, innovative real time system, SO3 comes away with one of the better action based battle systems, yet it's not without it's flaws.

Happily, the Star Ocean series has jumped on the bandwagon for doing away with random battles. While I won't go into a anti-random battle tirade here, needless to say they need to make a permanent exit from the world of RPG'S. Instead of running around in circles to initiate combat, all you have to do is run up to the enemy you want to face, who are visible on the map. Once combat actually starts though, you get into the meart of Star Ocean: Til the End of Time. Simply put, combat is for the most part a joy to play. You control one character at a time, while the other battle members are controlled by the AI. Here's where the problems come in. To put it quite bluntly, the AI is as dumb as bricks. While there are numerous settings and options to help them overcome their mental handicap, your teammates will always wind up not doing what you say, wasting items, and attacking the least strategic target possible. No matter what you do, there really is no way to properly fix this, and you'll be switching characters a lot to save them from death. It's a shame too, as had this problem been fixed then SO3's battle system could have been something truly special, instead of just really good.

SO3 serves up dome innovation however, in another love it or hate it feature. Your characters have a certain amount of Fury, which is a bar that slowly depletes as you attack your opponents. Once it gets down to zero, you are unable to attack anymore and must wait the few seconds to recharge. While many gamers have voiced their concerns over the much talked about Fury bar, it's almost a necessary evil. Without it, battles would be an absolute breeze, and most of the challenge would be gone. It's understandable why this is here, and it provides a much needed level of balance.

Another prominent feature of battle are the special attacks, which are nothing new to RPG's. They work well here, as you earn more as you grow in levels. A minor complaint however, is that once you hit level 50, your characters will gain techniques that essentially renders strategy useless in the games final dungeons. Of course you don't have to use it, but doing so takes away from the challenge of the game.

Dungeons play a big part of SO3, as they essentially make up a very large portion of your adventure. The dungeons are well designed for the most part, if not for a few problems that rear their ugly head as go along. Puzzles are creative at times, while others are just boring and unimaginative. Dungeons also suffer from a lack of direction at times, as there were definitely moments where I was stuck wondering what the hell to do next. Also disappointing was the lack of imaginative design. With a few notable exceptions, most of the dungeons look bland and uninspired.

Visually the game is very impressive. The environments all look decent, although some of the terrain comes off rough and bland. Character models are done in traditional 3D anime style, and they all look very good. Each member of the party has their own unique look, and cut scenes are acted out well. The framerate stays consistent, which is definitely a good thing.

Sound wise, the game is a mixed bag. While it's nice that it has full voice acting, the bulk of it is just not done well. Bad timing, mismatched voices, and characters that sound as if they were voiced by the same actor all detract from the experience. The soundtrack also varies in quality. While some tracks feel epic, and fit the mood of the game very well, others are laughably bad, and qualify for some of the worst in game tunes in awhile. Thankfully, these are outnumbered by the good ones.

SO3 is a big game, there's no denying that. While unquestionably has numerous flaws, due to the sheer size and scope of the game it's easy to ignore the faults, and concentrate on everything it does right, which trust me, is quite a bit. An epic story, a fun battle system and memorable characters all make for a great RPG experience, even it does take nearly half the game to for it to truly take off. Once it does, it makes for one of the most absorbing games in the PS2's lineup, and is still one of the best RPG's available for Sony's system.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/05/07, Updated 02/12/07