"Masterpeice!"

This is on of the greatest RPGs ever. A start to a great series. Star Ocean is very unique and it has some very good attributes.

STORY - 10/10
I have to say, this is one of my favorite games, and the story line is one of the reasons I like it. You have to save your friend and a town from a deadly disease that slowly petrifies you (turns you into stone). It's very creative and original. I never have played a game quite like this one. The story line is ''top of the line.'' The story is one of those games that you keep guessing what's going happen next, which just means that it is very exciting, and it builds up suspense.

GAME PLAY - 10/10
One of a kind. No game has ever made the battle sequence like this. Personally, I like it more than the old ''site there and wait for your next attack'' style. The battle mode isn't the only good point about the game play, the adventures you have to go on through the forests, caves, etc... are exciting as well. When you are walking along, you could suddenly pass something up (such as a person or chest), since they are so well hidden. You probably will have to go through each area a few times, considering you are going back and forth from all of the towns/villages.

MUSIC/SOUND EFFECTS - 10/10
Enix never lets me down, when it comes to the sound effects and music. They obviously spend a pretty long time making them. The music and sound effects don't always mean much gaming wise, but it would be pretty boring if a game didn't have them. Star Ocean has music that fits the game perfectly, and sound effects that sound great. Simply put.

CONTROL - 8/10
I got a bit confused at the battle mode (considering that you almost use all of the buttons). That's was just my stupidity though. It's pretty much basic any other time. The same old layout.

GRAPHICS - 10/10
Enix never lets me down with the graphics neither, but when you think of good graphics for SNES, you probably think of Super Mario RPG. Well good graphics don't just mean 3D, they mean how smooth they are, and do they have alot of features to the graphics. The features for this game include: Water Reflection, Foot prints in the sand, Beams of sun light, etc... The graphics are pretty much the best your going to get out of the SNES (an exception for Super Mario RPG).

OVERALL RATING - 10/10
One of the best RPGs ever. It's one of my personal favorites. Enix did an excellent job on this game, and I couldn't have expected anything better. There isn't any other RPG as unique as this one, and it has one of the best story lines I've ever heard of.

OTHER RATINGS -

REPLAY VALUE - 5/10
After I beat this game, I haven't wanted to playing again for a while, maybe because it's not fully translated..

DIFFICULTY - 9/10 (1 being the easiest, 10 being the hardest)
One of the toughest RPGs I've ever played, and also one of the longest RPGs too. This game is very hard, considering that if you make one mistake, or forget to do anything, you will regret it once you get further in the game.

The things I don't like about Star Ocean -
* It's only available in Japan
...that's it...

TO BUY OR TO RENT..
If you can even find this game anywhere, then you should buy it, not paying attention to the price. It's a once in a life time chance. If you can find somewhere to rent this game, then you should rent it, and go back to the store on the ''due date'' and claim that you lost it, and pay for it. Anything that it takes to get this game, do it. This is a brilliant RPG, and if you pass up an opportunity to buy this game, you are NOT so brilliant.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/01/02, Updated 04/01/02