Star Ocean: The Last Hope

"Solid roleplay from Square Enix and Tri Ace."

Preface

Star Ocean: The Last Hope is a solid well built game with few flaws. Fans of Square's RPG's should definitely go ahead and buy it. There is a healthy mix of an engaging story line and challenging gameplay to keep you entertained. The battle system is very interactive with a fairly simple control scheme. The animation was a little cartoonish but not so much as to be off putting. The plot was generally serious with a healthy level of comic relief. The musical score was sub par in comparison to Square Enix's Final Fantasy series however, at best it was unremarkable, at worst I felt like I was listening to an enhanced score written for a NES title. Replayability is a huge plus, complete with unlockable difficulty settings, multiple endings, and the ability to retain stats on replay reminiscent of Square's Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross titles.

Playability 7/10

Overall, well done. The battle system was a major plus with plenty of interaction. I found myself nervously reminded, of the Final Fantasy XII scheme with the BEAT system and the ability to set tactics for characters not set as the leader. However the feeling of watching battles take place wthout actually doing anything that I got while playing FFXII was non existent with the fast paced interaction with the leader character which you have the option of changing at any time. The map was well done without with plenty of options that prevented the feel that you are following the yellow brick road. At the same time there was little direction as to where you were supposed to be going and it is easy to find yourself lost with little clues as to how to get back on the right track. The cutscenes are extremely long (some over 30 minutes in length), not so much boring, but for better or for worse you tend to get the feeling that you aren't playing a video game but watching a movie. While the cutscenes ARE skipable and you get a synopsis of what happened in the cutscene when you skip it, there is no way to pause it. I found myself in a pickle a couple of times when the phone rang or nature called with no way to pause. And it is easy to miss a crucial piece of information if you aren't paying close enough attention. The menus were fairly simple, easy to navigate, and mostly standard fare, which I see as a positive.

Plot and Storyline (8/10) (NO SPOILERS)

The biggest draw to any RPG is of course storyline and character development. The plot was serious enough to be interesting with enough comic relief to be entertaining while not being annoying. Think the adventure elements of Star Trek, the fantasy elements of "Final Fantasy VIII", and the "cartoonishness" of Wild Arms, in one game, and you'll be pretty close to what this plot was like. The characters are slightly one dimensional and they don't really grow a heck of a lot, but they work together well. One major plus is the protagonist didn't have the androgyny that has become typical of the Final Fantasy series which is the Square Enix flagship title.

Graphics and Music/Sounds (4/10)

The graphics were mostly unremarkable. A little cartoonish but I never found myself enthralled in a stunning cutscene. For the XBOX 360 platform the visuals were mostly average, albeit fluid with a well adjustable camera and no drawn out load times. The musical score was ignorable with nothing very moving. The dialogue in battle was extremely annoying. Most of the time it just sounded like four people talking all at once and some of the characters voices got to be like nails on a chalkboard.

Replayability (10/10)

With multiple endings, unlockable difficluties, and New Game+, plenty of side quests, there is nothing to be critiqued here. RPG titles often struggle to be replayable because they average 40 to 50 hours to complete with no possibility of changing the outcome. The title answered all of these challenges quite well and made the game purchase worthy instead of rent worthy. I look forward to unlocking all the elements that I have not discovered yet.


Overall (7.5/10)

Definitely worth buying and playing through at least once. The flaws are more than outweighed by the positives. A good RPG to cool off with after playing a title as serious (albeit excellent) as Fallout 3.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/05/09

Game Release: Star Ocean: The Last Hope (US, 02/23/09)