Star Ocean: Second Evolution

"Great game, okay port."

Of course after the play through with First Departure, I knew that Second Evolution would be butchered in probably the same ways that the first went through, and to no surprise it all came true. But let's start from the very beginning. And please, try not to think this is a bias review... I try to be as realistic as possible.

Star Ocean: Second Departure is a port of Star Ocean: The Second Story, a game by tri-Ace on Playstation. The game was very overlooked for what it was; an epic adventure and possibly my favorite RPG of all time. It has epic music, a wide array of characters, a large customization for items and weapons, and most importantly Skills ( Traits ) that you can tinker with. All these together make Star Ocean 2 a wonderful game.

Gameplay: 10/10

As far as RPG's go, Star Ocean has probably the most fun combat system where it's not just standing still and selecting options, but it's actually running around a small little map and killing off your enemies one by one at a pace you desire. You play as your leading character, and can switch from others or just command them from off the side, creating strategic combat or just downright massacre against them. As far as combat goes, I cannot see a single flaw to it... They removed some of the useless skills from the original game ( Flip, Below the Belt, etc ), and replaced them with some better. Also the chaining system kinda made things easier this time around.

Star Ocean: SD's translation so far doesn't seem to be too terribly bad, at least not as bad as Star Ocean 1's Roddick. And to top it off, they didn't bother to keep in the Lowercase lettering of peoples names so CLAUDE's name is in all caps, while all other NPCs will be Martha.

Sound: 9/10

I ONLY rate this lower than 10 because it's on the PSP. PSP cannot handle the symphonic OST of Star Ocean 2 like a normal TV can so it comes out all distorted and not nearly as enjoyable, however it's STILL a good OS with a top notch sound effects taking right from the original game ( mostly ).

Story: 6/10

Sadly, Star Ocean 2 never had a great story. Just some cliche evil invader takes over the world and you gotta stop them. But honestly, this really never bothered me that much. It's still not SO bad that it's detestable, it's basically just.... there. It's fair to say that as far as Stories go, Star Ocean 1 and 3 would be far superior to 2, but the events that take place in the game are really extraordinary and unforgettable, which is something to be praised; It's nothing to complain about whilst it's nothing to brag about.

Overall

Overall. I still love the game. Those who owned and played the original might not be too flattered by the presentation of the game, but those who've not touched the game and love RPGs should be in for a real treat with this game. There's absolutely no reason why anyone should not pick it up for it honestly is a very good RPG. We should be very lucky to have the opportunity to play this again.

Rent or Buy? Buy.

9/10, even though it should average out to less... I don't care, it deserves a 9. >_>

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/22/09

Game Release: Star Ocean: Second Evolution (US, 01/19/09)