Star Ocean: Second Evolution

"Keeping The Magic... Erm, Heraldry Alive"

First off, if it weren't for the fact that the PSP can't quite handle the music, this'd probably be a 10. And yes, I intend to review this as fairly as possible. (I admit to a bit of fanboying, but I'll try and keep that out of here.)

This game, for those few who aren't aware, was originally published by Enix in 1999 under the title Star Ocean: The Second Story for the PSX. It was a well-loved, if occasionally buggy, game. (Some common complaints included freezing after battles and/or teleporting, especially on the second disc. All too common when you were in the hidden dungeon, which doesn't believe in save points.) Its graphics weren't anything terribly special, but aficionados often pointed to the score (which was very well written), storyline (which was well-received), and crafting/talent system (which was the most thorough of its time) as its strengths.

Gameplay: 10/10

The game plays very similarly to its original format, with a couple small differences. The bugs? Gone, completely gone. No more weird freezes. Scouting actually seems to work, and significantly so. (I actually ended turning it off, so I could walk... level 10 Scout with Animal Instinct, I was getting a battle literally every 3-4 steps.) Some fights were made more challenging (including Zand, for some odd reason), while others seem... silly, in comparison. It also feels like the levelling curve was tweaked (although that could be because Scout *was* working). It also seems like Orchestra was made more useful, as certain characters refused to make their final (crafted) weapons without it. Add to that voice acting at almost every turn (even when I miss some of the original voice acting), and it's definitely worth another play if you're a fan of the original, and definitely worth picking up if you haven't tried it.

Story: 10/10

I rather liked the story in the original, and they stayed very true to that story in this remake. The translations (and Americanizations) of the text make it seem to flow a bit more smoothly, and while there's the occasional line that feels missing, it still moves along well with the new line.

(And yes, I'm deliberately avoiding describing it, for the rare person who'll read this and encounter a spoiler.)

Graphics/Sound: 9/10

There wasn't much done to update the game graphics-wise. The cutscenes they've added are in the same style as the couple cutscenes from the original version, and help blend everything together a little tighter. Nothing terribly special about them, but in the end I was glad they used the same style, instead of a more modern style which would've conflicted with the actual game. Also, they added anime-style images of the main characters (and a couple of major NPCs) that show up on-screen while the character is talking, with those of your party characters changing depending on the character's emotion. (The NPCs with images can be a little disconcerting, since theirs don't change. Westa is a good example of that.)

The sound is still much the same, aside from the voice acting. And this I consider both good *and* bad, depending on which character. There's one character in particular, Ashton Anchors, with whom I vastly preferred his original voice acting, but it wasn't so bad as to ruin the entire game, just a little odd. They also made a change to the voice gallery from the original: instead of needing the individual line played during the game, you simply need to have the character on your team when you reach the final save, and all their clips are unlocked. (Obviously, this also means that the Wise Men with voice lines are automatically unlocked when you get the first "end of game" save, which is done by simply saving at the last save point of the game.)

Overall, if you've played the original version, you'll recognize both immediately.

Play Time/Replay Value: 10/10

For an RPG, this game has a fairly good play time. (Took me about 25 hours to get to the final save, and about 40 to "max out" my first game. Still working on my second play through, just getting all the characters between the two.) If you intend to take two files (which is the only way to get 100% of the characters unlocked, which is the only way to get 100% on the voice gallery) and fully max them out, expect to spend 80~100 hours playing. (Your mileage may vary, as my hours-played is based on having beaten the game before many times, just a slightly different version. My first save file, fully maxed, took about 60 hours... I don't have the save anymore to check the exact number.)

As for replay, I consider this game to have excellent replay. (For one, you get slightly different storylines depending on who you start with, so to get the full story, I'd recommend playing it through at least twice.) As for replay versus the original, there's new content (very little, amounting to one character and a couple cutscenes mostly), and the system feels solid now, as opposed to originally (crashes and so forth). The game does still contain the advanced modes (made easier now, since you only have to defeat a certain number of monsters, as opposed to the original, which required a certain percentage of the voice globe unlocked).

Overall: 9/10

Most people probably won't hunt this down; they either have the original and play it occasionally, or tried it and didn't like it. (Or don't play RPGs, for that matter.) Given a choice between renting and buying, though, I'd suggest to go for it. As a rule, if you like RPGs, you'll probably like this enough to own it. (And its original ended up disappearing off the market, with copies still selling on eBay for $100 or more as of the time of this review.)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/03/09

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