Well, Colette, there really ARE only 4 games in the series. No one's ever played the first game before the PSP release First Departure, so you can pick that up, but IMO the second PSP re-release Second Evolution is where it's at. Both feature Production I.G. animu cutscenes and improved localization.

As for Star Ocean 3, everyone seems to hate it for some reason, but I personally can't find any egregious faults. Maybe I'm biased towards the main character's nifty boots.

all of them but SO III

III was a good game but the plot twist is quite honestly the biggest facepalm in RPG history. It's gamebreakingly bad Colette, stay away from III

Not trying to shoot you down Bangkay. but there's been a translated ROM for the first Star Ocean for quite some time.

@Unangbangkay

Excuse me but I've played the original Star Ocean on NOT Emulators with the translations patch many many years ago when it was finally playable on Zsnes so your wrong. But yes the psp remake is pretty good but I still prefer the original snes version. and since you know you can just NOT emulate that one and save $40.

Haven't played any myself, either. I have heard that each story is pretty self contained though. And this one is going to be even more extreme in that respect. I'd like to see people here confirm that, though.

unangbangkay, could it possibly be the terrible plot that renders the stories of the previous games pointless in one foul, cliched swoop?

How does the battle system work? Like the Tales series?

I don't know if the look is working for me. I like anime cut scenes, but the 3D anime characters with barely perceptible facial expression are kinda' creeping me out.

I played the PS2 one and my GF really liked it, I enjoyed it but the ending was.....werid.

I hated how the dungeons after beating the game became impossibly hard my guy do something like 5k plus damage (if I remember correctly) and I get my ass handed to me like I was born with no ass on a plate waiting to get handed to me.

I just thought I'd add that a Co-worker still gives me shit for referring SO3 to him way back when, I was only half way through the game when he bought it and kept my mouth shut when the "Twist" came along hoping he would be dumb enough to like it.

I was wrong, he now hates star ocean and is happy this game is 360 exclusive. he considers the franchise a poison.

also I've always considered SO as the game that introduced gamers to item synthesis.

can anyone confirm if SO started the item Synth trend. I know I'm probably wrong, but i'm willing to bet that it must have been the first game to get it right.

They're all so pretty!

Play Star Ocean 1. Then, if you like it, play Star Ocean 2. Then, if you like it, go play... the Tales series of games.

While I enjoyed SO3 on the PS2, I have much greater love for Second Story on Playstation. The sprites and hand drawn portraits on the Playstation were to die for, also the skill system and moves system were always freaking awesome.

I feel that since jumping to 3D the character designs have been less charming than they used to be (I'm not talking just about my bias towards sprites either) and I think they suffer from the generic sci-fi anime look. Ashton Anchors? Precis Newman? Dias? c'mon they were awesome, more of that please.

@Anviltongue: I have only played Tales of Symphonia but yeah, the combat system is similar but more free roaming (in ToS your movement was constrained to forward and back from your target?). I didn't continue playing very far in ToS though. That being said the combat system in Star Ocean 2 & 3 were highly addictive for me. Second Story's plot was also freaking amazing.

Get the remakes for the PSP and then play 3 on the PS2.

Also if you end up not liking 4 still go and play the other ones.

Also there's Blue Sphere so technically there are 5 games I guess.

Hmm, recommending Tri-Ace games can be difficult. For one, SO4 looks very close to SO3, which is actually incredibly different to Star Ocean 1 and 2 in terms of the battle system/exploration/enemy encounters, so be sure to at least try 1+3 or 2+3 I would say. Though expect a number of commentors under me to say 'SCREW STAR OCEAN 3 THAT PILE OF CRAP!'. It's a polarising game, which actually I loved to bits especially since it features an achievement style system which awards you costumes and more "advanced" control schemes for battles.

And yes, the plot is kind of... gahbalargafargh... but like unangbangkay I didn't find anything completely wrong with the game. If you enjoy JRPG's then you should just roll with the insane plot ideas instinctively.

nothing wrong with SO3 story, it was enjoyable

its the "twist" they trow at you 90% through the game. that made everyone grind their teeth. those who were able to stomach it were able to enjoy the game

I hope there's a way to change the battle camera-- it seems kinda hard to keep track of everything without 3's overhead camera.

Here's hoping IC is cool. *synths some Boots of Prowess*

"If you enjoy JRPG's then you should just roll with the insane plot ideas instinctively."

So true for a lot of cases!

You are welcome, Colette! Don't feel too bad about it, I haven't played a SO game before either, so this will be my first one!

The Star Ocean 3 plot twist was so horrible that it ruined the entire franchise for me, Tri-ace making that garbage canon by jamming Welch into SO1 and 2 made me hate them even more.

Colette, my PS2 can't read my SO II, if you remind me to take it a couple of days before the anniversary I can take it with me and you can keep it if it works :)

The characters don't look so lovely to me... To me, it's just more generic doll-eyed Japanimation crap like I've seen from 90% of RPGs coming out of Japan.

@Dreamsower:

Ah, thanks, I was hoping to hear that. I don't mind turn-based battle, but I need a break every now and then. ToS had 3D movement, but I found it somewhat limiting at times...it reminded me a bit of 2D brawlers, now that I think about it. I still loved it, though.

I might just give this game a go, freaky doll cutscenes aside.

@dip
I agree completely.

@Anviltongue
Yes, they are creepy. Tales of Vesperia had attractive anime-like character designs in 3D. This game just looks like a bunch of creepy PSO rejects.

@Knives -- wow, that would be awesome!

Thanks for the input everyone...I'll start by hunting down the first game.

I loved the living hell out of SO2 way back when. God, how many hours did I put into it? I filled one card with saves from just that one game...SO1 remake wasn't too bad, kinda neat to see it made like Second Story at least. I didn't mind 3 too much even with the zomgwtf plot twist. And they're really reinforcing that with Welch in every game. I bet she'll be in 4 no problem, somehow.

I need a 360. Bought a PS2 for 3 after all...

I'm one of the few who recommends all three games in the series. 1 & 2 are both great fun, and 3's characters and battle system make up for the WTF-plot. Definitely worth getting all three. xD

The only thing I really don't like about them is that they're touted as sci-fi RPGs, but SO much of each one takes place on your typical backwoods medieval planet.

Star Ocean: Second Evolution is a must play if you enjoy Star Ocean: The Last Hope. That is, thus far, the best Star Ocean release ever. Star Ocean: Till the End of Time has an interesting story twist and the battle system isn't too bad, but it didn't quite live up to expectations. First Departure is great as well.

I have great hopes for SO4, I really do. My anticipation level is getting higher, but I'm doing my best to not go to the levels of hype I had for Star Ocean 3.

I really dont know what to think of this game...the combat looks sick and the story might be good...the visual are hit and miss. the environments looks good but the character models are weak...i look forward to seeing the end result...whether or not i buy it who knows

To me, this screenshot says...

"Creepy sex doll."

I never have played one, either. Also, unlike (I suspect, anyway) many gamers, the anime-style character art is something I end up enjoying games like this in spite of, rather than because of.

I'm keeping an eye on this one, though!

I am a Star Ocean Fan. I can suggest that you may like Star Ocean: The Second Story. That's what got me into the whole series. If I remember right, that's actually the first of the series that released in the US. Japan had the one prior and they never made it over here.

Star Ocean The Second Story's gameplay and other modes (such as synthesizing materials, fun side games, cooking, etc) derived. I guess you can say that SOTSS paved the road for the other two Star Oceans.

As for trailers of the new star ocean, I am going to have to refrain. I want to be totally surprised when I get to sit down and play it.

PLAY IT! PLAY THEM ALL! HAHAHA!

Wait, I just realized that I never bothered to fully finish the 4th SO. I guess I just got burnt out when I almost made it to the end and I kept dieing over and over. But I love the plot and how everything comes together.

Blockade, the first one has recently come to the U.S. as the PSP port. It was also translated by a romhacking team 3-5 years ago.

Honestly. Buy em all. Some people HATE the plot twist in 3, but I honestly liked it, because its a direction FEW games have ever dared go with a plot twist.

Star ocean 2, However, is quite possibly one of the most fun RPGS ever, especially because of one thing. Its about the ONLY RPG released in the US on an even semi-retroo console in america I can think of that allowed you to choose your ending. All the characters can pair up romantically with ANYONE from the other gender (or have a friendship ending with a same gender), theres so many characters it'll take multiple playthrus to meet em all, and frankly, Precis F Neumann is imo, the only teenage mechanical genius that can compare with Lucca from Chrono trigger in sheer awesome.

god those cg are great ~ :o

Can't decide if too many female characters is a bad or good thing...either way; too many female characters!