While Japan is just now seeing the release of Star Ocean 2 for the PSP (we're still waiting!), a few more details on Star Ocean 4 come to us by way of Famitsu.
The latest issue of Famitsu says that Star Ocean 4 is actually a prequel. It takes place in the time before Star Ocean 1, when warp drive first comes to be, and humans take their first steps into space. IGN says that the developers originally wanted to call this title "Star Ocean 0."
Even though we still don't know what system this game will be released for, we do know a few more details on gameplay and story. First off, a guy named Edge Maverick and a heroine named Reimi Saionji are mentioned. They are childhood friends. Famitsu says that the number of characters you can make into allies is on a Star Ocean 3 level. Also, the game's battle system will be similar to previous titles' real-time combat system. Finally, it seems that there will be some kind of network connectivity.
I hope they release more details and visuals soon. Oh, and there had better be cooking in this title!
What system do you think this will be released on? My guess is the PS3, and i'm also guessing that it will support PSP connectivity with the Star Ocean 1 and 2 remakes.
Dale North is Destructoid's Editor-In-Chief, a founding editor, and specialist in Japanese gaming. An accomplished musician, Dale was reporting from Japan during the earthquakes of 2011. Luckily, he got the fuck out alive and is home in America now with his wife and beloved corgi, Einstein. Dale is also a co-founder of Destructoid's sister anime site Japanator. Likes Corgis, Sega Saturn, PSP, iPhone, Photographic tools.
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Awesome, loved Star Ocean 2. 3 was too Matrixy. And can someone please tell me what the deal with sequels is nowadays? Why do you have to make a sequel even though canonically its a preview? Did the developers fail in kindergarden when learning their sequential numbers or something?
Ugh, DO NOT WANT. Star Ocean 3 was an abortion thanks to Square's involvement. I hold no hope for this sequel. It's such a fucking shame, too. Star Ocean 2nd Story is absolutely one of my all-time favorite RPGs, and they had to go introduce shitty plot threads and Final Fantasy-esque character design, and shit it all up to hell.
Protip: Enix still handled Star Ocean 3 internally. Also, I don't know what Final Fantasy you're playing, but the characters in Star Ocean 3 sure as hell don't resemble any.
Star Ocean 3's gameplay was alright
(though the lack of a way to abort an attack once you've initiated it was a painful lacking. Watching a player run all the way across the map and attack an enemy 15 seconds after you pressed the attack button, during which the enemy auto-targeted has began an area of effect attack around it that does a few thousand damage to anyone nearby, and the stupid multiplier meter that requires you play as the magic user and hide in the corner (where you can't see what's going on unless you pause the battle with the switch character menu to look around because there's no good option to have the camera pulled back to show the whole field...), but the story, good LORD the story! They essentially said "The entire Star Ocean universe and setting was bullshit and is now invalidated, go play a Square IP lol". From the end of the first disc on was just PAINFUL- especially since at that point the game devolved to an endless boring dungeon crawler with increasingly retarded plot developments in between. The only reason I beat it was because I was expecting a MGS2 style reverse plot twist at the end or something. The "real" was insanely fake looking and blah compared to the original one, so what the fuck.
@Kia:
The only difference is the Star Ocean characters wear more clothes. Maybe it's just a result of similar "Anime inspired art style brought to a similar level of detail in 3d" engine, but still.
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Contest:
1:18 PM on 04.02.2008
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Is Tri-Ace making this? They've been on a roll of shit as of late, Radiata Stories, VP2, Star Ocean 3, all where mediocre or flat-out terrible.
Guess I'll wait for more info on this.
I had fun with Star Ocean 3 and so did my girl. I have not played any other ones mind you so I might have to try to find some if they were better!
Protip: Enix still handled Star Ocean 3 internally. Also, I don't know what Final Fantasy you're playing, but the characters in Star Ocean 3 sure as hell don't resemble any.
(though the lack of a way to abort an attack once you've initiated it was a painful lacking. Watching a player run all the way across the map and attack an enemy 15 seconds after you pressed the attack button, during which the enemy auto-targeted has began an area of effect attack around it that does a few thousand damage to anyone nearby, and the stupid multiplier meter that requires you play as the magic user and hide in the corner (where you can't see what's going on unless you pause the battle with the switch character menu to look around because there's no good option to have the camera pulled back to show the whole field...), but the story, good LORD the story! They essentially said "The entire Star Ocean universe and setting was bullshit and is now invalidated, go play a Square IP lol". From the end of the first disc on was just PAINFUL- especially since at that point the game devolved to an endless boring dungeon crawler with increasingly retarded plot developments in between. The only reason I beat it was because I was expecting a MGS2 style reverse plot twist at the end or something. The "real" was insanely fake looking and blah compared to the original one, so what the fuck.
@Kia:
The only difference is the Star Ocean characters wear more clothes. Maybe it's just a result of similar "Anime inspired art style brought to a similar level of detail in 3d" engine, but still.