Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Star Ocean: Till the End

Written by Chris Reiter on January 02, 2003

First Impressions: And you thought only Squaresoft knew how to make an RPG...

Obscurity encompasses the rise of Enix's Star Ocean franchise. The games themselves are an unknown by many, though not by all. That truth in itself can be looked at by both ways. Enix is like a God in Japan, just like Squaresoft, while over here, when you ask someone if they've heard of them before, they might say in reply, "Didn't they publish that game with the um...well no, I don't think I know what you're talking about." So, in a way, it's very unfortunate that Enix isn't as big as other such companies, or as popular, or even has much of a stake in anything. What they do have instead are games that people like to play, enjoy, and have fun with. It's been proven time and time again that Enix has come through on top, even if their name hasn't been solidified in the spotlight until their recent merger with the bigger brother at Squaresoft. And with the coming of the third Star Ocean on its way to American shores, hopefully we'll be seeing a lot more from the company rather than lesser in the near future.

Till the End of Time is a story set in motion 400 years after the events that occurred during the second game. Space exploration and research have become the new frontier since that time. And for the young Fate Lingod and his very close friend, Sophia Esteed, destiny is about to intervene in their lives. While the two are vacationing on a space station for a holiday break with Fate's parents, it is there that the resort has come under a hostile attack by alien forces. Escaping captivity, only Fate and Sophia remain unharmed and are now forced into a situation they weren't prepared for. It'll be up to these two friends to meet face to face with a journey that beckons their meaning of existence.

Much like the second game's gameplay formula, Star Ocean will follow the ritual of going into a similar direction. Where players could avoid battles in the second if they chose to, it's possible in the third. Where players had entered into open battlefields in an Action/RPG manner, that same operation would be performed again. Except this time, a few spotty areas have been wiped down and out in order to make the game satisfactory for the benefit of all gamers alike. Instead of four party members locked into combat at once, three will be present on screen at a time. But, that's not such a bad thing, when Star Ocean sports an option to remove and replace and to retaliate with new party members at any moment during any battle. Akin to Final Fantasy X's "removal" system, in taking out any character during the player's move, the third Star Ocean will follow and will allow you to change position of any character you want or need at whatever point during whichever bout. This in turn will remedy any inadequacies against making sure other characters in your party are sufficient enough to carry on during the remainder of the game in a new strategic order.

Comprising the third's battle formula in general again will take position in an action scenario -- this time in 3D. Players will have at their disposal both regular and magic attacks called Heraldry. Between switching and selecting any character you want to control at any given time, leaving the other party members in the computer's skilled hands, there'll also be the possibility of combining character skills in order to create much deeper attacks. Borrowing the last game's level up pattern, the experience gained can then be put to good use towards upgrading character's personal skills, where later on specific characters that might not know much about the art of magic or science will eventually improve significantly in those areas of choice.

Layered over the past game's 2D overhead frame will become a grander 3D scheme in Star Ocean's visual makeover. Stunning worlds made from grafts of a snow paved rock town, to even a futuristic city eclipsed with giant sized scaled buildings spans across up to four game worlds players will get to travel to, when compared to the single world the last game left at just shows how much bigger the sequel will get. Character models too are receiving the treatment from once when they were small and cute to now realistic looking human sculptures of technological artwork. For the most of it though, the best aspect of the game will take place throughout the battle scenery, with characters that weave within it gracefully letting sparks fly from magic and weapon combos that should give the game something to treasure in the long run. But unlike the previous installment though, Star Ocean will incur the support of character voices. And not just in battle either -- during the game's many cut scenes, each character will be given their own speaking role in which to hear and enjoy for the full ride through.