Star Ocean | The Super Nintendo's Biggest Technical Marvel (Retrospective)

The Star Ocean series was always one of my favorite JRPG series back in the day so as you can imagine, when Star Ocean 6 was announced I was pretty hyped. With that in mind, we thought it would be a good time to revisit the series and see just how well the older titles hold up all these years later, starting with the very first entry naturally. Join us as we take a deep dive retrospective look back at the original Star Ocean.
Big thank you goes to EvilCronos13 for supplying the footage for Star Ocean here! Due to the game being so technically demanding on the system, my emulator had a hard time trying to run it while simultaneously recording without it lagging in the process. A link to his channel can be found below, he makes awesome Let's Plays on many JRPGs.
/ evilcronos13
Thanks for watching everyone! If you enjoyed the video and wish to support the channel, links to our Patreon and social media can be found below.
- - LINKS - -
(When available, we use affiliate links and may earn commission!)
Equipment we use to make our videos:
► Audio-Technica AT4040 Microphone: amzn.to/4f6C48Z (Amazon)
► Panasonic GH6 w/ 12-60mm Leica lens: amzn.to/3zNQ1IF (Amazon)
Patreon: / gamingbroductions
Instagram: / gamingbroductions
Twitter: / gbroductions
Teespring: my-store-c82b58.creator-sprin...
Outro Song
Music by Chinsaku - Departure - thmatc.co/?l=3B0051A4
00:00 - 01:42 Intro
01:43 - 05:58 Developmental History
05:59 - 13:35 Story Prologue
13:36 - 17:15 Pacing Issues
17:16 - 18:33 Graphics and Sounds
18:34 - 20:23 Battle System
20:23 - 21:42 Talents/Skills/Item Creation
21:43 - 22:55 Private Actions
22:56 - 23:50 Characters
23:51 - 25:38 Closing Thoughts
25:39 Outro
#StarOcean #StarOceanReview #StarOceanDivineForce

[@mattgrundy27]

This franchise is grossly under appreciated. Second Story is a masterpiece. Thanks for the awesome video.

[@GamingBroductions]

No problem, thanks for watching. Agreed about Second Story being a masterpiece, it’s a top 5 PS1 RPG for me for sure

[@mattgrundy27]

@@GamingBroductions a deep dive into 2 would be great! Or any of the other on your top 5. Keep up the good work man. 🍻

[@SeaSerpentLevi]

some people say that second story is the best in the series, right? Im excited to get to it. Im immersed in the fire emblem franchise for now but i definitely have my eye on Second Story, its time will come xD

[@jessehenderson2967]

Second Story was my true introduction to RPGs and holy shit, i still get goosebumps thinking about that game. My friend only let me borrow one disc, I still havent beaten it to this day....

[@mattgrundy27]

@@jessehenderson2967 Its such a good game! Both play throughs offer such a different perspective to the story. Not to mention the different party members you can get. Top tier experience for sure. Still holds up great too. I'm still crossing my fingers for a remaster for ps5. As far as i know ps1/2 is the only way to play.

[@gamerex9378]

When I first bought Star Ocean 2, all I did was read the book and case for like 11 hours. I had gotten it one Saturdau morning and everyone was watching something on all the TV's. That night, I dived in and played it until about 9 am the next morning. I missed the character with the two dragons my first play through lol On a side note. The fanfare after a battle when Clause would say "That should be worth around 80 points." I pranked my uncle when he came home late and I told him "The AI of this game is so mind blowing man, watch. Sometimes it reacts to the enemies or how much xp you've earned." Legit. I went to bad and passed him the controller that morning, when I woke up. He looked at me kinda suspiciously and eventually called me out "That computer isn't as smart as you said... I think it plays the same 2 or 3 messages over and over again." I was like 12 and I told him I was just fucking with him. We both look back on that and have a slight laugh every now and then.

[@nelsonhill4625]

i hate this story and i hate you. love star ocean though.

[@nathangillmore5064]

I love memories like this! Brings me back to so many gaming memories like this, my friends and I staying up all night playing through a game, etc.

[@erikmclennan3934]

Ashton! I actually got him first time through, I think my friend may have told me how.....right after getting Celine. I believe that getting Ashton blocks you from getting.....Dias? That game was so incredibly good.

[@peterb5825]

@@erikmclennan3934 Dias was recruited during the story when playing as Rena. Claude got Leon. I think it was between Ashton and Opera. I always preferred Opera in battle but I enjoyed Ashton's pa's more. I ended up getting his ending.

[@erikmclennan3934]

@@peterb5825 Ahhhh yes, you are right. Opera allowed Ernest, Bowman allowed.....Precis? And someone allowed Chisato into the party.

[@DREAMSQU33ZE]

I loved Star Ocean as a kid. I was obsessed with it. I still think it has some of the most beautiful soundtracks ever

[@Psychokyuubi666]

I agree :) What should be is one of my top personal favorites from this one.

[@Chelaxim]

Remember that one point of the game were that Meteor crashes so you have to walk halfway across the world to check it out and get a one minute cutscene then to turn around and walk halfway across the world to where you started?

[@kidkytes6233]

It's already painful in the original but the fact they kept it for First Departure is even more painful. At least that one has a world map so it's somewhat less frustrating to go back to.

[@graalcloud]

Picture that but an entire game and you've got Grand Theft Auto V

[@sirgorash5704]

Yes, that's the most annoying part since you can't pick up Perisie or vanquish the caves of Mt. Metox at that state.

[@BMKDNF]

Actually Wolf Team has a fair amount of RPG experience with the Arcus trilogy, a pretty good wizardry clone made for several different PCs, that was later remade for the Saturn. The composer for the series went on to work with Motoi as a sound engineer on many projects

[@prodigiousprodigy6781]

One of my absolute favorites. 2nd story will always have a special place

[@GamingBroductions]

SO2 is an absolute gem, truly one of the best the genre has given us

[@veghesther3204]

and yet as of 2016 Second Evolution on the PS3 PS4 Vita NEVER left Japan but is the only way to play it on a Console in Japanese.

[@mcorleonep]

@@veghesther3204not for long…

[@Broseftoast]

Your videos and this one especially deserve more views. This brings up so much nostalgia, memories and answers questions I never was able to find out (due to how the internet and info in general was back then) when I was a kid and even now about these games. You’re awesome man, I hope you’re able to keep putting out these videos, they’re great content and honestly treasures for people like us that grew up during this era of video games. I often find myself wish I could go back just to experience all the feelings this time and these games would bring up as a kid.

[@BluesOnAcid]

Some wish Star Ocean would make a return to its old glory. Some people wish Final Fantasy. Me? Oh, it's nothing. . . As I stare longingly at my Radiata Stories case.

[@starbutter2730]

Ive yet to play this series, Im definitely going to give it a shot! Thanks for imtroducing these to me, I found your channel today and Ive been binging your stuff lmao. Rpgs/Jrpgs are one of my favorite game genres.

[@Murasame]

I love this game and I'm glad you're still making content!

[@yesthatdash]

Had this pop up in my recommendations a few days ago and been checking out this and the rest of your work.Very nicely done.Happy to sub.👍

[@sirgorash5704]

Thank you for the entertaining review! I stopped counting on how many times I played through the game - it's pure magic!

[@jaycenteno8385]

this video was packed. An honest retrospective, some sweet clips of lunar and some other RPG classics, a quick but sad jr high story and a cat attack at the end to cap it all off! :D

[@milkweedreflections]

This channel is so good. Great video. Star Ocean 2 is my favorite.

[@user-vi3tb3bw5t]

Dejap and som2freak are unsung heros of our time. Also, their translations are probably better than what you would have gotten back in the day.

[@EvilCronos13]

Interesting note, the translation for planet "stream" in this game and the planet "Styx" in Star Ocean Til the end of time were derived from a similar, if not the same, word in Japanese. Considering what many of us know about the planet Styx, this makes a lot of sense in retrospect.

[@clicktofail4816]

Only played 3 growing up but ot always had that nostalgia for me, recently started playing the others (starting with first departure r) and man have i been missing out. 2 so far i can't help but love it so far. Hope to see a retrospect on that one as well. Keep it up!

[@Raytheman581]

Nice work on this vid, very in depth.

[@lilliput_steps]

When you said “Star Ocean deserves” I half expected you to finish with “a spot in the game collection” haha. Ofc, your channel definitely has its own style and flavor, but I think you should definitely take it as a compliment that the video reminded me of someone like Superderek! Great content as always, keep it up 😊

[@hian]

Rena's theme. Always hits me straight in the heart. Absolute banger

[@WiseOwl_1408]

Yes. Legendary

[@SeaSerpentLevi]

What it lacks in pacing and in execution of its concepts, it definitely does well in being an absolute masterclass in art and music. Some day i hope i will be able to finish this game, probably ill just find some guide and play only this game for a week or so in my free time. As rough as the edges may be, definitely the most gorgeous game on the snes, and thats saying a lot, and i think it deserves to be experienced at least once. Thanks for your amazing review my dudes, i have watched and read a lot about this game and this video is the best retrospective of the game ive seen!

[@nibernator]

Sadly the game takes a nose dive something like halfway through. The game is clearly unfinished when you hit the ending. (Star Ocean 2nd story, despite having one of my favorite first quarter of the game out of most RPGs, also take a huge quality hit by the end. I didn't even feel like finishing 2nd story, just watched the endings.) I do appreciate the games for their great settings, art, and music though!

[@JumpRock]

Great video guys!

[@samuelspade1833]

Exceptionally quality videos, wish you more subscribers, keep it up.

[@NeoNinjaX87]

Second Story was my jam. Great video man.

[@princeofsilesse8803]

The soundtrack of Second Story, Reena’s theme moves my heart to this day

[@WiseOwl_1408]

Second story holds a VERY special place in my heart. I can't express my feelings towards it.

[@RythymBeast]

Bloody brilliant video, bros!

[@DavisGSee]

I loved First Departure, particularly some of the creative problem solving you can do with skills. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a new release of SO2.

[@WiseOwl_1408]

Would be butchered. Remakes are trash

[@DavisGSee]

@@WiseOwl_1408 1. That's reductive, some remakes are fine. 2. Did I say I wanted a remake?

[@ethandull8087]

You got your wish haha

[@ZenSymphonia]

@@WiseOwl_1408L comment, the remake looks absolutely amazing

[@nathangillmore5064]

Love the video, and I'm glad I found your channel, looking forward to watching through tons of your videos, have a sub!

[@13Carrey1]

I already play now the Remake on the Switch and for now I love this game. I played the original only a bit :)

[@danielkeegan2740]

This was a great video. Thanks for sharing and pushing through to finish the game! Makes me want to get the remake on switch, I heard they made some improvements to the original. Would be cool to see if some of your critiques were addressed. You guys are always giving me some RPG inspiration, thanks again!

[@Dilemina]

This game was very ambitious. And the battle system was a breath of fresh air at the time. The hard work that the initial dev team did would have been very appreciated if they actually released this game globally. The work of DeJap was a labor of love that should also be celebrated, because they were not even being paid and just wanted the game to find a broader audience by translating the script and reprogramming the data for the English speaking audience. Great work everyone!

[@jeffmazziotta]

Second story ranks up as one of my favorite games of all time. It blew my mind as the first game I could go ABOVE lvl 99 and with all its side and post endgame content I spent soo many hours with it. Also first game I did more than 99 hours on..

[@nifftbatuff676]

The PSP remake was done in a period in which the remakes were actually re-makes, not just AI upscaled graphics versions. Look at the differences between the SNES and the PSP and how much work was poured into the PSP remake. Now look at the differences between the PSP and the Switch versions.

[@carlosrueda9204]

Hell yea!!! Broductions with another sick video!!

[@GamingBroductions]

Thanks man, glad you enjoyed it!

[@UltimateDrDoom]

Star Ocean II ran because SO 1 walked.

[@GamingBroductions]

Great statement that basically summarizes my thoughts and now I’m kinda upset I didn’t think of that myself to say

[@UltimateDrDoom]

@@GamingBroductions The Second Story has a few issues and the ‘Who can you recruit and how’ can be convoluted but it’s steeped in great gameplay and a really good storyline. One of my favorite jRPGs ever and I’d put it in a short list of great games.

[@friendlyninja5048]

As a HUGE Tales of fan, I've been looking to get into Star Ocean for a while now

[@JustSkram]

Play 2 and be done with it. The rest fall between mediocre and awful

[@ianlee874]

I had star ocean 2 on the playstation as a kid and just purchased 1 and 2 on the psp and completed my 4 playthrough of star ocean 2 yesterday and did my first ever run on the first game last week and I couldn't be happier. I think between 99 and today if done like 40 runs of Star ocean 2 to the point that on my emulator I fast forward through all the dialogue.....great games that don't make me feel 35, glad I found this video in my recommendeds.

[@TheSteelers4190]

Another gem of a franchise in the genre. Shame it has fallen on hard times. Hope th newest title is a step towards building the brand back into more of a mainstay

[@GamingBroductions]

One can only hope 🤞 I wasn’t too crazy about 4-5 but 2-3 and especially 2 were amazing

[@Chelaxim]

I mean after integrity and faithlessness the bar is in hell. I played the demo of the Divine force and I can already say it to step up from integrity and faithlessness. Time will tell if it's a good game or not but it's already a step up from the previous entry.

[@zephyr8072]

Heh. 3 is the reason 4 and 5 were so mediocre. It was all they could do to escape thte blast radius of 3’s accursed nonsensical plot twist. Yeah 6 may recover the series. But it’s still a prequel. 3 is what killed the series. 4 and 5 merely dragged along it’s corpse.

[@kathrynradonich3982]

@@Chelaxim Integrity and faithlessness was just so bad i didn't bother to finish it. I liked the last hope though on PS3 spent way too many hours playing it

[@HiroZeroVirus]

I truly believe that having the second game be the first experience for players helps this game out a lot truly. I adore the series so much, that the very fiber of nostalgia that these games tend to weave in, covered a world of hurt. it also helps that the remake on Switch was my first playthrough which had some quality of life improvements.

[@TheMelnTeam]

One of the optional characters has an item that more or less gives you the "no encounter" ability. It's really nice to have. I beat this game many years ago so I don't remember completely, but unfortunately I don't think you can get it too early.

[@guaposneeze]

Oh man, if I had rented this as a kid and gotten to play it for two days over a weekend, I would have been so engrossed with that sci fi plot and setting, and spent the rest of my life imagining how amazing the rest of the game was. If I had owned it as a kid, I would have been bored to tears after the second weekend or so.

[@tannergiesler6555]

could you read Japanese as a kid? Japanese only, except for the dejap rom.

[@YOYlS]

so amazinggg

[@benruniko]

When i was a kid I fell in love with Suikodon. I doodled the characters constantly and even made a pair of Tonfa out of two by fours to play with in my back yard. As an adult i dont know if i could slog through the character collection but back in the 90s i lived for it🎃

[@SageOwl]

I playedthis on an emulator ages ago and up until I played the remake on Switch you couldn't pay me to remember the storyline outside of the first hour and a half. I definitely prefer the remake over the original hands down. Great video.

[@projectmessiah]

Star Ocean 1 is such a comfy game to me, I've played both the snes version and all it's ports.

[@tv_tim]

I remember seeing Star Ocean 2 randomly on sale on the PSP back in the day. Bought it and absolutely loved it, great gameplay and a very interesting story. The battle system was just so different than what I was used to. All that said, you never asked the most important question: Since it's called 'Town of Cool' does that mean it's laws are the Rules of Cool?......bad pun and I don't care.

[@hojoin_nekomaru]

Dejap. I owe them my thanks.

[@theironfox2756]

Star Ocean TtEoT gave me chills.

[@willywitchdoctor]

23:37 Ty so much for mentioning this. Side character in Star Ocean games suffered so much in terms of story and character when the games made them optional. I found this really bad in Star Ocean 2 where some of the final cutscenes dont even show your other party members. Interesting idea but the execution isn't great

[@Psychokyuubi666]

Still love the concept art for this one, and ost :) right now I’m playing through the og trials of mana.

[@stervr2153]

Sweet another vid

[@papercavegames]

My good friend's brother was the voice of Leon for the English release of Second Story lol

[@leadbones]

The first two games are still fun to play. They are my favorite games on their respective consoles. I haven't especially cared for the others I have played though.

[@acrophis]

8:35 Sometimes my friends refer to me as the "Elder of Cool".

[@lauraiss1027]

Thank you for the entertaining video! Small clarification - extending system capabilities by introducing extra hardware in cartridge itself should not be considered "pushing the absolute limits of the console" as it has nothing to do with og hardware and can be expanded indefinitely.

[@mrdeatheli]

I tried, but could just never get into this game, but I loved the 2nd one.

[@WhatAboutZoidberg]

Agree wholeheartedly. Played 1 on PSP after many plays of Star ocean 2 and it was just slow. Really had to push to finish it, but happy I did. Back to SO2 for me lol

[@budjoe2289]

Couldn't click fast enough. Greatly enjoy your content. Hopefully the new Star Ocean turns out to be ok... though it looks soulless.

[@GamingBroductions]

Ya love to see it. Thanks for watching. And yeah I hope so too, I wasn’t too crazy about 4-5 so hopefully they can swing things back in the right direction

[@LeonardoBramante]

The demo redeemed it for me. I hope it does really well, since this may be Tri-Ace's last game.

[@Reymdusk]

Literally just finished First Departure on Switch yesterday. It's interesting to see how much had changed from the original to the PSP Remake. Just like you, the opening sequence got me hooked, but wasn't a fan of the pacing afterwards. Thankfully they added a World Map, so that alleviated some of the backtracking issues. Contrary to your opinions, I felt that the game's main strength in regards to script, is probably the characterization. The optional recruitments were very well done and exciting. Then again, it might've just been the voiced cutscenes that helped me like them.

[@rpg_haven]

It might be a technical marvel, but man the the first Star Ocean feels more like a tech demo than a full RPG. Tons and tons of mechanics without much to _do_ with them.

[@ultraness]

I played through Star Ocean around 2004 when DeJap released their translation patch. I replayed it through the Switch port in 2021. In between those playthroughs, I forgot most of the plot aside from what happens in the game's introduction, where the lead characters travel back in time to find a cure for the petrification disease. I think my experience says a lot about the game's story and characters. I had fun with Star Ocean, anyway, though.

[@JMrealgamer]

SO 1st Departure R is on the Switch and to multiple systems now. The combat has been redone to feel more like Till’ The End of Time. And it’s great and long and I still haven’t finished it yet. I hear in Divine Force combat will be the best in the series! I can’t wait to play it honestly. Some people are worried, but I’m excited!

[@plaguis1391]

12:30 the perspective in that room is fucking insane

[@orcuswells649]

7:46 holy shit that got personally traumatic fast

[@Walamonga1313]

Always wondered about the Chrono Trigger praise, because when I played I didn't care for it one bit. But now that I think about it, I guess the pacing was good since it never kept you in one area for too long

[@suicunesolsan]

Whoa! Reminds me of Tales of Phantasia!

[@juanortiz9123]

It's pronounced EE-REE-AH bro! loved the video!

[@Verbalaesthet]

This is so strange. I could swear I played both Star Ocean 1 and 2. But it doesnt seem that familiar. Have I missed out on that one?! Could it be? I gotta get that and try it for myself.

[@Gr33kChief]

the snes game box is amazing

[@Aqua_Xenossia]

Star Ocean is a great game packed with a lot to do, but oddly runs short and feels short. Considering all the hurdles it faced- coming out not all too long after Tales of Phantasia, coming out at the tail end of the SFC’s primary life, trying to cram everything and get it running at a fast speed with rather minimal load times, it’s impressive the game even works. That said! It cannot be overstated just how much First Departure fixes this game, from the expansion of the story, to new content and a much more refined translation- they even intentionally modeled its visuals off of Second Story’s engine! It’s still short but feels much better now.

[@repussified]

It's a shame Star Ocean is one of the most technically accomplished SFC/SNES games, because it's so undercooked in other ways. First Departure is great and all but nothing can recapture that pixel art.

[@danielramsey6141]

@@repussified True, but honestly. They made that sacrifice for a better cohesive experience. First Departure is far more refined, and I love that. Cause honestly First Departure was my First Star Ocean game before I got a Low price Copy of SO3. And It got even better once I got my copy of SO2 for my PSP!

[@vjm3]

Was the PSP version just as good? At least interms of JRPG elements and faithfulness? I ask, because I still have a PSP and is willing to buy it.

[@nibernator]

This review is spot on to my experience. I wished both SO1 and SO2 were better games as a whole, but found that both of them take a dump after a certain point. Loved the initial portions on both though. SO2 first 1/4 to 1/3rd of the game will always be special to me (plus, that music, man the nostalgia). I loved the battle system as well.

[@vwts]

Well I was playing the remake on my PS5 and was 100% sure this was originally a PS1 game. Of course I saw an improved version, but still a testament to how good this was for SNES times

[@onogrirwin]

Is there another game from this era that has wave animations that span multiple tiles? I can't think of one.

[@larenius1]

Star Ocean released the day after I was born, interesting :D

[@Xen0gears515]

Oh I was gonna mention this looks like tales of phantasia. now I see why

[@ArtoPekkanen]

This romp has some crayzee story.

[@ImSumGuy]

While the PSP remake isn't substantially more difficult or improves on the story, it's gameplay is much improved and all the QoL enhancements made it my favorite RPG for the console. One of the few RPGs I've ever completed despite enjoying the genre. It was one of the few that compelled me to finish it though unlike many FF and Dragon Quest games.

[@ArminiusSilvanus]

I remember trying to play this on an emulator back when I emulated a ton of JRPGs, but this game in particular was really glitchy on emulator to the point of being unplayable.

[@middle_pickup]

There actually is a super rare disease that basically is a petrification disease. Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva is a genetic disease, and also known as "stoneman disease."

[@MrDarksol]

Since me and a friend have been talking about the 6th game for so long and been following a good chunk of what's been going on he decided to go out and play star ocean 3 and I decided to go out and buy it since it was on sale. Overall looking at the original star ocean one it does look like an old ancient relic though my experience was with the PSP version which meant which many years later got re released on modern consoles and I didn't beat it when it was on PSP when I was younger. It was only until I finally took a crack at playing the re released version on my switch that I finally finished it and overall the experience was fine. I had fun with the game though it was a really short experience barely any of the characters developed all that much and yes the private action system was pretty much confusing. Plus the main villain really did just pop up out of nowhere and then the game was over. Again I had a lot of fun with the 1st game but then my mind was going I wish I was playing 3 or I wish they would re release 2 the same way they did this one cause I never played that 1. Great video detailing the very 1st game in this very underrated series and I am so excited for 6 to come out next Thursday!

[@scottpilgrim2]

You can actually adjust enemy encounter rate with specialties though.

[@megasoniczxx]

Is that a thing in Star Ocean 2 too? Random encounters are stupidly high in dungeons for some reason which caught me way off guard when I started it last week xD

[@scottpilgrim2]

@@megasoniczxx Yeah

[@blinxman4956]

I hope Star Ocean The Divine Force becomes a success, otherwise Tri-Ace will close their doors as that they're in debt.

[@MakoCabbit]

I love this game, it was mi first "hipster" game and also the game that pushed me to learn english

[@noble_wine2051]

I need to play these again but I need a new a Psp.

[@dremcfleuve]

I liked this game so much that I bought the Japanese original and played it with printed references and beat it 4 or 5 times, I even made a main character-only playthrough. Most of the fun after beating the story comes from team building and seeing just how powerful you can make your party and the Extra Dungeon will test you big time. I'm just disappointed that the boss isn't a cool secret boss but just recolored sprites with super high stats. The last complaint is that they've reused the same cave tiles for several dungeons in the game so you have a grey cave, blue cave, brown cave, and red cave and they all look the same and you'll spend most dungeon time in identical-looking caves.

[@rollanddev]

SO *does* have a fast(er) travel as a reward for an optional side quest. Which requires you to travel *all the way back to the start* and have an optional and easily-missable character in your party. Given the way party members work, this means half or so playthroughs are immediately locked out of getting this. And... even then, it's nothing too great. While using it, your movement speed is basically doubled and you avoid encounters. You still need to physically wander between maps. Cue the sad trombone...

[@TofranBohk]

I remember reading about Star Ocean in (I think) Nintendo Power. I thought it looked cool. They made a big deal about it being a 48-megabit cartridge.

[@Carbabydoll]

This game was only Japan.

[@omidiartgaming4102]

I bought this off of Ebay it was 75 bucks... damn lol still have the cartridge!

[@mischiefmikeyo]

If people like this and 2 they really need to look into star ocean blue sphere on the gameboy color it's really good

[@gregsochacki7290]

Star Ocean 2 was my favorite RPG of the PS1 era. Even though I was a final fantasy fan boy, this game did something differant and creative that other game of the time didn't have. I lost my copy years ago when I let my friend borrow it but I have burned copies just in case. I Still remember getting to the last boss of the secret dungeon at lvl 200+ and getting my ass handed to me. never picked it up after that sadly

[@ForeverknightGaming]

Can you do second story next? Please.

[@error4159]

0:02 The CRT TV in the intro is 16:9 instead of 4:3

[@carlgoldsmith6109]

The First Star Ocean game is available in the nintendo online store.

[@KnolanCross]

Kinda feels like you ignored a lot of the mechanics of the game TBH. The game is rather short, but it has a huge replayability because of the characters. They do have a lot of development, but you do have to do the private actions. Backtracking is not so bad if you use the skill to avoid encounters. I do agree that the game ends out of the blue thought, but I found it overall a very good game, the remake also makes it much better, so I would recommend playing the modern version, instead.

[@michaelp4122]

Thank you for that, I'll play this on switch. I assume Star Ocean 2 on PSP is also superior to PS1? What order should I play the SO games? New series to me, not a graphics w**** so I can play retro OR modern.

[@KnolanCross]

@@michaelp4122 I only played the modern version of the second on the PSP (actually on a vita, but it was the PSP version). I played them in order, but there are only minor links in the story (you play as the son of two characters if you pick Claude). Also, you can play the 3rd game on the PS4, it is available on the PSN store (or you can emulate the ps2 version).

[@michaelp4122]

@@KnolanCross I own the first 4 for switch, psp, PS2 and PS3. I can easily buy 5 & 6. I hear 2 is the standout, so do you think starting with 2 is best? The new one looks amazing though, maybe I should just start with that one. Thoughts?

[@KnolanCross]

@@michaelp4122 the second and the third are known as the best. I like the first one, but as you can see by this video, some people don't really like it. I haven't played the last one, but integrity and faithlessness is known for being bad, so unless you really want to play them all, I would skip it.

[@michaelp4122]

Solid, thank you. I hope the 6th one is good, graphics look amazing.

[@frederickbingley6699]

I actually just bought my first Star Ocean on ps5 bc they have Square games on sale for 60% rn (get sm while u can boys). The story feels kind of flat in comparison to the goats like FF and Atlus games but i enjoy the overall quality of the fighting and world. Im hype for their next release coming to PS5 soon

[@grandotaku2501]

using a clip from Serial Experiments Lain.... instant like

[@Underestimated37]

Hate to tell you there is actually a petrification disease, it’s really horrific, but is really slow. It’s called Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva

[@michaelp4122]

Having not played a Star Ocean game, do you recommend I play the remake on Switch or a fan translation of the original? I generally enjoy remakes if they are faithful to the original game (e.g. LiveALive, Adventures of Mana and FF1&2 GBA are fantastic). I mean imagine playing FF1 & 2 on NES in 2022..... :-/ However I also do appreciate the original when the remake changes too much (e.g. Sword of Mana) Some games I feel you need to play both remake & original (e.g. FFVII) So should I play Star Ocean as a ROM translation or just enjoy it on Switch? Same for Star Ocean Second Story, do I play a PS1 emulation or a PSP copy I own? Also, after hearing you rip in SO1 so much, what order should I play the Star Ocean games? Ideally I'd like to play them in order of release, but when I look back at my other JRPG series I enjoyed playing standouts first (e.g. Dragon Quest 5 & 11, FFVII, X, Tales of Vesperia, etc)