It's not a bad tactics game at all, but it is probably one of the slowest paced I've ever played.
STORYLINE:
I have to admit that the story here is actually a bit of a dry point. As most gamers already know by now that's not exactly a good sign for a game trying to compete with other tactics games fashioned in the footsteps of Tactics Ogre and so on... Those games tend to have heavy RPG elements included in them and story pervides a huge part in keeping the gamers intregued through the more lack luster moments in the game. The story in Hoshigami is fairly simple and has been retold in verious ways in many other games. You are this mercenery named Fazz who was hired during a war to carry out some missions with his pal and teacher, Leimery. So you go out, fight some missions against the imperials and come back to discover that your hometown was burned to the ground by a mysterious black armored knight and your childhood 'girlfreind' Tinn (I know, these names are just so deep aren't they :) ) is missing. To make things even worse a somewhat puzzled Imperial knight named Alveen is there investiating the motives for the attack with Fazz and Leimery stumble onto the scene. Both sides are a bit confused by what's going on, but because they are still enemys Fazz and Leimrey try to take out Alveen. Bad idea. Both Leimrey and Fazz get messed up and pass out. Fazz regain conciousness in an imperial prision, believeing that Leimrey is probably dead. Being the good guy that he is Fazz swears revenge. Beyond this point, the story can be influenced a little, eventually resulting in different endings. They aren't exactly mindblowing ether, but at least you can pick and choose a little.
GAMEPLAY:
Both Hoshigami's greatist plus...and greatist minus. The gameplay allows for some fairly interesting customization...with time. Your characters can weild any weapon they choose and can change deitys to guide their state developement while learning different techinques to equip. You can even pump up and customize your magic coins that you can equip to can spells and stragically manipulate in battle to acheive long tag teaming combos. It's great! The only problem is...well...it takes forever. You will find yours spending most of your hours stuck leveling in these "Towers of Trial" and slowly (VERY slowly) molding your characters so that they can, not only fit the way you play, but compete with the next offical mission. Even if you don't bother trying to mold and make your characters unique, it will still take forever just getting your characters up to par with the bad guys between missions. It's hard, slow and at times, incredibly frustrating.
GRAPHICS:
Surprizingly well done for it's time. I will say that it most reminded me of the style used in Final Fantasy Tactics...although a bit plainer whin it came to subject matter. No colorful monsters, just colorful human warriors mostly. Box art and profiles where done with style too. The oly problem I had was that the visual effects of the magic spells weren't that impressive at all.
SOUND:
It would be okay in my opinion...if I weren't so sick of here the terrible "Tower of Trials" theme over and over and over and over and over...
COMPLAINTS:
While the system was well intentioned. Some simple changes could have made it so the game didn't become, well, tedious. I was fine with training. I've done it for other tactics games. I just hate how it was done in Hoshigami. Taking a cue from the tactics ogre system might have been very useful here, or even the reintro duction of random battles...but no...they used the "Tower of Trials" where you spend hours going through level after level of wea enemys that give nearly no experience...
Complaints aside though, it's a decent Tactics game and probably worth experiencing if you can find it cheap. Otherwise, I'd say to just keep pushing forward or replaying the ones you already have, because, if by some chance you cannot find it dirt cheap, there is no reason to go back for it.