An excellent game, and a great sequel, if a little flawed.
For the most part, Star Ocean: The 2nd Story does a great job at being a sequel. But, that's not to say the game had some shortcomings that the original just didn't have.
STORY:
While I don't agree with spitting out the story in the review, I will say the story isn't all that amazing. It's functional, but it takes a backseat to the gameplay.
6/10
GAMEPLAY:
This is where SO:TSS shines. The combat system, for starters, is one that is created with 2D sprites on a 3D battlefield, with four party members on-screen at one time. The battles are in real-time and can be very fast paced. The item creation system in the game, though limited per se, has a plethora of different combinations, waiting to be found out by the player.
Along with these, there are different specialties you can learn throughout the game such as the ability to 'write' music, scout for enemies, or even call a bird familiar into a dungeon to go shopping for you when you're in need of healing items, etc.
Another interesting aspect the game employs is an "Affection" score between characters. If a character is quite attracted to you, as a friend or as relationship material, they will call out to you when you are killed in combat, or they may rush to protect you when you get hurt.
10/10
GRAPHICS:
While the graphics for SO:TSS aren't much by todays standards, they still have their own charm all their own when I come back to play it near seven years after its release. The character sprites are generally well drawn, and animate well when turning around, in particular. However some of the motions seem to be used in bad places, such as a solemn looking down motion used to nod. It just looks odd and is sortof lazy feeling.
The pre-rendered backgrounds are good to functional most of the time. Lots of the scenery feels 'dead', although the little effects here and there help the game out.
The battles are sortof a mixed place for me. The actual battlefields are good looking, but the 2D sprites are sortof odd looking at times, if the camers rotates around, as they are 2D and just spin in spot, still lookin at you instead of you seeing their sprite from another angle.
7/10
SOUND:
The music of SO:TSS is anywhere from great to unmemorable. Most of the music fits the scenes, but the reuse of a few of the pieces in seemingly unrelated scenes makes for mixed feelings about a particular scene.
The voices make a return in the second game, and I personally am not offended by them. Many people claim this is the game to look at for an example of bad voice acting. But I think that, if you hunker down with the game, and really get to know the characters, their voices really fit their characters.
7/10
VALUE:
While the game boasts "over 80" endings, this is a mere skewer of the truth. These multiple endings are just multiple "where are they now's", that you get depending on how attatched certain characters got to you during your journey. However, the fact that you can only get certain characters in one scenario, and that you can only recruit a total of 8 characters from the 12 you have to choose from, you'll need to play through at least 2 times to get a feel for every character.
8/10
OVERALL:
With a great overall cast, an innovative combat system, two different points of view to see a story with, a plethora of things to invent and create, and a few good secrets here and there, Star Ocean: The 2nd Story is a game that I would recommend to any gamer who is looking for something a little old-school meets a little newschool. If you're tired of ATBs and turn-based RPGs, then Star Ocean may be your cup of tea.
MY SCORE:
9/10