A very deep and involving game.

User Rating: 9 | Star Ocean: Till the End of Time PS2
By Aquatrez | Review Date:
I'm the kinda person who only plays RPGs. I'm a writer, so naturally a game with a great story is something I'd be attracted to. Any other kind of game bores me. Because of this, I focus myself on RPGs, so I know what I like and what I'm looking for. Now, I've never enjoyed sci-fi stuff. Star Trek has always seemed to geeky for me, and I'd rather just stick with the medieval settings. So as I watched SO3, I was unsure I would enjoy it. SO2 had been fun, but I still would've preferred something a bit more medieval. But SO3 had so many incredible qualities, it has now become my favorite game! STORY: 10/10 As a writer, I expect a good, deep story. I analyze stories a lot more than the average gamer. While many found this story "superficial," I absolutely loved it. While it still gave some foreshadowing, you didn't even realize they were hinting until the twist happened. I won't spoil the story, but personally, I loved the twists. I would play late into the nights because it was so gripping. Character development is a bit more lacking than some games, but it's there. I've found that good RPGs have excellent character development, but great RPGs make you search for it and think hard. That's the case with SO3. You can easily speed through the game, but by talking to everyone in your party in towns, you'll learn more about them, and get more info in the ending. The dictionary offered in the menu also gives tons of details you don't find anywhere else. It can be tedious to read through it, but it's definitely worthwhile. GAMEPLAY/BATTLE SYSTEM: 10/10 There are so many good things about this game, but, there are a few negatives. I'll start with the bad news. The battle system isn't perfect; but it's a lot of fun and easy to learn. The biggest problems lie in the fact that it's easy for an enemy to dodge an attack. Another big problem I've found is that when you "shatter their shield," an enemy can dodge/slowly get back up, giving it time to recharge. Still, the battle system is loads of fun, and a real challenge to master. The battle trophies are also fun to collect, but they take a lot of work. As for gameplay, the game is not at all linear. Once you get into the second disc a ways, you are literally free to roam anywhere in the universe you can go. The dungeons are also actually fun. There are no random battles to interrupt your traveling, the puzzles are spaced enough that it doesn't get too frustrating, and each dungeon is in some way different; whether you're riding a Hauler, dodging moving blocks, or trying to find water before you die from heat. I haven't had this much actual fun with an RPG for a long time. But this game has some of the best, and most gameplay. I've spent over 150 hours on one file inventing items, and going through the bonus dungeons. And there are four difficulty modes! Talk about replay value. GRAPHICS: 8/10 The graphics in this game are good, but nothing incredible. The characters are extremely detailed. My only complaint is that they didn't detail NPCs as well as the main group. But, the main group looks incredible. Even their hair moves when they walk, instead being frozen all the time like many games. And the 2D graphics in the menu are beautiful anime-style drawings and art, which also pop up in battle and while inventing. The FMVs are absolutely incredible. While most are just a few snippets of a ship going into warp or landing on a planet, the few actual films are beautiful. The opening movie is also incredible. It looks just like the theme song for a TV show or intro of a movie. SOUND: 9/10 The music in this game is absolutely beautiful. It rival's Nobuo Uematsu's incredible pieces from the Final Fantasy series! I hope they make a soundtrack for this game, because even the battle theme is fun. Each song fits it's location extremely well, and it's nice to see some rock/techno mixed in with the usual orchestrals. The voice acting in this game is, for the most part, excellent. Fayt, Nel, and Cliff sound especially good, and very believable. However, there are two problems. The common "Minnie Mouse" squeaking is used in the one of the more major characters, and she sound really bad. But the biggest problem for the first half of the game (and a few small spots later on), it's impossible to hear what they're saying because the music is too loud. It's not that bad, since the score is so pleasant, but I would like to hear what they are saying and not just read it. OVERALL: 9/10 SO3 is an incredible game. It's not perfect, but what game is. It has a gripping storyline, beautiful music, and incredible graphics. Any RPG fan, sci-fi fan, or story-loving gamer will enjoy this game. There's something for everyone, whether it's fighting, exploring, inventing items, or just going through the story. Overall, the more you put into this game, the more you'll get out of it.

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