My Rating: 9.1 / 10

After playing Tales of Vesperia, a game of similar composition, I found myself reluctant to buy Star Ocean, sure that it wouldn't be able to compete. How wrong I was. This game is a masterful work of art that is worth every cent you pay for it at the store of your choice.

Starting off with the most noticeable feature of the game; It's graphics:

The graphics in this game are some of the most visually stunning I have ever seen in a game. They are  anime graphics, but I swear that the characters were real. With an HDMI connection, you can see every hair fiber on their heads. Damn. Also, the insane graphics are 24/7. No part of the game is excluded from the stunning, vibrant 3D world which takes up the space of 3 discs. With HDMI, even the start menu looks amazing.

Moving on to gameplay; the gameplay is in bursts. Basically, You spend a good deal talking, and then you play in a dungeon. The dungeons last for a long time, and there is a constant stream of enemies. You MUST level up. It is a vital part of the game. If you are not used to grinding, or farming levels, get used to it. The higher level you are, the less time and effort it takes to defeat a boss. The battle system is strikingly similar to a Tales game; You have HP, MP, and some sort of bar you can fill for a super combo. That bar is called the "Rush Bar". When activated, you won't be knocked down by any attack, or by activating "Rush Mode" at 100 rush, then quickly tapping LT or RT, you can perform Rush Combos, which I'd reccommend learning very early. You can also "Do the Matrix" and teleport behind attackers by using what is called a "Blindside".  All that and the fact that you have to switch between characters to effectively control situations makes for a challenging game.

Storyline:

The storyline of this game is extremely gripping, I could not contain myself. I had to progress as quickly as possible through the game, I was like the N64 Kid in that infamous video. Well not quite. I simply HAD to figure out what happened next. You won't be disappointed in this department.

Difficulty:

This game is, by far, one of the most difficult RPGs I have ever played. This might be coupled with the fact that I progressed too quickly, so to be fair I will say it is not that hard. I have NOT TRIED THE LAST DIFFICULTY. If I thought Galaxy was hard. I literally was sweating bullets after narrowly beating each boss. Oh boy. 2 Difficulites higher and I'll probably knife myself.

Replay Value:

Play through this game on the insane difficutly. You know you want to. Also, you probably will miss Private Actions on your first playthrough. Get all the secret endings!

Overall Synopsis:

This game was a great experience. True, like most JRPGs there were the few characters that I wanted to knee where it hurts the most, but after a while, they grow on you. (Unlike some characters, lol.) The only regret that I had about this game is that it was over. Definitely a must-buy for any RPG fan.