Episode 15: Star Ocean: The Second Story—Four Score and Seven Hundred Million Years Ago

Episode 15: Star Ocean: The Second Story—Four Score and Seven Hundred Million Years Ago

Platform: Original: PlayStation. Remake: PSP.

Release Date: 

Original: Japan 7/30/1998, NA 5/31/1999, EU 4/12/2000.

PSP: Japan 4/2/2009, NA 1/19/2009, AU 2/12/2009, EU 2/13/2009.

Difficulty: Easy the first play through, adjustable on any new playthroughs.

Pricing: $29.99 on Amazon (PSP)

Podcast: Download, iTunes, PodOmatic

Terra’s Review

Allen, why do you want to marry someone who looks like she’s twelve?

The Good

• Good character development for Claude and Rena, with Claude figuring out what he wants to do with his life and Rena searching for the truth about her background and why she’s different from everyone else on Expel. The development for the other party members can be hit or miss—especially for the characters you get later in the game—but some of them, such as Celine, Ashton, and Dias, have side stories of their own.
• High replay value: You get the option of having Claude or Rena as your player character and there are eleven other characters that you can pick and choose from to make up the rest of your party. While the main storyline doesn’t change, choosing Claude or Rena gives you more insight into their character arcs and different combinations of party members will mean different private actions and scenes in towns.
• Gameplay mechanics include a solid action based battle system and the crafting abilities that the Star Ocean games are known for.

The Bad

• Some of the time frames in this game are ridiculous, even for a JRPG. I’m pretty good at suspending my disbelief—I have played Star Ocean: Till the End of Time—but the backstory given for Energy Nede stretches belief to the breaking point. 700 million years? 3.7 billion years? Really? And the Nedian civilization has apparently barely changed in that time period? Those are nonsense numbers.
• Just like in the remake of Star Ocean: First Depature, spell animations take forever in battle and there’s nothing you can do but sit there and watch.

The Ugly

• The bonus dungeon. It’s full of some mean, mean creatures.
• Celine’s floating shower curtain cape thing.

You may have killed me a million times, but at least I can say “Star Flare!” without lisping!

The lowdown:  A solid entry in the Star Ocean series and well worth playing if you’ve enjoyed the other games. The main storyline can stretch belief to the breaking point, but the characters make the game worth playing.

Music Credits

RPG Roundup Theme Song: "Video Game Theme," J. Arthur Keenes Band. Creative Commons Attribution License.
Star Ocean Second Departure Arranged Soundtrack 

Episode 14: Secret of Mana: Help, I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up!

Episode 14: Secret of Mana: Help, I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up!

Platform: Super NES

Japanese Release Date: August 6, 1993

U.S. Release Date: October 3, 1993

PAL Release Date: November 24, 1994

Difficulty: Easy

Current Amazon Price: $2,000 new (start saving), $51.65 used

Also available on the Wii and Wii U Virtual Console (I bought mine on the Wii for about $7 or $8)  

Podcast: Download, iTunes, PodOmatic

Lightning's Review

…Apparently, this game is set in the future. 

The Good

• A perfect starter retro game…or for any retro gamer, for that matter. A variety of weapons, items, and spells always manage to keep this action RPG interesting. You also have the choice as to whether or not you want to control a fighter type, a healer, or an offensive magic user, making this game accessible for all player types.
• The multiplayer facet of this game is fun – up to three players can control a character, making an otherwise ho-hum dungeon suddenly a lot more interesting.

The Bad

• Poor, unpredictable AI should you play solo or with two people. Will your AI attack? Will it stand there and do nothing? Will it get stuck running against the other side of a bed when you’re trying to leave an inn? You’ll never know.
• A hurried translation that left a lot out and left a lot to be imagined. Even Ted Woolsey (the translator) admits he cut a lot out due to time constraints. The story is bare-bones and at times can be hard to follow as a result.
• A weapon and magic leveling system that can make you want to tear your hair out should you want to max out every weapon and every spell. Ever wanted to cast Remedy on someone who doesn’t need it…100 times? Then bring out your inner masochist!

The Ugly

• Some of the monsters in this game. Like the giant blue heads that gave birth to other monsters. Or the vicious bunny monsters. OR THE BAT THAT REFUSES TO WEAR PANTS.

Magical flying dragons in Mode 7 – it doesn’t get any more delicious than this.

The Lowdown: A solid retro title, despite the cons outlined above. If you are just getting into retro gaming, or want to suggest an old school JRPG to a friend, then perhaps give this one a shot. This game isn’t for everyone (especially if you have little patience for grinding and poor AI), but the art style is endearing, the action RPG element of the game is fun, and the multiplayer option was an excellent addition to the game. I definitely have retro goggles on when it comes to this game – but darnit, I like them. 

Music Credits:
RPG Roundup Theme Song: "Video Game Theme," J. Arthur Keenes Band. Creative Commons Attribution License.
Secret of Mana OST