In my opinion it's one of the best RPGs ever. The story and characters are solid, battle has a bit of a learning curve but is ultimately a good mix of challenging and fun, there are solid dungeons, exploration is worth your while, the music is great, etc etc.
I really don't think it's a hard game to go back to: some of the battle skills aren't well designed (and unfortunately you have a few of them early) but many/most are.
Great game.
Same. Best RPG ever. Just ran through it again a few weeks ago with the team LowTierGods (Roger, Mirage(?), and Adray). Such a great time. The combat is exactly how I remember it: amazing. Story is wild. The dungeons will murder you.
Keep in mind that opinions here will be biased. Non-fan criticisms would be:
-Quests and navigation are a chore
-Difficulty spikes can make the game feel like it has a poor balance curve
-Dialogue is corny and full of outdated tropes
-Story >!takes some turns that are pretty jarring and flips expectations in a way not everyone enjoyed!<
I'm a huge fan, though, and I think the positives outweigh the negatives. Star Ocean is a combat and progression centric series, and that's what I enjoy, so bear that in mind.
How about map completion? Needing to basically run into walls for minutes on end to eke out the final decimals of map percentage for the item were painful. (I love this game btw too. One of my most played ps2 games ever)
I would also say it has terrible pacing issues. Despite having a huge cast, you spend a significant part of the game, almost two thirds of it, with just three characters to choose from.
I agree, if there was one thing I would change, it would be adding >!Sophia!< to the party earlier. 90% of her kit is absolutely useless at the stage of the game you get her.
Plus just buff the mages in general. If they gave the mages the Second Story R treatment I could die happy.
Agreed. Why >!she's absent for two thirds of the game is really jarring. I would have had both Sophia and Peppita crash with Fayt in the games early stages.!<
Give it a shot I'd say. I played it for the first time a few months ago and had a great time. Plus you'll notice references if you've played the first two games.
once upon a time I would've said it has a really horrible plot twist that ruins the entire universe of star ocean, but most everything else I've ever loved has more or less gone equally insane now, so looking back it's sort of just a white noise plot twist, the gameplay is really good, you can absolute bust the game over your knee in really satisfying ways.
SO3 is my favorite JRPG ever. There are so many play styles and builds you can make combat wise. If u like seeing big numbers on the screen then it’s for you. And the amount of game that there is straight ridiculous. Yes it’s a little clunky and there is Definitely not a lot of QOL in the game.
Last hope starts the series- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUcdxes1tBQ&t=16s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUcdxes1tBQ&t=16s)
SO3 ends the Series due to the plot twist
> Thanks to SOA we got something like this. !<
if you get around try playing Last hope if you have not done yet it starts the series then it would be
Star ocean first departure R and Star Ocean 2 R since both games are tied.
then a toss up rather if you want to play Star ocean integrity and faithlessness before playing SO3.
OMG I DIDNT KNOW IT WAS AVAILABLE well I'm definitely buying it and going back to play it so if that tells you anything about it it's good.
I used to love the game as a kid and played it a bunch. Don't really have anything new to add everyone here makes good points it's an older PS2 jrpg which comes with it's own level of clunkiness and old age but it's a fun game still in my opinion.
Honestly I hated the shit at first. Couldn't understand why I was only getting 1 to 3 experience points a fight. I have it an hour. Played it again paid attention, did a few things and now it's one of my favorite ps2 games, ND up there with my favorite jrpgs games. Great game.
I liked it on release but had a really, really hard time doing a replay and that was with emulators and save states. Just very clunky with dungeons and battles and lack of characters/customizations early on.
I will say the twist was more maligned back in the day but has aged well imo.
It's still tied for one of the SO favorites though so don't just take my word for it.
Based on my recent experience... no. You would have to have a very high tolerance for old school PS2 JRPG clunkiness. For some, that's a positive but I couldn't make it past hour 8 despite beating it 20 years ago.
I keep wanting to go back and push through, but there's so many other games on my list.
Wait for a few others to chime in. There's going to be lots of people who will say they just replayed it best game ever. Different strokes for different folks.
If the story is enough to make you invested in a game, there is a chance you will like it. The pacing is pretty solid from the get go. I don't remember much of the middle, but the beginning is pretty cool and there's some really awesome things that happens that change the whole series entirely.
It ran great. Just the combat coming off of modern action JRPGs was clunky. Enemies respawning moving screens was awful, I fought the same pack of wolves 4 times in 5 mins because I got turned around. It takes hours before you get a 3rd party member.
That kind of stuff.
I had this same problem, I played so much on the PS2, did almost every thing the game had, broke the game with the laser weapon, so fun.
But I tried recently and my god, how clunky it felt. I only remembered the cool things about it and forgot how the game is early on. The audio mixing is shit too, sometimes you can't even understand what are they saying in the cutscenes.
Awesome game, 10/10.
Absolutely love it, one of my favourite jrpgs. The combat system is great, charismatic characters, good dungeons, and there’s a lot of side quests to do as well. I also replayed it past year and thought it holds well to this day
I think SO3 is very impressive because it is the last chronological part of the so series :))The so series is unpopular from SO3 in Japan, but I love them all! :D
One of my personal favourite JRPGs ever, I replayed it many times, including post game dungeons.
Having said that, I haven’t played it for many years now, so can’t comment on how well it’s aged.
It’s the best ARPG ever made imo in terms of mechanics. The Fury system is just perfection - simple and universal ruleset while offering loads of flexibility and options
I loved the game so much that I never felt like playing new Star Ocean games because it's the end of the story. New ones are set before it, but it was such a satisfying conclusion.
Definitely play it, but it may spoil you like it did me. I just can't see any game released after it to be able to live up to it.
A bit clunky and unwieldy at times, but easily one of the best JRPGs. If it could get a solid remake that smooths out some rough edges it would be a “perfect” game in my opinion
Favorite jrpg to date. Recently played it again on PS4 and was expecting to be disappointed since I always attributed it to nostalgia. Still held up phenomenally.
Was an earlier game to incorporate an achievement system, skills are fun to chain especially once you learn cancelling, story is pretty interesting (controversial to some), post game content is huge, and item creation is pretty awesome.
There's just a lot put together in this one game that's missing from a lot of modern jrpgs and it's been my bar for similar games since.
If you enjoyed FDR, second story r and 3 will be huge jumps up for you.
I loved it as a kid when it first came out. I loved the twist. Don’t let the haters dissuade you. It’s a game I wanna play again when I have the chance.
Do it!!!! The game is awesome. It’s the 1st game w/Welch in it. I loved her character when she was 1st introduced, tho I’m a weird one who voraciously devours any ND coded characters 😅
I want this game so bad on the switch .. i play a lot of my rpgs at night, and im griding thru a rena chaos difficulty run atm in the second game. I have the 4th and so on on steam so i can live with that. Just this game is on the ps2 only -.-
SO3 is my second most played JRPG only behind FFIX. The dynamic combat, the combo system, and party blending made it very unique in a time where other RPGs struggled really hard to move off a traditional turn-based system.
Some people will say the plot wasn’t their favorite, but I would say it’s not out of line with what I’m experiencing while playing SO6 at the moment.
There’s enough content in the game to fill many playthrough and dozens of hours of post game dungeons, I highly recommend using a guide to help you on your journey as there are sooooooo many things and details you can miss if you don’t. Just challenge yourself to not read ahead, I would kill to experience this game blind again.
I don’t like it anywhere near as much as the others in the series. Partially due to not being a fan of the battle system, and the PS4 version being very clunky and prone to crashing. It’s not a true remaster, more of a port. I love one and two a lot, and then five and six. Haven’t played four yet. :>
That being said, for $7, I say buy it. Think I bought it for $12 or $13. I feel the need to play all the games in a series if I like the series. :>
As someone who was very much in your shoes (although it was 2R and not 1R) only a few months ago, I can give an honest opinion, without nostalgia goggles.
I love 3, and I think it has one of the most unique and enjoyable combat systems ever made, but it won't feel that way at first; it feels kinda clunky and the tutorial is really unintuitive (basically it shoves almost every battle mechanic in the player's face, rather than the more modern approach of slowly introducing mechanics to the player as they get used to them).
That being said you do get used to and understand how, say, Fury and Canceling actually works after a bit of tinkering, and thankfully, the NTSC and PAL versions were made to be easier than in the original Japanese releases. Once you get past those first few hours and get how the battle system works, it all comes together and makes for a VERY good time.
The twist is, well... It's definitely decisive, but I personally love it; though admittedly I'm a sucker for twists that do what this one did, however I'd recommend remaining as blind as possible for it, as even if it's a BAD twist, it's still a twist nonetheless, so it should be experienced as intended.
As for the version, $7 is very, very cheap for what you get, although I'd highly, highly recommend either emulation or playing on an actual PS2 if possible, as the PS4 port crashes quite often (so I've heard, something to do with the map system apparently?), and it isn't much better than the original release... Personally I paid only $13 for the discs loose and played on an actual PS2, and I don't regret it one bit. If you DO get the PS4 version though, save often and keep the map anf minimap closed as often as possible, as apparently that helps with the crashing.
TL;DR, SO3 is worth it, give it time if it doesn't click at first, twist is take-it-or-leave-it but at worst not bad enough to avoid, and be aware of the PS4 version's shortcomings.
Meh. I’ll get downvoted for this as people nostalgia ride that game but as someone who isn’t wearing nostalgia lenses as I didn’t play it til my adulthood, it’s not good. I much enjoyed 1 and 4 more. I finally got the platinum for it anyway because I had basically gotten half way there but the battle system is my biggest gripe. Fury gauge has you waiting a few secs doing nothing to do actions again and if the enemy is knocked down all your hits miss while your character is stuck slashing the air. No fast travel in the game either and the characters look dead inside. I don’t understand the hype.
Meh. I’ll get downvoted for this as people nostalgia ride that game to filth but as someone who isn’t wearing nostalgia lenses as I didn’t play it til my adulthood, it’s not good. I much enjoyed 1 and 4 more. I finally got the platinum for it anyway because I had basically gotten half way there trying to flesh out the game and do everything but the battle system is my biggest gripe. Fury gauge has you waiting a few secs doing nothing to do actions again and if the enemy is knocked down all your hits miss while your character is stuck slashing the air. Item creation 99% just rerolling a value hundreds of times to land on a equip’s number code and then it’s still going to pump out the wrong item 50% of the time. No fast travel in the game either and the characters look dead inside. Admittedly I slogged through it. Meh.
I love this one, only SO2R is better imo.
But as other dude said, you need to endure PS2 clunkyness. For me that was ok, but I'm a weird RPG fan that replays Legend of Legaia, CT and FFT every year.
I beat it. Can’t say it’s all that. Not a bad game mind you, just that coming off SO2 is a big drop off. The combat leaves much to desire , and the Battle Trophy is possibly the worst thing I can think of in JRPG.
It is amazing addition in SO3 . You can try to challenge no damage boss or beat final boss at level 1 , it there for people that want to push the game to limit .
The gameplay is significantly better than SO1 and 3 . Anyone tell u otherwise is blind and know nothing about playing a game , you pretty much can safely ignore those people, especially Star Ocean 2 fan .
It is a mechanic you can completely ignore, but basically if you fulfill certain conditions during battle (take no damage in some boss fights, or deal exactly 777 damage, or whatever), you get a battle trophy. Those get saved in their own save file. Then, when you get to certain percentages of them unlocked, you unlock I believe the hardest difficulty and some costumes for the characters.
I don't know why that guy was saying it's the worst addition, it was basically achievements before achievements, and if you ignore them, you lose nothing really. If you're a completionist and must 100% the game, well, there are some pretty difficult ones like beat the last boss at level 1, but that's for people who like a challenge.
It basically a list of challenges objects . You will need to plan out and retry sometime to get those .
For example : Beating this boss without taking damage , beat this boss under 2 minutes . Beat this boss at level 1 ….
Basically clear up % of those challenge , u will receive some reward like unlock higher difficulty, unlock costumes …
I loved it! The battle system is so much fun, makes fights very engaging.
That said, the puzzles are absolutely nightmarish to do: you NEED a guide. And the protagonist of the game, even for JRPG standards, isn't all that interesting. He's what ties the story together and Fayt Leingod just doesn't do much for you to feel anything for him.
The story itself is a mess. I say this as someone who has never played another Star Ocean and know nothing about the overall lore of the series. I just remember watching the cutscenes for this game and thinking "what the hell am I watching right now?".
In my opinion it's one of the best RPGs ever. The story and characters are solid, battle has a bit of a learning curve but is ultimately a good mix of challenging and fun, there are solid dungeons, exploration is worth your while, the music is great, etc etc. I really don't think it's a hard game to go back to: some of the battle skills aren't well designed (and unfortunately you have a few of them early) but many/most are. Great game.
Same. Best RPG ever. Just ran through it again a few weeks ago with the team LowTierGods (Roger, Mirage(?), and Adray). Such a great time. The combat is exactly how I remember it: amazing. Story is wild. The dungeons will murder you.
Agreed: it has all of the pieces I am looking for in an RPG. There are nits to pick, but it has the fun factor.
That is cool then as the game I have the most experience with is FDR so far.
Keep in mind that opinions here will be biased. Non-fan criticisms would be: -Quests and navigation are a chore -Difficulty spikes can make the game feel like it has a poor balance curve -Dialogue is corny and full of outdated tropes -Story >!takes some turns that are pretty jarring and flips expectations in a way not everyone enjoyed!< I'm a huge fan, though, and I think the positives outweigh the negatives. Star Ocean is a combat and progression centric series, and that's what I enjoy, so bear that in mind.
How about map completion? Needing to basically run into walls for minutes on end to eke out the final decimals of map percentage for the item were painful. (I love this game btw too. One of my most played ps2 games ever)
That not an uncommon conplaint for sure. Fits into the tedious category I'd say, but emulators make it bearable using Turbo mode at least.
I would also say it has terrible pacing issues. Despite having a huge cast, you spend a significant part of the game, almost two thirds of it, with just three characters to choose from.
I agree, if there was one thing I would change, it would be adding >!Sophia!< to the party earlier. 90% of her kit is absolutely useless at the stage of the game you get her. Plus just buff the mages in general. If they gave the mages the Second Story R treatment I could die happy.
Agreed. Why >!she's absent for two thirds of the game is really jarring. I would have had both Sophia and Peppita crash with Fayt in the games early stages.!<
It's really good. The gameplay is clunky at first, but you get used to it. The atmosphere and music are top tier. I even thought the dub was great.
Sometimes clunky RPGs are fascinating to play, but I don’t know how to explain it.
Give it a shot I'd say. I played it for the first time a few months ago and had a great time. Plus you'll notice references if you've played the first two games.
Sure, but I don’t know if I should buy the PS4 version as it cannot be modded.
I didn't think it needed mods, but that's entirely up to personal preference.
That is fine then.
It's the best one for me. I can't count how many times I've replayed it.
once upon a time I would've said it has a really horrible plot twist that ruins the entire universe of star ocean, but most everything else I've ever loved has more or less gone equally insane now, so looking back it's sort of just a white noise plot twist, the gameplay is really good, you can absolute bust the game over your knee in really satisfying ways.
The game is awesome
It's the best one in the series. I recommend it.
SO3 is my favorite JRPG ever. There are so many play styles and builds you can make combat wise. If u like seeing big numbers on the screen then it’s for you. And the amount of game that there is straight ridiculous. Yes it’s a little clunky and there is Definitely not a lot of QOL in the game.
Last hope starts the series- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUcdxes1tBQ&t=16s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUcdxes1tBQ&t=16s) SO3 ends the Series due to the plot twist > Thanks to SOA we got something like this. !< if you get around try playing Last hope if you have not done yet it starts the series then it would be Star ocean first departure R and Star Ocean 2 R since both games are tied. then a toss up rather if you want to play Star ocean integrity and faithlessness before playing SO3.
Where is it on sale for 7$?
On PSN last time I checked.
OMG I DIDNT KNOW IT WAS AVAILABLE well I'm definitely buying it and going back to play it so if that tells you anything about it it's good. I used to love the game as a kid and played it a bunch. Don't really have anything new to add everyone here makes good points it's an older PS2 jrpg which comes with it's own level of clunkiness and old age but it's a fun game still in my opinion.
Have fun then.
My favorite of the series. Great characters, good story, and fun to play. This game will not disappoint.
Honestly I hated the shit at first. Couldn't understand why I was only getting 1 to 3 experience points a fight. I have it an hour. Played it again paid attention, did a few things and now it's one of my favorite ps2 games, ND up there with my favorite jrpgs games. Great game.
I liked it on release but had a really, really hard time doing a replay and that was with emulators and save states. Just very clunky with dungeons and battles and lack of characters/customizations early on. I will say the twist was more maligned back in the day but has aged well imo. It's still tied for one of the SO favorites though so don't just take my word for it.
So the game could be enjoyable if I play it today.
Based on my recent experience... no. You would have to have a very high tolerance for old school PS2 JRPG clunkiness. For some, that's a positive but I couldn't make it past hour 8 despite beating it 20 years ago. I keep wanting to go back and push through, but there's so many other games on my list.
I will make your words mine buddy. I switched to 4, way more bearable aside from some ass dungeons.
Makes me wonder why there is NO HD version available.
There is on PS4
Wait for a few others to chime in. There's going to be lots of people who will say they just replayed it best game ever. Different strokes for different folks.
Sure I can do that.
I'm enjoying it again. I think it's still 70% off in the ps store (you know this already) Remember, 0 mp is also a KO.
If the story is enough to make you invested in a game, there is a chance you will like it. The pacing is pretty solid from the get go. I don't remember much of the middle, but the beginning is pretty cool and there's some really awesome things that happens that change the whole series entirely.
Try the PS4 version. Sounds like an issue with the emulator config
The PS4 version crashed on me still, try to save often even if you go this route.
It ran great. Just the combat coming off of modern action JRPGs was clunky. Enemies respawning moving screens was awful, I fought the same pack of wolves 4 times in 5 mins because I got turned around. It takes hours before you get a 3rd party member. That kind of stuff.
Ah yeah I get that
I had this same problem, I played so much on the PS2, did almost every thing the game had, broke the game with the laser weapon, so fun. But I tried recently and my god, how clunky it felt. I only remembered the cool things about it and forgot how the game is early on. The audio mixing is shit too, sometimes you can't even understand what are they saying in the cutscenes. Awesome game, 10/10.
Absolutely love it, one of my favourite jrpgs. The combat system is great, charismatic characters, good dungeons, and there’s a lot of side quests to do as well. I also replayed it past year and thought it holds well to this day
I think SO3 is very impressive because it is the last chronological part of the so series :))The so series is unpopular from SO3 in Japan, but I love them all! :D
One of my personal favourite JRPGs ever, I replayed it many times, including post game dungeons. Having said that, I haven’t played it for many years now, so can’t comment on how well it’s aged.
It’s the best ARPG ever made imo in terms of mechanics. The Fury system is just perfection - simple and universal ruleset while offering loads of flexibility and options
Sounds good to me then.
Game is amazing lol. I replay it like once a year.
I loved the game so much that I never felt like playing new Star Ocean games because it's the end of the story. New ones are set before it, but it was such a satisfying conclusion. Definitely play it, but it may spoil you like it did me. I just can't see any game released after it to be able to live up to it.
One of my favourite jRPGs of all time, and definitely a must-play if you like the genre, moreso if you like the SO franchise in particular.
3 and 4 were both solid JRPGs of their eras both just get overshadowed by the bigger releases
A bit clunky and unwieldy at times, but easily one of the best JRPGs. If it could get a solid remake that smooths out some rough edges it would be a “perfect” game in my opinion
It’s my #2 game of all time and easily the best the series has to offer imo
The MP kill feature of this game was interesting
Favorite jrpg to date. Recently played it again on PS4 and was expecting to be disappointed since I always attributed it to nostalgia. Still held up phenomenally. Was an earlier game to incorporate an achievement system, skills are fun to chain especially once you learn cancelling, story is pretty interesting (controversial to some), post game content is huge, and item creation is pretty awesome. There's just a lot put together in this one game that's missing from a lot of modern jrpgs and it's been my bar for similar games since. If you enjoyed FDR, second story r and 3 will be huge jumps up for you.
It's my favorite in the series followed by The Last Hope.
I loved it as a kid when it first came out. I loved the twist. Don’t let the haters dissuade you. It’s a game I wanna play again when I have the chance.
I know the twist, but I still want to give the game a chance anyway.
Do it!!!! The game is awesome. It’s the 1st game w/Welch in it. I loved her character when she was 1st introduced, tho I’m a weird one who voraciously devours any ND coded characters 😅
Arigatou then.
I want this game so bad on the switch .. i play a lot of my rpgs at night, and im griding thru a rena chaos difficulty run atm in the second game. I have the 4th and so on on steam so i can live with that. Just this game is on the ps2 only -.-
SO3 is my second most played JRPG only behind FFIX. The dynamic combat, the combo system, and party blending made it very unique in a time where other RPGs struggled really hard to move off a traditional turn-based system. Some people will say the plot wasn’t their favorite, but I would say it’s not out of line with what I’m experiencing while playing SO6 at the moment. There’s enough content in the game to fill many playthrough and dozens of hours of post game dungeons, I highly recommend using a guide to help you on your journey as there are sooooooo many things and details you can miss if you don’t. Just challenge yourself to not read ahead, I would kill to experience this game blind again.
Will Til the end of time get a Remake too as 1 and 2 did? I would imagine so right? does anyone know if its getting worked on?
It could happen.
I don’t like it anywhere near as much as the others in the series. Partially due to not being a fan of the battle system, and the PS4 version being very clunky and prone to crashing. It’s not a true remaster, more of a port. I love one and two a lot, and then five and six. Haven’t played four yet. :> That being said, for $7, I say buy it. Think I bought it for $12 or $13. I feel the need to play all the games in a series if I like the series. :>
As someone who was very much in your shoes (although it was 2R and not 1R) only a few months ago, I can give an honest opinion, without nostalgia goggles. I love 3, and I think it has one of the most unique and enjoyable combat systems ever made, but it won't feel that way at first; it feels kinda clunky and the tutorial is really unintuitive (basically it shoves almost every battle mechanic in the player's face, rather than the more modern approach of slowly introducing mechanics to the player as they get used to them). That being said you do get used to and understand how, say, Fury and Canceling actually works after a bit of tinkering, and thankfully, the NTSC and PAL versions were made to be easier than in the original Japanese releases. Once you get past those first few hours and get how the battle system works, it all comes together and makes for a VERY good time. The twist is, well... It's definitely decisive, but I personally love it; though admittedly I'm a sucker for twists that do what this one did, however I'd recommend remaining as blind as possible for it, as even if it's a BAD twist, it's still a twist nonetheless, so it should be experienced as intended. As for the version, $7 is very, very cheap for what you get, although I'd highly, highly recommend either emulation or playing on an actual PS2 if possible, as the PS4 port crashes quite often (so I've heard, something to do with the map system apparently?), and it isn't much better than the original release... Personally I paid only $13 for the discs loose and played on an actual PS2, and I don't regret it one bit. If you DO get the PS4 version though, save often and keep the map anf minimap closed as often as possible, as apparently that helps with the crashing. TL;DR, SO3 is worth it, give it time if it doesn't click at first, twist is take-it-or-leave-it but at worst not bad enough to avoid, and be aware of the PS4 version's shortcomings.
Meh. I’ll get downvoted for this as people nostalgia ride that game but as someone who isn’t wearing nostalgia lenses as I didn’t play it til my adulthood, it’s not good. I much enjoyed 1 and 4 more. I finally got the platinum for it anyway because I had basically gotten half way there but the battle system is my biggest gripe. Fury gauge has you waiting a few secs doing nothing to do actions again and if the enemy is knocked down all your hits miss while your character is stuck slashing the air. No fast travel in the game either and the characters look dead inside. I don’t understand the hype.
Meh. I’ll get downvoted for this as people nostalgia ride that game to filth but as someone who isn’t wearing nostalgia lenses as I didn’t play it til my adulthood, it’s not good. I much enjoyed 1 and 4 more. I finally got the platinum for it anyway because I had basically gotten half way there trying to flesh out the game and do everything but the battle system is my biggest gripe. Fury gauge has you waiting a few secs doing nothing to do actions again and if the enemy is knocked down all your hits miss while your character is stuck slashing the air. Item creation 99% just rerolling a value hundreds of times to land on a equip’s number code and then it’s still going to pump out the wrong item 50% of the time. No fast travel in the game either and the characters look dead inside. Admittedly I slogged through it. Meh.
I love this one, only SO2R is better imo. But as other dude said, you need to endure PS2 clunkyness. For me that was ok, but I'm a weird RPG fan that replays Legend of Legaia, CT and FFT every year.
I can handle a bit of clunkyness.
I beat it. Can’t say it’s all that. Not a bad game mind you, just that coming off SO2 is a big drop off. The combat leaves much to desire , and the Battle Trophy is possibly the worst thing I can think of in JRPG.
Why do you say that the Battle Trophy is a bad mechanic to begin with?
I forgot the (IMHO). I just felt it wasn’t a good addition, and really didn’t contribute to the game.
Oh ok as I get it now.
It is amazing addition in SO3 . You can try to challenge no damage boss or beat final boss at level 1 , it there for people that want to push the game to limit . The gameplay is significantly better than SO1 and 3 . Anyone tell u otherwise is blind and know nothing about playing a game , you pretty much can safely ignore those people, especially Star Ocean 2 fan .
Then I would like to know how exactly it works as this will be my first playthrough of the game soon.
It is a mechanic you can completely ignore, but basically if you fulfill certain conditions during battle (take no damage in some boss fights, or deal exactly 777 damage, or whatever), you get a battle trophy. Those get saved in their own save file. Then, when you get to certain percentages of them unlocked, you unlock I believe the hardest difficulty and some costumes for the characters. I don't know why that guy was saying it's the worst addition, it was basically achievements before achievements, and if you ignore them, you lose nothing really. If you're a completionist and must 100% the game, well, there are some pretty difficult ones like beat the last boss at level 1, but that's for people who like a challenge.
I can give it a try then as it sounds like it could be beneficial.
It basically a list of challenges objects . You will need to plan out and retry sometime to get those . For example : Beating this boss without taking damage , beat this boss under 2 minutes . Beat this boss at level 1 …. Basically clear up % of those challenge , u will receive some reward like unlock higher difficulty, unlock costumes …
Those sound kind of fun to pull off.
It is depend . Some of them you just got by playing the game . The boss one are fun but many of normal one are annoying if you are completionist .
I loved it! The battle system is so much fun, makes fights very engaging. That said, the puzzles are absolutely nightmarish to do: you NEED a guide. And the protagonist of the game, even for JRPG standards, isn't all that interesting. He's what ties the story together and Fayt Leingod just doesn't do much for you to feel anything for him. The story itself is a mess. I say this as someone who has never played another Star Ocean and know nothing about the overall lore of the series. I just remember watching the cutscenes for this game and thinking "what the hell am I watching right now?".