First Impressions: Star Ocean – First Departure

I just got my hands on Star Ocean: First Departure. This is a remake of the original Star Ocean that only came out in Japan. I’ve logged in about 6 hours into this game and so far, I think it’s….AMAZING.

The first 1 and a half hours of the game were EPIC. Without spoiling too much of the story, I can tell you that the game kicks off on a very good start. This is a beautiful remake, the graphics are absolutely stunning, the soundtrack is great, the anime artwork and cutscenes are top notch, the script is great (the translators did an excellent job) and it even has GOOD ENGLISH VOICE OVERS. Usually English voice overs are horrendous compared to the original Japanese voices, but damn, the voice overs are pretty damn good in this game. All of the voices fit their respective characters, it doesn’t sound awkward or forced at all. The game also offers tons of character customization for RPG fans, the story holds up very well for an old school game, the redone graphics and sound are absolutely stellar and the cast of characters are very likeable (albeit a tad generic). Those are the makings of a great JRPG. This game is definitely old school, but it has aged very well, some classics like (FF1 or FF2) are simply too dated and boring in comparison to today’s games. Star Ocean still holds up very well, even after all these years.

Definitely a must-play title for any RPG fan.

P.S. Dorne (a character in the game) looks EXACTLY like Naruto -_- That’s right Naruto fans…you have to play this game just to see Dorne in action.

~ by hyeunny on October 27, 2008.