Critic & User Reviews
IGN Review of Star Ocean: Second Evolution
A few short months ago, Square Enix released a remake of the original Star Ocean in the form of Star Ocean: First Departure. In my review of the game, I mentioned that I had a particular affinity for the game's sequel, Star Ocean: The Second Story. As you already know, Square Enix also had plans to remake Second Story, which is now arriving on Sony's portable under the name Star Ocean: Second Evolution. I was very eager to play through this RPG, considering my fond memories of the original from many years ago. Second Evolution is definitely a superior game to First Departure and -- despite retaining some of its predecessor's flaws -- will entertain RPG enthusiasts hoping to get a taste of a classic fantasy/sci-fi experience.
The first thing that should be said about Second Evolution is that it is extremely similar to First Departure in terms of its overall structure and gameplay mechanics. Even things like menus and skill names are identical across both games, so gamers that have just completed First Departure might find playing through Second Evolution to be a bit exhausting. I can't really hold this against Second Evolution, however, considering how the improvements made to First Departure were made in order to bring it closer to the quality of its successor.
Second Evolution features two main characters: Claude C. Kenny (son of Ronyx J. Kenny from the first game) and Rena Lanford. Claude, like his father, is a Federation officer that is -- during a research mission -- accidentally transported to a less advanced planet called Expel. It is here that he meets a native girl, Rena, and the two begin to investigate the mysterious meteorite called the "Sorcery Globe" after Claude is mistaken to be a hero from a local prophecy. As is usually the case with an RPG, one thing leads to another and the two heroes are tasked with saving the day.
One of the greatest strengths of Star Ocean: Second Evolution is the option to select either Claude or Rena at the beginning of the game and get a different take on the same story. Each scenario comes with unique events and different characters, which means playing the game a second time is fairly refreshing. There are also numerous endings to view, depending on how you develop the relationships between the main character and his or her party members. Second Evolution definitely scores points for major replay value.
Just like First Departure, Second Evolution is very much a traditional RPG. You wander the world map, explore dungeons, fight monsters and seek out information pertaining to the Sorcery Globe and the disasters surrounding its arrival. The battle system will feel very familiar to those that played First Departure. You control one character out of your team of up to four fighters. You can select AI routines for the other three but you're free to switch to any of them while fighting. During combat, you can move around a 3D plane and execute a basic combo or pull off Special Arts or spells. These techniques can also be assigned to the L and R triggers.
I was happier with the combat of Second Evolution because character Special Arts seem to be a bit more varied and the characters themselves are more diverse. In fact, it should absolutely be noted that Star Ocean: Second Evolution has a delightfully quirky cast, including a busty witch, a sassy pharmacist, a gun-toting, three-eyed alien and a swordsman possessed by a two-headed dragon. Woah!
Second Evolution also boasts a fairly deep skill system and item creation system, though it should be noted that both systems are nearly identical to their counterparts in First Departure. I found myself experimenting with item creation much more in Second Evolution though, which definitely enriches the gameplay and can give your party some serious buffs. Perhaps I turned to item creation because the game's difficulty demands that you take additional steps to strengthen your team, other than traditional level grinding.
The Private Action system found in the first game also returns and gives you the opportunity to enter a town and enjoy optional story segments, which subsequently nurture character relationships and give you access to different endings.
But Second Evolution still has some of the issues present in its predecessor. For example, combat can feel straight-forward and overly simple for those gamers accustomed to more complex, modern RPGs. Furthermore, your character will still auto-track enemies when you're trying to attack, which means you can often get away with mashing the X button to finish a battle. I could understand the auto-tracking if it just helped line up your fighter when you got in close, but leading him or her around the entire battlefield is a little much. Also, you're still unable to skip spell animations, meaning lengthy attack spells run the risk of interrupting the pacing of your confrontation. A minor annoyance, certainly, but an annoyance nonetheless.
Lastly, while the music is a strong element of Star Ocean: Second Evolution, the voice acting can be a bit of a mixed bag. There are some seriously talented people in the cast, including Spike Spencer of Neon Genesis Evangelion fame, but the actors' direction seemed to be off during certain scenes, which led to a few awkward moments of dialogue.
©2009-01-14, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The first thing that should be said about Second Evolution is that it is extremely similar to First Departure in terms of its overall structure and gameplay mechanics. Even things like menus and skill names are identical across both games, so gamers that have just completed First Departure might find playing through Second Evolution to be a bit exhausting. I can't really hold this against Second Evolution, however, considering how the improvements made to First Departure were made in order to bring it closer to the quality of its successor.
Second Evolution features two main characters: Claude C. Kenny (son of Ronyx J. Kenny from the first game) and Rena Lanford. Claude, like his father, is a Federation officer that is -- during a research mission -- accidentally transported to a less advanced planet called Expel. It is here that he meets a native girl, Rena, and the two begin to investigate the mysterious meteorite called the "Sorcery Globe" after Claude is mistaken to be a hero from a local prophecy. As is usually the case with an RPG, one thing leads to another and the two heroes are tasked with saving the day.
One of the greatest strengths of Star Ocean: Second Evolution is the option to select either Claude or Rena at the beginning of the game and get a different take on the same story. Each scenario comes with unique events and different characters, which means playing the game a second time is fairly refreshing. There are also numerous endings to view, depending on how you develop the relationships between the main character and his or her party members. Second Evolution definitely scores points for major replay value.
Just like First Departure, Second Evolution is very much a traditional RPG. You wander the world map, explore dungeons, fight monsters and seek out information pertaining to the Sorcery Globe and the disasters surrounding its arrival. The battle system will feel very familiar to those that played First Departure. You control one character out of your team of up to four fighters. You can select AI routines for the other three but you're free to switch to any of them while fighting. During combat, you can move around a 3D plane and execute a basic combo or pull off Special Arts or spells. These techniques can also be assigned to the L and R triggers.
I was happier with the combat of Second Evolution because character Special Arts seem to be a bit more varied and the characters themselves are more diverse. In fact, it should absolutely be noted that Star Ocean: Second Evolution has a delightfully quirky cast, including a busty witch, a sassy pharmacist, a gun-toting, three-eyed alien and a swordsman possessed by a two-headed dragon. Woah!
Second Evolution also boasts a fairly deep skill system and item creation system, though it should be noted that both systems are nearly identical to their counterparts in First Departure. I found myself experimenting with item creation much more in Second Evolution though, which definitely enriches the gameplay and can give your party some serious buffs. Perhaps I turned to item creation because the game's difficulty demands that you take additional steps to strengthen your team, other than traditional level grinding.
The Private Action system found in the first game also returns and gives you the opportunity to enter a town and enjoy optional story segments, which subsequently nurture character relationships and give you access to different endings.
But Second Evolution still has some of the issues present in its predecessor. For example, combat can feel straight-forward and overly simple for those gamers accustomed to more complex, modern RPGs. Furthermore, your character will still auto-track enemies when you're trying to attack, which means you can often get away with mashing the X button to finish a battle. I could understand the auto-tracking if it just helped line up your fighter when you got in close, but leading him or her around the entire battlefield is a little much. Also, you're still unable to skip spell animations, meaning lengthy attack spells run the risk of interrupting the pacing of your confrontation. A minor annoyance, certainly, but an annoyance nonetheless.
Lastly, while the music is a strong element of Star Ocean: Second Evolution, the voice acting can be a bit of a mixed bag. There are some seriously talented people in the cast, including Spike Spencer of Neon Genesis Evangelion fame, but the actors' direction seemed to be off during certain scenes, which led to a few awkward moments of dialogue.
©2009-01-14, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved