Current Events > How is Star Ocean Second Story?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I like old 2D JRPGs but the only entry I've played is 4. It was sooo painfully average and Edge is a fucking awful protagonist. I heard 5 was pretty bad too.

Is SO2 actually good or does nostalgia hold it together? I was considering the remake.

Play the demo and find out for yourself

If I can ever find my damn discs I'll take it for another spin and see how it holds up. Thinking about that remake too.

Remake looks to improve the game in every way.

No random battles is a big one

so2 on ps1 is maybe the best ps1 rpg imo and that is a console with loads of amazing rpgs. it is by far the best star ocean game and the in depth item creation was way ahead of its time along with having maybe the most epic post-game dungeon of all time

Star Ocean Second Story is often considered the best Star Ocean among fans of the series. It's been downhill ever since.

It's definitely a PS1 era jrpg.

Charmingly so imo and fun as hell, but certainly not literature.

I never played the original or the PSP version, but this remake is fun. I played it a bunch of times just goofing around.

Enclave posted...

Star Ocean Second Story is often considered the best Star Ocean among fans of the series. It's been downhill ever since.

That depends, there are a ton of people that prefer SO3 in terms of combat by far for actually adding in other aspects, and MP death as a concept is pretty rare and should be used a bit more in my eyes.

In general, I think it was an okay PS1 RPG, a subpar PSP RPG, and a game that is showing the age it came out in the newest version but has been tweaked to at least not be awful now, but ultimately still has that PS1 jank.

If they fix spells itll almost be perfect

here's my lukewarm star ocean take: 6 is actually really fun so far, much better than 4 and 5 to me.

rwbonesy posted...

here's my hot star ocean take: 6 is actually really fun so far, much better than 4 and 5 to me.

That isnt a hot take; thats the normal take. 6 is one of the better games

What? Then whose guide did I follow when I was playing the psp port 10 years ago...

Anyway I don't play SE games anymore out of principle, but I downloaded the demo because I was curious to see if they still made Reina look like a 10 year old girl. And I was very surprised that they went with a different, much improved portrait style this time around. Previously they went with an anime style that was good except for the aforementioned Reina, but this time it was more... mature

But also 3 has the worst story.....

Priere posted...

Play the demo and find out for yourself

This is the best answer. You can go play the first few hours of the remaster and find out for yourself if you like it.

never played 2, but every star ocean game ive ever played has really sucked

ArtiRock posted...

That depends, there are a ton of people that prefer SO3 in terms of combat by far for actually adding in other aspects, and MP death as a concept is pretty rare and should be used a bit more in my eyes.

In general, I think it was an okay PS1 RPG, a subpar PSP RPG, and a game that is showing the age it came out in the newest version but has been tweaked to at least not be awful now, but ultimately still has that PS1 jank.

Yes, I'm aware of the weird people who like SO3 and think its the best in the series, it's why I worded my post in the way I did.

I can't get over how bad the sprites look on the updated background. Outside of that the game is better in most ways it seems.

2 is light years better than any other game in the series, legit 10/10 game

4 is garbage I feel the exact same way as you do, but TC please do not make the mistake of skipping over an all-time classic because of it

i can't imagine how someone could like jrpgs and not like star ocean 2 tbh

If theres new game+ its a must buy.....

BignutzisBack posted...

2 is light years better than any other game in the series, legit 10/10 game

4 is garbage I feel the exact same way as you do, but TC please do not make the mistake of skipping over an all-time classic because of it

this also. i enjoyed 3 but they got worse and worse after 2 and it is by far the gold standard of the series

I played the PSP version and thought it was bad.

-Characters are all idiots. Making stupid decisions so the plot can have contrived drama.
-random battles where the party AI spams magic spells and suddenly has no Mp, so they are useless.
-Sometimes the game is pretty vague on what to do next, and if you take a break and come back, good luck.
-Weird skill system that doesnt explain itself. What is the Writing stat and why do I need it?
-Game claiming to be a scifi rpg, but YET AGAIN, it is another one that just results to yeah you have a laser gun but everything is stick huts and goblins.

_____Cait posted...

I played the PSP version and thought it was bad.

-Characters are all idiots. Making stupid decisions so the plot can have contrived drama.
-random battles where the party AI spams magic spells and suddenly has no Mp, so they are useless.
-Sometimes the game is pretty vague on what to do next, and if you take a break and come back, good luck.
-Weird skill system that doesnt explain itself. What is the Writing stat and why do I need it?
-Game claiming to be a scifi rpg, but YET AGAIN, it is another one that just results to yeah you have a laser gun but everything is stick huts and goblins.

A lot of your gripes are addressed in the remake

Star Ocean 1-3 are all very good games. 4 is mediocre, you totally got the exact same feel off of it that I did. 5 feels like it was made on a shoestring budget and I dropped it very fast, and I haven't played the newest one but I haven't heard great things about it

personally i would've rather had a remaster of 3 than 2 but hey

rwbonesy posted...

personally i would've rather had a remaster of 3 than 2 but hey

3 is currently available on the PS4

The key to playing SO4 is to skip every cutscene, especially any that involve Lymle. They even give you a summary of whatever dumb bullshit you didn't waste your time sitting through, since even the developers probably knew that was the best way to play the game.

ANort175 posted...

The key to playing SO4 is to skip every cutscene, especially any that involve Lymle.

Don't listen to this advice, 'kay?

Will_VIII posted...

3 is currently available on the PS4

reports place it as having bugs

Great game overall, and holds up well on replays imo, but it has its flaws. Random battle rate is pretty high, and the voice acting is... reflective of its time, to put it nicely. Also, something I assume was fixed in later versions, but the PS1 version will occasionally freeze after random battles, especially in certain areas (generally avoidable by not pressing any input during loading before/after battles).

Enclave posted...

Star Ocean Second Story is often considered the best Star Ocean among fans of the series. It's been downhill ever since.

Its been downhill ever since the 4D thing in 3.

They could have easily fixed this by ignoring that plot twist in later games, since they all take place BEFORE SO3. Instead they doubled down with references.

Short version of spoilers: The setting's galaxy if not the universe is, in universe, a game for higher dimensional beings.

And they refuse to stop just doubling down even on references to it in all SO games made afterwards. As well as refusing to try and make a game that takes place AFTER SO3.

solosnake posted...

never played 2, but every star ocean game ive ever played has really sucked

Most people say 2 is the only good Star Ocean game so......

MarcyWarcy posted...

Star Ocean 1-3 are all very good games. 4 is mediocre, you totally got the exact same feel off of it that I did. 5 feels like it was made on a shoestring budget and I dropped it very fast, and I haven't played the newest one but I haven't heard great things about it

6 is much much better than 5. It was clearly made on a budget, but it doesn't feel as rushed as 5 did. If 6 is to be the last one (rumor is that Tri-Ace isn't doing so hot financially), then it's sure as shit a better one to go out on than 5 was.

The thing about 3 is that its not bad as a stand-alone.

It just does things that ruins the whole series, games made before AND after. It would do so less if they ever actually made a game that took place after it. But they never did.

Enclave posted...

Yes, I'm aware of the weird people who like SO3 and think its the best in the series, it's why I worded my post in the way I did.

I'd be willing to bet that the people who like SO3 the most overwhelmingly haven't played SO2, so it's hard to view it as particularly weird. Most people do not say that their favorite games are ones that they've never played.

Second Story is good, Second Evolution is better, Second Story R seems promising.

Second Evolution digital version for Ps3/4/Vita is even better with improved graphic to match the resolution, and dual audio. The catch is, it's Japan only.

I know people will hate this order, but my ranking the whole series goes:

2 > 6 > 4 > 3 > 5 > 1

I'm playing 5 and 6 now since they were added to PS+, and finding them both enjoyable and good time wasters until 2 gets released.

bigtiggie23 posted...

I know people will hate this order, but my ranking the whole series goes:

2 > 6 > 4 > 3 > 5 > 1

I'm playing 5 and 6 now since they were added to PS+, and finding them both enjoyable and good time wasters until 2 gets released.

Most of that order is the consensus, other than 1 being at the bottom. 5 is easily the worst, and Im not sure where most people would put 1.

PraetorXyn posted...

Most of that order is the consensus, other than 1 being at the bottom. 5 is easily the worst, and Im not sure where most people would put 1.

Consensus would be 4 below 3 as well. 1 would either be above 6 if the individual liked things almost purely from nostalgia, above 3 if they disliked 3, and below 3 if they liked 3.

ellis123 posted...

Consensus would be 4 below 3 as well. 1 would either be above 6 if the individual liked things almost purely from nostalgia, above 3 if they disliked 3, and below 3 if they liked 3.

I think 4 is better than 3 in every way, but its been like close to 20 years since I played 3 and probably 14 or so since I played 4.

I will say the 360 version of 4 had a major annoyance, as the game came on two discs and disc 2 was the final dungeon, disc 1 was everything else so if you ever backtracked from the final dungeon, you had to swap discs, and vice versa. Major pain.

4 is definitely worse regarded than 3. People complained about the twist when 3 came out but outside of that it was a wel liked game, 4 had a much more poorly received release and lead to the franchise being where it is today

SO2 had some of my favourite RPG music

PraetorXyn posted...

I think 4 is better than 3 in every way, but its been like close to 20 years since I played 3 and probably 14 or so since I played 4.

I will say the 360 version of 4 had a major annoyance, as the game came on two discs and disc 2 was the final dungeon, disc 1 was everything else so if you ever backtracked from the final dungeon, you had to swap discs, and vice versa. Major pain.

Understanding that I am not saying that 3 was well written: 4 was *dramatically* worse on the writing site. Like, it seemed like they actively wanted every single scene dumber and worse written than the last. It started with simple dumb stuff like how the MC had to use a sword because of electromagnatism (and continued to do it because writers are garbage and couldn't come up with a second reason) and ended with massive pulls for plot McGuffins that were just embarrassing (like, WTF was that entire sequence in the lab towards the end of the game?). Lymle is so bad as to be offensive with her portrayal, only to have a "twist" that just makes the whole thing super creepy, and it's not like literally any character in the entire game otherwise (besides maybe Myuria, though that has a lot to do with them actively avoiding having her speak) wasn't basically the entire list of the worst characters in the series.

It was a game that was entirely lauded because its combat was solid and because the people playing it were way too young to actually have anything resembling taste. It was a game so bad that I flat out walked away to do laundry during the ending, a thing that I have done literally no other time (and I've played some pretty rank crap). It is a dumpster fire that the *only* game in the series I'm willing to accept as potentially worse than it is 5, and that is mostly because I've not played 5 because of the consistency of people agreeing that it is worse than 4: something I can barely fathom due to just how brain dead the developers had to be when making... well basically everything in 4.

ellis123 posted...

Understanding that I am not saying that 3 was well written: 4 was *dramatically* worse on the writing site. Like, it seemed like they actively wanted every single scene dumber and worse written than the last. It started with simple dumb stuff like how the MC had to use a sword because of electromagnatism (and continued to do it because writers are garbage and couldn't come up with a second reason) and ended with massive pulls for plot McGuffins that were just embarrassing (like, WTF was that entire sequence in the lab towards the end of the game?). Lymle is so bad as to be offensive with her portrayal, only to have a "twist" that just makes the whole thing super creepy, and it's not like literally any character in the entire game otherwise (besides maybe Myuria, though that has a lot to do with them actively avoiding having her speak) wasn't basically the entire list of the worst characters in the series.

It was a game that was entirely lauded because its combat was solid and because the people playing it were way too young to actually have anything resembling taste. It was a game so bad that I flat out walked away to do laundry during the ending, a thing that I have done literally no other time (and I've played some pretty rank crap). It is a dumpster fire that the *only* game in the series I'm willing to accept as potentially worse than it is 5, and that is mostly because I've not played 5 because of the consistency of people agreeing that it is worse than 4: something I can barely fathom due to just how brain dead the developers had to be when making... well basically everything in 4.

I dont remember the writing in either being particularly good, so I dont remember much of it from either. I know 4s dub gets hated on a lot, but dubs are always cringe, so I never use them if theres an option otherwise and when Im forced to expect them to be bad.

The gameplay was solidly better from my memory, but as I said its been a long time.

2 is the best, 5 is the worst. The new one is actually pretty good too.

FunWithAFryPan posted...

2 is the best, 5 is the worst. The new one is actually pretty good too.

I think everybody agrees with that, at least that Ive met.