Board 8 > Star Ocean: The Second Story R-view zone

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://opencritic.com/game/15765/star-ocean-the-second-story-r
https://www.metacritic.com/game/star-ocean-the-second-story-r/

What is generally considered to be the best Star Ocean is back with an HD-2D style remake and we've ended up with a title surpassing even the original Star Ocean 2 and now sits as the highest scoring game in the series. Right now we're at an 86% overall through 15 reviews. Everything is pretty consistently between 8 and 9 so far which is pretty incredible. The next closest games are both the original SO2 and SO3 which both got an 80% so we'd need a lot more negative than positives to roll in to get it down to that mark

Wccftech - 9/10
Star Ocean: The Second Story was already the best entry in the series by far, and the amazing work done by Gemdrops propelled it further into the Galaxy, turning it into an even better game that is far more enjoyable than the original. As such, Star Ocean: The Second Story R isn't just the best entry in the series but also one of the best remakes ever released, masterfully updating the gameplay where needed without touching what already worked great back in the late 90s.

RPG Site - 9/10
Star Ocean: The Second Story R has brought a cult classic into a new era. Its been thoughtfully retooled, but its still packed with all the heart and soul of the original. Graphically, its gorgeous. It still sounds sublime, subjective song preferences aside, and the new quests and features range from fair to fabulous. Its one of my favorite video games in even finer form.

NoisyPixel - 9/10
In summary, Star Ocean: The Second Story R is a testament to the enduring legacy of the Star Ocean franchise, catering to both newcomers and devoted fans. While the narrative might have its shortcomings, the game compensates with its enthralling customization, eye-catching visuals, endearing character relationships, and extensive replayability. The engaging combat, paired with a splendid soundtrack, adds an extra layer of enjoyment. This remake successfully maintains the essence of the original, cementing its status as a revered title in the realm of JRPGs. Heres hoping its direct sequel, Blue Sphere, receives similar treatment. Also, for those wondering, yes, the Bloody Armor is here and as broken as ever.

Shacknews - 9/10
I knew Star Ocean: The Second Story R would be able to rope me back in with little effort, but I was nonetheless amazed by just how much it improves on the original game. Every angle I looked at seemed reformed with care and consideration to make the visuals and sound more beautiful, the combat more tactically refined, and the side jobs rewarding.

Vandal - 8.6/10
Above all, the solid foundation of the game from which it starts shines. If you want to discover Star Ocean , our recommendation is clear: start with Star Ocean The Second Story R before jumping to Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time , Star Ocean: First Departure the review of the first or a more recent installment like Star Ocean: The Divine Force . If you are missing some quality role-playing in your collection, with the flavor of the 90s, and you have not yet experienced the meeting between Claude and Rena, you are already taking a while to play it.

PushSquare - 8/10
Star Ocean The Second Story R is exactly what it needs to be: a faithful remake of a classic PS1 RPG that greatly enhances the experience for both new and returning players. A wonderful visual overhaul combined with numerous quality of life improvements and expanded battle mechanics make this a borderline must-play for anyone who's looking for an old-school adventure. Although the underlying PS1-era design does still have some rough edges particularly in the storytelling and combat balance it's hard to knock such a well crafted revival.

Gamespot - 8/10
Star Ocean: The Second Story R strikes an ideal balance between staying faithful to the original game and updating it for modern times. The revamped art style and music make it more aesthetically pleasing while the use of 2D pixel character models adds a certain nostalgic charm. The battle system didn't need a complete overhaul and the developers smartly added new features to make it feel more dynamic--the fights feel exhilarating and fun. Second Story R is jam-packed with content that will last any Japanese RPG fan satiated for hours on end.

TheGamer - 8/10
Without spoiling things, Star Ocean eventually devolves into schlocky clich territory, but by that point, youre firmly on board, ticket purchased and ready to see its journey through to the end. Star Ocean: The Second Story got the remake treatment for a reason - its a classic of the genre with compelling characters, wonderful storytelling, and oodles of satisfying mechanics. R goes to great lengths to streamline the Star Ocean experience and make it more beautiful (the new arranged soundtrack is glorious), and while it might have sustained a bit of the difficulty that made the original a triumph to overcome, it still squarely sticks the landing.

SHINE_GET_64 posted...

The next closest games are both the original SO2 and SO3 which both got an 80% so we'd need a lot more negative than positives to roll in to get it down to that mark

i'm on it

What if we instead flood the market with positive SO3 reviews

No one beats Fayt Leingod

colliding posted...

No one beats Fayt Leingod

*Maria Traydor

Cliff Fittir

i can do this all day.meme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIOj2IMrC1g

Also for those that didn't know this is $50 new

trophy list is out too #spoilers
https://psnprofiles.com/trophies/24445-star-ocean-the-second-story-r

nothing of note and nothing much unexpected. bunch of story stuff, a playthrough for each character, recruit all characters (psp character is in if this wasnt known), catch all/most fish, 100 challenges, 15 endings, the super bosses, voice collection which probably works like the psp version, max all skills, and a bunch of miscellaneous other things thatll be done as you play

I may give this a play at some time.

I've played all the SO games and honestly found this to be the least interesting. I remember very little of it, whereas I remember a lot about the others.

It always baffled me why it was loved so much.

So it'll be interesting to see if that changes with a re-playthrough.

https://www.rpgsite.net/review/15048-star-ocean-the-second-story-r-review

User SaveEstelle's review

Really, REALLY glad this is being so well received.

Finally, the single good entry is this dog shit franchise is widely available, and people who still pay attention when one of these games comes out won't look like lunatics. We've suffered through the equivilant of 4 Tales of Zesterias in a row.

Zesteria had nice butts at least?

First Departure - 73%
Second Story - 86%
Until the End of Time - 80%
The Last Hope - 72%
Integrity and Faithlessness - 58%
The Divine Force - 69%

Still only a tiny bit in since I didn't realize this was out today, but truly I'm in awe. The presentation, the quality of life changes, the music and voice options. It's clear these devs had enormous respect for SO2.

In terms of comparisons to the original, I think this is the best looking HD coat of paint a JRPG has ever gotten. It's completely incomparable to something like Live-A-Live even if they using similar philosophies, there's so much more effort here.

And of course it looks multiple dozens of times better better than shitty 3D remakes like Trials of Mana.

started with rena on hard. gonna do most things here and do a claude run on normal to finish the achievements

played through the first bit only on my way to krosse. got nimble fingers first try aw yeah. gonna go for the sprite bracelet. cant remember if that requires the glove (or maybe pickpocketing in general requires it)

also got bodied! first red enemy in the forest when renas by herself. it got a back attack on me while i was trying to avoid it and while i was stunned one of the enemies just one shot me lmoa

but yeah so far so good. claudes voice is just awful though. running with original music for now. maybe ill use the arranged in my claude run after i get my nostalgia fix

Will not suffer this Spike Spencer slander.

I havent played this game before and I got absolutely destroyed by the first boss on hard mode (Rena route)

like I tried it 10 times and eventually managed to stunlock him and win

but I may not be good at this game

so I have turned it down to normal

Star Ocean 2 is not an easy game.

I mean you can make it easy. Hell if you fuck around with getting certain abilities early you can break it.

But a casual first time player or someone who hasn't played in a long time (me) should probably do normal.

Time to do Indalecio Limiter Off Universe mode again.

All the new music is great but I do think the battle theme had a steep hill to climb trying to match the original.

It's probably Sakuraba's best battle theme.

It's a solid effort, though.

Oh no a difficult rpg guess I'll have to skip this one

you can just play on easy mode

I'm not resetting for Nimble Fingers.

I'm playing this normal dammit!

Easy mode is probably way too easy though. :(

Can you switch during the game to a lower difficulty?

You can switch difficulties at any time.

Aight guess I'll buy it

why didnt they have the skill improvement menu tell you whether the character has the relevant talent

finished krosse cave. skipped the boss fight because those things are a fuck on hard. just getting all the ic skills and having the guilds be for quests is a good improvement. being able to create in stacks of 10 is a good improvement. the ic skills telling you what talents/skills/etc you need is a good improvement

the different battle formations being unlockble is fine considering the new bonus gauge thing. fishing is what it is. the spell animation: skip is one of the best options although im not sure if thats enough to make mages good

leveling up pickpocketing on rena for the sprite bracelet and customizing on claude for the eternal sphere which i think is still available early. theres a way to make some early money via fishing im gonna do to afford the bandit glove and maybe do some grinding in the mountains

if anyone figures out how to get the AI to not just spam spells and then stand around until they level up and get their MP back, I'm very interested in hearing about it

you can change what they do in the tactics settings. the ai isnt especially great anyway though

There's a tactics setting to make them physically attack, though I'm not sure how well that's going to go if you try it.

Rena just said something like Are we sure the ship at Kurik will wait for us when I left Marze, as if to encourage me not to go further off-track

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/a/a062a63d.jpg

no go away

First time I've ever let Celine go, but it's a Claude playthrough so I really just don't need her with Leon.

Also I got her Purity to 10 first anyways so thanks for the free cashhhhhhhhhh.

i ordered it on amazon but it hasn't shipped yet. if they have it at gamestop i will just pick it up there and cancel the order because i don't wanna wait an undetermined amount of time

I enjoyed combat as Rena in the Rena + Dias section

Crush

Damn I didn't think it was gonna be this good.

I'm still gonna play the original as a purist, but I guess the psp one is just irrelevant now.

pjbasis posted...

I'm still gonna play the original as a purist, but I guess the psp one is just irrelevant now.

Messing around with the portraits in that status menu and it's amazing how hideous the PSP art is.

The blandest, most generic flat color art around.

man fuck those giant bird enemies. forgot about them :/

was the PS1 version any good?

I mean I remember people used to talk about it but that sorta stopped a few decades ago, as if its not a classic

Definitely!

And it's not like the PSP version isn't good also, it's just that if you're GOING to play enhanced version, there's no reason for it NOT to be this one. Especially since the PSP version has some pretty awful character art.

So it's the PS1 version for nostalgia and the new version for quality of life and a huge visual upgrade. I think the only thing you actually wouldn't get with this version of the game is the very terrible but very funny combat barks.

TEAR INTO PIETEAR INTO TEAR INTOpoison pill..................TEAR IN-

ok precis' voice is a lot better

granted her old one was maybe the worst

Ah yes, a prime fishing spot. An 8" deep fountain in the middle of town.

i'm mostly not looking stuff up so i definitely haven't spent my resources efficiently

but now that i'm starting to figure this all out, things i would abuse earlier next time:

writing

yeah writing is really good. actually most skills are really good in some way. except familiar which seems to have been indirectly nerfed to mostly useless :( . as long as you maxed determination first youre good though

UshiromiyaEva posted...

Ah yes, a prime fishing spot. An 8" deep fountain in the middle of town.

ive seen it suggested that the fish there arent found elsewhere so uh maybe get the big fish there

....fuck.

Unless it was Shrimp I'm outta luck.

same. i havent looked into it though so there may be another spot somewhere

Radix posted...

as long as you maxed determination first youre good though

oh yeah, i was definitely several hours in before i noticed this. determination is at the top of the list

i think the game would be pretty hard if i wasn't slowly finding at least some of the abusable things

the price of grape juice sure did skyrocket, maybe i should've bought one earlier like they said