I bought this game when it was new, and I was so sure I was gonna like it I bought the strategy guide along with it.

And I think it starts off pretty strong. But pretty soon after you crashland with Cliff, all interest fell apart for me. I assume this was pretty common because I *never* hear anyone talk about this game.

I never really gave it another shot. Does it pick up again later?

>>11876059 (OP)
Star Ocean as a series is just an aggressively mediocre version of Tales of games which are already aggressively mediocre arpg versions of Final Fantasy.

>>11876071
Man.

That is unfortunately the best summation I've heard yet.

>>11876071
Star Ocean > Tales

Tales is for true weebs that like the same story line rehashed over and over

>>11876059 (OP)
>because I *never* hear anyone talk about this game.
i remember this being pretty popular and seeing threads about it on /v/ five hundred years ago but yeah today it's not brought up so often. if remaster then prepare to not hear the end of it.

>>11876071
This could not be more wrong. Tales is just mid Final Fantasy? Wtf? You have no idea what you're talking about. They're nothing alike, in gameplay, tone, or themes. And the earlier star oceans are way more polished than tales.

>>11876080
No it is not. Bunch of fucking posers.

>>11876059 (OP)
I found it aggressively dull, the gameplay while appropriately repetitive, wasn't enough to keep me playing. Does it get better after the second planet?

>>11876282
t.star ocean super fan

>>11876059 (OP)
Tried to play the first SO, beat it as the guy and gave up before playong the girl but what I played was terrible. The story was boring, the characters were not endearing or interesting, the third dimension in combat adds absolutely nothing over the Tales format, and to top it all off you get cucked repeatedly by a mysterious guy from your love interest's past

>>11876689
Deleted why?

>>11876059 (OP)
trash plot but has the deepest, most difficult to master jrpg battle system ever made that was frankly way ahead of its time even now. era jank notwithstanding, if the game had a good or even halfway decent story it would've been far better recieved

>>11876085
I feel that Star Ocean has the better battle system, and Tales has the better story and characters.

>>11876282
FF > SO > Tales

>>11876059 (OP)
I don't give a shit about battle systems, nor have I ever played a Tales game. I like Star Ocean for its underdeveloped planet and fish out of water tropes.
>Does it pick up again later?
It's meant to be played by Japanese salary men who only play it in 20 minute chunks each night. It picks up, drops the ball, and picks up again in cycles.
SO3 is my favorite Star Ocean game probably for the plot that will lead to something that will either leave you speechless or mad.

>>11879027
Brainlets still don't understand that SO has always been anime star trek in game form. You even get to see the creation of their equivalent of the Prime Directive (not retro tho.)

>>11879027
Good point

>>11879783
>Brainlets still don't understand that SO has always been anime star trek
>in game form
I can see you caught yourself towards the end of the sentence.

>>11876059 (OP)
i bought this game purely based on the metal pants.
you need to experience the giant plot twist where you jump out of a fucking tv, realize you're game characters and immediately fight some niggers with guns to rap music.
yeah the story is silly. last boss isthe game creator, lucifer
i remember the crafting being pretty memorable. trying to get a philosophers stone or something.
party members are missable and i don't think you can have everyone.
sphere 211.
there's a 2 player versus mode.
this battle song plays like once.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlV1hsOd_WA&list=PLeQ8lYZtvUXMAlt_yJZ1idTy7FtkzsImu&index=45

>>11879943
a lot of people got really butthurt about the plot twist, but i thought it was a rather interesting idea about AI becoming sentient, and always get lost in thought about the implications of it being retroactively applied to the first two games.

is healing part of symbology in the first game but not the second because of game patches? can Reina heal because she's a legacy character, or a cheater?

>>11879943
That is the lamest possible twist aside from 'it was all a dream.'

>>11879943
I beelined to the ending as I didn't have much fun with the battle or story, and crafting seemed even more annoying than in SO2.

The OST has tons of excellent themes though, like the battle theme you posted (it's a fight against a huge dragon if I remember well) or Highbrow. Even the dungeons rock, with Expiration, More Complicated...

>>11879971
>a lot of people got really butthurt about the plot twist, but i thought it was a rather interesting idea about AI becoming sentient
the part that most people have issue with is when the guy essentially smashes his PC into dust with a hammer, the AI still goes "no U!"

yeah but how do we feel about dragon quest

SO3's story was positively received at the time when everyone thought it was going to be the last SO game but twist is so insane that it actively cheapens every other game in the series so fans have never forgiven it.

I'd advise playing SO1, SO2, and SO6 before playing SO3 just so you've played all the good entries before the series is ruined for you. SO3 takes place at the end of the timeline so it's somewhat appropriate to play it last.

>>11879783
Were they ever sued for their blatant Star Trek ripoff? I haven't played the latest SO but have they toned down the stolen Star Trek lingo a bit?

>>11876071
Tales games are nowhere near as good as the first 2 Star Ocean games. Anything is better than the rest though.

>>11881632
Is there anyone that honestly love the first Star Ocean? Besides the presentation and music, the rest is very subpar.

>>11880840
Descartes was already mentioned in the topic. Read a book.
>>11881394
Nah, its legally distinct enough, but the UP3 is absolutely the PD, and the entire plot of 4 is basically why its a good idea. There are a ton of parallels to theming and presentation within the series though, just with the addition of magic (which even gets a scientific explanation in 3.) Haven't bothered with the newer dumpsterfires so even if they were retro, couldn't say if they get more or less blatant tho.
>>11881230
>but twist is so insane that it actively cheapens every other game in the series so fans have never forgiven it.
You didn't get it. The ending of 3 is not only compatible with the rest of the franchise, it actually gives it more weight. No matter how insignificant something might seem, the fact that you have experienced it makes it part of your consciousness. As long as we are able to reflect on our experiences, it is proof of our existence in the first place. If the ending just cut to black and there was nothing, that would be a shitty ending. The 3 core forbidden symbologies even represent the mind, body, and spirit, which then become the key ingredients of what takes the A out of AI. If you lock the concept of life to a strictly organic construct, you will not understand it. If you played P3, just think about Aigis. Unless you are less human than she is I guess.
>>11880836
Out of curiosity, what didn't you like about combat? Its ok if you didn't care for it, but it honestly feels like the best in the franchise, even down to the vs mode. As for the OST, its one of Sakuraba's best imo, especially his renditions of other Tri-ace mainstays like Confidence in the Domination. It all has such a prog style to it and I love it.

>>11881690
>Out of curiosity, what didn't you like about combat?
There must have been something I didn't get as I was filtered a few times in the early game, having to constantly change the character I controlled. Then Maria never left my team as she was more efficient than melee.
There was also the fact the character models looked strange and the first part of the plot is pretty boring. I liked the twist, though.

I agree that the OST is one of his best work as I'm fond of his prog rock tracks. Having real musicians perform instead of samples is the cherry on top.

I never minded the "twist" I was feeling disappointed in the game compared to 2 long before it cropped up. Like, the story barely matters in these games anyway.

man, I'm sick of RPGs in medieval settings, a sci-fi one sounds fun! ahahaha!

>>11882862
There are virtually no RPGs in actual medieval settings. Game developers are very ignorant of that period.

>>11876071
It's a shame Tri-Ace doesn't give more love to their better series (Valkyire Profile)

>>11876059 (OP)
Man I think I bought it and a strategy guide at the same time too, and also didn't like it. I'm pretty sure I beat it because I remember the twist, but I don't remember anything else in terms of characters or story. I know I jumped at it because I loved Star Ocean 2, and I still consider that a good game after replaying it more recently. I don't remember enough about 3 to guess at why I didn't like it.

>>11882857
I can definitely get finding the visual style odd, that was a thing even when it came out. I always kinda liked it, lends to the surreal nature to remind you its a story about space exploration at heart. One of the big things people tend to gloss over is how the game handles both HP and MP, so was wondering if that might be it (Maria is a beast at either method, so makes sense.) A lot of the combat system comes from performing combos with multiple normals leading into special cancels, kinda like a fighting game, but with 3 characters in tandem. The skill ceiling is kinda nutty, especially once you get into using shields and incorporating them almost like parries. They streamlined it later in 4 but its almost more limiting than it is in 3.