GRAPHICS
Star Ocean 2 has great graphics. Remember in Final Fantasy 7 when you had a hard time finding your characters on the screen? Well, Star Ocean 2 isn't like that at all. The characters are SNES style sprites in 3D environments. Everything is really colorful, and looks great. Battle graphics are also very good, and some spell effects are really elaborate. This is like a combination of an Old-Style and a New-Style RPG. Sometimes you will feel like you are playing a SNES game. I wish more PlayStation games looked like this.
MUSIC
The music isn't really that impressive. To put it simply, the music is average. I don't really remember most of it, but I didn't really like it or dislike it. You will have to judge for yourself, but I think most people will find the music perfectly acceptable.
GAME PLAY
Towns are set up like most other RPG's. Most of them have villiagers to talk to, as well as various shops. When you exit a town, and travel the overworld, you will find it very similar to FF7. You travel in a Semi-3D environment, and can rotate the camera in any direction. There is an on-screen map available.
When you approach towns, you may be able to select "Private Action". This separates your party when you arrive in a town, allowing you to converse with them individually. You may have to decide the best answer to a question a party member may ask. This changes how the characters feel about eachother, and can help determine which combination of endings you will see. There is a multitude of Private actions you may see, depending on your party members.
Star Ocean 2 uses a complicated Skill System. It's far too complicated to explain here, but RPG veterans should enjoy the challenge of mastering it.
Battles in Star Ocean 2 are a lot of fun. Encounters happen at random, and are much more fast-paced than most RPG's. When a battle starts, you will control one character, while the computer controls the rest. You can give battle strategies to the Computer Controller characters. At any poing during the fight, you can switch the character you are controlling.
There are three Battle Modes to choose from. I will quickly describe each.
Standard- You target the enemy you wish to attack, and then press the attack button. To move around
battle field, hold Square button and move analog stick or d-pad.
Semi-Active- Slightly more action oriented.
Full Active- Free movement around battlefield without holding Square button. Enemy closest to you is automatically targeted.
It should also be noted that in any mode, you use a menu to cast spells and use items.
STORY
The story isn't bad. It has many Science Fiction elements, as well as the traditional Fantasy elements. Depending on whether you chose Claude's scenerio or Rena's scenario, there will be some minor story changes. There is a LOT of text, though. It may bother some people, although I didn't mind it.
OVERALL
This is one of my favorite PlayStation games. I'd recommend it to any RPG fan, especially those who prefer fast-paced battle sequences.
TOTAL SCORE: 9.2
Star Ocean 2 has great graphics. Remember in Final Fantasy 7 when you had a hard time finding your characters on the screen? Well, Star Ocean 2 isn't like that at all. The characters are SNES style sprites in 3D environments. Everything is really colorful, and looks great. Battle graphics are also very good, and some spell effects are really elaborate. This is like a combination of an Old-Style and a New-Style RPG. Sometimes you will feel like you are playing a SNES game. I wish more PlayStation games looked like this.
MUSIC
The music isn't really that impressive. To put it simply, the music is average. I don't really remember most of it, but I didn't really like it or dislike it. You will have to judge for yourself, but I think most people will find the music perfectly acceptable.
GAME PLAY
Towns are set up like most other RPG's. Most of them have villiagers to talk to, as well as various shops. When you exit a town, and travel the overworld, you will find it very similar to FF7. You travel in a Semi-3D environment, and can rotate the camera in any direction. There is an on-screen map available.
When you approach towns, you may be able to select "Private Action". This separates your party when you arrive in a town, allowing you to converse with them individually. You may have to decide the best answer to a question a party member may ask. This changes how the characters feel about eachother, and can help determine which combination of endings you will see. There is a multitude of Private actions you may see, depending on your party members.
Star Ocean 2 uses a complicated Skill System. It's far too complicated to explain here, but RPG veterans should enjoy the challenge of mastering it.
Battles in Star Ocean 2 are a lot of fun. Encounters happen at random, and are much more fast-paced than most RPG's. When a battle starts, you will control one character, while the computer controls the rest. You can give battle strategies to the Computer Controller characters. At any poing during the fight, you can switch the character you are controlling.
There are three Battle Modes to choose from. I will quickly describe each.
Standard- You target the enemy you wish to attack, and then press the attack button. To move around
battle field, hold Square button and move analog stick or d-pad.
Semi-Active- Slightly more action oriented.
Full Active- Free movement around battlefield without holding Square button. Enemy closest to you is automatically targeted.
It should also be noted that in any mode, you use a menu to cast spells and use items.
STORY
The story isn't bad. It has many Science Fiction elements, as well as the traditional Fantasy elements. Depending on whether you chose Claude's scenerio or Rena's scenario, there will be some minor story changes. There is a LOT of text, though. It may bother some people, although I didn't mind it.
OVERALL
This is one of my favorite PlayStation games. I'd recommend it to any RPG fan, especially those who prefer fast-paced battle sequences.
TOTAL SCORE: 9.2

