[Barakov]

Valkyrie Profile 4 is never going to happen is it? :(

[Pinko Marx]

Valkyrie Profile 4 is never going to happen is it? :(

There would need to be a 3 first.

[Boss Doggie]

Poor Hrist, never getting her own game.

Gotta ship them hrist x arngrim fanfics too

[Man-is-Obsolete]

Ok ok so we may never get a new star ocean but can they create a new IP with Star Ocean's battle system? Still my favorite RPG battle system.

[Negator]

Why don't they make more JRPGs with Tales/Star Ocean battle systems? It's a goddamn shame and wasted opportunity

[Famassu]

I would love to know the answer to this. Along with Tales of Vesperia.

It's probably a combination of Microsoft being the first to this generation (Tri-Ace/Square Enix needed to choose which console to put Star Ocean 4 on and Xbox 360 was pretty much the only one which was far enough for a "next-gen" console when they were at the beginning of the project) and the fact that Microsoft was really trying to push Xbox 360 in Japan at that point (promoting the shit out of each and every Japanese game coming for Xbox 360), which made it seem like a good choice.

[Oemenia]

Because handhelds.

The only platform that was selling third-party software core games in Japan was the PSP, with the PS3 in second place however the HD system having a huge overseas market to benefit from.

In Japan, normally the system that wins is the one that has weekly middling releases, yeah it got the big franchises (even then many were missing) but normally when a system has the userbase it does, the middling releases come naturally. So far PS3 hardware sales have been very steady and these middle of the road releases have kept systems like the PC-Engine, Saturn and even the Mega Drive selling.

[DY_nasty]

I beat SO4 and even though it did a lot of things right (visuals, gameplay) it was absolutely terrible outside of that.

If you're the kind of person that can COMPLETELY turn off everything outside of that, then you can enjoy a good game. But the moment you take it seriously... you'll jump.

[Nif]

I beat SO4 and even though it did a lot of things right (visuals, gameplay) it was absolutely terrible outside of that. If you're the kind of person that can COMPLETELY turn off everything outside of that, then you can enjoy a good game. But the moment you take it seriously... you'll jump.

Personally, I've thought this was the case with every Star Ocean. :p

edit: Oh, and add music to that list.

[Despera]

So, we're not getting a new Star Ocean game for a while?

I'm totally ok with this.

[M_Night]

it remains a complete mystery what tri-ace's current state is at the moment.

if we hear nothing by the end of the year then i can only assume they're pretty much dead as a console developer.

tri-ace = handheld + outsourcing is what i feel.

[Glass Rebel]

Never say never but yeah, it's not happening.

[Shahed]

Star Ocean is a mixed bag for me. Love the gameplay in general (Battle System, customisation options, item synthesis and the sidequest structure). The music is pretty decent as well. However everything else is utter turd. The narrative, the characters, the dialogue and the voice actors. It's almost painful at times.

However the gameplay is still amazing and it would be sad for that part to die out. If they could only make the general presentation up to par, it would be amazing. After their work with Valkyrie Profile, I don't see how they can make something so bad?

Now VP is a series that needs another game. Shame that's probably dead as well :(

[Dark Octave]

SO4 was the first SO in three attempts (SO2 and SO3) that I actually finished. The AI was actually compitant in that game.

[Sword Familiar]

SO4 was the first SO in three attempts (SO2 and SO3) that I actually finished. The AI was actually compitant in that game.

I was totally exhausted after 3 (because of that I never did the extra content). Don't know if I dare play 4, despite owning it.

[Koroviev]

I beat SO4 and even though it did a lot of things right (visuals, gameplay) it was absolutely terrible outside of that. If you're the kind of person that can COMPLETELY turn off everything outside of that, then you can enjoy a good game. But the moment you take it seriously... you'll jump.

I'm not terribly concerned with most things outside of solid gameplay. How do the Star Ocean games stack up against the "Tales of" series?

[Shahed]

I'm not terribly concerned with most things outside of solid gameplay. How do the Star Ocean games stack up against the "Tales of" series?

The gameplay is fine. In that respect they're comparable. Some games Tales are better, some Star Ocean.

But everything else Tales is definitely better in my view. And it's not that Tales is any good, it's just Star Ocean is that bad, notably in SO4's case

If you are capable of ignoring stuff like that, then I think Star Ocean is a solid series. Personally I liked SO3 the best

[Khold]

I would take a new VP game, I don't care the system.

For Star Ocean....i dunno

[Bladenic]

Here are two better questions.

1) Does anyone actually care?

2) For people that care, do you really want tri-Ace to make another one of these games? Think about it.

The series is practically the poster child for mediocre JRPG. Star Ocean 4 was bad, tri-Ace sucks big time now (though I always found them massively overrated on GAF), and as such I don't see why we would want them to try and make another one.

[Undubbed]

I actually kind of liked SO4 for a bit, though It got really boring not too long after you acquire the cat girl and I stopped playing. So it wasn't THAT good, but not nearly as bad the hyperbole that other put on this game.

Granted this game was the first game I ever played on an HDTV(32" 720p), so it kinda sorta has a special place in my heart.

[Koroviev]

Here are two better questions. 1) Does anyone actually care? 2) For people that care, do you really want tri-Ace to make another one of these games? Think about it. The series is practically the poster child for mediocre JRPG. Star Ocean 4 was bad, tri-Ace sucks big time now (though I always found them massively overrated on GAF), and as such I don't see why we would want them to try and make another one.

Is Resonance of Fate loved or reviled?

[salromano]

Someone's probably mentioned this already, but I'd really like it if the characters / scenes from that tech demo were used in Star Ocean V. I thought they looked great:

[Omegasquash]

If they decided to take it a little more seriously (and by that I mean actually write a decent story) then sure. Hell I LOVE the idea of a futuristic space RPG.

Just out of the hands of the writers that did SO3 and 4.

[Khold]

Is Resonance of Fate loved or reviled?

Mixed bag

[Koroviev]

Mixed bag

I see.

[Glass Rebel]

I wonder if someone actually enjoyed the characters and dialogue in SO4. I haven't played it myself but there's no way you could spin some of the shit I've seen on youtube.

[Paracelsus]

Best overworld and environments for a jrpg this generation next to TLR.

[Boss Doggie]

Honestly as long as team VP2 is doing the battle system, I'm all open. If you guys want to talk overrated, there are other devs out there *cough Tales team cough*

I wonder if someone actually enjoyed the characters and dialogue in SO4. I haven't played it myself but there's no way you could spin some of the shit I've seen on youtube.

Don't hate 'kay?

:P

[Koroviev]

I wonder if someone actually enjoyed the characters and dialogue in SO4. I haven't played it myself but there's no way you could spin some of the shit I've seen on youtube.

There is a fanboy for everything. Do not underestimate nerd culture.

Edit: ^I win.

[Glass Rebel]

Don't hate 'kay? :P

goddamn ookami.


don't even dare to show your face in the steam thread.

[Rpgmonkey]

Here are two better questions. 1) Does anyone actually care? 2) For people that care, do you really want tri-Ace to make another one of these games? Think about it. The series is practically the poster child for mediocre JRPG. Star Ocean 4 was bad, tri-Ace sucks big time now (though I always found them massively overrated on GAF), and as such I don't see why we would want them to try and make another one.

1.) Sort of.

2.) Yes.

I loved Star Ocean 3, and 4 was sort of fun though a little disappointing after how much I liked 3. I don't care about any stupid plot twists or lolis or whatever because I think every single story and character in this series sucks anyway. As long as the cutscenes are brief and the story stays out of the way for the most part (which I felt they did with 3 up until the final parts, then with 4 they suddenly made pretty much cutscene obnoxiously long) I don't really mind it.

Make Star Ocean 5 with a throwaway, out of sight story and really fun and interesting game mechanics and I'd buy it.

[Koroviev]

1.) Sort of. 2.) Yes. I loved Star Ocean 3, and 4 was sort of fun though a little disappointing after how much I liked 3. I don't care about any stupid plot twists or lolis or whatever because I think every single story and character in this series sucks anyway. As long as the cutscenes are brief and the story stays out of the way for the most part (which I felt they did with 3 up until the final parts, then with 4 they suddenly made pretty much cutscene obnoxiously long) I don't really mind it. Make Star Ocean 5 with a throwaway, out of sight story and really fun and interesting game mechanics and I'd buy it.

A man after my own heart.

[Bladenic]

Honestly as long as team VP2 is doing the battle system, I'm all open. If you guys want to talk overrated, there are other devs out there *cough Tales team cough* Don't hate 'kay? :P

Lol wut? If anything Tales Team is underrated, not overrated.

For reference, when Tales of Vesperia and Infinite Undiscovery were set to come out within a week or 2 apart, people were blasting ToV saying it's gonna suck while saying that IU is gonna be great because of Tri-Ace and so on. Talk about getting completely burned and being completely wrong. That's just one instance, but I think it shows pretty clearly that Tri-Ace is (or was) overrated around these parts.

Not saying that the Tales series or team is like some amazing series or anything though (although ToV is way better than anything Tri-Ace I've ever played.

[Eusis]

For reference, when Tales of Vesperia and Infinite Undiscovery were set to come out within a week or 2 apart, people were blasting ToV saying it's gonna suck while saying that IU is gonna be great because of Tri-Ace and so on. Talk about getting completely burned and being completely wrong. That's just one instance, but I think it shows pretty clearly that Tri-Ace is (or was) overrated around these parts.

Guilty of this. Infinite Undiscovery looked like it'd be more freshing, something taking after FFXII more except as more of a straight up action RPG, whereas Vesperia... looked nicer than Abyss and was going to have more enemies in battle? But while the rough idea held true (IU would be more unique) that didn't equate to QUALITY, and so when I finally rented IU I ended up wanting to play ToV more than I had before. Still need to finish it though.

Also: unless they were intentionally making a joke with that name you should never, EVER use invisible walls as frequently and as lazily as Infinite Undiscovery did. Bullshit to have large open environments, only to have seemingly a large chunk of the blocked off by a line of dirt, then there's the stairs in the castle town that you couldn't reach due to a square of grass, and the weak job done at the edges of the maps in general when there's things like debris around (and possibly not even then). It's sad that Vesperia was probably better for exploration than IU was.

[Koroviev]

Guilty of this. Infinite Undiscovery looked like it'd be more freshing, something taking after FFXII more except as more of a straight up action RPG, whereas Vesperia... looked nicer than Abyss and was going to have more enemies in battle? But while the rough idea held true (IU would be more unique) that didn't equate to QUALITY, and so when I finally rented IU I ended up wanting to play ToV more than I had before. Still need to finish it though. Also: unless they were intentionally making a joke with that name you should never, EVER use invisible walls as frequently and as lazily as Infinite Undiscovery did. Bullshit to have large open environments, only to have seemingly a large chunk of the blocked off by a line of dirt, then there's the stairs in the castle town that you couldn't reach due to a square of grass, and the weak job done at the edges of the maps in general when there's things like debris around (and possibly not even then). It's sad that Vesperia was probably better for exploration than IU was.

Isn't the invisible wall thing an unfortunate by-product of HD development?

[Boss Doggie]

Lol wut? If anything Tales Team is underrated, not overrated. For reference, when Tales of Vesperia and Infinite Undiscovery were set to come out within a week or 2 apart, people were blasting ToV saying it's gonna suck while saying that IU is gonna be great because of Tri-Ace and so on. Talk about getting completely burned and being completely wrong. That's just one instance, but I think it shows pretty clearly that Tri-Ace is (or was) overrated around these parts. Not saying that the Tales series or team is like some amazing series or anything though (although ToV is way better than anything Tri-Ace I've ever played.

Wait what? Tales? Underrated? You must've missed the last gen era where anything made by Team Symphonia was hailed as some sort of savior despite being trite.

I've yet to see any Tales game that can hold a candle to SO3's and VP2's battle system where it isn't repetitive and the battle is very flexible that they're almost comparable to DMC.

[R_thanatos]

People are saying that that the voice work or the characters was the problem of SO4 ..but the real problem was the dongeons.
SO4 dongeon and world map are ...way too big ..they wanted to do a BIg set of places to explore with this gen console power but failed in pacing horribly ... i don't care about egde really .i'd even argue that SO4 character design aren't that bad or crazy ..but ZOMG spending 6 hours in a single dongeon is entirely possible !! that's STUPID ...who was responsable for this ???

Anyway ..i kinda want a SO5 because the battle system of SO4 was great ..SO3 battle trophies were crazy and SO4 managed to do even crazier so i might mask them to tone down on them a little ..

[Cheddahz]

Is every tri-ace game a mixed bag?

[scy]

Wait what? Tales? Underrated? You must've missed the last gen era where anything made by Team Symphonia was hailed as some sort of savior despite being trite. I've yet to see any Tales game that can hold a candle to SO3's and VP2's battle system where it isn't repetitive and the battle is very flexible that they're almost comparable to DMC.

I wouldn't really call SO3 very flexible. At least, not if we're using DMC for a comparison point.

And I'd say the combat of Graces was a lot better than SO3/VP2. I'd say quite a few Tales titles were at least as good as or better than SO3/SO4. But, honestly, they're all quite good in their own right so eh.

[Eusis]

Isn't the invisible wall thing an unfortunate by-product of HD development?

Maybe, or just advanced 3D development period given we's seen this a lot more in the detailed PS2-era environments (and even to some degree in FFIV DS) than simple PS1-era environments. But there's still ways to be smarter about it, like building a giant fence or something. At any rate I was hoping for a more explorable world, and got THAT instead, so that would have made the game disappointing even if they didn't drop the ball otherwise.

[Boss Doggie]

I wouldn't really call SO3 very flexible. At least, not if we're using DMC for a comparison point.

You'll feel it more once you unlocked a bulk of the characters skills and equipment. A lot of people Full Battle Mode is required but honestly that isn't needed to fully maximize SO3's system.

That's why I'm wary when I say tri-Ace. When I mean by tri-Ace stuff that I love, it's made by the VP2 team which has always made good stuff. It's not a chaotic mashfest like in Tales (and hell, even in Tales I prefer the 2D plane ones, they are more solid and faster paced without the awkward movement).

[Forsaken82]

Still don't get the decision to put it on the 360 first lol. Was that MS paying? Was that a SE decision?

MS had the far larger user base at the time... Makes perfect sense.

[Rpgmonkey]

Is every tri-ace game a mixed bag?

Thoughts on the Valkyrie Profile games (at least 1 and 2, dunno about that DS one) tend to be far more positive than negative.

[scy]

You'll feel it more once you unlocked a bulk of the characters skills and equipment. A lot of people Full Battle Mode is required but honestly that isn't needed to fully maximize SO3's system.

Erm, I'm quite well aware of the SO3 system. I've put in my fair share of time with it. I still wouldn't use DMC for a comparison point, really. Preference, I guess.

It's not a chaotic mashfest like in Tales (and hell, even in Tales I prefer the 2D plane ones, they are more solid and faster paced without the awkward movement).

I wouldn't really call Tales a mashfest if you're going to remove Star Ocean from it. I mean, both are prone to mashing. Maybe I'm missing something here though.

[Eidan]

I could only get through 20 minutes of SO4 before turning it off. I just had a hard time adjusting to its depiction of space after playing Mass Effect. It has been sitting on my shelf collecting dust ever since.

Give me my HD Valkyrie Profile though.

[Boss Doggie]

Erm, I'm quite well aware of the SO3 system. I've put in my fair share of time with it. I still wouldn't use DMC for a comparison point, really. Preference, I guess. I wouldn't really call Tales a mashfest if you're going to remove Star Ocean from it. I mean, both are prone to mashing. Maybe I'm missing something here though.

The other SOs are mashfests, but SO3 isn't. Much like VP2 it punishes mashers. Learning the advanced game mechanics makes battles much faster and interesting too.

[-Pyromaniac-]

MS had the far larger user base at the time... Makes perfect sense.

no...it doesn't. It's like the COD games on the Wii, or any Japanese game for the most part on PS3 vs the 360. They usually sell more on PS3. And COD games will always sell the most on an xbox console, then PS3 then somewhere way below, the Wii. It's all about demographics, not just numbers alone.

There were tons of people who knew it wouldn't sell as much as putting it on the brand that always had the japanese game userbase (playstation). The Tales games moving over just re-enforced it when the sales on the triple smashed. A large base is the first question you ask, then you ask what kind of base it is. Guess they never got around to that second question. Regardless, MS probably ponied up the moneys for it anyway, so they didn't give 2 fucks. But it didn't help the franchises lol.

[Parfait]

I hope there's a Star Ocean V, I love the entire SO series. I think SO4 could have used a bit more animation budget/acting for the cutscenes but otherwise I really liked it.

[Bladenic]

Wait what? Tales? Underrated? You must've missed the last gen era where anything made by Team Symphonia was hailed as some sort of savior despite being trite. I've yet to see any Tales game that can hold a candle to SO3's and VP2's battle system where it isn't repetitive and the battle is very flexible that they're almost comparable to DMC.

Do you mean the current gen? Or PS2 era? Because only Abyss counts then. However, I will give you that one. Abyss was overrated as holy hell. That's the only thing the overrated thing might apply to though.

[Stuart444]

I wonder if someone actually enjoyed the characters and dialogue in SO4. I haven't played it myself but there's no way you could spin some of the shit I've seen on youtube.

Well yeah, I liked the characters mostly and the dialogue was alright for the game I thought. (certainly not masterful but then again. People say Bioware games have masterful dialogue and I just don't agree with that either so *shrugs*).

I'm certainly not going to try and 'spin' it because I think it's a case of, some people don't like it, some do. That's the way the cookie crumbles as they say...