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[theclaw135]

Nope. Same game.
Different camera work.

This is a separate iteration of the game, by a different developer (it has no relation to the PS4 port of Second Evolution)

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Cannot tell if 13 year old boy, or 80 year old woman

At least it wasn’t this dude

 

[jshackles]

At least it wasn’t this dude

 

[Knightime_X]

This is a separate iteration of the game, by a different developer (it has no relation to the PS4 port of Second Evolution)

There are definitely parts I clearly remember playing in second story in the trailer.
It's fine if it's altered some. The backgrounds are not 2d pictures anymore.

 

[Omnipunctual Godot]

I was honestly floored to see this trending in the hundreds of thousands on Twitter. I always thought this franchise was, not necessarily niche, but not huge either. I think more people were talking about this one than the Super Mario RPG remake, which is really surprising to me.

 

[graywolf323]

I was honestly floored to see this trending in the hundreds of thousands on Twitter. I always thought this franchise was, not necessarily niche, but not huge either. I think more people were talking about this one than the Super Mario RPG remake, which is really surprising to me.

Star Ocean Second Story was pretty popular on the PS1, it’s possibly a top 5 JRPG on PS1 IMO

 

[German Hops]

it’s possibly a top 5 JRPG on PS1 IMO

Between Xenogears, Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy Tactics, Chrono Cross, Vagrant Story, Suikoden II, Lunar, and Breath of Fire IV, I'd say that Star Ocean 2 narrowly misses being a top 5 jrpg, but maybe lands in the top 10.

 

[graywolf323]

Between Xenogears, Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy Tactics, Chrono Cross, Vagrant Story, Suikoden II, Lunar, and Breath of Fire IV, I'd say that Star Ocean 2 narrowly misses being a top 5 jrpg, but maybe lands in the top 10.

yeah agreed, though to me it’d be in competition for that 5 spot just with like 3 other games honestly the PS1 was so great for JRPGs that it’s not like the difference in quality between 5 & 10 on that list would be all that wide

 

[Gambit2483]

I heard this is the best one of the series. I hope so because I just preordered...

 

[March Climber]

Looks good, but Xenogears when?

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

yeah agreed, though to me it’d be in competition for that 5 spot just with like 3 other games honestly the PS1 was so great for JRPGs that it’s not like the difference in quality between 5 & 10 on that list would be all that wide

So many great JRPGs on PSX it’s hard to rank them. I think SO2 is the one I’m most nostalgic for though. I had so much fun getting to know all the characters and figuring out all the ways to break the game.

SO2 also had the best community on GameFAQs. A lot of the Squaresoft boards were filled with contrarian dipshits but the SO2 board was just total lunacy. Including frequent posts by VeghEsther + one parody account whose shtick was making fun of Bowman (who everybody wrote off at first due to the first FAQ ranking him bottom tier… only for him to later be recognized as maybe the best in the game). Also just tons of debates about the best characters, best party, and constantly figuring out new tricks and ways to exploit the various skills.

Good times, I’m so hyped for this.

 

[graywolf323]

So many great JRPGs on PSX it’s hard to rank them. I think SO2 is the one I’m most nostalgic for though. I had so much fun getting to know all the characters and figuring out all the ways to break the game.

SO2 also had the best community on GameFAQs. A lot of the Squaresoft boards were filled with contrarian dipshits but the SO2 board was just total lunacy. Including frequent posts by VeghEsther + one parody account whose shtick was making fun of Bowman (who everybody wrote off at first due to the first FAQ ranking him bottom tier… only for him to later be recognized as maybe the best in the game). Also just tons of debates about the best characters, best party, and constantly figuring out new tricks and ways to exploit the various skills.

Good times, I’m so hyped for this.

speaking of GameFAQs, Star Ocean is actually third right now in their poll for what games from yesterday’s Direct that people are most excited for, it only trails the Super Mario RPG remake & the new 2D Mario

Poll of the Day - Which of today's newly announced Switch titles are you most excited about? - GameFAQs

Poll of the Day - Which of today's newly announced Switch titles are you most excited about? on GameFAQs

gamefaqs.gamespot.com

 

[64bitmodels]

Based on how Tri-ace does 3D models these days this style is much better choice.

I don't know.... I would've perferred if they hand drew the sprites in an HD anime style instead of this awkward pixel art up against high fidelity HD 3d environments. Looks wrong IMO

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Day 37

 

[Synless]

Where is the ps5 version on Amazon? Super annoyed It’s just ps4.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Screw it, bought it on Steam.

 

[Needlecrash]

Based on how Tri-ace does 3D models these days this style is much better choice.

Tri Ace isn't doing the development this time. Gemdrops is doing the development. One of head honchos was with Tri Ace from the late 90s to 2000s. Game is in good hands.

 

[V2Tommy]

I hate the way this looks. My excitement was smashed to bits.

Star Ocean 3 is the best, followed by 4. Fight me.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

I hate the way this looks. My excitement was smashed to bits.

Star Ocean 3 is the best, followed by 4. Fight me.

I go the opposite. 3 was good/decent and 4 started the current trajectory.

The 2nd Story and First Departure are the best ones in my opinion but you could toss 3 there for argument sake.

 

[FoxMcChief]

Game looks fantastic.

 

[Torrent of Pork]

So for all my OGs out there, who are you going to do a playthrough of first?

Daddy issues, or poor tragic orphan?

 

[Brigandier]

So for all my OGs out there, who are you going to do a playthrough of first?

Daddy issues, or poor tragic orphan?

Rena so I can have Ashton and Dias join my party.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

New info:


Really interested to see if mages will actually be good now! Also great to hear that all difficulty levels will be unlocked from the start + can be switched at any time. What an improvement!

 

[graywolf323]

New info:


Really interested to see if mages will actually be good now! Also great to hear that all difficulty levels will be unlocked from the start + can be switched at any time. What an improvement!

events being fully voiced and the battle improvements both sound awesome

 

[Mister Wolf]

I wouldn't mind a filter for the pixelated sprites.

 

[saintjules]

 

[graywolf323]

with events being fully voiced being new I’m guessing that means only the non-PSP voices option will have that then?

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

with events being fully voiced being new I’m guessing that means only the non-PSP voices option will have that then?

The PSP version did have fully voiced events and I thought I read somewhere they’ll reuse those in the remake.

TBH I didn’t really care for those in the PSP version, in most of them I would rather just read the text. I’ll definitely use one of the JP tracks for this remake.

 

[Filben]

Sprites look cool, but that high-res 3D environment... it doesn't match well for my taste.

 

[8bitpill]

This is cool. I never beat the original when it came out for the PS1. I have good memories of it.

 

[Miyazaki’s Slave]

So for all my OGs out there, who are you going to do a playthrough of first?

Daddy issues, or poor tragic orphan?

Space orphan naturally....."AIR SLASH...AIR SLASH....AIR SLASH"

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

The 3D environments look really cool. Can’t wait!

 

[Sacred]

One of my favorite JRPGs, don't fuck this up Square!

 

[LiquidMetal14]

This is one of 2 games I have pre-ordered this year.

 

[Icymanipulator]

Rena so I can have Ashton and Dias join my party.

Always have to choose Rena, even tho I like Claude better. Don’t want to miss getting Dias.

It would be cool if they added secondary ways to obtain the characters you miss, even if it was a late game thing.

 

[Brigandier]

This will work out..... I think?

 

[Torrent of Pork]

Bro you don't get music like this anymore, don't you fucking touch it Squeenix!

 

[KrazyKrelian]

I remember loving the food/crafting system in this game. Am I remembering it wrong due to nostalgia or was it really great?

 

[Arsic]

One of the games I replayed like 6 times as a youth since there’s so many characters you can recruit and the multiple endings were no joke.

Going Rena next play through so I can get my boy Dias. Really bummed the original ps1 English voices didn’t make the cut because the psp version voices were straight herpes into your ear drum.

JP PS1 voices it is.

 

[Metnut]

Barrel barrel barrel barrel barrel barrel

 

[saintjules]

I can't believe my childhood has been revitalized with these games coming back. First the Suikoden collection and now Star Ocean.


Xenogears??

Between Xenogears, Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy Tactics, Chrono Cross, Vagrant Story, Suikoden II, Lunar, and Breath of Fire IV, I'd say that Star Ocean 2 narrowly misses being a top 5 jrpg, but maybe lands in the top 10.

Perhaps we can remove Vagrant Story and place in SO2

 

[Needlecrash]

Some things to note:

• Chain battles are present here, doing one battle after another in succession with buffs/debuffs to the party?
• Enemy Encounters aren't random anymore. They appear in a purple cloud for you to engage.
• Break system (not sure how it works) is present.
• All 4 current party members travel with you in the dungeons instead of Claude/Rena by themselves.
• Load times a little lengthy on the Switch?

 

[graywolf323]

This is one of 2 games I have pre-ordered this year.

this is currently the only pre-order I have at the moment (though that’s more because other games like BG3 have released and I haven’t started pre-ordering other fall games yet)

I got it at GMG for Steam at ~22% off after the additional XP coupon code back in June and I’ll likely double-dip on PS5 as well, Star Ocean 2 was one of my all-time favorites back on the PS1 (even though I got absolutely stuck at I think it was the Field of Power? on the mountain, I ended up being underleveled and IIRC I couldn’t leave so I was just screwed; as a kid I didn’t think to keep multiple saves )

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

One of the games I replayed like 6 times as a youth since there’s so many characters you can recruit and the multiple endings were no joke.

Going Rena next play through so I can get my boy Dias. Really bummed the original ps1 English voices didn’t make the cut because the psp version voices were straight herpes into your ear drum.

JP PS1 voices it is.

That’s the one thing I dislike so far, the PSP voices kinda sucked and the voiced dialog scenes definitely sucked. Will definitely go with JP, and I hope there is an option to turn off the VA for dialog scenes completely.

Anyway I’m going for Claude my first run. Personally I think Dias is not that great aside from the coolness factor. And I’m REALLY curious if magic is actually useful now. Also curious how it’ll work to call in special attacks from your reserve members. Might be useful to call Leon in for an offensive spell to disrupt your enemies.

 

[saintjules]

Some things to note:

• Chain battles are present here, doing one battle after another in succession with buffs/debuffs to the party?
• Enemy Encounters aren't random anymore. They appear in a purple cloud for you to engage.
• Break system (not sure how it works) is present.
• All 4 current party members travel with you in the dungeons instead of Claude/Rena by themselves.
• Load times a little lengthy on the Switch?

Seems one of the features of the break system is to stun enemies. I haven't been able to find any other info discussing it.

Something I also found is that R will be 60fps on PS5 and PC. 30fps on Switch. The announcement trailer for Playstation shows it at 60

Star Ocean: The Second Story R Will Run At 60 FPS on PC, PS5, 30 on Switch; New Footage Surfaces Online

Star Ocean: The Second Story R will run at a maximum of 60 FPS on PC and PlayStation 5, and at only 30 on Nintendo Switch

wccftech.com

 

[Needlecrash]

this is currently the only pre-order I have at the moment (though that’s more because other games like BG3 have released and I haven’t started pre-ordering other fall games yet)

I got it at GMG for Steam at ~22% off after the additional XP coupon code back in June and I’ll likely double-dip on PS5 as well, Star Ocean 2 was one of my all-time favorites back on the PS1 (even though I got absolutely stuck at I think it was the Field of Power? on the mountain, I ended up being underleveled and IIRC I couldn’t leave so I was just screwed; as a kid I didn’t think to keep multiple saves )

Ahh yes. The 4 fields. Intelligence, Courage, Power and Love. Love is the shortest of the 4 but also the hardest and the best place to grind for experience (fighting those gelatin enemies and creating the item that multiplies your experience points = WIN. Power was the longest, oof.

 

[Needlecrash]

Star Ocean: The Second Story R Will Run At 60 FPS on PC, PS5, 30 on Switch; New Footage Surfaces Online

Star Ocean: The Second Story R will run at a maximum of 60 FPS on PC and PlayStation 5, and at only 30 on Nintendo Switch

wccftech.com

Something I also found is that R will be 60fps on PS5 and PC. 30fps on Switch. The announcement trailer for Playstation shows it at 60





Seems one of the features of the break system is to stun enemies. I haven't been able to find any other info discussing it.

30FPS ON SWITCH???? EWWWWW.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Battles in Star Ocean: The Second Story R retain what people loved about the original game's battle system; it still allows people to roam the battlefield freely as they attack enemies with short or long ranged attacks in real-time. Characters with melee weapons have their basic 3-combo attack sequence. Arts (character skills) can be fired off freely as long as you have the MP for them. Players are still able to switch between which character they want to control in battle on the fly.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R makes significant improvements into how symbology magical spells are utilized in battles. Fans of the original game can't forget how using a lot of symbology would elongate encounters because they would freeze the entire battle to slowly play out their fancy animations for spells. Now, symbology has been given new prettier and speedier animations; longer ones that freeze combat, such as Rena's Star Flare, can be skipped entirely with a single button tap to keep combat going.

Another feature that remains intact is players being able to issue a command for a symbology user to cast a specific spell when they're in control of another character. It is a much faster process to execute in Star Ocean: The Second Story R as people can pop up a mini battle menu during a fight, select the Spells command, and quickly find which character's symbology repertoire they want to access.
With all these enhancements, the high tempo of Star Ocean 2 fights are more consistent, though it also brings a few new tweaks to spice them up.

A new Break mechanic allows players to stagger enemies at set intervals by keeping up the pressure on them; broken enemies also receive more incoming damage. The Break gauge is depicted as red shield icons above an enemy's model that shows how close an enemy is to being broken.

Reserve party members can now briefly participate in battle through assist attacks. Players can call upon them via the D-pad and they'll hop into the fight, execute a spell or ability, and tag out until a cooldown allows them to be called upon again. It's a relatively small addition to fights, but it goes a long way in making it feel like everyone is participating in some way, shape, or form.

Lastly, Star Ocean: The Second Story R makes an amusing change for the sake of clarity when it comes to Ashton. For those unfamiliar, Ashton is the character from the reveal of the remake that has the two dragons on his back; their names are Creepy and Weepy. Sometimes in the story, one of the dragons possesses him if the narrative calls on them to participate.

Depicting Ashton as possessed in the original release saw a slight shift in his art portrait and his tone of voice drastically altered to indicate that, in that moment, Ashton was not Ashton. Now in Star Ocean: The Second Story R, the dialogue box will also denote this further by having the speaker's name be 'Weepy Ashton' instead of remaining as just 'Ashton'. It's a small thing that stuck out to me and I figured I should mention it.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Can’t wait to play this. I am really curious if spellcasters will actually be good now, or if they will make good reserve members.