Star Ocean: Till The End of Time
- August 09, 2004 00:00 AM PST
Join Fayt Leingod on his planet-hopping adventures through the galaxy in the epic tale from the RPG gods at Square Enix.
In the year 772 (that�s by the galactic calendar, not ours), humanity has found its way out into the stars and, in a move torn straight out of Star Trek, declared that any �underdeveloped� planets they encounter are to be left completely untouched. Into this universe is born a blue-haired boy named Fayt Leingod, a star-faring kid who starts off vacationing with his family and winds up skipped like a stone across this ocean of stars, bouncing from planet to planet looking to reunite with his loved ones, with only some helpful strangers and MMORPG-honed fighting skills around to help him survive.
Interplanetary Intermezzo
Square Enix�s Star Ocean: Till The End of Time comes from the Xenosaga school of role-playing; it�s an anime-inspired science fiction epic loaded with lengthy cut-scenes (�acted� in real-time with full voice) that have you watching as much as, if not more than, you are playing�a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your perspective. The Phantasy Star-style mesh of medieval and futuristic is tied together by a refreshing real-time battle system that emphasizes action without sacrificing any of the spells, skills, and strategies you�ve come to expect in an RPG.
One of the most initially striking things about Star Ocean�s combat is that each character in your party has a remarkably different feel (Fayt is a swordsman, Cliff is a hand-to-hand brawler, Nel uses �symbology�, etc.), and you can switch among the three characters with you at any time during the battle with a simple button press. The characters� combos feel and look especially fluid, and as you learn skills you can assign them to different controller/button inputs. Pulling off certain feats (winning a battle in under 10 seconds, killing everyone without getting hit) earns you Battle Trophies that can be saved to your memory card and goodies once you collect enough trophies.
A Deepness In The Sky
This �Director�s Cut� edition features a few things that weren�t in the original Japanese release, including two new characters, new dungeons, and a Vs. mode that lets you try out the game�s standout battle system against a friend. As if the other 80 hours of game weren�t enough.
