Star Ocean: Second Evolution Review
By Dana Vinson - Posted Jan 28, 2009In this X-Play Review, we take a look at the Japanese RPG 'Star Ocean: Second Evolution' for the PlayStation Portable.
The Pros
- New Animated Sequences
- Meaty talents and crafty system
- Handsome 16:9 re-master
The Cons
- Zero character conflict
- Aimless plot
- Auto-pilot brawls
Star Ocean: Second Evolution updates the 1999 PlayStation RPG Star Ocean: The Second Story for the PSP. The remake ads new hand-drawn animation, voice acting, and tweaks to the game engine and combat. The one thing Square Enix couldn't fix was the game's dull-as-dirt story and charisma-free characters. Sure, there's a moderately compelling RPG latter to climb in Star Ocean – with tons of skills to grow and talents to unlock. But the conversations you have to endure to enjoy such pleasures are so tedious and airless that they make Gossip Girl feel like fine art.
The Hero With A Thousand Faces, Zero Personality
Hero Claude C. Kenni is a Federation schmuck assigned to investigate a podunk planet still mired in the middle ages. He immediately bumps into Rena Lanford; a magic-using rube who likes is attacked by a monster during her afternoon stroll. Claude whips out his light-saber to dispatch the fiend and in doing so winds up being mistaken for the “Hero of Light” who has been foretold to save Rena's planet from evil, or the recession, or stretch marks – whatever blight it is that's bugging the locals. See, as far as the player can see there's nothing really wrong with Rena's homeworld. Sure, the game's overworld and dungeons are rife with monsters. But what video game land doesn't have its share of trash? When Rena takes Claude back to meet the town elder we're regaled with stories of magic rocks, but we're not really made to feel like there's really anything awry with. That is until one of the townies kidnaps Rena and tries to force her into marriage. Now we know something's wrong. No man in his right mind would want to tie the knot with that bore.
Wake Me When We've Won
Sadly, brawls are no more interesting. Fights go down on a three-dimensional plane. The player negotiates a field of enemies, mashing buttons in real time to bash the baddies on the head or fry them with magic. As the party expands players can issue strategies to their team, telling them to concentrate on melee or focus on healing. Still, there's really not that much going on in these fights. They only get really dramatic when the game throws a surprise curve ball at you, pitting you against genuinely tough enemies, or when you fall asleep at the wheel and walk into a fight with low health and no magic points. The game's saving grace is its complex series of skills, talents, and crafting. There's a lot to discover here if you can put up with the ridiculous story that stands in your way.
Adventure Devolved
The biggest fault of Star Ocean: The Second Evolution is that there's almost no conflict. Everybody in the game is polite. People trust Rena and Claude implicitly, even though they're young, unproven and have no idea what they're doing. These two literally set out to investigate space rocks. And with that shaky business plan they get the blessing of Rena's mom, her town elder and the king. To make matters worse every conversation and ever in-game scene is glacially paced. Characters waste time between every line of dialog with tiresome animations – little emotes that depict them with exclamation points, sweatles or, worst of all, the dreaded ellipsis. Players can skip past every bit of voice acting, but they're stuck watching each little bit of business the characters go through as they make discoveries and engage in pointless discussions. It takes the patience of saint to put up with this kind of storytelling. Star Ocean: The Second Evolution just barely rewards the player with enough loot, action, and engaging story to make the effort worth it.
Article Written By: Gus Mastrapa
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