Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

In 1999 Star Ocean: The Second Story, was released. It
quickly become one of the Playstation's best RPG games. The game
featured a unique action based battle system, memorable side events
(The Cave of Trials), an innovative skill option, and a great story.
Since then, fans have been waiting for another addition to the series.
In 2004, fans (in the USA) of the series have been given the chance to
play the latest addition to the Star Ocean series. Star Ocean: Till
The End Of Time is the third game in the series, and maybe the last.
So is this game a worthy addition to the series? Yes! Yes it is.

Story: The game opens with the main character Fayt Leingod on vacation
on the planet Hyda, with his both of his parents and along with a
family friend Sophia Esteed. Fayt is an enthusiastic character who
seeks excitement through the Battle Simulator. Although his childhood
friend Sophia wants to spend more time him. Suddenly, Hyda is attacked
by an alien force known as the Vendeeni. Very few inhabitants of Hyda
escape into space. As Fayt and the rest of the survivors are relieved
that they escaped, it is short lived. Because survivors must then
escape the Vendeeni yet again. The main character is separated from
his family and Sophia, who are captured by the alien force. From then
on, he must find a way to reunite with his family and answer the
questions plaguing him. Why did the Vendeeni attack Hyda, and why do
they want his family. His adventure will take him to numerous planets
and areas, near the edge of the universe and beyond! If you think this
game sounds generic, then you are in for many surprises. Though some
of the plot twists are a little cliché, this game has one plot twist
that many people will try to incorporate in real life. Bottom Line, I
found the story to be quite good, not extremely original, but still
good.. 8/10

Gameplay: This is where Star Ocean excels. This battle system is
action based, meaning movement of all characters and enemies are in
real-time. This allows you to move away from enemies, either
recovering/casting magic/items, or to plan out strategies with other
teammates. Each character is fully playable and they each possess
their own battle skills and fighting style. Fayt is basically the all
around good character, who is capable of doing almost anything. Cliff
is more of an "In your face" kind of character. Now the Battles are
fun and intense, but there is much more to be done in the game. In
addition to battles, there are Trophies to be won. These trophies can
be gained from doing certain tasks during battle; such as beating a
certain number of enemies or reaching a certain character level. If
enough trophies are gained, a player will have access to extra
costumes for characters, higher difficulties, and much more. Another
side-task in the game is inventing. It is based on the skills option
in Star Ocean: The Second Story. Characters are able to synthesize
items, create minerals for weapons and armour, make weapons, armor,
accessories, and items, and also cooking. With these options the
possibilities are endless. That's not enough for you? How about 3
different optional dungeons and numerous side events. Still not
enough? How about 12 different endings! Seriously, completing most of
these tasks will fetch in over 300+ hours of gameplay. And if you want
more then try getting all the Battle Trophies. 10/10

Graphics: To put it simply, the graphics are great. The character
designs are based on Anime. They are greatly detailed and show good
animation during battle and cut scenes. The animation they show
completely match the character as well. Also the characters show a lot
of individuality. The environments are detailed as well. In a rich
luscious that is just plain enjoyable to look at. Overall the
Graphics, especially on a HD TV, are great. 9/10

Controls: Well, this game is an action based RPG, and it does have a
pretty tight control setup. Holding the circle button makes the
character walk during movement in towns and dungeons. The controls
during battle work well, although performing battle skills and
learning the fundamentals will take some time to understand. The
camera is adjustable, there is a menu button, and of course a cancel
and Accept/Examine button. It is nothing to serious or complicated,
but it works fine. 9/10

Sound: This is where the game slips up. First the good news. The
character voice-overs are a kind of mixed bag. Some characters sound
great, while others sound downright annoying. The music in my opinion
is excellent. There is a mix of J-Pop, Rock, and orchestrated themes,
although it is sort of disappointing to have dungeon and town music
repeated in several places. Now the bad news. During cut scenes, music
and background noises are way to loud. Because of this, voice-overs
become extremely hard to hear. Unfortunately this does happen often
(mostly during the first disc). Overall the sound work is decent, but
could have used alot more work. I really like the music, but the voice
work could have been better. 7/10

Replay Value: Like I said earlier, There are a lot of things to do in
the game. There are the Extra Costumes, Harder Difficulties, Multiple
endings, Optional Events and Dungeons, and the Battle Trophies. Or You
can play through the story and game all over again. If you plan on
taking this game seriously, then this game will last over 300+ plus
hours. It is that fun and intense. 10/10

OVERALL: Star Ocean: Till the End of Time is an incredible game in my
opinion. I found the Story to be quite good (while it is a little
cliché) a certain plot twist makes up for it. The gameplay is
excellent! The graphics are great, the characters are memorable, The
Sound Work could have been a lot better. Overall, this Game is A-Okay
in my book. 9/10

Submitted by ezekial45

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