STAR OCEAN 2
Released: 1999
Story: 20 years after the First Star Ocean game. You start out as either Claude C. Kenni or Rena Landford. (you get to choose between 2 heros)
Following Claudes Story: Claude is finally old enough to go on a real space crusade with his father Ronix Kenni. Living in his fathers shadow he tries to be as great as his father but is quite pressured from his fathers crew and what they say behind him. On his first mission they all go to explore an unknown energy. Claude goes a little too far in refusing to listen to his fathers warnign to stay with the team and don't run off. Disappearing right before his fathers eyes when hes pulled into some travel teleporter he is sent away to Excel where he awakens.
Awakening in an unknown forest he discovers a girl who is attack by a monster and saves her with his plasma gun. She takes him to her village where he tries to find hints back to Earth and his father. Here in this slowly changing planet he is mistakened as a legendary "hero of light". Later he tries to go toward the 'sorcery globe' in hopes of finding a way home. He learns that the sorcery globe is the reason for animals to change into violent monsters. Traveling with Rena they go in serach of the Sorcery Globe later to save the planet adn their loved ones.
Following Rena's Story: Rena is a young girl raised in a quiet town of Arlia. One day on her way to the forest she is attacked by a monster and is saved by a man using a bright beam of light. Mistakening him for her legendary Warrior of LIght she quickly brings him to her vilalge and declares he is there to save them all. When she learns the truth she is saddened but requests to follow claude in search of the sorcery globe. She is adopted by her mother westa when she was a baby and wants to find out who her real parents are. She knows she's diffrent from teh people of Expel and has a strange "healing" power which is uses to aid the team.
GamePlay: With amazing graphics for a old game and fun dialoge in battle mode this is definantly a diffrent fighting system. Everything is happening at the same time! Star Ocean 2 is a RPG game where you can explore a wide ranged world. When on the map battles are random as you run around. Characters can lvl up to 99 and all have various attacks or magic spells.
Battle Mode: You can fight with 4 characters in a battle. Some are mages and can summon magic while others are melee fighters only. It's fasted pace and everything is happening at the same time making it a realistic battle system. As you fight characters become closer counting on who you react with most and friendship adn relationship levels increase. This is also great b/c characters usually fight better or protect those they care most about automatically!
Characters: Out of many characters; counting on who your main hero is rather rena or claude you gain diffrent characters somewhat. Some characters you can gain if you don't choose another character. For example, if you choose claude you get Leon and not Diaz. If you're rena you get Diaz and not Leon. (Others are like, if you get ashton you can't get ernest)
You can get up to 6 characters.
Also theres a special feature called "Private Action". By using this before entering a town team members can split up and you can run around with your main character and interact with the other charcters that joined you.
Audio: Star Ocean has a beautiful list of songs and the composer for this game is amazing! I even went so far as to buy the soundtrack b/c I loved the song. The begining piano was quite a nice melody as well (when you choose a character in the begining).
*Moonlight will upload later from her arranged import CD*
Extra Facts:
1. Star Ocean is inspired ships are like Star trek!
2. The main bad guys: The ten wise men are originally named after angels.
Cyril being lucifer and idalicio being gabriel.
3. Star Ocean 2 has over 87 endings!
4. There's a Star Ocean Ex anime. (based off the game)
5. There was a PS portible remake made in 2007
6. Theres a normal Star Ocean soundtrack then an Arranged/Remix soundtrack.
Rate: 10/10
It's amazing!! I still play this game today and its exciting all the time. The battle style is diffrent and the story and outcome is amazing as well. With many diffrnet endings you can play it over and over. Plus the characters were great and of course thats a big part of the game. Chisato, Bowman, Ernest and perhaps Opera were OK chracters not my fav. But everyone else was amazing.
The RPG world is big as well and Star Ocean included 2 discs with a long game play time (very long lol). Private Action was also something new in this game that many others just didn't have.
Better Cover
Rena Pic
