Even though the Star Ocean franchise is not well known in the United States, in comparison to Final Fantasy, it is one series that is not to be dismissed. The Star Ocean games play by a different set of rules and that was made apparent with the release of the first game in 1996. Unlike most RPG's out at the time, all battles were handled in real time instead of being turned based. The series stood out even more with the release of the second game by adding a bundle of new features such as item creation. It was these features that made these games stand out from the crowd.

The story for Star Ocean: The Last Hope is actually a prequel to the previous three games in the series. This was a very wise choice on the developer's part since most people that own a Xbox 360 might not be familiar with the previously games in the series. This game takes place twenty years after the conclusion of World War III which has left the planet in a nearly inhospitable condition. Mankind is now looking towards the stars to find new planets to colonize and hopefully redeem mankind from the sin of nearly destroying Earth.

Players take on the role of Edge Maverick who has been assigned to a ship to help find a new home for what is left of Earth's inhabitants. Like all games, things do not go as planned from the minute the mission launches. During the warp flight all of the ships on the mission are attacked and they crash land on a mysterious planet. It is up to Edge and his childhood friend Reimi to find out what happened and solve a bigger mystery that they get involved in.

Even in the future they still watch TV

Players will really hate the pacing in this game, and this is caused by a couple of issues. The first issue is the lack of save points found in the game. Certain times in the game, players will be forced to explore a never ending dungeon for several hours without the safety of a save point in site. This can be very distressing to people who are "completionists," as they run the risk of dying in battle and having to search every aspect of the location they are in.

The next issue is the way the story is presented. At times players will be exploring and come upon an enemy, defeat it, and are stuck watching an unpauseable cut scene that might last more than 30 minutes. If players were given the option to save anywhere (like the majority of the games released) this would be avoided because players are always scared they might lose their place in the game and have to start all over again.

While the story is not overly original, what keeps players coming back to play this game is the combat engine. Like previous games in the series all battles are handled in real time. Not only that but players can pause the action and bring up a menu where they can issue specific commands such as using items and using specific spells such as heal. What makes all this even better is that there are no random battles. Players will be able to avoid any enemy they do not want to fight by staying away from them. Gamers will be able to have four characters on the battlefield with them, and can control any one of them at any given time. The AI in this game is really good and helpful in the fights instead of draining away their precious mental points they will usually save them for emergency situations.

Players will love the new additions to the Star Ocean gameplay: Rush mode, jumping, blindside system, and bonus board. Each player can unleash a special attack by building their rush gauge. Players can build this gauge up by doing normal attacks, blocking, or getting hit by an enemy. As soon as the gauge reaches 100% players will be able to activate Rush mode and inflict more pain. For the first time players will be able to jump during a battle, this one move can prove to be very strategic. Players can now dodge an enemy attach by jumping around it, or even try to get behind the enemy to dish out even more damage.

Gotta love the variety of locations found in this game

The blindside system is one of the best features in the game, and makes the battle engine even more fun. A blindside is here players can avoid an enemy attack and get behind. Once there players can unleash devastating attacks that cannot be counterattacked and usually cause critical damage. It is always fun to see how many blindsides can be performed during a fight.

What truly makes the battle engine fly is the new bonus board. On the right hand side of the battle screen players will see a board that can accumulate different colors jewels. The jewel colors correspond to accomplishing various skills during the battle and give a specific award. For instance the blue color jewels are award for killing an enemy with a critical attack and gives players 10% boost in experience points. On the other hand the pink is given when players defeat an enemy using nothing but special attacks and gives 1% healing points to the entire party when the battle ends. Players can fill the entire board with these jewels and gain many rewards. As players can imagine, this really helps players power level their characters throughout the game.

The graphics for this game are pretty good. Even though the character designs contain many of the JRG cliques, it still looks good on the screen and while it is in action. What is truly great about this game is the variety of locations players will go through during the course of the game. Players will transverse through caves, jungles, blizzards, beaches, towns, and more. Each location looks completely different then previous one. It is always nice playing in a variety of locations as it keeps the game fresh. The animated cut scenes for this game are really well done, and have a high production value.

The special effects of this game stand out

To the disappointment of many fans, this game does not have a Japanese audio track. Players are stuck with the sub-par English only audio. Thankfully the developers included the option to include subtitles so if the voices get overly annoying, gamers can mute the TV and read what is going on. The soundtrack to this game is really good and fits with the overall theme of the game. The sound effects are decent as well, but are nothing players have not heard before.

If players are completionists they will love this game. It has tons of things that will keep them busy for months on end. First off there are numerous side missions and bonus bosses that they can attempt to defeat. Then there is the item creation system that will allow players to mix any ingredients and depending on their level come up with some interesting items. Also there are various endings players can get, and it will take multiple play thoughts to see them all. In other words players will be able to get as much from this game for as much time as they put into it, and that is a good thing no matter what type of game players have.

One of the biggest annoyances in this game is the disk switching. When players get to the last disk, they will notice that it is jammed packed full of cut scenes. This is especially true since there are multiple endings available in this game. Players will soon find out if they want to go to a planet that is featured earlier in the game they will have to physically remove the disk and put in another disk. This is not that big of a deal unless players plan on doing a lot of backtracking, but nevertheless it is still agitating.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope is rated Teen. It contains alcohol references, fantasy violence, mild language, and suggestive themes.

Gameplay: 8.6
The combat engine in this game is really good. Even after fighting scores of enemies, players will still want to engage in battles just to pull off some of the really fun combo's they have available to them. Players will love the way that they can level up characters quickly.

Graphics: 8.0
The graphics are not as stunning as players would expect them to be. The game does look nice but it does not "pop" as much as other games currently on the market. On the positive side, the framerate is always top notch, and players will get to see a wide variety of locations to explore and do battle in.

Sound: 8.0
It is a shame that the original Japanese voices are not included in this game. All players are left with is sub-par English voice acting, but at least there are subtitles included. The soundtrack is good and has a nice lasting effect while playing the game.

Difficulty: Medium
The game is only as hard as player make it. When players launch the game they have up to four (two are unlockable) different difficulty levels. They range from easy, which hand-holds the players throughout the entire game, to extremely challenging.

Concept: 7.5
The combat engine and the ability to craft new items is one of the best things about this series and players will love exploring all of the possibilities.

Overall: 8.3
Star Ocean: The Last Hope is a fun game that will keep players occupied for days on end. There are so many things to do with the various endings and side missions players can embark upon. Even though there are a few issues, they can be overlooked by the sheer fun players will have with this game.