|
Star Ocean: The Last Hope (スターオーシャン4, Sutā Ōshan 4) is a console role-playing game
developed by tri-ace and published by square enix (shock horror) for the xbox 360, and the fifth installment in the Star ocean
series. Famatisu has revealed that the battle system will now feature four party members, and be more team-oriented. The hero
is called Edge Maverick, and the heroine is named Reimi Saionji. The game will also feature more of a sci-fi emphasis than
past titles with the ability to control your own ship. It's been said this ship is quite large, and will be able to land on
at least 5 planets or other space-based destinations. One will be able to travel through the "star ocean," jumping across
planets The game will also take place a few centuries before the original star ocean (around S.D. 10, or approximately
2097 AD).
Development
Star Ocean: The Last Hope was originally announced at the "Star Ocean Special Stage" at the 2007 Square Enix Party
as the tentatively titled Star Ocean 4 with no platform. An Xbox 360 release was revealed during the 2008 xbox
360 RPG Premiere. In a special interview with Xbox Japan, weeks before the game's release, game producer Yoshinori Yamagishi
revealed that the team began planning out Star Ocean: The Last Hope immediately after they finished developing Star
ocean 3: till the end of time, so actual development time took about 5 years. The game uses an improved version of the game
engine used in Infinte Undiscovery, where it is able to generate much better graphics, and the stunning expression of light
in real time. He also mentioned that the biggest problem the team encountered while creating the game is capacity, as making
a RPG on a latest generation console requires vast amounts of data and coding thanks to the complexity of graphics and animations.
The game will also be running at a constant 60 fps. Pre-rendered movies are done by a collaboration between tri-Ace and Visual
Works, while character design and illustration (only in the Japanese version) is handled by Katsumi Enami, best known for
her illustration work in the light novel and anime series Baccano!
When asked whether the title would release on the PlayStation 3, producer Yoshinori Yamagishi replied "We can say that
it will be released first [on the Xbox 360]. Whether we'll release it on the PS3 is undecided. We may release it, we may not."Square
Enix and The Last Hope's development team have since stated that there are no plans for a PS3 version. In an interview,
Yamagishi cited that Xbox 360 was the first seventh generation console to come out, and its "extremely well-made hardware",
from a developer's standpoint, as the reasons why he chose it to develop Star Ocean: The Last Hope on. In a test play
session held for Microsoft Japan employees and some prominent bloggers, when asked if Star Ocean: The Last Hope follows
after Star Ocean: Till the End of Time's plot twist, Yamagishi stated in a Q&A session that the world of SO4 exists
in a parallel universe from the one in the first three Star Ocean games. When asked if tri-Ace will remake the first
three games on a new generation console, Yamagishi stated that he would rather work on a new sequel to Star Ocean than
develop remakes, as the development time for them would be very consuming.
Soundtrack
The music for Star Ocean: The Last Hope was composed by Motoi Sakuraba, who has worked on the soundtrack for the previous Star Ocean games and many other games developed by tri-Ace. The
soundtrack will be released in two parts:
- Star Ocean: The Last Hope Original Soundtrack - A 3-CD set containing all the music tracks in the game, with a
total of 71 tracks. It also contains a DVD extra of an interview with Sakuraba himself, plus video footage of his workshop
and some original music performed by him.[17]
- Star Ocean: The Last Hope Arrange Soundtrack - A selection of tracks from the original soundtrack performed in
different remixes.[18]
Reception
Famitsu awarded the game a total of 34/40, comprised of a 9/9/8/8 score.[24]
Overall, the game was far better received than Square Enix's other next-gen console RPGs such as Infinite Undiscovery and The Last Remnant, both of which had mixed reviews from critics. IGN awarded the game a score of 8.0. In its review, IGN stated that despite
the rough pacing in the storyline that could be told in a much more engaging manner, tri-Ace and Square-Enix's latest RPG
holds together quite well with action-packed gameplay. Some of the small annoyances encountered during the game was the disc-swapping,
which requires players to do just that if they need to travel to previous locations. The review also feels that the Japanese
voice track should have been included as an option in the US version, as the English voice track and lip-synching are horrendous.
X-Play gave The Last Hope 4 out of 5 stars, stating that the story is epic, engaging and well-paced from start
to finish, and combat is frantic, complex and smooth. X-Play stated bad voice acting, and objectives that aren't always
clear to lead the player, as the downsides of the game. TeamXbox awarded the game with a score of 8.5, praising the balanced
and addictive combat which allows the player to handle both strategy and gaming skill to the fray. The Official Xbox Magazine
gives a score of 8.5, citing the addictive mix of combat, quests and storyline as a plus, but criticizes the long stretch
of cutscenes and a lack of save points around.
The game has sold 166,027 copies in its first four days on the Japanese market placing it in third place behind Blue Dragon and Tales of Vesperia for sales of Xbox 360 games in Japan. 24,584 Xbox 360 units were also sold during the week of February 16, 2009.[25]
Screens
If we notice anything about the newly released scans/screenshots of Tri-Ace's
Star Ocean 4, it's that they haven't yet pumped up the character designs from the critically acclaimed, but fanbase
panned, Star Ocean: Till the End of Time. Case in point: Fayt enjoyed keeping his sword at an awkward horizontal
position around his bum. Sure, it may be convenient for quick-unsheathing, but for moving through a crowd that would be irritating!
Seems the new main character of Star Ocean 4 has the same linking , along with touting a lady
friend at his side.
We're not complaining -- the games deliver fun and fast-paced battles and we're very excited to
watch this newest entry mold itself into something spectacular. Seriously, the new generation of consoles need their RPGs
and for a lot of people, Blue Dragon and Eternal Sonata just won't cut the mustard. We'll keep looking for
more info on this game as it develops, as it already looks to be on the right sci-fi track, as the screens depict. Despite this, we doubt it'll surpass the sheer quality seen in PS2 titles such as Unlimited Saga.
Story
"AD 2064. Humanity
made its third and most costly mistake. World War III. Weapons of mass destruction deployed with impunity, razed the land
in the blink of an eye. People believed it's the end of the world. The planet Earth was dying. So humanity began to search
for a new home in space."
"AD 2074 first
contact. SD0001 first warp. SD0010 -- first official SRF mission. The first official SRF mission ventures forth into the great
Star
Ocean."
Gameplay
Star Ocean: The Last Hope screenshot.
The game will use the same real-time battle system as previous games in the
series. There is a new Rush gauge. It is unknown how the Rush gauge works or what it is used for.
Development
Star Ocean: The Last Hope was originally announced at the "Star Ocean Special
Stage" at the 2007 Square Enix Party as the tentatively titled Star Ocean 4 with no platform.[6] It was revealed during the
2008 Xbox 360 RPG Premiere for a release on the Xbox 360.
When asked whether the title would see release on the PlayStation 3, Square
Enix producer Yoshinori Yamagishi replied "We can say that it will be released first [on the Xbox 360]. Whether we'll release
it on the PS3 is undecided. We may release it, we may not."[1] Square Enix have since stated that there are "no plans" for
a PS3 version,[7] but have continued to distance the title from the "Xbox 360 Exclusive" label (such as that on Infinite Undiscovery).[8]
|
