Star Ocean: The Last Hope - 4K & Full HD Remaster

 PC
Metascore
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No score yet - based on 1 Critic Review

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. GameStar
    Dec 19, 2017
    73
    Good remaster of a trashy space opera with its own special charm that lacks demanding combat as well as variety in sidequests.

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User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 15
  3. Negative: 2 out of 15
  1. chad_pattan
    Nov 30, 2017
    8
    This game has a bad rap. And it's undeserved.

    Background: this was originally released on the Xbox 360 as an exclusive. After that    This game has a bad rap. And it's undeserved.

    Background: this was originally released on the Xbox 360 as an exclusive. After that expired, the International version was released on PS3. The 360's main issue was the disc swapping that was necessary between planets - a throwback to Final Fantasy VII on the PS1. PS3 version fixed that but introduced other issues. Largely though it was the easier overall experience.

    If you never played this game, it is (canon) the fourth Star Ocean game, having nothing to do with the previous except Captain Kenny who has a partial cameo from older games. It's the first Star Ocean to really focus on space exploration and visiting new planets. The remaster (not a remake, mind you), doesn't change the underlying story. It's a great game, but temper your expectations.

    Many of the complaints from people online are people preferring the third Star Ocean: Till The End of Time, because of the battle engine. In my opinion that's all it had going for it; the story was terrible, the graphics laughable, the music forgettable. Also, people complain about Lymle, a childlike character, and Edge's English voice actor. Neither are worth skipping the game over. Lymle's a kid...who acts like a kid. Edge's English VA isn't great, but certainly not the worst (I'm looking at you, Tidus). Turn on Japanese if it bothers you.

    What made this game great was really 4 things:

    - The remaster graphics are EXCELLENT. Everything's much cleaner, easier to see, draw distance, performance, etc. Especially on a PS4 Pro.

    - The music was always good.

    - The Private Actions in this one far surpass any of the other Star Oceans by far. Just Reimi/Meracle/Edge alone will have you cracking up, and Welch is a star by herself, but watching Lymle fail to kick her is awesome. Meracle and Reimi are basically the anti-feminists, especially Meracle, who has absolutely no problem flirting.

    - Planetary exploration is what made Mass Effect 1 better than the rest, and it's on full display here. Some of it is "rails-ish" but in general, it's an absolute treat.

    So why an 8 and not a 10? Well, they didn't address the excessive bloom lighting that's been there since the beginning. It's annoying, because you can't fully enjoy the graphical beauty. Also, they nerfed the effectiveness of some of the characters; used to be that controlling Reimi alone with her special attacks would allow you to breeze through the game; she was significantly overpowered. Now she's still strong but not a tank like she used to be. Why change this? Let the player choose whether to use certain overpowered characters or not if they want their challenge ramped.

    Games like Disgaea, a game severely lacking anime cutscenes, have gotten people to this "I just wanna fight" and "I want obscene difficulty" mentality. If you don't care about story in a game, this game isn't for you, but if you want to feel like you're playing a book, complete with cutscenes (like the GOOD old days), great graphics, and characters, be sure to give this a try. It's well worth the $20 or so. More so than Integrity & Faithlessness BY FAR.    … Full Review »
  2. Lufia
    Jul 7, 2023
    10
    Star Ocean series are the best RPG games you can get your hands on. Star Ocean 2 is by far my absolute fav. rpg game of all time. The LastStar Ocean series are the best RPG games you can get your hands on. Star Ocean 2 is by far my absolute fav. rpg game of all time. The Last Hope is a realy good RPG you should play.… Full Review »
  3. Adreankael
    Oct 23, 2019
    6
    This game's reputation is somewhat deserved. Play this game with the original Japanese voice acting. The English voice acting is horrible. SoThis game's reputation is somewhat deserved. Play this game with the original Japanese voice acting. The English voice acting is horrible. So bad some of the characters make you want to shut the audio off completely. If the 4th character doesn't give you a headache then you should be able to endure the rest of the horrible English VO. The game has a terribly cliched story and the script seems to have been written by a 10 year old. Probably one of the worst entries in the Star Ocean series due to the VERY sexist portrayal of the main female protagonist. She actually says "Now maybe I'll be of use to someone." The way the male protagonist turns into a whiny little baby during part of the story is also a huge issue. Several plot holes are left unresolved and the use of Deus Ex Machina in the story is atrocious. The PC port has limited resolutions. I suggest using Special K if you're using the steam version and you use a resolution other then the 6 or 8 they allow. All that being said it is STILL a Star Ocean game so it's probably better then a lot of the drivel coming out of the game industry now but honestly it was a disappointment.… Full Review »
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