Star Ocean: The Last Hope International

Star Ocean: The Last Hope - International gets so many things right that it is easy to look past its weaknesses.

If you didn't get a chance to pick up Star Ocean: The Last Hope last year or don't own a 360, yet love Japanese style RPGs, then you owe it to yourself to give The Last Hope International a spin.

Star Ocean is an enjoyable RPG with engaging battles and an addictive item creation mode. Despite the bland dialogue and vague mission objectives, role-playing fans will love the open worlds and intense combat with their party members.

Even though the game suffers from some visual issues, and save point infrequency can be a huge annoyance, I loved playing Last Hope.

The story, in the end, putts out into just about nothing, with only the Personal Actions bits giving it any real endearing qualities, but the actual trip, the experience is well worth the cost of entry.

While you might not want to double dip if you've already purchased the 360 version, this is a great one for PS3 owners who missed out when the game hit the 360 last year.

If you have played the Xbox 360 version, then the International version probably won't be worth your while. If you haven't played the previous release, the extra features on the International version make it superior.

Although it's merely a minor update over its Xbox 360 counterpart, any jRPG nut will be quick to testify to the importance of Japanese voice acting in a Japanese game. The other very minor improvements-namely, the entire game on a single disc and the option for a differently-styled HUD-aren't much to talk about, but all in all, if you've been considering giving The Last Hope a try, this is the definitive version.

This new chapter in the Star Ocean series is a recommendable option in PlayStation 3 for those who are wishing to enjoy a new and long JRPG adventure. The characters and story still need more charm, but the combat system and the deep character development are enough reasons to judge The Last Hope as a great role playing game.

Although competition is tough, this tri-Ace game can face anyone, offering excellent gameplay which will keep us engaged through all the game.

As long as players are willing to find that mute button on their remote - or can palate the Japanese dub - and can stand up to an overly-sappy story, there's no reason not to pick up Star Ocean: The Last Hope.

Good science fiction looks past the wondrous and makes you care about its characters. Star Ocean: The Last Hope completely fails in this regard.

This is the perfect example of the Japanese RPG that we learned to love in the past two decades.

A game that is a cookie cutter RPG for guys like me, to ease them back into the JRPG genre if they have been out for a while. It has a good battle system, interesting story, and a sense of wonder that will drive you to keep playing even after you say "I will play just to the next save point".

This game won't go down as one of the classics, but for fans of the genre, it's definitely well worth your time.

As far as RPGs go, this is a solid one and probably worth your time and money.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope International is being released in the shadow of Final Fantasy XIII which is however much less traditional than this Tri-Ace release of the acclaimed sci-fi series and its JRPGesque features: cities, quests, optional content, secret bosses, lengthy and elaborate dungeons. Although not standing out visually speaking, Star Ocean: The Last Hope offers an enjoyable plot and interesting characters together with an outstanding battle system and quite a lot of features which make it a long-lasting and compelling game.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope International is Solid and fun, but some mechanics let it down.

A good game in a genre that only a few people really appreciate in the region. Maybe with more games like this, more people will start picking up on the genre.

Star Ocean contains an interesting plot buried in its depths, but it's incredibly demanding of your time and your patience.

So while I appreciate the cosmetic changes made with the menus and the inclusion of the Japanese voice track, I'm not a huge fan of the slight changes made to the actual gameplay.

The PlayStation 3 version of this intergalactic quest has a few extra surprises that fans of Japanese role-playing game will appreciate.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope's retina scorching vistas and fast-paced swordplay, you'll be well served.

Square Enix really outdid themselves with Star Ocean: The Last Hope International. This is a huge, gorgeous adventure with a memorable storyline and plenty of cool twists.

Star Ocean is a great RPG when it comes to the fighting system and the story. Hardcore RPG fans will love it, but for the mainstream gamer it is too difficult because there aren't very much savepoints, the gameplay is a little bit slow and sometimes you don't really know what to do. A typical game for the more experienced RPG player.

While it's not without its flaws, none of them are deal-breakers and it does enough right for you to suffer through the crappy parts.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope – International is a decent RPG with some beautiful music. The story starts of kind off slow but the Last Hope's biggest sin is the fact that we had to wait so long for the PS3-version.

Star Ocean is a truly JRPG and a must-buy for all Japanese gamers addicted. Great characters, a lot of side-quests and a crafting system really interesting make this game a winning choice for all jprg's fan.

Besides a subtitle this PlayStation 3 version of The Last Hope doesn't add much. The biggest addition to the game are the Japanese voices and this is the best addition developer tri-Ace could possibly make. The graphics may not be too great, but the storyline, sounds and battles make up for that.

Scifi epic á la Japan is a relic from the 90's. Although the team's love for their game can be seen from all around, it isn't enough anymore. Bioware is breaking boundaries with their games, so when Star Ocean is compared to Mass Effect, the oriental star trek is unfortunately outdated. [Mar 2010]

Despite the well designed battle system, the game doesn't manage to surpass mediocrity. Slow advancement, mediocre graphics, clichéd story and insanely difficult trophies will be a thorn in the side of many a gamer. Only crazed fans of JRPG's will manage to keep themselves busy for hundreds of hours. This part of the audience will definitely get their money's worth.

Even PS3 gamers who would be playing it for the first time should be wary about a purchase. [Issue#203, p.97]

It can be gruelingly repetitive. But it's a game with quirky charm; if you are persistent, you are always compelled to see what happens next, and what the next dungeon looks like.

A solid, well put together RPG that has quality where it counts. It will not appeal to everyone, but existing fans of Star Ocean as well as RPG fans in general will not be disappointed.

Very similar to last years Xbox 360 release, but the new Japanese voice acting allays the worst part of the game - the exceedingly horrid English dub. All in all, the worst entry in the series but still a solid action-rpg.

The new role playing game provides a nice sci-fi setting, but still lacks certain issues.

Star Ocean The Last Hope International is what somehow can be considered as an old school RPG.

But despite the bland storyline there's no denying that Star Ocean: The Last Hope excels in other areas, most notably with its intense and satisfying combat system and a lively and engaging level progression which gives the proceedings a good pace. While certainly not a classic, this JRPG is fun enough and shouldn't disappoint Japanophiles. [May 2010 p77]

Uninspired, boring design with some mildly interesting - but ultimately broken - combat scenarios. [Issue#190, p.75]

Beauty is only skin-deep - gameplay goes a lot deeper...It should have opted for a bit more corrective surgery to go with its cosmetic enhancements. [Mar 2010, p.70]

A solid, above-average RPG. It does little new and doesn't advance the RPG genre any, yet is still good enough and would be a steal with a lower price.

A very slight improvement on the original but this is still a deeply flawed and unlikeable role-player.

Star Ocean is essentially a long corridor filled with too many enemies. [Apr 2010, p.100]