Star Ocean: The Last Hope International

 PlayStation 3
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 143 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 110 out of 143
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 143
  3. Negative: 17 out of 143
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  1. Sieghardt
    Mar 28, 2011
    3
    The game is plagued with plot holes, the characters are mostly unlikeable with a couple being particularly bad. The script is awful to the point of being painful to go through at times. Vast swathes of the story are essentially pointless and do nothing to further the main story, which is a real waste, it could have been more enjoyable if they put more effort into the overall story insteadThe game is plagued with plot holes, the characters are mostly unlikeable with a couple being particularly bad. The script is awful to the point of being painful to go through at times. Vast swathes of the story are essentially pointless and do nothing to further the main story, which is a real waste, it could have been more enjoyable if they put more effort into the overall story instead of derailing it into a series of dull fetch quests.

    Gameplay starts off pretty good with some new features like blindsiding but as you proceed and unlock more special moves it devolves into spamming the stronger moves, with MP death removed and MP recovery methods aplenty there's little to stop you, especially when you get the endgame attacks that have huge areas of effect.

    The game boasts over 200 quests but sadly most of these are just bring me 20 of x monster drop type deals with only a handful offering anything interesting to do.    … Expand
  2. EstebanP
    Mar 1, 2010
    9
    I'm really enjoying this game. About 30 hours in. I liked Star Ocean Till The End of Time on the PS2 and so it's not really a suprise that I like this. This is an improvement on that title. I was nearly convinced by the average reviews not to buy this game, I'm pleased that I did. If you liked Star Ocean on the PS2 you will adore this version. P.S. The voices are not that bad.
  3. blakfayt
    Jul 1, 2016
    0
    The game has tons of holes in the story, which I won't discuss for the sake of spoilers in case you're interested in a six year old game that's actually worse than the one that just came out. People have been saying that Star Ocean 5's story is bland, but at least it's not riddled with inconsistencies, annoying unlikable characters, and horrid voice acting like Star Ocean The Last Hope.The game has tons of holes in the story, which I won't discuss for the sake of spoilers in case you're interested in a six year old game that's actually worse than the one that just came out. People have been saying that Star Ocean 5's story is bland, but at least it's not riddled with inconsistencies, annoying unlikable characters, and horrid voice acting like Star Ocean The Last Hope. Even if you use the Japanese voices they're still pretty bad, and the character quirks are simply obnoxious, kay? And that doesn't even go into the myriad of technical issues. I lost several hours of progress, including several cut scenes, due to a freeze, and I had one friend who had nearly completed one of the post game dungeons and lost the whole thing.

    Gameplay wise it's a decent Star Ocean game, and pretty much what you would expect. But with characters like Edge Maverick, a man with the name of a Sonic the Hedgehog OC, and immortal lolita characters with bland as a trait, it's hard to enjoy. I would much rather have tofu that tastes like nothing than a bowl of crap like Star Ocean The Last Hope.    … Expand
  4. BrettC.
    Feb 10, 2010
    8
    This is a solid game, the PS3 port is definitely the definitive version. Any fans of the Star Ocean series or JRPGs will not be disappointed.
  5. AlienSpaceBats
    Jan 2, 2014
    9
    Maybe it's the space between save points, but Star Ocean: TLH proved to be a huge time sink. As JRPGs go, this game should be royalty; glorious options like Japanese audio and anime portraits go a long way and the fact that it's Tri-Ace and there's Motoi Sakuraba noodling keyboards (and familiar Star Ocean compositions) made me love the thing. As with all JRPGs there's a large chunk ofMaybe it's the space between save points, but Star Ocean: TLH proved to be a huge time sink. As JRPGs go, this game should be royalty; glorious options like Japanese audio and anime portraits go a long way and the fact that it's Tri-Ace and there's Motoi Sakuraba noodling keyboards (and familiar Star Ocean compositions) made me love the thing. As with all JRPGs there's a large chunk of melodrama to be had, a convoluted combat system to learn (then abuse) and some bossfights that will make you want to embed your controller in the nearest wall. What? It's great!… Expand
  6. FlareZero
    Mar 3, 2012
    10
    Very good game, I really enjoyed the battle sistem, it's really good; the story it's very simple, but enjoyable, better than Star Ocean 3, for me one of the best JRPG on ps3!
  7. Slsr
    Jul 26, 2013
    7
    I rather liked the game, nothing revolutionary awesome but battle system is pretty good, not super simple like in old Japanese RPGs which is neat as usually it just gets boring with those games in quite short time. story and character interactions could be better though even if they are OK in my book, whole character interaction system is kinda funny. But still everyone won't find themI rather liked the game, nothing revolutionary awesome but battle system is pretty good, not super simple like in old Japanese RPGs which is neat as usually it just gets boring with those games in quite short time. story and character interactions could be better though even if they are OK in my book, whole character interaction system is kinda funny. But still everyone won't find them good that's for sure.… Expand
  8. TheDestroyer
    Mar 17, 2016
    8
    I'm going to do something that I normally don't do in my reviews, and that is game comparison. Keep in mind that everyone will have their own opinions, but I hope you see the reasonable angle of both sides rather than just outright dismiss it.

    _______________________ Star Ocean Till the End of Time (Director's cut) VS. Star Ocean: The Last Hope (International) Till the End of Time    I'm going to do something that I normally don't do in my reviews, and that is game comparison. Keep in mind that everyone will have their own opinions, but I hope you see the reasonable angle of both sides rather than just outright dismiss it.

    _______________________

    Star Ocean Till the End of Time (Director's cut) VS. Star Ocean: The Last Hope (International)

    Till the End of Time has a far better story and main antagonist. There won't be another Star Ocean game capable of holding this level of weight until the *special universe* is introduced again. Anyone who played Till the End of Time can probably figure out what that means. Star Ocean: Till the End of Time also has more variety in terms of endings along with your actions, and the consequences that lead up to them. The Item Creation system continues to give Fol meaning, and is slightly more advanced system than The Last Hope's Item Creation system overall. And you don't have to deal with the frustrating (yet OP) "blindside" mechanic that The Last Hope decided to go with for some reason. Finally, the game has more optional dungeons and more optional bosses. It just brought more to the table.

    As for The Last Hope, the fighting mechanics are more solid. The controls are smooth, and it doesn't feel like a penalty if you want start training another character. And nobody can deny that Last Hope has better graphics for it's standard Vs. Till the End of Time. No, I'm not talking about the obvious PS3 outdoing PS2 in technology, memory and data space. I'm talking about The Last Hope living up to graphics expectations of 2009. The scenery, moves, everything about the visuals of The Last Hope look beautiful.... aside from the obvious lip sync issues on English Dub. Till the End of Time's 2003 graphics can be mistaken for Mario 64! Characters look like clay models. Even Final Fantasy X, a year 2001 game, had better graphics than this 2003-2004 eyesore. WTF Square Enix!?! I wanna say that the cutscenes for Till the End of Time are better, but have to give the victory in this category to Last Hope instead, simply because Till the End of Time; when characters walk on the grass, you hear solid steps on concrete. There's other reasons I give the cut-scene victory to The Last Hope as well, but I don't think I`m able to say them outloud in an open review. Finally, The Last Hope has better dub voice acting than Till the End of Time's dub voice acting.

    ____________________

    So which game is the victor? That is up for you to decide. There is no doubt however that they are both fantastic games. And if you're a JRPG gamer, I hope you'll give both Star Ocean: Till the End of Time and Star Ocean: The Last Hope a chance. You won`t regret the 60 to 80+ hours spent into either game.

    Star Ocean: The Last Hope deserves to be an 8 out of 10. Two things I am personally grateful for about this game is that it doesn`t shove tutorials down your throat, and it gives players the option to choose between english or japanese for both voices and subtitles, as well as a few other languages for subtitles. The only reasons The Last Hope loses 2 points is because of it`s tedious Battle Trophy grind, platinum trophy requirements, boring and liner optional fetch quests, the constant mashing of the sprint button when not in battle, and how level design eventually become repetitive towards the end of the game.    … Expand
  9. MikeL.
    Feb 14, 2010
    10
    Great game. Love the story and graphics.
  10. PlutoniumTiger
    Aug 25, 2010
    10
    A great game, that should have gotten nothing but the highest of praise. The amount of depth is astounding - the ability/item creation, character progression, interaction with your party members, & the superb real time combat. Yet all the Western press could do was moan about Welch's "annoying voice". I'd much rather be playing this than some superficial garbage like Mass Effect (2). ThereA great game, that should have gotten nothing but the highest of praise. The amount of depth is astounding - the ability/item creation, character progression, interaction with your party members, & the superb real time combat. Yet all the Western press could do was moan about Welch's "annoying voice". I'd much rather be playing this than some superficial garbage like Mass Effect (2). There was a time when depth & non-linearity were appreciated. Honestly, I don't know what's gone wrong with the gaming industry. Sad days.… Expand
  11. waverlock
    Oct 6, 2013
    2
    This game has a lot of fails thats I put in bullet to be ease of read:

    GOOD ASPECTS - Battle mechanics are really the key point of this game. It is dinamic and challenges you on every boss. BAD ASPECTS - Ok, battle is good, right? But that by the end of the and all bonuses level, if becomes incredible longer and frustrating (I will say this a lot in this review). It tooks around 30    This game has a lot of fails thats I put in bullet to be ease of read:

    GOOD ASPECTS
    - Battle mechanics are really the key point of this game. It is dinamic and challenges you on every boss.

    BAD ASPECTS
    - Ok, battle is good, right? But that by the end of the and all bonuses level, if becomes incredible longer and frustrating (I will say this a lot in this review). It tooks around 30 minutes for these battle, this without calculates the retires.
    - If the battle is long, so you need items, to survive, right? Forget it, you can keep only 20, that belive me it is not enough.
    - For these longer battle you rely a lot in you AI allies, but forget it too. They are so dump to revive you when you need.
    - I said "revive you"? Yes, expected to die a lot, really a lot... it is over frustrating, you need most of the time, swap character and revive the other manually. There is no synergy at all.
    - Characters are not sympathetic. It doesnt convince you at all and are unlikeable. They way they talk and act doesnt seem real.
    - CGs are not that cool, they are simple, with a lot of repetitive moves (like in the space battles).
    - The story develops very slowly and even too much. Most of the time you are roaming with a clear go.
    - Item creation is a joke. When you need a weapon/item that will help you with a boss, find the components from a enemy loot is a nightmare. Dont expect to create 100% of them. It is too much frustrating.
    - Othe point that frustrates a lot, if the distant you need to walk between objectives, sometimes is ship city, but it too far. The game could had planned this to avoid desnecessary waste of time. You will really pass hours walking, if you plan to create items, complete missions, etc.
    - Level a character takes too much time. Im saying that, because you will need to swap characters and if you leave one with too behind of the main party, you will have a good pain to level it up.
    - Forget it about get 100% (platinum trophie) of this one. It tooks over 500 hours and 3-4 full gameplays. Most of this time is consulming doing redudant gridding to earn battle trophies (kill oponents in special conditions/actions). Have a life and try do it!

    * I am a player usual with RPG games that looks to complete 100% when possible.
    ** all this review is based in a game play of 120 hours.    … Expand
  12. DaylanT
    Feb 16, 2010
    9
    these "reviewers" need to stop trying to kill the jrpg scene. star ocean is a great and fun game and the voice acting is nowhere near as bad as the media says. if your an rpg fan you will have a ball with this one.
  13. MartinD.
    Feb 14, 2010
    9
    Great visuals, excellent battle system, Being a JRPG expect long cut scenes which are reasonable. Experience some crashing/freezing during battle sequences but aside from this technical issue, it can be a prelude to FF XIII.
  14. KevinH
    Feb 11, 2010
    10
    An outstanding JRPG ported to the PS3. This is the definative version of the game. The Japanese voice over option for the ps3 which was not available on the xbox 360 is just icing on the cake! Another improvement comes in the visual department. The ps3 version is rendered in a high definition resolution whereas the 360 version was not.
  15. Super_Cloud
    Jan 1, 2016
    10
    This is my favorite game of all time. I was simply amazed by this game, the star ocean series made me dream about so many thing, i started getting interested alot about space in real life. I absolutely loved the story, the characters are great, what i liked the most is exploring this game! The planet Roak is absolutely beautiful, i wish i could visit for real! I don't know why but no otherThis is my favorite game of all time. I was simply amazed by this game, the star ocean series made me dream about so many thing, i started getting interested alot about space in real life. I absolutely loved the story, the characters are great, what i liked the most is exploring this game! The planet Roak is absolutely beautiful, i wish i could visit for real! I don't know why but no other game made me feel good like SO4 did, this became my favorite game of all time really close with Persona 4 Golden, i'm really hyped for Star Ocean 5! This will remain a special forever to me.… Expand
  16. Marc19
    Jun 4, 2011
    8
    I've been a Star Ocean fan since the very beginning of the series. I thought that this was a pretty solid game, and being part of the Star Ocean franchise had a lot to live up to. Sure some of the voice acting was bad and the dialogue was awkward sometimes, but those are things I can overlook. I felt the graphics were above average and the game play was very addictive. I've playedI've been a Star Ocean fan since the very beginning of the series. I thought that this was a pretty solid game, and being part of the Star Ocean franchise had a lot to live up to. Sure some of the voice acting was bad and the dialogue was awkward sometimes, but those are things I can overlook. I felt the graphics were above average and the game play was very addictive. I've played through it 3 times now and while the story is getting old, the game play keeps me entertained.… Expand
  17. pg-shadowrunner
    Dec 3, 2011
    8
    I do a more complete review here: http://petergamingblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-review-star-ocean-last-hope-ps3.html. But what can I say? Its a decent game. It looks gorgeous, the music is great, the combat is fun, and the broad strokes of the story are quite enjoyable.
  18. Dezuuu
    Apr 4, 2012
    8
    A solid JRPG. Fun and dynamic combat, good level design and a great soundtrack are what make this game great. Story isn't all that interesting, characters are as generic as they can be, but the graphics are great. Some animations are somewhat strange, but in battle they look flashy and good.

    Pick this up if you want to sink quite some time into a good JRPG.
  19. LaiusBunansa
    Jul 11, 2015
    7
    Since I had played the Series up to the first installment, on PSP, I can say that there were plot holes if we're talking about the myth of the game but nonetheless the story is good but it can induce boredom at times. Yeah the terrible voice acting also had a great impact in making this game bad. It just feels so awkward watching and hearing your character sound so lifeless at good timesSince I had played the Series up to the first installment, on PSP, I can say that there were plot holes if we're talking about the myth of the game but nonetheless the story is good but it can induce boredom at times. Yeah the terrible voice acting also had a great impact in making this game bad. It just feels so awkward watching and hearing your character sound so lifeless at good times or sound so excited when it was not necessary. The PA system also was kind of a bizarre? It comes random and talks about random stuffs. Unlike the Star Ocean 1 and 2. PAs have coherence and support the main plot and even provides the player of the characters' deeper stories and agendas. But overall Star Ocean The Last Hope is still enjoyable.… Expand
  20. Torreyes
    Jan 23, 2018
    10
    This game is Magnificent !! Love everything about the game Awesome combat system, beautiful Story and it's finally a Great Adventure. If you like RPG games and games like Nino Kuni or white knight chronicles this is a must buy. Besides 20€ for such a game...? It's a give away in my opinion. Everyone should give themselves the opportunity to experience this game because this is what a gameThis game is Magnificent !! Love everything about the game Awesome combat system, beautiful Story and it's finally a Great Adventure. If you like RPG games and games like Nino Kuni or white knight chronicles this is a must buy. Besides 20€ for such a game...? It's a give away in my opinion. Everyone should give themselves the opportunity to experience this game because this is what a game should be: Amazing… Expand
  21. Hollowman064
    Jul 19, 2020
    9
    I find this to be a great game. You have plenty to do and the story / game is pretty massive. It does have some downsides to it like some of the story isn't great and there are missable quests but I feel that's nothing compared to the entire game overall. They have difficulties for every type of player and content for after you beat the game. The replayablity factor is there.

Awards & Rankings

96
#96 Best PS3 Game of 2010
62
#62 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2010
14
#14 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 45 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 45
  3. Negative: 1 out of 45
  1. 1UP
    75
    Star Ocean contains an interesting plot buried in its depths, but it's incredibly demanding of your time and your patience.
    Read full review
  2. Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
    60
    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]
  3. Game Informer
    70
    Even PS3 gamers who would be playing it for the first time should be wary about a purchase. [Issue#203, p.97]
See all critic reviews »