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. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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
  4. 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!
  5. 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
  6. MikeL.
    Feb 14, 2010
    10
    Great game. Love the story and graphics.
  7. 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
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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
  12. 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
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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
  16. 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

All reviews »
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 »