Star Ocean: The Second Story

 PlayStation
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 75 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 63 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 75
  3. Negative: 7 out of 75
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  1. AlienSpaceBats
    Jan 25, 2014
    5
    I found The Second Story too mired in archaic JRPG conventions that made the game impossible to enjoy. I wanted to like it, and I did for a few hours, but the prospect of having to grind (and grind some more) to proceed, ridiculous difficulty spikes, content hidden to all but psychics (suffers from "how was I supposed to know that!?" syndrome) ensured I cancelled my adventure 6 hours in.I found The Second Story too mired in archaic JRPG conventions that made the game impossible to enjoy. I wanted to like it, and I did for a few hours, but the prospect of having to grind (and grind some more) to proceed, ridiculous difficulty spikes, content hidden to all but psychics (suffers from "how was I supposed to know that!?" syndrome) ensured I cancelled my adventure 6 hours in. Unexpectedly weak.… Expand
  2. VidM.
    Nov 9, 2004
    7
    Loved the first world. Hated the second. First twenty hours or so are awesome, but by then the game has played itself out.
  3. thej_16
    Dec 22, 2013
    7
    The battle system is the best thing about this game, it was fun and made grinding a lot easier then other RPG's you come across. story wise however i found that it was left wanting as it slowly built up to an anti climatic finish which seemed premature given events prior to it. The battle system was enough that i kept playing and item creation plus other special abilities kept it fun.The battle system is the best thing about this game, it was fun and made grinding a lot easier then other RPG's you come across. story wise however i found that it was left wanting as it slowly built up to an anti climatic finish which seemed premature given events prior to it. The battle system was enough that i kept playing and item creation plus other special abilities kept it fun. overall it was good but lacking in some areas especially story line.
    graphics 8/10
    game play 8/10
    story 4/10    … Expand
  4. zaozabot30
    Feb 26, 2023
    7
    Could've been a great game. Combat is chaotic and unresponsive, would've been better if it was turn based. Crafting mechanics is a gimmick and not that fun to use. Grinding is a must. Inventory management is horrible, especially in combat.
    Pixel characters look fine, but nothing special. Some prerendered backgrounds aged poorly, others are gorgeous. World is fun to explore, each city is    Could've been a great game. Combat is chaotic and unresponsive, would've been better if it was turn based. Crafting mechanics is a gimmick and not that fun to use. Grinding is a must. Inventory management is horrible, especially in combat.
    Pixel characters look fine, but nothing special. Some prerendered backgrounds aged poorly, others are gorgeous. World is fun to explore, each city is unique and each dungeon has a style. Music is there.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Best PS1 Game of 1999
20
#20 Most Discussed PS1 Game of 1999

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 1 out of 13
  1. PSM Magazine
    80
    Delivers an engaging adventure for an instant role-playing classic.
  2. Just RPG
    96
    I would have to say the single feature that most caught my attention would have to be the emotional points. Started in the original Star Ocean game, it has been honed and perfected in the sequel (I am told it's better in the next in the series).
    Read full review
  3. PSX Nation
    90
    The problem I found here is that swithcing between characters in your party and trying to control them all at once is pretty hard. It's nice that Enix and Tri-Ace added the option to choose but we feel that the standard is the way to go.
    Read full review
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