When i was a teenager i remember seeing star ocean until the end of time on the gamestop shelf. I remember thinking to myself, "wow, that box art looks wild" thats when i got into star ocean and im glad i did
That is how I discovered many of my favorite games I have ever played. That fateful first glance at that artwork and the rest becomes history. I hope that I can still find more games that way.
Yeah I remember going to the game store as a kid and choosing the game by the onl thing you saw about it, the box art and the behind box art, just chosing a game like that without a clue of the game was something magical.@@megidolaon6045
The Same way i discovered Star Ocean too as a 14 year old lol I saw the game on a Gameshelf in late 2004 and an avid gamer ( who was an adult gamer ) walked past me and simply said " Oh yes " when he looked at Star Ocean Till The End Of Time and took the game into his hands , intrigued i took his reaction towards the game and the fact that i didnt wanna leave the games shop empty-handed that day so i thought i try my hands on this 'Star Ocean' , ever since i brought the Star Ocean Till The End Of Time i got hooked on the series , i wish i could say i started with the 'best in the series' i.e. Star Ocean 2:The Second Story , but all in all am glad i finally get to try my hands on Gemdrops remake version of the Second Star Ocean thats considered 'the best' in the series
It wont get GOTY solely because there are some crazy contenders this year, BUT it will be my personal GOTY. Original is a top 3 game of all time for me. so fucking good.
It was my favorite JRPG from my PSX days in the '90s. So many people don't know it and haven't played it. It's hard to get people to play those old ones, so I'm hoping this remake gets more people to give it a shot!
If you thought the original or psp version was fantastic, you’re in for the treat of a lifetime. I’ve loved every minute of this remake. It’s like coming back home.
Seeing what they can do with star ocean remakes, makes me want a star ocean three remake because that’s my personal favorite and I am a little biased because it is the first star ocean game I played, you can only imagine the why I screamed when I unlocked fayt assist attack,seeing him in pixel style was great
The updated graphics and music (though you can use the original soundtrack if desired), the quality of life improvements, and updates to how skills work have blown my mind. Even small things like updating Wind Blade so that it’s now not a waste of MP is so nice.
Ironically, you did a nice job explaining why this absolutely will not be contender for GOTY. All the complicated mechanics and secrets mining will be great for veterans and hair pulling frustration for casual gamers. Games like TOTK and Mario Wonder provide something everyone of any age and any skill level can get into and have fun with. Both games provide just the right amount of challenge while not making it a frustrating slog. This game and Baldur's Gate 3 are like a really good beer. they're an acquired taste. All this said, This game can totally be in the running for classic JRPG remake of the year. Got this game on STEAM and can't wait to sink my teeth into it.
Yeah this game will definitely have a bit of a hard time breaking much ground with the casual audience and you're absolutely right they're an acquired taste. Kinda like Baldur's Gate 3 though, I think it's one that a lot of people can get behind if they give it a shot so hopefully people will give it a chance and take the plunge. I hope you have as much fun with SO2 as I am!
@@whyitsfun I'm confident I will. I'm an RPG guy at heart so these are my type of games. I actually don't have Mario Wonder because I don't like platformers. I'd get BG3 but my computer isn't powerful enough to run it.
1:17 Just a heads up, there are 13 party members, not 12. Claude, Rena, Celine, Ashton, Opera, Earnest, Bowman, Precis, Dias, Leon, Chrisato, Noel, and Welch. Also I think the max party limit is 8 not 6 based on my PS1 and PSP playthroughs, but I haven't gotten that far yet with this version.
Appreciate the correction! I forgot about Welch I had a feeling I might. That original 12 is stuck in my head from the first release haha. Technically yeah the max party size is 8 but that's not including Claude and Rena who are mandatory so we wind up with 6 open slots.
I would argue 2023 is another 1998 for video games. 1998 was a golden year for video games... Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Resident Evil 2, Metal Gear Solid, StarCraft, Xenogears, Star Ocean: The Second Story (released in Japan that year, but didn't come Stateside until '99), Parasite Eve, Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, Marvel vs. Capcom, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Mario Party, need I go on here?
I think the arguement could definitely be made. I'm working on a video about all of the games that would be GOTY or contenders in any other year but are gonna be forgotten in this one and the list just keeps growing
Awesome review and editing. I've watched a lot of game reviews and yours is top notch. 👍 I'm so excited to play this. SO2 is my top3 JRPG from the PSX era. I secretly wished for a remake for a long time and only heard about this remake like 2 weeks ago.. It's staight up the best surprise in Gaming for me this year, even tho there's tons of other crazy good games this year.. Subscribed, keep up the quality work.
I really appreciate it! It's really encouraging to hear all of the positive feedback so far and wow! I can only imagine how hype it must've been finding out this was coming last minute haha. Here's hoping in between this and the Divine Force apparently doing pretty ok, Star Ocean is truly back.
Thank you so much for telling us about party members!! I wish that was actually explained during the game! I've played the first few hours, and i lovr this game so far . Thank you for helping me to get hyped up again :)
This is big news. The original SO: The Second Story was a favourite of mine, and one of the few I played through several times over. I will check this out for sure.
I have always been a big RPG fan and SO2 on PSX back in the day was MY JAM!! .. Don't get me wrong, I love the FF games.. but SO2 was just so amazing. Ive played it over and over on PSX and PSP.. Now we go again with SO2R!! It has been a blast so far. All the memories and things I remember. This game can be broken in a ton of ways if you put your mind to all the systems and read into how they work and interact. The crafting in this game is just so much fun.. and yes.. Please look up a guide because there is a lot to the team and to crafting that you would otherwise be stuck having to learn yourself.
It may not have been as popular as final fantasy, but I do remember star ocean 2 being talked about quite a bit in magazines in the us. I remember enjoying this game back in the ps1 days. Currently playing the star ocean 1 remaster on switch
I'm currently playing the SO2 remake on PS5 and it's a phenomenal game already. Still on the first continent and about 8 hours in. First time playing any Star Ocean game actually!
Great video, I'm loving the remake myself but I'd pay for DLC that 1. Lets me recruit whomever after I"ve finished both Claude & Rena's POV's. 2. Give me more modern hd sprites that look more like the new, amazing art, but add an option in the settings to switch too the originals for nostalgia's sake. Anyway, just some nitpicks but I'm loving this remake so-far. I picked it up for the ps5 for now but I'll definitely get it for the switch later, and maybe the PC if they never add in more recruitment possibilities.
its my most anticipated game of the fall and one of my all time fav JRPGS but come on man. GOTY? no one gonna take you serious when you say stuff like that
That's more than fair but imo looking at GOTY in the context of only a single game or even one game per genre is kinda silly. There are too many good games coming out every year and it feels reductive to niche down too much. Personally, I look at my personal GOTY and GOTY contenders in general as games that made such a meaningful mark, that stand out so much when you think of that year those gameplay experiences will come to mind and I'd argue Star Ocean is special enough to have a shot at that but we'll see haha
If I had a nickel for every JRPG named after a large body of water of stars where you pick between a blue haired or blonde haired protagonist at the start that released in 2023, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
I stared this game today and it immediately shot my anxiety levels up. The amount of missable content/party members was almost overwhelming not to mention the whole "Nimble fingers talent" rng 😢. But imma stick with it 👊🏽
Yeah it's definitely kinda a lot haha overwhelming is a good way to put it. Not gonna lie II sorta love that about Star Ocean since so many other games can just be breezed through
Hey that's very fair! Baldur's Gate 3 is incredible. Lots of winners this year in between Star Ocean, Remnant, Zelda, the list just goes on and on haha
They could have had far better combat like Tales (smoother transitions and combos) - and would it have killed them to update the Sprites a little lol.... I love the blast from the past, but this was $65 CAN on steam
@@whyitsfun I played till the end of time when I was a child and it was such a cool game. Never finished it though. Gotta give it a go sometime. Such a unique concept with recruiting party members. Like playing an anime for real.
Jesus, the term "GOTY" is thrown around so carelessly. This game is dope as fuck and I'm excited to play it, but people need to be realistic when it comes down to the competition. 😂 That W is going to either Tears of the Kingdom or Baldur’s Gate 3.
I’m confused on which skills to spend my BP and SP on. I see they raise stats but idk how they tie into the individual character. Other than that this is a beautiful game.
That definitely takes a moment to get used to cuz there are so many skills. The best advice I can give is grab "Determination" asap since that lower the sp requirement for other skills. Courage and Poker Face are also great early gets because they enable pickpocketing. On your mages it's huge to build into high stamina (STM) because that will help you regen more MP after each battle so you don't have to worry about that as much. Hope you're having fun!
Loved the demo, but I rather chose Sea of Stars as the best RPG of the Year, because it's new and fresh. Star Ocean 2 although it's an amazing remake, it's not new at all.
I haven't managed to play Sea of Stars yet since I'm stubborn and want to finish the Messenger at some point first haha. I've heard excellent things though!
Is the game long? The 80 endings thing feels a bit daunting and if it’s a really long game I won’t be able to see more than one or maybe two endings cause of limited time. Also I don’t hear many people talking about how it runs on switch (which is what I would play it on).
The 80 endings are largely variations. Whether you picked Claude or Rena at start, which characters you recruited into your party, and your relationships with those characters as well as their relationships with each other are the determining factors for endings. Think of it as a 'who ends up with who's type deal. Biggest difference platforms are the FPS. 30 on Switch, think it's 60 for the others.
@Thanatology101 beat me to it haha. I wouldn't stress too much about the ending variants. You can also use an endgame save to reload and manipulate relationship levels to see the other endings if you like. In terms of length though you can probably burn through this in about 20ish hours but if you're enjoying your time with the game and engaging in its systems and side activities closer to 40-50+ is likely more realistic.
So have the people who are reviewing the game finished it? Because Second Story's final 15 - 20 percent has always been pretty bad. Did it improve in the remake?
I believe industry reviewers who received early copies have and I haven't heard anything about changing the actual content of the games story in that sense. I imagine it still stumbles a bit in the last 15% or so like most Star Ocean/Tales games but the new systems and new game plus will make it a bit more worthwhile and the experience overall remains just as brilliant as ever.
Very true, I've never personally been a fan of Noel specifically but that's part of what makes Star Ocean 2 so great. You've got a lot of options to approach the situation at hand and they're all viable. I don't like Noel personally but he's great generally
I played the demo over the weekend, I absolutely loved it, except your companions, in almost every fight, especially the second one you recruit, they literally stand and so nothing no matter what their Tactics were set to. Did anyone else notice this, and is it better in full game? Compared to your party members in Tales of Arise it was pretty abysmal.
As far as I can tell that's caused by the "balanced" tactics option (or something like that I don't have the game in front of me). The mages don't seem like they use their auto attack at all so once they get low on MP they just stand there or run away. But if you change the tactics setting to "all out" they'll keep fighting until they run out of mp. I'm getting the feeling based on the way the character skill system works and how fast things scale this is something that will be a bit annoying in the early game but will become a non issue relatively quickly but idk for sure. It definitely gave me pause for a sec when I noticed Celine and Rena constantly just hanging out while I did all the work haha.
you can have up to 8 party members, 4 active and 4 reserve (not 6). oh and unless you are a 100% compleasionist, don't ever get Asten. He just planly sucks, and the 2 char's you can get if you skip him are a million times better.
I have the game and I like a lot about it. I love the graphical style, the music is decent, character portrait art is beautiful and I love the old school open world that you can explore but good lord I cannot get behind the combat at all. I never liked tales combat and this is like tales style running left to right and up and down trying to lock down enemies. Really dont like the combat at all.
Damn, you were already selling me the game, but you said the game is cozy and for me that's the new word for boring without saying boring.🙄For example " OH it's a cozy game, you just wait for 3 hours doing nothing " or " repeat the same task over and over again, is a cozy game ! "
I hear where you're coming from but I don't mean cozy in terms of repetitive gameplay I mean cozy in the sense that these kinds of experiences in general, the classic jrpg journey with such a strong focus on party mechanics alongside the story, are really nice to sit back and relax with. Really easy to get immersed in and just enjoy the experience without worrying too much about extraneous factors.
I downloaded and tried the demo (something that all games should have) and I really liked it, yes, it starts slow but the story and its characters are interesting enough for me not to lose interest. So today I ended up buying it. I hope to be very surprised with this game🙂@@whyitsfun
I thought this was just going to be another basic remake, still enjoyable but nothing too special, and instead I find myself thinking the same. This won't win RPG of the year but it should be mentioned in the conversation and and be an example of how to do remakes right.
Super interested in this game! Wonder if i should get it on switch or ps4. Looks like a great game to play on switch but on ps4 i can wait for a sale 🧐
I've heard great things about the Switch version! It could definitely be fun to play on the go. Very fair point about the price though haha and it's great on playstation too.
Loading times before and after every combats seem to be very long on Switch 😅. I think it can be useful to watch some gameplay of the 2 versions to realize if important to you or not... 🙂
Yeaaah it kinda sucks. I was hoping that was something that changed in the remake or that the conditions were loosened up a bit at least. But at the same time, I feel like it gives your choice of who to include more weight and I don't know if the game would be the same without the limited party. It'll be really fun regardless though and new game plus is a huge help.
I've been following this game closely every since I saw it at a Nintendo Direct (I think?). The game looks like something I'd really enjoy, but I'm not all that hot on the action-turn-based gameplay in a lot of modern jrpgs. I loved the stories from both FF7R and Tales of Arise but the combat from either game was a major turn-off.
I'd highly recommend trying out the demo to get a feel for the combat! The Second Story R plays *very* differently to both FF7R and Arise. It's hard to point to a direct comparison because it's so unique but if you've ever played older Tales games like Vesperia it's much closer to that than Arise.
@whyitsfun so bear with me here, I played the demo last night, and I couldn't figure out the VA changes? I'm going to pick the full game up today after work. The demo VA just sounds like AI and the only character that had some soul was Regis. The VA isn't a huge deal cos I can just turn it off but it's the only thing I didn't enjoy so much...
@@mewtkeys Oh yeah, to be fair the game isn't super clear about the changes. Only Japanese got an updated set of voicelines so if you're playing in english you're unfortunately stuck with the psp version. I can definitely see where you're coming from in terms of the sound being slightly off but it feels more like the age than anything. Totally get if it doesn't land for you though :)
@whyitsfun I was reading that online literally like 30 minutes ago! I didn't see your reply but yes im definitely going JP since I saw they got the original cast to redo the dialogue! Yep I'm sold on it. I'll be picking it up right after work. Cheers!
@whyitsfun well, I am platinuming ff7 rebirth currently and that's pretty fun. Plan on playing Sekiro afterwards. Modern games in general have been pretty meh though. I usually like older games. Maybe it's because I played a modern version of star ocean that just wasn't great. Golden sun is probably my all time favorite.
@@kevinburke1325 Golden Sun is an untouchable classic for me too haha. Give me a Golden Sun Remake and I'll be over the moon cuz I think it's just a slightly different style of design than we're used to and haven't really seen in the same way since. I kinda feel the same way about Star Ocean. It's a vibe in the same way Star Trek is a vibe imo. Not to say its the same level of quality, cuz it's not full stop, but Star Ocean is great popcorn comfort scifi imo. Hope you love Sekiro it's incredible. Not my favorite Fromsoft game but one of their most unique and just as genre-defining as the rest
![[DOKKAN BATTLE] Worldwide Campaign Announcement Video Part 2!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/JpT5Voak6WA/mqdefault.jpg)
I screamed when they announced the remake. One of my favorite games as a teen. Loved it then, love the care this remake was given now.
When i was a teenager i remember seeing star ocean until the end of time on the gamestop shelf. I remember thinking to myself, "wow, that box art looks wild" thats when i got into star ocean and im glad i did
That is how I discovered many of my favorite games I have ever played. That fateful first glance at that artwork and the rest becomes history. I hope that I can still find more games that way.
Yeah I remember going to the game store as a kid and choosing the game by the onl thing you saw about it, the box art and the behind box art, just chosing a game like that without a clue of the game was something magical.@@megidolaon6045
The Same way i discovered Star Ocean too as a 14 year old lol I saw the game on a Gameshelf in late 2004 and an avid gamer ( who was an adult gamer ) walked past me and simply said " Oh yes " when he looked at Star Ocean Till The End Of Time and took the game into his hands , intrigued i took his reaction towards the game and the fact that i didnt wanna leave the games shop empty-handed that day so i thought i try my hands on this 'Star Ocean' , ever since i brought the Star Ocean Till The End Of Time i got hooked on the series , i wish i could say i started with the 'best in the series' i.e. Star Ocean 2:The Second Story , but all in all am glad i finally get to try my hands on Gemdrops remake version of the Second Star Ocean thats considered 'the best' in the series
It wont get GOTY solely because there are some crazy contenders this year, BUT it will be my personal GOTY. Original is a top 3 game of all time for me. so fucking good.
It really is an insane year. I love that Gemdrops delivered so strongly with the Second Story R that Star Ocean can still stand out though.
The remake is better than the original so now it's a top 3 game of all time (the OG got knocked out).
I can't think of any others 😅 been playing ffxiv
Played the demo and my copy arrived today so I'm happy :)
It was my favorite JRPG from my PSX days in the '90s. So many people don't know it and haven't played it. It's hard to get people to play those old ones, so I'm hoping this remake gets more people to give it a shot!
Nice editing! Im so happy to hear so2 is being so well recieved
Thanks and so am I! Seeing it do so well gives me a bit of hope we'll see a 3 remake at some point too
If you thought the original or psp version was fantastic, you’re in for the treat of a lifetime. I’ve loved every minute of this remake. It’s like coming back home.
Facts man, I've put more hours into this game more quickly than any game I've played since XC3.
Seeing what they can do with star ocean remakes, makes me want a star ocean three remake because that’s my personal favorite and I am a little biased because it is the first star ocean game I played, you can only imagine the why I screamed when I unlocked fayt assist attack,seeing him in pixel style was great
The assists were such a nice touch. Here's hoping after seeing how well S02 is doing, Square gives 3 the same treatment
This video was very impressive, hope to see your channel grow more! I was shocked that you have less than 1k subs.
Thank you so much! I definitely hope to keep getting better at this so I can grow and share more of my love for gaming!
The updated graphics and music (though you can use the original soundtrack if desired), the quality of life improvements, and updates to how skills work have blown my mind. Even small things like updating Wind Blade so that it’s now not a waste of MP is so nice.
It really is kinda insane how many of the little annoyances they fixed without ruining the overall feel
As someone who speedruns Star Ocean games, this makes me really happy to see how much love it's getting
Ironically, you did a nice job explaining why this absolutely will not be contender for GOTY. All the complicated mechanics and secrets mining will be great for veterans and hair pulling frustration for casual gamers. Games like TOTK and Mario Wonder provide something everyone of any age and any skill level can get into and have fun with. Both games provide just the right amount of challenge while not making it a frustrating slog. This game and Baldur's Gate 3 are like a really good beer. they're an acquired taste.
All this said, This game can totally be in the running for classic JRPG remake of the year. Got this game on STEAM and can't wait to sink my teeth into it.
Yeah this game will definitely have a bit of a hard time breaking much ground with the casual audience and you're absolutely right they're an acquired taste. Kinda like Baldur's Gate 3 though, I think it's one that a lot of people can get behind if they give it a shot so hopefully people will give it a chance and take the plunge. I hope you have as much fun with SO2 as I am!
@@whyitsfun I'm confident I will. I'm an RPG guy at heart so these are my type of games. I actually don't have Mario Wonder because I don't like platformers. I'd get BG3 but my computer isn't powerful enough to run it.
1:17 Just a heads up, there are 13 party members, not 12. Claude, Rena, Celine, Ashton, Opera, Earnest, Bowman, Precis, Dias, Leon, Chrisato, Noel, and Welch. Also I think the max party limit is 8 not 6 based on my PS1 and PSP playthroughs, but I haven't gotten that far yet with this version.
Appreciate the correction! I forgot about Welch I had a feeling I might. That original 12 is stuck in my head from the first release haha. Technically yeah the max party size is 8 but that's not including Claude and Rena who are mandatory so we wind up with 6 open slots.
I would argue 2023 is another 1998 for video games. 1998 was a golden year for video games... Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Resident Evil 2, Metal Gear Solid, StarCraft, Xenogears, Star Ocean: The Second Story (released in Japan that year, but didn't come Stateside until '99), Parasite Eve, Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, Marvel vs. Capcom, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Mario Party, need I go on here?
I think the arguement could definitely be made. I'm working on a video about all of the games that would be GOTY or contenders in any other year but are gonna be forgotten in this one and the list just keeps growing
Awesome review and editing. I've watched a lot of game reviews and yours is top notch. 👍
I'm so excited to play this. SO2 is my top3 JRPG from the PSX era. I secretly wished for a remake for a long time and only heard about this remake like 2 weeks ago..
It's staight up the best surprise in Gaming for me this year, even tho there's tons of other crazy good games this year..
Subscribed, keep up the quality work.
I really appreciate it! It's really encouraging to hear all of the positive feedback so far and wow! I can only imagine how hype it must've been finding out this was coming last minute haha. Here's hoping in between this and the Divine Force apparently doing pretty ok, Star Ocean is truly back.
The thumbnail: Over a Barrel! ;)
This game is awesome!
Thank you so much for telling us about party members!! I wish that was actually explained during the game! I've played the first few hours, and i lovr this game so far . Thank you for helping me to get hyped up again :)
This is big news. The original SO: The Second Story was a favourite of mine, and one of the few I played through several times over. I will check this out for sure.
i played this for 16 hours each day for 3 days straight the day it came out
I even took vacation days to do this
SO WORTH
Zelda tear of the kingdom and Mario rpg, wonder and others* as Competition now. 😯 This game deserves best game on switch
I have always been a big RPG fan and SO2 on PSX back in the day was MY JAM!! .. Don't get me wrong, I love the FF games.. but SO2 was just so amazing. Ive played it over and over on PSX and PSP.. Now we go again with SO2R!! It has been a blast so far. All the memories and things I remember. This game can be broken in a ton of ways if you put your mind to all the systems and read into how they work and interact. The crafting in this game is just so much fun.. and yes.. Please look up a guide because there is a lot to the team and to crafting that you would otherwise be stuck having to learn yourself.
should have its own category , GODLIKE REMAKE , how remake should be done Award in the game awards
Great editing! Hope your channel keeps growing.
Thank you so much! I have a lot of work to do to improve so hopefully the channel grows alongside me.
Dialogue is shockingly superb too. The private action system ensures every interaction is nuanced and entertaining.
It may not have been as popular as final fantasy, but I do remember star ocean 2 being talked about quite a bit in magazines in the us. I remember enjoying this game back in the ps1 days. Currently playing the star ocean 1 remaster on switch
I'm currently playing the SO2 remake on PS5 and it's a phenomenal game already. Still on the first continent and about 8 hours in. First time playing any Star Ocean game actually!
@@vgnvideogameninja2930 it's more fun crafting and doing private actions during a playthrough than just running through the story
Absolutely the gold standard for remakes going forward. Having a blast with this game, perfect combination of nostalgia amd fresh fun.
Great video, I'm loving the remake myself but I'd pay for DLC that 1. Lets me recruit whomever after I"ve finished both Claude & Rena's POV's. 2. Give me more modern hd sprites that look more like the new, amazing art, but add an option in the settings to switch too the originals for nostalgia's sake. Anyway, just some nitpicks but I'm loving this remake so-far. I picked it up for the ps5 for now but I'll definitely get it for the switch later, and maybe the PC if they never add in more recruitment possibilities.
This is the best time to be a JRPG fan. Star ocean 2 and mario rpg remakes back to back. Plus the FF pixel remaster etc etc and so much more
Absolutely true. It's hard to pick and choose what to play nowadays
the anime was nice too, back in the day.
Yeaaah the anime was a ton of fun
I feel that most games this year are GOTY worthy
speaking of crafting I was already able to make silvance which is a super strong sword for claude and I'm only 10hrs into it this game is so good!
Oh damn nice! I did a bit of farming for a Sword of Marvels but may wind up not using it much cuz I'm enjoying the combat too much haha.
@whyitsfun the combat is so good man 😊 probably helps I beat star ocean first departure before this so I know all about the skills I need to be using
its my most anticipated game of the fall and one of my all time fav JRPGS but come on man. GOTY? no one gonna take you serious when you say stuff like that
That's more than fair but imo looking at GOTY in the context of only a single game or even one game per genre is kinda silly. There are too many good games coming out every year and it feels reductive to niche down too much. Personally, I look at my personal GOTY and GOTY contenders in general as games that made such a meaningful mark, that stand out so much when you think of that year those gameplay experiences will come to mind and I'd argue Star Ocean is special enough to have a shot at that but we'll see haha
Maybe title it "JRPG GOTY Contender".Would be much more apt. @@whyitsfun
You can have 8 party members, but great video!!!!
If I had a nickel for every JRPG named after a large body of water of stars where you pick between a blue haired or blonde haired protagonist at the start that released in 2023, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
It's super weird. It's weird we're getting so many incredible JRPGS back to back in general haha
I think I still have some GameFAQs printouts for the PS1 version. I loved this game, and I'm looking forward to revisiting the world.
We all know what game Goty will be and it's clearly BG3, no matter how good the other games were this year, none of them come close
BG3 was incredible, I don't think anyone would be too mad at that haha.
I think its a good game, but I had more fun with RE4R. Lets not forget Zelda and Mario Wonder came out this year. BG3 has a lot to beat.
This video was incredible with great vibes. Subscribed and I'll be checking out star ocean for sure this weekend!
Thanks and welcome to the channel! Hope you have as much fun with Star Ocean thi weekend as ['m having!
Great video, actually sold me on this game
It was too advanced in its time, glad people now noticing this Gem, and it was never hidden, just too early.
I really like this vid's writing and the points you've made here. Well earned sub!
Thanks! Can't wait to share more incredible games with you!
I stared this game today and it immediately shot my anxiety levels up. The amount of missable content/party members was almost overwhelming not to mention the whole "Nimble fingers talent" rng 😢. But imma stick with it 👊🏽
Yeah it's definitely kinda a lot haha overwhelming is a good way to put it. Not gonna lie II sorta love that about Star Ocean since so many other games can just be breezed through
once I unlocked the crafting skills I spent 2-3hours JUST with that >_
My zoomer brain likes your editing style. Only recommendation is some subway surfer gameplay in the corner.
Gotcha covered I'll toss in Jonesy doing the griddy too haha
Magnificent editing bro, I was hooked the whole time
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Can't wait to share even more
Love me some SO2, but GOTY is going Baldurs Gate 3
Hey that's very fair! Baldur's Gate 3 is incredible. Lots of winners this year in between Star Ocean, Remnant, Zelda, the list just goes on and on haha
Nice point of comparison with Starfield👌🏾
Makes me sad to think of what that game could have been and I don’t even own a XBox.
That's so real. I genuinely felt so bad for my friends who went into Starfield expecting so many things and receiving almost none of them.
you can ACTUALLY SEE emotion lvl wow
Right? No more fortune teller nonsense
I wouldnt sleep but scalpers hit hard on this game. Still waiting for amazon to restock.
wow I had no idea it had popped off hard enough to bring the scalpers out haha
They could have had far better combat like Tales (smoother transitions and combos) - and would it have killed them to update the Sprites a little lol.... I love the blast from the past, but this was $65 CAN on steam
Star Ocean Second Story is peak star ocean.
Dude you pretty much just sold me this game haha.
Good we need more Star Ocean fans in the world haha
@@whyitsfun I played till the end of time when I was a child and it was such a cool game. Never finished it though. Gotta give it a go sometime. Such a unique concept with recruiting party members. Like playing an anime for real.
Would love to play but the fact you can only recruit a certain amount of party members stresses me lol
You can pick the other characters when playing the other starting character, so it works out. :)
Sleeper of the year. Will win for GOTY and revolutionizing how remakes of originals should be done.
Jesus, the term "GOTY" is thrown around so carelessly. This game is dope as fuck and I'm excited to play it, but people need to be realistic when it comes down to the competition. 😂 That W is going to either Tears of the Kingdom or Baldur’s Gate 3.
It's my GOTY for sure, amazing remake.
I’m confused on which skills to spend my BP and SP on. I see they raise stats but idk how they tie into the individual character. Other than that this is a beautiful game.
That definitely takes a moment to get used to cuz there are so many skills. The best advice I can give is grab "Determination" asap since that lower the sp requirement for other skills. Courage and Poker Face are also great early gets because they enable pickpocketing. On your mages it's huge to build into high stamina (STM) because that will help you regen more MP after each battle so you don't have to worry about that as much. Hope you're having fun!
It might win RPG OF THE YEAR... but yeah MARIO RPG would be its rival....
It's definitely been a heck of a year for gaming. Probably some of the most consistent back to back bangers we've seen in a while
Loved the demo, but I rather chose Sea of Stars as the best RPG of the Year, because it's new and fresh. Star Ocean 2 although it's an amazing remake, it's not new at all.
I haven't managed to play Sea of Stars yet since I'm stubborn and want to finish the Messenger at some point first haha. I've heard excellent things though!
Hello. If I haven't played Star Ocean 1 (I heard there's a remaster of it?) can I jump into the 2nd one or do I need to play 1 first?
Dont worry you can jump to so2 directly.
Feel free to jump straight into SO2! There are very slight references to 1 but it's really not the biggest deal.
Is the game long? The 80 endings thing feels a bit daunting and if it’s a really long game I won’t be able to see more than one or maybe two endings cause of limited time. Also I don’t hear many people talking about how it runs on switch (which is what I would play it on).
The 80 endings are largely variations. Whether you picked Claude or Rena at start, which characters you recruited into your party, and your relationships with those characters as well as their relationships with each other are the determining factors for endings. Think of it as a 'who ends up with who's type deal.
Biggest difference platforms are the FPS. 30 on Switch, think it's 60 for the others.
@Thanatology101 beat me to it haha. I wouldn't stress too much about the ending variants. You can also use an endgame save to reload and manipulate relationship levels to see the other endings if you like. In terms of length though you can probably burn through this in about 20ish hours but if you're enjoying your time with the game and engaging in its systems and side activities closer to 40-50+ is likely more realistic.
So have the people who are reviewing the game finished it? Because Second Story's final 15 - 20 percent has always been pretty bad. Did it improve in the remake?
I believe industry reviewers who received early copies have and I haven't heard anything about changing the actual content of the games story in that sense. I imagine it still stumbles a bit in the last 15% or so like most Star Ocean/Tales games but the new systems and new game plus will make it a bit more worthwhile and the experience overall remains just as brilliant as ever.
How can it be a GOTY contender when the orginal version has already been out for years?
Noel is actually quite useful, gotta use him right though.
Very true, I've never personally been a fan of Noel specifically but that's part of what makes Star Ocean 2 so great. You've got a lot of options to approach the situation at hand and they're all viable. I don't like Noel personally but he's great generally
I played the demo over the weekend, I absolutely loved it, except your companions, in almost every fight, especially the second one you recruit, they literally stand and so nothing no matter what their Tactics were set to. Did anyone else notice this, and is it better in full game? Compared to your party members in Tales of Arise it was pretty abysmal.
As far as I can tell that's caused by the "balanced" tactics option (or something like that I don't have the game in front of me). The mages don't seem like they use their auto attack at all so once they get low on MP they just stand there or run away. But if you change the tactics setting to "all out" they'll keep fighting until they run out of mp. I'm getting the feeling based on the way the character skill system works and how fast things scale this is something that will be a bit annoying in the early game but will become a non issue relatively quickly but idk for sure. It definitely gave me pause for a sec when I noticed Celine and Rena constantly just hanging out while I did all the work haha.
you can have up to 8 party members, 4 active and 4 reserve (not 6). oh and unless you are a 100% compleasionist, don't ever get Asten. He just planly sucks, and the 2 char's you can get if you skip him are a million times better.
I was referring to the 6 additional characters you can acquire aside from the 2 mandatory ones (Rena and Claude) so yes 8 total lol.
I have the game and I like a lot about it. I love the graphical style, the music is decent, character portrait art is beautiful and I love the old school open world that you can explore but good lord I cannot get behind the combat at all. I never liked tales combat and this is like tales style running left to right and up and down trying to lock down enemies. Really dont like the combat at all.
Great video! Got me super #HYPE
this does look fun. ff16 vs this for game of the year.
Damn, you were already selling me the game, but you said the game is cozy and for me that's the new word for boring without saying boring.🙄For example " OH it's a cozy game, you just wait for 3 hours doing nothing " or " repeat the same task over and over again, is a cozy game ! "
I hear where you're coming from but I don't mean cozy in terms of repetitive gameplay I mean cozy in the sense that these kinds of experiences in general, the classic jrpg journey with such a strong focus on party mechanics alongside the story, are really nice to sit back and relax with. Really easy to get immersed in and just enjoy the experience without worrying too much about extraneous factors.
I downloaded and tried the demo (something that all games should have) and I really liked it, yes, it starts slow but the story and its characters are interesting enough for me not to lose interest. So today I ended up buying it. I hope to be very surprised with this game🙂@@whyitsfun
Great review!!
I thought this was just going to be another basic remake, still enjoyable but nothing too special, and instead I find myself thinking the same. This won't win RPG of the year but it should be mentioned in the conversation and and be an example of how to do remakes right.
This has definitely been a really pleasant surprise. Gemdrops really did a great job respecting yet improving on the original.
Video was so good made me buy the game right after 😆
Super interested in this game!
Wonder if i should get it on switch or ps4. Looks like a great game to play on switch but on ps4 i can wait for a sale 🧐
I've heard great things about the Switch version! It could definitely be fun to play on the go. Very fair point about the price though haha and it's great on playstation too.
Loading times before and after every combats seem to be very long on Switch 😅. I think it can be useful to watch some gameplay of the 2 versions to realize if important to you or not... 🙂
@@shawnmichaelsdu85 good idea, i might do that!
Nice Video ! Sub & Big Like ! And Love Star Ocean !
It's a good review but damn don't put the final boss in a review man, spoilers.
Dang.... So you cant get all characters when you go on a new game plus mode
Yeaaah it kinda sucks. I was hoping that was something that changed in the remake or that the conditions were loosened up a bit at least. But at the same time, I feel like it gives your choice of who to include more weight and I don't know if the game would be the same without the limited party. It'll be really fun regardless though and new game plus is a huge help.
I've been following this game closely every since I saw it at a Nintendo Direct (I think?).
The game looks like something I'd really enjoy, but I'm not all that hot on the action-turn-based gameplay in a lot of modern jrpgs.
I loved the stories from both FF7R and Tales of Arise but the combat from either game was a major turn-off.
I'd highly recommend trying out the demo to get a feel for the combat! The Second Story R plays *very* differently to both FF7R and Arise. It's hard to point to a direct comparison because it's so unique but if you've ever played older Tales games like Vesperia it's much closer to that than Arise.
@@whyitsfun I don't ever try out demos but I might just do it for this game, thanks for the recommendation.
Contender.... Maybie
But let's be honest here
You can't top BG with just that
They done suikoden, they done eiyuden chronicles, they done star ocean 2 , now please do Xenogears while im still alive n kicking pls :'(
I feel like someone has gotta be kicking the idea around somewhere haha. A fresh Xenogears game would be perfect right now.
For rpg of the year why not but goty gotta go to alan wake 2 i think🎉
Preordered muthafuggaz!
Ill sleep until its on sale
Goty contender? Cmon man… it’s a good game though.
i liked 3 and 4
So did I haha. I hope even if they don't get the full remake treatment (although I would love that) they get a re-release at some point.
@@whyitsfun yeah that would be nice
GOTY contender? No. Just no. BG3 has that s*** locked up.
GOTY contender? Even for a joke it's not funny.
j'adore !
I just want to see Zelda lose it’s overrated xenoblade chronicles does it better HOT TAKE 🚨 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
i run to the east from wokeness
Why not play a western RPG?
Great game but the VA is kind of mehh... doesn't do it any justice.
Have you tried the alt VA for each character? I'm probably going to roll with a mix from the different versions.
@whyitsfun so bear with me here, I played the demo last night, and I couldn't figure out the VA changes? I'm going to pick the full game up today after work. The demo VA just sounds like AI and the only character that had some soul was Regis. The VA isn't a huge deal cos I can just turn it off but it's the only thing I didn't enjoy so much...
@@mewtkeys Oh yeah, to be fair the game isn't super clear about the changes. Only Japanese got an updated set of voicelines so if you're playing in english you're unfortunately stuck with the psp version. I can definitely see where you're coming from in terms of the sound being slightly off but it feels more like the age than anything. Totally get if it doesn't land for you though :)
@whyitsfun I was reading that online literally like 30 minutes ago! I didn't see your reply but yes im definitely going JP since I saw they got the original cast to redo the dialogue! Yep I'm sold on it. I'll be picking it up right after work. Cheers!
@@mewtkeys Still better than Megan Fox
Don’t you ever put star ocean and GOTY in the same sentence again. It’s simple. You’re just a big fan of the series brother don’t be extra. 😂
GOTY for sure
Lol this is not game of the year
GOTY contender? More like pure garbage contender.
It's been a couple of months, what's your GOTY? No hate would just love to hear your perspective on what you love
@whyitsfun well, I am platinuming ff7 rebirth currently and that's pretty fun. Plan on playing Sekiro afterwards. Modern games in general have been pretty meh though. I usually like older games. Maybe it's because I played a modern version of star ocean that just wasn't great. Golden sun is probably my all time favorite.
@@kevinburke1325 Golden Sun is an untouchable classic for me too haha. Give me a Golden Sun Remake and I'll be over the moon cuz I think it's just a slightly different style of design than we're used to and haven't really seen in the same way since.
I kinda feel the same way about Star Ocean. It's a vibe in the same way Star Trek is a vibe imo.
Not to say its the same level of quality, cuz it's not full stop, but Star Ocean is great popcorn comfort scifi imo.
Hope you love Sekiro it's incredible. Not my favorite Fromsoft game but one of their most unique and just as genre-defining as the rest
pixelated games like this will never win game of the year, if that is the case, octopath traveler already won game of the year few years back.
The original looks nicer. This is some cheap 3D-render game environment with poor optimisation. Original was made by artists that understand pixel-art
denuvo, I'll say no
I've played every entry in the franchise, only the first two are actually any good.