Star Ocean : First Departure + Second Evolution ( PSP )

[Lezard Valeth]

I'd like to ask, do anyone know if they added some scene inside? I mean, I played SO2 and SO3, and... Considering SO3 plot twist, SO2's story seems wrong... I won't say more for not giving spoilers, but I always wondered how SO2's event could happen knowing what we know...

[Sophia Esteed]

Well, in both, they added new Private Actions if that is what you mean. And of course said characters' recruitments.

First Departure: Additional PAs if you have Welch Vineyard or Elise Jerand in the party (new characters introduced)
Second Evolution: Welch is the only additional character, but there will still be PAs with her.

How to get Elise? SPOILERS
[spoiler]Elise is Joshua's sister, whom he was separated from at a young age.
Elise thought her brother was dead along with her parents, and agreed to a Soul Pact --
she would incorporate her soul into a powerful, artificial vessel named Marvel Frozen,
but she had to have her original body frozen.

In the SNES version, try visiting a special room in Sylvavant Ruins with
BOTH Marvel and Joshua in the party. It is hinted that Marvel IS Elise,
but when she threatens to fight you upon Joshua insisiting Elise be freed,
Marvel erases both herself and Elise from existence. But that was
a sad reunion, so in this PSP version, you actually CAN fight and kill
Marvel to free Elise's soul and then free Elise's body and Elise will be successfully
reunited with the brother she thought was long dead.

I dunno how to recruit Welch in EITHER game, though.[/spoiler]


My theory: Welch and Puffy are 4D Beings -- omnipresent throughout all 3 games, may even appear in The Last Hope, which is the grand prequel....of coure, you don't know anything about this until SO3. The 4D space, I mean.

[zephyr flutist]

wow i never seen anyone else so excited about star ocean. the only star ocean i played was till the end of time but i really thought the storyline was too cheesy. o.o

i think i'll be getting both of these games. hehe. =]

[Zoidberg!]

Never played a Star Ocean game before going to pick up the first one, and then get the second one if I like the first one.

[Lezard Valeth]

I see, well I hope the PA and characters will kind of retcon considering SO3

Originally Posted by Sophia Esteed

My theory: Welch and Puffy are 4D Beings -- omnipresent throughout all 3 games, may even appear in The Last Hope, which is the grand prequel....of coure, you don't know anything about this until SO3. The 4D space, I mean.

I hope this is true. This is the only issue SO3 plot made in my opinion, why didn't the Executioners destroy Nede or even why didn't Luther send anyone to stop Indalecio who would have basically destroyed his work. If Welch is a 4D being, considering she is a playable character it'd explain better...

[*~NeoAdamus~*]

SO3 to me was kinda hard, especially if you dont get it at first. I literally had to start all the way back to the beginning to figure out how to synthesize and all that jazz.

[Sophia Esteed]

It took me a while to get used to SO3's battle system, lol...but it IS fun when you get the hang of it. Same for inventing and synthesis.

SO1 and SO2's systems are easier though. Battles are generally easier (although there are no EXP/Fol etc bonuses for getting x amount of combos), and inventing is a snap....sort of. You'll need certain "talents" to do certain inventions. SO2 also requires the Dexterity talent in your chosen lead character, be it Claude or Rena, to Pickpocket. It's hard but fun. They probably carried Pickpocketing to the SO1 PSP remake as well...

[JH]

So what's the gameplay like in these games? They look interesting.

[Lezard Valeth]

In those two, you've four characters, three are controlled by an AI (a kinda dumb one, but no game is perfect) and you control one of the four. See the battle system at this moment like Crisis Core/Kingdom Hearts mixed with FF features. It's very special, and excellent, you can also switch between those four characters.

Btw, on the Welch subject I have read kind of a confirmation she's 4D being. She claims, apparently in one of those two game, that she has access to a lot of good stuff because she's a creator... I wonder if she is stuck in the universe after SO3 since she apparently never left it...

[Sophia Esteed]

Yeah, I imagined Welch had to be a 4D Being as well, since the manual of SO3 refers to "someone who has seen many things" -- that's Welch. And I'm sure Puffy is a 4D being too -- my theory is that she lurks the universes to "test" the professional "players"...

Also, I hear the SO1 and SO2 PSP remakes have extra techs and spells I cannot wait

[MIKE_KH2]

i cant wait for SO 1&2, i absolutely loved 3 so i hope i like these ^_^

[Sophia Esteed]

I was checkign GameFAQs for any new info, but I did find something interesting for Second Evolution:

In this PSP remake, they gave the character Chisato Madison a favorite food -- the Fruit Sandwich. They forgot to program it into the PSOne version, making it only obtainable via Gameshark.

Also, one of Welch's attacks (in both games) is a variant of Nibelung Valesti from the Valkyrie Profile games -- since both VP and SO are produced by Tri-Ace...

*EDIT* It seems we have the first English First Departure SCreens!
Star Ocean: The First Departure Screens for PSP at GameSpot

Ratix's English name is Rodd ick...o__O (unnecessary censors)

[JH]

From the Square Enix Members Blog...

Here's the North American front package art for STAR OCEAN: First Departure and STAR OCEAN: Second Evolution, coming to the PlayStation Portable:



We know what you're thinking: the two packages make a whole image! How can you own one and not the other?

[KeyMaker]

Cooool.I really can't wait. Finally I get to play Second story again since the 90's and finally play thwe first Star Ocean.

[Marly]

When do these come out again? I must buy these :3