THE DEFINITIVE VERSION™ OF
STAR OCEAN: THE SECOND STORY
Square-Enix shocked its fanbase when they decided to bring back the Star Ocean series with not only a new entry, but a remaster of the fan favorite release Star Ocean: The Second Story. When creating this site I had a feeling it would be a little RPG heavy, but this game was not on my to do list. Now with three distinct releases across multiple platforms here we are.
RELEASES
PLAYSTATION - 1999
| PROS: | - Most cohesive graphics
|
| CONS: | - Missing many features
- Missing some characters |
| NOTES: | - Item duplication glitch
|
PSP - 2009
| PROS: | - Framerate is more stable
- 3D models are enhanced
- Animated cutscenes
- Portrait Art |
| CONS: | - Sprites are often stretched
- 2D backgrounds are lower resolution
- Voice acting was completely redone |
| NOTES: | - Soundtrack is possibly remastered, and there's a new intro song. |
MULTI [TSSR] - 2023
| PROS: | - Overhauled visuals with new lighting and higher resolution graphics
- 120+fps
- Japanese and English voice acting
- No random battle
- Fast travel
- OST Select |
| CONS: | - Slightly linear due to quest markers and other QoL improvements
- Dias backstory removed |
| NOTES: | - Voice acting is supposedly mostly the original cast |
NOTABLE DIFFERENCES
GRAPHICS
Different options found in the remaster. Notice the many audio selections.
OPTIONS
Different options found in the remaster. Notice the many audio choices.
DEFINITIVE VERSION™
CLICK HERE TO REVEAL THE DEFINITIVE VERSION
I almost stopped writing this article, but figured I'd gone far enough and might as well finish it. The Definitive Version of Star Ocean Second Story is just so incredibly lopsided it's almost unheard of. In case it wasn't obvious enough from the release list, it's the remake from 2023.
GEMDROPS, the developer, absolutely knocked this release out of the park. They managed to capture the essence of the original release while improving on it in nearly every way. Staggering amounts of quality of life changes, new audio options, and visual improvements that make the source material look like it was an alpha build.
Just give GEMDROPS every PS1 RPG remake from now on. Thank you.
SUPPLEMENTAL
CITATIONS
