Star Ocean Wallpapers

After playing through several Star Ocean games recently, mainly the Last Hope and First Departure; I decided to collect several wallpapers for my desktop. Here they are, for your viewing and downloading pleasure. Star Ocean is really a fantastic franchise, and there's countless wallpapers out there. These are some of the best I could find.

If you're looking for a review on first departure, take a look here.

Desktop Wallpapers: Star Ocean

First departure isn't bad if you can get a copy of it, but the characters are a bit shallow.

The Last Hope didn't exceed my expectations, but it's a good game.

I could never find a copy of Second Evolution, still want to play it.

Til the End of Time is my undisputed favorite Star Ocean game.

If you like pink haired elves, well there you go.

I really didn't like Edge that much. I don't know why.

Star Ocean: First Departure

Taking a franchise back to its roots is rarely a bad thing. The most recent Star Ocean games on the Playstation 2 and 3 were good, but they were more linear and lacked some of that charm gamers loved from the initial titles. You couldn't recruit a different party on your second playthrough. However, Star Ocean: First Departure brings back the love. It has adorable 2D graphics backed up by cutesy anime cutscenes; and all the other wonderful quirks that we've missed since Star Ocean made its debut on the Famicom.

The local defense force, Millie, Roddick, and Dorne.

Genre: Action, JRPG
Release Date: 27th December 2007
Platforms: PSP
Score: 7/10
Similar Titles: Grandia, Final Fantasy, Tales of Phantasia

Roddick, Millie, and Dorne are teenagers working as a local defense force for their small town, Kratus. They undertake tasks such as repelling bandits and rescuing cats from trees. When visiting the nearest village they discover a mysterious plague has begun spreading among the populace; turning everyone who comes into contact with it into stone. When no cure can be found to stop the illness, Roddick and company venture up the nearby mountain to find a rare herb as their last hope. What they don't realize, is that their journey will take them through time and space to reveal the truth because the virus and the history of their planet.

The combat is really fun.

If you weren't already aware, Star Ocean: First Departure is a replica of the original game on the Famicom. Many of the features have been enhanced to accommodate the modern era of gaming, the graphics and the engine have essentially been updated to Playstation quality. There are a few new characters and scenes, but it's mostly the same as the original. The lore from the Star Ocean universe is rich and filled with unique stories, and this game marks the beginning of it.

I really enjoyed playing First Departure, the combat is different from your typical JRPG. Instead of being turn based, you control your character on the field. Four team members can chosen for battle. You decide which party member to play as, and each character works a little differently. Symbology is the Star Ocean version of magic, which can be used for healing or damage. Not everybody can use magic, but every character learns a plethora of various skills as they level up. Skills can vary, such as a long range nuke, or an AoE knockback. 2 skills can be assigned at any one time, and the more frequently you use them the more powerful they become. I found fighting monsters and other enemies addictive, and intentionally sought out battles. However, the random battle mechanic doesn't kick in frequently; so if you want to progress through the game quickly it's entirely possible.

Roddick and company meet people from Earth.

As for the story, it covers many things. It starts out like your typical RPG, except the characters have tails. However, it quickly gets confusing and even a little overwhelming. Time and space travel, galactic wars, and even demon lords. For a very old game, it's actually original. My favorite part was being able to recruit different characters each time you play it through. On top of that, there's a relationship system in the game that changes the ending based on which allies you favor more. Another unique and very intriguing feature in Star Ocean: First Departure is the item system. Each shop has countless stuff to buy, and it can all be fused to create new weapons, or armor.

Roddick is the main character, and compared to everyone else he's a little boring. Personally, I thought the dialogue was a little lacking. But the plot itself is good. Every so often after you make a fair bit of progress you get to watch an anime cutscene, which looks good but feels like it's tacked on as an afterthought.

Out of all the games you can get on the PSP, First Departure is easily one of the best. You can easily sink 30+ hours into it, and enjoy every second. If you ever feel like revisiting the game, you can do it with a new party and experience a new ending. Star Ocean: The Second Story has also managed to port itself onto the portable as well. Certainly a title worth purchasing, especially since it's cheap.

Check out the top 5 PSP RPG titles here!

Top 5 PSP RPG titles

After owning a Playstation Portable for several months and buying dozens of games, I've finally decided on my top 5 favorite RPGs. Surprisingly, there's a huge market for roleplaying games on the PSP. I find countless new titles every time I go game shopping.

This list is by no means definitive, it is merely my favorite RPGs on the PSP. If you don't like it, just remember that. If you have any suggestions for games I should include, comment away! 

Top 5 PSP RPG titles:

1- Final Fantasy: Crisis Core

I don't like that Crisis Core is the best RPG on the PSP. Because it's a dying franchise, and it's really 'mainstream' to put a Final Fantasy at the top of the list. However, it's easily the best game on the PSP. The graphics are top notch, the combat is brilliant, and it's got hours of content. It is a healthy prequel to Final Fantasy 7, that anyone can enjoy. Even though I didn't want to put this at number 1, there's no doubt in my eyes that it deserves the spot.

2- Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable

When I came across Persona 3 sitting lonely on a shelf, I bought it without a second thought. It was a brilliant game for the PSX, and it's even better on a handheld. It's got a great story, that can't be fully experienced in a single playthrough. The combat is challenging, demanding that you climb up over 200 floors of enemies in under a year. Persona 3 Portable is basically tied with Crisis Core for first place.

3- Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep

Birth By Sleep is the best handheld Kingdom Hearts game. It has addictive and layered combat, a brilliant plot, and 3 separate characters to play the story with. The only shortcoming this game has is that it's too short. That and the Disney part, which I'm okay with. Even if you know nothing about the Kingdom Hearts universe, this game is still worth playing.

4- Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth

I hated this game at first. It was overly complicated, without much explanation. 5 hours later, I was balls deep in dungeons, recruiting new characters and perfecting them before I could toss them up to Valhalla. Although it has a patchy plot and is difficult to pick up, Valkyrie Profile is yet another game from the PSX that made a wonderful transition onto handheld.

5- Star Ocean: First Departure

I've always liked the Star Ocean games, they've been a solid RPG over the years with less appreciation than deserved in the west. First Departure brings some of that old school spice onto the PSP. The combat is a little basic, but the story and the characters are amazing. You can't recruit every character in one playthrough, and there's loads of side content to complete. I really loved grinding on this one.

If you're looking for PSP games, this list might help you. The PSP almost has more RPG titles than I can buy, but I will keep on purchasing the ones that I can. Feel free to comment if you have an opinion on your favorite PSP games!