Star Ocean 4 sounds and looks so awesome

[BlueTsunami]

Thursday, January 22, 2009
Bunnies Return in Star Ocean 4! Also, Command Skills
A truckload of new Star Ocean 4 details have surfaced in the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu, including a new character, details on “Command Skills,” and the return of magic rings and Bunnies!

I have translated the article for your English reading pleasure below. Check it out!

First up, I suppose I should get the new character out of the way. His name is Eirmat P. Thanatos, and he appears to be an Eldarian, like Faize, and it looks like he fights with a spear. Unfortunately, the article doesn’t give a full character description of him, so we’ll have to wait to find out exactly what his deal is.

Next, this article introduces “Command Skills,” which allow your party members to perform character-specific abilities on the field. It shows off two Command Skills for Edge, one for Reimi, and one for Bacchus.

Edge – Dash
Dash is a skill that allows Edge to dramatically increase in movement speed while exploring the field. Since enemies are visible while exploring in SO4, the use of Dash can aid in avoiding unwanted encounters. Dash can also apparently be used consecutively.

Edge – Pickpocket
While walking around towns, Edge can quietly steal items from townspeople and allies using the Pickpocket Command Skill. Using the Pickpocket skill is apparently the only way to get certain rare items, though the continued use of it can reportedly have undesirable effects… You can only use Pickpocket on any given character once.

Reimi – Harvest
While exploring various areas, Reimi has the ability to search green glowing areas, known as Harvest Points, for various items. Both usable goods and materials for Item Creation (IC) can be found this way.

Bacchus – Mining
Like Reimi’s Harvest Command Skill, Bacchus can search yellow glowing spots for items, most of which will be related to raw rock and metal materials used in IC.

In addition to the skills outlined above, characters can have various other Command Skills. Some skills are immediately available, while others must be obtained by filling certain requirements. One example of this is Bacchus’ Stealth skill, which allows him to become invisible to enemies on the field.

It is interesting to note that the series staple Oracle skill is making a return in SO4. Oracle was a mostly useless skill in previous installments that allowed you to receive messages from the God of Creation, Tria (I don’t remember what he/she/it was called in English). Though the skill has been confirmed to be returning, it is unknown if it will actually be useful this time around…

The article also mentions that the fields and dungeons in this installment of the series feature much bigger sweeps in altitude in the terrain. Using a Jump Command Skill can lead to new, unexplored areas, or give access to short cuts that would otherwise be unavailable.

For those familiar with Star Ocean 3, you will likely remember the Ring of Disintegration (known as the Vanish Ring in Japanese), which allowed you to destroy certain obstacles in dungeons and open up new areas.

In SO4, instead of getting one “destroy everything” ring, you will instead have to find different types of rings, each with their own effect. For instance, this article covers the Fire Ring, the Lightning Ring, and the Wind Ring, though there are reportedly more.

The Fire Ring can be used to melt ice or unthaw frozen chests. Similarly, the Lightning Ring can short out some electronic equipment or doors, or have effects of other types of machinery. The Wind Ring is capable of cutting open overgrowths of vines over doors and treasure chests.

Finally, fans of the series will likely be stoked to see the return of the Bunnies. In Star Ocean 2, using a certain skill would allow your party to ride a giant pink Bunny around the overworld without getting into battles. Though the Bunnies were mysteriously absent from SO3 (at least in rideable form), they have returned to give you a lift in SO4!

Bunnies can be found hanging around in certain areas. Jumping onto their backs allows you to travel much faster than you could on foot. How convenient! However, there are apparently certain areas that Bunnies can’t go, so it would be wise to keep a look out while traveling.

*Stolen from Error on GAF 

[Mr. Gundam]

I want to love Star Ocean, but I can't stand that battle system.

 

[demi]

I hope there arent IU achievements... I bet there will be

[Ninja]

I'm not crazy about the doll faces on the character model (sure, they're cute but the more detailed renders are better imo), but otherwise it looks awesome. I hope the US version is region free although I hear it's out in April in Europe.

[BlueTsunami]

I hope there arent IU achievements... I bet there will be

tri-Ace seems to be using achievements like they did Battle Trophies (in SO3) and some of those Battle Trophies were ridiculous. I have a feeling getting 1000 is gonna be hard (hard as in beating the optional dungeon boss on the hardest difficulty without getting hit ).

PSP versions worth a play through? Should I skip the first and just head straight to the second one which was released this week?

Inquiring minds want to know!

SO1 is a fun game to run though, it feels like half the game SO2 is though (in regards to length). SO2 is the one that should be played through once. The PSP version supposedly fixes the slowdowns, translation fixes? and other bugs.

I want to love Star Ocean, but I can't stand that battle system.

 

I loved the "beat'em up" style of SO3 for some reason. SO4 is supposed to be building off that.

[cool breeze]

I think it looks great, but after IU, I'm gonna hold off until I hear some good thigns.

[Mr. Gundam]

I loved the "beat'em up" style of SO3 for some reason. SO4 is supposed to be building off that.

I hate that I cannot control the rest of my party. It's the same reason why I can't get into the Tales series.

[demi]

SO1 is a fun game to run though, it feels like half the game SO2 is though (in regards to length). SO2 is the one that should be played through once. The PSP version supposedly fixes the slowdowns, translation fixes? and other bugs.

What about storyline. Will I be missing out on anything by not playing the first one?

None of the games are tied at all, except 1 and 2 (and even then it's reaching). Avoid 3. You're cool by just playing 2, then 4 when I'm done with it :wub

[Kestastrophe]

I personally like the battle system, even though its just button mashing and simplistic.

[WrikaWrek]

I watched a cut scene. And i just didn't know what to think.

I mean, the game looks incredible in a way, it's very clean, high detail, etc, but then it's ugly as sin, with poor animations, nightmare inducing character design....

If the story isn't worthy, i probably ain't gonna pick up this one.

[hyp]

I personally like the battle system, even though its just button mashing and simplistic.

sold.  i really have no time to figure out anything complex these days.  sounds like fun.

[MCD]

other than the doll looking character designs, it's cool.

[WrikaWrek]

other than the doll looking character designs, it's cool.

 

And the whole kids shit goes without saying. Japan needs to get out of the closet.

[Great Rumbler]

other than the doll looking character designs, it's cool.

(Image removed from quote.)

 

And the whole kids shit goes without saying. Japan needs to get out of the closet.

In Star Ocean 2 on the PSP they made Rena a year older, but her character portrait makes her look 12. 

[Error2k4]

 

SO FUCKING HYPED.

[Junpei the Tracer!]

SO FUCKING HYPED.

Co-sign 

[drew]

oh god

[Beezy]

I didn't know Megaman X was in this game.

[Error2k4]

Megaman wishes he had a chainsaw like that one.

[tiesto]

[recursivelyenumerable]

"ashamed of my faschist president..."

that's actually a better spelling than the more common "facist", though, as it makes more sense (especially given the wrong, but understandable, supposition of the word's German origin he's probably made).

[Beezy]

"ashamed of my faschist president..."

that's actually a better spelling than the more common "facist", though, as it makes more sense (especially given the wrong, but understandable, supposition of the word's German origin he's probably made).

wrong thread and forum

[BlueTsunami]

recursive jumped the streams

[ch1nchilla]

The character models look awesome.  Another RPG I'll buy knowing I'll probably never finish it.

[pilonv1]

looking forward to this, but i still need to finish LO and TLR plus we get Vesperia this year

Edge – Pickpocket
While walking around towns, Edge can quietly steal items from townspeople and allies using the Pickpocket Command Skill. Using the Pickpocket skill is apparently the only way to get certain rare items, though the continued use of it can reportedly have undesirable effects… You can only use Pickpocket on any given character once.

sup reloading for achievements

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

SO3 sucked.  I won't get SO4 unless if it stands the test of time from other forum goers

[BlueTsunami]

Once again, provided by Error...

Newest Trailer: http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/media/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802535107dd/?of=2

[muckson]

bunnies?  i'm sold on this shit now.

[BlueTsunami]

In SO2 you could develop a skill that would allow your whole party to call a Bunny (sort of like SO4) but this bunny would take you around the World Map. The main character would call him by "Hey, Barney!" Voice Acting :'(

[modkennylaine]

So wait, do these 'command skills' mean that all skills are character-specific, unlike in SO1&2 where everyone could learn pickpocket?

Not sure if want, SO3 was a bit of a disappointment after SO2's awesomeness (even with the 'bad' voice acting).

[demi]

Yes it's just like IU. I'll die of laughter if this game is just like IU, Error will probably cut his wrist or something.

[Great Rumbler]

So wait, do these 'command skills' mean that all skills are character-specific, unlike in SO1&2 where everyone could learn pickpocket?

Not sure if want, SO3 was a bit of a disappointment after SO2's awesomeness (even with the 'bad' voice acting).

Sounds like each character has specific command skills.

[Bebpo]

Yes it's just like IU. I'll die of laughter if this game is just like IU, Error will probably cut his wrist or something.

Was IU that much worse than SO3 though?  I mean SO3 was wrist-cutting bad, but I think Error liked that.

I think SO4 will be pretty and alright if you skip the cutscenes.  I watched some IU cutscenes on youtube linked in some thread for the bad acting and they're just as looooong and boring and stiff as the SO3 ones.  Tri-Ace cannot direct a fucking cutscene for their life.

[Error2k4]

IU's cutscenes/storyline are the least of its problem. the game is half-assed, barely any customization (feels like Radiata in this sense), the battle system is really unpolished. the whole game gives that "shit, we give up with this. lets concentrate on SO4" vibe is not even funny. lots of areas have invisible walls, and the graphics are a really mixed bag (some areas look amazing, others look like PS2 quality).

I play tri-Ace games for 3 things:

1) battle system
2) customization
3) replayability

IU didn't have any of those, really. So there's no point in playing it. I really couldn't care less about cutscene direction/storyline, because that's not really the reason why I play their games.

[BlueTsunami]

Error

[demi]

Will you buy SO4's DLC, Error?

[Error2k4]

If it's something like a new dungeon and stuff, sure.

[Junpei the Tracer!]

[Error2k4]

the boob physics are as ridiculous as in team ninja games. 

[BlueTsunami]

[CajoleJuice]

jesus

[muckson]

do any of you nerds know how real boobs bounce anyway?  OH SICK BURN BITCHES!























..........nevermind.  anyway, i'm all about star ocean but i keep thinking it will be a massive disappointment like so3.  and i still haven't gotten around to iu or last remnant.

[Great Rumbler]

In the end, we'll probably all go back and play SO1 and 2 on the PSP to wash away the bitter, bitter disappointment.

[Kestastrophe]

Never played SO3, what was disappointing about it?

[Purple Filth]

Never played SO3, what was disappointing about it?

The main compliant is that the story sucks major ass (especially near the end).

I loved the battle system though

[Kestastrophe]

Really? I just finished SO1 remake on PSP and the story wasn't anything speshul. huh

[Junpei the Tracer!]

I never understood the complaints about the story. I thought the plot twist was pretty neat to be honest, very Matrixish.

[Purple Filth]

I never understood the complaints about the story. I thought the plot twist was pretty neat to be honest, very Matrixish.

The twist (if its the same one i remembered) was crazy and some didn't like it at all 

[BlueTsunami]

Not only is it the story but the pacing sucks too. I won't ruin the story for Kestastrophe but just go into this game knowing that it isn't that much of an epic space opera till that latter half of the game. In the games defense though, SO2 sort of plays out the same way.

The Battle System and creation/finding of items is what makes it fun.

[demi]

Why bother when SO4 is just  few weeks away...

[Kestastrophe]

Im not going to bother with SO3, but I am into SO2 remake on PSP. Prolly won't get to SO4 right away, if ever, since I am about 30 hours into TLR with God knows how many more dozens of hours left, plus I have ToV which I have yet to pop in. My RPG backlog is quickly growing

[Error2k4]

text from the famitsu review

Dunno if old. I'm gonna try to translate some comments from the famitsu 360 reviewers. Some of the things are saying the same thing, but I'm not gonna bother editing.

- The combat system is very solid and excellent. "Sign-out" move can be very difficult to time and execute, but that difficulty makes it fun and challenging.

- The combat system is so good that it almost feels like an action game. HOwever, the game still retains its core as an RPG, including the excellent Private Action System and Item Creation System.

- Because SO4 is a prequel, people do not need to have any knowledge of the previous SO games to enjoy the story.

- The action-oriented nature of combat may sound difficult, but it's very managable if you play in normal mode.

- While in combat, you can switch to any character in real-time, making strategizing very easy. Members in reserve can also be switched into battle at all times.

- Quests and dungeons still remain the same style as the previous games, which can cause a few frustrations.

- Even though SO4 doesn't feel like a totally new game compared to the previous SOs, but fans can rest assured, as the game feels very polished and complete.

- The game interface is intuitive and tutorials help a lot. The feeling of piloting a spaceship to explore the huge universe is exciting.

- The best thing about the game is the combat system that rivals great action games. It's extremely well-done and impressive. The game also gets much better as player becomes more creative in creating infinite variety of combos. "Sign-out" system can be used to dodge enemies' sudden attacks.

Battle system

[demi]

They should review the achievements. I'm dying to know what they are...

[Great Rumbler]

The feeling of piloting a spaceship to explore the huge universe is exciting.

 

[tiesto]

Sounds awesome, I hope there are some nonlinear elements in the game too. And I hope that tri-Ace ain't too stingy on the save points in this game like they usually are.

[cool breeze]

I'll wait for more reasonable impressions, also an idea of how long it is.

[Mr. Gundam]

text from the famitsu review

Dunno if old. I'm gonna try to translate some comments from the famitsu 360 reviewers. Some of the things are saying the same thing, but I'm not gonna bother editing.

- The combat system is very solid and excellent. "Sign-out" move can be very difficult to time and execute, but that difficulty makes it fun and challenging.

- The combat system is so good that it almost feels like an action game. HOwever, the game still retains its core as an RPG, including the excellent Private Action System and Item Creation System.

- Because SO4 is a prequel, people do not need to have any knowledge of the previous SO games to enjoy the story.

- The action-oriented nature of combat may sound difficult, but it's very managable if you play in normal mode.

- While in combat, you can switch to any character in real-time, making strategizing very easy. Members in reserve can also be switched into battle at all times.

- Quests and dungeons still remain the same style as the previous games, which can cause a few frustrations.

- Even though SO4 doesn't feel like a totally new game compared to the previous SOs, but fans can rest assured, as the game feels very polished and complete.

- The game interface is intuitive and tutorials help a lot. The feeling of piloting a spaceship to explore the huge universe is exciting.

- The best thing about the game is the combat system that rivals great action games. It's extremely well-done and impressive. The game also gets much better as player becomes more creative in creating infinite variety of combos. "Sign-out" system can be used to dodge enemies' sudden attacks.

Battle system

Sounds great as long as the rest of my team doesn't get repeatedly raped in battle.

[Kestastrophe]

what's the private action system? Is that when you press a single button outside a town and some worthless dialogue exchange, followed by your party leaving you?

[recursivelyenumerable]

The main compliant is that the story sucks major ass (especially near the end).

... which doesn't really distinguish it from previous SO games (2 at least)

[BlueTsunami]

what's the private action system? Is that when you press a single button outside a town and some worthless dialogue exchange, followed by your party leaving you?

If it works like SO3, its more dynamic in that Private Actions are activated by being in a certain area at the right time (usually while exploring a town and your parties split up). The ending of the game is usually based off who you have the best relationships with. I usually completely disregard it.